Summary
My 14-year-old son survived his first shave with no cuts or weepers - he was so pleased afterward that he had to go show his mother and sister!
It was a great experience, and one I am glad to share with my son. I am hopeful all of you can experience something like this with a son, son-in-law, grandson, etc. because it was a neat rite of passage moment. I never had this with my own father, but I hope it will be something my son remembers sharing with me some day.
Details
I dug out all my shave gear this afternoon, and we talked about the various razors, brushes, soaps, and aftershaves. He picked up all the hardware items, and he sniffed all the software products, after which he commented most of them smelled "planty". I guess I do have several fougere, sandalwood, spice, and bay rum scents.
We both grabbed a brush, soap, and bowl and whipped up a lather. I showed him how to apply it, and then I used a Super Speed with no blade in it to give him a general idea of what to do. My son chose his Grandad's 1966 Gillette Slim because he liked the adjustable aspect. He started on a '1', but he didn't think that was getting the job done, so he bumped up to a '2'.
He was pretty tentative at first, and we ended up doing a WTG and two XTG passes since he missed quite a few spots. He was attempting to shave over spots where he already removed the lather, so we just did a third pass instead.
He opted for the following:
Razor: 1966 Gillette Slim - this was one of my father's razor, and it was neat my son chose a family heirloom
Blade: Astra SP - I wasn't sure where to start with him, but this seemed like a safe choice
Brush: Muhle 33K256 - he liked the super soft tips
Soap: Caties Bubles La Terre Verte - he thought this smelled the best
Aftershave: Aqua Velva Musk - he liked this one the best because it smelled different than all the others that are more essential oil based
My 14-year-old son survived his first shave with no cuts or weepers - he was so pleased afterward that he had to go show his mother and sister!
It was a great experience, and one I am glad to share with my son. I am hopeful all of you can experience something like this with a son, son-in-law, grandson, etc. because it was a neat rite of passage moment. I never had this with my own father, but I hope it will be something my son remembers sharing with me some day.
Details
I dug out all my shave gear this afternoon, and we talked about the various razors, brushes, soaps, and aftershaves. He picked up all the hardware items, and he sniffed all the software products, after which he commented most of them smelled "planty". I guess I do have several fougere, sandalwood, spice, and bay rum scents.
We both grabbed a brush, soap, and bowl and whipped up a lather. I showed him how to apply it, and then I used a Super Speed with no blade in it to give him a general idea of what to do. My son chose his Grandad's 1966 Gillette Slim because he liked the adjustable aspect. He started on a '1', but he didn't think that was getting the job done, so he bumped up to a '2'.
He was pretty tentative at first, and we ended up doing a WTG and two XTG passes since he missed quite a few spots. He was attempting to shave over spots where he already removed the lather, so we just did a third pass instead.
He opted for the following:
Razor: 1966 Gillette Slim - this was one of my father's razor, and it was neat my son chose a family heirloom
Blade: Astra SP - I wasn't sure where to start with him, but this seemed like a safe choice
Brush: Muhle 33K256 - he liked the super soft tips
Soap: Caties Bubles La Terre Verte - he thought this smelled the best
Aftershave: Aqua Velva Musk - he liked this one the best because it smelled different than all the others that are more essential oil based
