Alright guys, quick back story first.
I am 24 years old and like all guys my age have been brought up on the 3, then 4, then 5 blade cartridges for as long as I can remember.
No matter what cartridge I used I never got a good shave, rash/burning/neck lumps/ingrown hairs/acne etc - if I used disposables it always dragged, fusion cartridges gave a very close shave but ended up irritating my neck and causing ingrowns (and emptying my pocket) shaving gels and foams were always a bit patchy (thicker in some spots, or they slid off my face and always smelt chemically or dried my face out).
Anyway to cut a long story short I stumbled across an article on Art of Manliness on DE shaving, I had no idea what I was, and my only knowledge of shaving without cartridges was seeing my grandfather on my mums side lathering up with a brush when I was younger and seeing straight edge razors in the barbers.
Anyway after a good browse on the internet following the AoM article I came across this forum and then found Mantic59s videos, at this point I was very skeptical but willing to try anything - no matter what I did I always ended up with a messed up neck!
I must have spent a good afternoon or two watching clips, trawling the reviews and browsing the newbie forum on here, so I decided to take the plunge and buy the following:
- Wilkinson Sword DE Razor w/ 5 blades
- 10x Merkur Platinum Blades
- Proraso Ultra Sensitive Shave Soap
- Omega 49 Brush
- Nivea Sensitive Aftershave
- Shower Mirror + Suction Hook (I live in a shared house so do not have a good sink/mirror)
Anyways to wrap up this already too long post my experiences of the last 3 weeks have been fantastic - I am currently doing 1 pass a day to learn the techniques and have had no ingrowns, burning or shaving rash - the only cut was from using a slightly blunt blade and pressure.
I can shower and shave in 15 mins, the kit travels easily (unless flying), and takes up little room in a shared bathroom, I can recycle all my blades and easily rinse and dry my brush out. The Proraso has been amazing stuff, leaves my face cool and fresh and creates a great lather on my face.
The Wilkinson Sword is a basic razor but the weight of the handle makes it easy to use and discourages any pressure, I go for a gentle reduction and can touch up with lather if needed. Both the Wilkinson/Merkurs seem mild but are great for a newbie like myself.
The Nivea Sensitive it amazing stuff, I can get greasy and sensitive skin but it forms a great finish and just seems to sink in leaving my face feeling fresh.
I found in the past if I shaved and then went outside in hot/cold weather my face would itch and burn, whereas now I just feel great.
Thanks to all the users here for the great input, I very rarely use forums but have gone from dreading shaving to actually enjoying the ritual on a daily basis, just feel ready to go afterwards if that makes sense at all!
Cheers
Ed
I am 24 years old and like all guys my age have been brought up on the 3, then 4, then 5 blade cartridges for as long as I can remember.
No matter what cartridge I used I never got a good shave, rash/burning/neck lumps/ingrown hairs/acne etc - if I used disposables it always dragged, fusion cartridges gave a very close shave but ended up irritating my neck and causing ingrowns (and emptying my pocket) shaving gels and foams were always a bit patchy (thicker in some spots, or they slid off my face and always smelt chemically or dried my face out).
Anyway to cut a long story short I stumbled across an article on Art of Manliness on DE shaving, I had no idea what I was, and my only knowledge of shaving without cartridges was seeing my grandfather on my mums side lathering up with a brush when I was younger and seeing straight edge razors in the barbers.
Anyway after a good browse on the internet following the AoM article I came across this forum and then found Mantic59s videos, at this point I was very skeptical but willing to try anything - no matter what I did I always ended up with a messed up neck!
I must have spent a good afternoon or two watching clips, trawling the reviews and browsing the newbie forum on here, so I decided to take the plunge and buy the following:
- Wilkinson Sword DE Razor w/ 5 blades
- 10x Merkur Platinum Blades
- Proraso Ultra Sensitive Shave Soap
- Omega 49 Brush
- Nivea Sensitive Aftershave
- Shower Mirror + Suction Hook (I live in a shared house so do not have a good sink/mirror)
Anyways to wrap up this already too long post my experiences of the last 3 weeks have been fantastic - I am currently doing 1 pass a day to learn the techniques and have had no ingrowns, burning or shaving rash - the only cut was from using a slightly blunt blade and pressure.
I can shower and shave in 15 mins, the kit travels easily (unless flying), and takes up little room in a shared bathroom, I can recycle all my blades and easily rinse and dry my brush out. The Proraso has been amazing stuff, leaves my face cool and fresh and creates a great lather on my face.
The Wilkinson Sword is a basic razor but the weight of the handle makes it easy to use and discourages any pressure, I go for a gentle reduction and can touch up with lather if needed. Both the Wilkinson/Merkurs seem mild but are great for a newbie like myself.
The Nivea Sensitive it amazing stuff, I can get greasy and sensitive skin but it forms a great finish and just seems to sink in leaving my face feeling fresh.
I found in the past if I shaved and then went outside in hot/cold weather my face would itch and burn, whereas now I just feel great.
Thanks to all the users here for the great input, I very rarely use forums but have gone from dreading shaving to actually enjoying the ritual on a daily basis, just feel ready to go afterwards if that makes sense at all!
Cheers
Ed
