Shave lessons?

[KM-instructor]

OK Ladies and Gents! who taught you to shave in the first place? I know some of the younger crowd have access to videos and forums, so i guess it's easier today than it was years ago, plus a gazzillion products are available online.

Personally i taught myself through trial and error, who taught you?.

[Dennard]

My dad has used an electric since before I was born, so that's what I learned on. After a while I ditched the electric and taught myself on a cartridge and then a DE.

[DFSDAILY]

I'm a self taught shaver. Since finding the forums a year and a half ago I discovered I had no idea what I was doing. Cartridges or DE.

[Codfish]

My dad taught me in 1963 on a brand-new Slim adjustable. When the Track II came out, I switched to it and stayed with carts through the Mach 3. I switched back to the 1963 Slim about two years ago and had to learn all over again, but without dad, who passed away some time ago.

Codfish

[jsj_297]

Grandfather did! When I was 14, I spent the summer up in Michigan with family, he decided to teach me to use a straight razor! Boy was I scared! I wish I wouldve kept the stuff he gave me, and I did convert to cartridges after joining miitary at 20.......I admit, I kinda actually liked my sensor I was given, just not the timed pressure I was under to use it!!

[fidjit]

Nobody :sad:

Was handed one of dad's old 'lectrics when I was 15/16.....

Dabbled with carts

Went back to 'lectrics

Went back to Cartridges

Found B&B

Everyone here helped teach me in the end :lol:

[BrianK]

Dad was too busy earning a living. I don't fault him that, he did a good job. I tried on my own with the same razor I used yesterday, more successfully this time, I add (I bought it in '70). I gave up and went to carts, a short stint with electrics, back to carts and disposables, then B&B taught me what I had been missing in the '70s. So I guess B&B taught me. I was definitely searching for an alternative for carts when I found B&B, spent at least 6 hours researching the material for noobs and realized what I needed to do to be successful this time. Here I am today. I began with the same razor I put down in the '70s, and some others I somehow acquired over the years.

To answer your question, B&B taught me.

[dpm802]

I'm a self taught shaver. Since finding the forums a year and a half ago I discovered I had no idea what I was doing. Cartridges or DE.Same here. I just picked up a razor around the age of 17 or so and went at it.

My father was a Merchant Seaman, so he wasn't home very much. My grandfather was an old-school barber who had all kinds of cool equipment, dozens of straights and an assortment of brushes and other gear that he used in his shop. Ironically, when he was at home, he shaved himself with a can of Barbasol and a Schick injector. But it never occurred to either of them to teach me how to shave.

I got my first actual shaving lessons in Navy Boot Camp at the age of 21. The taught us how to do EVERYTHING "The Navy Way." Shaving, brushing our teeth, taking a shower. Not only did it have to all be done properly, we had to do it all in under 5 minutes. Yes, you can, but its not too much fun. I do remember that they taught us to shave in all four directions, so at least they got that right in our quest for daily BBS. They didn't go much into the prep-steps, and since coming to B&B I've come to appreciate that this is the most important part of the routine. If you don't get the beard prep right, nothing else that follows it is going to matter.

After our morning ablutions, we'd stand in formation for inspection. The shave test consisted of handing our ID Card to the instructor, and he would scrape it along our face. If he could hear a "scritch-scritch-scratch" ... you failed.

[neo_styles]

I learned to shave the same exact way I learned to drive manual: alone and through a huge amount of trial and error.

Matter of fact, I'm just now learning how to actually shave. What I was doing before must have just been pure luck. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I used to have to do the toilet paper nick trick throughout high school...

[Waistcoat]

Trial and error in addition to badger and blade. Dad uses cartridges so that's what I started with before DE. I can't wait for the day I (hopefully) have a son and can teach him to shave

[bjh618]

My dad tried to teach me, but he has had a full beard (:scared:)since I was born so I didn't really take his advice.

Taught myself with carts then moved onto de

[PaqDan]

When I was 13 there was a kid a year above me who would shout KID, YOU GOTTA SHAVE THAT MOUSTACHE every day in the halls. Finally took matters into my own hands one day, went into the bathroom and borrowed my Dad's Excel. I think he was a bit disappointed not to give me a lesson first. He gave me a couple of pointers, but there didn't seem to be much to it a the time. I kind of can't wait to teach my kid about DE shaving. He's only 5 and a half months so there's still a way to go.

[FATALfunnel]

My old man always used electric razors, which I didn't find worked well enough. I guess I must have watched my brother shave and just sort of picked it up. Cartridges were my friend while I was growing up and well in to my Military career. I eventually found myself in Germany and as I was walking around downtown, I stumbled in to a store that sold Dovos, among other things, and they caught my eye. So now I've been using my Dovo for about a year or so. Self taught with the help of the internet and eventually B&B. I hope to have a son to teach someday!

[Tak]

My father left when I was young. I was too weirded out in that way that only teenage boys can be to ask my mother to help, so I got through it alone. Probably with a disposable Bic or something like that, nothing memorable about it. It was a means to an end rather than any sort of right of passage or even enjoyable masculine ritual. I learned straights from much reading here and elsewhere. Now it's such a grand and enjoyable activity that if I'm ever fortunate enough to have a child I will do everything in my power teach him how to go about it the wet-shaver way.

And if that child is a girl I'll probably go back to carts to keep myself from using a straight to murder her would-be suitors who fail to live up to her (my) standards!

[JCinPA]

My dad has been an electric guy from day one. Never used a blade. I was surprised because he's 83, I wonder when electrics came out???

Anyway, my grand dad got me a Schick plus platinum injector, just like this ...

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/8418/96401440.jpg

and a can of Gillette Foamy, IIRC and got me up to speed on angle and pressure. I bought myself one of the adjustables shown here ...

http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/petstore/pet-image-large/barber-tool-shaver-schick-old-safety-razor-razor-blades_260762240643.jpg

a couple years later. Unfortunately, I jumped right on the Gillette cartridge marketing bandwagon in the late 70"s when I was in college and didn't get off until last month.

[Sledgehammer39]

My Dad taught me, and I learned with a Trac II. The choices I had were the new Sensor or his extra Trac II.

[john shea]

My father gave me a new Slim, mug, soap, and brush at around age 13.. I already knew the basic idea of wet shaving from watching him shave with his DE and mug of soap each morning. Sometimes he used canned soap instead of the mug. Just about everybody shaved with a DE, SE or electric razor, there were no cartridge razors, as I recall.

In college, I ran out of DE blades one day and bought a bag of the cheap disposable razors which were now in the markets. I started shaving with the cheap disposables directly out of the shower without using shaving soap. This worked OK for many years and taught me the importance of beard softening prep. If my beard was well softened and kept wet, I could get by easily without shaving soap. At that time, I no longer saw any reason to buy razor blades for the Slim as I could buy a whole bag of blades already mounted in plastic razors for less money.

I have never used a cartridge razor because I am repelled by their unnecessary high cost.

Kitchen knive/sharpening forums lead me to straight razor forums which lead me back to DE shaving.

If I had stuck with the bag of disposables, RAD would not have taken over leading me to acquire 5 DEs, 1 SE, 3 straights and 4 brushes. Should I switch to the cartridges to save money?

[Chadtheguru]

I picked up a disposable when I started looking woolly at 13 or so. I've made the loop from disposables to carts to electrics a half-dozen times. I've never had anyone teach me to shave so I've never had a good shave until I found B&B. So you guys and mantic taught me to shave. :)

[gearchow]

My Dad taught me in the 70s. I then unlearned most of those things here.

-jim

[Dave258]

Taught myself through lots of nicks and cuts, parents were divorced when I was very young. I grew up in a house full of girls, and remember the only razors in the house were the disposables with the white head and yellow handle.
I went to a high school that you were not allowed to have any facial hair. The Dean was at the front door every morning, and if you were not clean shaven you were handed a crappy razor and sent to shave with no cream or soap (with a detention for that day also). I wonder if that added to the fact that I never liked shaving.

[joch3]

B&B taught me. Thanks guys!

My father uses a disposable without water. Somehow that wasn't appealing...

[djm2]

My father died when I was 6, so I taught myself first with his old Gillette. It was a quick re-learn after starting again, assisted with the many pointers found here.

Yesterday SWMBO mentioned that despite the kidding she gives me about spending time with the razor that she could tell after a recent dinner party, where kisses on the cheek were the rule of greetings, that my face was far and away the best and smoothest of the bunch.

[klm099]

Dad gave me a tech when I was about 12 and told me to get the damn peach fuzz off my face (he was career military) and that was the extent of his advice, but I had watched him and my grandfathers shave a thousand times, so I sorta knew what to do, now 50 years later I am still doing it the same way. IMHO razors are about the same, soaps today are better, AS has gone too sissy so I stick to the older brands, brushes are way better (or maybe I can now afford better) blades are way way way better today
ken

[phillylion]

I taught myself, trial and error.