Forum and Shaving Questions

C

ChemicalFencer

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16
Hi again y'all,

I've been going through the posts today and I have some questions about some things I have been reading.

There are discussions on blades - I know this will open a can of worms but what are classed as mild blades and what are classed as harsh blades and how can you tell the difference?

I generally use a bowl and brush to mix my lather. After the 2nd pass I find the lather to be cold, any suggestions on how to keep it warm?

On aftershaves. I keep hearing that alcohol is bad you your skin after a shave, and yet I see discussions on it here which is confusing me. Is this put on after a balm? With a balm? Also what is considered an aftershave? There's mentions of Bay Rum, Old Spice etc but what of the more commercial ones, Dunhill London for example? Or are they just considered perfume for men?

My shaves with my merkur progress have left my skin a little irritable - even after a lotion. I use Nivea Sensitve (in the white glass bottle), and use L'Oreal 24Hr Hydrating balm about 5 minutes after for the rest of my face. Is there anything else out there that you can recommend I try? I also have the Body Shop's Maca Root Razor Relief but the smell is very strong not that nice.

I think that's all the questions I have for now.

Any answer will be well received.

TTFN

CF
 
This could be a long thread. Here's an interesting thread from another forum about blade reviews you will find of interest:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29705" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29705</a><!-- m -->

As to keeping lather warm, take a look at a few threads in "General Shaving" about scuttles and home made alternatives.

Others will pile in soon.
 
I'm too new to offer much constructive advice, but in relation to keeping the lather warm, I stand my mixing bowl (currently a porcelain ramekin dish) in the same hot water I soak the brush in beforehand. I leave it standing while I have a shower, but even just a couple of minutes will help as the porcelain retains the heat.
 
Hi Chemical F, wouldn't be surprised if you get inundated with all manner of advice M8. My tuppence worth would be that an overly aggresive blade (for the individual) tends to leave the skin feeling raw & possibly even with the dreaded red flush of razor burn. You may not get this the first or even second day of shaving, however ongoing repetition doesn't give the skin enough time to regenerate & heal. A "mild" blade (again for that individual) can start to seem as if it's just not working. If you had to check to see if you had remembered to insert a blade at all ........... that blade is way too mild for your combination of razor, skin & beard.

I stressed the "individual" part of the above, because a very fair skinned person with a heavy hand and, say, a Merkur adjustable turned up to 5 or 6 would almost certainly find that what most would think of as a "mild" blade could leave their face a red ruin. On the other hand I used a Merkur slant with Feather blades for years with seldom a nick or discomfort. Which is why one of the most common pieces of advice you'll see in TSR for new comers to DEs is to get a sampler pack of blades from Connaught, so they can fine tune how different blades work for them in their razor.

I've had a lot of (non shaving related) skin probs over the years & I now use a glycerine based wash before shaving and use glycerine based shaving soaps. I've found this really helps in keeping the skin hydrated during & after shaving. My final rinse after shaving is with half a basin of lukewarm water with a couple of splashes of malt vinegar in it before patting dry with a soft cotton towel. The advice about the vinegar was given to me some years ago by a consultant dermatologist to whom I was referred ; I believe it assists in restoring the PH balance of the skin to a "healthy" mildly acidic balance in minutes rather than hours.

Final tip I use on occasion is a dab of Trumper's Skin Food, which is mainly glycerine based and being hygroscopic will draw moisture from atmosphere to keep the skin moist & hydrated.

I never use alcohol based lotions or splashes, as if they don't cause a flare up with my skin because of the burning & drying they cause me the chances are that the perfume content may cause distress, now that my skin is sensitised.

Hope I haven't gone on too long M8 & whilst none of this may assist you, it's all well meant.

JohnnyO.
 
Hmmm luke warm with malt vinegar? I think I'll give that a go tomorrow morning.

I usually finish with cold water. As it's summer here in Bahrain the water tanks seem to be warm and so is the water in the taps - I keep a bottle of water in the fridge for this.

Mrs. CF mixes distilled white vinegar and baby oil and applies that to her face as part of her odd nightly routine.

I have a selection of blades at hand and have gone over the SMF Squire's blade reviews like Fido told me and will be breaking into my Feathers tomorrow morning.

Adding to my question above - I have Tabac aftershave lotion (little white bottle) and . . . well . . . when I read the word lotion I think of a runny cream that's soothing to the face. What make it a lotion? Or am I thinking too much?

CF
 
Oh, I'm happy to start the blades punch up:

Sharp ones
Feather: you probably know about these. Ferocious, because as well as being sharp, they're not the smoothest, so be a bit circumspect.
7 o'clock yellow: decidedly on the sharp side, and again could be smoother, but not a bad all round bet.
Super Iridium: like the 7 o'clocks, but without the harshness. One of the best currently available.

Middle of the road
Gillette Bleue: all right, could be smoother.

Mild
Red Personna: probably the best blade to start out with: sharp enough but easy going and economical. I could live with them on a regular basis, at a pinch.
Wilkinson: borderline acceptable, probably won't do much damage.
All supermarket blades except Sainsbury's: see Red Personna, because that's more or less what they are.

Inconsistent blades
Derby: some are good apparently, but I got rid of mine after two unshaveworthy specimens in a row. Razor blades should be reliable in my opinion.

Blades to avoid
Dorco
Sainsbury's: made by Dorco
Wilko's
Merkur (but they have their fans).

Discontinued blades
Gillette Platinum aka Swedes: pretty much the best blade ever made. Notably sharp and smooth, and outlast practically anything else.
Wilkinson made in UK: close to a Swede, but less durable.

There you go, totally unscientific, far from comprehensive and slightly mischievous. Hopefully the others will fill in the gaps (Kai, Astra, Super Thin etc etc). The trick is to find a blade which is sharp enough for you without feeling harsh; in my case Iridiums fit the bill fairly nicely, but I'd prefer a bigger cache of old stock blades.
 
Gosh, I did like the thought of Mrs. CF's "odd routine" ; circumspectly yet not uncharitably put I felt.

ArrowH has given a nice rundown of a lot of the current blades for you, I wouldn't discard the Israeli Crystals either. They 've never varied much in quality when I've used them and seem a fairly moderate blade to me. Just a thought in passing, have you got the indent marks on one end of the Progress shaving head aligned ? I know this seems obvious, however not being either techy minded nor even just normally observant it was a few weeks before it dawned on me that there is a correct way and an incorrect way for the head to be mounted to the body.

I'm no authority on either Tabac nor yet aftershaves, however I usually thought of aftershave lotion as being mostly alcohol based, whilst balms are more emmollient and soothing.

JohnnyO.
 
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