wonderbread403
07-11-2010, 10:48 PM
I checked in a few weeks ago about my first few shaves. Before traditional wetshaving, I rarely shaved regularly and let my stubble grow out because I really didn't enjoy using a Mach 3 and a can of gel. It was more of a chore. But I've been shaving every day and I look forward to shaving all the time.
After my initial gear setup, I'm already accumulating more gear! I've stopped buying for now. Got school and my wedding to pay for! Here are my thoughts on some stuff....
Merkur 33C Classic shaving razor: My first safety razor ever. Compared to the Mach 3, it's not as convenient, but at least I can shave against the grain without major irritation. I can see why the HD is popular. I feel this razor can use more weight to cut my coarse hairs.
Vulfix No. 1000 Pure Badger: As you can tell, I went with less expensive gear. Not as soft as I expected, but still feels good my face as long as there's plenty of lather. I might ask for a super badger brush for Christmas.
As for the soaps and cream, I've only done face lathering so far.
Crabtree & Evelyn Nomad shaving soap: My first soap. $18. Good price since it came with a wood bowl. Not my favorite soap and scent, but still part of my rotation. Good lather, but not as a thick and rich as my D.R. Harris Arlington or Ogallala Bay Rum and Sandlewood stick.
D.R. Harris Arlington: Got the refill and put it in the often recommended $2 Target dipping bowl. Smells terrific and makes great lather. This one's a keeper!
C.O. Bigelow shaving cream: After reading all about Proraso on this forum, I had to pick this up at the local Bath and Body Works. Feels very nice, but I think it dries faster than the soaps I use.
Ogallala Bay Rum and Sandlewood shaving stick: I just got this because of it's low price. This lather was tremendous. Maybe I rubbed that stick on my face for longer than necessary, but it seemed right to me! Smells great. One of my favorites so far.
Merkur blade: This came with my razor and I used it on my first shave. Maybe it was my beginner technique, but this didn't feel good at all. I felt bold and switched to a Feather blade for my 2nd shave.
Feather blade: Thanks to cautionary tales on this forum, I made sure I was careful with this blade. I shaved with these razors for about a week and honed my technique. I got a few nicks and some pretty bad irritation on some days. However, I got progressively better and felt very good with each shave.
I got the economy blade sampler from West Coast Shaving. Good store!
Personna blade: Maybe I've been accustomed to the incredibly sharp Feathers because I wasn't particularly impressed with Personna. I felt my tugging and it was pretty uncomfortable. I did 3 shaves with these and moved onto my next sampler. I'll come back to these.
Astra blade: A little better than Personna. I think I changed up my technique for the economy blades and got more aggressive. I missed a few spots after 3 passes and needed to buff. At this point, I started to think I might buy 100 Feathers because these econo blades were wasted my time.
Dorco blade: Surprisingly, this blade felt very smooth and comfortable. Not very sharp, but not irritating. I can buff against the grain without fear of razor burn. I feel very comfortable with this blade.
Next blade to try is the Derby.
Dickerson's Witch Hazel: Got this at my CVS pharmacy for...$2? Works really well to calm and tighten my face. Because of my better technique, this stuff rarely burns my face. I was afraid the alcohol would dry my face, but it hasn't yet. Sometimes, I just put this on and nothing else because my face is very smooth afterwards. I've used a lot and I've barely made a dent in this bottle. I really want to try Thayer's scented witch hazel with aloe.
Nivea Sensitive after shave balm: I've been using this stuff for over 5 years. It doesn't burn or dry out my skin. My skin feels super soft with this stuff.
Gilette Pro Fusion Intense Cooling after shave lotion: I got this after reading the B&B review. Definitely good moisturizing properties. The scent is a bit too strong. It's smells and feels....spicy. The cooling effect is also too intense for me sometimes. My head starts to sweat if I put too much on. Weird, eh? Not a big fan of this stuff.
Merkur leather case: Got this so I can travel with my razor. Not too bad. It's a far better improvement over wrapping my razor in a wad of paper towel.
Wish list? Other than upgrading my razor and brush (probably Xmas and birthday requests), I would like to try Tabac, Trumper's Lime, a Lavender/Rose/Coconut soap or cream, Mama Bears, Thayer's witchhazel, a Shave Den aftershave balm. I got plenty of time to experiment!
So there you have it. My well through into my journey. I've really enjoyed it so far and I really like reading B&B. It's a very good way to keep my mind off of work!
After my initial gear setup, I'm already accumulating more gear! I've stopped buying for now. Got school and my wedding to pay for! Here are my thoughts on some stuff....
Merkur 33C Classic shaving razor: My first safety razor ever. Compared to the Mach 3, it's not as convenient, but at least I can shave against the grain without major irritation. I can see why the HD is popular. I feel this razor can use more weight to cut my coarse hairs.
Vulfix No. 1000 Pure Badger: As you can tell, I went with less expensive gear. Not as soft as I expected, but still feels good my face as long as there's plenty of lather. I might ask for a super badger brush for Christmas.
As for the soaps and cream, I've only done face lathering so far.
Crabtree & Evelyn Nomad shaving soap: My first soap. $18. Good price since it came with a wood bowl. Not my favorite soap and scent, but still part of my rotation. Good lather, but not as a thick and rich as my D.R. Harris Arlington or Ogallala Bay Rum and Sandlewood stick.
D.R. Harris Arlington: Got the refill and put it in the often recommended $2 Target dipping bowl. Smells terrific and makes great lather. This one's a keeper!
C.O. Bigelow shaving cream: After reading all about Proraso on this forum, I had to pick this up at the local Bath and Body Works. Feels very nice, but I think it dries faster than the soaps I use.
Ogallala Bay Rum and Sandlewood shaving stick: I just got this because of it's low price. This lather was tremendous. Maybe I rubbed that stick on my face for longer than necessary, but it seemed right to me! Smells great. One of my favorites so far.
Merkur blade: This came with my razor and I used it on my first shave. Maybe it was my beginner technique, but this didn't feel good at all. I felt bold and switched to a Feather blade for my 2nd shave.
Feather blade: Thanks to cautionary tales on this forum, I made sure I was careful with this blade. I shaved with these razors for about a week and honed my technique. I got a few nicks and some pretty bad irritation on some days. However, I got progressively better and felt very good with each shave.
I got the economy blade sampler from West Coast Shaving. Good store!
Personna blade: Maybe I've been accustomed to the incredibly sharp Feathers because I wasn't particularly impressed with Personna. I felt my tugging and it was pretty uncomfortable. I did 3 shaves with these and moved onto my next sampler. I'll come back to these.
Astra blade: A little better than Personna. I think I changed up my technique for the economy blades and got more aggressive. I missed a few spots after 3 passes and needed to buff. At this point, I started to think I might buy 100 Feathers because these econo blades were wasted my time.
Dorco blade: Surprisingly, this blade felt very smooth and comfortable. Not very sharp, but not irritating. I can buff against the grain without fear of razor burn. I feel very comfortable with this blade.
Next blade to try is the Derby.
Dickerson's Witch Hazel: Got this at my CVS pharmacy for...$2? Works really well to calm and tighten my face. Because of my better technique, this stuff rarely burns my face. I was afraid the alcohol would dry my face, but it hasn't yet. Sometimes, I just put this on and nothing else because my face is very smooth afterwards. I've used a lot and I've barely made a dent in this bottle. I really want to try Thayer's scented witch hazel with aloe.
Nivea Sensitive after shave balm: I've been using this stuff for over 5 years. It doesn't burn or dry out my skin. My skin feels super soft with this stuff.
Gilette Pro Fusion Intense Cooling after shave lotion: I got this after reading the B&B review. Definitely good moisturizing properties. The scent is a bit too strong. It's smells and feels....spicy. The cooling effect is also too intense for me sometimes. My head starts to sweat if I put too much on. Weird, eh? Not a big fan of this stuff.
Merkur leather case: Got this so I can travel with my razor. Not too bad. It's a far better improvement over wrapping my razor in a wad of paper towel.
Wish list? Other than upgrading my razor and brush (probably Xmas and birthday requests), I would like to try Tabac, Trumper's Lime, a Lavender/Rose/Coconut soap or cream, Mama Bears, Thayer's witchhazel, a Shave Den aftershave balm. I got plenty of time to experiment!
So there you have it. My well through into my journey. I've really enjoyed it so far and I really like reading B&B. It's a very good way to keep my mind off of work!