First of all let me tell you how I got into this whole thing. I'm 30yo newbie, started like three months ago. I have a very thick and sparse hair with a well defined jaw. I had two problems with regular shaving. 1. Always got dark skin (mustache area) after every shave, dark dots on close up view. 2. Skin irritation. My skin would slump, turn pale, my whole facial expression would change. That's why I avoided to shave in the mornings, because I would look ridiculous during the day.
My hair doesn't grow fast either, I do it every third day. However if I give more days off from shaving the face would come back to life and start to bloom.
Anyway by doing research on my problems I found out about DE and this forum, I mean I knew there was such a thing, but I thought it was outdated. Nevertheless I invested a fortune on quality equipment so I have no excuses in case something goes wrong. I got Merkur 38 razor, Baxter Best-Badger brush and Acqua Di Parma shaving cream along with taking your advice that every blade is a personal preference and one should use a sample pack. So I did. I bought a pack of 15 different brands razor blades. Before the package arrived my very first shave was with "Croma" blade the result was just like regular shaving, except I cut myself once and my neck was red afterwards. Second time I did it without any damage. Unfortunately I wasn't satisfied with the result.
Finally, my journey began when I got my hands on that sample pack, guess which blade was the first I grabbed and was eager to try out ASAP?
The one that is praised on this forum, you damn right it was "Astra". I gotta say the shaving was so easy and fast, no pulling on hair, no cuts, no irritation, just the right thing for a newbie. I really enjoyed all three shaves with it, the third shave was telling me that fourth won't be as good as before.
Next one I used was "Gillette 7 o'clock Sharp Edge". It shaved my hair just as easy, but not without losses. This was so far the blade that I cut myself most times. I cut my chin and mustache that I tried for several attempts. However I got three shaves and blade remained just as sharp who knows how many more shaves I may have gotten, but this time I was eager to try out another blade with a shark on it.
"Shark" blade. I can tell that this was the slowest shave in my life, it took forever to get the job done. My shaving cream dried out and all the warmth went away, I had to reapply everything. Second shave was just as first, so I wasted no more time and decided this one's not for me. I think I even cut myself once can't remember exactly...
Another one that I pulled out was "Treet". The first strokes were promising, an experience that resembles of Astra. The second shave pulled on my hair though, lifetime of this blade turns out to be very short. No more than two shaves for me, or I should say better off with one.
The next I used was "Lord". Very similar to Treet, but a bit more durable, I would prefer this over Treet. I got at least two decent shaves. Yet again, the result was not what I'm looking for. I still get that crappy face after shave.
Is there anything that can beat Astra? I put my hand inside package and grab "Gillette Silver Blue". I cannot say a bad thing about it yet, because I only shaved once and it was pretty decent, if it lasts three shaves than it's better than those two above.
If you had same experiences please share.
I still have all kinds of Super-Max, couple more of Gillettes, Feather, Wilkinson, Derby and Personna to try out.
Before I wrap this post I need some advice on how to shave that mustache properly, I hold razor vertical and shave from outside to inside so far this technique gives me the closest upper lip shave. I don't go for second time, because it irritates the skin and I usually cut doing so. Also how to easily remove that white residue on my razor metal parts besides towel?
Thanks for taking time to read, any advice and suggestions are welcome.
My hair doesn't grow fast either, I do it every third day. However if I give more days off from shaving the face would come back to life and start to bloom.
Anyway by doing research on my problems I found out about DE and this forum, I mean I knew there was such a thing, but I thought it was outdated. Nevertheless I invested a fortune on quality equipment so I have no excuses in case something goes wrong. I got Merkur 38 razor, Baxter Best-Badger brush and Acqua Di Parma shaving cream along with taking your advice that every blade is a personal preference and one should use a sample pack. So I did. I bought a pack of 15 different brands razor blades. Before the package arrived my very first shave was with "Croma" blade the result was just like regular shaving, except I cut myself once and my neck was red afterwards. Second time I did it without any damage. Unfortunately I wasn't satisfied with the result.
Finally, my journey began when I got my hands on that sample pack, guess which blade was the first I grabbed and was eager to try out ASAP?
The one that is praised on this forum, you damn right it was "Astra". I gotta say the shaving was so easy and fast, no pulling on hair, no cuts, no irritation, just the right thing for a newbie. I really enjoyed all three shaves with it, the third shave was telling me that fourth won't be as good as before.
Next one I used was "Gillette 7 o'clock Sharp Edge". It shaved my hair just as easy, but not without losses. This was so far the blade that I cut myself most times. I cut my chin and mustache that I tried for several attempts. However I got three shaves and blade remained just as sharp who knows how many more shaves I may have gotten, but this time I was eager to try out another blade with a shark on it.
"Shark" blade. I can tell that this was the slowest shave in my life, it took forever to get the job done. My shaving cream dried out and all the warmth went away, I had to reapply everything. Second shave was just as first, so I wasted no more time and decided this one's not for me. I think I even cut myself once can't remember exactly...
Another one that I pulled out was "Treet". The first strokes were promising, an experience that resembles of Astra. The second shave pulled on my hair though, lifetime of this blade turns out to be very short. No more than two shaves for me, or I should say better off with one.
The next I used was "Lord". Very similar to Treet, but a bit more durable, I would prefer this over Treet. I got at least two decent shaves. Yet again, the result was not what I'm looking for. I still get that crappy face after shave.
Is there anything that can beat Astra? I put my hand inside package and grab "Gillette Silver Blue". I cannot say a bad thing about it yet, because I only shaved once and it was pretty decent, if it lasts three shaves than it's better than those two above.
If you had same experiences please share.
I still have all kinds of Super-Max, couple more of Gillettes, Feather, Wilkinson, Derby and Personna to try out.
Before I wrap this post I need some advice on how to shave that mustache properly, I hold razor vertical and shave from outside to inside so far this technique gives me the closest upper lip shave. I don't go for second time, because it irritates the skin and I usually cut doing so. Also how to easily remove that white residue on my razor metal parts besides towel?
Thanks for taking time to read, any advice and suggestions are welcome.
