Sly Bald Guys' Blog

As some of you have noticed, until yesterday I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. Well, this was due to me travelling for business part of the time while I was absent from the blog. While I was in the Denver airport trying to get through security, it made me realize that I've been thinking of doing a post on "how to carry on all of your head shaving gear while travelling" and now is the time to do it. Here's how:

First off, you need to know the rules. If you haven't travelled in a while, then you probably don't know that you have to separate all of your liquids from your other stuff and put them into on quart (not gallon) sized bag and each liquid item must be in a 3 oz container or less. The TSA outlines this as 3-1-1 as the picture up above details.

Secondly, it is important to separate your razor, blades, and other non liquid items into a separate bag. Remember, you DO NOT need to pull this bag out when going through security. Also, you can bring a safety razor (HeadBlade, Fusion, etc) on the plane with extra blades. Here's what the TSA says about razors in their prohibited items section:

"Razor-Type Blades - such as box cutters, utility knives, razor blades not in a cartridge, but excluding safety razors (must be checked)."

From that line, it's my best guess that straight razors and double edge razors should be checked and you should not attempt to carry them on.

One of the toughest thing about this 3-1-1 rule is that it can often be hard to fit all of the things that you need into 1 quart size bag, so here is a list of all the products that I know of that come in bottles or packages that are 3 oz or less.

Shaving Creams/Oils/Gels

HeadSlick by Headblade - 2 oz
Pacific Shaving Oil - 1/2 oz and 2 oz sizes
Shave Secret Oil - 1 oz
KOS Shave Oil - 1-2 oz
Matte for Men - 2.5 oz


Exfoliating Scrub

HeadShed by HeadBlade - 2 oz
St. Ives Apricot Scrub -1 oz (Found in the travel section of stores like Target)


Lotions

HeadLube Matte or Glossy by HeadBlade - 2 oz
Matte for Men with SPF 25 - 2.5 oz
Neutrogena - 1 oz (If you stay at a DoubleTree they often provide this for free)
Neutrogena with SPF - 1 oz (If you stay at a DoubleTree they often provide this for free)

Bump Control

ClearHead by HeadBlade - 2 oz
TendSkin - 1 oz

One thins you'll notice is that HeadBlade has a product in every category on this list. They actually sell a travel kit that you can buy. The best part is that once you buy it, you can then refill the little bottles with product from your regular sized bottles. Both of Matte for Men's products are also below the 3 oz limit.

By sticking to products on this list or other products that you find that are below the 3 oz limit you should be able to fit all the product you need into the quart size bag. Remember that if you're are going to be somewhere longer than a week it will probably be a good idea to bring larger portions and just check your bag.

The other day I was cruising through Wal-Mart while my wife was looking around and of course I head over to the shaving section to see what products they are currently selling. I'm used to seeing the usual big name brands when I happen to go to Wal-Mart, but this time was a little different. After my conversation with a little old man that was looking for a styptic pencil, I noticed something that I had never seen before - Shave Secret. No, it's not a secret, it a product called Shave Secret. If it was a secret, it wouldn't be in Wal-Mart. Then again, I hadn't heard of it, so maybe it was a secret. Anyways...I grabbed it off the shelf to see how good this Shave Secret product really is.



The next morning I grabbed the little bottle and headed to the shower. And this is what I found:

The Shave

Like a lot of oils I've tried, Shave Secret provides great protection for your scalp and face while also providing a slick surface to shave on. The instructions state the following:

1) Generously wet the area to be shaved

2) Massage 3-5 drops of Shave Secret into a moist palm

3) Massage into the skin

4) Shave as normal. (Be sure to rinse your razor often)

5) No need to rinse the shaved area, just towel dry.

Considering I was shaving my head and it has more surface area than my face, I decided to use 9 drops instead of 5. This seemed adequate as I got a great shave out of it. I was able to do all passes on my head with just those 9 drops and didn't need to re-apply at all.

When it says to "Be sure to rinse your razor often" they are not kidding! This oil provides a slick surface on your skin, but is very sticky on your razor, so it tends to gunk up the razor pretty good.


Pros

This was a great shave and better than any product that I've used that is also on Wal-Mart's shelf.

It was less than $4 and will probably last two months using it on both my face and head.

It comes in a bottle that is only 18.75 ml, which I'm guessing is about 1 oz, so this is perfect for the traveler.


Cons

The smell is a very strong menthol like tree smell. Almost like Eucalyptos, but slightly different.

The razor tends to gunk up a lot, though this didn't really effect the shave, just a nuisance.

For more of about this product, you can go to ShaveSecret.com

Whether I'm shaving my face or my head I hate when I cut myself shaving and I figure that you probably do also. Here are some tips to help you avoid that dreaded slice into your skin.

1. Use a fresh razor

An old blade will make it harder to shave your hair and will instead rip the hair out. This can cause you to use excess pressure on the blade, thus leading you to cut your skin as well as your hair. Depending on the coarseness of your hair, a razor will on average last between 5 and 7 days. Some guys can go longer with a razor if they have really soft hair, but as a rule, I change my blade every Monday.

2. Moisten the hair

It's best to shave in the shower as it will moisten up the hairs and allow for an easier shave. But if you don't like that idea you can put a hot towel on the stubble to moisten it up.

3. Exfoliate

Exfoliating your face/head will help soften the hair even more, making it easier to shave. Some of the exfoliaters I recommend are HeadShed or St. Ives Apricot Scrub. There are also more expensive brands that you can get as well.

4. Get the right shaving cream, gel, or oil

There have been great advances in shaving creams, gels, and oils to allow for a much slicker shaving surface than the old school shave cream in an aerosol can. The slicker the shaving surface, the less friction the blade will have as it glides across your face or head. The less friction, the less likely that your going to use too much pressure and dig the blade into your skin.

If you're cutting yourself a lot, you may want to consider using both a shaving oil and a cream or gel on top of the oil. This will provide more protection for your skin.

For recommendations on which shaving cream, gel or oil to use, check out the Product Review section.

5. Use long strokes

Using long strokes can help you keep even pressure on the blade versus using short strokes.

6. Let the blade to the work

The main cause of cutting your self is applying too much pressure on the blade. Let the blade do the work. It's better to err on too little pressure than too much as you can always go back for another pass.

7. Concentrate

Try not to day dream when you are shaving. I usually find that I cut myself if I'm day dreaming and not concentrating on what I'm doing.

If you do cut yourself, check out the post on How To Stop The Bleeding.

Enjoy your next shave!

Over the last week or so I've been using Pacific Shaving Oil to shave both my head and face.  All I have to say is WOW!  This is the best shave I've had with a shaving oil to date!


First off, a little about Pacific Shaving Oil.  The oil comes in three different sizes, 2 oz, 1/2 oz, and single use sizes.  This is very handy for traveling!  Pacific Shaving claims that a person can get 100 face shaves with a 1/2 oz bottle.  I would guess that would be about 60 to 75 head shaves.  Still not bad!

When I opened the bottle, I was expecting to find that it had the typical menthol type smell that I've noticed in other shaving oils. I was completely wrong!  Instead Pacific Shaving Oil had a very light citrus smell that only lasted while I shaved, hence it wasn't noticeable when I got out of the shower.  This is probably due to the Grapefruit Peel Oil in the ingredients below.

Ingredients:

Hybrid Sunflower Oil, Laureth-4, Cyclopentasiloxane, Bergamot Fruit Oil, Avocado Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Organic Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Kukui Nut Oil, Tocopherol, Tangerine Peel Oil, Grapefruit Peel Oil, Menthol

The Shave

I used Pacific Shaving Oil in the shower with my standard tool (HeadBlade with Sensor Excel blades).  The directions on the bottle recommend to use 6 to 8 drops of oil per shave.  Though, I know this recommendation was for the face, so I upped the dosage to about 12 to 15 drops per shave knowing that there is more surface area to cover on my dome than there is my face.  I then rubbed the oil around my head, making sure that I covered all of the areas.  When rubbing the oil in, it did "foam" up a little bit making it easy to see where I applied it, but the foam went away before I could even grab my razor to start shaving.

I then proceeded to shave using my normal routine of going from front to back.  Then back to front.  As with most products, I added about 3 more drops to the back of my head when going from back to front.  This isn't necessary, as I still got a good shave when I shaved without doing this.  But, I did notice that my head was a little more slick by doing this.

The shave was very nice as the oil is not as thick as other shaving oils I've tried.  The result of this was less clogging of the blades and an easier clean up when rinsing the blade in between each pass of my head.  I also believe this is the reason that I got a better shave with Pacific Shaving Oil than I have with other shaving oils. 

Pros:

Light Citrus Smell
Low/non-foam shave
A very close shave
All natural ingredients
Very compact packaging

Cons:

I really can't think of any related to the shave!
As of the date of this post it's not widely available in stores outside of the West Coast.  I'm sure this won't be the case for long.

Where and how much?

You can get Pacific Shaving Oil at http://PacificShaving.com.

Currently, the price of the shaving oil is $22.95 for a 2 oz bottle, or about 240 to 300 head shaves, $6.95 for a 1/2 oz bottle, or about 60 to 75 head shaves.  You can also add on 12 to 15 single use packs to your order for $2.

I have personally seen Pacific Shaving Oil at Whole Foods, but to learn more about where they retail their product, go to http://www.pacificshaving.com/links.php.  They currently list the following states as having retailers: California, Oregon, New Mexico, New York, Washington, and Montana.

Ok people, I know that BaldRob already did a review on this (BaldRob's Review), but I felt I should get my own word in also. Unlike BaldRob, I'm a shower shaver. So, I'll give you my perspective as it relates to shower shaving.

I was a little nervous as I squirted the 3 drops of oil into my head; I mean, this little amount is supposed to protect my precious dome from the razor blade? So, I added a 4th drop for good luck. I then rubbed the oil all over my head and grabbed my blade. In the first couple of strokes I was very impressed with how slick the shave was. I kept Rob's tip in mind of keeping the skin and blade very wet while shaving - this really helped. As I got done with my first pass from front to back, I noticed that my head was still very lubricated and went for the back to front pass without adding any extra oil. My head was still as slick in that pass as well. After shaving my head, I moved onto my face. I have to say, that I enjoyed the experience with my face even more.

So, what are the pros?

- Very small container (.68 oz) which makes it great if you are a traveler as myself.
- You get up to 100 shaves per bottle!!!
- The oil provides a great coat to protect your head - which seemed to cause less irritation to my dome.
- The price - at only $6.99 at Drugstore.com, you can't beat that for 100 shaves!
- Great face shave!

Any cons? Yep...

- Unlike BaldRob, I wasn't a big fan of the smell. I found it to be a strong menthol smell.
- Though the oil was slick and provided a great coat, I didn't get as close of a shave as I do with other gels and creams. This may have to do with the fact that it clogs up the blades pretty good. The oil is deceiving though. Right after your shave your head feels very smooth, but once you wash most of the oil off, you can feel the stubble.

Overall, this is a great value for the shave as it relates to price per cost.