Hi All,
This is a great forum. I've learned so much by searching and reading. Thanks to you all for your liberal sharing. I can tell how excited you are wet shaving "the old fashioned" way.
By way of introduction, I'll tell you how I came to find B&B. I have been using a Panasonic wet/dry shaver for several years with shaving cream. It provides an okay shave, but never got my neck area very well. I always trimmed my neck area with a cartridge razor, usually a two-blade Sensor Excel cartridge. I didn't use the cartridge on my whole face because it really irritated my skin -- and I didn't understand why until I started reading here.
I became fed up with the "state-of-the-art" shaving technology when I got the new Gillette Fusion sample razor in the mail. This is so ridiculous as to be beyond the pale. The two-blade cartridges are getting harder to find, I will NOT pay $3.50 for a touch-up razor! And none of us believe they will stop at 5 blades. It is shameless marketing for a public gone crazy for the next techno-thrill. If 2 is good, 3 is better, 4 must be the best, and 5, well it is off the charts! I'm in the computer industry and really like technology, but there is a limit.
I think I did a web search for "Gillette Fusion silly" and ended up at a B&B page where I began to explore shaving as my grandfather did it. Nobody ever told me that the proper shave cream and brush and lather and angle and (no) pressure would make a difference.
Well, I took the plunge. I read reviews and recommendations and decided to start with the Merkur Vision 2000 (or 2007? - no set screw). Even though many said it was too aggressive to start with, I assured myself I would "dial it down" and only work my way up as I increased my skill. Besides, my bathroom is too small for me to contract RAD.
To go with my new DE, I got a nice pure badger brush, some Taylor's avocado, an alum block and some styptic, just in case.
Today was my first DE shave. I showered, washing my face with soap and water. I warmed my bowl. I lathered. And I shaved. I did three passes, trying hard to remember all I'd read about WTG, XTG, low to no pressure.
The result? No nicks, just a spot of blood from a blemish I managed to shave. So my fears of butchering myself the first time were a bit exaggerated. By the end of the third pass, I'd have to say it's about as close as my electric shaver gets, so I'm quite satisfied with that. I will have a few irritation spots, but minor, I think. I did feel, as another post-er put it, like a man standing there cutting my beard off (I'm 43). Maybe it's the association with my grandfather, and his shaving mug and brush. But there is something very satisfying in a manly way about using the brush to lather my face and hearing the beard being cut off.
As to my questions (thanks for hanging in there)...
1. I got out of the shower and left my face wet. But then I had to make my lather in my bowl. Should I re-wet my beard before applying the lather?
2. Should it be my goal to make enough lather for all passes? I ran out and added some more, but I think some of the cream got too much lather.
3. My face tended to dry while I was shaving. I realize I'll probably get faster later, but can I wet my hand and add a little water to my face as I pull my skin, etc?
4. I did feel a bit like my blade was pulling and not just cutting, and I wonder if that was because my beard wasn't soft enough. Can anyone recommend a pre-shave lotion, like Proraso Pre-Post Shave or something like it?
I'll check back in as the days pass. I really want this to work. It's a nice bit of man-pampering, if I can say that.
This is a great forum. I've learned so much by searching and reading. Thanks to you all for your liberal sharing. I can tell how excited you are wet shaving "the old fashioned" way.
By way of introduction, I'll tell you how I came to find B&B. I have been using a Panasonic wet/dry shaver for several years with shaving cream. It provides an okay shave, but never got my neck area very well. I always trimmed my neck area with a cartridge razor, usually a two-blade Sensor Excel cartridge. I didn't use the cartridge on my whole face because it really irritated my skin -- and I didn't understand why until I started reading here.
I became fed up with the "state-of-the-art" shaving technology when I got the new Gillette Fusion sample razor in the mail. This is so ridiculous as to be beyond the pale. The two-blade cartridges are getting harder to find, I will NOT pay $3.50 for a touch-up razor! And none of us believe they will stop at 5 blades. It is shameless marketing for a public gone crazy for the next techno-thrill. If 2 is good, 3 is better, 4 must be the best, and 5, well it is off the charts! I'm in the computer industry and really like technology, but there is a limit.
I think I did a web search for "Gillette Fusion silly" and ended up at a B&B page where I began to explore shaving as my grandfather did it. Nobody ever told me that the proper shave cream and brush and lather and angle and (no) pressure would make a difference.
Well, I took the plunge. I read reviews and recommendations and decided to start with the Merkur Vision 2000 (or 2007? - no set screw). Even though many said it was too aggressive to start with, I assured myself I would "dial it down" and only work my way up as I increased my skill. Besides, my bathroom is too small for me to contract RAD.
To go with my new DE, I got a nice pure badger brush, some Taylor's avocado, an alum block and some styptic, just in case. Today was my first DE shave. I showered, washing my face with soap and water. I warmed my bowl. I lathered. And I shaved. I did three passes, trying hard to remember all I'd read about WTG, XTG, low to no pressure.
The result? No nicks, just a spot of blood from a blemish I managed to shave. So my fears of butchering myself the first time were a bit exaggerated. By the end of the third pass, I'd have to say it's about as close as my electric shaver gets, so I'm quite satisfied with that. I will have a few irritation spots, but minor, I think. I did feel, as another post-er put it, like a man standing there cutting my beard off (I'm 43). Maybe it's the association with my grandfather, and his shaving mug and brush. But there is something very satisfying in a manly way about using the brush to lather my face and hearing the beard being cut off.
As to my questions (thanks for hanging in there)...
1. I got out of the shower and left my face wet. But then I had to make my lather in my bowl. Should I re-wet my beard before applying the lather?
2. Should it be my goal to make enough lather for all passes? I ran out and added some more, but I think some of the cream got too much lather.
3. My face tended to dry while I was shaving. I realize I'll probably get faster later, but can I wet my hand and add a little water to my face as I pull my skin, etc?
4. I did feel a bit like my blade was pulling and not just cutting, and I wonder if that was because my beard wasn't soft enough. Can anyone recommend a pre-shave lotion, like Proraso Pre-Post Shave or something like it?
I'll check back in as the days pass. I really want this to work. It's a nice bit of man-pampering, if I can say that.
