Well, I've been DE shaving for about 3 months now. My technique is good and consistent, I've figured out what blades work for my face, I know what pre-shave routine works for me, and I know what creams / soaps / aftershaves work for me as well.
My next variable to tweak is the actual razor itself.
What I'd like is some input on a platform that would work better for me - take me to the next level.
I'm getting great shaves, but I'd like to get BBS every time I shave. Right now I fall juuuuuust short of that daily.
So, allow me to describe my shaving approach, and then I covet your input as to what you think would work given my scenario.
Please limit your comments to what RAZOR you recommend as opposed to critiquing other aspects of my shaving routine. This is a controlled experiment and we're only changing one variable here
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First, let me describe my pre-shave routine:
Skin / hair characteristics
For the purposes of my razor experiment, I will use the following controls:
So, what DE razor do you think would work well for me?
My next variable to tweak is the actual razor itself.
What I'd like is some input on a platform that would work better for me - take me to the next level.
I'm getting great shaves, but I'd like to get BBS every time I shave. Right now I fall juuuuuust short of that daily.
So, allow me to describe my shaving approach, and then I covet your input as to what you think would work given my scenario.
Please limit your comments to what RAZOR you recommend as opposed to critiquing other aspects of my shaving routine. This is a controlled experiment and we're only changing one variable here
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First, let me describe my pre-shave routine:
- Soak brush in warm water
- Fill hot water boiler with water and turn it on
- If using soap, put water on the soap to soften (I use Ogallala Bay Rum soaps - regular, sandalwood, or limes & peppercorn if I use soap.)
- Take hot shower for about 5 minutes
- Step out of shower and make lather
- Pour now-boiling water into shaving cup
- Get face good and wet then lather up the face
Typical shaving creams: C.O. Bigelow (Proraso), T&H Trafalager - Shave WTG, WTG, XTG, ATG with a Derby blade in my Parker 22R.
- Touchup
- Rinse face with warm water to remove soap
- Rinse face with cold water to close pores
- Dab-dry my face with a soft bath towel
- Immediately apply my AS or ASB
Typical AS - Ogallala Buy Rum lines
Typical ASB - C.O. Bigelow Grey bottled, scentless ASB or T&H Trafalger - Allow face to semi-dry
- Apply cologne - never to shaved areas
- Bask in the glory of a good shave
Skin / hair characteristics
- My skin dries quickly
- My hair is very straight and wiry - no curling anywhere
- I have to get pretty aggressive on my neckline
- Chin hair is thick. ATG is very hard in this area, so I rarely do this but would like to potentially enabled to do so with a new razor.
- I can shave twice daily without too much irritation, but my neck does get razor burn sometimes when I shave the second time
- My hair grows in pretty consistent patters,
- Neck hair angles very sharply against my skin, making those hairs particularly hard to get. My cheeks, sideburns, mustache, and chin areas are usually pretty smooth - the neck is at a much sharper angle, so I tend to get a lot more aggressive with it.
For the purposes of my razor experiment, I will use the following controls:
- Blades - Derby - never used more than 3 times
- Pre-Shave Oils / Balms - none
- Above pre-shave routine
- Creams - C.O. Bigelow (Proraso)
- Exact same shaving routine
- ASB - C.O. Bigelow grey bottled, scentless ASB
- Same post-shave routine
So, what DE razor do you think would work well for me?
