[bacon]

About 4 weeks ago I found this article on member matt forneys website.

Anyway I decided to give it a try. The first couple of shaves I used olive oil on my face but after 10 days of no shaving cream I made the transition to just getting my face wet with water and shaving bare. I dont know how important this is but I use mack3 disposible razors for a closer shave.

The results are great. Shaving takes far less time, less mess since no shaving cream and less cuts on my face since my skin is tougher. Below are some quotes from the original article.

Quote:

But someone has to say it: shaving cream is a racket.

Why don’t people know this? It’s just part of the lost knowledge of our time. Wean yourself from it for a week, and you will find that your shaves will be closer, unbloody, and quick. Imagine a full shave in less than a minute, with no cuts, gashes, or discomfort. It is within your grasp.

Quote:

The problem is this. Shaving cream does something evil to the skin. It somehow weakens the pores and makes the top layer mushy and unresponsive. The kid comes to believe that somehow the foam is essential to the experience. Without it, surely the razor would leave a trail of blood.

But then strange things start to happen. Red lumps appear. The shaved skin comes to feel sort of strange, oddly sensitive to temperature changes and ever more vulnerable to being sliced and diced.

People think: oh I need a new razor! So they go out and buy ever more fancy brands, with multiple blades, pivoting heads, strange lubricants, and push-out tools to deposit the hair remains in the sink.

They don’t consider that it might be the shaving cream that is the source of the trouble.

Quote:

The first stage of freedom uses only a razor (double blade is fine) and a bit of baby oil or mineral oil. While in the shower or soon after you get out, put some oil on the skin area you want to shave. Then shave it. The end.

At first, it won’t feel right. You might cut yourself. It will be scary. Your skin might hurt a bit. It might swell up. Why? Because you have turned your skin to mush for decades of shaving cream use. It needs time to recover from this.

You need to do this for days. This is your first day of relief from shaving cream hell. Your skin is recovering. Do the same the next day. And the next. And the next. After 5 days, normalcy will be almost returned.

After a week, you can even give up the oil and use only warm water. You will find that you will be able to shave ever more swiftly and with ever more abandon. A man can shave his whole face in 20 seconds without a single abrasion.

[RexImperator]

Interesting and thanks for sharing. I'm into minimalism, so I'll give this a try when I get rid of my hipster beard.

[MikeCF]

THis is truth. I haven't used shaving creams for years.

Excessive showering, using shampoo, shaving cream...fucks you up and enriches corporations.

[Parlay44]

I have kind of oily skin. Shaving cream has alcohol in it and I noticed that it takes the oil away from my skin.
I think the trick to shaving and keep a clean shaven look is to shave twice a week or so. If you wait too long it takes
forever to shave and the blades get clogged. If you shave too often your face get irritated and rashy.

[Gopher]

So do you not wash your face with some sort of soap or face wash either?

[Vacancier Permanent]

I can't remember the last time I used shaving cream for those very reasons.

[darklightdispatch]

I've been doing this for a few weeks and the results have been great. I shave every night after taking a quick, warm shower. It only takes a minute (at most) and irritation/bumps/etc. have been essentially non-existent. The only downside is that my blades seem to wear out quicker (I've been using Mach IIIs) than when using shaving cream. Actually, I'm not entirely sure whether that's true, though, as I never used to shave everyday like I've been doing.

Also, I've avoided soap for the most part for the last year or so with only positive results. I just rinse off my face with water instead of using a cleanser or face wash. I still wash my hands with soap before eating or cooking (and my ass in the shower if it seems like it needs it) but that's it.

[Albertron]

With regards to washing your face, my buddy's sister gave me an excellent tip:

Use cold water.

She was a make-up artist (now helps her husband run his home-reno business), and she tells me that cold water not only helps to remove the oil from your skin, but also closes your pores so as to reduce any more dirt and shit getting in there. Both her and my buddy are in their late 30's but look like they're in their mid 20's.

I used to use a lot of facial cleansers, shaving cream, all that crap for your face. My skin was always dry, and pimples galore. I started simply washing my face with cold water and 'patting' my face dry with a towel (as opposed to profusely rubbing the water off). This was 3 years ago.

I no longer have any skin issues on my face. When shaven, it's almost as smooth as a baby's bottom.

[Screwston]

I use Aloe Vera shaving cream .gel from Whole Foods. It gives me a mini facial and gets rid of pimples if I have any. Regular cream is rough as hell on my skin.

[MikeCF]

(10-24-2013 03:55 PM)Albertron Wrote:  

She was a make-up artist (now helps her husband run his home-reno business), and she tells me that cold water not only helps to remove the oil from your skin, but also closes your pores so as to reduce any more dirt and shit getting in there. Both her and my buddy are in their late 30's but look like they're in their mid 20's.

Finish a shower with cold water.

It hydrates your skin and improves circulation in addition to the benefits you were told about.

[DVY]

I liked putting on the Aloe Vera Gillete foaming gel AFTER I shaved. Gave me a nice tingly feeling, but my skin started feeling dried out. Haven't used it in 1 yr+. Might get an Aloe Vera aftershave balm or something. Worth a thought...

The best time to shave is in a hot shower. Come out of the shower and put cold water on your face to close your pores (if you can't handle the cold water showering).

[FilipSRB]

I was planning to transitioning from modern style disposable multiblade razors + shave cream in a can to old style double edge razor with shaving soap and brush, but this might be even better. I'll make sure to give it a try once I get my hand on some olive oil.

[JimNortonFan]

Bic single blade

Cold water

Manliness

Mix in equal portions for a good shave

[kbell]

I use shaving soap and a badger hair brush to lather. I get far less nicks although its more work to whip a lather rather than bush a button. The soaps you can get come in a huge variety. My next soap is from goat milk and coconut oil. The current one is glycerine based.

[user10726]

I shave dry (no gel, no water) with a manual razor, always have. Admittedly I'm quite young, so I haven't been shaving for years and years, but I have to shave 2-3 times a week now and my skin feels fine..

[kosko]

Back when I used to shave with razors I just used:



Kept the skin smooth and providing enough 'slick' for the razor to get a good close shave.

This is a good simple soap bar for shaving to use also:



Shaving cream is crap. Look at the list of ingredients on the typical can:



Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a harsh detergent and dies the fuck out of your skin.

A good trick is to just mimic what they do at the barber. Yes cold water is great for your pores but you get a better and cleaner shave when they are open and the follicles are easier to get at. Take a face towel, run it under some warm-hot water and slap it on your face for a minute, then shave. Since your using a light soap or gel you can splash it off easy and then seal back up your pores with cold ass water. My skin looked like a dinner plate when I used to do that routine.

[The Lizard of Oz]

Never used it (not yet) but have it from reliable sources that Cremo is an excellent shaving cream, and a cut above the rest (no pun intended ):

http://www.amazon.com/Cremo-Astonishingl...B009WQH8SA

[runsonmagic]

If you're a Dollar Shave Club member (it's, cheap, do it) they have a product you can get they DON'T advertise on the main page - Dr. Carter's Shave Butter.

I used to hate shaving, now I like it. I've got a tendency to grow an accidental beard, due to wolfman genes and forgetting to do basic things because I'm working. This usually meaning I'm scraping a lot of hair off. The cool thing about shave butter is that it's clear, so you can see what you're doing, and it's smooth in a way that shaving cream isn't. It's like a sin moisturizer rather than a bunch of whipped cream you scape off to get to your actually beard.

So if you don't like shaving cream, try the shave butter. It's 8$ + 3-6$ for membership and they ship it right to you. Worth it.

[Christian McQueen]

Art of Shaving Pre-Shave Oil. A dab will do ya.

A dime sized amount on my face, fresh out of the shower, lather some regular soap and shave away.

I rarely shave smooth though and generally just trim down with a trimmer and rock the 5'oclock shadow 24/7.

[vandrare]

I hate the typical shaving creams on the market like Barbasol one kosko mentioned. Dry skin, uneven shave, and the general feeling that such products cannot be good for my skin. Two years ago I finally started shaving with a double edge safety razor, and this shaving cream has become my favorite:

http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Eu...B00837ZOI0

Smooth shave and no skin problems whatsoever. Neverthelsss, does anybody know whether it contains potentially harmful/ bad ingredients?

NGREDIENTS: Aqua (Water/Eau), Stearic Acid, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Lactic Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Menthol, Camphor, Eucalyptol, Eucalyptus globulus Leaf Oil, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Metasilicate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Geraniol, Parfum (Fragrance).

Thanks!

[Parlay44]

[JoyStick]

I hate shaving cream. I can't wait to try this!

[GunznButta]

most packaged shaving creams i find to be a joke/scam these days.

as for post-shave routines i don't like perfumes and have found that witch hazel works out quite well for me.

i find after a bath and shave, a liberal splash of this on the after shave skin, nose edges and a swipe of the forehead also seems to cut down on excessive sweating/oil secretions throughout the day.

give it a shot; you may be surprised.

[Lights]

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[LowerCaseG]

My system:

4-7 days between shaves
buzz it down with no extension
shave in the shower with disposable razor. I buy a 6-pack for $1.25
use lime juice for after shave.
No issues