Wet Shaving Tips and Tricks from the Experts:
Wet Shave Techniques For a Smoother Wet Shave
The ART of Shaving is NOT Instinctive and MUST be Learned.
 We want you to have a healthy 'wet shave' experience!
By refining your wet shave technique and using our quality handmade shaving products you can make shaving a pleasurable experience.

Please DO NOT Shave Dry
Use our Organic AFTER-SHAVE products to protect your skin after every shave!
Shaving dry can cause serious skin problems and infections. By using our organic after-shave lotions and after shave splash you are helping to prevent infections from nicks and scrapes - they are there even if you don't see or feel them!
 

HOT WATER
First, Wet your beard or whiskers sufficiently with hot water then begin your shave. The warm water and humidity will open up your pores and soften your skin. When hair absorbs hot water it becomes softer and easier to cut and with warmth the skin and facial muscles become relaxed, making shaving so much easier. The best time to shave is after a bath or shower.

THE LATHER
The best results are obtained when using a good quality badger shaving brush. Lather up your brush with our handmade shave soap by first placing your brush under the hot water and then with a circular motion on the soap to create a rich creamy lather. Then using your shave brush apply our quality handmade shaving soap and with a circular motion apply the lather to the beard, allowing the brush to lift the beard, making the hairs stand erect.  The brush may be dipped lightly into hot water if more moisture is required in the lather. Your shaving brush is the key to keeping your face hot and moist during this process. This occurs when the shaving brush softly massages your skin, and assists in lifting the hair of your beard or stubble for a better shave. Consequently you'll be able to achieve a much closer and smoother shave! Use our handmade Pottery Shaving Mug to hold your shaving soap and shaving brush when done.

SHAVING
The razor you use is of equal importance. Use a sharp, clean razor.  Wet the razor blade in warm water in the sink or under hot running water, and then shave the face in the direction of the beard growth, rinsing the blade in hot water frequently. Shave in the direction that your beard grows and lightly press into your skin near the beard area that you will be shaving just prior to gliding the razor across your face with your other hand. Never shave 'against the grain' of the beard, in awkward areas such as the chin and under the nose the blade can be moved sideways across the growth, but never against as this pulls the skin in the wrong direction causing small cuts and 'grazing' to the skin and is the most common cause of 'razor burn' as well as in-grown hairs and shaving rash.

SKIN CARE
When finished rinse your face with cold water to close the pores. A good wet shave exfoliates and cleanses the skin, leaving smooth new skin and a healthy clean appearance. This newly exfoliated skin needs to be protected from the elements, so for your skin to remain healthy it is important that men use an after shave skin moisturizer or after shave balm on your face immediately after shaving. Products containing alcohol should not be applied to the skin directly after shaving as this may inflame the skin and cause dryness. For best results cologne and other fragrances should be applied to the 'hot spots' behind the earlobes and on the sides of the neck. This helps your skin to recover and heal from any nicks or cuts that may have occurred. Even if you don't see them they are there. Our after-shave lotions are alcohol free, non-irritating and promote healing.

MORE TIPS
The face is tends to be puffy first thing in the morning, so avoid shaving right away instead wait about 20 minutes or so for your skin to tighten up. This is a good time to take a bath or shower then your face will be hot and prepared for a good wet shave! While shaving avoid stroking an area no more than twice this will reduce any skin irritation. Also to avoid skin irritation and nicks change your razor blades often, every three to four shaves, or when you notice your razor starting to "pull" whichever comes first.

Please DO NOT Shave Dry and Don't Forget The AFTER-SHAVE!
This can cause serious skin problems and infections. Also please don't forget the After-Shave - this helps prevent infections from nicks and scrapes - they are there even if you don't see or feel them! Here at Pioneer Heritage Shoppe we want everyone to have a healthy, safe and enjoyable shaving experience! Be Sure to use our organic herb after-shave soother or splash immediately after each shave to protect your skin!

CARING FOR AND USING YOUR SHAVING BRUSH
Techniques For Using and Protecting The Life of Your Shave Brush.
Prior to using your shave brush for the first time all new brushes should be washed well using warm soapy water. After daily use the professionals recommend rinsing the brush under clean, warm water and shaking off the excess. Other experienced users recommend letting the soap stay on the shave brush and place your shave brush inside the brush holder on our handmade pottery shave mugs each time you finish shaving to keep your brush bristle straight ( to avoid having your shave brush curl) and to dry your shave brush. Which ever method you choose please remember it is best to always place the brush in its holder with the bristles facing down thus allowing your shave brush to dry thoroughly. Always clean and dry your shaving brush thoroughly before storing.
Note: Don't squeeze the bristle of your shave brush, just turn it in a circular motion until it slides all the way in the hole of our handcrafted pottery shave mug. The pottery shave mug is designed to sit on the sink, so your brush can drip dry over the edge of the sink.
Please Be Aware: If you do not put your shave brush in the shave mug holder or some other shave brush holder, so it can dry properly this will cause damage to the wood handle of your shave brush. We will not replace shave brushes due to improper care.

See below for more details on caring for your shaving brush and the different types of bristle. Currently we are not stocking Badger Shave Brushes, but the information below is good information, so we opted to keep it here for the time being.  We do plan to carry Badger Shaving Brushes again in the near future.

Where We Get Our Badger Shave Brushes and How Our Badger Shaving Brushes Are Cultivated.
  
100% Pure Badger Shaving Brushes  
Our Badger Hair Shaving Brushes are purchased from a USA supplier who makes the following statement regarding the cultivation of the badger hair used in these shaving brushes.

"Every so often we receive phone calls, letters or emails from concerned customers regarding our sourcing of Badger hair that is used to fill our finest shaving brushes. We wish to state the facts, being a responsible, respected and long-standing worldwide company: 'We hereby confirm that English Badger Hair is not (nor has it ever been) used in our Pure badger Hair or Badger Hair Mixtures. All of the badger hair we use in our shaving brushes is sourced in the People's Republic of China and originates" in Manchuria and other remote regions, where the badger is regarded as vermin and may potentially breed out of hand if not controlled by culling. The badger is certainly not an endangered or protected species in China. The animal is killed by peasants and the killing is controlled in order to protect livestock such as chickens - a main food source in itself. The hair is collected by a co-operative in order to realize a group revenue whenever the badger population is in danger of overrunning the natural animal balance and causing severe crop damage. We are most concerned that our raw material satisfies every criteria of environment and ecological protection'."


CARING FOR AND CHOOSING A SHAVING BRUSH

Caring for your Shave Brush & Choosing which kind of Shave Brush ~ Boar or Badger? While both kinds of shave brush bristles will work up a lather and provide a good shave, typically boar bristles are stiffer and may even be preferred by men with course hair or when extra scrubbing action is desired. Badger bristles are more expensive and come in different grades. Quality badger bristles are generally softer and more flexible. Some hair loss is normal with the shaving brush, however this should not be unreasonable. Do not clean hairs with harsh or caustic chemicals. A brush needs to be thoroughly rinsed of excess soap and shaken of excess water after use. A properly shaken brush will only be damp and not dripping with water. See the detailed explanation about bristle types below.


The Life Of Your Shave Brush: Quality brushes will provide long lasting service. There are many different grades and quality of brush, and each user will take care of it in a different way. In general, boar hair tends to have the most breakage and shedding with the shortest useful life. For badger bristle shave brushes, the higher the bristle grade the less hair breakage and shedding together with the longest useful life. A well cared for brush should provide you with many years of useful service.


Shave Bristle types and differences in brush hair grades: All of the shaving brushes will provide a lathery shave. However there are several different and distinct grades that determine price and performance. The information below came from one of my suppliers to better answer questions posed by our customers. This information is given to assist in answering your questions. There is no universal standard for grading shave brush bristles and it can be subjective.


1. Boar Bristles "light" (pure bristle, white or sketched) Stronger and thicker than badger hair. These bristles are not as flexible as the badger. When water comes into the hog-bristles they are not as elastic as badger hair and the user cannot make the shaving soap as creamy as he could do with a badger brush. Hence these are the least expensive class.

2. Badger "dark solids" (standard dark badger) This kind of hair is the under-hair of the badger. It is not as elastic as tapers for example. Badger bristle keeps it's flexibility much better than boar bristles. This hair is very dark and has a cylindrical structure. That means each hair is the same thickness at both ends.

3. Badger "grey" (standard pure badger) This explanation is used for the hair from the tails and the back of the badger which has nearly the same structure as dark solids although it is from the upper-hair. This hair is more light than dark solids almost grey in color.

4. Badger "tapers" (fine or best badger) This hair has the typical sketch on it (from light to dark to light). It comes from the back of the badger and its structure is conical. That means that the tips are thinner than at the base of the hairs. This provides a softer feel while being used. Because of this it guarantees better foaming of the shaving soap. This badger hair of this type is much more expensive because it is more rare than the other types of badger bristle.


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