How I Shave.

I enjoy shaving a lot. I enjoy the preparation and the skill of it. I use a old fashioned safety razor because to me, I think it gets a much closer shave than the standard branded ones. It does require a wee bit of extra skill, but it is worth it in the end. 

I wanted to share the way i shave, the different things I use and how I keep my shaving things in good order.

Firstly I get my Badger hair shaving brush, which I use over applying shaving gel by hand because it means I can get the lather around the hairs so they can stand up and lets be honest, it looks nicer, cooler, and it feels great.

I wet my brush under the tap with cold water and make sure that the water sinks in deep among the hairs. I also hold the very base of the hair line on the brush so that the outside hairs don't get pulled out.

Once I've done this I shake it off a bit to get rid of excess water, you don't need loads of water or you lather will be way too thin, and leave it to stand on the sink.

I then get my shaving cream, I use the Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandal Wood Shaving Cream. Now I have nothing against shaving soap, mixing it in a bowl, i just haven't bought any yet I do want to try it and I will buy some in due course.

This shaving cream not only creates a great lather but also it smells awesome and hydrates you skin well.

I get a good quantity on two fingers and wipe it on the side of my shaving bowl, I find that a generous amount is better than not enough.

I then mix it with my shaving brush for 60 seconds. This will create a thick creamy lather perfect for your whiskers.

Once I've done this, I run a bowl of cold water and chuck a flannel in, squeeze it out, and dampen my face a bit. I find that it doesn't need to be soaking because it makes the lather too thin.

I put my razor in an wet that a bit too before I apply the shaving cream to my face. If you put the shaving cream on and then leave it for a while it can dry a little which makes shaving hard so just to make life easier I don't put it on until the last minute.

While shaving the most important advice i've received is making sure that you never go over the same place twice if you haven't re-applied your shaving cream. It might take 3-4 seconds extra to pick up the brush, but if you can't spare time to focus on your shave properly it won't be nearly as good. One other thing that i can't say for straight razors but I can for safety ones, the branded razors have a fixed angle with the blade the kind that the company feels is best to use. With a safety razor it isn't like that, you have to learn which angle gets the hairs off best for you. It is fairly easy to get used to but it does add that extra bit of skill.

After I've finished, I dab my face down with the flannel to get the soap off. The key part is dabbing, if you wipe it off you can irritate the skin and can get a bit of a rash. 

Now I know some men don't suffer from sensitive skin at all but these little tips are for the guys that do.

After that I wash out my brush and squeeze all the remaining soap out, using COLD water. I use the cold water for this because i treat my brush like it is normal hair. I worry if I use hot it will dry out and the hair will break off. I squeeze it out with a towel and the spread the hairs a bit apart so it will dry a bit better.

Next for the sake of it being more pleasant i'll make the water hot and wash out the shaving bowl so its clean. 

Next I make sure my razor is clean. Some men might not feel its necessary but I like to get it washed and dried so the blade lasts longer. Using a safety razor you can take it apart easily and wash each bit.

I wipe down each part on a towel before putting it back together. From my experience this does help the blade to stay sharper for longer, not to mention it looks better that my razor is clean. 

The last part for cleaning the razor is running it up a rough fabric, it's said to be best to use denim but I find course towels work just as good. Run the razor with the direction of the blade, not against it like you would if you where shaving. Do this both sides say about 5 times each and not only does it buff the body of the razor but the blade really does last longer.

Unfortunately I just have an old tube of some moisturiser that isn't worth mentioning but i finish by applying some Beard oil to make sure my fuzz is nice and smooth.

I hope this post has been helpful for anyone switching over to a older way of shaving.

-Happy Shaving-

-Louis-