April 24th, 2012 §
Complete your perfect shave with these simple steps.
Step #3: Time to Shave
Now that you have prepared your face appropriately for the main event, it’s time to get down to shaving. I hope you enjoy shaving because you are going to do it thousands of times over the course of a lifetime. If you don’t enjoy it now, you should do whatever you can to make the process more pleasurable. Don’t forget to keep the blade at a 30 degree angle, and never apply pressure when pressing the blade against your face. Let the weight of the razor apply the only pressure you need. An ultralight razor may be applied to the face with gentle pressure, only as much as needed to make firm contact with your skin without scraping or dragging.
Make sure you use a sharp blade. Price is less important than you think. If you are looking for the sharpest blades on the market, they are the yellow and the black Japanese Feathers, Astra Platinum, and Dorco Platinum. Mid-range blades include Personna Super Plus, Merkur, Precision, Astra Stainless Steel and Regular Dorco. However, if you care about your skin, you will want to stay away from 7 A.M, Red Personna, Lord, and Sputnik, as they are far too dull to suit your needs.
Test drive several double-edge blade brands with a blade sampler.
Step #4: Finish by Cleaning and Moisturizing
You may be done shaving, but you’re not really done until you have cleaned and moisturized your face. Wash any lingering lather and residue with warm water, then rinse your face in cold water. The cold water will close your pores and get your face ready for moisturizing. Another great way to close the pores is by using a product called an alum block. Unfortunately, if you have scraped, nicked, or otherwise cut your skin, an alum block will burn and sting more than you can imagine. Some people will argue that an alum block shows you if you did a good job shaving, so try it if you are feeling particularly adventurous. Follow up with a moisturizing aftershave splash or balm, and your shaving process is finally complete.
April 22nd, 2012 §
Read these simple steps for a perfect shave before you pick up your razor again.
Step #1: Be Prepared
Before you begin wet-shaving, take the time to prepare your face. Your beard grows thick and strong for a reason. Although we will leave those reasons to the physical anthropologists to decide, one thing remains clear: your beard needs special preparation before wet-shaving if you want maximum results. Shaving your face without preparing it first is a surefire way to give yourself an inferior shave and unwanted razor burn. Shaving oil is a great choice for preparing your face, but it’s not the only choice.
PREP Original Formula Pre-Post Protective Cream
Products like Proraso, Prep-Italy pre-post creams and Taylor of Bond Street Pre-shave Gel are well-respected on the playing field of shaving preparation. If you are looking for a more inexpensive option, try an oil-based face and body cream. In the past, I used Vaseline creams because they worked great. Unfortunately, they are not great for one’s health due to their containing petrol, so I had to find other alternatives. If using petroleum by-products on your skin doesn’t bother you, the Vaseline creams will help you get a nice, close shave and smooth skin all in one fell swoop.
Step #2: Apply the Lather
Applying lather to your face sounds simple, doesn’t it? It should be fairly easy to follow the instructions on the label and spread a nice layer of lather on your freshly prepared face. However, there are always a few tips that make even ordinary actions just a little bit better.
- Don’t add too much water to the shaving product or you will end up with thin, runny lather.
- Don’t use canned shaving cream or shaving gel because it provides an inferior shave compared to shaving soaps or traditional shaving creams.
- Don’t thin out your lather. Thicker is better.
- If you have a choice between using a shaving mug or applying the lather directly to your face, use the mug.
- On the other hand, if you are using a brushless cream, apply the cream directly to your face without using a brush. Unfortunately, it still won’t work as well as shaving soap, but it’s better than nothing.
March 5th, 2012 §
Life is full of vagaries. The quality of light at the villa in Tuscany was ethereal, but the water was mineral-filled. The cleaning staff at the hotel on your last business trip thoughtfully repacked your dopp kit for you, but before your shaving brush was dry. The endless winter is over, but a recent humid spell is making the entire bathroom a bit damp — and a little “fragrant.” The long-awaited wedding of your closest friend is tomorrow, but your favorite shaving soap is hundreds of miles away, necessitating an emergency run to the drugstore for an inferior replacement.
Time, accidents and choices can wear on the badger shaving brush you long coveted and now treasure. Although a closely-followed daily cleaning routine usually can keep your brush in fine lathering fettle, water hardness, humidity, improper storage and certain shaving products can cause brush failure. Stiffened or crooked hair or a growing soap-scum ring are signs you may need to deep clean your brush. And, the unmentionable, but quite possible, mildew or begins of mold on the handle or base of the hairs — not on the brush you use on your face! Take a deep breath, never fear, as you probably have exactly the ingredients for a rejuvenating shaving brush spa treatment in your kitchen, laundry and bathroom.
Shampoo and Conditioner
Badger hair brushes are made from… wait for it… hair! Hair that is quite similar to human hair, making a badger shaving brush cleansing more familiar than one might expect. When your beloved brush is looking worn and pitiful, do what you might for your own tangled mane after you’ve neglected or abused it — a nice quality shampoo followed by a nourishing conditioning.
Avoid, as always, extremely hot temperatures as you saturate your brush with warm water. Then create some shampoo lather with a dab of shampoo and more warm water in your hands. Gently work this later into the brush, down to the handle and out to the tips. Then rinse, rinse, rinse with more warm, clear water. Squeeze gently to remove the excess moisture, and massage another dab, this time of conditioner, into the brush. Let the conditioner work for a bit, and then rinse, rinse, rinse… rinse.
A final gentle shake and squeeze followed by a fluff with the palm of your hand, and then hang your brush to dry. Once dry, comb it carefully to straighten any recalcitrant hairs, and promise not to let matters get quite so out of hand next time.
Badger hair shaving brushes are made from hair that is quite similar to human hair. Photo by Marco Arment.
Vinegar or Borax
If pitiful is not a strong enough description, you may want to call in the pH police — an acid or a base — to help strip away the substances that may be ruining your badger brush’s performance. A shaving brush cleaning with either vinegar or borax works in similar ways. A diluted solution of vinegar or borax is mixed in a non-reactive cup or glass, and the just-shampooed brush is dipped in the solution. After a brief soak, the solution is thoroughly rinsed out and the brush is dried following the usual steps.
The vinegar to water ratio should be about 20% vinegar to 80% water. If borax is used, try a tablespoon in a cup of water. Drop the brush in the vinegar or borax solution for a few minutes, agitating the brush by swirling several times. A brush can also be treated with a paste of borax and water, worked in well and allowed to set for about an hour, before that thorough, thorough rinse.
A Second Honeymoon
Once you have chosen your route back to badger brush bliss, vow to be as proactive as possible in the future by caring for, especially rinsing and drying, your brush after each use. Plan a more intensive shaving brush cleaning every three to six months, or after a shaving product mishap. Following these tips will keep your badger beauty at the ready for your shaving pleasure. Learn to love again.
Further reading: Daily shaving brush care, How to choose your first shaving brush, Finding shaving brush care information on the web.
Browse the Shaving Brush selection at Fendrihan.
March 3rd, 2012 §
You carefully considered and researched your investment in a high-quality badger shaving brush. Lathering techniques are well on their way to being mastered; you have cast not one look back to the hissing of the abandoned aerosol can. Although the wet-shaving course you’ve so eagerly begun is becoming routine, your daily pleasure in the procedure grows as quickly as your new-found competence. That badger brush is your partner in this new adventure, caring for your skin in a way you’ve never before experienced. It is past time to learn how to keep your partner up to the challenge of smoothing your way through your daily grooming.
Badger brush care is not particularly difficult nor is it tedious, but its relative ease does not mean you should take the brush for granted. Incorporating proper shaving brush care into your daily wet-shaving routine is a matter of an appropriate lather-producing tactic followed by faithfully followed brush cleaning and maintenance practices. When proper brush care is followed after each use, your beloved brush can partner with you for more than a decade. Without such care, you may be retiring your grooming companion long before the relationship needed to be over.
First, look to your lathering. Even the best brushes will not survive aggressive lathering practices. Prolonged circular motion on the surface of the shaving soap combined with brutish pressure on the brush will damage the hairs of your badger brush. You want the hairs of the brush to catch and hold the lather so you can float it across your face, not become so saturated with water and soap that the brush is limp and unable to spread a rich coating.
Lather with care, then rinse and dry properly to prolong your brush's life. (Image by Luca Boldrini)
Badger hair absorbs water in much the same way as human hair does, so less is more when it comes to water and soap. Use a gentle flicking motion to whip the later with the tips of the badger hairs. Back and forth, with an occasional turn of the handle to invite a different section of the brush to the party, gently urge the badger hairs to generate a light and creamy wonder in the bowl. This smooth, yet assertive, lather will lubricate your face and beard so that the hair is at attention, awaiting the razor, not soggy and sadly clinging to your skin. Your brush will survive this method with little damage to the tips or twisting of the hair-shaft in the handle.
Once the lather has billowed and been eased onto your waiting face, the razor ballet begins. A bit of additional lather here and there may be necessary to complete your shave, but once your face is soft and cleanly shaven, do not forsake your faithful brush. After each wet-shave your brush needs just as much attention as your razor for the two tools to provide a quality shave the next time it is needed.
Run some comfortably warm water through your brush, rinsing it clean of the lather. The need to thoroughly remove the lather is another reason not to overdo the soap and water while creating the lather: easy does it for easy cleaning. Avoid excessively hot water at all times on your badger brush, as you do not want to stress the natural hair or cause the tips to dislodge from the brush.
Once clean of lather, gently squeeze any excess water from the brush with your fingers. Use a gentle patting motion of your palm on the tips of the brush to fluff the tips, and then hang the brush to dry, upside down on a brush stand or holder. Later, when the brush is completely dry, ease a clean comb through the ends of the hairs to complete the return of the tips to an even shape. Treat your brush as you would any other quality, natural product and it will treat your skin well.
Further reading: How to choose your first shaving brush, Finding shaving brush care information on the web.
Browse the Shaving Brush selection at Fendrihan.
February 28th, 2012 §
Double duty grooming implements and products can be just the ticket — to traveling nirvana. Even if you are a purist who would normally never consider using a shampoo that also lathers up to clean as well as the best body wash, drop your reservations (well, not your hotel reservations) and experience the wonder of the multi-tasking products we have sourced for you on our website.
Traveling today comes with a dizzying list of restrictions. Space in well-packed luggage is tight even in checked bags, and carry-ons shrink smaller and smaller. Don’t let your personal grooming comfort zone shrink as well. We would challenge you to consider our combination products as your new go-to traveling companions; doing so will save you time, space and money, not to mention stress at the boarding gate. Some of the innovations, such as our shampoo/soap bars or shaving sticks, help eliminate issues with those ticklish liquid restrictions. We are pretty certain you will not miss the inspections and interrogations with authorities as you pass through the metal detector. Move to the head of the line!
Travel-friendly grooming products from Merkur, Ogallala Bay Rum, Taylor of Old Bond Street, and Edwin Jagger
Once you leave the airport and reach your destination, our cutting-edge combination products will continue to ease the stress. After all, if you are taking a long-anticipated trip, which would you prefer: sorting through bottles every morning, or jumping clean and fresh out of the shower, ready for a new adventure? I think you know the answer to that! Take just a few minutes to peruse the mutli-talented multi-taskers on our website, and an effective yet compact dopp kit is just a few clicks away
Here’s a bonus. When you save packing space, not to mention money, you will have room in your suitcase and your budget for even more treasures. And you know how treasures go over with those waiting expectantly for your return home. It is like the vacation never ends.
We know how to make your life a little, well, let’s be honest, a lot easier. It simply is what we do. Try a selection of our traveling wonders and enjoy those most stress-free vacation or business trip ever. And open your mind to the possibilities. Easy vacation grooming choices will have you rethinking your normal routine as well. Less is more, wherever you roam. Bon voyage.
February 26th, 2012 §
Or at least head towards the heavens on one of those big birds for a long-awaited vacation? Perhaps, instead, the vacation will need to wait until you finish that series of important business trips ensuring the success of your latest venture. One thing is certain, however, on a regular basis you leave home and the comforting grooming rituals you have developed. You value beginning your mornings rejuvenated and ending your evenings relaxed and ready for rest. But travel forces a change of venue, and threatens the routine.
No matter. We have searched the world over to provide a rich and varied product line to fill your travel shaving kit with the perfect companions for your journeys, long or short. But first you need to find the perfect kit. Every important quest begins with a first step; let us outfit you every step of the way.
We have assembled a wide array of shaving kits perfect for your needs, whether you travel light or fully equipped. Sometimes it is just easier to simplify when traveling, and if that is the case with you, invest in one of our convenient yet quality cartridge-type shaving razors. There is simply no reason to settle for drug-store disposables.We also have a variety of travel shaving kits filled with shaving prep items, ready to provide for a Fendrihan shave anywhere in the world with little muss or fuss.
Feather Straight Razor and Thiers Issard Baragnia Leather Case
If you love a straight razor shave, know there is no reason to miss a beat. We have kits that can safely transport one or up to seven straight razors with you on your travels, safely and with that certain style that is yours alone. If a double-edged safety razor is your choice, we have it covered as well. Banish thoughts of digging through the tooth paste tubes and the bottles of aspirin to find your now-dulled razor at the bottom of your bag. We would not think of leaving you and your precious grooming tools to such a fate. Why would you travel that path if there is a higher-quality alternative?
Consider also looking at the options available in our Feather Japan line when traveling. Feather’s disposable blades for a straight razor make these products a man’s dream traveling companions. Freed from the daily maintenance needs of a straight razor, no matter how satisfying that ritual may be when at home, Feather Japan offers real innovation. Take advantage of it.
If a high point in your day is creating your own perfect lather, rather than relying on something from a tube or can, traveling need not deprive you of that luxury. We have great options for travel brushes and shaving soaps that will allow you to create your magical mounds of foaming richness wherever you are.
Now that you have set the stage for a quality grooming experience on the road, stay tuned. Our search for the perfect travel bag and accessories doesn’t stop here.
February 24th, 2012 §
Sometimes a man doesn’t have to travel very far to require some quality travel products in his dopp bag. A simple trip to the gym can have two very different outcomes. One relies on whatever you threw in the beat up duffel currently stuffed in the trunk of your car two months ago last Thursday. Can we just gently suggest that option may not show you to your finest advantage?
The other option? Well, let’s just say we have you covered, and in style, if you will only take a moment to shake the empty bottles of generic body wash from the bottom of that bag and see what we have to interest and excite you here at Fendrihan. Oh, and no matter how loyal you are to your alma mater, man up and replace your college duffel with something a little more in keeping with your status as a man of distinction. We will wait; our products are patient.
Piero Tucci Travel Bag in Cognac
Now that you have done some upgrading, look to us to provide to a high-quality bag to hold all your grooming essentials while you work up the sweat you will discard in the shower room. Take a look at our men-u Zippered Travel Case, a trim and sleek container for your favorite or soon-to-be favorite grooming aids. Affordable, lightweight and waterproof, this little wonder will stroll right with you into that shower room, all needs on board, and with a handle to hang it up in the bargain. Nestle it into that new gym bag next to your work-out clothes, swim suit and running shoes. Oh, yes, and a fresh towel. Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?
Of course, before you pack the travel case, you will need to select just the right products for your new work-out look. To help you exit the gym looking more dapper than when you entered, consider collecting your favorites from the men-u line of ultra-concentrated men’s products. Lightweight and portable, the men-u menu lets you choose from an innovative line of soaps, shampoos and moisturizers that work big and pack small. Don’t forget to add some of their hair-styling options that will have you looking like you just stepped out of the barbers, not off the elliptical.
And, of course, we would never feel a collection was complete without the highest quality shaving aids. A good choice for your gym bag might be the men-u ultra-concentrated shaving and skin care set. Its compact design and variety of products will attend to all your needs in a neat, non-bulky package. Partner it up with one of our cartridge safety razors, and you are miles ahead of the competition. But, you always were.
February 22nd, 2012 §
Manly Memories
You: perched wide-eyed on a stool near the sink as the brush whirled round and round the ceramic cup, fluffy mounds of spicy-sharp lather dripping from the brush. A wink, a smile, a quick dab of soapy foam on your upturned nose. The rhythmic sound of steady, sure stropping. The glitter and chill of the sharpened blade held in those steady, familiar hands. Practiced and quick, the strokes revealing inch by inch that beloved face, the bristly cheek that kissed you good-morning becoming the handsome visage you hold in your most loving memories. The rush of hot water, cupped and splashed. The brisk toweling, with that quick swipe over your freckles, readying you for the bacon and eggs aromas drawing you from the steamy bathroom, into the kitchen, onto another golden childhood day.
Every man has a memory of his father’s, his older brother’s, his beloved grandpa’s or favorite uncle’s morning shave. And somewhere within that memory, scuffed and softened with years of use, filled to the brim with the practical, the necessary, the mysterious, is a venerated dopp bag. And, with any luck, that cherished memory of manliness still sits in a closet or box, perhaps cracked with age, yet ready to transport you back to that simpler time when all that made a man seemed hidden in its leather depths.
Piero Tucci Toscanella Dopp Bag
Devised in 1919 by the nephew of Charles Doppelt, a German leather-goods maker from Chicago, the small, sturdy leather bags became known as Dopps, in recognition of their manufacturer. Practical and portable, these bags held all the necessities a man needed to prepare for a well-groomed day.
The popularity of the bags exploded after Doppelt received a contract with the US Army during World War II. Millions of American GIs carried the bags through their war years, each kit holding a bit of home for a young man far from that comforting place. When the troops finally did return, the bags came with them, and a classic travel accessory for men was born. Many of the toiletry bags we sell still carry the name, no longer a protected trademark, but now a word instantly evoking memories while permitting the man of distinction to begin creating memories of his own.
Modern Convenience
There is no real mystery surrounding the question of why men still carry dopp bags. They do what we need them to do, with a minimum of muss and fuss. They keep all of our grooming essentials collected, ready at a moment’s notice to help us begin each day, even as we travel far from our own bathroom, well-groomed and ready to face our own particular challenges. Some men have a collection of these bags, packed and waiting for the next business trip, drive to the cabin, workout at the gym or around-the-world vacation.
Although we know just how intensely personal your dopp bag is, we also have a pretty good idea of what the basic dopp bag looks like and contains. Rather than starting to build your own medicine-cabinet-in-a-bag from scratch, allow us to offer one of our prepackaged travel sets. Nothing will stop you from adding your own personal riffs on our basic theme, but you also cannot go wrong with one of these sets.
Baxter of California Travel Kit
Your dopp bag is your opportunity to continue to your daily routine wherever you may roam. At home you may give your dopp bag a fond pat as you store it in the cabinet and turn to your more expansive collection of male grooming products awaiting to help you meet each day. The properly packed dopp bag, however, is ready to accompany you out of your normal daily orbit without ever requiring you to leave your comfort zone.
What is contained in the depths of a well-provisioned dopp bag? Well, that is largely dependent on your personal desire and style, but many things usually come to mind when building a dopp kit. A great visual guide to a properly prepared dopp kit can be found here: Art of Manliness.
Over the next few posts to our blog we also will guide you to some of the fabulous products we have collected for your ideal dopp bag. Whether you are traveling to corporate headquarters, to your weekend retreat, to your local gym, or on the trip of a lifetime, we look forward to partnering with you to create the best grooming experience possible out of that old dopp bag.
And we truly look forward the most to that morning when another upturned toddler’s nose will sport a dab of our well-sourced lather. Sweet memories are made of this.
More on the history of the Dopp Kit here.
August 8th, 2011 §
Choosing the right shaving brush is a usual concern for wet-shavers. And, although the variety of choices can at first make it confusing, finding the right brush for you doesn’t have to be a painful process.
It’s all about information. And there’s lots of information out there, but as with everything else, it is worthwhile to consider the source before you take the advice. Here is our suggested reading material:
HOW TO CHOOSE A SHAVING BRUSH
We have covered some considerations on how to choose a beginner’s brush here. Ape to Gentleman has an amazing video by Mantic59 covering basics such as brush dimensions and kinds of natural and synthetic hair, and their properties. Shaving 101, a veritable encyclopedia on shaving, is a great place to learn about badger hair grades, and shaving brush shapes.
HOW TO USE YOUR SHAVING BRUSH
Aspiring Gentleman explains it in a simple way here; for a different take on it, try Mantic59′s upside down lathering trick. If you have questions about breaking in your shaving brush, Shaving 101 has the answers.
HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR SHAVING BRUSH
Mantic59′s videos are not only a treasure trove of information, but also an easy, visual way to learn; check out this one for tips on how to clean your brush, but really browse around his site for more useful advice. And try this, via leisureguy, for a lather-building technique that cares for your brush.
Browse our Shaving Brush Selection for a wide variety of choices including badger, boar, horse and synthetic hair brushes. We even have a special section for Entry-Level Brushes.
July 15th, 2011 §
We often get questions about the degree of sharpness and performance of particular double-edge blade brands. These differ in various ways: sharpness, flexibility, coating and thickness, all of which have an influence in the way they shave.
In terms of sharpness, the most popular brands could be classified (in a rather inexact and unscientific way) as follows (from mildest to sharpest):
Please keep in mind that sharper is not always better. Some will prefer milder blades since they’ll find them smoother and less prone to produce irritation.
To find your ideal blade, it is a good idea to try a sampler pack. Start out with the mildest brand and move up to the more aggressive ones. Hair pulling is a sign the blade is too dull or mild for you. Excessive irritation means the blade is too aggressive. The right blade should feel… just right, and glide smoothly. Then you’re ready to commit.