Hello fellow Arfcommers,

I grew up just doing the splash hot water on your face, apply shaving cream or gel from can, and shave with a mach 3/turbo/fusion whatever routine.

A while back after boot camp an older guy showed me the hot washcloth trick like they do in barber shops for shave prep. So before a shave now I usually microwave a wet washcloth in a bowl for 1 minute, and then hold it on my face until it begins to cool. I then add some shave butter and shave.

I'm out of the military now and I have grown a beard, so now my shaving is really only lining up my neck and cheeks. I recently began using my grandpa's old Gillette Fatboy. I am pretty new to DE shaving and I have a few questions for you guys. How do you prep for your shave? Do any of you use hot lather? Aftershave? Beard oil or Pomade? Thanks guys.

No prep.  I'm a shower shaver.  Use regular Barbisol and a Mach 3 Turbo blade.  Lots of water is the key, IMHO.

I can shave against the grain, and I get no irritation whatsoever.

I shave right after I shower so my face is moist.  I put four drops of Shave Secret on my face as a lubricant, then follow with cream.

Shower
Fill up mug with hot water and soak brush
Dump out water and use brush to work up lather in mug
Hot water on face and apply lather

Before shower
Run hot water over the scuttle and fill reservoir & bowl.  Let up to 1/2-3/4 the brush's whiskers stay submerged into the very warm (not scalding) water.

Take Shower
be sure to scrub face.  I use a beard wash so I don't strip out all the oils in my facial hair.

Post Shower
Strop Razor
Apply pre-shave oil to face ( I like Stirling Unscented & Gentleman)
If shower took too long - refill scuttle reservoir.  Empty the scuttle bowl (not reservoir).
Squeeze out just a tiny bit of the brush's water back into the bowl and squeeze the remaining water out of the brush.
Load the brush with your favorite tallow based shave soap (Mitchell's Wool Fat, Mystic Water, etc).
At this point you can either bowl lather (sprinkle in water as needed to build up the lather), or face lather using the scuttle to keep your brush/lather warm between passes
Shave with grain on first pass, against on second all the while enjoying the quiet meditation of shaving with a straight razor (or not and slice up your face...)
Apply your preferred after shave (or if your concentration sucked try using Stirling Witch-hazel Aloe for the small weepers and an alum block & bandaid for the nastier cuts).

1.  Soak my brush and soap in warm water right before I shower.

2.  Shower.

3.  Whip up my soap.

4.  Brush soap on face and shave with DE razor.

5.  Usually use witch hazel or lucky tiger aftershave.

1. Hot Shower, getting my face wet and rubbing hot water into the skin of my face.
2. Let my brush soak in hot water for roughly 60 seconds.
3. Apply  Art of Shaving or Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood pre-shave oil.
4. Lather up with Art of Shaving or Captain's Choice Sandalwood and go to town!

Awesome. Thank you guys