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Hello, I'm ScottySatan and I shave my face.

Hello, my name is ScottySatan and I've been using the Gillette Mach3 since 1998. I shaved in the shower with no mirror or lubrication, no aftershave. As I age, that kind of shave is starting to make my face look white and peel-y.

I grumbled for years at the very high cost of new cartridges. I had to try something new after I went to three different places in my neighborhood and couldn't fund any of my Mach 3 cartridges. The displays would stock about 3 packs of the old cartridges, and 50-100 packs of their newer model. It was a strong hint that from them that it's time to upgrade, for better or worse.

Well, I didn't like those new cartridges much. There wasn't any progress in it. And I already thought 3 blades was extravagant and just for show. 5 is ridiculous. I'd make fun of myself shaving with that. "How are you liking those 5 blades, ya pansy?!". That (admittedly poisonous) attitude combined with my love of older, simpler design, drove me to looking into safety razors.

I got a Merkur 25 at a local shop and a puck of locally-made, very frothy, unscented glycerin soap. I've shaved a few dozen times with the Personna blades that were sold in the shop, the single merkur blade that came with the razor, and I'm starting to dive into a selection of blades I got from Try-A-Blade (shout out to them, they have a better selection than most, better prices than most, and no one else lets me get the number of blades that I want).

I'm blessed with very insensitive skin. Maybe 20+ years of shaving with no lubricant but hot water made it that way. Maybe my face is callused? Could I punch someone in the face with my face? My new razor is great, every blade I've tried has been great. I'll probably pick Feather because they're already my preferred brand for dissection scalpel blades (I'm a biologist).

I'm not using a brush. I lather the soap on my face with my hands. Soap is already a big step up for me. It feels weird on my face because I'm not used to it. I'm reluctant to try a brush because my current shaves are good, and faster than my disposable cartridge shaves were. A brush seems like a step in the wrong direction. I don't have a lot of time in the morning. But I have an open mind.

I love to talk about gear, so I've had a lot of fun reading here lately. I'm proud to see that my Merkur 25 is well-reviewed. I see people say that this kind of razor is a good beginner one. It makes me wonder what an advanced one would be. I'm looking at that now.

Anyway, long story short: Hello.
 
Hello and welcome. Great to have you here in the wet shaving community. Thanks for the generous background info.
 
Welcome aboard! Don't be afraid to try a brush. If you face lather, it will help exfoliate your skin - and if you bowl lather, it'll just feel oh, so nice against your skin. Don't think of shaving as a chore, think of it as an opportunity to pamper yourself in the morning/evening (I shave at night right before bed, and take a good 30-45 minutes to enjoy it).
 
Welcome! Glad you have joined us!
Sounds like your off to a good start!
keep trying stuff and improving your shave, it is nice to get a good shave everyday!
 
I second this comment from phrogpilot73. Don't think of shaving as a chore, think of it as an opportunity to pamper yourself in the morning/evening. Welcome and enjoy.
 
Welcome to the forum. I've only been doing this for a month now, but I'll second the comment to try a brush. I recently switched to CO Bigelow and a badger hair brush, I bowl lather, but I really like the feeling of applying the cream.

If you haven't looked around on his site already, check out Garry's Sample Shop. Less expensive way to try some nice soaps, creams and aftershaves.
 
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Welcome to B&B

Drop into the Shave Wiki and read over some of the shaving articles. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/ You will find a LOT of useful info in there.

If you have not already done so, stop into the Hall of Fame and tell everyone a little about yourself

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/30-Hall-of-Fame
 
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