Shaving soap

[Naples or London?]

thankyou robert - i will investigate further..... always slightly put off by the (perhaps incorrect) assumption of extra work/time investment with a single. My wife gets frustrated enough with my routine and 2 toddlers to control!
Best wishes
Paul

[cathach]

thankyou robert - i will investigate further..... always slightly put off by the (perhaps incorrect) assumption of extra work/time investment with a single.

The great thing about a straight that often isn't considered is that it will not clog. In my experience this can make for a far more smooth or relaxing shave. Of course it will take more time to build up the muscle memory and tasks that go with it, i.e. making sure not to knock the edge against the sink, where to put it down during pauses etc. But it is very rewarding I think, and of course eco-friendly as there's no waste. Try one with the disposable blades before you go any further perhaps as robert_n has suggested.

Another thing I suggest is if you ask around at home you may find your grandfathers or other relatives razors in a drawer waiting to be restored and brought back to life. As a result of such a question I found myself with four to restore in one go, admittedly a lot more expensive than buying one new one!

[robert_n]

@ Naples or London:
To be honest, sharpening and stropping are a bit of an art, and drove me crazy on and off for years. I actually prefer the real (not disposable-blade) straight razor shave and could never go back to double edge or the new-fangled razors. The most time-consuming part of the shave for me is the lather up of several minutes, not the shave, which as cathach says, is just as fast if not faster for the straights.

The Feather I bought (an Artist series, I believe) is a folder, and has poor balance, despite its precision engineering. I have tried all the Feather blades for it and hated them all. They start off way too sharp and leave blood spots in a way that no straight razor will ever do. I vary rarely knick myself with a conventional straight, and when I do so, the cut seals with a bit of cold water. Unlike the modern shaving blades, the rigidity of the straight razor makes for a clean, not jagged, micro-cut. No unsightly, weeping cut to ruin the office persona.

Taking off a few strata of skin as well as whiskers is healthy and certainly shows as a fine shave.

Once you get used to the Japanese non-folding straight razors, you'll find yourself gravitating towards them. I've got a dozen or more straights that hardly get touched, so enamoured am I of the Japanese styles.

Bottom line: for you I'd recommend trying either one of the Feathers, or one of the KAIs, but in either case the KAI blades, which are not bloodthirsty. (Blades of either marque are interchangeable).

[robert_n]

@ cathach:
Don't get me started on expensive and esoteric razors!
http://sekaiisan.biz/?p=1455

[robert_n]

P.S.:
Feather have a well-price traditional Japanese straight which can accommodate KAI blades.
http://www.shaving.ie/products/Feather- ... Style.html

[Naples or London?]

Robert - thanks so much. I think I will go for a folding variety (little children poking around in cupboards when no-one looking......) and disposable to begin with. Would you suggest Kai rather than Feather for the actual razor itself, as well as the blade? Are they better balanced in your opinion.

This really is fascinating. Apologies to the OP if this is going a bit off original topic!

[robert_n]

@ N/L:
I've got the Feather in foldable, and it's not the most finely-balanced thing I've used, so I'd go for a KAI on the basis that it couldn't be any worse. I'll think you'll find this a far superior shave than the usual double-edge, or the cartridge/system shavers. Did I mention how much I hate the Feather blades, and how much kinder the KAI version is?

By the way, I hardly ever do a double pass with the straights, unless I've got a special occasion lined up. Double pass leaves one's face that shiny that old-time barbers used to dust with talc to dull the sheen. Cheers.

[robert_n]

On a tangent to the soap question, if you're blessed/cursed with wire-like hair like me, then a very stiff badger brush is the go. Amongst other silver-tipped versions in my collection, this Shavemac is one of the firmest on the market, necessary to really soften my tough upper-lip and chin whiskers, half the battle.
http://is.gd/wJfIxQ

[Frederic Leighton]

Like 'robert_n', I find that shaving in the morning (but not straight out of bed) gives me the best result, but sadly, the pressures of the daily grind rarely alows me time to even get the water running hot enough, let alone spend time in the delights of the blade. [..]
I love the idea of emulating the barber's shop in applying a hot towel before shaving, but lacking an autoclave, can never get the temperature right - if the towel is hot enough to work, then it's having been soaked in water which makes it too hot to wring out! [..]

I stopped using hot water and started shaving with cold water in winter 2011. I had read an early 19th c. manual that was recommending it; the manual was in form of dialogue, with the father wanting to teach his son the art of shaving with cold water and without mirror. It also reminded me of a photo of American soldiers shaving in the snow during WWII. I decided to give it a try despite not having a difficult skin and never suffering irritations or anything else. The redness that usually followed the shave and was taking up to one hour to disappear never came back. I don't miss the preparation with hot water! [I shave with vintage straight razors, usually two passes and no 'against the grain'].

[robert_n]

@ F.L.:
I ceased to use hot water years ago, too, but do use tepid water. Apart from bursting facial capillaries (in my case), I believe that hot water makes for a less close shave. I do, however, first wash the sebum off with a face soap that the hairs more easily become saturated. And I work the lather well into the beard for several minutes.

Whilst on the soapbox, I keep my carbon steel razors in a tightly-sealed wooden cigar box with a good handful of camphor. This vaporizes and coats the razors with an invisible barrier preventing rust. When the razor is removed from the box, the camphor film evaporates. I've found this more user-friendly than gun oil or silica beads. It's great for toolbox rust-prevention, too.

[Frederic Leighton]

I do, however, first wash the sebum off with a face soap that the hairs more easily become saturated. And I work the lather well into the beard for several minutes.

Same here! I use a very plain 100% olive oil soap for the first wash and choose face lathering with my trustworthy Simpson's Wee Scot for the next step.

Whilst on the soapbox, I keep my carbon steel razors in a tightly-sealed wooden cigar box with a good handful of camphor. This vaporizes and coats the razors with an invisible barrier preventing rust. When the razor is removed from the box, the camphor film evaporates. I've found this more user-friendly than gun oil or silica beads. It's great for toolbox rust-prevention, too.

Interesting, Robert_n! Thank you for the advice! I used to provide a straight-razor honing service and oil blades before sending them back, mainly because this is what customers expect and because blades come out of the honing perfectly clean. When it comes to my razors, though, I stopped oiling them, or at least I do not oil the ones that I regularly use (I still oil those that are into storage). It looks to me that the film left on the blade by residual fats (mostly oils) which are still present (in the range 6-15%) in the shaving soap after the saponification are enough to protect the carbon steel from oxidation. In years of use, I can't really detect any trace of oxidation on the blades I shave with. Of course I am extremely finicky about letting the blade dry properly after every use.

[robert_n]

One thing about the disposable blade straights - Kai, Feather - because they aren't stroppable they are more prone to ruination by rust than by mere blade deformation, even if they are well rinsed. This is especially the case in hot climes (my case), or if you're not using the blade every day. I put mine in the freezer between shaves. Let it thaw for a few minutes whilst you're preparing to shave. Oxidization is pretty well stopped at low temperatures. I always store my used, wet steel-wool there, too.

Touching disposable blades directly is not something I'd recommend. The angle of the housing doesn't match the blade geometry, and so one could easily misalign the cutting edge by wiping. Better to rinse and freeze.

[robert_n]

I should have been more explicit - I put the entire razor in the freezer, not just the blade, which is only touched when it's to be removed. I get about 7 shaves per disposable blade.

[BirdofSydney]

I've recently discovered a superb brand from Norway called Fitjar, which both works a treat and smells superb: like a Norwegian pine forest.

There's a silver tip brush in the post as well, which has me rather excited...

[gegarrenton]

Harris Arlington is a great soap. I tend to vary between that and the Italian soft soaps like Cella and Valobra or RazoRock Artisan. For creams, Trumpers Coconut to me is the end all be all, no question.

If anyone is looking to mix it up with their brushes, try a Simpson's M7 Manchurian. It's spendy, but my favorite brush.