Where to Start - Newbie

Hey Y'all been lurkin' for several months. Let me start off by sayin' I hate shavin'! I love the end result, but hate the act. Maybe y'all can help me with that.

My setup has varied since I started. Mostly rotary razors at the beginnin' and still every now a then but I usually end up rubbing my face raw with them.
Lately its been the Gillette Fusion with 4 Yank and Hack blades and Nivea Gel. I have managed to get good with it though, no cuts or razor burn but still not enjoyable. Problem is new blade or not (Blade only last me two shaves it seems), it literally feels like its ripping my face off and can actually see skin stretchin'. The gel seems to dry out very quickly so that doesn't help either. I have a thin beard, but very coarse.

I am pretty set on trying something new. At least adding a shaving brush and better shaving lather.

Whats it sound like to y'all? Maybe one of ya have experinced this, point me in the right direction

Thanks,
Adam

Welcome to B&B!

If you haven't yet, take a look at mantic's videos to see what we are all about.

You might try http://gentlemensbest.com/ShavingKits.aspx for a starter kit.

If you want to move more cautiously and buy locally, you could step down to a two-blade cartridge (sensor, atra, trac-2) and start lathering with a brush. Target has a "Shea" brush that seems to be ok, or you might be able to pick up a Van der Hagen boar. Get a tube of Kiss My Face (Whole Foods and health-food stores) or Real Shaving Company (Rite Aid, Marshalls, TJ Maxx) and you'll be several steps ahead of that gel.

Welcome aboard Adam ,

Still fairly new myself , so I would suggest reading up on razors,creams,soaps and brushes . Also check out mantic59 videos on youtube :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjhIy9rgWQU

All the fine lads on B&B will offer loads of tips and wisdom beyond what I can .

You don't need to spend a lot of money to get set up .

Best of luck and remember it takes time to get a good technique down - so be patient and hopefully you will start to enjoy shaving a little more !

Cheers,

Scott

Welcome to B&B!

welcome...spend some time reading the reviews...i didnt make the DE switch until my dermatologist reccomended it...however once I made the switch I loved it...my skin feels great and you can get a complete setup for a decent price. Keep your eyes open on the B/S/T for a tech or SS to start with. Can't go wrong.

Welcome to B&B! +whatever to the responses before me. I'll recommend what I started out using, and use on a daily basis....VDH brush, soap, and bowl. It'll run you $10 for the lot at WalMart or similar, and it works really well IMHO. Yes, there's better stuff out there, but you'll be hard pressed to get any one item for $10 much less all three. While you're there grab you some AS/Balm of your fancy as well for $5-$10. Then, hit the BST right here at B&B and grab you a nice Tech for $10-$20. There's a "starter kit" that won't break the bank, and will be a solid base to build upon down the road once you get the technique down and start getting all sorts of AD's to spend your money on. I used to hate shaving until I got into DE wet shaving. Now I look forward to each shave more than the last.

Welcome to B&B!

If you do nothing else but replace that gel with a shaving brush and shaving soap/cream, you'll be light years ahead of where you are now. Even the inexpensive, locally available stuff that others have mentioned will perform so much better with your current razor, you'll be shocked that it could be this good. Then, after having taken this step for a while, start doing multiple passes, and you'll experience another leap in results. Next, replace your razor with an Atra, Trac II or DE and prepare for another improvement. After that, it's very much YMMV as your search for your particular shaving Nirvana.

Hang on ... it can be a very interesting (and potentially addictive) ride!

Since you're not a cart yank fan, moving to a double edge safety razor sounds good for you. Pick out a razor, get a blade sampler, a cheap tweezerman pure badger brush and a puck of cella.

Don't go crazy up front, make sure you like it first. You can use a latte cup or cereal bowl to whip up lather if you dont want to commit to a dedicated mug or scuttle yet.

I wish I was aware of that Gentleman's Best kit when I started, it's a great value. That'll give you everything you need to start. AoS also makes a great starter kit type thing for $25 bucks. (a bit cheaper on ebay) It includes generous samples of pre-shave oil, shaving creme and after shave balm. It also includes a great travel sized badger brush that's great to get started with. Pick up a blade sampler from a shop like www.shoeboxshaveshop.com westcoastshaving.com or bullgooseshaving.com. All 3 offer great, varied products, great prices and quick turnaround. Maybe grab some more samples to try out so you can figure out what you're into or not into.

Welcome to Badger & Blade!

Welcome to B&B!

It sounds like you're a good candidate for DE. Yes, it's a little intimidating at first, but keep in mind that thousands of us here use them every day and get great shaves. You can, too.

If you have any junk or antique stores nearby, pass through and see if you can't find a vintage Gillette. The model doesn't matter so much, all of them have fans here. Pick up a sampler pack of blades, a cheap brush and a soap or cream. Then watch Mantic's videos and go in for your first shave.

Don't expect perfection at first. It took me a few weeks to get used to DE. But now that I have, it's wonderful and I look forward to shaving. The blades are cheap and I love being able to change every few days instead of trying to drag more life out of a spent cartridge.

Also, if you want a new razor, you'll have a hard time going wrong with the DE89L. One of the best razors I've used at any price, and some have found them as low as $27 and change.

So get a DE and get ready to enjoy your shaves! And welcome to B&B!

Thanks for all the great tips and advice.

Heres what I am thinking now. I like the ideas of local products and starting back at twin blade razors. I've tried the Mach 3 a long time ago, was my first razor before using electric for years. I don't remember it being as bad as the Fusion. Also is it true the Fusion blades are closer? Maybe thats why it pulls so much for me?

Now to pick a razor. Trac II, Atra or Sensor...Not sure on non-pivoting, but all three seem to have fairly reasonable priced replacement cartridges.

Whats yalls take on those three?

Adammg said:

Hey Y'all been lurkin' for several months. Let me start off by sayin' I hate shavin'! I love the end result, but hate the act. Maybe y'all can help me with that.

My setup has varied since I started. Mostly rotary razors at the beginnin' and still every now a then but I usually end up rubbing my face raw with them.
Lately its been the Gillette Fusion with 4 Yank and Hack blades and Nivea Gel. I have managed to get good with it though, no cuts or razor burn but still not enjoyable. Problem is new blade or not (Blade only last me two shaves it seems), it literally feels like its ripping my face off and can actually see skin stretchin'. The gel seems to dry out very quickly so that doesn't help either. I have a thin beard, but very coarse.

I am pretty set on trying something new. At least adding a shaving brush and better shaving lather.

Whats it sound like to y'all? Maybe one of ya have experinced this, point me in the right direction

Thanks,
Adam

Click to expand...

you sound exactly like me before converting to the good side( de safety and wet shaving). In fact when i was a little boy i always wanted to play with shaving cream bc i wanted to be a man i guess at 5 to be like my dad. Every time i put any canned shaving cream on my face i would break out in hives and get a bad rash. In fact, when i started shaving i started with an electric because i thought the cream might give me this reaction again. Later i found that with age i had become desensitized to the canned goop except for the fact that it dries my skin out.

Adammg said:

Thanks for all the great tips and advice.

Heres what I am thinking now. I like the ideas of local products and starting back at twin blade razors. I've tried the Mach 3 a long time ago, was my first razor before using electric for years. I don't remember it being as bad as the Fusion. Also is it true the Fusion blades are closer? Maybe thats why it pulls so much for me?

Now to pick a razor. Trac II, Atra or Sensor...Not sure on non-pivoting, but all three seem to have fairly reasonable priced replacement cartridges.

Whats yalls take on those three?

Click to expand...

By double edged, i think most of us were talking about something more like this:
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Merkur-34C-Heavy-Duty-Safety-Razor_p_31.html. There's lots of choices, that's just one example of the style we are talking about.

Then probably also a sampler pack of blades like this to find the best ones for your face http://www.westcoastshaving.com/DE-Blade-Sampler-Pack-Extended_p_11.html

If you're patient while learning this stuff a bit, you'll might start to look forward to shaving. It's definitely not as painful as pulling your upper lip with a fusion cart.

Adammg said:

Thanks for all the great tips and advice.

Heres what I am thinking now. I like the ideas of local products and starting back at twin blade razors. I've tried the Mach 3 a long time ago, was my first razor before using electric for years. I don't remember it being as bad as the Fusion. Also is it true the Fusion blades are closer? Maybe thats why it pulls so much for me?

Now to pick a razor. Trac II, Atra or Sensor...Not sure on non-pivoting, but all three seem to have fairly reasonable priced replacement cartridges.

Whats yalls take on those three?

Click to expand...

Welcome to B&B!

Have a look at this post if you want to understand how the multi-blades work...

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1187766&postcount=15

I think that 1 blade is better after seeing this but YMMV! I would be looking into something that looks interesting to me. Shaving gel, shaving soap, shaving cream, shaving brush or lather in a can. The experience is quite different with those tools. I never liked shaving and now I love it!

For the razor, have a look at what you might like, getting the blades is very easy and a lot cheaper than Mach3 or Fusion!

Welcome.

Welcome to B&B.

Welcome to B&B !!

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Welcome to B&B