Traditional Shaving

Revision as of 15:01, 2 December 2010

Traditional Shaving is a form of shaving that eschews the newer cartridge-based razors and aerosol-based creams and gels, and instead used older forms of blades such as the 'Straight' (cutthroat) and 'Double Edge' (DE) razors which when combined with quality soap or cream gives a much closer, irritation free shave. It is also known as Wet Shaving.

With the moves by multinational corporations to force western-world shavers into the expensive cartridge based products, many men have found that they spend up to $4 per cartridge, yet get all sorts of problems such as bumps, ingrown hairs, razor burn and other skin irritations. In most cases, the cartridges are do not last any length of time, and are used more times than they should because of their expense and that causes more issues.

Traditional Shaving instead uses sharp, inexpensive blades which in most cases last longer than cartridges and range from 8 to 15 times cheaper, giving much better value. While the cost of entry into Traditional Shaving is often much higher than a cartridge based razor, the ongoing running costs are much lower, and shaving is seen more as an enjoyable task than a daily chore.

For the most part, OCAU members use Double Edge (DE) Safety Razors for their tradtional wet shaving, mainly as the effort required to keep a Straight Razor in good condition is high. Thus, the scope of the Traditional Shaving page in this Wiki is limited to DE shaving. A Straight Razor Shaving page has been created for those that prefer that method.

The current main thread used by OCAU members for traditional shaving discussion is called DE Wet Shaving Victory

Requirements

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Folding PC System Recommendations and Stats

DE Razors

Double-Edge Safety Razors, while not generally available at the supermarket, chemist or other grooming stores are still one of the best ways to shave. The replaceable blades are cheap compared to cartridge razors, and give very good to excellent results.

DE Razors are not entirely without risk because the blade edges of the razor are exposed and can cause nicks and cuts if the appropriate technique and sufficient caution are not used. They are, however, considered to be safer than straight razors because there is no actual risk of serious injury as there is with the naked blade of a Straight Razor.

DE Blades

Shaving Products

In order for the blade to glide across the skin and slice through the facial hair, some sort of lubrication is required. In most cases with traditional shaving, this lubrication is provided by a cream or soap which is worked into a lather and applied to the face, often with a shaving brush. Traditional shaving soaps and creams are based on Tallow (animal fats) or Vegetable fats/oils, and sometimes a mixture of the two. These base ingredients provide lubrication to the blade.

Modern products such as Foams and Gels may work for some people, however they lack the Tallow or Vegetable fats, and replace then with petroleum-derived surfactants instead, namely Sodium Laryl Sufate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate. These two chemicals tend to strip your skin of it's natural oils and some people can have sensitivity to them.

Creams

Soaps

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 == Shaving Products ==
-The shaving products that are marketed nowadays can be broken into three categories, pre, during and after-shave.  For the sake of the skin, it is recommended that shaving is always accompanied by the pre-shaving and after-shaving processes.
+In order for the blade to glide across the skin and slice through the facial hair, some sort of lubrication is required. In most cases with traditional shaving, this lubrication is provided by a cream or soap which is worked into a lather and applied to the face, often with a shaving brush. Traditional shaving soaps and creams are based on Tallow (animal fats) or Vegetable fats/oils, and sometimes a mixture of the two. These base ingredients provide lubrication to the blade.
-Pre-shaving mainly consists of getting the skin and hairs ready for the [[blade]]. The shaving products that one can find for this particular action are oils, creams and soaps. These products come in various designs and are designed accordingly for the specific type of skin or beard or they may be also chosen according to the instrument that is going to be used for shaving. The market provides different pre-shaving products intended to be used by individuals who shave with razors or for those who prefer using an electric razor. Although pre-shave oils bring a great benefit to the skin by opening the [[Sweat_pore|pores]] which results in a smoother shave, these products are not so popular. Most individuals tend to skip this step because the cream or soap used while shaving has quite the same purpose.
+Modern products such as Foams and Gels may work for some people, however they lack the Tallow or Vegetable fats, and replace then with petroleum-derived surfactants instead, namely ''Sodium Laryl Sufate'' and ''Sodium Laureth Sulfate''. These two chemicals tend to strip your skin of it's natural oils and some people can have sensitivity to them.
-Shaving requires the instrument which is used to cut off the hairs and a [[shaving foam|foam]], cream or soap. Generally, shaving creams and foams are used with razors, straight or disposable, and soap is more commonly used with straight razors. These shaving products are intended to smooth the face by lubricating the skin which allows a gentler shave. It seems that individuals who use these products are less likely to cut their skin and the shaved area is smoother by comparison with people who use only [[water]] before shaving. Moreover, the shaving products also help in preventing and reducing skin [[irritation]]. When shaving with a straight razor, the soap is applied onto the face with the help of a [[mug]] and a [[brush]]. The use of soap with a brush is thought to result in a superior quality shave as the brush may unclog the hairs that are stuck together.
+=== Creams ===
-Shaving with an electric razor is usually done without applying any creams before starting shaving. Most of these razors come with features that help raising the hairs, allowing the machine to cut them. They prevent the skin getting irritated as well. However, many individuals apply pre-shaving oils onto their skin prior to shaving with such an instrument as these oils lubricate the skin and hairs, make them easy to cut off leaving a smoother skin.
+=== Soaps ===
-Aftershaves and colognes are the main products used after shaving, to smoothen the shaved area and for preventing skin irritation.
 [[category:Sport, Fitness & Health]]