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6 weeks in...

So I've been Shaving with a Double Edge Safety Razor for about 6 weeks now. I've found shaving every 2nd day probably the best way to go about it, although I have to try daily with only against the grain pass - just to see.

Over the course of the last 6 weeks I think i've had 2 maybe 3 bad shaves. Bad as in "holy crap someone threw your face into a lawn mower", well maybe not that bad - but certainly worse in terms of cuts and nicks compared to a mach3/fusion cartridge.

I've altered my morning routine as so;

* Run some hotwater and soak the brush in a bowl. Put a smidge of hotwater on top of the Soap.
* Have a shower as per usual.
* Don't dry my face, then make up some lather - after loading the brush apply a layer onto my face, load the brush some more, then finish up making lather.
* lightly rinse off the lather on my face then reapply the finished lather.
* I shave 3 passes now. I rinse and re-lather between each pass. There is a Downwards pass, an upwards pass and a "special" pass around my neck/jawline and anywhere that didn't feel smooth in the rinse. Essentially just under my jaw I shave at a 45 degree angle towards my nose, and below that I shave directly towards my adams apple (so sideways).
* Post-shave Rinse (all have been with hot water that you can stand), then run an alum block to tidy up any cuts/weepers.
* Final cold water rinse, then application of Aftershave.

Product/equipment wise I'm using

* Tabac Original Shave soap. This stuff makes easy lather that is both slick and protective. Much easier/better than the Dr.Harris Arlington soap I started with - despite the Arlington smelling slightly better.
* Red Personna Israeli blades or Gillette 7o'clock Yellow Blades. The Red's are an "easier" blade and a bunch more forgiving (excellent beginner blade) - but aren't quite as sharp as the Yellows. The Yellows provide a closer shave but require more attention - they aren't like the Feather though in terms of being able to rape your face. I'll probably continue to use both depending on how i'm feeling before the shave. Both blades destroy a Mach3/Fusion cartridge in terms of shave quality.
* Merkur HD 34C Razor
* Alum Block - apparently you can get Styptic pencils which are better for bigger cuts.
* Dr. Harris Arlington Aftershave.

Speed wise I'm down to about 30 minutes total bathroom time (shower, shave, do my hair, deoderant etc). That hasn't really come down, however my shaves are a lot less "risk free" than when I started. I'm not rushing it. I suspect my technique will improve and familiarity will bring it down to 22-25 minutes within a month or two.

Overall I'm happy I did this. And its probably the first thing in my life where I've chosen a "less efficient" (time wise) method of doing a task over others. I'm usually all about optimisation and if something can be made faster, I'll do it. The end result is definitely worth the extra time spent for me.
 
Great news. I'm less than 2 weeks in, I enjoy reading posts of those a little further along. Very encouraging! :thumbup1:
 
Great news. I'm less than 2 weeks in, I enjoy reading posts of those a little further along. Very encouraging! :thumbup1:

Likewise, it is nice to see someone a bit further along that feels it is working out well. I'm two shaves in and counting. :001_tongu
 

CzechCzar

Use the Fat, Luke!
It sounds like your setup is exactly the same as mine, except you didn't spend nearly as much money in finding what works for you! :001_tt2: My only tip would be to get a good - make it great - brush. Your razor and blades are perfect.
 
Great post! I'm about 2 months in and love every minute of it.

Overall I'm happy I did this. And its probably the first thing in my life where I've chosen a "less efficient" (time wise) method of doing a task over others. I'm usually all about optimisation and if something can be made faster, I'll do it. The end result is definitely worth the extra time spent for me.

It's definitely not faster than shaving with a cartridge. Every extra minute, for me, has been an incredibly luxurious experience. Shaving is no longer a necessity, it's a lovely experience.
 
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