WetShaving
This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Discord, and IRC.
New subscribers welcome!
Please visit our wiki, which is always and forever a work in progress.
Check out these alternative front-ends for this server:
https://gem.wetshaving.social - a nice modern interface
https://old.wetshaving.social - designed to look like old.reddit.com
Our sister Mastodon instance is https://wetshaving.social.
Community Rules
Rule 1 - Behaviour and Etiquette
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Be Respectful. Do not bully, flame, or harass others.
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Malicious comments are not allowed but heated discussion and salty banter is okay.
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Low effort replies and complaints about content will be removed.
Rule 2 - Content Guidelines
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Mail Calls, Simple Questions, and SOTD posts belong in the recurring weekly threads.
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Posts must have sufficient content to generate a meaningful discussion.
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Images, links, or videos must include additional text that summarizes the topic.
Rule 3 - Reviews and Disclosure
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Use [First Impressions] in the title if your experience with the product is limited.
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Use the [Review] in the title if you can provide comprehensive details with enough familiarity to answer follow-up questions.
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Disclose how the product being reviewed was acquired (e.g., PIF, loan, or purchase). If the product was provided to you directly by the maker or vendor free of charge or at a discount, you must disclose this fact even if the item will later be returned to the maker or vendor.
Rule 4 - Advertising
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Vendors are to keep marketing within the biweekly Deals/New Products threads.
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Non-vendors may post topics about products if it will foster a compelling discussion.
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Do not solicit donations or share fundraisers without mod approval.
Rule 5 - Inappropriate Content
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All NSFW/L content must request mod approval and be flaired appropriately.
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Non-shaving related NSFW/L content is not allowed.
Rule 10 - Moderator Discretion
- The rules may not apply perfectly to every situation. The mods have final discretion.
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September 23, 2023
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
As you can see by my straight shave count (since mid-July 2022), I'm not particularly experienced as a straight shaver. But, I very rarely nick myself, and my patterns easily give me comfortable BBS shaves. I've noticed a number of people on the sub starting to straight shave or, perhaps, returning to it as I did last year. Today's shave was another great straight shave for me, and after I was done, I got to thinking about why straight shavers seem to always prefer a straight shave over a shave with another razor type. My theory is that because a straight can do significant harm if you are careless, developing patterns that are mindful and careful of the edge but are easy and natural to do with muscle memory makes us appreciate the whole experience more. Probably BS, but that's my thought for today.
So if you're just starting to straight shave, or are returning to it, stick with it for a while! This is a skill that takes time to develop, but it is well worth it!
Enjoy your weekend!
I guess you are right with this one. The fact that I cannot (rather: learned the hard way that I absolutely must not) shave with a straight when in a hurry or when tired, and that safety precautions have to be enforced makes it that a minimum level of concentration or mindfulness is required, rather than nice-to-have.
Also, what I found interesting (or challenging) with straights is that you can not only harm yourself, but also your razor if you're not careful.
Yes, definitely! I have only dropped one straight razor and, thankfully, that was a Gold Dollar purchased many years ago for ~$15. A big part of straight razor shaving that we don't talk much about is the actual handling of the razor while shaving (rinsing, wiping, switching hands, etc.). This is a skill in itself.
I'm rinsing with clear water, and then I wipe with a microfiber cloth. I've set a precise disposition for my shaving implements when using a straight, and if the razor is not being used, I keep it closed at all times. Better safe than sorry!
I believe I could optimize my hand changing routine: I switch 2 or 3 times for each pass - if I only did it once, it would be much faster. But this is also constrained by wiping, especially for the XTG pass.
I use lather build-up as a signal for rinsing and switching hands.