Shaving, gents - Page 46

Also maybe check out Mantic59's newish website, http://sharpologist.com/

 

It contains lots of reviews of razors, soaps, brushes, etc. His wet shaving tutorials were definitely a help when I got started wet shaving, almost two years ago now.

I find the shaving cream and brush superior to the gel or foam.  Better lubrication and a smoother shave.  I prefer the cream to the hard soap, too.

 

There's a lot of things that matter to what cream/soap/whatever works for you.  The hardness of your water, the oiliness of your skin, the consistency of your beard, they all vary.  The perfect combination for me isn't going to be the perfect combination for you.

 

In fact, I took my usual kit with me over the holidays to my parents' house, and could barely keep from peeling my face off with my DE.  Their water is much softer and I had a terrible time getting good lather that would actually lubricate.  Or maybe it was too much and I was cutting myself instead. Nick city.  Literally the same razor, brand of blades, brush and shaving cream I usually use.

 

I also found I got one, maybe two shaves out of a Fusion blade, and I have to shave every day.  At $3 each, that adds right up!  A $0.75 DE blade lasts me a week and shaves better.  It just takes longer.

 

I used my electric razor for a while recently, and had ingrown hairs all over the place.  I missed my DE, and was thrilled to get back to it.

Same crap happened to me when I traveled a few years back. I found that Proraso works the best in all types of water for my shaving needs. At the time, I took some Truefitt & Hill and it didn't work as well. I wondered why I was getting so much irritation and nicks. Turns out the water makes a big difference.

Wet shaving can be extremely relaxing. The fact that it demands a certain amount of concentration forces you to clear you mind, a great way to start the day.

 

Get a good brush,- some soap or cream, and lather up.

 

I wen through a bit of, well, let's just call it a stage. Yes, a shaving stage. I have bout 40 double edged razors mostly dating to the 1920's to 1960's - Diplomats, Slims, Fat Boys, etc. - and a Simpsons Astor brush. Oh, and what a brush it is! Only have one brush, yes, it is that good.

 

Also, if you are adventurous check out the single edge Gem razors, they may look a little daunting but are quite easy to use and are at least as good as the Gillette's.

 

My suggestion, get a used $20 or so Gillette off ebay, a Tweezerman brush form or if you want to get new then go with something from Edwin Jagger. The Chatsworth is my overall favorite razor but all EJ's use the same head assembly. Merkur is OK, but stay away from Parker: their quality control is spotty at best.

 

For razors, Derby's make a good starting point but try a sampler from Amazon and see what you like.

 

Soaps and cream, well, Proraso is very good and, well priced, and refreshing. Taylor of Old Bond Street (the coconut is excellent), Truffit and Hill (their Ultimate Comfort is my overall favorite) if you want to go more fancy like.

 

Modern Gillette's, with their 16 cheap blades or whatever they are up to now are junk. Nothing but razor burn. And expensive compared the old double edged razors. Cheaper and better. Can't beat that.... Much cheaper and much better.... OK, just beat it.

 

I have given away about 10 to 15 razors to my friends, none of them have gone back to the Mach monstrosities. Not even the ladies,

 

If the OCD bug bites you, Google badger and blade.

 

The short and sweet starter:

Gillte Super Speed off ebay, ~$20

Proraso Shave Soap (the one in the green bowl), $10

Derby blades, $10 for 100

 

If you want to do things right, get some sort of pre-shave oil and of course aftershave.

$40 and you will be set for a year or more. The razor will last forever, for all intents and purposes.

 

Having said all that, I now maintain a very short beard. If that's your thing, then Oster is what I suggest.

 

KP
 

 

I reckon I need to take your suggestions. I have the Mercur and, for me at least, it isn't doing me well. I probably need to do better preparation and use better cream etc, but I'm getting good results from a regular, multi-blade Gillette, for which I've found a proper cleaner for that allows me to use one head for up to a month. I've lost a lot of enthusiasm though as my skin hasn't taken well to wet shaving.

 

The prep is at least half of it. Oil, good soap/cream (none of that canned stuff). Get a nice lather going. I face lather, but you need a fine brush to pull that off. Simpsons brushes are not cut to shape, so there are no sharp bristles. Shaving brushes is all they have made for 90+ years, all have nautical names. The Astor is their 90th anniversary run, 90 made, named after John Astor the heir of the Astor Astoria fortune who died in the Titanic.I also lather with clod water, but I live in Miami.

 

It's the only male ritual in which we get to pamper ourselves, take advantage of it.

 

Never have managed to get a non-irritating shave with the Mach's. Even tried the cryo treated ones. Lasted longer, same lousy results.

 

KP

Yeah I've been getting awesome results with the murker I've been using. Way better than the fusion proglide non sense that I had been using till then. And that's just using feather blades and my Barbasol. I'm looking forward to seeing what a better brush and cream will do for me.

Had a cold water shave last night to break in my Simpsons Wee Scott.

 

Has got to be one of the best shaves I have had over the past two years!!!

 

Cold water FTW!!!
 

Why cold water? I always thought a warm-water shave was supposed to be better?

Honestly....I was just being lazy. Didn't want to take the time to prep.

 

Lo and behold, I get an AWESOME SHAVE!!!! AWESOME!!!

 

Out of curiosity, I search if anyone else has stumbled upon this and I found this!

Personally, I prefer cold water. Run the brush under the faucet for 15 seconds or so. If using cream, did tip of brush in the cream. If using soap, put some cold water over soap while prepping with shave oil, then pick some of that withe the brush.

 

Musgo Real aftershave is one of my favorites, but there is something about menthol lotions for those muggy summer days. Darn, I miss shaving. Hum.

 

KP
 

I don't really like wet shaving, I find it irritating. I use a beard trimmer to keep a very short stubble, about .3 mm.
At the moment though I'm backpacking through Europe so I haven't shaved in about 2 months

I switched to a similar practicing because I was traveling two to three weeks a month. Travel razors are just vicious, the Bic's I used are almost as bad as Mach's or Fusion even with oil and brush prep.

 

KP

 

Not sure if anyone's tried this, but I usually apply the foam/gel and let it stay for about 2-3 minutes before starting to shave. That makes a big difference, otherwise its really uncomfortable.

I'm guessing this will work even better with the traditional brush/soap method.

Adding a bit of glycerine to the tip of the brush or applying a small amount to your face can really make for a strong, foamy application.

 

You can also mix it with water to make bubbles, although I was never able to make very good ones.

 

KP