The 1950s began an era of rapid modernization and increased stress. We wanted everything in a hurry and drive in restaurants and theaters became increasingly popular. That has continued today until we live in probably the most stressful and fast-paced environment in human history. While innovations in shaving have allowed two generations of men to stumble half asleep into the bathroom, squirt a foam or gel onto the skin and rake a razor across their faces with a fair amount of safety, what has suffered, unfortunately, is a decent shave!
Is your face irritated? Does it sting after shaving even before you apply an aftershave preparation? Does it sting even more after you splash an alcohol based preparation all over your face? Does you neck stay red and irritated? Do you hate shaving?
Well, welcome to the modern shave. There is, however, a cure for this! A shaving brush and a good quality shaving soap can make for a closer, smoother and more comfortable shave. It can also virtually eliminate the irritation that men feel after shaving. Follow our instructions for a great shave using any one of the Castle Hill shaving soaps. Our soaps are lightly scented, but we also have an unscented shaving soap. Strong fragrances and essential oils cause skin sensitivity in even the toughest men.
1. Shave after a shower. This adds moisture to and softens your beard. If you have to shave without a shower, wash your face with a Castle Hill soap product of your choice (yes, you can even use shaving soap to wash your face) and the hottest water you can tolerate.
2. Use a good quality brush. We do not recommend spending $80 on a shaving brush. While many sites will try to entice you into believing that this is the only way to get a good shave, it’s not true. We recommend the Tweezerman Deluxe 100% Badger Shaving brush for only about $10 at http://www.beautyrose.com/twdeshbrform.html . We also offer an inexpensive boar bristle brush on our site while supplies last. Badger hair brushes are the best. The bristles are not as thick, hold water better, and are a little softer on the face. This also means it will build a thicker lather. If you're vegan and worried about using animal products, we suggest you look at http://www.odsoap.com/id19.html where they offer an animal friendly nylon shaving brush. Note that animal friendly is not necessarily environmentally friendly. Nylon is made from petroleum. None of our Castle Hill Shave Soaps use animal products and they are never tested on animals.
3. Run hot tap water into the basin (but not so hot you can’t touch it) and drop your shaving brush into it while the sink fills to the level you prefer to use for shaving. It’s an environmental thing with us, but we don’t run the water while shaving! Some sites even suggest using boiling water to soak your brush in and to build a lather. This seems a little extreme and we err on the side of caution and use hot tap water.
4. Wet your face again with hot water. Use of a hot wet towel or washcloth on the face is not only enjoyable, but will help soften your beard even more. Ever wonder why the barber wraps your face in a hot towel? Now you know!
5. Pull your brush out of the hot water and hold it bristles down until water stops pouring out.and give it a shake or two to get rid of the excess. Hot water opens your pores and softens your whiskers.
6. Apply shaving soap to the tips of the brush with a circular motion. You don’t need a lot of soap, but make sure the tips of the bristles are well saturated with soap by swirling the brush tips over your shaving soap. The idea is to get soap onto your brush and not to build a mug full of lather. If your brush is too wet, the lather will still work but it will be thin. Using a wet but not dripping brush will make any Castle Hill Shave Soap thick and creamy.
7. Apply shaving soap to your face and neck in a circular motion. When you shave with a brush, you develop a little lather in your mug or bowl and not in your hand like you do with commercial shaving creams in a can or tube and the rest of the lather is built on your face. Be careful! If you splatter soap into your eye, it will burn. Duh! Flick the excess hot water from your brush and swirl it in your shaving soap. If the lather is thick and dry, add a bit of water to the tips of your brush and swirl it in the mug or bowl again. A bowl works best because you have more room to work. You'll have to do this a couple of times to get it right, but you want your lather to last through the shave. If you lather your face and the lather becomes thin and transparent before you finish the first pass, you probably had a little too much water or not enough soap or both. The lather should stay fairly thick and creamy on your face for several minutes. Brush the lather on your face in a circular motion, further building a lather. This softens your beard, removes oil from whiskers, lubricates your skin and opens your pores. All of this happens with each swirl of the brush and is necessary to lubricate your skin well for a close shave.
If you want a nice hot lather, use very hot water in an empty mug and place your brush in it while you prepare to shave. Heat your shaving bowl by filling it with hot water and letting it warm up for a bit then pour out the water. Add your soap to the shave bowl, remove your brush from the hot water and follow the instructions above to build a lather. You'll get good at this very quickly. The faster you work, the warmer the lather will be on your face.
8. Use a good quality razor. Shave from the top of your face down. If you need a closer shave, make another pass. Shaving in the opposite direction can cause irritation. Contrary to what the big personal products companies would like you to believe, spending $25 on a small package of blades will not give you a better shave. Disposable razors and the gimmicky multi blade razors, vibrating razors, etc. are for convenience, hype, and to make the company that makes them even wealthier. Buy a safety razor and a package of blades. Double edge blades are fine, but buy twin-bladed razors if you’re convinced that’s what you need. Disposable razors are just that—disposable! Throw them away.
The best razor was the one your father or grandfather used—a double edged razor blade inside a handle that screws closed over the blades. When using single blades of this type, do NOT press on your skin like you would do with a disposable or more “modern” razor. Multiple passes over your beard is the key to a close shave with this type of razor, NOT pressure. Pressure on a double edge razor against the skin is what causes razor burn and irritation. Use the weight of the razor as the only pressure against your face.
Make up to four passes to get a closer shave, lathering between each pass. Do not shave on unlubricated skin! This will cause irritation.
9. Rinse your face with cold water. This closes your pores.
10. Apply a no alcohol or low alcohol facial toner. This is not a requirement and some men do not like to use any toner or aftershave at all. It’s a personal preference. If your face is normally irritated, red or itchy after shaving our toner will help. Castle Hill Natural Facial Toner works well. This is NOT a splash on aftershave. It should be applied with a cotton ball or cosmetic pad. Castle Hill Apple Mint Facial Toner contains only a small amount of alcohol (less than 10%) and will calm the irritation from shaving. Our soaps are only lightly scented which helps reduce irritation. It sounds great to read an ad about someone who shaves with a soap so highly scented that the whole bathroom smells like lime or violets, but we'll bet he's got a very light beard or has regular shaving irritation. Shaving soaps are not air fresheners! Irritation is not a normal part of shaving!
11. Rinse your brush with hot water and shake it thoroughly. Place it handle up to dry. Your brush should dry completely between uses.
Yes, many sites tell you never to let your brush dry with it sitting on it's handle. You want to shake your brush very hard to remove as much water as possible. Invest in a brush stand if you have room for it. It may help your brush last a little longer, but we're talking about years of use from a single brush. If you have to buy a second one in your lifetime, is that a big deal?
