Wetshaving
This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Mastodon, Discord, Zulip, and IRC.
New subscribers welcome!
Please visit our wiki, which is a work in progress.
While this server is funded by personal contributions, we'd like to thank Zulip for giving us a Community subscription to their chat software (available at https://chat.wetshav.ing/).
Our sister Mastodon instance is https://wetshaving.social/.
๐ช Track the uptime of our various services here:
https://uptime.selfhost.ing/status/wetshaving
๐ช Community Rules
Rule 1 - Behaviour and Etiquette
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Be Respectful. Do not bully, flame, or harass others.
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Malicious comments are not allowed but heated discussion and salty banter is okay.
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Low effort replies and complaints about content will be removed.
Rule 2 - Content Guidelines
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Posts must have sufficient content to generate a meaningful discussion.
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Images, links, or videos must include additional text that summarizes the topic.
Rule 3 - Reviews and Disclosure
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Use [First Impressions] in the title if your experience with the product is limited.
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Use the [Review] in the title if you can provide comprehensive details with enough familiarity to answer follow-up questions.
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Disclose how the product being reviewed was acquired (e.g., PIF, loan, or purchase). If the product was provided to you directly by the maker or vendor free of charge or at a discount, you must disclose this fact even if the item will later be returned to the maker or vendor.
Rule 4 - Advertising
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Vendors may post product release info or business updates. Please don't abuse this.
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Non-vendors may post topics about products if it will foster a compelling discussion.
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Do not solicit donations or share fundraisers without mod approval.
Rule 5 - Inappropriate Content
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All NSFW/L content must request mod approval and be flaired appropriately.
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Non-shaving related NSFW/L content is not allowed.
Rule 10 - Moderator Discretion
- The rules may not apply perfectly to every situation. The mods have final discretion.
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February 23rd, 2026
It was @homeawayfromhone@sub.wetshaving.social who most recently reminded me of the existence of Chromium Oxide Paste. This wonderful edge from @gcgallant@wetshav.ing was getting long in the tooth after 11 shaves, and I sort of winged it with a strip of cloth cut from an old pair of pants. It seems to have made a huge difference -- so yeah. I guess you could say it's worth the effort.
I was digging through samples yesterday so I could send a few to a friend and found some that I've been sleeping on. Midnight Special is right in my wheelhouse. Great leather scent. I ended up bowl lathering for the first time in forever. After loading the sample from a bowl I just kept going. I used to bowl lather exclusively, but now I prefer to face lather. I think face lathering improves things -- more contact time with your skin and whiskers lets things soak in better. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
I think you can keep an edge going almost indefinitely by using a strop loaded with chromium oxide paste. For those for whom honing is cumbersome, or for those periods where honing would be a chore, I suggest using a loaded strop about every 10 shaves in addition to normal stropping pre- or post-shave.
I prefer face lathering for the same reasons. This has changed the way I bowl lather. I take a sample, build a paste in the bowl, then use that paste to face lather from the bowl.
I was immediately impressed with the difference it made, and I probably didn't even do it "right".
I'm certain that you did it right. Rub the razor back and forth using trailing edge strokes and Bob's your uncle.