Think I've finally found "my" shave!

[verdict]

I've been looking for a decent shave routine ever since I joined the site, and I think I may have found it after all this time.

What works for me:

A Synthetic brush - not as luxurious as traditional animal hair, but dries and gets wet fast, and has no stink, ever!

Soap creams, specifically Proraso - great herbal scent, and I don't think I can shave without menthol ever again. The stuff's hard enough to lather in the tub yet lathers on the face just as fast as cream. I have no trouble whipping up a great smelling and cushioning lather like this.

A razor with a Muhle head or a Merkur 34c with a Wilkinson or Feather - Wilkinson swords feel sharp in the Muhle head, but it's a great shaver that errs on the side of aggressive while still remains firmly in the category of "mild". The 34c just makes any blade feel comfortable. Great razor but why the short handle?

AS w/ alcohol & glycerin - I tried using post shave balm for a while, and even tried no AS. Always had problems with acne in the shaved area. My skin is smooth with alcohol based AS'...closes up the wounds so no chance for infection.

Fewer passes with WTG only - ATG + WTG = bloody face. I've learned to settled for fewer passes going WTG only...this makes me more careful with my shaves since I know I'm only getting a few passes...makes for bloodless and faster shaves.

Feels pretty good to have made these adjustments...I don't think I've ever been more happy/willing to shave.

Have you found "your" shave yet? Feels good, doesn't it?

[LeftyT]

The past week or so, mine has been:

Proraso Pre-Shave
Cade, face lathered with my Rudy Vey 18/42 in finest
Gillette Adjustable with 7 O'Clock Super Platinum blues
Proraso AS Balm

Beautiful!

[Rustonrazor]

Great that you found what works for you. I am still exploring. I have found that some blades work better for me depending on the soap/cream I use. It is interesting that several different combos of products and harware have worked for me. I enjoy every time I find a new one that works. I hate when I guess wrong though, as the equipment will let you know pretty quickly. Congrats again on finding your zone.

[turtle]

AS w/ alcohol & glycerin - I tried using post shave balm for a while, and even tried no AS. Always had problems with acne in the shaved area. My skin is smooth with alcohol based AS'...closes up the wounds so no chance for infection.

What I have found I enjoy doing to all of my after shave lotions is to add witch hazel, aloe, and glycerine to them. This leaves a nice soothing feeling on my face after the AS drys down but does not change the scent of the after shave.

I just have to remember to give them a good shake before application to make sure everything stays blended.

Oh BTW... DON'T use too much glycerine or aloe otherwise the nice soothing feeling moves into an icky sticky feeling. You can salvage the AS by adding more alcohol. Been there, done that, got the extra bottles to prove it.....

[LeftyT]

Turtle, what's booze got to do with it?

[Prince]

Hard to go wrong with Proraso.

[CharlieFoxtrot]

FYI the animal stink disappears after a couple of weeks. A nice boar or badger hair brush should be on everyones hit list, unless some moral objection presents itself.

[Absolute Mustard]

I have found my shave about 6 times now

[dpmtherrien]

Congrats on finding what works best for you for now. Just keep in mind that this is subject to change at any time, and more than likely will.

But no matter, enjoy this hobby, and most of all the shaves.

[srmd22]

One of my favorite brushes in my Muhle synthetic-- softer then my softest silver tips, holds plenty of water, feels great on the face. Lately, though I have been using a boar brush with soaps, which is miles stiffer, but still feels nice to face lather with, for me, and loads up the soap super fast.

I switch back and forth between SR and DE. I am starting to find that the SR works best mostly WTG, whereas the DE is nice WTG and XTG, but ATG depends on the blade. Favorite blade is gillette 7:00. Only blade I hate is the Merkur. Closest shaves are with either Futur or EJ89 and gillettes, 2 passes: WTG and then XTG on the cheeks, ATG on the neck.

Shave my head anywhere from 1 to 5x per week with the Fusion Proglide (vibrating one), with shave oil (shave secret or other-- can't remember the name of my favorite one atm) plus or minus head slick.

[verdict]

Great that you found what works for you. I am still exploring. I have found that some blades work better for me depending on the soap/cream I use. It is interesting that several different combos of products and harware have worked for me. I enjoy every time I find a new one that works. I hate when I guess wrong though, as the equipment will let you know pretty quickly. Congrats again on finding your zone.

Thanks, finding that sweet spot...isn't that the goal for most on here?

FYI the animal stink disappears after a couple of weeks. A nice boar or badger hair brush should be on everyones hit list, unless some moral objection presents itself.

I've tried boars, and yes the stink goes away completely after a while. I just find synthetic brushes to be more...convenient. I can shake the water out, place it back behind the mirror/back in it's case without having to worry about it not drying completely. Seeing a soggy brush on the counter really brings out the OCD in me too.

Congrats on finding what works best for you for now. Just keep in mind that this is subject to change at any time, and more than likely will.

But no matter, enjoy this hobby, and most of all the shaves.

Thanks

I can feel my ADs surface again...there HAS to be better stuff out there, right?