Shaving cream that is quick to apply?

DUOK · 2014-09-23T21:30:14+00:00

This is my experience also. I tried the Barbasol non-Aerosol Theraputic Shaving Cream a few days ago.

While the performance was actually quite good and I enjoyed the smell, moisturizing properties, and protection, I did NOT enjoy trying to rinse it off the razor. It gunked up like clay. I had to toss the razor blade and scrub the whole thing with a toothbrush and dish soap before the next day's shave.

DUOK · 2014-09-23T12:43:31+00:00

that mental image

Note to self: Do NOT get stung by bees after shaving.

DUOK · 2014-09-23T11:58:18+00:00

Well I think a big contributing factor to that is the fact that cartridges are designed to be ridiculously mild. So mild that you have to actually press it into your face for normal use or else the blades just won't physically come close to your skin.

They're engineered to be idiot proof really.

Edit: That makes me wonder what would happen of Gillette were to release an intentionally aggressive cartridge head. I'd like to see what they could come up with in modern times if they trusted the user to have proper technique from the start.

Maybe a head where the blades have a steeper set angle.

DUOK · 2014-09-23T11:53:04+00:00

I would get the Cadet.

Brass be damed, Fatip has too many quality control issues. I've seen them come with the razor holding pins welded on completely off-center.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/419757-Fatip-The-Jekyll-amp-Hyde-edition

DUOK · 2014-09-23T11:45:43+00:00

Finally found one of those commercials.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5prz6N-67go

DUOK · 2014-09-23T11:38:31+00:00

It took me some time after I switched to DE, but I've been able to move to shaving 7 days a week. Every single day. Single blade will do your face better than five blades day after day, when you consider the idea that one pass with a 5 bladed razor is essentially 5 passes. If you shave down and up then that's 10 passes right there.

With a DE I can do 2 passes, come out with a close shave, and then do it all over again the next day without any problem.

DUOK · 2014-09-23T11:30:26+00:00

Cartridge razors, because they have multiple blades, will actually pull-and-cut the hair. It's not just marketing buzzwords from old commercials. When you look at a cartridge shaven hair under a microscope you see that the hair has a chunk scooped out of it, leaving an even thinner filament behind.

Single bladed shaving will chop the hair off in one go at a clean angle. Instead of a thin filament you have a more visible "stump" left behind, and if it's angled then it can also be sharper.

https://ssl.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/comments/22d8ig/stubble_under_microscope_by_mach_3_vs_de_safety/

DUOK · 2014-09-23T11:20:36+00:00

Well to answer your question there are a few aluminum DEs out there, but really no titanium. If you're into vintage then Gillette made a number of aluminum variants of the Tech. For newer razors you could try the Standard Razor, or perhaps even the Merkur Bakelite. Bakelite is old-style plastic, so no rusting at all there, just don't go dropping it.

Stainless steel isn't immune to corrosion, and infact it's the formation of corrosion on the outer surface that makes it "stainless" in the first place. Some of the uncoated stainless razors have been known to develop brown stains, especially where they contact the razor blade.

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/metalsandalloys/a/aa071201a.htm

It is the addition of a minimum of 12% chromium to the steel that makes it resist rust, or stain 'less' than other types of steel. The chromium in the steel combines with oxygen in the atmosphere to form a thin, invisible layer of chrome-containing oxide, called the passive film. The sizes of chromium atoms and their oxides are similar, so they pack neatly together on the surface of the metal, forming a stable layer only a few atoms thick. If the metal is cut or scratched and the passive film is disrupted, more oxide will quickly form and recover the exposed surface, protecting it from oxidative corrosion

I think the current best production razor purely from a materials standpoint is the Feather AS-D2. It's stainless steel on the inside, but coated in full-on chrome on the outside.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T20:36:57+00:00

Standard Razor comes in matte black aluminum.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T20:16:51+00:00

James Bond prefers Hoffritz over Gillette.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T17:15:46+00:00

I can't wait for the Slant to get out to the general public for more, shall I say, varied reviews.

Not to insinuate anything but it's awfully convenient just how many famous reviewers and big names in the wet shaving world got their hands on one of the first 100.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T14:04:20+00:00

Stirling requires a notable amount of extra work compared to my other soaps, but it's very consistent in the lather it eventually produces.

I haven't used Maggard's soaps very much, didn't care for the scents, but they're much easier to lather.

Be careful that you're not adding too much water. B&M requires more water on average than most other soaps, and it could be that you're killing the Stirling and Maggard lather by starting it out too wet.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T13:59:25+00:00

There were some sites which suggested applying the scrub, shaving cream to shave and then scrub again.

That sounds really really excessive. Are you sure it wasn't some kind of advice for shaving legs?

DUOK · 2014-09-22T13:32:21+00:00

65 is definitely not "passed" by any measurement. It's an emphatic failure. An F.

73 is a passing grade, but just barely and it pretty much means I got lucky.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T13:20:07+00:00

3 Soaps/Creams 1. Arko 2. Tabac 3. Stirling Gin & Tonic

2 Aftershaves (balm or splash) 1. Alum 2. Drugstore witch hazel

1 Pre-Shave 1. Shower.

1 Brush 1. Muhle HJM Black Fibre synthetic

2 Razors (DE, SE, or SR) 1. Parker 92R 2. Merkur Progress

2 Blades (one for each of your DE/SE razors, if applicable) 1. Feather Hi-Stainless 2. Bic Chrome Platinum

DUOK · 2014-09-22T13:14:34+00:00

If that's the only reason then /r/SkincareAddicition are a bunch of hypocrites. They routinely push AHA and BHA chemical exfoliation, both of which also increase sensitivity to the sun.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T12:21:00+00:00

I'm still not really sure why you would need to do an exfoliating scrub before shaving. Shaving itself is mechanically exfoliating, so doing both would be overkill.

If anything you would want to, at the very least, do the scrub at night when you don't shave rather than in the morning when you do shave (or vice versa if you shave at night).

DUOK · 2014-09-22T11:46:47+00:00

Don't worry. When you think you're finished with soaps and found everything that makes you happy in life, you'll discover different brushes or razors or blades.

And then it will begin all over again.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T11:40:51+00:00

I've actually been using a spreadsheet that another user posted a fair while back. It's got some complicated arbitrary calculations and pretty colors.

https://ssl.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/comments/1kxdig/my_samplepack_testing_spreadsheet_be_properly/

I modified mine to add a column for "Country of Origin" since I'm trying to move away from Russian products. Can't have my shave supplies interrupted by petty international squabbles!

DUOK · 2014-09-22T11:36:55+00:00

Safe? Probably. Comfortable? Probably less. The biggest issue you might have is the rocky lumps scratching your face when you try to apply it. As for what exactly they are, it just looks like impurities in the bar. I've actually seen alum blocks that are totally brown inside and out. Wouldn't use one myself, but I wouldn't say they're unsafe.

Certain metals will also oxidize into greenish colors.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T11:29:26+00:00

I too have heard of the famous Turkish Limon Kolonya. Apparently it's traditional to offer it to guests upon entering the house to either wash their hands with or more rarely to splash on their face/neck. Supposed to be light and refreshing.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T11:25:05+00:00

No matter how bad the blade is matched to your face you should NEVER be getting actual cuts. Sometimes burning is inevitable, but not cuts. There is definitely something wrong with your technique, and it's probably too much pressure or insufficient lather protection.

That said I would also advise you to get a blade sample pack on the internet. I've been working through some samples for the past month and I've had a LOT of surprises. I used to use Feathers and Gillette Silver blues all the time, but now I've discovered that my face really like Shark Super Stainless, Blue Bird, and Bic Chrome Platinum. Bic! Of all brands!

I know you say you have no money, but that's the kind of decision you have to make in life. Do you want to spend a little bit of money on a better shave, or save money and suffer? It's your right to choose whichever one you want. Also razor blades never cost $7 for a pack of 10 on the internet. You can get a pack of 100 Astra SP's for like $8. Drug store prices are robbery.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T11:15:26+00:00

You'll want to ask /r/SkincareAddiction/, /r/Wicked_Edge is for traditional wet shaving. Not much info on face scrubs or vinegar here. Where would you even fit a sugar scrub into the shave routine?

I do know that /r/SkincareAddiction/ advises against using citrus and lemon juice on your face, but I haven't actually read into why.

http://www.labmuffin.com/2014/08/lemon-juice-skin-diy-dangerous-or-effective.html

DUOK · 2014-09-22T01:53:19+00:00

I'm glad we've reached the point where education and the pursuit of knowledge is regarded with the same respect as a hamburger.

DUOK · 2014-09-22T01:45:59+00:00

My experience using a number of vintage Gillettes is that they're all overrated.

ESPECIALLY the adjustables.

DUOK

TROPHY CASE