My Post Shave Routine -- What's Yours?

     Just thought I would give a little summary of my post shave routine as it stands now. I haven't discovered fire, not reinventing the wheel here or anything. I'm sure I'm not doing anything most others don't do. 

     First, once I'm done with my final pass, I rinse off my razor and rinse my brush out. Then I do a cold water rinse on my face and get rid of any soap residue that is still present. After that, I just lightly pat my face dry. I try not to rub it, or do anything aggressive, and I don't necessarily want to get it completely bone dry. After that, I will generally pat my razor down with a towel, disassemble it, and remove the blade. I dry the blade and either put it back in the wrapper or dispose of it depending on how many shaves it has on it. Then I dry the razor parts, starting with the top cap. I place that down and I will generally dry the plate and put that back together with the top cap. Then I dry the handle down and screw it back onto the head. I used to just pat the razor down and leave the blades in the razor, but I really try not to do that anymore. I would like to handle the blade less, but it's how I do things for now. Finally, I apply some witch hazel to my face before my splash. I wait a little bit, but not too long before applying my aftershave splash. I like the witch hazel to absorb a little bit, but I don't like my face completely dry when I apply the splash. I also use an astringent before witch hazel, but lately I have not been doing that.

     That's my routine as of this post. It could change, it has before! Like I said, it's pretty simple. Nothing really new to learn here. What does everybody else do post shave? I'm always curious.

• I squeeze all the soap out of the brush and/or bowl and apply to my face/head. 
  
• If tub loaded, rinse out excess foam and place tub upside down on counter.
  
• Rinse brush, razor, and blade. 
  
• Arrange metal gear on bottom of soap tub to dry.
  
• Hang brush in stand.
  
• Shower
  
• Apply aftershave -- balm in winter, splash in warmer weather with layer of plain aloe vera on top
  
• Towel dry metal components; blade goes in an empty shot-glass for safety; reassemble razor
  
• Put tub right-side up to dry overnight; put top on in the morning and return it to the hoarding area cabinet
  

• I squeeze all the soap out of the brush and/or bowl and apply to my face/head. 
  
• If tub loaded, rinse out excess foam and place tub upside down on counter.
  
• Rinse brush, razor, and blade. 
  
• Arrange metal gear on bottom of soap tub to dry.
  
• Hang brush in stand.
  
• Shower
  
• Apply aftershave -- balm in winter, splash in warmer weather with layer of plain aloe vera on top
  
• Towel dry metal components; blade goes in an empty shot-glass for safety; reassemble razor
  
• Put tub right-side up to dry overnight; put top on in the morning and return it to the hoarding area cabinet
  

As well thought out as I thought I had this post, I did miss two things reading yours. If I use a lathering bowl, I do rinse it out and for the most part dry it with a towel. I also leave the soap out to dry as well. Not always overnight, but usually. I do also rinse the soap tub out and just clear out any excess so lather that's built up on the poker around the edges and the threads on the outside of the tub.

Squeeze lather out of brush, apply to face. Rinse out brush, dry handle and razor (without disassembly because lazy). Rinse soap off with warm water then cold. Wet alum block and rub on shaved area. Dry alum block and put away. Cold water rinse, lightly pat dry and apply Thayer's Rose Petal toner. Dispense one pump of Zingari Man Rescue Potion in hand, mix in whatever aftershave splash I'm using for the day and apply. Let dry and apply balm (usually Declaration Grooming unscented liniment or Zingari Man Sego unscented balm). Sheesh that reads like that scene from American Psycho. -_-

Rinse and towel off face. Rinse and towel dry razor in pieces along with blade. Put blade on my blade holder, put razor together loosely and put on razor holder so both can air dry. 

Clean up sink and mop up the floor. Lol.

Splash aftershave on. Put towel in laundry. If i find a weeper i may use a dab of alum but thats it.

Shave, clean up, aftershave, done.

Because my skin is quite sensitive, I cannot face lather. I develop the lather in a bowl and paint it on my face. I like using soaps that are specifically designed to provide moisture and skin conditioning after the shave . I do a four-pass shave (WTG, XTG, ATG, and clean-up with buffing strokes) all with minimal pressure. However, when making my lather, I make enough for an extra bonus lather, which is rather uncommon.

After completing my shave, I apply a 5th layer of lather on my skin and allow it to condition my skin while I am rinsing my razor, shaving brush and lather bowl. After that is done, I use a soft microfiber cloth to remove the lather from my face. For my skin, a terry washcloth is too rough for this. After the lather has been removed, I apply a splash of Dickinson's witch hazel. Witch hazel contains 14% alcohol which is enough to provide feedback if I get a less than ideal shave. If I get a great shave, I will get zero feedback. That is always my goal.

I do not use clear aftershaves that contain 50% alcohol as they will irritate my skin even if I get a great shave. I do not enjoy the burning, stinging sensation. I can use aftershaves that do not contain alcohol, but rarely do so.

Hmmmm......well, I think that we first have to define where and when the shave ends? For me, that would be when the razor last touches my face. After that I do the following:

1) Rinse off straight razor and dry with a few wipes on towel, cloth strop and leather stop, put away.
2) Warm water rinse out and squeeze out brush, rinse threads on soap container, put on lid and put away in shave den, rinse out sink.
3) Run cold water, soak wash cloth and give face gentle wipe to remove excess soap, followed by cold compress.
4) Wipe sink and shave area clean and hang up wash cloth.
5) Pat face dry with hygienic barber towel.
6) Apply aftershave.

Most important post shave step:
7) Admire handsome visage in mirror.

Clean remaining lather from my face with a warm washcloth
Rinse face with cold water
Apply alum bar over shaved area
Rinse razor, shake and dry with towel
Rinse out shaving bowl and dry with towel
Rinse shaving brush, shake and place on brush holder to dry at room temp
Clean face with warm washcloth
Apply my choice for the day shaving balm

Post shave routine:

Wipe off residual lather from face with cold microfiber

Rinse knot under faucet
Wipe and dry brush handle with micro & barber towel

Clean razor & blade w/ micro & barber
Wipe, dry and cork blade. Leave blade in cork for next use

Wipe and dry soap container with micro & barber towel
Empty and Clean sink with same micro fiber & barber towel
[sink was full of cold water during shave]

Apply AFS
Apply ASB
Apply EDT/EDP





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