tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post7493253201885809447..comments2024-03-28T00:17:55.823+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: The shaving ritualBruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-70626455718126351082015-10-23T00:54:57.003+01:002015-10-23T00:54:57.003+01:00So you use two kinds of soap. I use more kinds tha...So you use two kinds of soap. I use more kinds than that! Commingled in my shaving mug are all the leftover odd bits of soap from the entire household.Karlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06030980000235824571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-40530375071356357532015-10-20T12:16:01.681+01:002015-10-20T12:16:01.681+01:00@BB - Yes, 'a bunch of times' just about c...@BB - Yes, 'a bunch of times' just about covers it - they usually last a few weeks (but blades vary) - when the razor first starts to cut me, I chuck it and get-out a new one. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-22965125423520222342015-10-20T11:51:33.574+01:002015-10-20T11:51:33.574+01:00Bruce, I forgot to ask. How many times do you use ...Bruce, I forgot to ask. How many times do you use a disposable razor before you throw it away? Wonder if I’m the only one that reuses them a bunch of times.Bruce B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-10096768539606574422015-10-18T23:28:54.823+01:002015-10-18T23:28:54.823+01:00My current shaving favourites are the Palmolive sh...My current shaving favourites are the Palmolive shave stick (50p Tesco) rubbing it into the beard and then face lathering.<br />I settled on the Gillete 7 O'clock Yellow double edged blades at £13 per hundred and shaving every other day as the shaves are closer than I was getting with my previous Sensor Excel twin blades.<br />The blades are used with a Muhle R89 safety razor which is fairly mild and forgiving. I never seem to cut myself or get the skin irritation/ingrowing hairs that I had with the Sensor cartridge blades.<br />Most of the Badger hair, nowadays, is imported from China, where they are classed as a pest and culled in large numbers. I myself spend far too much of my time putting my lawn back together after the Badgers have paid a visit so I have a slight affinity with the Chinese on this matter! Luckily it is a seasonal issue and they allow me the spring and summer months off :)<br />Ironically my most expensive shaving item (£35) is a Muhle Silvertip synthetic shaving brush which means I am doing my little bit to protect the very creature that taunts me with its nocturnal vandalism!<br />I like shaving a lot more now than when I used foam and cartridge blades. More therapeutic than time-wasting chore. Also a lot cheaper in the long term.Stephensnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-23641419679166354602015-10-17T09:16:16.652+01:002015-10-17T09:16:16.652+01:00@WmJas - It's a very individual thing - I have...@WmJas - It's a very individual thing - I have a 'Nordic' complexion (as appropriate for someone descended mostly from Northumbrians - which was part of the Danelaw in the late Anglo Saxon times - most of the long-term locals are similar to me) with blue-ish eyes, fair skin and hair, and a fairly thin beard - but easily cut myself. <br /><br />I have tried an electric shaver, but having begun by wet-shaving I didn't much like the feeling - my skin feels 'buzzy' and roughened after an electric shave (I have used my son's rotary Philishave in emergencies). <br /><br />When I was younger, I used to enjoy the tonic, bracing effect of alcohol-based after-shave lotions (as a teen it was Old Spice usually, sometimes Brut or Hai Karate... which dates me!) - but now I like the clean shaven feel plus the soothing effect and smell of baby lotion. <br /><br />(I started using pink Johnson's baby lotion when the children were small and there was always a bottle of it around - and I get a nostalgic charge from continuing to use it. Also, unlike most creams, it does not provoke acne.)Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-10387746959178216182015-10-17T06:35:45.235+01:002015-10-17T06:35:45.235+01:00I'm afraid I have to agree with Byron, who in ...I'm afraid I have to agree with Byron, who in <i>Don Juan</i> described shaving as "a daily plague which, in the aggregate / May average on the whole with parturition." I've tried disposables, electric shavers, five-blade monstrosities -- everything -- but it has never come close to being a positive experience. I also happen to have been blessed/cursed with a very thick and fast-growing beard (perhaps as a sort of compensation for my premature balding), so it is actually a <i>twice</i>-daily plague for me.Wm Jas Tychonievichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07446790072877463982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-79421371452908623632015-10-15T18:27:58.995+01:002015-10-15T18:27:58.995+01:00@DG - From your photo on Google plus I would have ...@DG - From your photo on Google plus I would have to say that it doesn't look like a very *close* shave... you have a beard!Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-13984031485721545832015-10-15T16:40:17.207+01:002015-10-15T16:40:17.207+01:00I find that the most aggressive double edge safety...I find that the most aggressive double edge safety razors give me the best shave, such as the 2011 Muhle R41 & the iKon Tech. It does require good technique and full attention, but gives a cleaner shave with less irritation IMHO.The Other Donaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02059338632667939078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-16653072901296292022015-10-15T16:05:19.800+01:002015-10-15T16:05:19.800+01:00GFC - Yes, that's what I first tried - but I h...GFC - Yes, that's what I first tried - but I have to admit the sensitive skin disposables do a better job for me - I think the blades are set at only a slight angle to the skin. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-82932037030091204902015-10-15T14:57:00.826+01:002015-10-15T14:57:00.826+01:00Haha Bruce, I also do the wet shave ritual and it ...Haha Bruce, I also do the wet shave ritual and it is a positive experience - never expected for it to be so, but it is relaxing and a little meditative. That experience compared to when I shaved with an electric razor is a little microcosm of the problems that modern "efficiency" raise of the experience of living. I'm sure you've tried everything, but I shave with a German safety razor made by Merkur. It's solidly built and gives a great shave, and the blades are quite cheap. Have you tried a razor like that?GFCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-5161267745258494932015-10-15T12:27:45.106+01:002015-10-15T12:27:45.106+01:00A few years ago, I bought a metal safety razor (th...A few years ago, I bought a metal safety razor (the old fashioned type with a drop-in two-edged razor) from a German company. I also bought an inexpensive boar-bristle brush that was made on the Isle of Man. I still use the brush but the razor is now a paperweight.<br />If you learn to use it properly and take your time you can get a very close shave but more often than not I butchered my face. I also found that if I miss even one shave, it’s painful to use.<br />I have the unfortunate combination of a heavy beard and sensitive skin so I hate shaving. I now use a cheap disposable that I can use to safely hack at my face – I don’t get a very good shave.<br />The worst part of the face to shave is the lower neck – I’m envious of guys that don’t have whiskers growing on their lower neck/throat.<br />Maybe I’ll try some of your techniques.<br />Bruce B.noreply@blogger.com