I don't use shaving cream or soap. Just hot water in the shower. I get a great shave without any irritation.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Shave without nicks?
- Thread starter Derp
- Start date
I don't use shaving cream or soap. Just hot water in the shower. I get a great shave without any irritation.
Also, if you'd prefer to watch rather than read...mantic59 on YouTube has some great videos. Heck, even you do like to read it's well worth watching his vids: mantic59
Here's a great video that's oddly satisfying to watch. If you know how difficult shaving with a straight razor is, it's even better since he's so smooth.
Here's a great video that's oddly satisfying to watch. If you know how difficult shaving with a straight razor is, it's even better since he's so smooth.
I use the Phillips Norelco One Blade. I've had several electric razors over the years. I've also gone through a ton of blades. The One Blade is almost as close as a blade and is much closer than any other electric I've ever used. I don't use lotion or cream, just baby powder.
It's definitely not for everybody.
If you've always had shaving problems (bumps, irritation, cuts, ingrown hair, etc.) and you've tried other methods, it's a very good option to try next.
I don't use a straight. I've tried it and thought that was too much work.
A double edge safety razor is much easier. Using the brush and a good cream or soap makes a huge difference too. If someone wants to make one change I'd recommend the brush over the razor.
Everyone's face is different. My brother could probably get away with no shaving cream. My beard is much, much heavier and tougher, and not using shave cream is a recipe for disaster.
Decent soap lather does not dry your skin out, and it lubricates far better than aerosol cream, and its application softens and raises the beard more than lather from a can. There's a huge difference that's instantly perceptible the first time you try it, as long as you get a correct thick lather (the trick is to pre-soak the brush and use very little extra water to lather the soap).
Soap is better than a dedicated shave cream? And define 'decent soap.' I mostly use gentle glycerines that i haven't tried shaving with, but i think the average household bar of Dial, Irish Spring, or any kind of standard miniature hotel soap is quite drying after use, no? Personally, i don't lather with a brush
Ah, I understand. Ordinary washing soap is not meant for shaving, it's something else entirely. These are shaving soaps, and they must be used with a brush to create the lather, either in a bowl or a mug, in your hand, or on your face:
shaving soap - Google-Suche
Aerosol creams are mostly air, they don't reduce blade friction as much as a good thick soap or tube cream lather, and the benefits of using a brush (apparently the brush strips the beard hair of its oil, allowing more water to penetrate and further soften the beard) are missed when using aerosol cream. It's cheaper as more environmentally friendly to use soaps as well. To me canned cream is one of those backwards steps masquerading as progress, the only advantage being saving about 3 minutes during a shave.
I use the first method in this video, and lather on my face like he does. Small back and forth movements work better than swirling the foam in big sweeps, though :
Last edited:
Thanks everyone for your input!
Some of you suggested trimming the beard very close to the skin which is a neat idea, and I have done it in the past, but I'm kind of a perfectionist and I love a clean smooth face, so I'll stick with wet shaving.
I think I'm definitely going to get a classic safety razor sometime in the near future along with a brush and a nice shaving cream. I've been wanting to do this for a while now, having watched a bunch of shaving videos over the the past few months. I gotta say there is something quite egocentric about all this luxury grooming stuff, and that's why I love it. Gotta care for your own self too, you know.
Have a great weekend everyone
Some of you suggested trimming the beard very close to the skin which is a neat idea, and I have done it in the past, but I'm kind of a perfectionist and I love a clean smooth face, so I'll stick with wet shaving.
I think I'm definitely going to get a classic safety razor sometime in the near future along with a brush and a nice shaving cream. I've been wanting to do this for a while now, having watched a bunch of shaving videos over the the past few months. I gotta say there is something quite egocentric about all this luxury grooming stuff, and that's why I love it. Gotta care for your own self too, you know.
Have a great weekend everyone
Last edited:
Be sure to get a winter cream....
Seriously, though, something spicy fits well with the holidays, maybe Nomad or Tabac.
(And really, is it that different from having summer or winter beers? I'm well into porter and stout season and will be out this week looking for this year's Christmas brew from Anchor.)
So @farace do you brew? There's nothing like a mug of room temp beer on a cold winter evening. I'm happy to know that people still do and make stuff themselves, that the arts and crafts live on. Keep on doing what you do! And enjoy your brews!
No, that's one thing I haven't tried yet, though I've had friends that brew. I'm blessed to have a shop nearby with an incredible selection of imported and craft beers, and yes, the flavors really come out with some of them when they warm up a little bit. Just finished a bottle of Anchor Porter a few minutes ago.
I think that unless it's summer and/or the beer is cheap and gross and tastes like carbonated urine, chilling it to death is a waste, as it kills the flavor of a good beer. I think the whole "I'd rather drink my own p*ss than warm beer" mindset comes from people drinking really low quality stuff that is undrinkable unless it's cold enough to mask the disgusting bitter stale taste and the huge amounts of carbon dioxide.
Exactly. Get a decent beer, like maybe a Samuel Smith Imperial Stout or something else of that caliber, and once it warms up a little bit, the scents and flavors bloom. I'm not supposed to have more than one beer at a time due to medical reasons, so you can bet that when I do it's going to be something worth drinking. We had one a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't even read the label because it was in German script, but it was recommended by the shop owner who told me it was very smoky and went well with food. We made some oven-roasted root veggies, and popped this thing open and the smokiness was kind of like sausage smokiness. It was really something special.
I'm imagining the smell and visualizing a nice dinner with a hearty ale. Yum! Bet that stuff would be great with meat. I'd love me a crispy pork belly right now!
Check out the Invalid Link Removed razors. They have adjustable blade gap. I found that I get a much better shave, and fewer Knicks, with a wide, aggressive blade gap.
