Close as a blade, or...

[chipotle]

In addition to the quest for the perfect cup of coffee, I also idly search for the perfect shave—how to get as close to the skin as possible without irritating or breaking it. (Stubble: bad. Blood: also bad.) I’ve come to a few conclusions over the years:

• Electric razors don’t give you the best shave, no matter how much Remington and Norelco want you to believe otherwise.
• All that stuff about shaving with the grain of the beard? It’s right.
• The weak point in most non-electric shaves isn’t the blade, it’s the cream.

I’ve known more than one fellow who swears, swears, that the only way he gets a good shave is in the shower, with no shaving cream at all. It’s true shaving after (or during, if you insist) a shower is easier, because the beard is softer, but most “shaving cream” and “shaving gel” doesn’t do much more than foam up into a huge half-inch-thick lather. You might as well be shaving with Cool Whip. What you want is to first wash your face with hot water and a good face scrub, then to apply a thin layer of shaving cream (ideally with a shaving brush, I’m told).

You have to get out of the drug store to find anything that isn’t a fantastic foaming wonder. Audrey Organics and Aveda show up in natural food stores; department stores sometimes carry high-end (and high-priced) goods.

But now, there’s… Target. No, really.

Recently they decided they wanted to get into men’s grooming products. So they came out with a line called “Caldo,” with various toiletries—shaving cream, shower gel, aftershave, etc.—imported from Italy, and including a razor set that takes Gillette Mach 3 blades. This got mentioned on Gizmodo, with much mocking from the “$40 for a razor?!” peanut gallery, but $40 for a good razor handle, shaving brush and chrome stand for both is just about unbeatable. (There’s actually a cottage industry of “serious razors” using the Mach 3 system, some of the razors being much more expensive than that.)

So, yeah: I needed new razor blades, so I got the razor along with it. And, as Target’s also carrying a couple of famous shaving product lines along with this, I bought some “Sharps” face scrub, too. I have to say it’s effective stuff.

Is my quest over? Of course not: there’s some shaving regimens which call for a “pre-shave oil” before the shaving cream, and while I’m dubious, Target actually sells Italy’s Proraso oil—and cream for the shaving brush that came with the razor!—pretty cheaply, so I may give it a try. (There are also shaving oils which take the place of shaving cream entirely.) And, of course, there are people who swear a good single-blade safety razor will give you much better shaves than cartridge razors do. Right now I’m figuring I’m close enough to the perfect shave for government work, but of course, when I started thinking about making a better cup of coffee, I never figured I’d end up grinding fresh-roasted beans and brewing in a vacuum pot.

Comments

[pawslut.livejournal.com]

Three tips that I have:

1: Neutrogena 'Skin Clearing Shave Cream'. You can find it at any drug store/wal-mart. It produces a shaving lotion more than a cream -- it goes on thin. Ever since I started using it, though, my shave got really close and comfy, and provides just enough buffer to not scratch/cut.

2: Use a very sharp razor. Every time. It doesn't really matter how many blades you use, just make sure it's sharp. I use a Mach3 just 'cause the blades don't seem to dull very fast.

3: Shave with the grain first to shorten the length (and be gentler on your face), THEN shave against the grain to get closer. The shorter the stalk of hair, the easier it will be to shave against the grain without damaging your skin. I assume that's what you found out. :)

That's just my advice. I don't think you need to pre-soak, steambath, put dish soap on your face or any other crazy thing. Just use the best product and -- also -- shave SLOW. If you shave like you're in a hurry, you're more likely to cut yourself, and you won't get as close as you could. :)

[chipotle.livejournal.com]

I haven't tried that Neutrogena product, but I'm pretty sure they made the last face scrub I used. It doesn't surprise me they'd have a shave cream that's actually good. And, yes, you described the way I shave (with the grain, then against, going slowly). I'm told the wetter your face is, the better as well.

I also use a Mach 3. The "Turbo" version doesn't seem to do more other than add a buck to the price, and while Tugrik and Revar have both used the new "Fusion" one with 5 blades and give positive reviews, I remain a bit dubious. :)

[pawslut.livejournal.com]

I think the difference between 'Mach 3' and 'Mach 3 Turbo' is the completely useless stripe of 'aloe' they put on it. The blades are interchangeable with each razor. As for the Mach 5 . . . ugh. I still remember the SNL skit about the 30-bladed razor with the '26th blade missing for extra closeness'.

Here's a question -- have you ever thought of looking through your yellow pages for a proper 'barber shop' -- one that you can get a real shave and a haircut from? If you have a half an hour, you don't have to make an appointment at these places -- just stop on by. It's a really neat experience!

[bwcoyoten.livejournal.com]

A genuine barber-shop? T'ain't no such animal. :P

[pawslut.livejournal.com]

T'is so. I know of one just down the street 'bout a mile and a half from where I live. They're awesome. :)

[pathia.livejournal.com]

I always shave blind in the shower after soaking my face for a good while. If I shave in front of a mirror I'll cut myself at least 6times, go figure.

Of course my hair/skin is alot softer than most guys to start with and even moreso now! ;-)

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

Presumably laser hair removal would be considered cheating? ^_^

[chipotle.livejournal.com]

As I described this to someone in IM earlier, the problem I'm specifically looking at is "finding the closest shave possible without resorting to Nair." Laser hair removal falls into the Nair category, just more so.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. Yet, there's something I actually rather like about the ritual of a good shave, just like there's something I rather like about the ritual of making a good cup of coffee -- as much good as there is to say about the Keurig single-serve system I have, there's something nice about the five minutes or so it takes to make a cup of coffee with a French press.

[tikaani.livejournal.com]

This should probably go into the 'where are my moving sidewalks' category, but I recall reading years ago about them being 'very close' to perfecting the laser-shaver, which used the aforementioned instead of blades for a close shave. Supposedly the only problem was dealing with the distinct odour of burning hair...

[bwcoyoten.livejournal.com]

I find that -- on the rare occasion I do shave -- I get better results from bar soap than from shaving cream.

[chipotle.livejournal.com]

That's probably because you've never used a real shaving cream, and I'm not being facetious. Bar soap is helpful at first for the same reason a face scrub is -- getting rid of oil and dirt. Soap alone probably is better than shaving cream alone, but they don't actually try to do the same thing. Soap doesn't do anything to protect your skin from the blade, or lift the hair up off the skin (supposedly one of the things shaving brushes help do, although I haven't been using one), or soften the hair. Glycerin-based shaving creams are said to be the best, although one I like a lot seems to be based mostly on oils.

Glycerin-based shave gel.

[raventail2.livejournal.com]

I just tried Gillette's Complete Skin Care Multi-glide gel and it made a world of difference from the shaving gel-in-a-can I'd been using. I think it might let me get a another shave or two from the Mach 3 Turbos as well.

Re: Glycerin-based shave gel.

[chipotle.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't doubt it. Last night I actually bought some of the Proraso at Target -- I figured, hey, I had the shaving brush now, and this was just $4. (It's $6 for a tube that I presume *doesn't* need a shaving brush to apply.) I shaved with it this morning, and as much as I've liked the Aubrey shave cream I've been using, this stuff gave me what might be the closest and most comfortable shave I've ever had.

I suspect the only way I could really get a closer shave is with an old-fashioned double-edge razor... which I might look for after I start getting some paychecks, but only if I can get one cheaply. I'm not sure I'm feeling *that* geeky about this.