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Problem

torbenbp

Well-Known Member
Now...my brother asked for a straight razor shave,meaning I should shave him:scared: And his got a fulll beard.
I would provide all of the shaving gears(offcourse) and he would provide a bottle of single malt.
so the question is: should we drink the single malt first to ease our(his) nerves or wait to afterwards to ease our(his) pain...? Heheheheh......

Regards gents :)
 
Torben,

I regularly get together with some friends that all use a straight razor. It always a cozy evening, wives included. We chat a bot about various topics, while we hone razors, admire each other's latest razors, soaps, brushes, strops, etc.
We usually end up playing barbershop, shaving another with the full treat, hot and cold towels included. Occasionally some female legs get shaved as well. It's always fun. We drink whiskey before and after the shave, but every one watches out with drinking prior to him handling a razor.

If you want to shave other people, I'm sure Gary will chime in to correct me where needed and to add more tips, but I'll sum up some things that I think are important.

1. you need something that has the functionality of a barber chair. With our group, we use a real one, but one of those plastic patio chairs with armrests and folding back would work well too. Arrange the cushion so that the person being shaves can sit/lie in relaxed position with his head resting backwards a bit (so the neck skin stretches nicely)

2. Make sure the razor is absolutely shaveready and sanitized.

3. Trim his full beard with scissors to a length where you can get lather at the base of the hairs. 2 cm or so is no problem.

3. Get a towel in his collar. Lather him up and apply a hot towel. Press the towel kindly in contact with the cheeks and neck area. While to towel does his work, strop the razor.

4. Remove towel, re-lather. (Make sure the lather is hot by using a good shuttle or floating a bowl in hot water) Spend some time lathering.

5. Time to shave. Please refer to a good barbering textbook for methods how to shave another person.
http://www.archive.org/stream/practiceandscien00thorrich#page/80/mode/2up

6. Talk to the person you shave, ask him to help with making facial expressions that stretch certain parts of the face. Ask him about the comfort of the shave, etc...

7. After the shave, rinse his face with a bit of water, rub with alum block and apply a cold wet towel for a few seconds.

8. Put on some aftershave, and don't forget the "towel fan"

That's more or less how we do it. So far, an occasional small nick aside, all things went really well. The first few time we couldn't manage to give shaves as close as what we get when shaving ourselves. It's better to stop with a bit of stubble than to cause skin irritation. If your brother hasn't shaved for a long time, expect his skin to be on the sensitive side, so I would keep it at 2 passes. Keep the razor angle on the low side and be very cautious to pressure.


Best regards,
Bart.
 
Thanks for the advice Sir Bart...

That was more or less how I planneded it,though offcourse not in detail...The beard will be cut with an electrical trimmer before the actual shave. And then I`ll follow your plan step by step.
And as his skin most likely will be very sensitive after a couple of years with a full beard there will be no ATG. And offcourse loads of good aftershavecreame;-)

And you are a lucky guy Bart! I havnt had the pleasure of meeting another straight razor shaving guy and cant imagine it will happen any time soon. You guys seem to have a very cosy time and loads of fun with shaving:thumbup:

Thanks again and regards gents
 
Yes, It's always loads of fun. :) Finding a date that fits everyone's agenda can be tricky, so we only meet every few months or so. I think straight razor shaving is rather popular in Belgium. I know a store in Antwerp that organizes courses a few times a year, and I was told they have a waiting list. Of course for the majority of people it doesn't become the daily passion it seems to be for those that crowd the various shaving forums. But still, most straight razor shavers I know, enjoy spending some time with peers.

Good luck and have fun while shaving your brother. Avoiding ATG seems wise, in this case.

Bart.
 
Bart said:
I regularly get together with some friends that all use a straight razor. It always a cozy evening, wives included. We chat a bot about various topics, while we hone razors, admire each other's latest razors, soaps, brushes, strops, etc.
We usually end up playing barbershop, shaving another with the full treat, hot and cold towels included. Occasionally some female legs get shaved as well. It's always fun.
Unbelievable! I wonder if something like this will ever happen to me. :) Sounds like a great time and fun indeed. :thumbup:

kind regards,
Matt
 
Well you are welcome to drop by Matt:thumbup:

Lets hope Sir Bart will arange that get-together-thing in september..

regards gents
 
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