Long time lurker, new member.

[Anthony]

Hey guys,
My name is Anthony. I'm 17 years old and a senior in high school. I've been lurking on here and shavemyface.com for over a year now. I love reading all the threads but didn't have a whole lot to contribute so I never registered. Well, after a year of Wet Shaving (brush and cream/soap) I feel I now know what I am talking about enough to make posts.

I guess I'll go ahead and talk about the products I use/d. Right now I currently use a Saint Charles Shave Brush which is, correct me if I'm wrong, a best badger. It's my first badger brush and, although it is smaller than I imagined it, I like it a lot. I use a face wash in the shower before I shave. I have several such as Zirh Clean, St Ives Apricot wash, Sharps Daily Prep, and some other "basic" neutrogena and nivea washes. All of the washes are pretty good, but in my quest to try out Method Shaving I bought a bar of olive oil soap from Kiss My Face. I haven't been able to figure out how exactly to use it with my brush but it has been, hands down, knock on wood, the best face cleanser I have ever used. I have combination skin (oily t-zone, normal otherwise) and my face is loving this soap. But, I will stop going on about my cleansers, because that is for antoher forum (menessentials.com)

Anyways, like I said, I wash my face in the shower, get my brush soaked, and decide what I want to lather for the day. I have a tube of Red Palmolive, Green Proraso, Key Lime Kiss My Face, and a cake of Saint Charles Shave soap, but I forgot the name! I think all four of the products are really great. My current favorite is the KMF. It produces the best lather, imo, of all my products and also in the shortest amount of time.

My razor is a gillette sensor. I know 90% of the board would have me shaving with a DE, but let me tell you, I have tried! All my lurking got me to buying some DE razors. I bought a used Gillette Adjustable in good condition and then bought some Gillette blades from wallgreens. I know some people would stop me right there and tell me the blades are my problem, but it's the best I can do right now. I would hate buying 1 or 2 packages online because the shipping wouldn't be worth it and I would hate buying more than 2 for fear that I might not like it at all. But like I said, I shaved with a DE for about 4 months. I got quite good at it. I could go with and against the grain without any knicks. So what's the problem? Well, there are a couple.

First off, it takes more concentration, skill, and in my case, a little more time. Now most of the members on this board take pride in the fact that it is harder to use, and I totally respect that, but for me, the end product isn't worth it. When I would get a baby butt or glass smooth shave with a DE razor, it didn't look very impressive. I have dark facial hair and lighter skin color, so even though my face felt great and smooth, I had a dark shadow on my upper lip. With the sensor, I get a smooth shave, and my upper lip isn't as dark. I assume this is because it is cutting below the skin layer??


I will say that my chin is probably my biggest problem area. With the sensor, I can get it smooth, but I still see a lot of the little black hairs. With the DE, I can get the stuble much less noticable, but to me, my upper lip is more important. Plus the risk of cutting myself is a bit higher with the DE. If anyone has any advice they would like to share, please do.

Toners and Aftershaves:
I have Sharps Oil Free Toner, Burts Bees Garden Tomato Toner, and Sea Breeze Astringent. All are good and used for different purposes. My aftershave include Proraso Liquid Balm, Will G's Bay Rum, and Aqua Velva Ice Balm. My favorite for scent is Will G's. For moisturizing, Proraso and Aqua Velva are very good.


I guess that's it for now. I look foward to reading more excellent threads and chiming in with my 2 cents every now and then.


Anthony


edit: because for some reason I thought Will G's was called Tony G's

[Jim]

Welcome to the B&B Anthony!

[Edcculus]

Welcome! I'm a brand new member too, just joined yesterday. I'm pretty new to the whole true wet shaving realm though. You look you have things pretty down pat though. I use a Sensor too, and like you, I have trouble under the chin, not too noticable though. I'll be experiencing the true DE shave shortly, as soon as my Merkeur HD arrives.

[NMMB]

Welcome Anthony.

[BroJohn]

Hello Anthony, welcome to B&B. I've been shaving 40+ years and am still learning myself. It's pretty nice to have some young fellows, who are starting out, sign up here at B&B. Sounds like you're off to a great start! We're attracting some young men 16-20 recently; don't be shy, feel free to participate.

-- John Gehman

[bearbeard]

Anthony ....so young and allready on the true path.

[GeeQue]

Welcome aboard Anthony !

[htownmmm]

Welcome to B&B Anthony!

Resistance is futile- you will be assimilated!

Marty

[rtaylor61]

Anthony,

Welcome to B&B. I just picked up a Sensor last week! Nothing wrong with using a Sensor. Gents here tend to prefer the DE, with a good sprinkling of straight razors, but in reality, the goal is to get the best shave that you can.
My son is 18 and struggling a bit with shaving. Since he lives with his mother, we don't spend a lot of time discussing it, but at his age, he also has to deal with occasional acne, which most of us here do not have to worry about. You've got a fine set up so stick with it. Just remember not to rush things. There is a learning curve, and we all have had to climb it. Just stay active here, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Randy

[Austin]

Welcome young man.

[With The Grain]

....

[Queen of Blades]

Welcome to B&B, Anthony!

[PalmettoB]

Anthony:
Welcome aboard! Hey, use whatever works best for you. Some here still use a Sensor for travel even if they are dedicated DE users. But the brush and lather will improve any razor you use. When I first started a few months ago, I was using "Good News" (that one always cracks me up) disposables. Shave kinda stunk. Found this site, started using a brush and lather, and even before I got the DE razor, the shaves were already better! I happen to like my DE, and am about to have a BAD case of RAD, but as others have said, it's all about the best shave for you. And if you are getting all this great information now as you just get started, you are way ahead of where most of us were. All I can say is pass it along to your buddies, and we will convert the world!

[TomH]

Welcome to B&B Anthony...

Thomas

[TimmyBoston]

Welcome to B&B Anthony!

[Jonnybc]

Welcome Anthony...

[Stauff]

Welcome to the club! Nice to see that someone younger can appreciate the better things in life.

[Mama Bear]

Hello and Welcome Anthony! (and Ed)

Mama Bear

[LX_Emergency]

Welcome man. I'll tell you the DE isn't for everyone. I'm not a big fan either. I much prefer my straight razors. But that's a whole different story.

[Steelforge]

Hi there.