Checkin' In

[TimmyBoston]

Hello All,
I guess I should have come here first, sorry everyone. My name is Tim and I have very recently gotten into traditional wetshaving. I've always been fascinated with the aescetic of it, but never knew that the results were so superior to the space age gels and 5 bladed razors. The topic was brought to my attention on an off topic thread in the straightbourbon.com forum that I spend a fair amont of time in. In this thread someone posted a link to Mark "Mantic"'s video's at YouTube, once I watched these, I was hooked. I placed an order with ClassicShaving.com and picked up some Proraso products at Target and I was in business.
I'm 25 and throughout my high school and college years and up until the present I either wore partial or complete facial hair or had a "near beard" of several days as I delayed shaving. I hated it, all the cuts and nicks and I looked just like a started a few hours later, so why bother. A girl I was dating at the time liked me with a beard so that sealed the deal, no shaving for me. If it gets out of control, just bring out the old trusty beard trimmer without a guard and I've got stubble but if you're far enough away it's not bad, right? :wink:
Sporatially I tried a Norelco and a Mach 3, neither yeilded satisfactory results. For me the Norelco was close, but the only place I got a decent shave was on my chin for the rest of my face it was either pretty smooth or untouched, and the Mach 3, cut after cut, razorburn and within 3-4 hours my beard was very rough once again.
So now for about a week, I've been traditional wetshaving, or at least as close to it as my modest technique will allow. I am so happy with everything about it. In the manner of a couple of weeks. Shaving has gone from a dreaded once a week ritual to a daily rejoycing. I can shave late at night (when I'm more awake and alert, I'm anything but a morning person, It's dangerous for me to wield sharp objects before noon), and because my shave has been so much closer that I look fine throughout the next day and I look forward to my shave all day long. I feel like a kid who's just gotten a new favorite toy.
Right now, I'm shaving with a Merkur HD, Merkur blades, with Israeil Personna's on the way, Proraso shaving cream, Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream and an inexpensive boar bristle brush that I bought years ago in a fit of nostalgia, though I only used it twice, because I'm sure all of you know this but at the time I didn't, Edge Shaving Gel isn't much improved with a shaving brush. So I gave up and tossed the brush in my bathroom closet. I have an inexpensive badger brush being shipped presently. I also have some Trumper's Violet and Nancy Boy Shaving cream on their way.
I just wanted to introduce myself to everyone and comment on how impressed I am with this site. It's incredibly professional, well done, and immensely informative. I'm also glad to have a place to go to express my glee over my newfound hobby. I've amazed even myself; I love shaving!

Before I let all of you get back to more interesting posts, I have a few questions. I have very sensitive skin and am prone to razor burn and ingrown hairs, this plays in to most of my questions.

I've been looking at a Vulfix Shaving Brush #2233. Any opinions on this brush for a newbie and/or in general? Also how long will a shaving brush last? I'm reluctant to purchase a nicer one if they wear out every couple of months.

I really like my HD, but would a Progress be better for me, or will the nicks and burn lessen with practice and it's just better to keep the HD?

How often should blades be changed? Do the Merkur's have a longer "shave" life than the Israeli Personnas?

Are the cream's I've purchased good one's for sensitive skinned newbies? If not, any recommendations?

If my face is faily heavily razorburned, it is better to shave the next day to keep up the routine or better to rest for 48 hours? Also if there is a mildly substantial nick, should that area not be shaved for a while so it can heal or should I risk reopening it? Or should I just shave it with a single pass or something else entirely?

Finally, Any aftershave balm that might ease the mild burn on my face and the feeling of tightness I experience? The tightness of my skin is one thing I reallly dislike about daily shaving. Currently I'm reapplying the Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream.

Thank you all for time. I appreciate it so much. If I should redirect these questions somewhere else, please let me know and I apologize if I've caused any inconvenience. One last thing any general pointers that might help a newbie get more accustomed to this forum, avoid stupid questions, or plain, general B&B advice. Thanks again.
I look forward to learning, so one day I may be able to pass along the good advice.

Tim

[Steelforge]

Hey Tim, welcome to the forum. :thumbup1:

As a fellow newbie of 4 weeks I'll try and answer a few of your questions, and let the more experienced guys answer the rest.

The Vulfix brush, well I bought the 2234 about 2 weeks ago and it's been awesome. Really soft, densely packed, holds loads of water/lather. I'd say you can't go far wrong with the 2233 (it's the slightly smaller version of the 2234) and you'll probably be very happy with it. I've heard that badger brushes can last for over 10 years if they're rinsed/dried properly and then periodically washed with Borax solution.

The Proraso products are supposed to be amazing value and have very good performance. They aren't widely available in the UK but I'm hoping to pick some up next week. The new brush will make lathering up easier, and if you don't already have one you might want to try using a wide coffee mug or bowl for whipping up the later - it makes life a lot easier.

Ingrown hairs, these should stop now you're using a DE razor. I used to get loads of these (like 2 or 3 every day) when I used a Mach3 and since switching to DE I've had 1 in the last 4 weeks. :smile:

Blades. For learning your technique it's best to use a sharp blade, so personally I change mine every 2 days at the moment. They are so cheap (compared to Mach3/Fusion) it's no problem doing this. I'd recommend you send a PM to letterk about getting one of his blade sampler packs to try (5 different types). I did this and found the blade which works best for me (Derby) then bought 100 on Ebay very cheap, the sampler packs are a really great idea for new wetshavers.

Razorburn. Yeah you'll likely get this while learning, I certainly did! Every time you pass a DE blade over your skin you remove a very thin layer of skin cells, so the more you do it the more irritation you'll get. The key is to prepare the stubble with lots of hot water, then use a good creamy lather, and only do passes with the grain of the beard to start with (for the first week or 2). Also you have to rememeber to use no pressure at all, just the weight of the razor, and don't go over the same spot twice without re-lathering - you need the lather to act as a lubricant (this is my main failing!). If you do end up with bad razorburn, take a day off shaving to let your skin recover before trying again. Incidentally if you get the sampler pack, you'll find that some blades will work better for you and cause less razorburn - for me the Derby blades are much kinder to my face than the Merkur blades.

For soothing/healing the skin afterwards, I'd reccommend Trumpers Coral Skin Food. It's highly regarded on here and I find it very effective, it works well amd has a very nice rose fragrance which fades away as it's absorbed into your skin.

Hope this helps, keep at it and it just gets better. :thumbup1:

[Jonnybc]

Hi Tim and welcome to B&B, I've tried to answer a few of your questions:


I've been looking at a Vulfix Shaving Brush #2233. Any opinions on this brush for a newbie and/or in general? Also how long will a shaving brush last? I'm reluctant to purchase a nicer one if they wear out every couple of months.
The Vulfix 2233 is an OK brush albeit soft, I'd be more inclined to ket a Kent BK2 or BK4 (http://www.kentbrushes.com/acatalog/White_Barrel_Series_Silver_Tip_Badger.html)as a first badger brush but I really like the Kent BK range so I might be biased! A badger brush will last for years, you nearly always get hair loss the first few times of use but this settles down.


I really like my HD, but would a Progress be better for me, or will the nicks and burn lessen with practice and it's just better to keep the HD?
If I were you I'd keep with the HD, the additional adjustability of the Progress will lead to too many variables when your starting out. The HD is quite a gentle razor, you just need to learn how to use it correctly. The only razor I recommend you buy is a vintage Gillette Superspeed, they're very easy to shave with IMO.


How often should blades be changed? Do the Merkur's have a longer "shave" life than the Israeli Personnas?
Blade life will depend on your facial hair, I generally get 3-4 shaves from a Wilkinson and a Derby blade, 4-5 from a Tesco Blade, 1-2 from a Sharp blade and I'm about to try Feather blades for the first time so I'll keep you posted. I don't use Merkur blades; they seem to tear me to shreds. You should probably get LetterK's Blade Sampler (http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2379&highlight=sampler), you'll be able to find out which blade suits you best.


Are the cream's I've purchased good one's for sensitive skinned newbies? If not, any recommendations?
I can't really help you here, I don't have sensitive skin really although you can't go far wrong with both variations of Proraso. There's always Scotto's samples of creams, (http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2251&highlight=sampler) colognes (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3727) and aftershaves (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5161).


If my face is faily heavily razor burned, it is better to shave the next day to keep up the routine or better to rest for 48 hours? Also if there is a mildly substantial nick, should that area not be shaved for a while so it can heal or should I risk reopening it? Or should I just shave it with a single pass or something else entirely?
When starting out I think it's better to let your face rest between shaves even if you have to wait a couple of days, there's no point in scraping away an already sore face. As you get more experienced you will find you'll be able to shave more frequently.


Finally, Any aftershave balm that might ease the mild burn on my face and the feeling of tightness I experience? The tightness of my skin is one thing I reallly dislike about daily shaving. Currently I'm reapplying the Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream.
As you get more experienced the feeling of tightness will reduce after the shave. Use a good quality ASB, Proraso (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1390) will so, to alleviate the tightness.

To summarise, stick with the HD, find out which blade suites you best with Letterk's blade sampler (http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2379&highlight=sampler) rest a couple of days between shaves and stock up on Proraso and/od Scottos samplers.

[htownmmm]

Welcome to the collective Tim!

Excellent info in the above posts, so I won't add anything except for this- Resistance is futile!

Marty

[TimmyBoston]

How does the Proraso Liquid Cream Aftershave compare with the Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream? That's what I've been using as both preshave and aftershave for the moment.

I have another silly question, I'm fairly certain a razor such as the HD will last quite a while, but what maintainence does it require to last many years?

[Larry C in Texas]

Hi Tim,

Welcome! I prefer the Proraso after shave balm to the pre-post shave cream as an after shave. I think it is more soothing to my skin. I also like the Caswell-Massey after shave balms, which tend to last me a long time (it only takes a little bit). A lot of the guys like the Nancy Boy brand ASB, but I haven't had as much luck with it as a soother as the C-M or Proraso brands.

Of course, your experiences may be different. I would recommend trying the Proraso ASB first, since it's a good value and a good product.

[gc_30286]

welcome to B&B tim

well you have gotten some great advice already. the only thing i can think of at this point is are you using an alum bar or a styptic pencil? if not you should get one i rub alum all over my face before my cold rinse. this make any nick or minor razor burn disapear almost instanly (it will sting quite a bit while you are learning to shave as you probably have far more nicks than you realize). also see if you can find kyle post on razor grips as this helped me alot on keeping the right angle and not using pressure. if you dont find the post try a light three fingure grip on the end of the razor. it will feel wierd at first but works very well once you get the hang of it.

best of luck and glad to have you.

matthew

[TimmyBoston]

welcome to B&B tim

well you have gotten some great advice already. the only thing i can think of at this point is are you using an alum bar or a styptic pencil? if not you should get one i rub alum all over my face before my cold rinse. this make any nick or minor razor burn disapear almost instanly (it will sting quite a bit while you are learning to shave as you probably have far more nicks than you realize). also see if you can find kyle post on razor grips as this helped me alot on keeping the right angle and not using pressure. if you dont find the post try a light three fingure grip on the end of the razor. it will feel wierd at first but works very well once you get the hang of it.

best of luck and glad to have you.

matthew

I've had an relied on a styptic pencil for years. I think it's definately a good thing to keep around. Also I checked out the post on the razor grip and that helped a lot, thanks, becuase I do, and I think most new DE shavers do, tends to press too hard and that girp really helps. Thanks.

One question how does an Alum block differ from a styptic pencil and why are they so popular? (The only thing I've used alum for is in pickling.)

Also I picked up Proraso ASB and I really think it's great stuff. My skin feels so much better after today's shave than yesterdays. Thanks for the great tip, guys. I really appreciate it.

[gc_30286]

its just a big styptic pencil. easier to rub over your face and most of the time cheaper.

matthew

[Leisureguy]

I highly recommend that you try the Coral Skin Food as an every-pass preshave: rub a few drops into your wet beard just before you lather up for that pass. I think you'll find it protective and will get a smoother shave with less irritation. Try it and see whether it works for you. If it does, you can do it with less expense by using 100% glycerine.

[MasonM]

Welcome! Wiser gentlemen than I have addressed your questions so I'll just stick with the welcome.