My daily shave routine is fairly trim. I hear people talk about shaves lasting 45 minutes or an hour, and I can't get my head around it. My routine takes 20 minutes, from the time I hit the bathroom door to the time I sit down on the bed to cool off. And that period includes a shower!
Here's what I do. I fill the sink with hot water and drop in my boar. I take a fast shower, about 5 minutes, and make sure that I scrub my face with nice hot water for a good minute or so.
I get out, and first thing I do is lather up. I let the lather sit on my face while I dry off, put on alum block and deodorant, and put on some pants (NO NAKED STRAIGHT SHAVING!!!!).
After I've given the lather some time to soak in, I start the shave. I start with a mostly XTG pass...I find that the WTG pass isn't that necessary with a straight, except on my chin and upper lip, so that's the way I rock it. I sue short, quick strokes--almost like blade budffing, but I take the blade off the skin on the back stroke. I rinse, relather, and my next pass is mostly ATG, except for my neck, which I've never figured out how to hit ATG with a straight. Something to work on there...And again, short quick strokes, not long slow ones.
After the ATG pass, I DON'T rinse--I take a little water and wet the little places that still feel rough. The residual lather makes those places extra slick, without the cushion of a full lather, and I blade buff the remaining patches.
I finish up with a warm water rinse, then a cool water rinse, then usually a light balm to moisturize and help seal up any bleeders. This routine usually results in a 90-95% BBS shave, with no razor burn but the occasional nick or cut. Satisfying, but not perfect. I'm looking to up that BBS percentage, though...Any thoughts on a good way to do that?
