Newbie at DE from TX/Army

I have decided to make the move to DE for a couple reasons. 1) After the initial purchase of gear the price per shave is significantly less (then you get addicted and buy more and more for your new hobby lol) 2) I wanted a better shave because those cartridges regardless of their special "technology" didn't "cut" it. 3) A couple of my buddies in the Army were talking about their DE experiences.

Now I have started about a month ago and I'm all in! I love the whole process and the experience of the entire shave. Now being in the Army it requires that I wake up a little earlier, but its worth it in my opinion. I already got the DE bug and have like 3 jars of shaving soap, a Parker shaving brush, a Merkur 34C and I have a Merkur 37C coming in the mail. I plan on using the 37C (slanted head) in the morning so that I'll only need one pass maybe two before I leave for PT.

My other concern is what to do when I go into the field. I'm thinking about making a carry case for all my gear (or purchase travel gear) out of a pelican case I have laying around. Get some of that foam you can cut out to your liking and then it won't get beat up while I'm out there. Also most mornings I don't have much time to shave so I'm still brain storming that one out.

Well I'm glad to have found this forum and I'm excited to get to know you guys!

My Setup

Welcome to B&B, and Happy Shaving!

And Thank You for Your Service to Our Country ... be sure and contact a Moderator about getting an "Active Duty" badge.

You've got a good basic kit for starting out. At this point, you don't want to make the same common newbie mistake like I did ... don't overthing things. You don't need to do months and months of research before you pull the trigger on a new item. Just jump in and try different brands. You'll learn more about wet-shaving in a week of using a particular soap or ASL than you will in a year of reading forums and asking questions.

As for that 37C you're waiting on ... many people find it works best when you feed it a lot of whiskers. I reserve it for times when my last shave was at least 3 days ago. I've tried it as a daily driver, but the Slant doesn't work for me in that mode. YMMV, of course. And I like Feather blades in my Slant razors.

You'll be wanting to get a Blade Sampler Pack if you haven't done so already. Its a rite of passage around here. Finding the right razor and blade combo is one of the keys to getting a great shave. The other is good beard preparation. And both can only be accomplished by lots of experimentation, since no two faces are alike.

For you travel kit in the field, Keep It Simple. No need to carry 6 different soaps and 3 brushes and a separate razor for each day of the week. Pack simple, pack light. And don't take along anything you can't afford to lose. Within a few weeks, you'll find those products that are cheap and always work for you. (Hint: I usually leave my brush at home. Any soap or cream can easily be lathered up by hand.)

Thanks for your service. Welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard. Be sure to check out the Active Duty Members Check-in and the Foxhole Shavers Club in the Clubs and Brotherhoods section of the ShaveWiki.

This is just a suggestion. If you're short on time what you can do to skip the lather process etc is shave with olive oil only. I do this often and it works great. You won't need a brush, mug, soap and aftershave. Your skin will feel great afterwards, even if you don't use aftershave you won't get any infections.

This is how I do it. I wash my face with hot water will my whiskers are wet, I apply olive oil on my face and I shave. I do three passes and I get a full BBS. It's a quick routine so you'll be done within 5-10 minutes. Usually after two passes (WTG and XTG I get a BBS on some spots, I do an ATG to finish it off). When you're done just wash your face and clean up with a towel. You really should give this a try if you;re in a hurry you'll be amazed on how effective this is.

If I'm not doing this method then I only use olive oil as a pre shave oil which also works great.

Welcome to B&B and thank you for your service. Since you are on active duty you should check here to get your special badge

I would say when you go out into the field consider using something like cremo cream and an altoids tin for used blades

Hello and welcome to B&B. Great to have you here and thanks for your service.

Welcome aboard, great set up and thank you for your service!

Welcome to Badger & Blade!

Welcome to the forum !!

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the very warm welcome!

Hello, welcome to B&B. Thank you for serving America, stay safe.

Welcome to B&B, and thank you for your service. I have the 37C as well, I really enjoy it. I too reserve it for my Sunday morning shaves, almost 3 days growth.

It's great to have you here....Welcome!

Welcome. Just a recommendation from a fellow Army dude, but wake up earlier and take your time with the shave. I'm still new, but every time I hurry I bleed.

Welcome to the Badger and Blade.

I spent time at Fort Hood, Texas myself.

Welcome from Arizona !

Welcome to B&B, and thanks for serving!

If you are in Ft. Hood, I'm just down the road in Austin.

For the field, I would consider the following:

• Synthetic brush - these things dry in a matter of minutes instead of hours.
• Shave stick - Tabac, Palmolive, Arko, there are lots of options. The idea is to face lather and not need a bowl.
• "beatup" razor - I have a Bakelite that I won in my first PIF, but you could use a vintage Gillette Tech that should break down to a similar size. The idea is something you wouldn't mind getting dinged up out in the field as you might not be shaving in the best places.
• Pill bottles - I got mine for free at a local Walgreens. I drilled holes in the top and bottom to allow moisture to escape and air in to dry things.
• Alum bar (optional) - This can be used for post-shave to close up the pore, stop any small weepers, etc. RazoRock makes small portables one.
• Styptic pencil (optional) - For more severe nicks.
• Witch hazel (optional) - If you want some kind of 'aftershave', but don't want the scent. I assume you would want to avoid your normal scented aftershaves, but if not, just pour some into a small plastic bottle.

Welcome!