How Often Should I change Blades?

Doubleedge safety razors are simply a gift to man. They make shaving a whole lot easy and take you on your journey to become a professional. As amazing as this may sound, many men complain of the cost of some of these blades. Knowing when to change blades not only guarantees you would always have a good shave, it also helps avoid skin infection. There is no defined time or use frequency to change blades but there are some factors to guide you.

How thick is the hair?

Obviously you would have to consider the thickness of the hair to know if and when blade change is needed. If you continuously use a blade through thick hairs, it would work harder than when cutting sparse hair. Depending on the thickness of the hairs, you may have to change blades after every use. Good quality blades have a lifespan of 3 to 5 service use for low level hairs.

How often do you shave?

If you shave daily or more frequently, it means you would exceed the average service life of blades quicker than other irregular shavers. This is why there life span of blades are more specific to individuals and not a general thing.

How old is the blade?

This follows from the frequency of shaving. If you shave once a week or hoping to shave once in a lifetime, you should understand the age of the blade goes a long way to determine its sharpness. Overtime, especially if not properly kept, these blades become dull. Dull blades would not only give poor shaving, you may end up with skin irritations.

Badger Shaving Brush vs Boar Shaving Brush

Shaving has been in existence for centuries but the shaving brush only came into prominence around the eighteenth century. It was invented by the French and has had several adaptations since its inception. Before the shaving brush, history has it than men used sea sponges to make a good lather. One of the differences in today's shaving brushes is the hair type.

Badger Shaving Brush

The badger hair is the most preferred hair for making shaving brushes. This is mainly due to its properties. There are four major grades of the badger brush. This grade is differentiated by the location of the hair on the badger or where it is taken from the badger. These grades may have different names by manufacturer but the hair source remains the same. The grades include pure, best, super, and silver tip. The least expensive hair source type is the pure badger hair. The silver tip is the most expensive of all of the four grades.

Boar Shaving Brush

Unlike the badger hairs, the boar hair is harder and coarser. For someone with high skin sensitivity, the boar hair may not be so comfortable. The more coarse the hair, the better it would form a good lather. For this reason, the boar hair is greatly appreciated by some men because of its lather forming abilities. It doesn't have much color options as it ranges from yellow to white. There are also few with black bands.

Badger Brush vs Synthetic Brush

The shaving brush is unarguably one of the key components for shaving. Yet the brush is yet to get the prominence it so deserves. No matter how good a shaving cream may be, it takes the power of the shaving brush to create that good lather. When it comes to shaving brushes, there are several choices available for shaving men. This variety is as a result of the difference in material, loft, shape, size, and density. The most distinguishing factor of shaving brush will have to be the hair material.

The badger hair is the best type of hair for shaving brushes. This is because the hair’s intrinsic properties make it ideal for all a shaving brush should represent. The badger hair has excellent water retention abilities and this makes it great in lather formation. The badger hair has bristles that are able to hold and evenly spread lather with little pressure.

Synthetic brush has been around for quite a long time. It is usually the choice for individual that do not want 100% natural hair. The synthetic brush was not a preferred choice because it has problems with proper water retention. Over the years, the brush has been improved to give it a better water retention feature. The brush is usually cheaper than the badger but takes a longer time to hydrate. If you are looking for a great shaving brush, then the badger hair has got no equal. If you are on a low budget, then you may want to settle with the synthetic brush.

How to Form Rich Lather

One of the key things you will need to acquaint yourself with if you are a wet shaver is how to make a good, rich lather. It seems a whole lot easy when thinking about it but in practice, many men just waste the shaving cream and may still not arrive at the desired consistency, richness, and quantity.

Soak Your Badger Brush

Get your shaving mug in place or wherever you hope to form the lather in. Fill with hot water and allow your badger brush to sit in it for a few minutes. This will help loosen the bristles a bit and prep them for what lies ahead.

Shake the Brush

Take out the brush and throw away the hot water from the mug. Shake the badger brush to remove water contents lodged between its bristles.

Take Up the Shaving Cream

Using the wet badger brush, take up your cream with the brush tips. You do not need to apply much pressure as this will bend or break the bristles with time. Take up the cream in a circular motion.

Form Lather in the Mug

The mug should be empty of the hot water that once sat in it. Place the brush with cream on its tips into the mug. Swirl in a circular motion and if there is need for it, add few drops of water. Too much water will prevent good lathering and lead to wastage of the shaving cream.

Apply to Your Face

The lather formed should be thick and rich. Using the same badger shaving brush, gently apply the lather to your face. Once again, application should be done in a circular motion. This will help in evenly spreading the cream onto the beards and also aid the exfoliation process.

Factors You Need to Know About DE Razors

A lot have been said about these double edge razors. As their fame grows, many men are looking to have them. One of the major obstacles they face is being able to know how to select the best double edge razor among the lots of brand out there. Here are few factors to take to heart if you fall into this category.

Weight

When it comes to this category, these razors are divided into two main categories – lightweight and heavyweight. Heavyweight razors are the most preferred because they tend to allow for a closer shave. You don’t need to apply pressure when shaving because the weight of the razor pushes the razor close to the skin.

Handle Length

With this factor comes yet another two categories – classic handle and long handled razor. Both of these have their advantage and are usually chosen with individual preference as a choosing factor. Classic handle is preferable by individuals with small hands while long handle will be ideal for individuals with long hands.

Aggressiveness

This is how sharp the blades are designed. Usually it ranges from mild to intermediate to aggressive. People with sensitive skins are usually advised to settle for the mild or intermediate aggressive razors to avoid getting nicks and cuts while shaving.

Price

Just like any other item you have bought, the price should play a key role in what you should buy. There are cheap, less-expensive, and expensive razors. You just have to get one that fits rightly into your budget. There are some affordable razors that still give quality shave like some of the expensive ones. You just have to do a proper research.

Benefits of Using a Badger Shaving Brush

Wet shaving cannot be complete without the use of a shaving brush. While the type of hair used in the manufacture of these shaving brushes has been up for debate, using a shaving brush has got its advantages.

Forming Good Lather

The goodness of the badger shaving brush is in its properties. The brush is able to retain moisture by trapping them between its bristles. With this ability, it helps it make good lather. This is because as the brush is used to collect the shaving cream, together with its retained moisture, it helps form the lather easily. A good shaving brush should be able to form lather easily, even for a beginner.

Application of Lather

The essence of forming lather is in its application. After forming or preparing the lather in the shaving cup, you would need to apply it to your face or wherever you want to shave. Just like with the forming of the lather, the badger brush will allow for easy application of the lather.

Exfoliation

Regular shaving helps in exfoliating the skin but with a badger brush, you get better exfoliation. Exfoliation is done better with the badger hair because of its design. The badger brush is able to reach within the hair and touch the skin. This allows for easy removal of the dead cell layers on the skin – the principle of exfoliation.

Avoiding Cuts with DE Safety Razors

One of the major concerns people have with DE razors is its aggressiveness. As a matter of fact, the cartridge razor is still in existence because of this fear people have towards the DE razor. While these DE razors give quality shaves, they could also cause cuts and bruises if you don't know how to use it. These razors work best with the principle of angles. This means there is an angle the razor must be held for it to give good cuts. The angle is between 30° to 45° and will require some level of practice and experience to get used to it.

It is for this reason that Vikings Blade razor introduced a feature known as the micro-comb. The micro-comb is fitted in the razor's head. This feature helps prevent accidental cuts while shaving. This is why the Vikings Blade has been able to achieve so much success since its launch. You will be able to get a close, clean shave with any razor having such feature. As a beginner, intermediate, or professional, DE razors designed with a micro-comb will guarantee zero cuts. You should also take time out to get used to the proper angle for shaving.

Care of the Badger Shaving Brush - from experts at Vikings Blade

No doubt the badger hair is the most preferred hair for use in the manufacture of shaving brushes. The badger hair is just like any living animal hair and should be treated as such.

Wash Before First Use

As earlier stated the badger hair is a living hair and have all the properties and characteristics of hairs. For this reason, it tends to come with a smell. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the brush. Just wash it under warm water to get rid of the smell before using it for the first time. Then hang it to dry.

No Need for All that Pressure

Some people are already used to applying much pressure when forming lather or applying the lather on the face. The badger brush comes with properties that makes and holds lather very well. By pushing and applying much pressure to the badger brush, you may end up bending or even breaking its bristles.

Keep Dry When Not in Use

Just like you would treat your own hair, keep the badger shaving brush dry always. Some shaving brushes come with a brush stand. After rinsing off the cream from the brush, hang the badger brush upside down to get rid of all the moisture.

Coping with Ingrown Hair Problem

When hairs are cut too low to the skin, they tend to bend backwards and pierce back through the skin. With time it begins to cause inflammation. This painful skin irritation is known as ingrown hairs. If you are having them more frequently than normal, then you may want to...

Know Your Hair Growth Pattern

The major cause of ingrown hair is shaving against the grain. The pushes the cut hair backwards and then eventually pierces the skin. Familiarize yourself with the growth pattern of your hair and shave with the grain.

Give the Skin a Break

If you have ingrown hair, do not shave for about a day or two. This will give your skin time to heal itself. By running your razor through a skin with ingrown hairs, not only would it be painful, you could further complicate the situation.

Remove the Ingrown Hairs

This is be slightly painful but it can help quicken the healing process. Before you do this, apply warm water to the area to open up the skin pores. Use a clean pincer to locate and pull the ingrown hair out. To avoid any infection, treat and clean with antiseptic when you're done.

Change Blades

With ingrown hairs, you would need new, clean, sharp blades. Avoid using dull blades to shave to prevent further ingrown hairs. Change blades often too and avoid sharing blades.

How to Maintain Your Vikings Blade Shaving Brush

With the recent release of the Vikings Blade Badger shaving brush, shaving experience just got a whole lot more exciting. If you have already purchased the brush, you would want to read these tips to keep the brush maintained to give better service life.

What Is It Made From?

Before you go about maintaining something, you have to know what the construction materials used in designing it is. The brush is made from badger hair. Just like your hair, you should keep it clean always. Badger brushes can have a repugnant smell if not properly treated. Over time, the brush may begin to develop soap residue. To clean this, soak the brush in vinegar solution for some minutes and rinse off.

Use Gently

The badger is the most preferred hair type for shaving brush because of its water retentive properties. Since it can hold sufficient amount of moisture, it will form good lather easily. The bristles have a design that also makes them good for exfoliating the skin while shaving. So with this, you don't necessarily need to apply too much pressure when making and applying the lather. Too much application of pressure can bend or even break the bristles.

Keep It Dry

When you're done with the brush, ensure you keep it dry. After you rinse the lather off, shake the brush to remove water molecules caught between its bristles. Then hang the brush upside down in its stand and leave to dry.