Thread: Philistine Shave

Hi guys,

I just bought a new brush and, eager to give it a go, lathered up and began. Normally I employ a rigorous pre-shave routine of a hot shower where I use Clinique face wash, followed by a light lather and a hot towel for at least a minute. Today I simply splashed my face with hot water and spent an extra minute or so scrubbing my face with hot lather. The result may not be quite so close as usual but feels much more comfortable... Have I been wasting time? Could my usual pre-shave treatment be drying my face out too much?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated,

Harry

You need to tailer your routine to your particular circumstances. I usually shave after showering so I just re wet my face and apply the soap or cream. I used to use a hot towel before but now do it after shaving. I found no difference using the towel before. if you don't need the scrub I wouldn't use it. The less you have to do to your face to prepare it for shaving the better. No different than honing.

Choose which ever routine provides the most comfort and least amount of skin irritation, unless of course time is a constraint; then you may want to look at ways of streamlining your shave if it's taking you an hour or more! and unless you've experienced dry skin using your usual routine I wouldn't worry too much about it.

BTW - what is a "Philistine shave"?

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Choose which ever routine provides the most comfort and least amount of skin irritation, unless of course time is a constraint; then you may want to look at ways of streamlining your shave if it's taking you an hour or more! and unless you've experienced dry skin using your usual routine I wouldn't worry too much about it.

BTW - what is a "Philistine shave"?

Thanks. Time is not really a factor, I tend to shave in the evening and it takes me around 30 to 40 minutes. I do find I get less irritation and dryness if I shave faster, I wonder if my lather is drying out on my face a bit?

"Philistine shave" just refers to the fact that I really cut down the pre-shave prep and felt a bit neglectful. That's why I started this thread, I was surprised I had such a comfortable shave with so little prep.

If you dont need it dont use it. Maybe dont use it for a week or two and see how that verys. Your skin may not like you after a week of no preshave prep.

I have continued to exclude some of my previous pre-shave regime and am finding my shaves just, if not more, comfortable than before. I guess it's no longer philistine for me!

Philistinism is a derogatory term used to describe a particular attitude or set of values. A person called a Philistine (in the relevant sense) is said to despise or undervalue art, beauty, intellectual content, or spiritual values. Philistines are also said to be materialistic, to favor conventional social values unthinkingly, and to favor forms of art that have a cheap and easy appeal (e.g. kitsch).

Well for my part and closer to your point I hope, I used to give my face a good scrubbage with a facecloth in the shower then id get it goot and hot and rest it on a beard full of soap, it took me a few shaves before i realised this wasn't doing my face any good, it was in fact peeling off skin before i peeled off skin lol, so my point being, experiment till your old and wrinkly, it's the only way to find what suits, if your new way works better than your old, roll with it, till you have another brain wave, then try it and see where it goes.

It's all part of the fun

Geek

I used to do the facecloth thing after I took my shower. Lately, while I was waiting for my straight to get a sharpening, I was DE shaving, and went about my business more casually (no cloth, two passes only, etc). My skin wasn't hurt for the matter.

Then, when the straight came back, I switched to full-blown prep, and suddenly found that I was itchy. I thought: there's no way a recently honed razor could irritate like that. So I dropped the cloth, dropped leaving the lather on the face for too long, and just showered, put on the lather, and shaved.

My skin felt much better, less sensitive, and smoother. I think at that point I realized that I had been over-prepping my face, and my skin was suffering from too much friction, heat, and oil removal.

The facecloth is useful if you don't shower before a shave. There's only so much smoothness you can squeeze out of wet whiskers.

The Philistines got a bad rap because they were the enemies of the Israelites in the pre 700 BC times. We derive lots of cultural/ spiritual meanings from Israel of course and this term came handed down as a negative one. That's what happens when you end up on the loosing side of history.

Originally Posted by Ogershok

Philistinism is a derogatory term used to describe a particular attitude or set of values. A person called a Philistine (in the relevant sense) is said to despise or undervalue art, beauty, intellectual content, or spiritual values. Philistines are also said to be materialistic, to favor conventional social values unthinkingly, and to favor forms of art that have a cheap and easy appeal (e.g. kitsch).