What is it with shaving 3 day stubble

For those who missed Obie's wonderful interview with Liam/it includes the stropping/here's the link:

Straight Razor Place - Conversation with Liam Finnegan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foxhill

I shave almost every day, but sometimes I skip a shave on my day off. The following day, my shave is even more comfortable because my skin has had time to "heal" from the fine surface layer being scraped off during the shave.

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I'll take that a bit further. The other day after I'd finished shaving and washed my face I noted a tiny patch of stubble just under my nose. I'd already washed the brush and shaving bowl and didn't feel like bothering with soap, so I just "lubed" with a wet finger and did a little ATG stroke to get the rebels. The pass was clean with no cuts weepers or irritation, and the skin felt very soft and smooth after.

The residue on the blade interested me because it didn't just look like a few bits of hair; there was something holding them together.

Using a magnifier I could see the bits of hair were held firmly in a translucent jelly-like substance.

I'm pretty sure I'd washed away the shave cream thoroughly and the skin was clean when I applied the water.

My conclusion was that the "jelly" was a mix of water and exfoliated dead skin cells. And that this layer of dead cells forms not only your "last line of defense", but an excellent lubricating layer when it's absorbed enough water.

It seems reasonable that it would take 2 or 3 days for a good fresh layer to build up.

Nub - I don't know if your theory is right or not - but it does seem plausible, and does fit the added comfort when we've skipped a day or two. Thx for posting.

Can Rubbing Alcohol be used as a after shave. Cause it happened to kill bacteria really good.

Most aftershaves are alcohol based.