Just 4 Shaves In

Hi all,

Checking in after 4 shaves with a DE razor. I guess I can say guns got me into DE shaving. Someone on our local firearms forum posted about DE shaving and the resulting conversation got me interested in it. I had been using Mach 3 cartridges with Jack Black Beard Lube. While that combo performed well for me, I still hated shaving to the point where I was only shaving twice a week.

For 6 months I've been considering DE shaving, but was waiting to use up my remaining stock of Mach 3 cartridges. My wife finally gave me the push by buying me a nice setup for Christmas. She gave me:

Merkur 38C barber pole razor (I have large hands so I love the weight and length)
Vulfix 660S super badger brush
Edwin Jagger puck of soap and apothecary shaving mug

Then my bro-in-law got in on it and gave me some Tabac soap (his favorite) and a 6-variety sample pack of blades.

I've supplemented those products with AOS pre-shave oil (from a sample kit I found in a thrift shop for $2.70), Nivea shaving balm and a bar of some odd shaving soap I happened to find on clearance at some boutique store yesterday.

Four shaves into it and I'm enjoying it quite a bit and am starting to get some decent results. My first attempt (using the Merkur blade that came with the razor and EJ soap) was a hack job. I had several bleeders after the first pass, making subsequent lathers rather colorful. I had to dig out my old styptic pencil when I was done. The second shave was much better, having better adhered to the advice of not using any pressure.

Last night for my 4th shave I switched out the Merkur blade for an Astra Superior Platinum, and got what I consider to be right between a DFS and BBS after 3 passes, with a few spots that could use some touch up. I was very pleased!

I used the EJ soap for the first two shaves, then switched to the Tabac, which I'll stick with while i get my technique consistent. I may also get another 5 or 10 Astras so I can keep everything constant for now, before continuing with my blade sampler.

One problem I am having is getting a good lather with the Tabac. I've been changing up my method for lathering, hoping to get a better result. Last night I soaked the brush in hot water for 2 minutes while a teaspoon of hot water sat on the soap. I then dumped the water from the soap, squeezed the brush, gave it 2 good shakes, and spent a minute trying to pick up enough soap with brush by swirling and dobbing, adding a small amount of water as I did so. From there I went with a face lather. There is definitely a point in lathering where I can sense that the soap reaches a critical point of fluffiness, which I can sense by looks and feel, but I'm not getting a great amount of volume that way. I get enough for 3 passes, but only if I squeeze the lather from the brush. I'm just not getting that meringue-y goodness I'm seeing in the various pictures and videos. I think I may try bowl lathering to see what sort of difference I see.

Welcome. I would suggest face lathering. I've had good luck with that.

Welcome. Some of the best lather is that which you squeeze from the brush. There is nothing wrong with doing this. Some brushes keep the lather deep inside. In fact, I squeeze the brush with my fingers as I lather for my final pass. I hold my brush deep in the center of my hand with my fingers around the middle of the brush bristles. I squeeze to get the lather out.

ackvil said:

Welcome. Some of the best lather is that which you squeeze from the brush. There is nothing wrong with doing this. Some brushes keep the lather deep inside. In fact, I squeeze the brush with my fingers as I lather for my final pass. I hold my brush deep in the center of my hand with my fingers around the middle of the brush bristles. I squeeze to get the lather out.

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Welcome to B&B. +1 on this, the lather is super rich. I like to use this technique for parts of my second pass and any cleanup.

Tabac was my "learning soap" as well. I like it.

If you haven't tried it yet, you could do some "dry runs" with the lather to see how it develops, and how far you can go with it before it turns into soup. When I'm doing dry runs, I use a bowl first, so I can see how it reacts, then switch to face-lathering and do it again. I just start with as dry a brush as I can get, pick up as much soap as I can, then start building the lather. I keep feeling it, adding a few drops of water, incorporate the water, feel it, etc. Repeat until it's too watery to use. I found that I could use a lot more water than I thought, which gave me a lot more lather.

+1 on the premium lather hiding deep in the breech of your brush. Good stuff.

Try the bowl. It's easier starting out I think.

Welcome to B&B! Man, your wife set you up! Great volume is not always a good thing, keep at it and develop what you like.

Welcome Aboard!

Welcome to B&B. I was having the same problem for a while, then I read about not getting my brush loaded enough. I'd work and work and work trying to get it loaded but I found that with my super badger, it was a little too soft for the hard soaps. I bought a black badger brush which is a little stiffer and much easier to get loaded. That's also why a lot of guys here like their boar brushes so much. One thing I did read that helped me load the super was pinching about a quarter of the bristles about halfway down between your fingers and loading them, then pinching another bunch, etc. til you've got the whole thing loaded. Enjoy the learning process!

Welcome to B&B. It sounds as if you are on the right track- I have always found Tabac to be easy to lather and a very good soap. A little more practice and you should have things under control.

Thanks for all the welcomes! I tweaked my method today and was able to get a better, more voluminous lather. I had intended on bowl lathering but completely forgot about it when I woke up. Two changes...First, I ended up filling up the Tabac jar with hot water to soak as I showered. Second, after I applied some soap to my face, I dipped just a bit of the brush in the water to get more water in the lather. End result is I had plenty of lather, and ended up with my best shave to date, what I would consider BBS. What a way to start the new year!

Welcome to B&B. Be advised there are a lot of us gun nuts in this one as well. Enjoy.

lt114 said:

Try the bowl. It's easier starting out I think.

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agree

lt114 said:

Try the bowl. It's easier starting out I think.

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+1

Welcome to B&B !!

Welcome to B&B!

Welcome to B&B.