Safety Razor Appreciation

[APinNC]

Reviving an old thread after reading Leanderthal's favorite things post. I've decide to give a safety/double edge razor a try. Can anyone tell me if this set would be a good place to start?

https://www.westcoastshaving.com/saf...r-set-byo.html

I'm thinking of going with the closed comb head, shaving cream sample pack and DE blade choice sampler pack. $50 for a handle, brush, bowl, sample blades and sample of creams and soaps. Is that a good deal or would you recommend piecing together the items separately. I'm completely new to this so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

That's a good price on a starter set.

I pieced together:
1963 Gillette Slim DE - classic, made in USA. Will never break
Brush: Perfecto badger hair. It's cheap and I've had no issues with it
Cream/Soap: Taylor of Old Bond Street Avocado Shaving Cream. Great lather and really leaves my face soft and moisturized
Bowl - clay bowl that i found at yard sale. I used to use a plastic hair dye mixing bowl that I got at Sally Beauty. Both were $2
Blades: I would definitely buy a sampler to see which suits your face. Derby and Feather are my choices, but there are a lot of good ones
After shave: nothing but cold ice water on my face. Most after shave balms and lotions destroy my skin. Just a few splashes of ice cold water and occasionally rub a piece of ice on my face.

[DocDave]

[MENTION=13237]Geo[/MENTION] I have no experience with this myself, so I'm only repeating second hand what I've heard. BUT...apparently on the Blade and Badger forum some members will mail out starter kits to new members. Under the premise of paying it forward; ie once you are settled in and have your shave set up that when another newbie joins you will then send him a starter kit.

The starter kit in question I believe consists of blades for the newbie to try. Not the razor itself. And I'm not sure if the newbie kit includes shaving cream too. In any event I thought I'd throw it out there in case it helps. Cheers.

[pixelpusher]

I went through a phase and tried hard soaps, creams, and everything in between. My favorite by far is Cremo - https://www.amazon.com/Cremo-Origina...009WQH8SA?th=1. No brush required and super slick / opaque which made the whole shaving process even better.

[thedrake]

[MENTION=13237]Geo[/MENTION], the handle, blades, and brush look fine. I definitely think a closed comb is best to start. Open comb is more aggressive and easier to cut yourself. I don't think the soap sampler pack looks all that great because I think they're all the same brand, just different scents? You won't see much difference in the soap sample pack from one brand.

[Hierophant]

Chiming in to say that it's a good place to start, but you'll want to experiment with other blades and soaps before you decide where you want to land.

[idvsego]

Reviving an old thread after reading Leanderthal's favorite things post. I've decide to give a safety/double edge razor a try. Can anyone tell me if this set would be a good place to start?

https://www.westcoastshaving.com/saf...r-set-byo.html

I'm thinking of going with the closed comb head, shaving cream sample pack and DE blade choice sampler pack. $50 for a handle, brush, bowl, sample blades and sample of creams and soaps. Is that a good deal or would you recommend piecing together the items separately. I'm completely new to this so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

West Coast Shaving is a standup place and that looks like as good a starter pack as any. I also like Maggards a lot. at first you will be trying bunch of stuff but eventually you will probably settle into a favorite combo. I ended up with this setup and have been pretty solid on it for over a year...

Razorock Jaws Open Comb
Crystal Isreali blades
L'Occitane Synthetic brush
dimpled plastic bowl from Target clearance rack

a handfull of soaps and creams but the Taylor of Bond Street, L'Occitane, proraso, and Razorock XXX are my favorites
a handfull of aftershaves but plain old cold water, L'Occitane balm and Nivea Sensitive skin are by far my favorites

I really prefer the synthetic brushes if you plan on shaving every day. A badger has to soak. Synthetics dont..and they dont drop hairs and they dont smell funny. You want to be sure it isnt a super soft brush because that doesnt do much for stimulating the hairs. I really like mine but a friend that I converted bought a maggards and is a big fan of it.

I received a lot of guidance, great deals, and even some freebies from generous members on some of these sites. Now dont go on there asking for free stuff. Go in asking earnest questions and you will find some people might be like "I actually have some extra I will send you to try". With that said, order yourself a start pack and then come back here and give your impressions. Based on whatever your try and what you like, I may have some stuff for you that I bought and wasn't for me. Anyway, the sites...

badgerandblade.com/vb/forum.php
http://theshaveden.com/forums/
http://shavenook.com/index.php
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RazorB/?fref=nf
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WSEBST/?fref=nf
https://www.facebook.com/groups/shavetheman/?fref=nf
https://www.facebook.com/groups/581572051953974/
https://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Shave_Bazaar/new/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Wetshaving/

[Geo]

Thank you everyone for the advice and especially the resources. I think I have some research to do before making any purchases. I'll report back when I've decided on a razor and with impressions on products.

[idvsego]

Thank you everyone for the advice and especially the resources. I think I have some research to do before making any purchases. I'll report back when I've decided on a razor and with impressions on products.

you can get lost in that research. everybody likes stating things as fact and some go super crazy on the stuff. I did for a while too. But to be honest, its pretty simple if all you are looking to do is get a good shave. I used to hate shaving because I got bad razor burn and in-growns due to sensitive skin and a coarse beard. Turns out I also was not really shaving the best way either. I was just lathering and going up and down. I tried different prep methods, different preshave oils, tons of soaps, tons of blades, 5 different style razors, and probably 10 aftershaves. I have drawers of this stuff. I dont have to buy shaving gear for probably 4 years. I even tried "cold shaving" for a few weeks. But 3 things made the biggest difference for me. Less blades, "mapping" my beard, and rinsing with cold water after my shave.

Each blade adds irritation. A single pass with a 3 blade is 3 scrapes. a single pass with a single blade is 1 scrape. going with a single blade let me control the scraping more.

For the most comfortable shave, you go with the grain of your beard. Turns out my beard grows all wacky. it isnt even the same on each side of my face in the same spot. So once I figured out all those directions and went with the grain instead of just North to South it got way more comfortable. I cant go against the grain. It gives a closer shave but causes the ingrowns for me.

Cold water after the shave will help close up those pores and reduces the ingrowns as well. It also helps with any little weepers better than warm water does. And it is crisp and refreshing once you get used to it.

Everything else is just fun. In a pinch I have had passable shaves without blood using a cheap plastic 2 blade disposable, bar soap, and cold water.

[Geo]

you can get lost in that research. everybody likes stating things as fact and some go super crazy on the stuff. I did for a while too...But 3 things made the biggest difference for me. Less blades, "mapping" my beard, and rinsing with cold water after my shave.

I completely understand what you mean and I'm definitely the kind of person that can get lost down the rabbit hole. I'll either go with a cheaper starter kit from WSC or piece together stuff slowly off of Amazon.

I'm already familiar with facial hair mapping and rinsing with cold water. I do both but my current blades still leave my neck a mess of ingrowns and irritation. It sounds like the single razor will help alleviate this. Interestingly enough, I experimented a little this morning by using the single blade on the back of my razor instead of the 4 blade side. It wasn't the closest shave in the world but there was much less irritation than normal. Now I'm excited to see what a proper double edge razor can do.

[idvsego]

What I love about the single edge is I can do a quick 1 pass shave that makes me look presentable and is very comfortable or I can do a 3 pass ordeal that gets my face pretty smooth. I gave up on BBS (baby bottom smooth) because my skin is just too sensitive. I can do it but my neck burns all day

[DocDave]

So I smashed my bowl last week. Which wasn't such a big deal as I was wanting to purchase a different bowl for lathering. A quick trip to the Sally Ann and presto. New bowl for lathering.

I went with more of a deeper bowl with straight walls. As opposed to a more shallow bowl and wider walls. So far, I'm much happier with the new bowl.

Now I need to look at getting some more blades. The 100 I'd bought from West Coast Shaving are starting to come to an end. I'm not sure what I'll go with this time. The Gilette's were good, but maybe I can use something different/better.

[Geo]

Today's post on Best Posts of 2017 inspired me to revisit this thread. After a little research and suggestions from the Dappered forum, I bought a closed comb safety razor and sampler pack of blades from West Coast Shaving, a synthetic brush off Amazon and Cremo shaving cream as suggested by someone in this thread.

After making the switch I have seen a drastic reduction in razor burn on my neck. I still get it occasionally but nowhere near as bad as before. I also found that replacing aftershave with tea tree oil has helped a lot. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.

Now that I'm getting more comfortable with the razor, I'm looking for shaving cream recommendations to replace the Cremo that I've been using. Cremo isn't bad but I'm sure there are much better products out there. I'm looking for a shaving cream ideal for sensitive skin. Anyone have any suggestions?

[paintflinger]

Today's post on Best Posts of 2017 inspired me to revisit this thread. After a little research and suggestions from the Dappered forum, I bought a closed comb safety razor and sampler pack of blades from West Coast Shaving, a synthetic brush off Amazon and Cremo shaving cream as suggested by someone in this thread.

After making the switch I have seen a drastic reduction in razor burn on my neck. I still get it occasionally but nowhere near as bad as before. I also found that replacing aftershave with tea tree oil has helped a lot. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.

Now that I'm getting more comfortable with the razor, I'm looking for shaving cream recommendations to replace the Cremo that I've been using. Cremo isn't bad but I'm sure there are much better products out there. I'm looking for a shaving cream ideal for sensitive skin. Anyone have any suggestions?

Do you want to stick with brushless creams like Cremo or do you want suggestions for regular creams?

If the former, stick with Cremo (the Cooling Scent is my favorite) or Kiss My Face. There are not any better brushless creams.

As far as regular creams go, the best bang for you buck used to be the Unscented XPEC from Connaught, but nobody seems to be carrying XPEC anymore. Therefore, I'd go for Meißner Tremonia shaving paste. They have scented and unscented options available and their shaving soaps are really very good.

Finally, I would recommend that you really do not limit yourself to creams. The best shaves I've had were from shaving soaps. My top soap right now would probably be Cold River Soapworks Glide, but there are so many amazing soaps out there that creams really do not have much interest for me.

[Geo]

Do you want to stick with brushless creams like Cremo or do you want suggestions for regular creams?

If the former, stick with Cremo (the Cooling Scent is my favorite) or Kiss My Face. There are not any better brushless creams.

As far as regular creams go, the best bang for you buck used to be the Unscented XPEC from Connaught, but nobody seems to be carrying XPEC anymore. Therefore, I'd go for Meißner Tremonia shaving paste. They have scented and unscented options available and their shaving soaps are really very good.

Finally, I would recommend that you really do not limit yourself to creams. The best shaves I've had were from shaving soaps. My top soap right now would probably be Cold River Soapworks Glide, but there are so many amazing soaps out there that creams really do not have much interest for me.

I didn't realize Cremo was meant to be applied without a brush. I've been using a brush and getting decent results. I read that creams are better for beginners because they're easier to lather. I'm not opposed to soaps but figured I should get the technique down before advancing past a cream. Maybe I should start looking into better brushes and going with a soap instead. Thanks for the recommendations.

[bassoonguy]

Do you want to stick with brushless creams like Cremo or do you want suggestions for regular creams?

If the former, stick with Cremo (the Cooling Scent is my favorite) or Kiss My Face. There are not any better brushless creams.

As far as regular creams go, the best bang for you buck used to be the Unscented XPEC from Connaught, but nobody seems to be carrying XPEC anymore. Therefore, I'd go for Meißner Tremonia shaving paste. They have scented and unscented options available and their shaving soaps are really very good.

Finally, I would recommend that you really do not limit yourself to creams. The best shaves I've had were from shaving soaps. My top soap right now would probably be Cold River Soapworks Glide, but there are so many amazing soaps out there that creams really do not have much interest for me.

I really like Taylor of Old Bond Street. I use the Sandlewood scent and although its not specifically for sensitive skin I don't have any problems with it. I consider myself to have sensitive skin as before the switch I would get razor burn all the time on my neck. However, they do have a cream specifically for sensitive skin if you need it.
https://www.amazon.com/Taylors-Old-B...d+street&psc=1