The Zen of Shaving: How a Double-edge Razor Can Change Your Life

The big picture

1. Improve your health
2. Save $
3. Reduce your environmental impact
4. Improve your well being
5. It’s fun

Beautiful article here

Shaving Procedures Ichi Ni San

Contributed by BlackWing1977

Duration : Around 10 ~ 15 mins.

Step 1 – Wash your face clean with your choice of facial cleanser or soap.

Step 2 – Choose your favorite shaving soap/creams, lather up with your favorite brush, usually either badger or boar. You can choose to directly lather up on your face or lather in a bowl then apply with the brush on your face, this is entirely up to you.

Step 3 – Choose your razor, load in a blade if it does not have a blade in it, prepare to shave in 3 passes, With the grain, Across the grain, Against the grain. In between passes, re-apply lather on your face. After 3 passes, check if you have any spot you need to clean up, just apply more lather on the spot and finish it up with some strokes.

Step 4 – Wash your face clean and apply any aftershave of your choice and you are done!!

Recommended shaving gears for newbies

Recommended Shaving Gears

Experimental – Those that want to try Wet Shaving but afraid of the high startup costs

Razor : Feather Popular double edge razor 800-1B / Lord Premium LP.1822
Blade : Croma
Brush : Any Omega Brush / Vulfix 404 Boar & Badger Hybrid / Semogue
Cream : Omega / Tabac or anything from Mustaffa
Aftershave : Your current toner or any Aftershave/ Balm from Mustaffa
Bowl : Daiso
Total Costs : Less than $50

Entry – Those that has confidence that Wet Shaving is the right way
( Strongly suggest this setup to kickstart wet shaving )
Razor : Edwin Jagger DE89 / Merkur HD
Blade : Croma
Brush : Edwin Jagger Medium Best Badger /Any Omega Brush / Vulfix 404 Boar & Badger Hybrid / Semogue
Cream : Omega / Tabac or anything from Mustaffa
Aftershave : Your current toner or any Aftershave/ Balm from Mustaffa
Bowl : Daiso
Razor & Brush : Omega Brush Stands
Total Costs : Less than $100

Advanced – Those who wants finer things in life.
Razor : Muhle R91 / Merkur Progress
Blade : Feather / Permasharp
Brush : Simpsons Commodore / Colonel / Duke
Soap : DR Harris Arlington / Mitchell’s Wool Fat / iColoniali / Martin De Candre
Aftershave : Your current toner or Clinique Post Shaving Balm
Bowl : Scuttle ( optional )

Total Costs :  $200 ~ $300

DIY Brush & Razor Stand

Contributed by Ximple

This is a post to share with budget-conscious wetshavers a way to keep their brushes dry in a neat and practical manner.

While strolling around Daiso several months ago , I figured out a way to improvise a $2 kitchen gadget to be a Brush and Razor Stand.

I’ve been using the setup below for the last 3 months or so and am really satisfied with it.

This setup allows for unobstructed airflow around the brush so the hairs dry faster. Gravity helps to pull the dampness down to the tips of the hairs. With more airflow at the tips, the rate of evaporation is greatly improved. If the brush is dried with the handle on the ground, there is the risk of dampness forming at the base of the knot of hair that may result in damp and funky smelling brushes.

Since the glass holder is made for kitchen use, the chrome layer will not easily deteriorate quickly when it is used in a wet environment. Over the last 3 months or so, there’s been no sign of any rust.

With this setup, the brush is clamped snugly enough to keep it in place. There is also the option of modding this setup to hang 2 brushes.

Instructions:

1. From Daiso, get a $2 glass holder. The glass holders come in various sizes so do check the diameter of your handle at it’s slimmest point and get one that will not stretch the handles arms apart too much.

This image has been resized.Click to view original image

2. Use a pair of pliers to cut apart one ear of the glass holder right at its center. This will separate both arms of that ear (Refer to the right ear of the stand in the picture below).

Beware of the jagged edges at the cut ends as they can scratch the handle of your brush. You may choose to file the ends, cover them with small pieces of electrical tape or slip some tiny rubber hose over both of the separated arms to protect your handle from scratches. Mine are cheap brushes so I decided not to go that extra mile.

The rubber band on the left ear of the glass holder is to prevent my razor from falling off when the setup is moved.

This image has been resized.Click to view original image

3. Just drop your razor into the hole fromed by the rubber band on the left ear. To mount your brush, gently push your brush handle from the center of the setup outwards towards the cut ends. The arms, which have been cut apart, will bend apart to accommodate your handle snugly.

This image has been resized.Click to view original image

Hope this solution will benefit all wetshavers.

May you all enjoy your wetshaving experience.

DIY Brush Stand V1

Contributed by Ximple

1. For a start, find an unused bowl from your house for building lather. You can also try face lathering. If you like face lathering, then no need to buy a new special bowl to just to build lather. I like face lathering and do it almost exclusively now so my bowl is a waste of space on my toilet shelf.

2. No need to hootz brush stand. I gave it some thought and DIY one for free.

I’m copying the instructions below from a post that I made at B&B forum back in 2007. FYI, I’m still using the same brush & brush holder today.

Here’s a way to hang your brush that wont cost you anything.

All you need is an expired phone card, a pencil and a pair of scissors.

1. Use a pencil to trace the circumference of the handle onto the phone card.

2. Use the scissors to cut a circle about 2-3 mm smaller than your pencil marking. Cut out a small bit at the edge to create an entrance.

3. Attempt to fit the narrowest part of your brush handle into that hole. If the hole is too small, continue cutting the edges of the hole until you can get a snug fit.

4. Find an opening on your bathroom rack and slot the unit in.

Ta-da! A simple and cheap way to keep your brush dry.

Mama Bears Black Friday Coupon Codes

10% off any order… Black10
15% off with a min of $50…. Black15
20% off with a min of $100.. Black20
codes are good thru the weekend..

Wet Shaving gears that are available locally

Contributed by Buckbrick, Updated by derazor

Quick and Dirty Summary :
Safety Razor from Whathewants / hairizon
Blades, Cream or Soap to get from Mr M / Whathewants
Lathering Bowl from Daiso
Brush & Stand from Kent / Whathewants

**Also bolded ones are preferred by most of the SG wetshavers**

Mustaffa aka Mr. M – our Singapore shaving mecca

Soap: Tabac shave stick

 

Cream: Tabac, Omega, european Palmolive, Denim, Gillette blue box, Goodrej.

 

Blades: Supermax, Croma, Gillette 7 o’clock green.

Omega boar brushes ( currently out of stock, I’m not sure if will be back  but very unlikely because it’s made of Boar )Pure Bristile = Boar, Silvertips are the most high-end of badger brush.

Badger Brush : Kent Online Store 

Glo Skin MD at pacific plaza

Truefitt and Hill creams and soaps. ( one of the 3Ts – the other two are Taylor’s of Bond Street , Trumpers )

Mums Essentials at suntec and Novena square 2.
Used to carry Institute Karite soap and creams. The brand is still carried but may not have shaving stuff anymore.

whathewants

Edwin Jagger razor, brush, creams and soap.
Billy Jealousy, misc brands

Daiso
Dorco ST301 blades, lathering bowls & shaving soap refills container ( this way you’d save on the expensive container )

hairizon
Feather DE and straight razors, blades, japanese horsehair brushes

Cheng siang Hwa at Golden mile tower (not sure if still true)
Dovo str8 razor

Body shop

Macca root shaving cream, Synthetic Wooden handle brush

Sephora
Shaving cream, pure badger brush, alum block

Sasa
The Crystal alum sticks

Five-shops
Misc blades: Gillette thin, Astra stainless, Nacet

L’OCCITANE

Cade shaving cream and Aftershave balm

Crabtree and Evelyn

 
Nomad shaving cream and Aftershave balm

Clinique counters at all major departmental stores

Clinique Post Shave Balm, Shaving Cream

Online shopping for your shaving gears

http://connaughtshaving.com/index.html

– for a wide variety of items. one stop shop

http://bestshave.net/ 

– for cheap razar blades and a variety of items

http://thesuperiorshave.com/

http://www.diamondedgeltd.com/( enter HSHTEN for 10% off Simpsons Brushes )
– for “be-spoked” Simpson brushes ( cheapest of the lot ), Vulfix brushes ( especially the Value for $ – 404 Grosvenor Hybrid ) and don’t forget the brush stands too

http://www.theenglishshavingcompany.com/ ( enter VC1511 )
– for Edwin Jagger razors

http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/ ( enter SMF2011 )
– for a wide variety of items. one stop shop

http://www.traditionalshaving.co.uk/ (enter tsr for a 10% discount)
– for a wide variety of items. one stop shop

http://mamabearssoaps.com/ ( enter B&B )
– for Shaving and Bathing Soaps

http://www.queencharlottesoaps.com/ ( enter SMF2011 )
– for Shaving and Bathing Soaps

http://www.westcoastshaving.com/ ( enter BANDB )
– for a wide variety of items. one stop shop

http://www.razorbladesandmore.com/

http://www.leesrazors.com/ ( enter FBFAN10 for a 10% discount )
– for Mergress ( zhng-ed Merkur Progress ) & Semogue Brushes

http://www.razoremporium.com/store/
– For re-furbished vintage ( i.e re-plated Gillettes )

http://www.truefittandhill.co.uk/ ( enter smf11 )

http://www.traditionalshaving.com/ (Ireland with VAT deduction, has the same owner “Chris” as shaving.ie, can be contacted via Badger and Blade Vendor Corner)

http://shaving.ie/ (Ireland without VAT deduction, has the same owner “Chris” as traditionalshaving.com, can be contacted via Badger and Blade Vendor Corner)

Beginner Startup DE Shaving Kit

Beginner’s Start up Kit

1. Razor: Either Edwin Jagger EJ89 from the English Shaving Company (They’re having a free shipping promo now) OR Feather Popular from Hairizon (Can order from their Facebook page)

2. Blades: There’s a few brands of blades available at Mustafa. Or can source from neighbourhood provision/mama shops

3. Shaving Cream: Available at Mustafa as well. Omega or Palmolive cream is good though Omega seems more popular here

4. Shaving Soap: Can order from The English Shaving Company. Don’t really need it if you already have cream. We just rotate both soap and cream for some variety

5. Shaving Brush: Basic boar brushes available at Mustafa

6. Shaving bowl (optional): Any old bowl. I’m using metal bowl from Daiso