So yesterday was the day. I had acquired all of the basics, a razor, blades, soap and a brush. I woke up around 8:30 am and sat everything out, excited, but hopefully about my new path to a better shave.
I had purchased a mini gift set of White Birch and tobacco butter from Burlington Coat Factory. So, it wasn't a puck, nor really cream. It all ready had the yogurt consistency in the jar. It smelled more menthol than anything. No idea what white birch smelt like, and the tobacco smell was faint. I then pulled out the synthetic brush that came with the gift set and wasn't impressed.
I picked up my Shave Factory (Derby) razor bought from Sally's Beauty Supply and dropped it onto the tile floor. Should have taken that as a sign, but I inspected it and saw nothing wrong (as if I could tell) and proceeded. I placed the razor and the brush in my mug filled with warm water and took a shower.
After the shower, I took a dime sized mount of the cream with water and placed it is the mug and tried to work up a lather .It only made the cream more milky. Another bad sign. No matter how much I tried no lather. I checked the directions, which were of no help. I finally stuck the brush directly in the cream and applied. I then realized this was possibly a brushless soap. I remembered a few guys mentioning that slightly in the limited reviews I had found online, but never processed what that meant to actually applying it. I proceeded to lather my face and head with the shaving soap. The smell was very minimal. The brush was able to lather ok. But, sadly I could get the blade to catch on my skin. I was able to shave without incident. I didn't have any nicks or cuts, mostly because I followed all the advice of light pressure, but the blade never really came into contact to cut any facial hair (which I had a 3-4 day growth of). Then, it happened, the cream started to run down my head into my eyes. Which made me ask should I be doing my face and head at the same time, or should it be done separately? So, now looking like Carrie (minus the red color of blood) with milky white goo running down my head into my eyes, distracting my rhythm while applying a sharp blade to my face and head-ah, living the dream! I decided to power through, but sadly had it running down my neck to my chest and stomach. It was a bloody mess, especially compounded by the fact I didn't see any hair in the sink after each rinse. I was not impressed with the Personna blade (a last minute substitute from the Astra). It seemed to sit to far in and not set out far enough. Will definitely consider upgrading to VDH, Astra and possibly Feather blades-hell anything else, maybe a rusty soup can lid.
I had planned to do 2 passes WTG only (remember it my first time). But after the 2nd pass left me with a goatee stubble (under the nose, mouth and chin) and virtually no hair removed from the back of my head. I finished and went to take a nap, but couldnt sleep, because I needed to address this. So, I got up and did one final pass against the grain and not duplicating the messy disaster of earlier got mostly all of the hair that remained. I still had some very light hair on my cheeks. But, I felt it was good enough as I concluded I would also need to refine my technique by much more practice. It was the closest shave I have had in a long time.
Immediate takeaways: I got over my anxiety of having the blade contact my skin (when it did) so that's gone. The knowledge that my face has many more subtle contours than I knew, but thankfully no cuts or nicks occured. That I need to do more research on the selection and use of my tools and products. Lastly, I've got to play the long game and the goal is to improve.
So all in all, not dissuaded, just a lot discouraged, because I thought I had prepared well for my first time-not even close: "Beware mileage may vary". I'll be doing it again, but I don't know if I'm suppose to shave everyday or when I have growth after a few days.
I did feel manly, but the little girl in me died a messy death to achieve that.
.......You guys and your fancy beards make me sick. LOL!
And you dad-gummed Native Americans make ME sick. (LOL) All those years I had to shave every day made me wonder if I was going to scrape all the skin off my face and neck. And, for a good portion of those years I had to suffer the additional agony of wearing a fvcking tie to work every day.
I blame your ancestors. All that plucking of facial hair using clam shells for tweezers finally got absorbed into your genes thereby eliminating the need to shave.
At one point, I even tried to talk a doctor into partnering-up with me to create a gel or creme much like women use on their legs (Nair?) to remove hair without having to shave. We'd have made a fortune. But his argument was that, psychologically, men wouldn't buy it because of the 'feminine aspect" of such a product. Guys had to be macho. Guys had to bleed to show how tough they were.
Bah!! When I retired I gave away all my suits and all but one tie - suitable for weddings, funerals, Bar Mitzvahs, stag parties, and high-level business meetings. The pattern woven into the tie looks kinda like a brigade tie from a distance but the little symbols are actually jock straps. I've worn it to most of the items in the above list.
So, don't talk to me about shaving. I'll do it about every five days to a week. If folks don't like it, they can look closely at the mistletoe pinned to my shirt-tail..... . <chuckle>
Didn't think of it like that, Marty. That doesn't sound like fun. I can get a moustache and some semblence of a goatee, but it is so coarse and sparce, that Missy doesn't mind the moustache, but the goatee has to be shaved when it gets more than 1/2" long, cause at that point, it just looks ugly. LOL!
In Fumo Pax Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
An electric to trim it down short and do some shaping and then a Damascan Steel straight razor. If I am having the straight razor sharpened and need to shave I have a Gillette razor I use. The fusion pro or whatever it's called. Not as smooth as the Straight Razor, but decent in a pinch.
I had a full beard that I shaved off this year. In the past I'd trim it first with an electric to avoid clogging my safety razors, this year I just took my straight razor to it and was amazed how effortlessly it removed the beard (with a practiced hand).
I used to use pre-shave oil and a hot towel but simplified my routine without any noticeable impact to the shave. I like to use alum block and witch hazel on my face after the shave and then rinse this off before using after shave.
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Today's shave was good, bordering on great except, for a couple of nicks and few wheepers under the nose and around the left corner of my mouth. But, a syptic handled those quite well.
I've got two razors, a Merker safety razor and a Dovo Forestall, use a Russian Leather strop from Illinois Razor Strop Co. and a silver tip badger Brazilian wood brush and of horn palm bowl. Love both of the razors but I use the safety razor most since it takes less time
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
I've been looking at getting a new shop, are you happy with yours?
Yes I am, though I should specify that I am very new to this side of shaving as only been doing it for about a year now and my strop was something like $40 on Amazon Prime. I will load up some pics in a few min.
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
I decided to try something different to my routine during my sixth wet shave. I decided to cold water shave.
My routine still involves taking a hot shower and soaking my brush in warm water, but once the initial lather is applied, all razor and face rinses are with cold water.
Intially, I found the idea of cold water shaving unappealing and lesser quality shave. However, my assumptions were wrong.
I find the benefits of cold water shaving to be a closer, less irritation prone shave with no extra effort. I think the cold water keeps the skin taught, so the whiskers stand up a bit more and are more easily cut.
I decided to try something different to my routine during my sixth wet shave. I decided to cold water shave.
My routine still involves taking a hot shower and soaking my brush in warm water, but once the initial lather is applied, all razor and face rinses are with cold water.
Intially, I found the idea of cold water shaving unappealing and lesser quality shave. However, my assumptions were wrong.
I find the benefits of cold water shaving to be a closer, less irritation prone shave with no extra effort. I think the cold water keeps the skin taught, so the whiskers stand up a bit more and are more easily cut.
I highly recommend it.
Thanks. I tried this out this morning. So far I like it. Another benefit is the cold water wakes me up.
After getting cuts and weepers all week shaving with an Astra SP blade in different razors and being too dense to change the blade (must have been a bad blade to start with) I decided to treat myself with a straight razor shave. I really enjoy the ritual of stropping the blade, working the lather, and shaving with a straight but I always feel like I don't have time for this during the week. I used some vintage Old Spice soap to lather with and after shave to finish with.
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After getting cuts and weepers all week shaving with an Astra SP blade in different razors and being too dense to change the blade (must have been a bad blade to start with) I decided to treat myself with a straight razor shave. I really enjoy the ritual of stropping the blade, working the lather, and shaving with a straight but I always feel like I don't have time for this during the week. I used some vintage Old Spice soap to lather with and after shave to finish with.
I agree Yakster, I have both safety razors and a straight razor Dovo, and I love doing a straight razor shave and a lot of that is the ritual and pantomime of it. If it's a special occasion day or night I always straight razor shave and it always makes it feel a bit special and gets me ready for a special night out. I use the Mitchell's sheeps Wool fat soap and aftershave is the Ogallala Bay Rum stuff, love it.
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Stupid question. After years of thinking I knew the answer. I actually paused and realized today as I went into several stores with bars of soaps and jars of beauty product adorning the shelves that I was unsure of something.
So here it is. I use to use bar soaps, like dove and pre de provence of france, But, after researching the brands of soaps that wet shavers use, I was unsure that these soaps were like the soaps I saw today. Is the soap you guys shave with like Bond street and Taback specifically designed to be used to shave? In other words, can I take a bar of bond street shaving soap and a bar of pre de provence and put them in two separate and identical cups and take a brush and get a lather that is able to shave my face from both?
Yup, a stupid question for sure, but are these shaving soaps so unique?
Very happy, I was gifted my first straight razor today. Nothing fancy, a dollar razor with a customized teak handle, with a few soaps for good measure. Enjoying this wet shave journey.
I've mostly stuck with shave soaps and creams with one exception, a blood orange bar of soap I picked up at a boutique store that was too hard to resist. I think that the shave specific soaps and creams have ingredients that make lathering easier and make the lather last longer.
Congrats on the straigh razor, I picked up one a while ago from Whipped Dog, a Kobar High-Class that shaves well.
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Had a wonderful straight razor shave after a 2 mile run and hot shower. Silver tip badger brush in brazillian rosewood handle, Dovo Forestall razor stropped on Illinois Razor Company Imperial Russia strop, Mitchell's Wool Fat shaving soap with Sandalwood pre-shave oil, and finished with Ogallala Bay Rum and Peppercorn aftershave balm. Such a luxurious experience and makes me feel ready to take on anything that comes today, perfect shave and not a nick.
When I shave, which is about once a year to please the missus for Christmas photos, I use a no name safety straight razor and shark half blades. Nothing compares to the single blade. I try to turn everyone onto it for the comfort, closeness, and cost effectiveness. There's a few holdouts that think their vibrating 9 blade laser assisted gizmo is better. I've tried them. I had to shave 3 times a day or I would plug them up. Single blades don't plug. Simple as that
Hate shaving, but I hate my barbed wire facial hair worse. I love the look of goatee and mustache, or trimmed beards, but mine fills like it will make my face bleed. I have worn mustache and goatee once for 3 months, it never softened, and I never got used to it. I use a cheap Barbasol razor which works for me about 30 to 60 shaves if I don't skip days I don't dull it as quick and get 2 months out of one razor.
Comments
Ouch!
So yesterday was the day. I had acquired all of the basics, a razor, blades, soap and a brush. I woke up around 8:30 am and sat everything out, excited, but hopefully about my new path to a better shave.
I had purchased a mini gift set of White Birch and tobacco butter from Burlington Coat Factory. So, it wasn't a puck, nor really cream. It all ready had the yogurt consistency in the jar. It smelled more menthol than anything. No idea what white birch smelt like, and the tobacco smell was faint. I then pulled out the synthetic brush that came with the gift set and wasn't impressed.
I picked up my Shave Factory (Derby) razor bought from Sally's Beauty Supply and dropped it onto the tile floor. Should have taken that as a sign, but I inspected it and saw nothing wrong (as if I could tell) and proceeded. I placed the razor and the brush in my mug filled with warm water and took a shower.
After the shower, I took a dime sized mount of the cream with water and placed it is the mug and tried to work up a lather .It only made the cream more milky. Another bad sign. No matter how much I tried no lather. I checked the directions, which were of no help. I finally stuck the brush directly in the cream and applied. I then realized this was possibly a brushless soap. I remembered a few guys mentioning that slightly in the limited reviews I had found online, but never processed what that meant to actually applying it. I proceeded to lather my face and head with the shaving soap. The smell was very minimal. The brush was able to lather ok. But, sadly I could get the blade to catch on my skin. I was able to shave without incident. I didn't have any nicks or cuts, mostly because I followed all the advice of light pressure, but the blade never really came into contact to cut any facial hair (which I had a 3-4 day growth of). Then, it happened, the cream started to run down my head into my eyes. Which made me ask should I be doing my face and head at the same time, or should it be done separately? So, now looking like Carrie (minus the red color of blood) with milky white goo running down my head into my eyes, distracting my rhythm while applying a sharp blade to my face and head-ah, living the dream! I decided to power through, but sadly had it running down my neck to my chest and stomach. It was a bloody mess, especially compounded by the fact I didn't see any hair in the sink after each rinse. I was not impressed with the Personna blade (a last minute substitute from the Astra). It seemed to sit to far in and not set out far enough. Will definitely consider upgrading to VDH, Astra and possibly Feather blades-hell anything else, maybe a rusty soup can lid.
I had planned to do 2 passes WTG only (remember it my first time). But after the 2nd pass left me with a goatee stubble (under the nose, mouth and chin) and virtually no hair removed from the back of my head. I finished and went to take a nap, but couldnt sleep, because I needed to address this. So, I got up and did one final pass against the grain and not duplicating the messy disaster of earlier got mostly all of the hair that remained. I still had some very light hair on my cheeks. But, I felt it was good enough as I concluded I would also need to refine my technique by much more practice. It was the closest shave I have had in a long time.
Immediate takeaways: I got over my anxiety of having the blade contact my skin (when it did) so that's gone. The knowledge that my face has many more subtle contours than I knew, but thankfully no cuts or nicks occured. That I need to do more research on the selection and use of my tools and products. Lastly, I've got to play the long game and the goal is to improve.
So all in all, not dissuaded, just a lot discouraged, because I thought I had prepared well for my first time-not even close: "Beware mileage may vary". I'll be doing it again, but I don't know if I'm suppose to shave everyday or when I have growth after a few days.
I did feel manly, but the little girl in me died a messy death to achieve that.
I shave once every 2 or 3 weeks, whether I need to or not. And most times, I don't need to. You guys and your fancy beards make me sick. LOL!
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
I blame your ancestors. All that plucking of facial hair using clam shells for tweezers finally got absorbed into your genes thereby eliminating the need to shave.
At one point, I even tried to talk a doctor into partnering-up with me to create a gel or creme much like women use on their legs (Nair?) to remove hair without having to shave. We'd have made a fortune. But his argument was that, psychologically, men wouldn't buy it because of the 'feminine aspect" of such a product. Guys had to be macho. Guys had to bleed to show how tough they were.
Bah!! When I retired I gave away all my suits and all but one tie - suitable for weddings, funerals, Bar Mitzvahs, stag parties, and high-level business meetings. The pattern woven into the tie looks kinda like a brigade tie from a distance but the little symbols are actually jock straps. I've worn it to most of the items in the above list.
So, don't talk to me about shaving. I'll do it about every five days to a week. If folks don't like it, they can look closely at the mistletoe pinned to my shirt-tail.....
That doesn't sound like fun.
I can get a moustache and some semblence of a goatee, but it is so coarse and sparce, that Missy doesn't mind the moustache, but the goatee has to be shaved when it gets more than 1/2" long, cause at that point, it just looks ugly. LOL!
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
At any given time the urge to sing "In The Jungle" is just a whim away... A whim away... A whim away...
I used to use pre-shave oil and a hot towel but simplified my routine without any noticeable impact to the shave. I like to use alum block and witch hazel on my face after the shave and then rinse this off before using after shave.
Brett
Brett
My routine still involves taking a hot shower and soaking my brush in warm water, but once the initial lather is applied, all razor and face rinses are with cold water.
I find the benefits of cold water shaving to be a closer, less irritation prone shave with no extra effort. I think the cold water keeps the skin taught, so the whiskers stand up a bit more and are more easily cut.
I highly recommend it.
At any given time the urge to sing "In The Jungle" is just a whim away... A whim away... A whim away...
Brett
So here it is. I use to use bar soaps, like dove and pre de provence of france, But, after researching the brands of soaps that wet shavers use, I was unsure that these soaps were like the soaps I saw today. Is the soap you guys shave with like Bond street and Taback specifically designed to be used to shave? In other words, can I take a bar of bond street shaving soap and a bar of pre de provence and put them in two separate and identical cups and take a brush and get a lather that is able to shave my face from both?
Yup, a stupid question for sure, but are these shaving soaps so unique?
Congrats on the straigh razor, I picked up one a while ago from Whipped Dog, a Kobar High-Class that shaves well.
Brett
At any given time the urge to sing "In The Jungle" is just a whim away... A whim away... A whim away...