Shaving experimentation: What do you do?

[brothers]

I love what we call "wet" shaving. I look forward to it every day. I like to experiment with different products, tools, and techniques. When I find something that really pleases me, I try to incorporate the new into the routine, among the old tried and true.

So far, I've got several, and you've probably read about them here, as I've rumbled and stumbled around with things. I think it's a sign of maturity and confidence to be able to step outside the box from time to time. I disdain and reject the attitude that it's wise to avoid anything new or different.

So I'm listing mine for this thread in SMFU, and am asking others to do the same.

1. In addition to badger and boar brushes, some horsehair brushes seem to work pretty well. They are generally inexpensive. I say some horsehair brushes, because if you go super cheap, then you get what you pay for. I know this from experience. Badger brushes are the best shaving brushes, I don't care what anybody says. However, horsehair is different and it works even better than boar (in my case, your experience may vary).

2. Speaking of brushes, many times I don't use a brush to shave with. Sometimes all I feel I really need are the whiskers and some good shaving cream and a razor. Other times I feel that I need the brush too. Soaps for example. I could probably use a soap without a brush, but so far, I haven't done it. I think soaps need a brush to bring out their best performance capabilities.

3. Speaking of soaps, when it happens that I've got 2 similar soaps that have certain good and less than excellent qualities, such as lathering or fragrance issues, I've been able to overcome those issues by mixing or grating the two soaps together into one new soap. I won't mention my failed experiments, but I will mention the two that have worked for me. I mixed Cella (fragrance is too bitter for my tastes) with P160 (the lather does not last, it dissipates in the warm scuttle). The resulting soap substance smells good and the lather seems to be longer lasting in the brush through multiple passes. My other successful soap mixing experiment involves two of the most popular soaps, Mitchell's Wool Fat and Tabac. I have never had any serious problems with the fragrances of these two, but I know that many guys seem to be repelled by Tabac's fragrance. Tabac is one of, if not the best, lathering soaps made. MWF on the other hand, gets a lot of criticism from some guys who can't seem to get it to lather. I was one of those guys for several months. I grated half a puck of one with half a puck of the other, and the resulting soap seems to have the best qualities of both, without the negatives of either. The lather is excellent, and the MWF fragrance seems to soften and sweeten the fragrance of Tabac.

Of course, I'm not recommending these specifics, I am simply listing them as a means of encouraging others to experiment and if something works for you, and makes your shaving experiences more fun and effective for you, then you will have benefitted.

I invite others to post their experiments and "outside the box" moments also.

[m3m0ryleak]

Gary, I'm curious. With both the Cella and P160 being soft Italian soaps, how did you blend them?. Did you just take a piece of each and press them into the same bowl?. I have both on hand and would like to give that a try.

I tried shredding a puck of Williams and Col Conk together, which was a recipe for disaster.

[notthesharpest]

IMO, this is an excellent idea for a thread. Hopefully there will also be a few examples of experiments that didn't work, perhaps saving others from a futile effort. (Though I guess most will try it again anyway.)

I've mentioned the following item before, but it might belong here:
My biggest moment of "thinking outside the box" happened because the box I was thinking inside was an extremely restrictive and mistaken one. As a newbie, I wanted to avoid cutting myself, and reasoned that I should proceed slowly and carefully. With that in mind, I shaved so slowly and with so little pressure that the blade wouldn't cut much of anything, and every move I made was jerky and clumsy - the razor was bouncing off of each whisker like a drunk walking into lamp posts. The day when I realized I had to drop the excessive caution and start using a smoother more confident stroke, was the day when my newbie shaves started getting a useful result and stopped being complete failures.


Otherwise, I have to admit I'm not much of a shave revolutionary, and tend to play it pretty safe and boring. I have done a single-pass DE shave against the grain, which I definitely don't recommend - it felt rough and painful, and the result was no good. I regularly do a single-pass ATG with a Gillette Fusion, which for me gives an excellent and very fast result - but I guess I don't recommend that either, because nobody seems to like it except me. (I wonder why.)

[brothers]

Gary, I'm curious. With both the Cella and P160 being soft Italian soaps, how did you blend them?. Did you just take a piece of each and press them into the same bowl?. I have both on hand and would like to give that a try.

I tried shredding a puck of Williams and Col Conk together, which was a recipe for disaster.

I got a cheap plastic (dsposable) plate and a salad fork. I put both soaps (a sticky clump) on the plate and warmed it for 10 seconds in the microwave then I proceeded to work them together with the fork for as long as it took, seemed like forever, because they are so gooey and sticky, then I scooped and scraped the big gooey sticky clump up and put it into a glass bowl with a tight fitting lid (walmart, pyrex) and smoothed it out with a wet spoon. Then I put it in the refrigerator for a number of hours to firm it up.

[DesertRat]

So far, the only experimenting I have done is mixing soaps and creams. Albeit, that was only because I could not get the soap to lather and not because I was trying to get uberlather.

I mixed Institut Karite and TOBS Rose. Seemed to be a nice mix with the mild soap smell of IK and the Rose of TOBS.

[Asd]

I made some experiments with cold water only shaving (face lathering and bowl, creams and soap) and shaving without a mirror. It is worth to try to!

[joe mcclaine]

Baby Oil + Fusion = best headshave in 20+ years of head-shaving.

Wife found the same to be true of her legs.

[paperpundit]

The baby oil didn't clog up the pores on your head, Joe?

For me, the bulk of my experimenting has been with olive oil -- a lighter oil than baby oil. If, for some reason, I've suffered razor burn or chemical burn from some product, I'll use olive oil as a preshave for a gentler shave.

Now, don't get me wrong. If I see a product on a shelf that I don't recognize, I'll buy it and try it. But there has been less and less of that lately.

And, in a rush, I might use canned foam.

[jww]

I am not much of an experimenter myself -- have never mixed soaps or creams together just because I haven't been bothered. I like to keep things simple and straight-forward. However, I find this thread most interesting so far -- keep posting gents - who knows that someone's experimentation will motivate others to give it a go.

[Racso_MS]

The baby oil didn't clog up the pores on your head, Joe?

For me, the bulk of my experimenting has been with olive oil -- a lighter oil than baby oil. If, for some reason, I've suffered razor burn or chemical burn from some product, I'll use olive oil as a preshave for a gentler shave.

Now, don't get me wrong. If I see a product on a shelf that I don't recognize, I'll buy it and try it. But there has been less and less of that lately.

And, in a rush, I might use canned foam.

OK Jack Ole Friend,

You've gone too far. Salad dressing as a shaving product, come on buddy, what arrrrre you thinking. But as you know, I'm a real amicable individual and I say... WTF... If it works, it works. Just remove the olives before you shave...

[joe mcclaine]

The baby oil didn't clog up the pores on your head, Joe?

Not a bit. I used a tiny drop - about 2ml - rubbed all over my wet head, shaved as normal - rinsing the razor a bit more often and with hotter water.

Once I'd done I used some kind of srcub (crushed apricot stones?) to get rid of any residue.

Smooth as.

[paperpundit]

Cool, Joe...pretty much what I do with the olive oil.

Oscar, my friend, I have cousins from "the old country" -- Sicily, for us -- whose only shave lubricant is olive oil. They also use it on their hair, on their feet, and for anything else that ails them...

...heck, some even drink it.

[StraightRazorRookie]

I've played a little with blades. I load the same brand in each of two razors to see for myself how different razors perform.

I'm currently running these in an early '60s Super Speed and an older Ball End Tech. I have several more waiting in the wings - two or three adjustables, a trio of older Super Speeds (to do A-B-C testing of blade brands), and an open comb to try.

I'm mostly confirmed what folks here have said regarding razor aggresiveness.

I also picked up some samples of some locally produced olive oil bath soap that I've tried shaving with. THAT was trouble! Geez! And their demo of the soaps' lathering qualities at that art fair was soooo convincing! I may try it again though, as I didn't really use proper application technique on the first attempt.

[marsos52]

just thinking

so many post here where guys are trying to cut there shave time down..

trying things like less passes,,,combining two passes to one.. etc etc

not rinsing and/or lathering between passes and on and on and on'...

now i see you guys spending more time mixing soaps and creams into new concocions...

i rather spend the time just shaving
marc

[brothers]

At the present time I am experimenting with the newest girls in town, the three sisters, HIS, Muhle, and Edwin Jagger XL sized Synthetic brushes. Yes, they are lovely. And yes, they are amazing.

[bernards66]

Everyone has his own process as well as his own preferences. I 'experimented' a good deal with all this stuff ( soaps/creams, razors, blades, A/Ss, colognes, bath soaps, you name it )...it went on for many years, both before these kinds of forums existed and afterwards. But today, I feel done. At the end of the day I got into all this stuff to begin with because I wanted a good shave and a pleasant experience, not as an ongoing 'hobby' or a collecting obsession. I get that today and there is more than enough variety to keep me awake in front of the mirror. During my years of 'experimenting' much of the stuff I bought I didn't like and didn't use. I can't even calculate how many items I tossed away or gave away. And that's okay but I reached a place where I wasn't interested in doing that anymore. I also found ( and check my old thread on 'Fidelity' ) that constantly changing up kit and products was not conducive to getting the best results. So, if some members get a kick out of continuing to try out different stuff indefinitely than that's fine ( and good luck to Chris F. who is REALLY having to search high and low for something 'new' to try these days...chuckle )....but I'm happy with what I currently use.
Regards,
Gordon

[CMur12]

Similar to Gordon, when I came here my intention was to find a good brush, a good razor, some good soap, and to get about the business of a proper wetshave with more attention to technique than I had previously envisaged. It wasn't my intention to collect gear. Of course, I did hit that slippery slope of trying to find the perfect brush, the perfect razor, the perfect soap, and so forth. To be sure, preferences also shifted as my technique evolved. So now I have quite the collection, but I have found what works for me, I have built up a lifetime stash of equipment and expendables, and I'm not much interested in trying new things anymore, with the occasional odd exception.

- Murray

[Squire]

I can hold at one time in the palms of my hands everything I will need for years.

[brothers]

Quite understandable. Our world collectively is based on adapting to change, identifying our interests, and pursuing them when possible. Changes in society. Changes in technology and changes in laws/regs. Changes in our living conditions/environment/country of residence, etc. Everybody has the right to just stop and pull up stakes and quit pursuing once-attractive options in favor of life, liberty, and the ongoing pursuit of happiness and ease. Some folks abandon their old habits as they become older and more aware of their finite existence. Also, everybody has the right to shun the act of shaving and/or paying attention to and spending money on shaving stuff. This post is an example: those who shun computers/internet/current technology are NOT with us here. Those who have never even dreamed of putzing around with shaving stuff are NOT with us here.

Murray and Gordon admit a healthy period of experimentation with shaving stuff, and now they are no longer interested in their former levels of experimentation. I'm not nearly as enthusiastic about "the hunt" as I once was. And it was fun. I experimented with making my own shaving soap, thank goodness! I experimented with Penhaligons Sartorial. Same for L'Ancienne French peppermint soap made with donkey milk, Cade soap, Irisch Moos, Synergy, XPEC, Domenico Caraceni, etc. I experimented with straight razors. I experimented with boar, badger, horse, and synthetic brushes. So I'm not quite ready to stop cold right now. Maybe tomorrow? I don't care. I even experimented with a couple of English soaps other than Sartorial.

[Squire]

I don't think about it a lot I just shave with whatever I like.