Thread: Good Prep

I don't like to get too excited about "Prep", sometimes it gets so much advertisment I feel like I must be shaving with a back hoe! Recently I did a few things though to improve my prep. One, I started only dipping the brush TIPS into the bowl before whipping up a lather. Holy Sh*t....more lather than I ever dreamed started flying out of that bowl. Second, I stopped shaving after I got out of the shower, I go get a little dressed. Let the water continue soaking my beard, then re-wet my face. Works great...I know, I know, smarty pants, I should lather up and then get dressed, but come on....ok, what do you do that improves your prep.....or

Whats your idea, besides what we all already know, thats your definition of good prep?

Well, since the point is to strip the oils from the whiskers to allow more water to penetrate them, washing your beard with quality soap right at the beggining of the showering seems like logical step. you can also wash your beard with the hair shampoo... Then, preshave oil might help, and at this point I would try to shave with NO lather, just with the oil, and I bet you'll get just as good shave as with lather...

Nenad

I've tryed Lynn's trick of going through the usual hot towel prep and then lather up and put the hot towel on one more time with the lather still on your face and let it sit.

I find that my best shaves start out with:

1. Hot water face wash.
2. Pre-shave oil.
3. Hot towel.
4. Lather.
5. Hot towel.
6. Lather.
7. Shave.

I think that once you've cleaned all the oil and gunk off your face and given it a good hot water soaking you've done about as much prep as is going to help you. I've tried it all, pre shave oils, hot towels, towels with lather, without. Soap and hot water alone seems to work the best for me though the hot towel feels great.

I do remember a thread awhile back where someone said the makers of fine brushes like vulfix and simpson's do not recommend using preshave oils as it can damage the brushes.

Well, I usually begin with a good washing. I try to shave after a shower, because though I love hot towels, they're a pain unless one owns a towel steamer (I want one, by the way. Someday...).

I usually use a pre-shave oil, too. I have heard, now repeatedly, that the oil might damage my brush. I don't know one way or another, but it sure does smell nice (at least the T&H oil does), and feels nice, and my brush isn't all that special anyway.

How much prep I do is ultimately a function of a) how much time I have and b) how much time and pampering I feel like spending on shaving. But, the bare minimum is lots of hot water (a shower) and giving your face a good brushing with the lather.

Alan,

I don't shave immediately after the shower, either. I wear my hair a bit on the longer side, so I dry it first. While I do this, I soak my brush in hot water and either cover my soap with hot water (not the glycerine soaps) or, if using a cream, put cream into my "mixing bowl" and add 3-4 drops of hot water. Once I have reached the point of lathering my face, I strop my razor, re-apply lather and then begin the shave.

RT

I'm normally an out of the shower guy and although I consider myself a direct shaver there are some things I do between the shower and the shave. Here's the routine:
1. Strop and disinfect the razor.
2. Shower
3. Pants on
4. Shaving Cream
Some time I strop after the shower.

X

Pretty much the same for me as "X" except for disinfecting the razor and the pants

Originally Posted by RichZ

Pretty much the same for me as "X" except for disinfecting the razor and the pants

You're a BRAVE man! I'd hate to think what would happen if you drop something that sharp the "wrong" way....