Method Shaving Without The Cost, Mess, Or Drama?

Getting Ready

One of the key concepts is “brush priming” (a variation is sometimes called “superlather”)–saturating a brush with water and getting as much of it to stay in the brush as possible, without breaking down.  A large shaving brush works best for this so if you own several brushes you will want to use the largest one you have.

First, hold a wet a Marseilles soap in one hand and a very wet brush in the other hand, scrubbing the brush onto the soap to build a very “loose” lather.  It will be watery and foamy, not usable on its own.  The idea is to saturate the entire brush, particularly the inside, with soapy foam.  A regular shaving soap or even a good face soap (olive oil, or at least vegetable-based, is a good way to go) can be substituted.

Soaping up a brush like this can be quite messy so let me suggest a tidier alternative: set the wet soap in a large latte’ or soup mug (with high, wide sides) and let it dry overnight.  That way it will stick to the bottom of the bowl.  Fill the mug with water and begin to load your very wet brush.  After a few seconds tilt the mug over the sink so you are loading the brush upright instead of downward.  Soapy water will drain out of the mug and into the brush with the excess simply collecting in the sink.

Then add a small amount of shaving *cream* (maybe the size of a pea) and continue to lather the brush on the soap.  The addition of the cream will stabilize the saturated lather and you will soon have a super-creamy, super-hydrated lather.  Then go ahead and lather your face.

Shaving

Another concept of Method shaving is the notion of grain-independent reduction passes.  For learning purposes this works best if you don’t have much stubble going on (a day or so at most).  The first pass is North-South.  If you have fairly thick stubble you may want to relather and repeat the N-S pass.  Then relather and shave ear-to-chin.  Relather and shave jaw-to-nose.

After your reduction passes you relather and shave as necessary to get the level of smoothness you desire.

Give that a try and let me know how it goes!