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Bentonite Clay
- Thread starter HMan
- Start date
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
The following is just my opinion...
This is the first time that I have heard this one. I personally wouldn't put much stock in it. Clay has been used in shaving soap for a long, long time. Sure, bentonite clay is gritty and that can leave scratches on the bevel of the razor, but one of the main reasons for adding it to shaving soap is to improve the skickness of the soap. So, it should actually improve how the razor glides over your skin rather than inhibit it, which I think would actually help the blade last longer.
Keep in mind that a just using a straight razor to cut hair (i.e. shaving with it) will dull a straight razor. Straights have delicate edges (be very careful not to drop your razor or ding the edge on any part of the sink), that is why they require maintenance. Stropping before and after the shave will make sure that your edge is in the best possible shape for shaving. However, every shave will degrade the edge if only ever so slightly. Using good technique with the blade will help the edge last longer, but at some point (which could be after weeks or months of regular use) it will require re-honing. Using the blade for its intended purpose will dull it faster than any ingredient in your soap.
This is the first time that I have heard this one. I personally wouldn't put much stock in it. Clay has been used in shaving soap for a long, long time. Sure, bentonite clay is gritty and that can leave scratches on the bevel of the razor, but one of the main reasons for adding it to shaving soap is to improve the skickness of the soap. So, it should actually improve how the razor glides over your skin rather than inhibit it, which I think would actually help the blade last longer.
Keep in mind that a just using a straight razor to cut hair (i.e. shaving with it) will dull a straight razor. Straights have delicate edges (be very careful not to drop your razor or ding the edge on any part of the sink), that is why they require maintenance. Stropping before and after the shave will make sure that your edge is in the best possible shape for shaving. However, every shave will degrade the edge if only ever so slightly. Using good technique with the blade will help the edge last longer, but at some point (which could be after weeks or months of regular use) it will require re-honing. Using the blade for its intended purpose will dull it faster than any ingredient in your soap.
I am inclined to say the clay in soap will not have an impact on the longevity of an edge. It sounds like a plausible idea but when you consider how little clay is added to soap (usually 1% or less but it could be more) and the volume of lather that is produce that never touches the skin or blade, you find there is very little exposure to the clay anyway. Then you have to consider the effective abrasive grit of the clay. The clay swells and holds water such that it may not be very abrasive when used in a lather ...or lat least less abrasive than when dry.
I suppose the easiest way to test the idea is to prepare a balsa strop with embedded bentonite clay, then use that strop to "maintain" the edge. You would then be able to observe the ability of the clay to alter the edge. I have proven to myself that regular use of a balsa strop loaded with fine diamond grit (0.1micron or so) will extend the life of an edge almost indefinitely.
I suppose the easiest way to test the idea is to prepare a balsa strop with embedded bentonite clay, then use that strop to "maintain" the edge. You would then be able to observe the ability of the clay to alter the edge. I have proven to myself that regular use of a balsa strop loaded with fine diamond grit (0.1micron or so) will extend the life of an edge almost indefinitely.
The clay amounts would have to be in huge quantities plus it is mostly emulsified when lathered. Another straight shaving wives tale I think