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7 days into the world of DE shaving

i must admit that i am a late entry intonthis world (@36). the triggers were red rashes on my cheek. its been a bloody journey so far, but a good one though. i started with gillette DE, which are still sold in india (its true....100 INR = 2$). the razor is ok. has a steel head and plastic long handle. the first day was a battle. my fingres started to hurt by the first pass' but i didnt give up. my face was wounded. i wondered if i used the right gear - all gillette - de razor, black blades, gel and brush are also gillette. after a couple of days i tried cheaper gillette blades (wilkinson - 11inr for 5, as opposed to 45 inr for 5). oh, these blades are real smooth for me. i am stilk getting nicks here and there, but i guess thats due to my technique. still trying to learn to hold my razor and contours f my face. there are 3 things that have happened though:-
1 red rashes are gone:wink2:
2 i am taking thrice the time over to shave:blushing:
3 i am getting a much closer and smoother shave. feels good even after 12 hours:001_tongu

i am gonna continue this. will get my 38c merkur in about a month from US. lets see what happens then.
thanks to all if you for the pearls of wisdom i have found on B&B.
 
Welcome to B&B.

Everything boils down to personal preferences.


“Best Brush”

A Brush is a Brush and they perform differently and they are different. Boar, Badger, Horsehair, Horsehair/Boar/Badger Combos, or Syns. Get a Boar (cheap or expensive) or a Good Badger Brush.


“Soap/Cream/Stick”

Soap or Cream or Stick ... Stick or Cream or Soap ... cheap or expensive ... expensive or cheap ... glycerin based, cold processed, tripled milled, or tallow. Get a couple of each and see what works best for you.


“Safety Razor”

Safety Razors ... determine what you want and how much you are willing to spend - Open Comb, Closed Comb, TTOs, 2-Piece, 3-Piece or an adjustable. The Merkur HD or Edwin Jagger 89 are both good beginning Safety Razors. Or get an Old Gillette (SuperSpeed or 3-Piece).


“Razor Blades”

Blades ... Get a Sampler Pack and then ... Good Luck. The differences between whether a Blade is Good or Bad for any individual is because the Hand of God is at work. Maybe it is the shave preparation, or maybe it is the type of hairs being shaven, or maybe it is the patterns on the face being shaven, or the type of Razor being used (different angles or blade gaps are created by the different razor head being used), or the shaving technique being used (wrong angle, too much pressure being used and pushing down on the razor to "cut closer", or even not using multiple-passes to reduce hair growth first and always), or maybe there is one or two Bad Blades in the pack being used, or maybe for whatever reason it is a Bad Blade to you.


”Best Blade”

At first use only One Razor Blade ... use this blade only for a few weeks ... changing when dull.


The First Razor Blade you use is your “Best Blade.”

Get several of your First Best Blade.

Get down the Basics of Shaving – Preparation, Lathering, Shaving with the Razor – light touch, proper angle and little pressure, Multi-Passes – WTG, XTG, and Reverse-XTG.

Get more information and look at the Mantic59 Youtube videos, the GeoFatBoy videos and read the Wiki.


“Finding Your Best Blade”

After you have everything down ... then use a different blade for a week and see if it becomes your new "Best Blade".

If not go back to the other blade for a week then, use a different blade for a week.

Your Best Blade is your base line blade for your tests. When you find your “Next Best Blade” then, that is your “New Best Blade”. Continue working through your sampler pack looking for a “New Best Blade”.

Please note that Different Safety Razors may have a different “Best Blade” and if you have poor technique then it will also affect your choice of a “New Best Blade”.


“Map Your Face”

Make Sure you have Mapped Your Face because that is the only way to know which way your hair grows.


“Technique”

Also make sure that your preshave preparation is down.

Then shave WTG, XTG and Reverse-XTG.

Rinse, Lather, WTG
Rinse, Lather, XTG
Rinse, Lather, Reverse-XTG
Rinse, Lather, Buffing.

No Rinse, No Lather, No Shave.

For the first few weeks ... Do not do ATG ... Wait until you have your technique down because you could and usually will be holding the safety razor upside down when shaving your neck and this may cause you some problems when trying to maintain the correct blade angle while applying a light pressure.


Be careful of Feather blades as they are super sharp and unforgiving make sure you are confident of your technique before using them.

Have Fun Shaving and May All Your Shaves Be BBS.
 
Welcome and congrats! You're making great progress and as your techinique improves the experience will just get better and better. Enjoy the journey!!
 
thanks dear for the detailed advise.....and as you say - evrything will boil down to personal preference. i am taking small steps to bulid the expertise.
 
Welcome to B&B!

Your persistence will soon reward you. You have many great shaving items available to you that we don't have in the states. Have fun and enjoy your shaves.
 
Welcome to B&B!

Shaving with your DE razor will become easier & easier ... on the time it takes, "relax and enjoy your personal time!"

Keep at it and as for everyone that has been here for a while ... we all went through the learning stage & succeeded like YOU WILL!
 
i must admit that i am a late entry intonthis world (@36).



~~~Ha!, you're just a pup...I didn't pick up my first DE until 54 years of age. You're never too old (nor young) to delve into the world of vintage shaving





will get my 38c merkur in about a month from US. lets see what happens then.




~~~was my first *new* DE razor...I think you're going to like it...nice and weighty, compared to a lot of the vintage Gillette DE razors...+, the handle has some length to it...good for small hands too (choke up a bit on it). FWIW, it's brother (39c) has a slant head...something you might want to try after you log some hours on the 38c...the slant is far more aggressive



Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
 
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