The Epic Quest for Manliness, The Art of Double Edged Shaving

[WizardTrip]

I expected to have to pick it up in the morning from the condo's office, but this was a nice surprise.

Ooooo nice and tidy. Definitely one upped my setup. How was the shave?

It was good. Not perfect, but nice. No nicks or anything, so that's good! Now that I have a feel for what you guys have said, I feel the second time will be great. I definitely am preferring this over what I've been doing over the last 15-20 years.

[mantic59]

...I definitely am preferring this over what I've been doing over the last 15-20 years.

Mwahahahahaaaaaa....

 

[UnderpantsGnome42]

Part 3

 

So you’ve successfully completed my last two quests, time for lunch? Nope, lets turn this up to 11. This is where things start to get even more interesting. Prepare for a mammoth of a post!

 

Your last shave with the safety razor was pretty great wasn’t it? But maybe you nicked yourself a couple times, or the razor didn’t quite glide as perfectly as you expected? Time to make some improvements.

 

Pre-Shave Treatments

 

A little extra lubrication to aid that blade gliding.

 

Oils

 

I’m going to admit now, I’ve never really been a fan of pre-shave oils. But as I’ve said a couple of times in previous posts, this is all very much personal preference so I’ll cover them incase they’re your bag.

 

Pre-shave oils are, as the name suggests, oils which you apply to your skin before lathering up for your shave. They add an extra layer of lubrication to help the blade glide smoothly as well as a bit more of a barrier for nicks and cuts, they also help hydrate those coarse whiskers for easier cutting. There’s no need to be applying loads to your face, more isn’t better, you’re not making sure that broadsword of yours doesn’t rust. You just need a small amount, less is more so long as you entirely coat your beard area.

 

There’s a few different ones I would suggest, different oils used and slightly different consistencies.

 

Truefitt and Hill Ultimate Comfort Pre-Shave Oil. This is beautifully slick oil, it’s quite a thin oil so a little will go a long way and it won’t feel like a chore to apply. Designed for sensitive skin so should cause absolutely no problems with irritation.

 

eShave Pre-Shave Oil. This one comes in a variety of flavours, depending on what you fancy. It also comes in a nice and convenient bottle with a pump on top so you always use the same amount and don’t waste any, bonus!

 

Bluebeard’s Revenge Pre-Shave Oil. One of the newer kids on the block but is certainly starting to make a reputation for themselves. Very large bottle for the price so great value. This is another thin oil, but the quality of the ingredients for the price you pay is fantastic!

 

Creams and Lotions

This category covers pretty much all other pre-shave treatments, with one small exception but I’ll mention that later.

 

These are by far my favourite form of pre-shave. Having had bad acne as a teen I’ve never been a fan of putting oils on my face, even though the ones in the products above are non-comedogenic.

 

As with most things there’s various different price brackets, so I’ll do like I did for the shave creams and give a few close to entry level ones then the really high end ones.

 

Entry Level:

 

Proraso Pre-Shave Cream. Like the shaving cream this one come with or without the menthol and eucalyptus. This cream is excellent, Proraso could easily get away with pricing themselves closer to the high end market. Lovely and slick cream to help the razor glide, and the one with the menthol has that nice cooling sensation.

 

This cream is a little bit unique as well, it works great post-shave as well but I’ll get into those soon enough!

 

Entry Level++:

 

Geo F Trumper Skin Food. But wait, I thought that was more of just a moisturiser? Nope, it is actually really good at various jobs. This is a really nice lotion to use as a pre-shave, I’ve heard of people actually applying it before lathering up for each pass as it’s so slick but is mostly removed by each pass. The wonderfully hydrating properties moisturise the whiskers and your skin amazingly. I’ve even had it suggested to me to put a few drops into your brush while lathering up to make the lather even richer and more hydrating. I’ll cover this as a post-shave further down.

 

Max Level:

 

Unsurprisingly...

 

Castle Forbes “The Pre-Shaveâ€. So I’m showing that I’m a bit of a Castle Forbes fanboy here, but the product quality speaks for itself. Their pre-shave lotion is unbelievable. It is water based so unlike some oils it won’t leave a ring in your sink at the water level. Not that that’s the only reason this lotion is great, you should be running a sponge over your sink after shaving anyway! It is a nice and light lotion, offering great lubrication for the blade without clogging it up.

 

Soap

 

This product doesn’t really fit into either of the above categories but still definitely deserves a mention.

 

Musgo Real Pre-Shave Soap. This is an absolutely sublime glycerine based pre-shave soap. Comes in various different scents depending on your taste, my personal favourite is the Spiced Citrus. Just wash your beard area as you would with any normal soap just before lathering up. But instead of washing it off like you normally would, just leave this on your beard and lather up over the top of it. It leave a nice coating on your skin that is nice and slick aiding the razor’s glide across your skin.

 

Post-Shave

 

Alum Block

 

I’m not going to recommend specific brands for this one, an alum block is an alum block regardless of where you get it. The only difference will possibly be the size of it, but that makes little difference anyway. I would actually say and alum block is pretty essential as its antiseptic and astringent qualities are amazing. Used after shaving will stop any bleeding for minor nicks and cuts as well as kill any potential germs that may be residing on your skin. The astringent quality is great for people with oily or breakout prone skin, like myself, as it helps control the oil levels on the surface of your skin and maintain the matte appearance.

 

How to use: Once you’ve splashed the cold water on your face to rinse off the remainder of the lather just run the block over your face. There shouldn’t be any need to even wet the block, the water already on your face should be more than enough. You’ll then want to leave the residue on your skin for a minute or two. I suggest leaving it on your skin while you clean your brush and the sink up. Then splash some more cold water on your face to wash off the residue and you’re done!

 

Post-Shave Cream/Gel

 

There’s so many of these, it would be excruciatingly long to write about them all and a pretty boring to read as there’s not that many differences between a lot of them. So I’ll mention the ones I think are the best and the best value. I doubt my choices will be a surprise to anyone given my penchant for certain brands.

 

Post-Shave creams are another less is more affair. You shouldn’t need to use any more than about the size of a quarter (10p to us brits) in the palm of your hand and gently patted/massaged onto your skin. No need to rub hard or aggressively, you’ve just assaulted the area with a particularly sharp blade it needs a rest!

 

Amazing Value:

 

Proraso Pre-Shave Cream. Wait, what? That’s a pre-shave cream, what is it doing in this section? Well I’ll tell you what, this is a great multi-purpose cream. Like I mentioned in the pre-shave section, this cream can be used both pre and post shave! Why have multiple products if you’re on a budget and one will do both?

 

The fact it can do both of these jobs, and do them well might I add, is why I’d rank this as such amazing value!

 

Entry Level++:

 

Jumping it straight up a notch.

 

Truefitt and Hill No. 10 Post-Shave Cologne Balm. What a monster of a name. Rich, creamy, moisturising, wonderfully clean scent. Everything you could want in a post-shave balm. Not much more to say, the product name actually does most of the job for me.

 

Bluebeard’s Revenge Post-Shave Balm. This one is a bit weird, I really like their branding and scents but this seems to have a very close to petroleum jelly kind of feel to it. Not for everyone, but I’ve not actually heard any bad things about it so I’ll include it for now.

 

Mid Level:

 

Couple of good ones fit in here.

 

Taylor of Bond Street Jermyn Street Aftershave Cream. That same epic scent that the shaving cream has but in a post-shave cream! It’s exactly what you are looking for in a post-shave. amazingly moisturising and soothing without the scent being too overpowering.

 

Geo F Trumper Skin Food. I’ve mentioned this briefly further up as a pre-shave, but this is the job it was designed for and really excels in. Brilliantly rich and moisturising with nice strong scents, Coral, Sandalwood or Lime. The scent lasts for a while but fades fast enough not to clash with any cologne you may be planning on wearing.

 

Max Level:

 

There can be only one!

 

Castle Forbes Aftershave Balm. Surprise surprise! As with the rest of the Castle Forbes range, other than the pre-shave, this comes in three different scents: Cedar and Sandalwood, Lime and finally Lavender. All the scents are supplied by pure essential oils, not perfumes or non-natural additives here! This is quite simply one of the most impressive post-shaves I’ve ever had the pleasure of trying, a small amount goes a long way and it really feels like you are feeding and moisturising your skin.

 

Ok maybe there can be two, an honourable mention in this category goes to the same company as mentioned in the shaving cream section in the original post. Fitjar do some amazing post-shave balms in the same scents as their shaving creams. They are all handmade and completely paraben and preservative free, fantastic for your skin, really soothing and moisturising.

 

Bleeding

 

So you’ve been a little clumsy and nicked yourself quite impressively, but you’ve got that date we were talking about and you’ve got to leave really soon, not to worry! You’ve got a few options.

 

Styptic Pencil. Talk about rubbing salt in the wounds... oh wait, that’s essentially what this is!

 

A styptic pencil is basically a pencil of salt. They’re simple to use and very effective.

 

How to use: Get the tip of the pencil wet and press it into/against the cut for a couple seconds. It will sting, a lot, but will stop the bleeding very quickly if not instantly.

 

Simple as that. An alum block can be used in a similar fashion by using the edge/corner of it. However I find that a small amount of the styptic pencil tends to break off into the cut stopping it faster.

 

Proraso Shave Cut Healing Gel. Not tried this myself and heard somewhat mixed reviews on it. You just squeeze a small amount out of the tube and apply directly to the cut area and it stops the bleeding. The only negative I’ve heard about this is that it can sometimes leave the area looking somewhat shiny, like the spray on elastoplast kind of sheen. As I keep saying, it’s up to your personal preference a lot of the time.

 

Cologne/Aftershave/Eau de Toilette

 

Don’t worry! I’m not telling you what you should wear as a fragrance, that’s entirely up to you.

 

I am however going to make a couple suggestions as to where to apply it.

 

Firstly never apply anything alcohol based directly to recently shaved skin. Alcohol is very drying and will irritate the skin. Instead I find that spraying/applying to the back of the neck as well as on the forearms/wrists and using what you’ve applied there to dab behind your ears keeps you smelling great for hours without the extra irritation of applying alcohol to your neck or face!

 

Further Reading/Shopping

 

If you’ve made it this far through your epic quest you’re well on the way to mastery of the double edged blade and should be proud!

 

If you’re interested in learning some more, though I’ve tried to cover almost everything, there’s a couple YouTube channels I would recommend:

 

Mantic59 - Fantastic tutorials on techniques all the way from basic to advanced, videos say more than I ever could in just words. He also runs a blog over at sharpologist.com. He even appears to have recently become a member of this forum and commented in this thread. Pretty much the main inspiration behind my original journey into wet shaving so deserves some serious kudos.

 

GeoFatboy - Great place to hear reviews of all sorts of different razors, from double edged to shavettes to cutthroats. He runs shavenation.com