They both work for beginners and aficionados, but if you’re just starting out, expect your first strop to walk away looking pretty sliced up. How Does it Work? Your hair– Even with shaving cream, pre-shave oils, and regular beard conditioning, the friction caused by cutting through hair reduces the sharpness of a razor blade’s edge, increasing dullness. The more blades are used - and the coarser the stubble they cut - the faster it loses its bite. Remove the shaver from the charger after each full charge and leave it off until the razor reaches its minimum charge level. Only then should you give it a new charge. This deep cycles the batteries and gives you the most life out of them which is generally about 200-300 charges depending on chemistry. Obviously, the more time that elapses between charges the longer the batteries, and your razor will last.

The Naked Armor Noah's Organic Shave Soap is a handmade cold-pressed soap that will make your face celebrate when you lather up. A good way to remove gunk and grime thoroughly is to use a toothbrush to lightly scrub your razor when you are finished shaving. Then, rinse away the gunk under running water. [12] X Research source Multipurpose lubricants like Ballistol, baby oil, vegetable oil, almond oil and mineral oil work in a pinch, but the best quality is pure Camellia oil . A fine oil traditionally used by the Japanese to protect knives from rusting, it’s also filled with nutrients that are good for the skin so it also doubles as a beard softener or face moisturizer.

I just bought a new shaver to replace my old Remington, a Chinese brand I never heard of before called a "Phisco", so I'll be looking out for the metal slivers you mentioned. I suspect, though, that frequent cleaning of the blades will simply brush them away with the whiskers. After they seat themselves into their screens and "self-hone" the blades should remain sharp and free of metal debris for the life of the shaver as long as I remember to not mix them up. Time will tell. By putting a lot of effort into maintaining your blade, you can minimize the damage done to it over time, extend the life of your blade, save money, and have confidence to experience a smooth shave each and every time. Stropping- Uses a strop to straighten and realign thin edges of a blade to enhance the razor blades sharpness. But it involves technique that can best be described as an art. In this case, below are some foundational tips and methods to get you started:

The best way to increase the shelf-life of your razor blades is to keep them clean and dry — which can be quite a challenge in the wettest room in the house. There’s no such thing as a blade that lasts forever. All razor brands can get dull, even high-quality razor brands get dull after continued use. However there are techniques you can do to make your blades last a long time.Disassemble your electric razor as you usually would to clean it. You need to be able to access the blades and the screens, as shown in the pictures. Once disassembled, CAREFULLY brush the blades while running them under hot water, then rinse them with hot water. Brush and rinse the screens under hot water also. Then, reassemble the razor. Most people find a process of stropping razor blades that works for them but it’s a good idea to start with a few general tips. The Strop I guess you've built a few of those "Joule Thief" Circuits? They do the job when you don't have much "Power" to work with... I use them OFTEN when in a few of those "Third World Countries". Genuine Leather Strop Wooden Handle Paddle Strop 2 Sided Strop for Sharpening Straight Razor Blades and Knives of All Kinds There seems to be some confusion on how best to maintain the blades and screens in rotary shavers. The following has worked well for me for the five rotary shavers I have owned, all lasting more than eight years each. Perhaps it could work well for you, too.