Old Newbie reporting for duty!

Hello all! I have been studying up on wet shaving for about a month now. I am 43 years old and started shaving when I was in 8th grade using a three or four blade to help support the big companies. About 10 years ago I switched to a really nice foil electric but have never been truly satisfied with the performance on my neck. Well, I finally decided to try something new and man up to a de shave. I am a little nervous but here is where I am at in the process (what I have ordered):

Razorock Mission de razor (comes with 4 different blade brands)
Whipped Dog 22mm Silvertip Badger brush (46-47 mm loft)...hey, I said I was studying!
Razor stand (gotta hang the brush and razor, right!?!)
Razorock Mudder Focker shave soap
Strop Shoppe Baker Street (with tallow) shave soap
Alum block (100 grams Gentlemen Joe)

So, other than a styptic pencil, do I need anything else to begin my new journey on the whisker battle front? Did I do ok with the equipment ordered thus far? I should receive everything by Tuesday...do I need to ease into this or can I dive right in? I am a bit nervous that I am going to sever my jugular...well, maybe not that nervous, but it is quite intimidating to start this procedure after 30 years of shaving. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you for allowing me to post and I appreciate you allowing me into your fraternity, if you would be so kind as to allow me into this fine forum!

Best regards,
Derhey

Greetings Derhey! Welcome to B&B. Looks like you're on your way.

That looks to be a real nice set-up. At least, everything I know about. Which is everything but the razor itself -- I've never used that one. That's the "milder" of the RR razors, yes? If so, probably a good place to start. For the rest.... I do know them specifically and you went top-notch, totally. (OK, I don't know or judge brush stands).

You'll find you like the alum or don't. If not, get some plain witch hazel (and cotton). I don't recommend Thayer's witch hazel in lieu of alum, jsut because it's more of an aftershave splash already (i.e., it has aloe in it, and fragrance in most cases). You can use cheap/generic witch hazel as aftershave, too, but it's fairly light-weight for that.

I am not a fan of most of the "drug store brand" AS splashes, but there are those who differ. You might get one, or get an AS balm. If you want to go cheap, and have a Rite-Aid near you, get The Real Shaving Company balm -- cheap and effective. If you're concerned with cool scents, QCS balms will spoil you for choice, and they're just plain great. RazoRock AS wax is great, too.

If you want a splash just because it's summer (presumably, though I don't know for sure what part of the world you're in), you probably have to go the long way 'round to tell what you like, including the classic/drug-store brands and then getting lots of encouragement, from the likes of me, to try something a tad more upscale. If you have problematic shaves at all, I think RazoRock's "Problem Solver" splash is damn-near miraculous. Again, this has nothing to do with scent. Problem Solver is said to be Lime scented -- and it is, but to me a particularly unrefined lime, which is very fleeting. (This is all good with me, but if you love the scent you'll wish it lasted).

Is that enough? You're list looks great; alum may or may not work for you. Aftershave balm or splash may be necessary or just helpful (especially if you decide the alum doesn't really work for you).

Welcome to B&B! Lot of folks here willing to offer advice, few of whom are as wordy as I! Promise!

Welcome to the group Delhay! It seems that you're off to great start with all the right shaving tools.

Hey, brother! Welcome to the show!

I'm a new guy also and if I can get a pretty good shave on my first try, you definitely can.

Hello and welcome to B&B, Derhey. This is a great forum full of friendly, helpful shavers. You'll learn a lot here.

Welcome to the forum!

Your setup will get you well on your way. Practise makes perfect!

Welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard.

Welcome to the group, there's plenty to learn, hopefully you're ready to learn by fire hose.

Welcome to the forum, Derhey !!

Welcome, you're doing fine with equipment! Don't overthink it. Light pressure, give yourself time, and you'll be rewarded with a nice shave.

I'd say you're ok without the styptic. At least for me, cold water rinse and an alcohol based aftershave did enough for the occasional weeper. Good luck!

Welcome to B&B.

Derhey, glad you have joined, hello and welcome to B&B.

Welcome to B&B! Nothing to fear: as I read somewhere on this forum, "they're called safety razors for a reason."

Hi Derhey, your good to go!

Hi and welcome.

Wow! Thank you for your support guys. I gave it my first go last night and I will never look back. I went with the grain, across the grain, and then against the grain (did a nice job of letting the razor do the job) and my face was so very smooth. No cuts or nicks, it just felt so good! I am a bit pudge it took me 30 years to try this method! I can't wait to shave again. I appreciate all of the advice. Thanks to Wagstaff, I think I will pick up some Razorock Aftershave Wax...that sounds like it would do the trick. I look forward to being an active forum member! Thanks again everyone!