Fashion Mode

In the past years wet shaving has known a tremendous increase in popularity. This occurred mostly because of the entire trend is leaning towards the vintage. However, after the first hundred or so were converted, they attested the results to have surpassed their highest expectation in terms of comfort and quality. Hence, the next few thousand that followed were a great catalyst for a lot of companies that were near bankruptcy to improve on their products and actually prosper. Not to mention the other dozens who emerged following the same pattern: the fashionable gentleman needs his needs attended. So all in all, wet shaving is good for the economy.

Basically, good shaving is done wet. The fact that the hot towel ( and the occasional straight razor for the particularly courageous hobbyist ) is involved does not really justify such name, but since that's the term we are going to go along with it.

The most important thing about wet shaving is that you have to keep your face hot. That is why my first advice is to attempt shaving only after or during a hot shower or bath. When laying in steam, your face softens and the pores become less rough and consequently less of an impediment for a very sharp piece of steel that's gliding across your skin. After a 15 minute hot bath during which your face is immersed in hot water for several seconds, you proceed to creating your lather.

For making a perfect lather you will need two things: a good shaving soap or cream and a shaving brush. The better the soap, the better your lather will be. The technique is pretty straightforward for starters. You soak the brush in hot water, let it drip a few seconds so the excess water runs out, then you start rubbing it in the soap or cream. After a few passes, when you notice the tips of the hairs gathering soap, you start rubbing the brush on your skin. The skin that's about to be shaved, that is. You don't stop until you get a creamy slick result that you can't see through. When you are satisfied rinse it off with hot water. Yes, just wipe away your 5 minute effort and then start again. The main reason for doing this is that your skin will be cleansed by the procedure and the support for the next lather that's about to be applied will be better. Repeat the lathering procedure and you will notice a definite improvement as far as consistence goes when the new result is applied on the skin.

Always check the amount of water you leave in the brush before applying it to the soap. As experience grows you will notice that some soaps prefer more water, others just a little bit. If your lather is too bubbly, keep on rubbing the brush in it. If it doesn't get a creamy consistency, start over. The key word is 'slick'. If the blade doesn't glide easily on it, it's not worth it.