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I did a Remembrance Day service last November and was talking to an old veteran. Quite unprompted he told me a shaving-related story.

In the days before the Normandy landing the chap went for a wash and a shave. He had just arrived at a toilet block when two higher ranking soldiers told him to come to their hut and stay with the maps (plans for the D-day invasion which couldn't be left unguarded). So he dashed up to their post leaving his shaving kit behind in the washroom. Of course, when he got back it had been nicked.

Then, on the beach after the invasion, he was taking cover (= hiding!) behind a large armoured vehicle. As this went on for a while he rubbed his stubble and decided he needed a shave. His mate was there with him and reached into his kit and lent the man his razor (ah, those pre-HIV / health-and-safety / litigation days). My man then had a shave using his mate's razor and seawater from a pool on the beach. No soap, no brush, salty water and all conducted under enemy fire. After that he felt good enough to break cover and run up the beach to the next forward position. (Ah, the power of a clean shaven man!)

I was amazed as I hadn't mentioned shaving at all and this tale poured out of him with a real sparkle in his eye.
 
There's plenty of bacteria that live in sea water, whether its harmful or not is a different matter. My salt water fish tank "works" because the bacteria in the rock break down the waste and eventually convert it to free nitrogen.
 
You could always go and shave in the Dead sea which isn't actually a sea but then my enquiry was about saline which isn't strictly sea water.
 
antdad said:
Good stuff gents, it occurred to me that shaving with saline might actually be quite a good idea, bacterially speaking....Henk?
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And why would you want that. Most bacteria living on your skin are benign or even beneficial anyway. Plus, soap is a quite effective anti-bacterial product, so much so that in household use, the use of antibacterial soaps (those that have explicit biocides added to them) is utter nonsense. ANtibacterial soaps are relevant in hospitals and other situations where zero infection hazard is imperative (microbiology labs e.g.), but not in home use.

So, yes, salt water may offer some additional antibacterial action, but IMNSHO it would be superfluous... And it would sting whenever you cut of nick yourself ;-)
 
Could it be beneficial in any part of a regime? After all I rub alum and splash alcohol over my chops, that can also sting but seems to be beneficial.
 
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