Ask Aaron Q/A: The best ways to maintain a goatee
Aaron answers a question about the best ways to maintain a goatee
Graham Hope, from the UK, asks:
“I have a goatie beard and find it difficult with a normal gillette style razor to keep the shape and remove the small amount of beard from the inside of the beard. Apart from going to my barbers every other week to keep it how he cut it and I like it, what can you recommend?”
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Hope,
Maintaining facial hair can be tough! Thanks for your question! It sounds as if you are using a cartridge or cassette type razor. I would try stretching your skin in different ways to see if that could help. If not, I recommend picking up a shavette such as a Parker or Bluebeards Revenge shavette this would be a great way to maintain your goatee.
Smooth shaving!
Aaron”
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Ask Aaron Q/A: Shaving with and against the grain
Alric Horn, from UK, asks:
“I am very new to using a safety razor, is it possible to do three passes with the grain and get a very close shave or do I need to shave against the grain.”
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Horn,
It is possible to do three with the grain passes, however if you wish for a closer shave and are not yet ready to try against the grain I would recommend going across the grain. Find the direction of hair growth and shave 90 degrees from that direction. This will help reduce the beard even more without the challenges that go with against the grain. Welcome to wet-shaving and best of luck!
Cheers,
Aaron”
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Ask Aaron Q/A: What is your top lip and under chin shave routine?
John Chapman, from the UK, asks:
“Hi, can you describe your top lip and under chin routine? I’m having difficulty in those areas thanks.”
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Spanner,
Well, honestly I sport a Van Dyke, so I rarely shave those areas. However, when I do here is what I do. I prep the whole area as usual but on each pass of the upper lip make sure to stretch the upper lip as much as possible, and instead of going directly against the grain go slightly angled. So if north is fully against the grain go northeast or northwest. For the chin tilt your head up, stretching the skin, as well as draw your lower lip into you mouth. This also flattens your chin making it easier to shave. I hope these help!
Smooth Shaving,
Aaron”
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Ask Aaron Q/A: Parker Razors vs Merkur Razors: What are the differences?
Paul Broadwith, from the UK, asks:
“I have a Parker Model 91R razor and I have a question about razor in general - what exactly is the difference? When you buy a razor, the blade is the most important part. With the double edged razors you can buy different blades so I’m thinking that the actual razor itself is less important but there are a loads to choose from so I am missing something. I know some of the Merkur razors have mechanics where you can angle them which I think would be a good place to start, but I can’t see what the other razors offer over what I have. So what is the difference, what should I be looking for and what will give me the best shave?”
AARON SAYS
“Mr Broadwith,
I’ll try to answer you question succinctly, because the nuances and differences of razors could easily fill the chapter (or two) of a book. However, in brief the biggest difference you will find between razors is the “mildness” or “aggressiveness” expressed in the differing blade exposures. Typically the more acute the angle the more “aggressive” it feels to the face. The adjustable razors on the market are built with mechanics to change the exposure gap customizing your razor and shave. The rest of the razors that are manufactured have just one blade gap setting. This is the major difference in razors. The rest of what separates razors apart from each other are just different options in physical characteristics such as handle length, weight, handle diameter, finish and other options. Look for what feels most comfortable starting with the blade then to each razor based on your own personal preferences until you find your ideal razor. (which for me at this point in time is the Merkur Futur) Best wishes on finding your ideal shaving equipment!
Happy Shaving!
Aaron”
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Guest post by Straight Razor Place founder Lynn Abrams
We recently sent a tub of The Bluebeards Revenge shaving cream to William Ewin, or Jockeys41 as he is also known, so he could test it with a cutthroat or straight razor.
Jockeys41, who praised the cream very highly, posted a link to his YouTube review on the very impressive wet shaving forum, The Straight Razor Place (www.straightrazorplace.com).
This review was seen by the forum’s founder, Lynn Abrams, who then Tweeted us, asking for a sample of the cream so he could see first hand what all the fuss was about.
Here at the Shaving Shack, we are very keen to promote every method of traditional wet shaving and thought it would be an excellent idea to ask Lynn to submit a guest post on the growing popularity of The Straight Razor Place forum, and his love for the art of straight shaving.
Here goes:
“
Hello, my name is Lynn Abrams and I am the founder of The Straight Razor Place (SRP), the first and original straight razor forum on the internet. I would like to thank Mark for the opportunity to participate in his blog and share what has been an amazing 10 years in the development of wet shaving and straight razor shaving.
I started shaving with a straight razor in 1973 after my grandfather took me to a barber for a straight razor shave. The shave was so smooth and close that I didn’t have to shave for two days. I was so hooked that I purchased a straight razor within a week. It was a Cutlery World razor, probably made by Dovo and I still have it today. During this time, the only known places to purchase straight razors, brushes, strops or soaps was from either Cutlery stores or Knife shops. So for the next 25 years or so I shaved with that straight razor on and off, depending on whether I could get it sharpened properly. I was using a cheap shaving soap in a coffee mug and an old boar’s hair brush. I used to send the razor off to various cutlery shops for honing and about 50 percent of the time, the razor came back with an edge fit for shaving. During this time, I was also in business and like most people; I was absorbed in the day to day pace of a busy job and family. Shaving was a necessary evil and definitely looked at as a chore. I was out of the house after waking up in 30 minutes and on the road to a busy day of work.
It seems like yesterday, but in 1999, I began looking on the internet for information on how to hone/sharpen and maintain my straight razor. At this time, I was on a mission to back off of the hectic daily pace of life and enjoy my straight razor complete with a hot towel treatment whenever I could. All that I can tell you is that it was very frustrating to search the web every day only to find an occasional question and answer on a knife forum or to hit the mother lode at the time and find Arthur Boon’s article which contained some great information about straight razors, their use and care. There just was no place where you could discuss straight razors or wetshaving or ask questions to. Information was extremely limited.
So I had this idea. Yahoo had a function called groups and I figured that if I started a straight razor group, there would be a place to preserve knowledge about the art of straight razor shaving. This turned out to be one of the more fun ventures that I have undertaken in my life. SRP Yahoo was started in November of 2000. When the group started, I asked my 3 sons to join so that we could have a few members and began soliciting people buying and selling razor on ebay to join as well. It started out very slow, but by the end of the 1st year, we began putting together some great information and discussion regarding the use of straight razors, identification of them, their care and of course, how to sharpen one. I realized that my quest was taking shape, but I really had a long way to go. I began purchasing every ebay razor I could get my hands on and with the help of a gentleman named Don Walters; I started to learn how to hone my own straight razors. I can’t begin to tell you the level of excitement I had when I was able to shave with the first straight razor I sharpened. It was like catching a fish on the very first fly I ever tied. Well that was many thousands of razors ago and to this day, I have not lost the enjoyment that comes from making straight razors shave ready for myself and other people. It is the basis from which we decided that every new razor sold would be honed at no expense to the buyer at my shop so that people would have every opportunity at success when using a straight razor.
If you ever get the chance, check out the old yahoo group Straight Razor Place and start reading from the beginning. You will quickly recognize just how far we have come. You can see where we had the assistance of John West, a thirty year collector of straight razors who enlightened us about which razors barbers liked best, razor values and razor history. We had people like Ray DuPont, deceased, who was the founder of Classic Shaving show up as an early ebay vendor when he first started the business. Ray was one of the first people to offer a full variety of products channeled directly to the wet shaving population. It has been amazing to see the variety of people from all walks of life that have come into this environment and many are still around today. The membership has now grown to almost 30,000 members on the .com site and the Yahoo site remains in operation. The mission remains to spread the world and share the art of wetshaving and straight razor shaving. It is all about changing the chore of shaving daily into a pleasure that people can look forward to.
One of the things that I am most proud of is that Straight Razor Place has not only grown from its humble origin into the most credible source of straight razor information, but it is a place that has a pay it forward mentality. The membership is without question, one of the most helpful and generous groups of people on the planet. SRP does not allow any vendor or individual to be trashed. They also do not allow any selling or special interests in the forum other than the vendor section. There is a great Wiki there for people to research and help build information. It is just an amazing collection of people and after 10 years, it remains a place that I like to visit every day.
So where are we today? There are hundreds of specialty vendors offering great products to the wet shaving population. We know about great brushes and strops and sharpening stones that were not available years ago. We have more available information and assistance to new people than ever in history. The amount of soaps and aftershaves and colognes available today is staggering. We have people all over the world making custom straight razors and restoring vintage razors. We have razor manufacturers coming back into the business. Where there were a few hundred listings on ebay 10 years ago, there are now thousands. We have people recognizing the positive effect of not having to throw out plastic disposables every week and helping the environment. We have many bloggers out there helping to spread the word and aiding in the introduction and evaluation of new products. We see straight razor use showing up in news stories all over the country. If you look on YouTube, you will find hundreds of videos from people sharing their experiences and providing help in using all wet shaving tools. In addition, there are now wetshaving and straight razor forums that have started in many countries and quite a few here in the US. It has been most gratifying to see this kind of growth and especially in the last several years. A lot of the people who started forums had their beginnings at SRP. We may never get to mainstream, but there are millions of people enjoying the benefits of all kinds of wetshaving today and happily spreading the word.
This is all a dream come true for me and considering where we have come from, I can say mission accomplished. To me, it will never be about the vendors or individual recognition. It will always be about sharing the information and helping people to enjoy shaving and grooming along with providing them answers to all their questions. Let’s continue to make this a world where people look forward to the next shave.
Thank you to all the wonderful people I have met over the last 10 years and let’s look forward to the legacy we have created. We all continue to learn something about this sport every day and it is a journey well worth experiencing.
Sincerely,
Lynn
“
This article first appeared on Mantic 59′s Shaving Journal. He kindly gave us permission to post it here.
Ask Aaron Q&A: Shaving Creams vs Shaving Soaps - Which are better?
Robert Ashford, from the UK, asks:
“Can you please advise on the pros/cons re: Shaving Cream vs. Shaving Soap. (Also the use of shaving creams/soaps in bowls). Can you use the wet brush against each, and not taint the product? I Currently use a shave cream from tube, but am intrigued by the likely hood of just building up a lather in the self provided cream/soap in a bowl. Thanks in advance.”
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Ashford,
Thanks for you question! On any shaving related forum on the internet you’ll find this discussion: “Which is better? Soaps or Creams?” In my opinion: neither. They both have equally great characteristics and will serve you well whatever you choose. Personally I use both and find great satisfaction with both types of products.
Pros: Soaps generally are considered to have a “slicker” shave due to certain ingredients such as tallow, lanolin, glycerin and bentonite clay that are added to the soap. This provides a smoother and gentler shave especially for heavy bearded gents. Creams have the reputation of being easier to begin learning on, easy to lather and have a more moisturizing feel after the shave is done.
Cons: Soaps generally take more time to learn how to lather well and can be sometimes a bit drying to the skin. Creams have the tendency to dry out a bit faster on your face and not provide as smooth a shave. (Caveat: there are ALWAYS exceptions!)
But which one to pick?? You will get a different experience out of both and both provide good shaves. Honestly I say use both, I do. If you find yourself leaning towards one product or the other you have my blessing! I don’t think you’ll go wrong with either.
Using cream or soap in the tub or container it comes in will not effect the shave, nor will dipping the brush into the container to gain product taint the product. The only exception to this I have heard is there is a possibility if some sort of bacteria is on your brush and you dip it into a cream that does not have any preservative in it that the bacteria could turn the cream. However, I have never had this happen to me, nor have I known anyone that this happened to. The thing about this I will say is that i recommend building your lather in a separate bowl from the one that contains your sap or cream. When you building the lather on top of product you are continuously using more product in the process and the time it will last will be a lot less costing you more money in the long run. For that reason alone I recommend a separate bowl, plus it’s easier to see you lather develope and know when it’s ready for shaving.
This is a bit long winded, but I hope it answers your questions!
Smooth shaving!
Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger? CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
The MAD March Sale at The Shaving Shack
It’s the shaving sale of the century - a massive array of razors, shaving creams and shaving brushes with up to 60% off - act fast and stock up on your favourites!
Parker 98R Heavy Duty Premium Barberpole
Fancy treating yourself to a stylish double edge safety razor? Well look no further than the Parker 98R Heavy Duty Premium Barberpole - Parker’s answer to the awesome Merkur 38C!
We believe Parker have surpassed themselves with this beautiful razor. Taking styling cues from the exceptionally popular Merkur 38C, this chrome plated razor provides excellent grip, balance and performance.
The head is taken from their top of the range 3 piece razors which are near identical to the heads of the Merkur 34C/Merkur 38C and likewise, the barberpole handle design is very similar to the Merkur 38C.
Mike Sandoval, from Shaving101.com, is also a big fan of this razor, describing it as “a good value razor for the budget conscious wet shaver”.
WAS £29.00, NOW JUST £15.99 - SAVE 46%
Parker Model 52 Metal Safety Razor with Chrome Finish
If you fancy something a little cheaper then why not opt for the Parker Model 52 Metal Safety Razor with Chrome Finish. This razor offers a screw down blade change and a substantial feel.
WAS £25.99, NOW JUST £9.99 - SAVE 61%
Simpsons Duke Best Badger Brush (D3)
This is a very impressive and popular shaving brush, handmade in England and densely filled with best badger hair.
Dimensions: Bristle Diameter: 45 mm, Bristle Length: 45 mm, Overall Length: 95 mm, Handle Diameter: 35 mm
This really is the height of shaving brush quality. Buy yourself a piece of English luxury today!
WAS £71.49, NOW JUST £50.00 - SAVE 30%
Simpsons Polo 8 Best Badger Brush (PL8)
The Polo is another great brush from the experts at Simpsons. The handle has a great size and shape to it with a ridge that provides excellent grip. Handmade in England it is densely filled with best badger hair.
WAS 84.99, NOW JUST £59.99 - SAVE 29%
These are just a few of the very special deals we have in the March sale. You can check them all out by clicking here. But hurry as the sale ends March 31.
Ask Aaron Q&A: Is it okay to mix and match different shaving products?
“Dear Aaron, Is it okay to mix and match different shaving products?” asks Glenn Bullough, from the UK.
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Bullough, Thank you for your question! This is a good question, and it is perfectly fine to mix different brands and kinds of shaving products. If you wanted to use all the same brand that is a great option as well. I know many men (including yours truly!) that both use a single product range for one shave and for the next shave will use a conglomeration of different products.
Smooth Shaving! Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger? CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
Ask Aaron Q&A: Can you recommend a razor/blade/cream combo that is geared for leg shaving?
“While I realize all of the virtues of wet shaving my wife has know taken an interest and began experimenting with my kit. Can you recommend a razor/blade combo and cream that she can use that may be more geared for leg shaving?” asks Everett Petronick, from the USA.
AARON SAYS
“Mr Petronick, You are a very lucky man having your wife come on board with you! Many of the products are the same but she might enjoy a floral or rose scented shaving cream to use. A product I do think would be an advantage to your wife would be a long handled safety razor such as the “barberpole” Merkur 38c and 23c razors, the Parker 52 and 96 models, and the vintage Lady Gillette which can be found in second hand shops, and online auction sites sometimes in “New Old Stock or NOS” condition. May you and your wife enjoy,
Smooth Shaving! Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger? CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
Ask the Shaving Expert: Aaron Wolfenbarger
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger?
Called a modern Renaissance Man by many, Aaron has many interests including music, science, theology, his family, camping, backpacking, style, grooming, and of course wet-shaving. His love of wet shaving began as a teenager when he was gifted a brush, mug, and soap set for his birthday. He can be found on many online wet-shaving and men’s forums and on Twitter as @KiltedShaver.
Aaron is here to answer your questions, which might include:
How do you get rid of shaving rash?
What are the pros and cons of blade shaving?
What should I look for in choosing a razor?
Which is the best shaving direction - with the hair growth or against it?
What are razor bumps?
How many times can I use one blade?
How to not cut yourself while shaving
How to stop bleeding from shaving nicks
Will shaving daily make my hair grow thicker?
Please note that we can’t guarantee that all questions will be answered. Questions that are answered will be published on this blog in the ‘Ask Aaaron Q & A’ section, so please bookmark this page.
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