Double edge / Wet shaving

[seamusalaska]

After this past hot July, my wife suggested that I might want to shave off my beard. Oh my gosh! I've entered a new universe! I've discovered words like 'Merkur', 'Parker', 'Feather', badger brushes, etc. She also says that I look 20 years younger (had a white beard). Dang! And it's fun! Now I need to save up for a Gillette 'Fatboy' adjustable. I know there are other INGO members that are way ahead of me.

 

[jedi]

Be a "real" man & get a straight razor.

You can start off with a low cost disposable one while you learn.

& then once you get the hang of it get the real thing.
Straight Razors

It will outlast you, the shave will be closer than anything else you have tried.
Only draw back is you can't do a quick 5 min. shave & you have to be careful.

Here is some more reading for you:
http://artofmanliness.com/2009/10/06/how-to-straight-razor-shave/

 

[Loar]

The Badger and Blade is a great forum for safety and straight razors. I started with the Merkur 34c and then added the slant bar (which chewed me up) and now the Mergress.

It definitely adds a little something to the morning routine.

 

[seamusalaska]

Thanks to jediagh for the link. I don't think I'm brave enough yet for the straight razor.

 

[Sailor]

After a decade or so I just went back to wet shaving. If you shave and use cartridges stop wasting money. You can get a years worth of DE blades for under $20.

Here is what I got, an Edwin Jagger DB89, and a Tweezerman Boar Brush.

The chrome job is fantastic.

I am still testing to find the blades that work the best for me.

 

[96firephoenix]

if I don't have the time to do a straight shave, I keep a 1953 (older than my dad!) DE Gillette on standby. good for travelling too, cuz you can take the razor on the plane, buy a pack of blades where you land and throw them away if you can't bring them back... you've only spent $2...

 

[Sailor]

No straight shaving for me, I am still learning here how to do the DE thing without bleeding out. Getting the corners of my mouth and under the chin is going to take some practice to get right.

 

[Leo]

salior, don't try to get anything with the corner of the blade. Push the corners of your mouth out with your tongue so that you can get the wiskers with the middle part of the blade. A lot less nicks that way. Good Luck

 

[Sailor]

Thanks for the tip. I am using Poraso soap, and some Nutregena cream. Think I like the Poraso better.

Old school Aqua Velva feels great after, but makes you smell like Grandpa.

 

[indytechnerd]

anyplace near Indy to purchase this kind of thing?

 

[Sailor]

Not sure, I have an amazon prime membership so I get as much stuff there I can. $31

Amazon.com: Edwin Jagger De89bl Double Edge Safety Razor Chrome Plated: Health & Personal Care

 

[joslar15]

anyplace near Indy to purchase this kind of thing?

Reds Classic Barber Shop downtown Indy sells DE, straight razors and all
accessories if you want to see and touch before you buy.

I recently started using my Dad's old DE. It's the first razor I used back in the mid 70s before I decided cartridges were for me. He's been gone five years now and it's kind of a sentimental thing, though I haven't gone to using the Old Spice aftershave.

 

[indytechnerd]

Necroposting this.

No Shave November is coming to a close, and I'm in the mood to change things up.

So, today, I stopped and bought a couple items from Sally Beauty Supply, of all places, in Plainfield...

&

$12.50 out the door, so it's a cheap experiment.

 

[ArmedRPh]

Before you get too deep into it, read this book:
The book does a great job reviewing the hows and whys. It gives a lot of recommendations on entry level items and where to go after you get the hang of it.

 

[steve666]

I've pretty much always used a double edged safety razor, with just a couple of forays into the twin/triple blade world. I have used a mug and brush, and still do on when I want a really good, close shave; however, I find that the lazy convenience of a can of Barbasol is alright for my daily shave. For a good aftershave that doesn't smell bad pick up some Jovan Musk for Men or a bottle of Bay Rhum. I use my grandfather's old Gillette double edge, we are both over 60 now:

You might want to give this a read also: Learn How to Shave Like Your Grandpa | The Art of Manliness

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Also look into Shave Secret Shave Secret: The Best Shave Ever Natural Oils, 18.75 mL: Shaving : Walmart.com

Doesn't work very well with the multi blade cartridge razors (At least not with the water pressure out of MY bathroom sink, anyway)

Smells good - a bit more cleanup time required.

I'll stick with my expensive cartridge razors. I should buy stock in Gillette...

-J-

 

[indytechnerd]

Also look into Shave Secret Shave Secret: The Best Shave Ever Natural Oils, 18.75 mL: Shaving : Walmart.com

Doesn't work very well with the multi blade cartridge razors (At least not with the water pressure out of MY bathroom sink, anyway)

Smells good - a bit more cleanup time required.

I'll stick with my expensive cartridge razors. I should buy stock in Gillette...

-J-

Heh, last night at Kroger, I checked blades for my Mach3, better than $3 per blade. Admittedly, I thought I'd cut my upper lip off Saturday morning and there's still a pretty big mark from it, but otherwise, I managed quite well. 2nd swipe of the blade and my only thought was MEDIC!!

Anyway, I'm not going to entirely pitch my good razor, especially since I have about a years worth of blades. But, having the safety razor (and the skill to use it) might prove worthwhile in the long term. I'm thinking I can get a month or so out of each blade, that makes 1 of my Mach3 blades = 10 months of safety blades.

 

[jedi]

Like I said back in 2011 be a man use the straight razor!

 

[IndyBeerman]

The heck with the old stuff, being 50 I'm beyond using the old safety razor. I got tired of nicking my face up back in the day.

For years I used the Gillette Fusion, but now I'm a Gillette Fusion ProGlide user.

I can get a whole month of use out of the ProGlide blades (longer if I really wanted to) and I get a super close shave. No other blade I have ever used lasted longer than 10 days.