Another noob here. Ready to take the DE plunge.

[JonnyBlaze]

Greetings gents!

I'm ready to get serious about shaving properly. I'm a black male with moderate ingrown hair issues in the neck area. I've been using Magic cream for decades and I'd love to ditch it permanently. Anyone familiar with that stuff knows it's an ordeal to use. In the last year or so I've been able to wet shave using garden variety disposables and creams (Quattro Titanium and Neutrogena cream and after shave balm). I honestly have no real technique and just shave. My results aren't half bad considering I put no thought into it. I can shave 2-3 times this way and then the bumps come and I have to break out the Magic to reset so-to-speak. I've been perusing this board for awhile to educate myself, checking out some mantic vids, and I'm convinced that if I take my time to learn proper technique, find the right razor, blades, cream/soap etc, that I could ditch the Magic cream for good. I'm one of those types that researches stuff incessantly before purchasing and that's problematic considering the number of products out there. I'm thinking of keeping it simple and just going with a Proraso lineup for starters and maybe some Thayers (never tried witch-hazel.) Thinking merkur razor and a sampler pack of blades. If anyone has any suggestions for a newbie feel free to chime in.

Really forward to learning the fine art of proper shaving and hoping the DE way will work well for me. This board has already been great and look forward to learning more.

[djh]

Good luck in your new venture. Hard to fault your ideas on kit, but as you realise, technique is going to be very important as well. Take your time, don't expect perfection straight away and please keep us posted on your progress.

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to B&B !!

[Prof. Moriarty]

Welcome to B&B

[demaro]

Welcome to B&B !!

[Sledgehammer39]

Welcome Aboard!

[xfumbler]

I'm a newbie too, I started with a Merkur HD and Proraso. I think that both are very good for beginners. In fact I think it's been pretty easy for me to get a good lather with proraso from the start. On thing that I would recommend is that you map your hair growth so that you know which direction the grain is. I was getting red on my neck initially because I was going across the grain when I started, when I went with the grain it cleared up. Welcome!

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B.

If you haven't already done so, take a look at this post (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=71700). It will answer many of your questions.

[dpmtherrien]

Welcome to the group, you'll be glad you've joined in.

[Straight Rasier User]

Welcome to B&B.

Checkout the Mantic59 youtube viedos, be careful in your prep, and check out other youtube viedos regarding your razor bumps.

Everything boils down to personal preferences.


“Best Brush”

A Brush is a Brush and they perform differently and they are different. Boar, Badger, Horsehair, Horsehair/Boar/Badger Combos, or Syns. Get a Boar (cheap or expensive) or a Good Badger Brush.


“Soap/Cream/Stick”

Soap or Cream or Stick ... Stick or Cream or Soap ... cheap or expensive ... expensive or cheap ... glycerin based, cold processed, tripled milled, or tallow. Get a couple of each and see what works best for you.

“Safety Razor”

Safety Razors ... determine what you want and how much you are willing to spend - Open Comb, Closed Comb, TTOs, 2-Piece, 3-Piece or an adjustable. The Merkur HD or Edwin Jagger 89 are both good beginning Safety Razors. Or get an Old Gillette (SuperSpeed or 3-Piece).


“Razor Blades”

Blades ... Get a Sampler Pack and then ... Good Luck. The differences between whether a Blade is Good or Bad for any individual is because the Hand of God is at work. Maybe it is the shave preparation, or maybe it is the type of hairs being shaven, or maybe it is the patterns on the face being shaven, or the type of Razor being used (different angles or blade gaps are created by the different razor head being used), or the shaving technique being used (wrong angle, too much pressure being used and pushing down on the razor to "cut closer", or even not using multiple-passes to reduce hair growth first and always), or maybe there is one or two Bad Blades in the pack being used, or maybe for whatever reason it is a Bad Blade to you.


”Best Blade”

At first use only One Razor Blade ... use this blade only for a few weeks ... changing when dull.

The First Razor Blade you use is your “Best Blade.”

Get several of your First Best Blade.

Get down the Basics of Shaving – Preparation, Lathering, Shaving with the Razor – light touch, proper angle and little pressure, Multi-Passes – WTG, XTG, and Reverse-XTG.

Get more information and look at the Mantic59 Youtube videos, the GeoFatBoy videos and read the Wiki.


“Finding Your Best Blade”

After you have everything down ... then use a different blade for a week and see if it becomes your new "Best Blade".

If not go back to the other blade for a week then, use a different blade for a week.

Your Best Blade is your base line blade for your tests. When you find your “Next Best Blade” then, that is your “New Best Blade”. Continue working through your sampler pack looking for a “New Best Blade”.

Please note that Different Safety Razors may have a different “Best Blade” and if you have poor technique then it will also affect your choice of a “New Best Blade”.

“Map Your Face”

Make Sure you have Mapped Your Face because that is the only way to know which way your hair grows.

“Technique”

Also make sure that your preshave preparation is down.

Then shave WTG, XTG and Reverse-XTG.

Rinse, Lather, WTG
Rinse, Lather, XTG
Rinse, Lather, Reverse-XTG
Rinse, Lather, Buffing.

No Rinse, No Lather, No Shave.

For the first few weeks ... Do not do ATG ... Wait until you have your technique down because you could and usually will be holding the safety razor upside down when shaving your neck and this may cause you some problems when trying to maintain the correct blade angle while applying a light pressure.

Be careful of Feather blades as they are super sharp and unforgiving make sure you are confident of your technique before using them.

Have Fun Shaving and May All Your Shaves Be BBS.

[mrchilli]

Welcome! I think using DE razors will help greatly with the ingrown hairs issues. From personal experience, I'd heartily recommend a Gillette Tech (just MY humble opinion of course). They are gentle, forgiving and (I reckon) will give as good a shave as anything out there - and without casualties!

[bpire2002]

Welcome!

[Touchy]

Welcome to the forum. very good advice in the posted replies. Prepping the skin, finding a razor and blades that are smooth & mild, and shaving tecnique are all of primary importance.Skin care is just as important if not more so than tools and technique. As someone with sensitive skin, I recommend that you look for sensitive skin soaps, creams, etc., but note that NOT all sensitive products will be labeled on the packaging. Haslinger aloe soap, Gold Dachs Speziel and Osma are very good. Kiss My Face is a store brand cream with NO synthetics that is as good or better than many creams - and for the price absolutely cannot be beat. Be careful to check ingredients on all prospective products. Those beneficial for the skin often include aloe, shea butter, etc. And you may find that some ingredients like different oils or tallows may or may not agree with you. As a pre- and post shave I highly recommend Weleda after shave balm. This is another company that relies on bo, be patientanicals and other non-synthetic ingredients. You can PM me if you want any more suggestions. Good luck, be patient, and happy shaving!

[mistervee123]

Welcome. Find the advice that suits you, your budget, and your shaving style. Listen politely, and spurn the rest. YMMV, baby!

[linty1]

Hi, and welcome to B&B!

[fliptopwillie]

Welcome to B&B!

[D.W.B.]

Greetings and Salutations to B&B!

[gwav64]

Hello and welcome! Remember to use no pressure on the razor...let the weight of the razor do the work. I recommend Arko shave sticks...easy to lather and nice protection and glide.

[JonnyBlaze]

Thanks for all the responses. Anyone have a go-to place for shaving supplies? There's an AOS close-by, but that's a little pricey for me, but probably worth a look. Is online my best bet.?

[Oblique Human]

Welcome to B&B!

[CharlieFoxtrot]

Thanks for all the responses. Anyone have a go-to place for shaving supplies? There's an AOS close-by, but that's a little pricey for me, but probably worth a look. Is online my best bet.?

Go to the vendors area of the forum. Any of the B&B vendors would be a great choice. There is no need to complicate this process. There are plenty of great products that are inexpensive. Merkur makes a fine razor, and Proraso is an excellent soap. Beware that the green tub has a menthol kick to it. Razorock is another inexpensive, yet excellent soap. I tend to feel that www.bullgooseshaving.net has the best blade sampler pack, but ymmv. Technique is king here, and no product can compensate for that.

[grump]

Welcome to B&B!