First safety razor shave last night

[ArizonaFatBoy]

Well, finally took the leap. Used the Fat Boy that I aquired in Argentina on a "1" setting. Got a very basic shaving kit from Amazon, cheap, figure I'll upgrade once I get the hang of it. Used standard blades from CVS Pharmacy. Included a boar brush, generic soap, and a ceramic bowl. Think it was Van Der Hagen brand.

Happy to report that I didn't cut myself, but I also didn't get as good of a shave as I'm used to with my Gilette Fusion.

I started by warming up the razor and washing the brush. Then I daubed the soap until I had a decent lather worked up, and painted (for lack of a better word) the lather all over my face. I then did two passes with the grain, very short passes. I reapplied lather after the first pass.

No cuts, but the shave seemed inconsistent. Places I had the most trouble with were right around my Adam's apple and the angle of my jawbone (I have a very well-defined jaw).

I have a few questions, too: Do you keep the soap in the bowl when you shave? What about after? If not where do you put it? Will it mildew/get nasty? I realize these are pretty basic questions but I'm just getting into this.

Thanks.

[tweetyfish11]

Congrats on your first shave! It just takes time and patience to acquire the proper technique. I am new to this as you but I think I can help with your questions.

Some people stick the soap to the bowl with water and let it dry,others mill the soap into the container(shavewiki tells all about this).

As long as you use the soap regularly I do not believe it will get nasty, just rinse the excess lather from your bowl. The soap may attract some dust or something if unused for a short time but that can be easily washed off or you can cover the bowl with something.

Hope this helps!

[Dennard]

Welcome! In time your shave will improve. As with everything, it takes practice. The Adam's apple is the easiest place for me to nick myself, too. And your soap can stay in the bowl during and between uses without any problem.

[fluffman86]

I leave the VDH soap in the little blister pack. Makes it great for travelling. Just open, rinse, lather, rinse, close. Sometimes I pat it dry with my towel. No mildew or anything. Stays nice and fresh. Cover Girl powdered makup containers work well for VDH and Williams, too.

I also face lather. I find that works really well with soaps (like VDH). So I wet the brush, shake it out gently, start by swirling the brush on the soap a little hard to kind of break up the top layer, then flip everything over and swirl the soap on top of the brush, which lets suds and such fill down into the brush. You won't have a lather at this point, and instead of building one in the tiny bowl they give you (it's fine for creams, though), just go to town and start building lather on your face.

The VDH boars, unfortunately, don't have natural tips. They've been trimmed and are kind of harsh to start out with. Once the brush is broken in (after about 2 months) it will hold more lather and release it better, so 20 seconds of swirling will give you enough lather then for 3+ passes of shaving. They'll also get a lot softer after the ends start to split, but it takes a while with trimmed tips.

[Blorkin]

Congrats on your first shave and not cutting up your face :) When I started I had the same problem as you around my jaw and neck I had a lot of problems... so I started a thread (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/193884-Jaw-and-Neck?highlight=).

[Optometrist]

Welcome to B&B!:thumbup1:
You will match the shave with your Fusion, and exceed it, once you have your technique mastered.

[chwilkins]

VDH is good soap I would suggest you Get a blade sampler kit from http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Sample-Packs_c_1.html or http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/blsapa.html and give that a go. vdh brushes are abit harsh buit will do the job.

[Sledgehammer39]

Congrats and Welcome Aboard!!

[ikeyballz]

The soap will suck the moisture out of any bacteria and kill it, so it shouldn't get nasty. If you're not getting as close of a shave as you want, I suggest cranking up the dial - and backing off the pressure (a lot..I came from M3/fusion and on 1 it was ok with slight razor burn but at higher aggressiveness it hurts!)

[Eric V]

Nice first shave! Great responses and comments above. I'll add my 2 cents, and you can pick and choose those comments from everybody that make sense to you.


Get a blade sampler kit from http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Sample-Packs_c_1.html or http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/blsapa.html and give that a go
+1 ... this is the next best investment for learning razor technic. We realize everyone can't start out with a blade sampler because of the cost, so it should be next on your shaving needs list. A sampler will teach you technic because you'll notice slight differences between each blade, and begin to refine your angle and pressure. You'll also find a blade that works well for you at your current level of shaving. It is more fun shaving with a blade that is nice to use!


The VDH boars, unfortunately, don't have natural tips. They've been trimmed and are kind of harsh to start out with.
+1 ... VDH board do not bloom like a quality boar brush. I'd recommend reading this wiki page: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Choosing_your_first_shaving_brush

I'd also suggest the next upgrade you make is a quality boar brush. You'll be amazed at the difference. Keep your eyes on the BST forum, and you may pick one up at a bargain price. Also keep in mind a quality boar brush is better than any pure badger brush in terms of being able to use soaps, creams, face lathering and bowl lathering.


As long as you use the soap regularly I do not believe it will get nasty, just rinse the excess lather from your bowl. The soap may attract some dust or something if unused for a short time but that can be easily washed off or you can cover the bowl with something.
+1 ...
I'm not quite sure what you mean by keeping the soap in the bowl. What bowl did you use? It sounds like you lathered in the bowl with the puck of soap. If you use a bowl to lather, keep the puck in a separate bowl. These tutorials will help: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Category:Lathering

If you face lather, then you can load the brush with the puck in the bowl. Drain the bowl of excess water after shaving and store it uncovered so it dries out a bit. I haven't grown anything in soap, but have grown some weird purple stuff in a bowl of cream because I used a wet brush (added too much water), then stored it covered. Dang! I like the cream, but am leery of the purple growth!

As mentioned above, around the adams apple is a tricky spot to shave! Take your time and use short strokes. Let us know how your next shave goes!

[Viseguy]

... The VDH boars, unfortunately, don't have natural tips. They've been trimmed and are kind of harsh to start out with. Once the brush is broken in (after about 2 months) it will hold more lather and release it better, so 20 seconds of swirling will give you enough lather then for 3+ passes of shaving. They'll also get a lot softer after the ends start to split, but it takes a while with trimmed tips.

Same experience here with the VDH brush. But now that it's been broken in, it's almost as soft as my EJ Best Badger but with way more backbone. And to think it cost maybe $5 -- part of the VDH Deluxe kit that sells for ten and change.

To ArizonaFatBoy: You're off to a great start. The technique will come with time and some practice. Good luck! :badger:

[ackvil]

Welcome.

[zano2]

Welcome to B&B!

[grimas42]

+1 to the blade sampler. It is a great way to figure out what you like.

[Artistik]

Welcome 2 B&B! Congrats.

[maxzoran]

Well, finally took the leap. Used the Fat Boy that I aquired in Argentina on a "1" setting. Got a very basic shaving kit from Amazon, cheap, figure I'll upgrade once I get the hang of it. Used standard blades from CVS Pharmacy. Included a boar brush, generic soap, and a ceramic bowl. Think it was Van Der Hagen brand.

Happy to report that I didn't cut myself, but I also didn't get as good of a shave as I'm used to with my Gilette Fusion.

I started by warming up the razor and washing the brush. Then I daubed the soap until I had a decent lather worked up, and painted (for lack of a better word) the lather all over my face. I then did two passes with the grain, very short passes. I reapplied lather after the first pass.

No cuts, but the shave seemed inconsistent. Places I had the most trouble with were right around my Adam's apple and the angle of my jawbone (I have a very well-defined jaw).

I have a few questions, too: Do you keep the soap in the bowl when you shave? What about after? If not where do you put it? Will it mildew/get nasty? I realize these are pretty basic questions but I'm just getting into this.

Thanks.

How about a shot to win a badger brush?

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/245923-Newbie-Badger-Brush-PIF-%28CONUS-only%29

[tice75]

Good job! Sounds like a positive first experience!

-Steve