July 4, 2023
- Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG
- Razor: Karve CB SB-D
- Blade: Gillette Nacet
- Lather: Southern Witchcrafts – Tres Matres
- Post Shave: Australian Private Reserve – Coeur de Vert
TLDR: Abstract to my manuscript on my addition to the shaving literature below which concludes that more studies are needed for variable control in shaving. Tres Matres is the perfect choice for floral and petrichor accords, fitting for this rainy New England ~~day~~ month. I followed up with APR Coeur de Vert which has floral notes in violets and lavender, but also grassy notes which I associate with Spring. From decay to life. Happy 4th of July for those who celebrate it. Edit: pets for #PHOTOCONTEST
Background: Shaving is an activity that is commonly associated with the “Your mileage may vary” though process. However, with careful control of variable, it may be a notion that is overdue for a new thought process. This is the first study of its kind to describe shaving at our institution with carefully controlled variables which aims to propose a model for a larger, multi-institutional, double blind, placebo controlled study. With this model, we compared careful measurements of soap and water with nothing to determine a better shave. It was approved by our institutional review board, protocol #1.
Methods: The study population was all face shavers at our institution from July 4th, 2023 through July 4th, 2023. There were no exclusion criteria to represent the general population as best as possible. Each shave was carefully controlled for variables. Soap was measured with 1/4th teaspoon then adjudicated with weight to confirm accuracy. Water was measured in a likewise manner. All water was carefully sourced from a bottle, to remove any inconsistencies that faucets may introduce. Bowl lathering was preformed to avoid unnecessary, non-measured water additions. Shave was performed in the usual two pass manner according to facial hair orientation, with face splashes only from bottled water^1. The primary outcome was shave satisfaction on a 1/10 scale with consideration only to efficacy. Scent, post-shave feel, and safety outcomes were also collected. The use of mean, chi-squared, fishers exact test, and multivariate regression analysis will be performed where appropriate.
Results: There was 1 patient included in this study. The shave satisfaction was rate a 9/10 with a mean of 9/10. Scent was rated an overall 7.5/10 on soap and 8.5/10 on aftershave. The safety outcome showed 1 weeper, on the neck.
Discussion: Our study was successful in demonstrating a pilot for a large study. It also showed that satisfaction is possible with control of variables. Additionally, it showed that bottle water may be better than faucet water in regards to control. Although this study was successful, there are several limitations. It was underpowered to do any statistical analysis so only descriptive statistics were used. There also was the unweighed water face splashes, although type of water was controlled. Lastly, a new blade was not used which would control for variability with razor sharpness as best is possible.
Conclusion: This study is a valuable addition to the literature as it showed that compared to nothing else, you can shave in a controlled manner. This sets up the opportunity for a a model for a larger, multi-institutional, double blind, placebo controlled study.
Disclosures: /u/nathlam15 provided the aftershave for this experiment in a extremely generous pa y it forward (thank you!!!)
References: 1. /u/merikus. Copy Pasta how to shave. Journal of /r/wetshaving. Revised 2023.