Traditional "Wet" Shaving is shaving with a "Safety Razor or Double Edge Razor". When I was a kid I was in wonderment of the tools of shaving. When visiting my Grandparents I would stumble across a shaving brush in a mug of soap and wonder how to use it. The technique and the tools are making a resurgence and I've decided to take up the method.
After showering, then using a shaving oil and whipping up some lather from a English lavender shaving cream I applied the warm lather via a badger hair brush then took care and started shaving with my Mercur adjustable razor. It took me about 15 to 20 min longer than I normally would and only had one trouble spot under my nose (which even with disposables I had issues with that area) which isn't a bad time for my first go at it. I'm sooooo converted.
I now realize that ever since I started shaving I've never ever had as close of a shave as I've got right now. It feels amazing. If you've ever thought about ditching the disposables and the can of foamy gels, I'm here to say, go for it. You'll never look back. In addition in the long run its more economical. I paid 10 bucks for a 12 pack of bic disposables and the replacement double sided razor blades are around .17 cents or lower and you get multiple shaves out of each blades, not sure how many but I've heard between 7 and 12 shaves. While the initial safety razor itself was somewhat pricey as was the badger hair brush the "accessories" can be found pretty cheap. The good shaving creme, and you only use a dime size dollop, is a few bucks and can be found at variety of sources, just look for glycerin based no alcohol versions, you could use mineral oil or baby oil for the shaving oil instead of paying top dollar for the fragrant oils. If you can find an oil that won't leave an oily after residue that would be ideal. I picked up a over sized mug from the goodwill store for .99 cents. Which brings me to another positive about the old time method I'll be able to shave daily now (I did a 3 pass shave just now, 2 passes with grain and 1 last pass against the grain) with the disposables I could have never shaved more than 3 days apart (twice a week usually) as my face would be ripped up and razor burned. Anywho just thought I'd pass on this revelation. :D
-pt
Just a quick comment, I ordered a "sampler pack" of double edged blades and so far the absolute best and sharpest blades are the brand called "feathers" made in japan. Even the merkur from Germany don't stand up to the quality of those blades. The German blades I could use for about 6 shaving sessions (of about 3-4 passes per session) but the feather blades i've gotten about double the amount of sessions or more. I typically ditch a blade when the blade starts to pull or tug which is a sure sign that its gotten dull. The remainder of the blades are no where near the quality of the feather blades. The pack I bought contained the following:
ReplyDeleteMerkur Double Edge Safety Razor Blades 10 Ct Made In Germany
Gillette 7 OClock 5 Ct
Feather High Stainless Platinum Double Edge Safety Razor Blades 10 Ct Made In Japan
Wilkinson Sword Classic 5 Ct made In Germany