Minimalist DE shaving

[francisb]

OK,

I'll admit I'm a complete noobie here, but I've been doing this for a few weeks, and find it (DE wet shaving) extremely fun.

Having browsed the forums here and elsewhere (SMF and a few smaller sites), it's obvious this appeals to a lot of guys.

But lets be honest. I suspect less than 5% of guys who wet shave spend less than if they simply bought the next to new cartridge razor and a bunch of cans of gel at Costco.

I may be called liar for this, but it feels like we use cost to justify our affectation. The creams, blades, soaps, brushes and razors are endlessly discussed, debated and tried. Fun stuff, but not cheap.

I've been bitten. I have 100 Derby's, some Feathers, and 100 IPs motoring their way to my house. I've been scouring ebay and other sites for a Fat Boy and a Slim, as well as a 40's super speed. I have an HD. I read brush reviews, and wonder if an expensive brush is really that much better... It's an illness I tell you.

The one positive is my wife LOVES my baby smooth face. I mean really loves it. I didn't realize how poor a shave my old M3 and gel was giving me.

Best money I've spent in a long time

Try wet shaving to save some bucks, but if you're like most guys on this site, you'll soon find yourself spending far more on shaving than you did before you discovered this hobby.

Not that that's a bad thing, but do have your eyes open...

[apex.predator]

Interesting thoughts, francisb, and they ring true.

Do the extra expenses yield better shaves, or do they primarily make the experience more enjoyable for you?

[javyn]

They make the experience more enjoyable, but I can't stress enough that you bite the bullet and get a badger brush over boar! A halfway decent one at that! 50-80 bucks will get you something very nice and it's money you will only have to spend once. Badger hair makes a better lather, holds heat and water better, and feels much nicer. You'll still be shaving on the very cheap compared to cartridges and foams, might as well have a little luxury too.

[norman931]

An excellent, inexpensive upgrade to any setup, minimalist or otherwise, is Honeybee Spa Soap. Truly wonderful stuff, especially for the price!
And, while you're at Wal-Mart, pick up the large economy sized Aqua Velva. A man wants to smell like a man!

Norm

[SmoovD]

OK,

I'll admit I'm a complete noobie here, but I've been doing this for a few weeks, and find it (DE wet shaving) extremely fun.

Having browsed the forums here and elsewhere (SMF and a few smaller sites), it's obvious this appeals to a lot of guys.

But lets be honest. I suspect less than 5% of guys who wet shave spend less than if they simply bought the next to new cartridge razor and a bunch of cans of gel at Costco.

I may be called liar for this, but it feels like we use cost to justify our affectation. The creams, blades, soaps, brushes and razors are endlessly discussed, debated and tried. Fun stuff, but not cheap.

I've been bitten. I have 100 Derby's, some Feathers, and 100 IPs motoring their way to my house. I've been scouring ebay and other sites for a Fat Boy and a Slim, as well as a 40's super speed. I have an HD. I read brush reviews, and wonder if an expensive brush is really that much better... It's an illness I tell you.

The one positive is my wife LOVES my baby smooth face. I mean really loves it. I didn't realize how poor a shave my old M3 and gel was giving me.

Best money I've spent in a long time

Try wet shaving to save some bucks, but if you're like most guys on this site, you'll soon find yourself spending far more on shaving than you did before you discovered this hobby.

Not that that's a bad thing, but do have your eyes open...

Uh oh, the jig is up!

[cr8n]

Welcome, Apex!

Does "minimalist" mean "good value," or just "cheap"? You can find either in this hobby.

I have a boar brush that cost me 7 dollars, and have not used it for quite some time... I have Wal-Mart (Russian) Gillettes that chewed my face for a few weeks... They each cost about as much as a TracII carttridge... My sons have used the last of my blue goo gels.

Suggesting:

A Merkur classic or HD (like it seems you have on order,)
100 Derby blades (restock when necessary),
a brush reviewed to be equally good with cremes or soaps (Savile Row, perhaps? the new B&B soon to be available seems right up your alley, too),
a cake of Mitchell's Wool Fat, or a tub of JM Fraser's (and a cereal bowl),
a big bottle of Aqua-Velva.

Divide by a lifetime of use and multiply by satisfaction. I'd suggest that it doesn't get more minimalist than that.

Paul

(P.S. I'm not a minimalist. Regular Canada Post delivery resumes tomorrow. Woo. hoo.)

[francisb]

Interesting thoughts, francisb, and they ring true.

Do the extra expenses yield better shaves, or do they primarily make the experience more enjoyable for you?

Hi Apex,

Great question. I will say the the quality of a DE shave is much much better shave than my old M3 in the shower routine. But it took me literally 4 minutes to shave in the shower, and it was 'good enough'.

But I view wet shaving as an affectation, a luxury in todays hectic world. I find I really enjoy the ritual of wet shaving. Unlike the M3 hack job that can be done in your sleep, this requires some preparation and thinking.

I enjoy the time it takes to prep my face, whip up the lather, and the careful bladeplay needed. Maybe once I've been doing this for months or years, it'll be more autopilot like, but for now, it takes attention and being present. When I'm shaving, I'm watching blade angle, lather, pressure, etc. Nothing else has my attention for the 15 minutes it takes me.

But my favorite part, is the sound of my whiskers popping off my face when I take that perfect stroke.. And the incredible smoothness a well done shave feels like. And the fact you don't always get the same shave time after time. Each shave is different. Tonight's was quite good, except under my chin wasn't done as well as I have in the past. So I find myself thinking about why that was, and what I should try tomorrow to shave closer on that problem area.

So, this is a long winded answer to a rather simple question, but yes, I find it much more enjoyable, which is why I do it. The quality of the shave is better, and it's one of the few remaining "man" rituals left. It takes some skill and practice which also is rewarding, and it's a tribute to a simpler time.

There's probably some overlap between the old school style and skill of a good wet shave, and my attraction to quality pens, swiss watches, and custom built 1911's...

Regards,
Francis

[ronw41]

An excellent, inexpensive upgrade to any setup, minimalist or otherwise, is Honeybee Spa Soap. Truly wonderful stuff, especially for the price!
And, while you're at Wal-Mart, pick up the large economy sized Aqua Velva. A man wants to smell like a man!

Norm

Absolutely. And for a touch of variety, while at Wal Mart, pick up a "plastic" bottle of Mennen Skin Bracer and splash it on after drying from the cold water rinse and the Witch Hazel. Makes you feel and smell like you just got a barber shop shave IMHO.

Ron

[ronw41]

Hi Apex,

Great question. I will say the the quality of a DE shave is much much better shave than my old M3 in the shower routine. But it took me literally 4 minutes to shave in the shower, and it was 'good enough'.

But I view wet shaving as an affectation, a luxury in todays hectic world. I find I really enjoy the ritual of wet shaving. Unlike the M3 hack job that can be done in your sleep, this requires some preparation and thinking.

I enjoy the time it takes to prep my face, whip up the lather, and the careful bladeplay needed. Maybe once I've been doing this for months or years, it'll be more autopilot like, but for now, it takes attention and being present. When I'm shaving, I'm watching blade angle, lather, pressure, etc. Nothing else has my attention for the 15 minutes it takes me.

But my favorite part, is the sound of my whiskers popping off my face when I take that perfect stroke.. And the incredible smoothness a well done shave feels like. And the fact you don't always get the same shave time after time. Each shave is different. Tonight's was quite good, except under my chin wasn't done as well as I have in the past. So I find myself thinking about why that was, and what I should try tomorrow to shave closer on that problem area.

So, this is a long winded answer to a rather simple question, but yes, I find it much more enjoyable, which is why I do it. The quality of the shave is better, and it's one of the few remaining "man" rituals left. It takes some skill and practice which also is rewarding, and it's a tribute to a simpler time.

There's probably some overlap between the old school style and skill of a good wet shave, and my attraction to quality pens, swiss watches, and custom built 1911's...

Regards,
Francis

I believe that says it all right there!!

Ron

[Aevum]

if you want luxury shaves, you can also get it with cartrige shavers,
edwin jagger makes nice luxury fusion, mach and sensor handles, aqua di parma make their shaving cream in canned goo variety,

we all know that this is an area where you spend what you really want to spend, theres always supermarket brand compatible Trac2, contour or sensor blades to make cartrige shaving cheaper, and cheap shaving creams which are basicly detergent + glycerin + cheap cologne,

[waliguy]

I think a healthy, balanced approach to minimalist shaving is getting down to the basics. Razor, brush, blade, soap/creme. Everything else is either for fun or enjoyment of the "hobby." You make of it what you want.

[frogman18]

For me i love the feel of shaving the same way my dad and grandfathers and i like getting that perfect shave every time. Sure i could do it with only one razor, one brush, and one soap and still get great shave, but that would take some of the fun out of it.

[apex.predator]

Thank you to everyone who replied. Your comments are helping me to find my way to DE shaving.

My Mercur is still on the way. There is one point I can't quite understand, though. Why do I need a brush at all? It seems to me to be mostly for appearances, in terms of following an arbitrary process. I've read the wiki's FAQ on brushes:

Why use a brush?
The bristles in the brush aerate/hydrate the water and cream (or soap) to form lather. This is used to lubricate and protect the face during the shave. In addition the bristles have a mild exfoliating effect on the skin. Perhaps most importantly, the brush feels very good on the face – a very soothing feeling indeed when warm lather is applied.

When I used shaving cream with TracII razors, years ago, I didn't need a brush. Why will I need one with a DE razor?

Maybe it will make more sense to me when I'm actually DE shaving. I'll let you know.

[Robby]

Maybe your face is made of sterner stuff than mine! If you can get away with only water and a Trac II, then you will likely be able to do the same with a DE razor. After all, wetshaving is wetshaving, regardless of how many blades your razor utilizes. In fact a shave with only water and a DE, done properly with multiple reduction passes, may very well be less harsh to the face than a multi-blade shave.

However, I spent $10 on the Tweezerman badger brush, and I regard it as $10 well spent. I personally can't shave my face with water alone, and the lather produced by my $10 brush and $1.57 Van der Hagen glycerin soap from Wal-Mart is really a necessity for me, not simply a pleasure. I'm sure you could produce lather without the brush (soap is soap after all), but there's no doubt that the brush raises the lather a lot quicker than hands alone. I'd also contend that the lather produced by using the brush is more dense than that raised by hand alone, but that may just be the fact that I didn't put enough time into it by hand, or the water ratio was wrong or something.

Oh, and in my personal experience, the $10 badger brush is more than twice as good as the Burma Shave boar brush at Wal-Mart. Then again, I haven't used the boar brush enough times to get rid of the wet boar smell, which actually eliminates most of the pleasure of the shave for me.

[arcman]

OK,

I'll admit I'm a complete noobie here, but I've been doing this for a few weeks, and find it (DE wet shaving) extremely fun.

Having browsed the forums here and elsewhere (SMF and a few smaller sites), it's obvious this appeals to a lot of guys.

But lets be honest. I suspect less than 5% of guys who wet shave spend less than if they simply bought the next to new cartridge razor and a bunch of cans of gel at Costco.

I may be called liar for this, but it feels like we use cost to justify our affectation. The creams, blades, soaps, brushes and razors are endlessly discussed, debated and tried. Fun stuff, but not cheap.

I've been bitten. I have 100 Derby's, some Feathers, and 100 IPs motoring their way to my house. I've been scouring ebay and other sites for a Fat Boy and a Slim, as well as a 40's super speed. I have an HD. I read brush reviews, and wonder if an expensive brush is really that much better... It's an illness I tell you.

The one positive is my wife LOVES my baby smooth face. I mean really loves it. I didn't realize how poor a shave my old M3 and gel was giving me.

Best money I've spent in a long time

Try wet shaving to save some bucks, but if you're like most guys on this site, you'll soon find yourself spending far more on shaving than you did before you discovered this hobby.

Not that that's a bad thing, but do have your eyes open...

This is somewhat true, though more dependent on how much you get into your hobby, and how much of an acquisition disorder you develop.

The initial cost of the hardware is certainly more than what you'd pay for disposables and even new-fangledest cartridge razors (Art of Shaving Fusion razors notwithstanding ). But if you're doing an apples-to-apples comparison, the creams and soaps are so concentrated they don't end up costing more than the regular drugstore stuff. Myself I've bought the more expensive creams from C&E and such, but I don't actually use them all that often. My everyday go-to is still my VDH deluxe soap, and that will last me months and months at just $2 a puck. I lucked out on my starter razor, a Superspeed I inherited from my grandfather--$0. Several weeks have gone by and I'm still on my first pack of Personna blades. And my mind still boggles that the best deal for Fusion cartridges is 8 for $30. For the sake of those that use them, I hope they last a while!

I can't find the pictures for it, but Mantic actually did a breakdown of the costs of razors and consumables between cartridge razors and DE's. It took a a few months before the initial costs balanced out, but eventually the cost of ownership was significantly less, even when using the not-so-cheap shaving creams. Again, assuming you're not blowing $100 a month on vintage Gillette's and such.

[duna]

When I used shaving cream with TracII razors, years ago, I didn't need a brush. Why will I need one with a DE razor?

Maybe it will make more sense to me when I'm actually DE shaving. I'll let you know.

well
that's a hell of a question! You CAN lather with your hands, and in Italy top barbers used to do just that - to massage the lather, whipped with a simple big boar brush, to the customer's face, to obtain the ultimate 'control' in applying the lather. But that's a little overkill, to 'just' shave. Will also require more soap. A simple, good boar brush is easier to use, will create a richer, softer lather, and will spare you some time. It will last years (or a lifetime, if you are lucky). A badger brush will spare you more time (it's faster) and money (needs less soap) but that's theory-given the fact that it's more expensive in the beginning of the process. Break-even points maybe years in the future, depending from the cost of the selected soap.
Anybody can be affected by AD; being minimalist is REALLY a hard way.

[cl00bie]

Anybody can be affected by AD; being minimalist is REALLY a hard way.

Well, one of the reasons I got into wetshaving with a DE was to save money. It kind of defeats the purpose If I keep buying all kinds of different stuff that I won't be able to use in a lifetime.

But everyone has different ideas on how to do things. And if you have the money and the space, then go for it.

[jss]

Best wishes in this quest.

[SilkySmooth]

I have yet to do my first DE shave, but my Merkur is on the way.

One of my primary interests in DE shaving, however, is to minimize costs and to simply escape the marketing traps of shaving in the US. I haven't used shaving cream or lather in well over a decade. I've even shaved off a full beard with only hot water and TracII razors and/or disposables, more than once.

So, are there any other necessities for DE shaving besides lather or gel? I am unclear as to the need for a bowl and quality razor blades, and I'm really surprised at the cost of brushes!

If you're lookin' for cheap, I'd go with an Omega Syntex Brush and Kiss My Face Shaving Cream. You'll conserve cream/soap with a synthetic brush and the Syntex works well with both. The Omega Syntex goes for $8 to $15. Keep in mind that it won't feel like the soft badger hair, but will get you to the same place. KMF Creams are very nice and inexpensive. They lather well and the larger bottle has a pump mechanism that will give you the right amount of product for each shave. They also come in a variety of fragrances.
Mamma Bear soaps are also nice www.bear-haven.com . You're bound to find something you'll enjoy from there.




==Tom

[patrisVII]

Well, one of the reasons I got into wetshaving with a DE was to save money. It kind of defeats the purpose If I keep buying all kinds of different stuff that I won't be able to use in a lifetime.

But everyone has different ideas on how to do things. And if you have the money and the space, then go for it.

True, True.

I've been a wetshaver for most of my life in terms of brush/lather. However I've only used a DE for the last fiver years (I did use a straight for a short time in my early 20's, but I didn't know how to keep it sharp). I did this for the cost savings over cartridges primarily (and the retro-cool thing too). Of course in that time I've spent far more on high end shaving creams then I ever could have on Schillette ladders. And most of these creams were disappointing so I wasted a lot of money. Fortunately, the ones I really liked were not the most expensive (Taylor's Rose, Musgo and Molle). Lesson learned.

The best advice I can give is try a few of the standards and stick with the ones you like. I like TOBS Rose obviously, but in general avoid anything anglo-saxon in a tub (Kate Winslet in a bath excepted of course).