Shaving Brush Care

"I was wondering what one needs to do for brush care. I have seen stands where the brush hangs with the hair down. I have seen brushes sitting on the counter with the hair up. What is best? Do you need to dry the brush as much as possible after each use or can you just rinse and leave it?"

Yes, I am planning brush (and razor) care video. For a brush, basically just rinse well with warm water, give it a gentle squeeze (bristles downward), a quick shake, then rub the bristles gently on a dry towel. You may have to "fluff" it a bit so the hair doesn't stick together. How you place the brush depends on the brand: some prefer bristles up, others down. If the manufacturer does not say, you can set it either way. Just be sure NOT to store it in a closed, air-tight cabinet--it should have some air circulation to dry.

Vegas, Baby!

My wife and I are in Las Vegas for our wedding anniversary (ahhh, the joys of Blogger's new "schedule ahead" feature)! It is also the "anniversary" of me discovering traditional shaving. In 2004 my wife had seen a (I think) Discovery Channel feature about 'Vegas Luxuries' which included a short segment on old-style barber shaves at Art of Shaving's store at Mandalay Place. My wife adores my freshly-shaven face but was never satisfied with the shave I got with the electric razor I had been using for years (I never really thought about it myself; zip zip, two minutes and I was out the door), so when we went back to Vegas for a wedding anniversary she bought me a shave at AOS as a present.


We were both absolutely blown away with the results: the smoothest, most comfortable shave I ever had. I didn't have to shave again for two days! The salesmen at AOS tried to sell me their whole line of product--which I was very tempted to buy!--but my wife's level-headedness prevailed, saying I could do more research when we got home. And research it I did! However, in 2004 there were far fewer resources than there are now: one forum (the old MSN Wetshavers forum, now defunct) and a handful of commercial websites. But I learned and grew along with the fledgling "hobby." It is hard to believe it has only been four years! It is even more hard to believe I am considered an "authority" (*cough!*) on the subject by some (even though there are many with much more experience than I).

(By the way, Truefitt & Hill has a store with barber/shaving services in Las Vegas, at Caesar's Palace's shopping forum. I hear that Bellagio, Caesar's, and Wynn have good barbers as well; I am going to try to check them out during our vacation (remember I am creating this posting ahead of time).

Adam's Apple?

"Thanks for the videos, they are very helpful. I just have two questions for you. First of all I grow facial hair like an ape apparently, so hair grows all the way to the base of my neck (which I like to shave off). I always get redness and irritation inferior temporal to my adam's apple. When I use a DE I hack the heck out of my neck down there. Any advice?

Also, I've been using a Merkur HD and I was curious how tight I should screw the top on? Should the blade bow when it is tightened? Thanks for the help!"

For the adam's apple, try swallowing and "holding" the swallow. You won't be able to really hold it of course, but it will briefly flattent the area enough to get a decent stroke through it. For the Merkur DE, screw the top all the way down. Yes, it will bow the blade slightly; its designed to do that (you should see how it bows the Merkur Progress!).

Aftershaves?

"What is the point of aftershave other than smelling good? Is it
necessary to the traditional shave? I havn't picked any up yet wasn't sure
if I needed it."

The purpose of aftershave is to provide some combination (depending on the product) of protecting, moisturizing (actually retaining moisture), and toning the skin. If you'll be "out in the weather" you'll want something that does more protecting (remember, you've just shaved off a microscopic layer of skin along with your whiskers). If you're in an office with the A/C running all day maybe you'd want something with more moisturizing properties.

April Metrics

Here is a summary of forum discussions I found interesting or relevant for April:
What is a "weeper?"
Water conservation
Inconsistant results
Scrub before shave?
Dealing with rash & Ingrowns
Shaving with hard water
Preference vs. performance
Fan or bulb brush?
Is talc useful?
How long does it take you to shave?
Blade angle
Advice for those starting out
Optimum size for a shaving brush?

And here are some April summary metrics for this blog:

Average Feed Subscribers: 95
Average Hits/Day: 629
Top Visitor Locations:

United States
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Most Popular Postings:

Revver Test
No More CO Bigelow (Proraso) at Bath & Body Works?
Cheap Blades?
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January Internet Discussion Summary
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Production Notes for "Intro to Method Shaving Pt. 2"

Top Referring Domains:

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