Hey everyone,
I've been shaving with cartridges for over 20 years- Gillette Sensor, Mach III and Profusion Pro Glide, using Edge sensitive skin shave gel. Like many others, I'm tired of plunking down $30 a month on cartridges. A friend of mine recently graduated barber school and started a career as a barber. We were talking about shaving and he strongly recommended DE shaving. So I took his advice and started with a Parker 96R razor and brush kit, Personna Blade, and Dreadnought shave cream. This morning was my first shave with the setup. Let's just say so far the results are mixed and it's going to take some work to get used to this. A few nicks around my mouth, which isn't so bad, but the same areas that suffer irritation with a cartridge (and I was pretty comfortable and happy with the Fusion ProGlide cartridges, except for the price), were a complete mess with the DE. Very irritated, some weepers, and not as close as I'd like.
My prep- took a hot shower, then right out to shave. Used American Crew Shave Oil (recommended by my friend) first, and then lathered up with Dreadnought Shave Cream using the brush. Went with the grain on first pass. Cheeks were fine, but around my mouth had some nicks, and my neck was a disaster. Tried to use no pressure, but I think the angles and corners and various directions my hair grows got me. My second pass - XTG - and that got my cheeks closer and my chin and around my mouth. No additional nicks, so I think I did better. Neck was still a problem. Third pass, ATG, cheeks and mouth and chin were fine. I don't think I added to the agony around my neck at this point. Bottom line, I'll have to be careful and practice. A little scared though since I also shave my head 3x a week and was hoping to use my DE for that as well.
I have to say, I'd been intrigued for a long time when looking in shops like The Art of Shaving, etc. The razors, bowls and brushes always looked so cool, so I have been considering this move for a while. I just need to have the patience to get good at it. I bought a variety pack of blades. Considering trying a different blade tomorrow. Or should I just get good with the same blade first?
Anyway, glad to be here!
I've been shaving with cartridges for over 20 years- Gillette Sensor, Mach III and Profusion Pro Glide, using Edge sensitive skin shave gel. Like many others, I'm tired of plunking down $30 a month on cartridges. A friend of mine recently graduated barber school and started a career as a barber. We were talking about shaving and he strongly recommended DE shaving. So I took his advice and started with a Parker 96R razor and brush kit, Personna Blade, and Dreadnought shave cream. This morning was my first shave with the setup. Let's just say so far the results are mixed and it's going to take some work to get used to this. A few nicks around my mouth, which isn't so bad, but the same areas that suffer irritation with a cartridge (and I was pretty comfortable and happy with the Fusion ProGlide cartridges, except for the price), were a complete mess with the DE. Very irritated, some weepers, and not as close as I'd like.
My prep- took a hot shower, then right out to shave. Used American Crew Shave Oil (recommended by my friend) first, and then lathered up with Dreadnought Shave Cream using the brush. Went with the grain on first pass. Cheeks were fine, but around my mouth had some nicks, and my neck was a disaster. Tried to use no pressure, but I think the angles and corners and various directions my hair grows got me. My second pass - XTG - and that got my cheeks closer and my chin and around my mouth. No additional nicks, so I think I did better. Neck was still a problem. Third pass, ATG, cheeks and mouth and chin were fine. I don't think I added to the agony around my neck at this point. Bottom line, I'll have to be careful and practice. A little scared though since I also shave my head 3x a week and was hoping to use my DE for that as well.
I have to say, I'd been intrigued for a long time when looking in shops like The Art of Shaving, etc. The razors, bowls and brushes always looked so cool, so I have been considering this move for a while. I just need to have the patience to get good at it. I bought a variety pack of blades. Considering trying a different blade tomorrow. Or should I just get good with the same blade first?
Anyway, glad to be here!