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My first DE Shave

I just did my first DE Shave,

It was with a plastic click Gillette 7 O' Clock razor, with what I believe to be Gillette 7 O Clock Super Platinum (Black Pack, Made in India)

I got my Australian Palmolive Shaving Stick that I mashed up into a ceramic bowl, and got my el cheapo supermarket boar brush (Davinci I got from a Supermarket) that I have to keep my hands around where the knot and handle meet because they have broken off each other :001_tt2: and started lathering. I got a not so great lather, a bit puffy (due to poor technique) I can do much better but I was so excited about first using a DE. I just put it on, then I did my first pass it was WTG. My first thoughts, wow. I completely wasn't expecting it to be so effortless, my three day growth simply disappeared, it was so smooth I couldn't tell I was using a razor at all. I felt safe with it also, moreso than with my Sensor Excel by far. Next I relathered, it came out better this time, and did an XTG pass, same feeling; Smooth, effortless, safe, close. I told myself, what the heck, why not an ATG pass. So then I did, relathered, then went across the grain. Funnily enough there was nothing left to shave, but I got rid of the very little left, I only felt it very slightly, barely even bothered me. I had a hard time finding any cuts or nicks, I did find one very miniture little nick bleeding, I put the styptic pencil on it and it didn't even sting?? I could only dream about my shave being this excellent when I used my Sensor Excel (Never again :001_tt2:). After the shave, I put these products on in this order. Styptic Pencil, Old Spice After Shave, Nivea Post Balm and Nivea Moisturiser (Probably a bit overkill but I want to make sure I do things right :biggrin1:

I think overall my shave was fantastic. DFS in some areas, and BBS in others.

If I can get results like this with, arguably, some of the crummiest DE Shaving gear I have ever known, it can only get better for me. (I'll give credit to the Palmolive Shaving Stick, it does dry faster than you can say it will, but it works. Also the blade seems alright, I'm sure there's better blades, but no complaints there)

To everyone who is considering DE Shaving, and feels there is something missing from the shaves they get from their cartridge razor. Just do it. :001_tt2:

Now I can't wait to get my Blue Tip Superspeed and Normal Superspeed in the mail. Not to mention my 100 Pack (of each type) of Derby Extras, Astra Superior Platinums, Rapira and Sharks :biggrin1:
 
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nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
Congratulations on your success. Just did your first shave and already have hundreds of blades on order? That's what i call commitment.
 
Congratulations on your success. Just did your first shave and already have hundreds of blades on order? That's what i call commitment.

I got some great deals on the blades and couldn't resist, I actually ordered all of these before I first shaved, it was risky but I'm glad that my beard agrees with safety razor shaving.

I read all too much about YMMV situations but I feel I can trust the community here on a lot of things, I have never known a nicer more considerate community on any forum I have ever been on, I didn't think it was possible on the internet. Even with that, I can't imagine any of the blades I have ordered giving me a shave worse than a Cartridge of any type, I get all the signs of a bad shave with a cart. Then again, I can say I got them all for less than the price of 12 Gillette Fusion Carts or 25 Sensor Excel Carts :001_tt2: which would have only given me a fraction of the shaves I can get from the 400 blades. Even so, I'll make sure to use the BST forum if I need to and perhaps even PIF some gear later on to follow the tradition :001_smile
 
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Congrats on your first DE shave! It only gets better!

The Omega boar is a good idea ... no special holding method required! :lol1:

You got some nice blades coming; the ASTRA SP is a very popular all-around blade!

Good Luck on your new Wet Shaving Adventure! :thumbup1:
 
Congrats on your first DE shave! It only gets better!

The Omega boar is a good idea ... no special holding method required! :lol1:

You got some nice blades coming; the ASTRA SP is a very popular all-around blade!

Good Luck on your new Wet Shaving Adventure! :thumbup1:

Thanks, I'm eager to try the Astra SP after all I have heard about it!
 
That is a lot of blades coming! I don't even have that many. YMMV plays a lot here, especially when it comes to blades. Take Derbys for example. Some folks think they are the bees knees, and others can't stand them. Just keep that in mind. If you try one of those blades and for whatever reason you don't like them, it still wasn't a waste of money. You can always trade them for something else with someone here in the B/S/T (buy/sell/trade). Good luck with your new razors and blades!
 
That is a lot of blades coming! I don't even have that many. YMMV plays a lot here, especially when it comes to blades. Take Derbys for example. Some folks think they are the bees knees, and others can't stand them. Just keep that in mind. If you try one of those blades and for whatever reason you don't like them, it still wasn't a waste of money. You can always trade them for something else with someone here in the B/S/T (buy/sell/trade). Good luck with your new razors and blades!

Yeah, I was just thinking that, I could always sell them in the BST section and perhaps PIF a few too. I guess what I am buying is experience in blades and learning my preference in them so even if it doesn't go my way I will have still got something from it. But even then. my excuse is that I could have bought 15 Sensor Excel Cartridges for the price of these 400 blades and found out that I didn't get a excellent shave out of any of them, let alone a couple years worth of shaves! :001_tt2:
 
My second shave!

It was very much similar in process to my first, except I did two passes this time. One WTG and after that, one XTG.

This shave wasn't as nice as the first but it was still miles ahead what I get with my previous cartridge. I got a three very minor nicks which stopped the second I put the styptic pencil on them, but I got a very smooth shave, again I felt just as safe as when I use cartridges. What amazes me about DE shaving is the complete lack of irritation, so smooth and effortless to get rid of the hair, especially when they've gotten longer. I figure when I used a cartridge, it gives quite a bit of irritation in general and nasty irritation in a few areas for me (specifically the neck), and at the least it always lets me know it's there when I pass over hairs. When I get a nick, or a cut, it lets me know by giving me a bit of pain. With DE Shaving, when I get a nick (never got a cut or razor bumps yet, it's common for me with my cartridge) I don't even know, it doesn't ruin my shave with irritation or pain, it is just clean; I know any nicks or cuts are unpleasant, but let me tell you when I get them with the DE, they're as pleasant as they come :001_tt2: Ofcourse they are bad, and I'd like to not get them, but when I do it doesn't bother me so much and a styptic pencil will fix them up really quickly.

The razor let me know it was cutting only once, it was very subtle. It was in a problematic area just right of my Adams apple, but I think it only happened because I forgot to go WTG before going XTG.

It was still overall for me a pleasant shave and much nicer than what I used to consider an excellent shave back when I used cartridges!

There is three shaves on my blade so far, and I want some opinions. Should I go for a fourth or even a fifth shave on the same blade (Indian Black Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum)? or should I load a new one in?

EDIT: Also, I can't seem to get a good lather with my current gear, I really work it in and in the bowl the lather looks alright. But when it comes time to later it on my face, it dries up very quickly and shows a fair bit of my skin underneath, and it isn't thick like some of the lathers I've seen people get on youtube, it's rather thin. It looks alright in the bowl, but all that lather doesn't seem to make it to my face. Is this my brushes fault?
 
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Also, I can't seem to get a good lather with my current gear, I really work it in and in the bowl the lather looks alright. But when it comes time to later it on my face, it dries up very quickly and shows a fair bit of my skin underneath, and it isn't thick like some of the lathers I've seen people get on youtube, it's rather thin. It looks alright in the bowl, but all that lather doesn't seem to make it to my face. Is this my brushes fault?

Definitely not your brush's fault. Just about any brush made is capable of creating a good lather. It's common for newbies to drastically underestimate the amount of soap or cream necessary for a good bowl of lather. Use a moist brush (not dripping wet), a lot more soap, and gradually add water, a drop or two at a time while you whisk up the suds. Once you hit that sweet spot of the proper soap/water ratio, you should be rewarded with a nice bowl of thick, rich, slick lather.

Take some time and practice building lathers when you're not shaving. Soap is cheap...just keep working at it until it becomes second nature.
 
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