Bad Shaving Advice

Why do I sense sarcasm in that comment   

Impossible!

I figured but your emoji is just showing characters instead of the actual emoji since it is not one used by the software of the site.....

Nah I just like the <3 this way.

Good lord, brush usage and care. I don't see that problem here much, or really that I know of, but other forums I read it just makes me want to scream. Hey let your brush sit in lather overnight to break it in. Hey, let it sit in cold water overnight, scrub the hell out of that brush, and so many other things. Basically everything the brush manufacturer recommends doing is discarded, and everything they say not to do is just how to do it. The ones that will damage the brush are the most annoying. Look, if you want to abuse your tools, go right ahead idiot. Just don't expect me to sit around and not say something and how it will damage it. Other people don't need to assume that's what you do to properly take care of your brush. If you want to do it, fine, great, but understand there are risks.

All the tips make sense and agree with, and you definitely see all of those.

Watched the video and I both agree and disagree with every point.  The thing you figure out as you get into wet shaving is there’s a huge amount of subjectivity. The old YMMV which despite getting sick of hearing it, is still true.  When guys are just getting started in wet shaving they need a little guidance beyond YMMV and a shrug of the shoulders. That’s where tips like your 4 come in. They shouldn’t be viewed as hard and fast rules but rather, a starting point. A way to make a little sense from a large data set. They’ll figure it out eventually and will shave in the manner that they find most effective and enjoyable. One of the things newcomers have to get their heads around is that the quality of the shave is not directly related to the cost of the gear and most expensive does not necessarily mean best.

Awesome video Shane. Thanks for spreading the word.?

Awesome video Shane. Thanks for spreading the word.?

Thanks for watching!

As someone who has been wet shaving since the early 2000s and has made every mistake in the book, my 2 cents on this.

#1 - Depends razor and hand technique. That should be no excessive pressure not no pressure. A simple exercise to practice that is take your razor without a blade and grip the handle in a fist and drag across the face then do the same holding it like a pencil to feel the difference and practice until it is comfortable to hold it like a pencil. That will give you the most fine tuned control to know when to pressa and when to pull.

#2 - Again depends the blade. I am largely in agreement here as long as your first blade is not a total P.O.S. Case and point is the Van Der Hagen razors they sell at Walmart. The blades they come with a total garbage and that could be enough to deter someone from continuing DE shaving with an otherwise okay beginners razor.

#3 - Agree on the no best shave but disagree on the how many passes you need to get a BBS. In my experience and this includes carts I can not get anything resembling a BBS shave without an ATG pass. That may not be true for others with finer facial hair. Type of facial hair will ulitmately determine this.

#4 - Sensitive skin is usually due to poor skin conditioning habits. Canned goo, alcohol based post shaves and detergent skin drying pucks called soap are the problem. First use real soap bars to wash your face either something like Kiss My Face which is plant based or Grandma's old fashioned soap which uses animal tallow. The canned goo stuff is the easiest to change if you switched to shave soaps or creams. Another good alternative to soaps and creams and can be also used in conjunction with them is ultrasound gel. That stuff is slick and hypoallegenic and also cheap as snot when you buy it in bulk. use vinegar after your shave specifically apple cider vinegar a little goes a long way. Vinegar will help keep the skins PH where it should be right after shaving, react with any remaining soap residue on the skin, it will help sooth any razor burn same as it does using it on sunburn. Post shave keep away from alcohol based anything. For astringents use alcohol free witch hazel and a really good post shave balm is th fruit of the earth alcohol free 100% aloe vera gel. That gel helps the post shave irritation, keeps the skin hydrated, doesn't dry greasy and has lots of vitamin E in it which is good for skin. You do this regularly even on days you don't shave you skin conditions will clear up in a few months along with the skin sensitivity.