I'm done with Gillette. Looking into Safety Razors, but I need help

I've been shaving for 6 years now and I bought the Fusion Pro Glide about 3 months ago. It's horrible! All I get is razor burns, razor bumps, burning skin and a rash. My skin is VERY SENSITIVE so this is a problem for me because I HATE having any facial hair. Also, when I don't shave against the grain there's still a huge shadow left by my facial hair which sort of makes me have to shave against the grain. Will Safety Razors fix that?

I want to get rid of this garbage razor and get a safety razors since I've been doing some research and have seen that they're basically amazing and all this new 5 blade crap is a gimmick. Right now I shaved against the grain with my Gillette Fusion Pro Glide and I STILL have hair all over my face, yet I can't shave against the grain or my face will be toast.

So can someone help me out with finding a good safety razor, badger brush and shaving cream? Online or if you know any stores in the Bay Area, CA then that's good too! Preferably cheap, but not too cheap. Thanks a lot if you can help!

Also I think there's a difference between DE Safety Razors and just regular ones? Are there any particular stores that might sell them? Maybe Nordstrom's?

Welcome to B&B!

http://gentlemensbest.com/ShavingKits.aspx is a fairly cheap option. At higher prices, there are Art of Shaving stores in the SF bay area. Or you can start to look in local antique stores and flea markets.

Hey man, I went through the exact same thing until I was 15 up until 3 years ago, when I made the transition to wet shaving and DE shaving.

If you are looking for a good DE razor, check out eBay, as they have pretty good deals on old vintage gillette superspeed razors that work just as well as the new merkur razors that come out new from germany. Both are great choices.

Remember--the initial cost of DE/traditional wet shaving is higher, but it's the cost in blades that will really save you money. Cartridges for that mach3/schick quatro bull crap will have you out of money quick, but a pack of 100 DE blades costs 10-40 bucks (depending on which ones you get) and each blade can anywhere between 3-5 good shaves.

Merkur makes a long handled DE razor that I think costs 28 bucks. That's how much I paid for mine anyways. Ebay is a great place to look, bull goose shaving, west coast shaving, classicshaving.com are all good places and resources to look for when going to a DE razor.

The shave quality you will get with a DE after you have mastered the learning curve will be nothing short of phenomenal.. you will be slapping yourself and wondering why you never made the switch sooner!! Good luck to you

Your best deals will probably be online if you are looking for a brand new razor. Check the threads here, there have been several posts lately with people asking for recommendations on starting with a DE. If you want something new, check Amazon, westcoastshaving.com, bullgooseshaving.net. You can get everything at all of these sites.

I would recommend a vintage Gillette. I started with a brand new razor and now find that I barely use it. Just much cooler IMO to use a razor from long before I was born. If you decide you want a vintage razor go to the Buy/Sell/Trade forum on here and keep a lookout for a Gillette Tech or Superspeed. Those would be good starter razors.

Good starter brushes seem to be Tweezerman badger brush (in the $12-$15 range online) and Shea Moisture Shave brush (can be found at some Targets for under $10).

Proraso is a good starting cream, there is a version for sensitive skin that may work for you.

cnnc97 said:

Your best deals will probably be online if you are looking for a brand new razor. Check the threads here, there have been several posts lately with people asking for recommendations on starting with a DE. If you want something new, check Amazon, westcoastshaving.com, bullgooseshaving.net. You can get everything at all of these sites.

I would recommend a vintage Gillette. I started with a brand new razor and now find that I barely use it. Just much cooler IMO to use a razor from long before I was born. If you decide you want a vintage razor go to the Buy/Sell/Trade forum on here and keep a lookout for a Gillette Tech or Superspeed. Those would be good starter razors.

Good starter brushes seem to be Tweezerman badger brush (in the $12-$15 range online) and Shea Moisture Shave brush (can be found at some Targets for under $10).

Proraso is a good starting cream, there is a version for sensitive skin that may work for you.

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+1...what he said...

Wow you guys are helpful and awesome thanks a lot! So you said the Gillette Vintages are good? What about the Murker Classic HD or whatever it's called? I read somewhere that it's the best for beginners. Also, if I do buy a blade for beginners would I keep that forever or upgrade to a better razor? (kind of like buying a new and better car as you get older)

+1 on the vintage Gillettes, ply the antique stores or hit the BST or Ebay. Depending on where you are in the Bay area, I was in Santa Rosa 2 monthes ago and both malls had stores with a decent spread. Coddingtown had a cigar shop with Conk and Merkur kits. SIMON downtown the knife shop had a decent selection of razors, as well as a cigar shop upstairs with products. For software SIMON also had a The Body Shop, Bath & Body Works, and a Crabtree & Evelyn. Hope that helps!!

Jay

PS- I forgot the Nancy Boy Store in Sebastopol. I seem to remember there were a couple stores in Sonoma with Soaps to.

A vintage Gillette or a modern Merkur; either should suffice. Wetshaving, meaning a wet lather is the most important ingredient, more so than the razor. But I think DE shaving is the easiest/best to get right. Just change the blades every 3-6 shaves and you should be happy as compared to your 3/4/5 blade razors.

Welcome to B&B!

A good mild DE razor is the first step into this process. If you buy new, you should be able to get a Merkur or Edwin Jagger razor for less than $35. A "vintage" Gillette in good condition should be about half that. I would also suggest a blade sampler pack of different razor brands available from most of the retailers listed in this thread. For lather, a shaving cream would be a good start-they are easier to lather and are available locally. An aftershave balm should also be on your short list.

I hope this is of some help to you. While you are waiting for your gear to arrive, I suggest you read some of the tutorials on the Wiki board here.

What you are asking for as far as shave level is a double edge sword at first so be prepared to have to gain some skill before you can achieve that level of smoothness. Having very sensitive skin and seeking baby butt smooth (bbs) shaves will be possible but you will need to have some patience learning new techniques.

Go with a mild angled razor like a Gilette Tech or Superspeed. You CAN get them on ebay but honestly just place a post in the WTB forum here asking for one and you will probably get an offer quickly. Get a sample pack of good blades like Astra, Sharks, Iridium Supers, Gillette 7 oclock, and some Feathers. One of those should work well with your skin and razor combo. For me the only blades I can go against the grain (ATG) on my mustache area is with Iridiums, Gillette 7 yellows, or Feathers. Just keep in mind the sharper the blade, the quicker it dulls. Astra and Sharks are still sharp, but give greater margin of error and will last longer. So test them all out.

Get Proraso sensitive shave cream and their after shave balm, both are great products. Balm is very important in your case more so than after shave splash because you want the extra skin protection. You can do both of course, but you don't have to. Witch Hazel also is good to have.

Tweezerman is a great starter brush, so is Omega if you want to try a boar brush. Just know that boar brushes have a longer break in period than badgers, but Omega's aren't bad at all right out of the box and very affordable.

Lastly, watch Mantic59's videos on youtube for shaving tips as your waiting for your products to come in. Then take your time and enjoy the journey. Good luck brother!

Markh3rd said:

Lastly, watch Mantic59's videos on youtube for shaving tips as your waiting for your products to come in. Then take your time and enjoy the journey. Good luck brother!

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Good advice on mantic's videos. You should watch them.

I would recommend you the following:
Muhle R89 / or Edwyn Jagger DE89L (similar) as a NEW razor. Or a Gillette Slim Adjustable(you can get a good one here on the Buy/Sell/Trade sub-forum)
A sample pack of blades.
Speick shaving cream
Speick Aftershave lotion! Great razor burn healer

Good luck!

monkeyhung said:

Wow you guys are helpful and awesome thanks a lot! So you said the Gillette Vintages are good? What about the Murker Classic HD or whatever it's called? I read somewhere that it's the best for beginners. Also, if I do buy a blade for beginners would I keep that forever or upgrade to a better razor? (kind of like buying a new and better car as you get older)

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The Merkur Classic is a great razor for someone just starting out. It would be best to stick with one razor at first and try out and assortment of blades and perhaps soaps and creams as well. Just don't switch them up daily. For instance, it would be best to go a few days or a week with one brand of blades and then try another. That way you'll see better how each one performs.

Nay on the Vintage Gillettes.

Like you, I have sensitive skin and coarse dark stubble. Only by going against the grain can I achieve the desired result.

Among the Double Edge razors, I would suggest the following:

Merkur Barber Pole Slant Bar

Merkur Barber Pole Open Comb

Merkur Futur

Among the Single Edge Razors I would suggest:

GEM Damaskeene

Open Comb Micromatic

1912 Model

All of these razors are considered aggressive and will bite if you apply any pressure. The trick is to let the razor do the work and hold it as if you were holding an egg, gingerly and lightly, but firmly.

Another option for cheap good brushes is the Shea Moisture brush at Target. Stay away from the cream because it is junk but the brush is a good value.

First understand that no matter what razor you start with it will not be the only razor you will end up owning. So don't worry about selecting the perfect one at first. Just go with one that appeals to you and go from there. Same with shave creams and soaps. If you read enough post you will see that we all have more than one razor and more than one shave soap or cream. Just start off with something that appeals to you and go from there.

Don't get overwhelmed with too much information. Just go to the stickies in each section here and read the tutorials. Watch mantic59's videos. Don't go overboard with buying expensive stuff, but don't buy anything from Amazon or eBay just because it's cheap.

I've recently tried the Feather Popular razor and this is a great starter razor, very very mild and smooth; also inexpensive.

If you want to spend a little more, Edwin Jagger and Muhle share the same head design and it's nice and mild.

You can save a few bucks browsing the B/S/T area here and get some great deals. The only downfall is the great deals get snatched up fairly quickly so sometimes you need to be in the right place at the right time. I got my entire first set up from West Coast Shaving....Merkur classic 33C only because they were out of stock on the HD, I love it and it's still very much a "go to" razor. I picked up an Omega Pure Badger for $25 a puck of soap for $10 and a blade sampler pack for I believe it was the $15 one. After a while here that has grown quite a bit. I have made fine lathers with that $25 brush so far on any product I've used.

You can basically use your first razor for life..... In theory.

If you wind up like a lot of us you'll hear about this razor, that brush, and who's ever soap or cream and start loading yourself up with all kinds of stuff. Don't worry it's normal and part of the process as you get more into DE shaving .

Also like others have mentioned watch most if not all of Mantic59 videos on YouTube and you should have a fair amount of basic info there alone.

Welcome to B&B. Hang in there...you chose the right forum for help.

Gillette Super Speeds and the Merkur HD are very good razors that I highly recommend- I own them. You already have great advice from the fine people here. But I wanted to add that depending on the color and thickness of your beard, you may still have a shadow from de shaving. But it will most certainly be easier on your face once you master the new way of shaving.