Shave Gear Bacteria Test

kronos9 · Post by **kronos9** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 7:00 pm

I had a theory about what was causing my facial redness. Could it be bacteria on the brush or razor? I am provided with some petri dishes loaded with nutrient agar. We swab the razor/blade and brush that had been used six hours earlier (Col Conk Lime), set the dishes aside and wait for results.

65 HOURS LATER something finally shows up in the area where the shaving brush swab was applied. In the razor area, nothing.

Not exactly alarming results but I'm wondering. Could bacteria thrive on a brush and cause skin problems?

KAV · Post by **KAV** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:27 pm

It could, but in your case obviously not the culprit. I simple first aid maxim is 'dilution negates pollution.' Hot water alone is a proven agent for sterilisation. If you add the alcohol based aftershaves and mechanical debriding of skin any bacteria that shows up 65 hours AFTER should be given a home with the heirloom sourdough starter in the cupboard.

kronos9 · Post by **kronos9** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 4:01 am

KAV wrote:... should be given a home with the heirloom sourdough starter in the cupboard.

Okay, now that's funny. Worth a try, though.

EL Alamein · Post by **EL Alamein** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 4:26 pm

Your culprit is most probably technique or/and allergy. You could be too aggressive with the blade or have a allergy or worse both at once. Try approaching the problem from these two areas as they seem to be the biggest problems we see on here. If they don't yield results then I recommend going after the smaller fish. Hope that helps.

Chris

function · Post by **function** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 4:32 pm

The tv show Mythbusters did an episode testing bacteria levels on common household items, especially bathroom items and their proximity to the toilet. The basic results of the testing showed basically anything in the kitchen was many times more bacteria-riddled than a toothbrush kept on the toilet tank, on the sink next to the toilet, in a medicine cabinet in the bathroom, etc. In fact the toothbrush was, for lack of a better term, completely safe in any way possible from bacteria. I'd imagine a shave brush would be impacted the same way as the toothbrush, and is not picking up any airborne nasties from the toilet or anything else in the bathroom. Add that to KAV's mention of the hot water bath, and my own OCD is placated.

kronos9 · Post by **kronos9** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 5:52 pm

I appreciate the theory of less than perfect technique, but since I'm able to control my passes to within fractions of a whisker (equal to zero skin contact), I can safely assume that's not the problem.

I bought a BK4 as a gentler alternative to the C&E BBB.

Truth be told, I'm trying to find a reason to avoid the $dermatologist$ and am using logic and the scientific method to avoid those outlays.

Flash G · Post by **Flash G** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:25 pm

Do you scrub with your brush or do you use paint stokes?
I get a redness when scrubbing with brushes with a stiffer bristle. Have you noticed a difference since swithing to the Kent?

kronos9 · Post by **kronos9** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 3:24 pm

Flash, I use a 50/50 mix of scrub and paint on my face. That's with lather generated from soap. If from a shave stick, the ratio changes significantly. Yes, the Kent is noticeably softer but I haven't noticed any real difference in redness levels.

This is a classic case of rosacea. I was just using my arsenal of brush types(2), soap formulations, razor/blade combinations and techniques, and some science to find the least reddening approach.

So basically, the purpose of the original post was to identify or eliminate a possible cause of redness. Brush bacteria can be eliminated.

scruffy · Post by **scruffy** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 10:44 am

Your problem is the Col Conks soap. It has got sls and a whole bunch of other unnatural crap in it. It made my face break out like crazy. Natural soap it is not.

kronos9 · Post by **kronos9** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 11:11 am

scruffy wrote:Your problem is the Col Conks soap. It has got sls and a whole bunch of other unnatural crap in it. It made my face break out like crazy. Natural soap it is not.

Yow. That would explain how my face is feeling today. I've been using Valobra for four days with no dryness or burning. Today I used CC Almond and again got the drying and slight burning sensation.

Thank you for the information.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 11:34 am

Redness can also come from:
- soap ingredients not compatible with skin
- over-rich lather (too much soap and/or not enough water)
- lather spends too long on face, especially if allowed to dry there
- harsh products used for washing face before shaving
- use of exfoliants. Throw all exfoliant products in the trash now to save time and money (not to mention pain) in the future. The good/expensive brands of exfoliants are the worst culprits and should be the first to hit the bottom of the bin.

Note that some soaps are simply stronger than others, and it takes less of those products to do the same job.

Also note that sometimes you get a soap that is just no good for you and you might as well not use it anymore. But if all the famous good stuff is just no good for you, then it's very likely to be the fault of the procedures and not the products. (Col. Conk is OK but not the best, and it would be no great loss if you had to switch to something better.)

kronos9 · Post by **kronos9** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 1:41 pm

NTS,

All excellent points and valuable to have in a single post, not just for my benefit but for others with the same issues.

I never touch exfoliants. Sounds too similar to defoliants, I imagine.

I've noticed the effects of over-rich lather, particularly with Tabac. With glycerin-based products, sometimes a little extra product helps. Of course, if that glycerin product contains the dreaded SLS then the benefits are negated.

Right now, after maybe four years of this, the Valobra stick works the best for me. I've not tried any of the three T's but have my sights on some Trumper's sandalwood.

Thanks.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 3:07 pm

Just because something has SLS does not make the product bad or wrong for you, unless you actually have a contact allergy to the stuff (which I don't think would be common but I may be wrong). "Contains SLS" is just another buzzword among many. Two reasons:

1. If you take away the SLS you'll have to replace it with something. That something is not necessarily going to be better in any way, and may bring unintended consequences.

2. All the other ingredients in the product make a decisive difference in the overall effect. Of course I would never shave or wash my face with straight SLS, but nobody in their right mind would suggest I do so anyway.

I'm not defending Conk soap in particular, which in my opinion is just OK, nor am I referring to any other product. I'm just on a crusade against buzzwords.