Traditional shaving! Who here partakes?

[Cub Kaa]

Have to agree, shaving with a DE hasn't saved me any money. But that has been my choice to go down the road of artisan soaps and such. What it has done though it has made me shave a whole lot better. It takes me longer to shave and long gone are the cartridge and can goo days, where a quick once over and I was done. And yeah I get the odd cut, but I get a much better shave. Sasquatch makes a good point about shaving rash and in grown hairs. He also makes. Good point about adjusting to a different shave, a DE shave will take you longer, you do need to slow things down and think about where your shaving. But once you get there you'll know what a BBS (Baby's Bum Shave) is.

If you don't want to take the step of a straight or a DE then if you do one thing buy a brush and a decent soap. One thing I have learnt is a good thick lather with help you get a better shave even with a cartridge. I haven't a clue what a can of shave cream even costs today. Outlay wise for £20 you can get a decent boar brush and a tub of soap, that brush will last you years and the soap at least a bit longer than a tub of goo. Them little blue Wilkinson Sword tubs in my opinion, horrible and if your starting out one to avoid.

Now on the subject of brushes, brush care is easy, wash out lol the soap with clean water until the brush runs clean. Gentle squeeze dry in a towel after flicking the brush several times to get rid of excess water. Then leve in an airy place. Also don't be put off if at first the brush is a little scratchy, a boar brush will take a little breaking in. If your a veggie then look no further than the Body Shop as they do a synthetic "hair" brush for £7 (ish).

Afraid to say I do partake of "poncey" soaps £20 ones from USA and even more expensive ones from France. Are they any better than a bowl of that blue bowl wilkinson sword stuff, hell yeah !!!

Oh and as for shaving in the wild ? Yeah the same kit goes camping, I've been in a field at 6:30 a.m. Shaving with a brush and DE.

 

[Twodogs]

Its all Chads fault we were talking shaving one day at a meet and the kind man sent me what i would call a starter pack ,

gillette safety razor, soaps and other bits and bobs

Im hooked what was a pain in the **** morning job at 0600 is now enjoyable ,,lovin the Arko soap and 444 with the aftershave.........

Cheers Chad

 

[Steve27752]

I always wanted a cut throat shave and the full works so my wife bought me one, it was one of the biggest disappointments ever. I complained as there were clumps of beard left.
I use a badger brush, currently using the wilkinson blue soap dish, find it very wappy preferred the L'occitane in a bowl or a bar of soap and a Wilkinson Sword Hydro 5, for some unknown reason I don't like Gillette.


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Although straight razors are often sold as 'shave' ready. That is only for shaving butter. Most need to be sharpened properly first, and then kept sharp by stropping.

 

[Steve27752]

I use either a Straight razor or a Gillette Ball end DE OC.

DE for 10-15 years, and a Straight for 3 years. Now problems with either.

 

[shaggystu]

I think the razor I use is the same as your "coronation" model Samon, it certainly looks the same. I've tried all sorts of different blades over the years, as well the usual phase of mach 3's and a brief period of not getting the hang of a straight razor, but the best ones for me are some ex soviet blades that I found in Prague many years ago, I have three left, they're away somewhere safe (I assume that I'll need one to get married and one to get buried, the third's a spare), otherwise I find that LIDL/ALDI do very good blades. Soap is usually just normal dove hand soap with a synthetic brush. I used to get very sensitive skin from shaving so for a while needed to use "better" shaving soap, I don't have that problem anymore, dove works well for me. I spend quite a bit of time living out of a rucksack, shaving kit then alters very slightly in that I use shaving oil rather than a brush, the razor stays the same. There's something very satisfying about standing by your tarp in the morning and having a shave before work, to my mind being able to dedicate time to your appearance when you're living and working out in the woods shows that you've more or less got the hang of the camping malarky.

Cheers,

Stuart.

 

[Adze]

I think the razor I use is the same as your "coronation" model Samon

That's a Tech, Stu. I've got one too, magic little things with the right blade once you master the technique. I think mine was about a fiver from evilbay.

Thanks to reading this thread, I've just won a complete Gents Grooming Set in a travel case, looks like leather, we'll see when it arrives. It's another £5 plus P&P 'win' from evilbay... will I never learn?

 

[Goatboy]

On the soap front the best I've used and most cost effective was a Crabtree & Evelin shaving soap in a wooden bowl. Unfortunately the local branch has shut so I suppose I'll have to get more online but the last bowl lasted over five years. Though not the cheapest company the cost per year/shave is tiny. Also it was a lot nicer than any foam/gell in a can.
Getting the hair to open up before shaving is important before taking a blade to yourself. If you look at human hair it's a bit like a snake with scales. Warmth, especially humid heat causes the scales to open up. (Think a ripe pine cone). This allows the blade to cut into the hair easier rather than glance off and slide over the hair. (It's also why hairdressered will usually wash hair in hot water to make it open and allow their chemicals to get inside before using cold water to force the scales to close more quickly). It's why a rushed cold shave rarely feels as good. So saying cold water and or an alcohol based rub not only shuts the hair scales but cause the skin to tighten. Both will make the shave feel smoother afterwards.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Samon]

My Coronation set has a Gillette Tech razor inside, the razor itself is common and plentyful, the box is what makes my set desireable.. lol.

And on the topic of soap, I've tried quite a few. But Palm olive shave sticks from asda, tesco, wilkos etc are 50p each and last ages, give great lather, are great on my skin and don't smell like a urinal cake! (you Arko users know what I'm talking about haha)

I've yet to try a bowl of fancy soap, as I like the ease of stick soaps. Just as simple as wet your chops, rub the stick over a few times and get working a lather with the brush! piece of cake.

On the topic of brushes, I've also got a few. Used synthetic and it worked well tbh, they all get better with use do to bristle wear. Natural ones smell like wet dog once wet for about 2 weeks of shaving lol, seriously gross. But somewhat 'anticipated in joy'. I use a boar bristle brush at the moment, it's course and feel good and thorough. Wasn't expensive either, and hasn't shed many hairs.

 

[shaggystu]

That's a Tech, Stu. I've got one too, magic little things with the right blade once you master the technique. I think mine was about a fiver from evilbay.....

Thanks for the info Adze, as I say, I'm pretty certain it's the same model as mine, they look identical anyway. One of the best features to my mind is the fact that I can reverse the guard and cover the blade to pack the thing, really handy.

Mine came from my grandfather, so saved myself a fiver there!

Cheers,

Stuart.

 

[Adze]

Natural ones smell like wet dog once wet for about 2 weeks of shaving lol, seriously gross. But somewhat 'anticipated in joy'. I use a boar bristle brush at the moment, it's course and feel good and thorough. Wasn't expensive either, and hasn't shed many hairs.

Natural horse hair ones are a pig to dry properly, hence the 'aroma'. I bit the bullet a few years ago and bought a nice badger hair one like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kent-Badger-Bristle-Shaving-Medium/dp/B002RBDCY6

...same price but from my local chemist's shoppe (some things shouldn't be bought from Amazon unless absolutely no alternative exists)

It shakes dry, doesn't shed and smells very faintly of shaving soap. Nice and stiff, unlike the horsehair ones, but not so stiff as to leave you raw from the brush before you shave.

 

[Goatboy]

Another handy bit of kit would be a stypic pencil. (spelling could be off on that).
A little chemical stick which though it'll sting will stem any bloodflow from any small cuts you give yourself. Over the years I collected and used many old types of razor and they one that took the most getting used to so that I didn't cut myself was the good old Rolls Razor®. Great shave but could be a bit eager to bite you back.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Adze]

One of the best features to my mind is the fact that I can reverse the guard and cover the blade to pack the thing, really handy.

Amazing the things you learn on a Bushcraft forum really... thanks for the tip Stuart, I didn't know that about the Tech, just tried it with mine and it works a treat!

Mine came from my grandfather, so saved myself a fiver there!

Not so much a saving then as priceless.

 

[Adze]

Another handy bit of kit would be a stypic pencil. (spelling could be off on that).
A little chemical stick which though it'll sting will stem any bloodflow from any small cuts you give yourself.

A dab of icing sugar does much the same, without the sting Probably tastes nicer when you lick your finger afterwards too...

 

[Samon]

Those chemical thicks that stop bleeding are based on a traditional after shave called Alum (potassium aluminium sulfate salt blocks).

I have a few blocks of it the size of match boxes, you risnse them under water after your sahve and give your face a once over with it to tighten the pours and to act as an antiseptic to any cuts. Search fleabay for 'alum blocks' couple of quid each and last ages!

I personally don't use it often, every 3 shaves or so, or if I've ballsed up and sliced my face when shaving drunk lol.. It can be very drying to sensative skin, and burns like a *******!

 

[shaggystu]

Amazing the things you learn on a Bushcraft forum really... thanks for the tip Stuart, I didn't know that about the Tech, just tried it with mine and it works a treat!



Not so much a saving then as priceless.

No worries mate, always happy to pass on tips and hints.

I suppose it is priceless, but I'm not too precious about it, he left me another heirloom with the words "fairbourne" and "sykes" for getting all precious about

 

[Goatboy]

A dab of icing sugar does much the same, without the sting Probably tastes nicer when you lick your finger afterwards too...

Very true though a way to store the icing sugar without it caking can be a problem. I carry one of the wee sticks in my shaving kit and another in my FAK. Last for years and also clean the wound too.
The sugar tips a handy one for folk though. Both will stop you looking like a toilet roll got shreded onto your face after a bad shave.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[sasquatch]

Glad you're still enjoying it Cliff, it's a fine hobby.

I have to agree with Steve as well, when people sell a shave ready razor it will still need honing. You need to set the bevels yourself then be consistent with how you hone it in future.

 

[Samon]

Glad you're still enjoying it Cliff, it's a fine hobby.

I have to agree with Steve as well, when people sell a shave ready razor it will still need honing. You need to set the bevels yourself then be consistent with how you hone it in future.

True, but for a novice who needs a 'go to' point in knowing what kind of sharp is sharp enough with razors it's a good option. And for those with little experience in sharpening it can make a big job less hassel.

For those wanting to hone their own, start with a simple, but effective 10k Welsh slate hone, they can be had on ebay by a Welsh guy for around £20 brand new and full size with a slurry stone. They may not be the collectable coticule hones or anything fancy, but they work just as well once you've got it down. Also the 'one hone' method uses the slurry in increasingly diluted ammounts on one hone is a perfectly acceptable way to get the most out of one stone, instead of buying a set of 6k-8k-10k etc etc.

I've found unless the razor is in real disrepair with large frowns and messed up edges a simple set on a normal high grit stone (600-1000grit) then slapping it on a 8-10k hone will do a perfectly good job. The key after that is in the edge polishing with a good strop and compound. A cheap option for strops are fine grain veg tan leather cut into strips, one loaded with a course compound (autosol for the cheapest option) and then jewellers rouge power (£2 for a bag of powder) on the second and a strip of canvas (cut up some old jeans!) all pinned together at one end with a ring to hook on to a door handle or hook.

Once you've got the basics sorted, you can move on up with 'better' stuff.

 

[sasquatch]

True, but for a novice who needs a 'go to' point in knowing what kind of sharp is sharp enough with razors it's a good option. And for those with little experience in sharpening it can make a big job less hassel.

For those wanting to hone their own, start with a simple, but effective 10k Welsh slate hone, they can be had on ebay by a Welsh guy for around £20 brand new and full size with a slurry stone. They may not be the collectable coticule hones or anything fancy, but they work just as well once you've got it down. Also the 'one hone' method uses the slurry in increasingly diluted ammounts on one hone is a perfectly acceptable way to get the most out of one stone, instead of buying a set of 6k-8k-10k etc etc.

I've found unless the razor is in real disrepair with large frowns and messed up edges a simple set on a normal high grit stone (600-1000grit) then slapping it on a 8-10k hone will do a perfectly good job. The key after that is in the edge polishing with a good strop and compound. A cheap option for strops are fine grain veg tan leather cut into strips, one loaded with a course compound (autosol for the cheapest option) and then jewellers rouge power (£2 for a bag of powder) on the second and a strip of canvas (cut up some old jeans!) all pinned together at one end with a ring to hook on to a door handle or hook.

Once you've got the basics sorted, you can move on up with 'better' stuff.

Indeed. My point was 'shave ready' being touted by nearly every seller can be very misleading to people new to the art. They buy a razor that is 'shave ready' and find it's shocking to shave with. They then put that down to lack of technique and generally end up sticking the razor in a drawer and tell people it's overrated.

Even razors brand new that cost a couple hundred quid should be set on your hones for ease of future use. Once you set the bevels with your own technique using your specific roll of electrical tape on the razor you can then hone to perfection and only need to touch them up in future with your electrical tape on the spine. If you plan on hanging on to the razor it makes sense to bed it in right at the start to make future honing quick and simple.

On the flip side, many people starting out can get a shave ready razor and ruin it by rounding the edge with poor stropping. None of this is rocket science by any stretch but it does take practice. The best thing to do is buy a vintage razor in good condition with no warps or frowns and practice with that. There are plenty of videos online demonstrating how to do it unlike when I started off. Do some research to save time and money if it's new to you but by all means don't be afraid to try it!

My main advice to anyone wanting to try it without spending more than £20 would be to buy a decent shavette. It's a straight razor that you put double edge blades in(snapped in half). A shavette can be found for a fiver, blades can be sourced cheap, a £5 brush can be had then it's down to what soap you want to try. Then it's action time knowing the blade is always sharp and no need to hone it or strop it. If you enjoy it after a month or two you know you're onto a winner and can start to invest in the necessary kit.