Thread: The Full Treatment

My "weekends" are any days I have off or work late which frees the mornings. The best I have found is: Shower/wash face, shampoo hair + beard stubble. Lather with Dove exfoliating bar with boar bristle brush. At this piont if I am going to work soon I shave with a Gillette heavy adjustable. If it's a pamper day then the hot towel goes on over the lather with several re-heats from the full hot shower head and re-wrap. Then another lather. After shower dry everything except stubble. Check on hot pot with wash cloth over top which was on prior to shower; rainwater is the best. Make sure Jazz station is on radio (KCSM 91.1). Wrap a large towel around waist and secure with a belt; you never know when the towel will "let go"; and then slippers to protect feet. I have never dropped or nicked a razor but being careful is worth the effort. The razor was stropped prior to shower after heating it in very hot water and dried quickly prior to strop. Hot washcloth on stubble several times then lather with badger brush, cup, and Classic Vanilla cake soap (or Dove bar) with a hot, wet brush. Turn tap water down to warm and shave. Three passes (with re-lathering each time) with hot brush in 3 directions and a touch-up rinsing razor as needed in warm water and wiping to just below edge with an old, clean, and thin towel. I never let the water or lather get to the pivot. If it should I dry immediately with pipe cleaner and sponge. I usually strop between one of the passes and for sure before the touch-up. I can almost always get a BB smooth perfect shave by this method. If not it will usually be a not perfectly sharp razor or an error in technique. Hot water rinse to clear any soap followed by cold water washcloth. Let face dry while razor is heated with very hot water, wiped dry with artificial sponge cloth, heated with wife's hair dryer and then stropped while warm. Pinaud Bay rum is my usual after shave. I really love it when it when it all comes together. Very satisfying.
Monte

I absolutely look forward to a un-rushed shave on the weekends. I sometimes get an extra minute during the weekend and sneak in an extra towel before the second shave just for kicks. I always use at least one hot towel before the first trip down my tree trunks and after applying the skin food I use another one as a finishing technique. Hot towels make a real difference between the comfort and closeness of my shaves. jmsbcknr

I will assume the "tree trunks" to which you refer to are not your legs, rather, some part of your face.

Is this a safe assumption???

Jeff

I try to give myself a good shave every morning - but when I want the full treatment, I have to find a barber. It's just not as relaxing when you do it yourself.

As for the cigar - I hear ya, Lynn. I want to be like Capone in that opening scene of The Untouchables - chit chatting as I get my shave. Though without the cut. And I don't think he had a stogie at the time.

One of these days, I'll have a finished basement with a barber chair. :P

Originally Posted by adjustme69

How many of you guys on the weekends, do the hot towel, lather, hot
towel, re-lather, the shave, hot towel, aftershave like the full barber shop experience? I always like to imagine myself being in the barber shop BS'n with the locals and getting the full treatment. Wish I had that kind of time every day. I like the barber shop conversation so much that I joined a local cigar club where the guys come in and smoke cigars, talk politics, sports, movies, etc. I could only imagine an old barber chair in there. We have really stepped back into an ejoyable space in time. Lynn

I do this every morning. Unfortunately it means that in order to get my workout completed, shave, dress and get to work by 0700 I have to get up at 0330. But it is worth it all to start the day with a BB feeling face where the wiskers don't begin to peek out until 7-8 pm.

I was until just recently doing the shower shave routine. Now whenever i get the chance i do the whole shebang, Hot towels lather, hot towels lather, lather, shave, hot towel lather, lather, shave and so on for three passes. amazing!!
Its more relaxing but i still think a real barber shave is better because of the environment, old men talking about the good old days! As a marine i got my hair cut once or twice a week so i also got a full shave just because the opportunity was there.

I would love to say yes, but alas, I cannot. All i do after the shower is sometimes use preshave oil, lather, shave (two passes with the grain on the face, two passes on the neck one down and one up), splash the scent of the day on my face, and call it good. I get a BBS shave. I have a three year old and a 1 1/2 year old, and I can't justify taking more time away from them in the pursuit of that "perfect" shave, which would only be marginally better than what I already achieve. One extra hour a week equals 52 hours per year, or more than a work week, I could have spent with my daughters and wife. I know it seems small, but at the rate these girls are growing I don't want to miss anything I am not forced to miss (through work).

I do the full treatment most days. On weekends I try to lay off so I get a good shave on Monday.

I took the time for a full treatment yesterday. Loved it. I try to do that at least every week. J.

I'm in the honeymoon period of straight razor shaving and every day that I do shave is a full treatment day. I look forward to each experience.

I've made some different choices but one thing I doubt I'll regret is the time I've spent on shaving.

Thanks again Lynn and Tony for your products and efforts and thanks to all those who add what they can to this forum.