Newbie!

Hi All,

I am a complete newbie and excited about the transformation from plastic crap razors to something classy and clean and above all - gives me a great shave!

Despite having a full beard I shave my neck upper face daily so with that dont have the luxury of shaving my whole face, so I am learning how to shave my neck with a vintage Gillette DE - have no idea how old it is, it was given as a gift. Its adjustable - does that make a difference?

My gear that I am starting with is the razor mentioned above, Proraso 'Red' which I love, pure badger brush (finding it too soft) and razor rock - ouch!

Been shaving with the new set up for the last week, think I have mastered the shaving foam in bowl experience and get kind of excited when I get a great bowl of lather - been trying different amounts of water and have settled on a routine which seems to work.

I soak my razor and bowl and brush in hot water as I shower then go to it after I get out....

The challenges I am having right now is the blade angle for under my neck to get my beard edge exact and direction of shave - have been going WTG so far but my neck is all over the map so will be trying out a chart to map it out...

So far only had a couple issues with ingrowns - which have haunted me my whole life! Today's shave was harsher than normal so figured I should change the blade after 3 shaves and see what happens...

Anyway, that is me - love the site - been a great help so far....

Oh yah forgot one question - my Gillette razor is adjustable - can someone explain the 1 - 9 numbering system - I think I might have it backwards, is 1 the mild setting or the blood letting setting?

Welcome to B&B! Yes, one is the mildest. As you adjust the dial, you should be able to see the base plate raise or lower.

Welcome to B&B. knowing the exact direction of your beard growth is very important. Also, to find the correct angle, rotate the head of the razor so that the blade is just touching your skin. Hold that angle as you shave.

Welcome to the forum. Blade angle is one of the hardest things to master at the start.

hi and welcome to wetshaving and B&B! take your time and work on your razor angle and don't use any pressure on the razor - best of luck.

Hi almost smooth1970, welcome to B&B and congrats on your sucessful first DE shaves!



If you have a Gillette adjustable, it's one of 4 razors:

Toggle, with a lever at the bottom to open and close the doors
Fatboy, a twist to open nickel-plated adjustable
Slim, another TTO plated in nickel, but longer and less bulky than the Fatboy
Super Adjustable, a TTO with a black handle

All of them use the same numbering system, with higher numbers meaning more blade exposure. A picture of your razor will make IDing it a simple matter. Good choice to change out your blade after 3 shaves when you feel some irritation. Three shaves is about normal blade life for most folks.

When you get a chance, please head over to our Hall of Fame and tell us all a bit more about yourself. There are links in my signature to areas of B&B of special interest to beginning shavers--perhaps you might like to have a look at them. If you ever have questions or run into problems, don't hesitate to post them up. We're a welcoming and friendly group here, and there's always someone around to offer advice or lend a hand.

Enjoy your time here, happy shaving, and once again, WELCOME!!

Thanks for all the comments and tips - really great to have a community for wet shaving! Thanks Wingnut based on your descriptions it would appear that I have a SLIM, as noted previously switched the blade out yesterday and wow what a difference - seems like 3 shaves is the max for me.

Shaved this morning with a fresh blade and dial twisted to 1 instead of the 7 it was at and had a reasonably good shave today - way less irritation.

Question about lather, I get mine to the point where it is almost 'silky' does that make sense? Not so much foamy as like stiff glossy egg white - takes around 30 - 50 seconds in the bowl just damp with hot water - about a peas worth of Proraso red - not sure if this is right. Certainly holds its shape....

Again thanks for all the welcomes!

Welcome to the forum !!

Almostsmooth1970 said:

...Question about lather, I get mine to the point where it is almost 'silky' does that make sense? Not so much foamy as like stiff glossy egg white - takes around 30 - 50 seconds in the bowl just damp with hot water - about a peas worth of Proraso red - not sure if this is right. Certainly holds its shape...

Click to expand...

It sounds good, but a picture would confirm that.

Welcome to B&B.
Good idea dialing that Slim down.
It can give you some great shaves or it can bite you hard!

welcome!

Welcome! Keep at it and lathering will get better...it's pretty intuitive after the first dozen times...Yes, Please post us a Pic of your Razor...If nothing else so we can stare at it...You'll get that way, too if you hang around with us long enough...

Welcome to the forum and good luck with that adjustable!

Welcome Aboard!!

Welcome to B&B!

Welcome to the Badger and Blade!

Welcome to the forum.

Hi Almost,

Welcome! I'm still mastering blade angle as well (been at it for 1.5 months), so stick with it. I know that even though I'm still learning, I've had the best shaves in my life switching over to traditional DE Shaving. Keep at it!

Welcome to the forum. You could try the technique where you change the Slim number on your second pass. That works well for some.

Welcome!