New from Michigan

Hello! I've read this forum whenever I needed advice but perhaps I need dialogue now. I started traditional wet shaving in highschool after realizing there was a better path to that smooth face than the modern Gillette. I started with a Parker DE of which the model number is now lost. It provided good shaves using Wilkinson Sword blades from the pharmacy. I even started with the previous version of the Van der Hagen shaving soap kit with the spectacular boar brush and green bowl haha. My stubble was very thin and could probably be shaved off using just water and poor technique. As my stubble became thicker over the years the Parker simply wasn't aggressive enough rolling over the stubble without cutting. It's true to this day, the legendary Feather blades make no difference to its performance. I began looking for a better razor still gravitating towards traditional shaving. I discovered the Merkur Slant short handle and this made the world of difference. I knew from then on traditional wet shaving had its roots deep in my routine. At this point I was still using the Van der Hagen set which still worked better than Barbasol. A few years back my local big brand grocery store stopped carrying my blades. I ventured out. I made my way to a nearby shaving store and acquired Personna Reds, a Frank's Shaving Finest badger brush and a sample of Proraso menthol cream. My mind was blown. I experienced the best shave I still remember and the rest is history. Since then I've added a Merkur Progress, Futur, Merkur long handled open comb, and a 1959 Gillette Fatboy. The collection will continue...I've really had a good opportunity to focus on my technique lately realizing my patience really governs the quality of my shave. I do have one trouble area that I've been working on, the moustache area. I don't have trouble maneuvering the razor but it seems that my hair is incredibly dense and even Feather blades become "hung up" in the stubble causing me irritation from pulling and digging. I turn to you gentlemen for some advice. Sorry for the mile long paragraph, not many friends to share the hobby with.

Welcome! I agree, sometimes it's great to have guys online you can share your hobbies with. Not may others would understand.

Hi, welcome to B&B

Hello and welcome. Great to have you here on B&B. Wander on over to the Hall of Fame and introduce yourself.

Welcome from Oakland County. Your problem area is shared - the upper lip is difficult for me too with coarse hair that makes the fourth (against the grain pass) iffy unless I stretch the skin and keep the blade angle shallower than that used elsewhere on my puss.

Welcome aboard amigo..... You've come to the right place. Ah, the mustache is always an obstacle. What's your normal approach in attacking the whiskers there? Try going at it from different directions. WTG, ATG, or XTG from nose to ear or ear to nose. Giving it a good stretch and lifting the nose has helped me also at times. Good luck.

Welcome to the forum !!

Welcome to B&B. I've found that XTG is especially helpful for the moustache.

Welcome to the B&B forums. Glad you joined.

Sent via mobile - Chris

Welcome to B&B, I agree with Gus,"Try going at it from different directions. WTG, ATG, or XTG"

Welcome to B&B!

Welcome aboard! Agree with others above: passes in multiple directions, stretching the skin and moving the nose are all worth trying.

Welcome to Badger & Blade! I usually go horizontal on my lip and that usually does it for me. But everyone is different. Hope you figure it out though!

Welcome to Badger and Blade, Merc.

Does that mean that you drive a Mercury?

Lately I've been making and extreme frowny face but also pulling corners of lip towards cheeks. Very amusing expression. If I just pull the upper lip straight down the razor seems to do well above the gumline in relation to the skin above it. Where the skin is loose just below the teeth it tends to dig right at that exchange. Very sensitive area for me so I only do WTG and XTG. Hopefully my description makes sense.

I currently drive a 76 Mercedes 300D. I love the vintage models. But I have tended a mostly Merkur collection. Figured the vehicle spelling would be more original at least on this forum 😆

Welcome to B&B!

Welcome to B&B.

Welcome to B&B.

WARHAWK