Shaving - is foam necessary?

[Steve Firth]

Not really. I prefer to use King of Shaves or even olive oil.

[Timothy Murphy]

Talking of shaving brushes - has the quality fallen off lately, or have I been unlucky? The last 3 brushes I've bought have all shed bristles at an alarming rate.

[Stephen Howard]

It's whatever works for you - they all do essentially the same thing. Personally I reckon the criteria is how long the chosen lotion remains 'wet' and how your fizzog feels afterwards. For a foam I'd recommend Nivea Sensitive ( with 'Ultraglide Technology' ) and King of Shaves for a gel. A very refreshing and close shave can be had by using Somerset oil.

Regards,

[Appelation Controlee]

Baby oil works OK too but, as with KOS, it clings to the sides of the washbasin (along with a fair proportion of the newly-shaved stubble) when the water is drained.

I remember - years ago - an Alastair Cooke LFA episode where he described how he habitually shaved dry with a blade razor. Yes, I did try it - once.

[TPMcCann]

Excues me, but Razor Burn is something yopu get from a blade, not an electric razor

Paul Mc Cann

[TPMcCann]

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 = [e-mail]

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 pam is missing e-mail

On the odd occasion I now use a blade I find it very poor. I know that is down to me and my technique because in the past I found blades o/k. Electric razors require their own technique and I don't think trying them a few times will gain that proficiency. Modern, as in Braun, electric razors are very efficient. No more than with blades, it is not possible to be generic about them. One of those tiddly litle battery razors is not going to compare to the proper jobbie.

Paul Mc Cann

[TPMcCann]

because it gives a far better result IME than a dry

Must be a helluva long time since you tried an electric razor if the noise bothers you !!!!!

Paul Mc Cann

[Skipweasel]

Twenty years or so. I'm happy with what I have.

[John Stumbles]

Just before Xmas I went for the second time to unblock wastes at a house where HWITO[1] uses Gillette shaving foam from an aerosol can. First time the basin trap was completely blocked by a pastey gunge that, when disturbed, smelled exactly like Gillette shaving foam!

Second visit was to deal with blockage of the shower which discharges into the same waste pipework. No physical access to pipework so tried sucking with wet&dry vac. Again, distinct smell of Gillette shaving foam, and distinct lack of unblocking. The stuff seems to set almost like a clay.

I phoned a very odd-looking number (00800-something-long) on the tin (which got me through to somewhere oop north) and asked about how to get rid of this crud. Not surprisingly the customer relations droidess didn't have this one on her script but promised to ask the technical bods for an answer and get back to me. Equally unsurprisingly they haven't.

Any clues to chemicals which would shift it?

[1] He Who Is To Obey cf SWMBO ;-)

[Andy Hall]

These are international freephone numbers,

Caustic soda?

[The Night Tripper]

[...]

I remember that episode as well, and also tried shaving dry on his recommendation. I also gave up on it. Curious how he found it to work.

AFAIK the foam/oil etc. is only there to hold the water in place (as an emulsion), and to provide a bit of lubrication. Oil such as King of Shaves works fine if you don't mind clearing up the little clumps of hairs that end up in the basin. It's 'different to', but no worse than, the residue from foam.

However King of Shaves is a total rip off price-wise. It's mostly castor oil I believe. I 'Do-It-Myself', and make my own shaving oil, according to a recipe I came across on this very newsgroup a few years ago. A fiver or so will get you essential and carrier oils enough to make a shaving oil to last you several *years*.

J^n

[Colin Wilson]

Au contraire in my case - the number of passes i'd have to make with an electric razor gave me more "burn" than a wet shave !

[Pete C]

Not a chemical, but I'd try an enzyme drain unblocker.

Acid might shift it but could need repeat applications.

cheers, Pete.

[Appin]

The message

from " [e-mail]" contains these words:

Nothing terribly macho about using a blade -- the vast majority of WOMEN do it. Most of them take the occasional pass over their moustache, too

-- some of them just as often as the men.

[whitely525]

Electric razors can be fierce, usually burn like hell without removing any hair. Worst of all worlds.

Swivel razors (tubo-Mach 16 blades or whatever) also a pain, more likely to make inadvertent nicks. Best is the cheap jobbie with no more than 2 blades, fixed & disposable.

[whitely525]

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 = [e-mail]

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Don't tell me, you bought the Company..?

[Andy Burns]

Now, are you *sure* it wasn't alt.frugal.living :-P

[TPMcCann]

I am at an utter loss to understand what sort of electric razors you have tried that burn like hell and don't remove hair but unless you are in the business of re-defining terminology (See Wiki) razor burn is caused by blades.

Paul Mc Cann

[TPMcCann]

long time since you tried an electric razor if the

Thats more like it. Nothing like and open mind and well informed comment. Nothing.

Paul Mc Cann

[<me9]

What on earth is wrong with the candle and sponge. Works well.