I started my own “Art of Shave” series with Part 1 a few weeks ago.  This Part of the series will now go into the good ol’ long lost tradition of “The Wet Shave”.  In Part 1, I talked about an amazing article I had read which talked about the Wet Shave but I had lost the link to.  In short, the author went into great detail about how we are a society that has grown accustomed to wanting things now now now and quick quick quick.  You can see this in other areas of our lives such as fast food, diets etc.  This mentality was what boosted the popularity of the disposable razor and the tradition of the Wet Shave was lost.  Even the corporations make sure we stick to using these silly disposable razors. You can’t walk into a store and easily find any of the traditional stuff for sale.  I get all my stuff online from Lee’s Safety Razors.

The Pre-Shave

The pre-shave is a very important part of the Wet Shave process.  Unfortunately, this very first process is one thing that is already missing from the way Men shave today.  If you are going to get into the Wet Shave, you cannot skip this step.  You will really need to prep your face before you start sliding a razor and blade on it.  I started off with the Musgo Real Pre-Shave Oil when I got into the Wet Shave.  I used it for while and then decided to move on to something else.  Now I have a primary and secondary.  My primary pre-shave care is the Art of Shaving Lavender Pre-Shave Oil for sensitive skin.  I especially like this because as the name implies, it works great for my sensitive skin.  The fragrance is also nice, and not too overwhelming.  It really helps soften the hair and protect the skin for the shave process.  My secondary is The Body Shop for Men Maca Root Wash Off Shave Oil.  I call this my secondary because I only take it on trips.  I do a lot of travel and carrying all this stuff around is not exactly practical.  So having a nice small 0.5 oz spray bottle works better in this case.

The Shave Brush

The shave brush is another important element lost in todays go-go world.  I use a Vulfix 660 Super Badger Shaving Brush.  The brush is made from Badger hair as it implies.  This is important because it actually retains heat and water when you use it on your face.  That warmth is necessary to soften the hair as you apply the shave cream.

The Shave Cream

The shaving cream is used to create a nice rich lather in which will be applied on your face before shaving.  Today, most Men use the crappy foamy stuff in the cans.  This on the other hand is some good ‘ol traditional cream.  The feeling of this on your face will not even make you look at those canned foams again.  I use the Geo F. Trumpers Soft Shaving Cream Pot of Rose.  I’ve tried the other pots like Extract of Limes.  But this one seems to work best for me.  This is quality English stuff, you can’t go wrong.  Shaving creams also come in the form of Shaving soaps.  It’s all a preference thing at this point if you want a Shave cream or soap.  But they both do the same thing, which is to create a rich lather.

The Shave Mug

The Shave Mug is also sometimes called the Shave Cup or Bowl or even Pot.  It is in essence where the lather will be created using the shave brush and the shave cream.  It is very important to have a nice warm/hot lather, and that is why wet shavers use mugs.  I use a simple one called the Sante Fe Shave Cup.  Lately though, I’ve been reading up on Scuttles and considered giving it a try too.  Because of how scuttles work, it keeps the lather warm all the way through.

The Razor

The Razor is one of the most important pieces to the wet shave process.  I use a Merkur Heavy Duty Double-Edge Safety Razor.   This is made in Germany, and if you’ve used anything German, you know how anal they are about perfection.   It’s a weighted razor, so it allows you to move almost effortlessly.  If it’s your first time with these Razors you have to be extra careful, this is not child’s play.  Focus and steady hands will save your face here.  If you really want to go all out traditional you can opt for a Straight Razor, and say a prayer that you do not chop your face off before you begin.  Unless you really know what the hell you are doing, I would not even touch this.  The double-edge (DE) razor is called that since you can use both edges of a single blade.  Most of the DE razors come with Safety Bars on the edge just so you don’t chop your face off.  But there is only so much the bar can do, you still have to be seriously careful using this stuff.

The Blade

The blade is what goes into the razor and does the cutting, duh!  Well, it might sound simple enough, but it could be very complex finding the right blade for your face.  When I started wet shaving, I started off with the Merkur Double-Edge Supler Platinum Blades.  Another German product at its best.  I was lucky, because these blades were just the right fit for my face.  I stuck with it for years until a few months ago, when I decided to venture out to see what other blades felt like.  You see, I’m the kinda guy that likes to try things at least once and judge for myself.  So I ordered the Japanese blades instead, the Feather Hi-Stainless Platinum Coated Blades.  Let’s just say I cut myself so many times, I almost busted a tear the first time I used it.  These blades are so damn sharp.  I cannot even begin to describe how sharp the Feather blades are.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the fact that they are death-wish sharp, but there is no room for error with the Feathers.  The Merkur was more forgiving.  So this is a little heads up for anyone who orders the Feathers.  For now, I went back to the Merkur.  On the same note, I recently just ordered a set of Israeli blades, the Crystal Double-Edge blades.  I have yet to use them since I ordered them, so maybe I’ll provide a later update down the road.

The After Shave

The after shave is often an after thought for most people.  But it is just as important as the pre-shave.  They complement each other and a good after shave will leave you feeling like a million bucks.  Most Men today get those counter after shaves which are just terrible. After Shave is not supposed to sting people!! They are not supposed to smell excessively strong either, this is what cologne is for.  I’ve always had a problem with how people use them.  When I used to put those on, not only did my skin sting, but it dried up so bad it felt like my skin was being damaged.  For the wet shave, I use Geo. F. Trumpers Coral Skin Food.  This is in my opinion the best After Shave ever.  It does not sting, it is not greasy, it cools down and cures my skin right away after the shave.  This thing is just great, it literally just evaporates into your skin.  It doesn’t even leave any weird overwhelming scent.  It just feels so natural.

So there you have it.  Step your game up guys.  If you haven’t tried a Wet Shace, give it a shot.  This is honestly the best and healthiest way to go when it comes to Shaving.

Stay tuned for Part 3, the Art of Shave continued….