Once we come accross with traditional shaving and understand how wonderful a shave can be, we are usually surprised to see how we missed this obvious truth standing just in front of our nose and well known by our fathers & grandfathers. So we start watching shaving videos and making readings to see where we stand in shaving world. After that, we usually want to spread this "enlightment" to our beloved ones and mention about wet shaving to them. We are sure, most of you are already criticised by your close friends or families because of mentioning about wet shaving again. This is a part of beeing wet shaver, you are not alone and nothing is wrong with it.

Usually, when you are so far,  you think of making a shaving cabinet or at least a shaving box, so your equipment will stay organized without standing out too much for your life partners. You need to be careful at that point gentlemen: Staying in a closed environment with even a little moisture does no good to your shaving gear.

In some of our previous videos and blog entries, we have mentioned how you should clean up and store your shaving gear after each shave. But to make it easier for you, we have collected all these information here in this VLOG, under two headlines as cleaning and storage after each use and detailed cleaning and disinfecting.

CLEANING AND STORAGE AFTER EACH USE

Most of our razors are either nickel or chrome plated on brass. In addition, there are painted razors and a small number of  uncoated razors, made from solid steel. The straight razors can be grouped as carbon steel straight razors and stainless steel straight razors. There are three basic external factors which our shaving equipment are exposed after each shave:

1. Lime Residue

The tap water at our homes contains a certain amount of lime. If the lime percentage is high which makes the water hard, it forms white water stains on the metal even after only 1-2 shaves. In repeated use, these water spots become a dull white lime layer that covers the entire razor.

2. Soap Residue

The fatty additives used in shaving creams and soaps leave a waxy, thin white residue on our razors. When combined with lime, it becomes a thicker and harder layer which is difficult to clean.

3. Oxidation

The more annoying issue is oxidation, which is rusting; oxygen burning of the surface. In particular, some metals are very susceptible to rust and may corrode by contact with water by interacting with oxygen in the water. This occurs in different rates and types in each metal; some in the form of tarnishing, some in the form of local rusting, some in the deep, penetrating type called pitting into the material.

If we take steel; it is an alloy of carbon and iron and is prone to rust. As the purity of steel increases, so does its sensitivity to oxygen, which increases its prone to rust. This is why carbon steel razors rust very quickly. To solve this, stainless steel is produced by adding chrome and nickel to the steel. Yes, it is called “stainless steel” but there is a misconception that such steels are never stainless. Stainless steels can also rust.

Despite their confusing names, these steels are not characterized by being stainless at all, but are resistant to corrosion. Depending on the nickel and chromium content, the corrosion resistance of each stainless steel varies. Generally, the most durable stainless steels are those used in the marine and food industry. Each stainless steel has a different degree of durability, if you leave a stainless steel damp for a certain period of time, it may eventually either rust or stain, except some very resistant stainless steels. For example, think about the dishwasher, if you leave the dishes in the machine for a while after washing, you may see rust stains on your forks, spoons and knives. This is because they remain wet for long periods with no air circulation.

Lime and soap residues can be annoying also in our shaving brushes. Both likes to stick to the bristles and cover the entire hair after a certain time of use, causing the brush to lose its flexibility and performance.

So, what should we do after each use to have our shaving tools to last?

1. Rinsing: Whichever device we use, the essential to keep them clean by rinsing well under running water and clear any soap, facial hair and skin residue. Especially in brushes, be sure to thoroughly clean the bottom of the bristles towards the knot after each use. In densely packed brushes, these deeper parts may remain soapy if not rinsed well. This soap residue can dry and weaken the hairs in the long term, causing them to break off from the bottom. It is also recommended to take the blade out of your razor, and clean the head well after each shave.

2. Drying: It is especially vital for materials prone to rust. if you leave your corrodible equipment damp, they will start to rust quickly. In particular, carbon steel straight razors do not forgive any slackness and must be thoroughly dried after each use, or they will corrode quite badly even in just one day. After each use, a piece of cotton or napkin should be used to dry both the razor itself and the inside of the scales. Similarly, since natural bristle brushes do not dry as quickly as synthetic bristle brushes, care must be taken to properly dry them. The best drying method for brushes is to allow them to dry in an open area with good air circulation, hanged upside down on a brush stand. This way, all the water at the bottom of the brush will come down and your brush will be dried thoroughly. The safety razors are comperably more rust-resistant tools but, just like shaving brushes, they should be left to dry in an air circulated position in which all the moist can evaporate away.

3. Oiling: This is specific for straight razors. We stated that plain carbon steel is very susceptible to rusting. If you use your straight razor regularly and dry it well after each shave, there is no problem. However, if you use it once in a while, we recommend oiling it, no matter what steel it’s made of. Oiling prevents oxidation because oil layer will cut the air’s contact with steel. Especially carbon steel straight razors undergo surface oxidation and get a darker, matte look on the surface over time even only with air contact like you see on the left. This look is called “patina”, so it is very important to lightly oil your straight razor well if you won’t be using it for a long time to prevent this type of tarnishing. But before oiling your razor, you should make sure that the razor is completely dry. Oil prevents the oxigen to reach the steel, but it also prevents the moist on the steel to evaporate if the steel is not completely dry. So make sure that your straight razor is completely dry. For oiling, we prefer Ballistol. It is a special, very thin oil, dissolves with water if necessary and leaves no residue..

4. Storage: Almost everyone who starts this hobby eagerly organizes himself a nice shaving corner in the bathroom cabinet. However, closed cabinets involve some risks. We always recommend doorless open cabinets, but if you use a closed cabinet you need to pay attention to some points. The biggest mistake you can do, is to put your shaving brush and razor into a closed cabinet in damp condition. Since there is no air circulation there, the bristles of your brush will remain damp for a long time and this moist, warm, dark environment will be ideal for the reproduction of all kinds of bacteria and mold fungi. And the metal parts won't dry in the cabinet for a long time which may cause rusting or staining; or even worse, corrosion in full. If you leave your carbon steel straight razor wet like this, you can say goodbye to its beauty. That rust may be cleaned off from the straight razor so that it can be reused, but it will always carry the traces of that deep rust on it. Therefore the golden rule for storage is, you should always let your shaving gear dry before placing them into a cabinet, box or a drawer.

In this context, it is best to choose travel brushes made from synthetic bristles which dry much faster than natural bristle brushes. A badger hair brush usually dries in at least 12 hours and a boar hair brush in at least 24 hours, while most synthetic hair brushes completely dry within a maximum of 1-2 hours.

If you pay attention to these four steps above after each shave, you can use all your shaving good for many years no matter what material they are made of.

DETAILED CLEANING and DISINFECTING

As we mentioned at the beginning of our article, soap and lime leave residues on our shaving equipment in regular use. Normal rinsing and drying process does not prevent this, only slows it down. Inevitably after a while, all your shaving goods will be covered with a matt white looking sediment.

The performance of your brush will also gradually decrease as the bristles are covered with this sediment. If your brush doesn't create lather as well as it did before, if it sucks and eats most of the lather, know that it's time to cleanse your brush in depth.

When things get to this point, it is necessary to subject your shaving equipment to a more intensive cleaning process. This can be done either mechanically or chemically. In the mechanical method, all the soap, oil and lime residue on the surface are cleaned by using fine soft brushes and fine abrasives, but in this method, there is a risk of scratching the delicate coatings of your razors and some unreachable small corners will remain dirty.

In the chemical method, a disinfectant cleaning solution is used. The solution is put into a container and all the razors are placed in this bath, after a certain period of waiting time, they rinsed with water. In this method, the solution penetrates even the smallest pores and provides a thorough cleaning. Secondly, it performs the disinfection function. Another good thing is that the coating won’t be scratched or damaged since there is no abrasion. In other words, chemical cleaners are both more efficient and less laborious..

In our video above, we’ve explained how you can clean and disinfect all shaving equipment at your home. We have chosen the SterimedEndo for this purpose. Originally produced as a medical disinfectant, SterimedEndo, can be used for cleaning and disinfecting of all kinds of tools such as metal, plastic, glass, ceramic; bactericide and fungicides, bacterial spores, HBV, HCV, HIV and all kinds of influenza viruses, including all microorganisms. It does no harm or side effects to human skin; It does not contain any aldehyde, phenol, toxic components and prevents corrosion during the cleaning stage thanks to its corrosion inhibitors. You can safely use this product as it’s tested in accredited laboratories in Germany and Turkey.

If you clean both your shaving brushes and your metal shaving tools a few times a year with SterimedEndo, they will always retain their sparkle and performance of the first day.

So we have come to the end of this article. We wish that this article will be a good guide for you both for your own health and for the good life of your shaving gear since from the beginning. See you in another article.

May your shaving pleasure ever last!