Softening the beard???

Big.Dave

Big.Dave

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Ok I have read through a ton of posts here and on that other forum :lol: and alot of people seem to agree about getting the beard soft makes sense right, Something soft should be easy to cut and something hard well hard to cut. But after reading the book on shaving that FIDO put a link up to it got me thinking because in the book the author states that you do not want to soften the beard because it will make it harder to cut and cause more irritation. So what does happen to the hair when it has been preped for a shave? I maybe wrong but my understanding is the hair becomes softer and will increase in size after it has been preped for shaving. Now this is when the problems begin because if the hair is softer is it not more likely to bend when the razor comes across it and be cut length ways resulting in the hair being pulled as it is cut causing irritation to the skin. Also with the hair being slightly larger now because of the preping will this not make it harder to cut because the force of the blade is being spread over a larger area?
So what is there to back up these claims well the book is written with the help of barbers of the time 1905 or there abouts so there would be plenty of experience around at that time. Also there is my own experience of cutting things I know that a firm fresh tomato is easier to cut than an old soft one and its easier to cut things on there thinest side try hand slicing up a 5kg block of cheese on its widest edge you'll get tired very quickly. I know about very sharp blades I have worked with Japanese chefs for over 4 years and learned to sharpen sushi knives with soft and hard water and ceramic stones and mirror finishing blades with a nagura stone. I also know that a slicing action is more effective than just pressing the blade against what you want to cut.

So the question I ask is. What is there to back up the claim that softening your beard before a shave is a better than not softening it?
 
I'd never thought of that , the only evidence I have is from my own experience .The more I prep and soften my beard before I shave the smoother and more comfortable the result ,less irritation ,beard rash etc; at least thats my experience.
It sounds to me like you could conduct an experiment shave a number of times without prepping and then shave the same number of times with prepping and compare the results.
 
I suspect that barbers and wet shavers back then preferred shaving stiffer less hydrated beards because their blades be it razor blades or straight razors weren't actually that sharp compared to what can be achieved and bought off the shelf now.

I've also tried to shave with some NOS OLD type blades, they've been shite to put it bluntly.
 
Blunt, Tony? You? Never! :)

My personal experience is that a soft, well-prepped beard is easier to cut by with a blade. Conversely, a dry beard is easier to cut with an electric shaver.

It depends on the cutting tool.

When I don't properly prep and hydrate my beard I usually have a terrible shave.
 
I understand the theory of BigDaves topic and it does make sense in a way.

The only evidence I have to back up the softening is better approach is that I have shaved with no preparation just lather and shave, it is sore during it and not nice at all, perhaps they were just harder in 1905. Very true about an electric razor, some recommend using Alum before using an electric to further dry and tighten the skin.

I prefer the pansy way, lots of hot water and soft skin seems to allow the blade to glide and the end result is better.
 
As a 6 month convert to DE shaving and more recently to straight I know that I get a better shave after a hot shower than if I do no prep at all. Whatever the science in it is I don't know (or care) but its one of those proof is in the eating situations.
 
Don't know where i recall hearing it, but i was always under the impression that unhydrated beard hair is actually slightly tougher than the edge of a modern blade - hence without it being correctly hydrated the blade doesn't cut properly - leading to tugging and irritation.

I know only too well when i haven't prepped my beard well as my shave is almost certainly bloody awful, and My smoothest most comfortable shaves are always after a good shower.

As for the slicing rather than cutting stuff - this is very true. This is the basis for the 'Gillette slide' technique and the blade geometry of the Slant Bar razor.
 
I think there's a modicum of truth in this, especially if you use a straight razor. That's not to say skipping the preparation is a bright idea, just that you don't need to spend half an hour with a steaming flannel on your face. I dimly remember Sir Prize saying that he preferred to feel a little resistance to the razor, and I tend to agree. With regard to slicing techniques, it's obviously a good thing in moderation, and applies to cutting almost anything from tomatoes to sheet metal.
 
Arrowhead said:
I dimly remember Sir Prize saying that he preferred to feel a little resistance to the razor, and I tend to agree.
Click to expand...
To recapitulate, I said that I find waterlogged i.e. over-prepped bristles difficult to cut and prefer to be able to hear the "rasp" that tells me that cutting is taking place.
I suppose one could say that I am an acoustic shaver!
 
People probably haven't noticed, as I'm not very vocal about it, but I am a cold water shaver (mostly by preference, and a bit because we live in the equivalent of a "cold-water flat", the hot water system is byzantine (and it was probably a blind drunk Byzantine self teaching plumber on day one of the course ... before the textbooks had arrived) and crappy).

  • Good thing I prefer the cold water shave. I find cold water will also hydrate the eard, maybe not as thoroughly, but well enough.
    • Plus it means that cut stubble washes off cleanly and nicks are less severe, stop and heal faster in my non-professional opinion.
      • ...and it is just very refreshing, whereas hot and humid, is not my scene, dig?[/list:u][/list:u][/list:u]

        I haven't read up a great deal on it, but much of the 'must have hot water, must have hot/very warm lather', stuff is fine if folks do like it, but I haven't seen much real science behind it.
        • - peer reviewed, blind studies etc, are not littered all over the place.
          • "Me too" posting rationalising why they prefer comfy warm stuff is.[/list:u][/list:u]

            Cold water shaving - 'cause I likes it.
            ;)
 
I throught this thread might get people talking,
I have been spending alot of time getting my beard well washed and soaked ect it takes time, but this morning I had a quick bath, I did not bother to try and soften my beard just made a foam and shaved it was a good shave I finished with an alum block and splashed on some cheap high alcohol citrus cologne I got from a turkish mini market and the jobs a gooden. I did put some moisturizer on as well. So I think I will no longer bother with the Proraso for preshave but I will use it afterwards if needed its good for razor burn and I will skip any long winded efforts to soften the beard it's not needed although I won't complain if I'm paying a barber and he does all the faff with a hot towel ect because it is nice.
 
I would imagine that the blade is very close to, or even gliding across the surface of the skin. This will also position it close to the base of the hair. I would think that the where the hair exits the skin, and is supported by it, there isn't really anything to bend, as the cutting is done close to the base of the hair. If this is the case, then there is a definite advantage to the hair being soft, else the blade is going to pull it instead of cutting it.

Ian
 
IanM said:
I would imagine that the blade is very close to, or even gliding across the surface of the skin. This will also position it close to the base of the hair. I would think that the where the hair exits the skin, and is supported by it, there isn't really anything to bend, as the cutting is done close to the base of the hair. If this is the case, then there is a definite advantage to the hair being soft, else the blade is going to pull it instead of cutting it.

Ian
Click to expand...
Good point but if that is the case why do we do multiple passes to get a good shave?
Because if we were cutting that close to the base of the hair we would only need to do one pass.
 
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