One pass shave

[brothers]

I think it (a one pass shave) would be a necessary trade-off for me if I decided to go over to using a straight razor blade every time I shave. The full 3-pass shave is what I do, 99.9% of the time.

[drmoss_ca]

I'm currently a victim of Parkinson's Law - that activities expand to fit the time available. My routine used to be to get up at 5am, spend an hour over breakfast and catching up with news, blogs, forums etc, then half an hour to shave and brush teeth. I'd do some paperwork in the office from 6.30 to 7.15, then go do rounds and return to the office to start the real work at 9am. Since I returned to work two months ago I haven't yet restarted in-patient care, which involves being by the phone 24/7. So I have been getting up at 6am, going to pick up results at the hospital at 7.45 and then heading to the office for short days - just mornings and afternoons (I used to do three evenings a week as well). All the same, I find myself doing a single pass shave before bed, either with a DE or a straight. It looks OK through the next day, though it doesn't feel so silky by the afternoons.
I intend to restart in-patients in a week's time, and I predict that the added worries will soon have me back to distracting and soothing myself with elaborate shaves before going to the hospital in the morning. Hospital work is 10% of my income and 90% of my stress, but there isn't really much option about not doing it in the long term in a rural setting.
My father always did a one-pass with the grain shave with his DE. One thing that can be said for it is that the skin looks happier when shaved this way. I tend to go red and blotchy when I scrape away too much stratum corneum.

C.

[BeatlesFan]

As an additional iteration on the 1-pass:

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a very particular shaving thing on Sundays.

It's the one day that I tend to be quite lazy, allowing myself a long lie-in, followed by an hour or two of drinking tea and reading the news. So I often don't tend to think about getting cleaned up and going until noon, sometimes a bit later.

Later on Sunday afternoon, I still want to be presentable (shopping, bumping into clients, visiting with family, possibly church in the afternoon, etc.), so some sort of shave is in order. However, if I give myself a BBS shave on Sunday afternoon, my face won't have recovered enough, nor will I have enough beard growth, for a proper shave first thing on Monday morning.

So, I've started doing the mildest-of-mild one-pass shaves early on Sunday afternoons. I go through my usual shower, face-wash, etc., followed typically by a brushless lather. Then I use my Gillette Super Adjustable set at "1" for a WTG-ONLY pass. (Usually, for a 1-pass, I'd have it dialed up more AND I'd do XTG, plus touch up).

I can't really go any lighter than a WTG with my adjustable at "1." The result, for me, is an acceptable (though certainly far from BBS) shave that gets me through Sunday afternoon very presentably. And, as Chris says, it's AMAZINGLY skin-friendly: just no irritation whatsoever.

Finally, come Monday morning, (A) my beard is certainly long enough for a shave, and (B) my skin can face the blade, even though it's had less than 24 hours to recover.

If any of you are equally lazy bums on Sunday morning, you might give something like this a whirl. Seems to handle both being presentable on Sunday afternoon and being ready to shave again on Monday quite nicely.

[brothers]

Makes sense to me.

[bflotom2]

Dr Moss

Are there hospitalist's that can take over the 10% freeing up your 90% of stress? Or are you too far out in the boonies for hospitalist?

[drmoss_ca]

Dr Moss

Are there hospitalist's that can take over the 10% freeing up your 90% of stress? Or are you too far out in the boonies for hospitalist?

Way too far out. As predicted, I am now shaving for entertainment/consolation purposes. I have just about finished my second year of fidelity to homemade shaving soap, and shave with either my Friodur straight or a Merkur HD with ESC bulbous handle and either a Feather blade or a Merkur blade. The job gets done, the shave is acceptable, I go to work.

Events are developing that might mean my working days are over sooner than expected. If so, I shall be concentrating on use of film and its many ways of development and may even grow a beard!

C.

[fallingwickets]

and may even grow a beard!

say it aint so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

clive

p.s. found myself using merkur blades again. after a 2ish year hiatus, theyre just as good as they were the first time around!

[Squire]

Ah hell, grow the beard. Go sit on a bench and enjoy the quiet, you've earned it.

[Racso_MS]

Hey Doc,

CONGRATS...

[ShadowsDad]

I can't imagine Brian with a one pass shave. That would be me by the way.

But whatever floats your boat! Folks with time also have time to make lather and enjoy a relaxing and self indulgent shave even if it is every other day (TWBM*)... Just sayin'.

Get a close enough shave and it's just not worth shaving even after 24 hours.

* TWBM = that would be me

[brothers]

The nature of my whiskers is such that if I miss a day nobody cares except me. Two days after the shave, I can see it and don't like what I call the "lazy bum" that's looking back at me in the mirror. I know I've had one of the best shaves ever when it still feels smooth after about 6 to 8 hours. Plus, I very much enjoy the full-course multi-pass experience. In my particular case, if It's gotta be something similar to the "one pass shave" for some reason, I'll grab the canned or brushless cream and a disposable Kai razor and get a very acceptable shave that will easily tide me over until tomorrow. Even under those circumstances I admit I wouldn't consider stopping at one pass. If I was that severely pressed for time, I'd just skip it and never look back.

[jww]

One pass, two pass, three pass -- -I employ however many I need given the day, and stubble growth. If I do two-a-day shaves, which is rare, the second one is always a one-pass model.

[Rufus]

I've never been satisfied with a one-pass shave. Generally, a two-pass shave results in the BBS feel I so crave. I find that more passes just results in my face becoming irritated and blotchy. Moreover as I insist on shaving every day,my face would soon be a real mess if I did more passes. Fortunately my beard is ginger in colour and not tough, so two passes are quite adequate.

[Marcall]

I've never done more than a two pass. Generally it's just a one pass with a touch up here and there if need be.

[Squire]

Even my one pass has multiple short repeat passes over patchy spots which I do instinctively by feel. I can do this blindfolded.

[nicodemus38]

without an expensive laser treatment system, your going to see hair on my face no matter how many times I shave. I just judge it all on how it feels with the grain afterwords.

1 day in between, I pass
2 in between , 1 pass.

more then 2 days ill do a second pass just for fun. maybe even a third if I think the razor burn would be worth it.

[Squire]

Razor burn is usually a sign of too much pressure, haste or a combination of both. Try lightening up with a more relaxed pace, which works for me.

[ThePossum]

In the last 6 months I have been doing a lot of single pass shaves. And most of them with a Gillette Fusion. Yep, I am a traitor!

Not that I wanted to do this willingly but I have had some serious health problems as a result of diabetes for 30 yrs and smoking for 50 years. Just kill the kidney and the lungs. That goes along with a heart rhythm problem called atrial flutter. So I have on occasion when my breathing is labored I just take the time to get a semi good shave with the Fusion. One pass and I am passable for the Mrs and others I come in contact with.

Without the breathing problems which are becoming fewer these days since I got the heart back into proper rhythm I will do a good ol 2 pass shave. Used to do 3 passes before I retired but now the 2 pass as I do not need to be that close shaven. But when I do take the Mrs out for a nice dinner-date I will take the extra time to do my 3 pass shave and be very presentable to her.

The number of passes one take to shave I think is what ever works best for each of us. Some can get it done with one pass others need to shave twice a day and a couple passes for each shave. It is interesting to hear how my fellowe SMFers do their daily shave.

[Squire]

Still twice a day with an average of two passes. Makes for a nice daily pattern and keeps me close enough.

[ThePossum]

Still twice a day with an average of two passes. Makes for a nice daily pattern and keeps me close enough.

I must applaud you Squire. Retired and still shaving twice per day. Well I'm also retired and I find it hard to just shave once a day like every 2 days! But I do manage to shave a couple days in a row if needed by my days schedule.