Second shave down... not so good.

[Apoc220]

OK... so my father in law gave me two cheap-o plastic DEs for me to try out. It was an astra razor (white plastic with black spin knob (?) to open the head) and some no name plastic one with a metal head. The no name I tried yesterday, but it's too forgiving. I felt that I had to apply pressure to get it to do anything, so I don't think it's going to be a good option considering that I need to get into the habit of NOT applying pressure. I tried the Astra this morning, and boy was it rough. The blade (gillete made in Australia) was sticking out too much and was really irritating my skin. I barely had to make an angle for the blade to touch my face. Towards the end I found my self holding the razor basically perpendicular to my face and it wasn't so bad. Didn't like the astra razor. Still shaving with some canned gillete gel but am going to get some shaving soap soon. Sigh... any suggestions, guys?

[Mr5x5]

Try a decent vintage razor from the BST and a blade sample pack. I've read good things about the Lord razors as well and they are new available several place if you want to go that route. No firsthand experience with them.

[jrp316]

Try a decent vintage razor from the BST and a blade sample pack. I've read good things about the Lord razors as well and they are new available several place if you want to go that route. No firsthand experience with them.

Seconded. A good Gillette SS won't set you back too much $$$ and you'll more than get your money's worth from it in quality shaves. Drop the "canned goo" and set yourself up with a brush and soap/cream. A tube of CO Bigelow can be found at your local Bath and Body Works for $5/$10 for a small/large tube for example. You can get a decent brush from just about any of the vendors here or the B/S/T; rob a mug or bowl out of the kitchen cabinet and you're good to go.

[Eric V]

Dang! I think your gear is just too shabby.



Try a decent vintage razor from the BST and a blade sample pack. I've read good things about the Lord razors as well and they are new available several place if you want to go that route. No firsthand experience with them.


+2 ... also, keep your eyes open for a PIF for newbies. Hmmm. canned goo. double dang! What are you going to do for a brush and soap?

[jss4fish]

+3. I started with a Merkur and was PIF'd a Gillette SS. Rarely touch the Merkur now as the Gillette is much smoother for me. A blade sampler is also important as different blades work better with different razors for different people. Lastly, the canned goo is not going to give you the same protection as a good soap and brush. Be sure to read the wiki stuff and use proper prep as well. Mantic's vids on YouTube are also good.

[Greyfox]

Good advice. Get a good razor. Things will improve.

[Apoc220]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I am actually expecting a feather popular thanks to a generous member of this community! I might just hold out until I get that and just stick to my fusion for now. The fusion works great for me, but the price for the blades is rediculous here down under, which is why I'm switching to DE. As for soap and brush, I am thinking of picking up some Col. Conk Bay Rum to start off. My father-in-law also gave me a brush. It's mainly yellow bristles with some random black ones... anyone know what type this might be? Anyway, I'll try it with the bay rum to get a feel for how it handles. I'm looking to pick up some proraso (or c.o. bigelow) and maybe a nice boar brush when I go to the states later this year. For now I think I'll stick with my fusion until I get the popular. Thanks for the tips, guys!

[KM-instructor]

Try a decent vintage razor from the BST and a blade sample pack. I've read good things about the Lord razors as well and they are new available several place if you want to go that route. No firsthand experience with them.

Yeppers that's the ticket.

[jrp316]

Sounds like you've got a boar brush from your FIL, probably a VDH brush. Not a bad brush to start with, but you'll want to graduate to a badger brush soon. You might consider scouring the local drug stores/pharmacies for some good shaving soap/cream. I don't know if they have Bath and Body Works stores where you are, but CO Bigelow can be found there.

[Apoc220]

I don't think it's a VDH, but just a generic. Anyway, there aren't any bath and body works where I'm at, and CO Bigelow ships here, but at 33 dollars I'd rather wait until I'm over stateside and get more for less at the actual store.

[Eric V]

I don't think it's a VDH, but just a generic. Anyway, there aren't any bath and body works where I'm at, and CO Bigelow ships here, but at 33 dollars I'd rather wait until I'm over stateside and get more for less at the actual store.


XLENT! We're glad you got a brush and will be looking into Conk soap. Have fun!

[Adam R]

Buy a vintage 'gillette razor' (TTO) from a popular auction website online. Am I allowed to say that? Or hit an antique store or two in your local area. You don't need to spend big bucks. The Gillette TTO is a sweet cheap razor for newbs like me. Good to try new blades in and work on your skills. They clean up incredibly well no matter what shape they are in.

[Eric V]

Buy a vintage 'gillette razor' (TTO) from a popular auction website online. Am I allowed to say that?

You are! I have more trust in the BST forum here, or even posting a WTB thread here, than eBay.

[Apoc220]

Update: So I just came upon a revelation! Kind of embarrassed, but it turns out that I wasn't turning the dial hard enough on the astra, which lead to the blade sticking out flat instead of curved down. I gave it a bit of a turn and it was looking much better. I just hope that it isn't TOO forgiving on the hairs. I'm going to give my face a break tomorrow since I really roughed it up this morning. However, come Thursday I'm going to give it another go!

[buma]

also, didn't hear much about your prep in your first post. DE shaving is made much easier if you prep your face for the shave, especially if you're still using your canned shaving cream. I normally shower first and wash my face well to get all the dirt off the face and hairs. Then right out of the shower, I'd lather up (I normally use a preshave oil, but that's up to you - olive oil works here), and slowly start to shave - and remember to tighten down that blade!

good luck!

[Apoc220]

Hey Buma,

My pre-shave involved soaking my face with hot water since I normally shower in the evening. I then tried a pre-lather lather to help get my hairs soft. Unfortunately I think that all the canned gel that I put on my face ended up irritating it some because I have had an irritated face all day. I think I'll skip the pre-lather lather and just take the hot water to soften the hairs for now. Now that I will have the razor setup properly, I can begin to truly get a feel for what will work. I may use a nivea face scrub that I have... we'll see.

[newshavr]

Dont know if this is a trend or not but my second shave was by far my worst one also... 1st was good/ok.. second tore my face up.. third was BBS, 4th was better than second.. so on and so on... it goes up and down... some days are good others are bad.. with practice you'll start to see much more good days.

[Jiddy]

Hey Apoc,

The cheapest razor prices I've found shipped to Oz (new) was thesuperiorshave.com. I think it was around $35 for a merkur HD shipped, and took a couple weeks. In the meantime, Bigelow cream is the same as proraso (I believe), which himage.com.au sells for around $10, also including shipping. You can also get a few blades from them for cheap (gillette yellows, astras, etc.)

Best of luck, sounds like a gear upgrade will go along way!

[fluffman86]

Take a picture of your two razors and post it here. Plastic handle with a metal head sounds like it could be a feather popular or a schick krona. Either of them are great razors. I've never heard of a razor being "too forgiving" for a newbie. I think you just have unrealistic expectations of what a single blade will do. Any 2+ blade razor uses the first blade to pull the hair, and the second to snip it off so it will be below the skin once it retracts into your face. A DE is different: you want to "shoot for shaving par" (as Mantic59 would say) and just reduce, *not remove*, hair on the first couple of passes. It takes at least two passes for a DE to do what a fusion does in one pass, which is a *GOOD* thing...I don't like 5 blades ripping through my face at once. 2 passes with a fusion for BBS x 5 blades = 10 total passes vs 1 blade x 4 passes for BBS = 4 total passes. It's more work, but I get the same results with less irritation, so it's worth it.

[Apoc220]

So I tried it again today, despite wanting to give my face a break. I couldn't help myself, and the stubble on my face from my failed attempt yesterday gave me an excuse! So I first splashed some hot water on my face and then gave it a scrub with the face scrub that I use regularly. Rinsed off and then used the nivea cream that I got in a gift set a while back. MAN... that stuff is nice. The lather was just so creamy, nothing like the lather that I get from the gillette can. Anyway, put that on my face and then began my first pass. Took short strokes WTG and tried to focus on not going over parts after the lather was stripped off. Did one pass and there were still noticible hairs, so put some more lather on and went for a second pass WTG. This time I wasn't able to take my time because I was starting to run late, but I still tried to focus on short strokes and no pressure. The result was a DFS which I am impressed with! I know that I shouldn't expect a BBS every time (and even this early for that matter) so I'll settle for anything between DFS and SAS at this point. Now my only problem is that my low sink results in me spashing water EVERYWHERE! My wife made a comment on the amount of time I took this morning and the water that was everywhere (despite my failed attempts to clean it up). Oh well... part of the learning process, I guess! Anyway, I'd say success today. Feeling much more confident about this wetshaving journey I'm undertaking. Cheers to everyone for the advice!

@Jiddy - Thanks for the tips! I actually found one site through the shavewiki that sells blades with $2 AUD shipping. They let you build custom sampler packs real cheap, so I'll be getting some sample blades that way. As for the proraso, I will definitely be getting some from himage. Can't beat free shipping! Thanks for the tip!

@flyffman - The one with a plastic handle is neither. It's a white handle that is pointy with ridges. I'll post a pic up soon just to get an idea of what it is. I do believe that you are right on the whole "high expectation" business, though. Two passes of the DE definitely equalled one pass from the fusion. But it's a pretty good shave, so I'm not complaining.

[Eric V]

Did one pass and there were still noticible hairs, so put some more lather on and went for a second pass WTG. This time I wasn't able to take my time because I was starting to run late, but I still tried to focus on short strokes and no pressure. The result was a DFS which I am impressed with!

Sweet!

Glad you found out about twisting the razor tighter also! Every bit helps!

[Apoc220]

Every bit does help, Eric! I think I am liking the astra much better than the no-name razor. Did a shave this morning and it went very well. Got a DFS with the astra on 2 passes with the grain. Read the post that was up yesterday re: razor angles and "floating the blade". Applied this and it was a very comfortable shave. Can't wait for it to all "come together" though! It's a journey... so I'll be patient!

[Eric V]

Every bit does help, Eric! I think I am liking the astra much better than the no-name razor. Did a shave this morning and it went very well. Got a DFS with the astra on 2 passes with the grain. Read the post that was up yesterday re: razor angles and "floating the blade". Applied this and it was a very comfortable shave. Can't wait for it to all "come together" though! It's a journey... so I'll be patient!


Sweet! It is already coming together for you! Yes, it is a journey, and a continuing one. That's part of the fun!