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My Journey to B&B (&Beyond)

Hello Gentlemen,

I'd like to introduce myself and share my passion with you.
My name is Radostin, you can also call me Rado. I'm originally from Bulgaria but currently living and studying in Germany. I'm 21 years young and very excited to be part of this community. Starting off with a story of how I got interested:

First of all, I have to mention that I'm kind of obsessed with fragrances at this particular moment. As I read reviews about fragrances there was this "barbershop" fragrance.
Well - what is that supposed to mean ? I googled and found out that this is the smell of the old school barbershop. There is no particular definition of the scent itself but it might contain everything from the scent of the products, furniture or anything in the barbershop as ingridient: Leather (chair), sandalwood (aftershave), lavender, menthol, citrus, powder etc... So I decided that the best way to experience such a composition is to go and visit an actual barber for a first time.

As a person who's rocking a straight, thick and black hair I pay a lot of attention to my hair and beard style as it tends to stand out easily. Having that said this visit at the barbershop was a great idea.
I also have to mention that my hair grows very quickly and that I trimmed my beard and 'stache for the first time at seventh grade. Ever since I've been only trimming my beard (not shaving) because my father and also my uncle told me to do so. Untill I went to a barber, where he didn't actually removed my beard but formed it into a very nice-looking shape. He did a very good job with my hair as well.
So the result was absolutely satisfiying as well as the whole experience.

I was impressed from his skills, the way he handled the instruments, this technique.
The products he used - high quality, heavenly smelling and great-working.
As I got the hot towel on my face I started to get little nervous and I will now explain why:

When I say thick I don't mean the normal definition of thick, neither I mean very thick, nor Wolverine thick, I actually mean Gorilla thick beard only from trimming. Knowing this hair is going to be touched with a razor wasn't the most relaxing thought. This hair type with a very big and strong folicle under the surface in combination with my sensitive skin is hell of a combination. Of course I told him that that's my first time at a barbershop and also that my beard has never been wet shaved. Fortunately, he used the proper products and desinfectants in order to prevent irritations. The success of the products as no irritation occured even on the next day was a good surprise. In most cases there's no product which is competitive against my sensitive skin.

This visit at the barber's felt like the right place, although it looked pricey to me at first (I'm a student in a foreign country as I already mentioned.)

Another interesting fact is that I have been experiencing dissatisfaction with most of the hair stylists I have visited as I tend to be a perfectionist with a challenging hair style and also hair type.

After this great experience at the barbershop I thought this would turn into a nice memory and nothing else as I can't afford to go there every time.

Two weeks later I went to a complete new barbershop(cheaper ofc), where I got a very bad hair cut. As I got home and looked at the mirror I was completely mad. Few minutes later I started cutting my hair and 30 minutes later I managed to almost clean up this mess.

Right after I made my decision. I won't take my hair type as a curse I'll take it as a blessing.
That's the reason why I'm going to invest in a good cut and thus look well groomed all the time. I plan visiting a barber every two weeks even if I have to sacrifice something else.

I hope you guys enjoy the story.
I'm here to spread some excitement around and listen to your wise words.

I actually didn't mention how I find this place. Well, there was a topic "What kind of razor do you shave with?" in the fragrance forum, where I posted about my style and problematic skin asking about advice and there was a man who provided me with a great introduction into the world of straight, DE razors as well as the world of wet shaving and he gave me a link to this amazing community right here. That's how I decided to join.
His name is Steve btw - shout out - WOOOOOOH ! (I hope I don't get banned for my excitement.

P.S. I'm looking forward to finding the right thread to ask for your advice as this is only a brief introduction.
I'm trying to make my both facial hair and skin more manageable.
I am also interested in straight razors and also to find out whether wet shaving would change how my facial hair grows and appears.

Kind regards,
Radostin Kolev
 
Welcome Rado, great intro story! Hopefully you will at least find the joys of maintaining your own beard lines. Hair cuts may be more challenging. One step at a time.

When I clicked on this thread, I expected it to be about Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
 
Hello Gentlemen,

I'd like to introduce myself and share my passion with you.
My name is Radostin, you can also call me Rado. I'm originally from Bulgaria but currently living and studying in Germany. I'm 21 years young and very excited to be part of this community. Starting off with a story of how I got interested:

First of all, I have to mention that I'm kind of obsessed with fragrances at this particular moment. As I read reviews about fragrances there was this "barbershop" fragrance.
Well - what is that supposed to mean ? I googled and found out that this is the smell of the old school barbershop. There is no particular definition of the scent itself but it might contain everything from the scent of the products, furniture or anything in the barbershop as ingridient: Leather (chair), sandalwood (aftershave), lavender, menthol, citrus, powder etc... So I decided that the best way to experience such a composition is to go and visit an actual barber for a first time.

As a person who's rocking a straight, thick and black hair I pay a lot of attention to my hair and beard style as it tends to stand out easily. Having that said this visit at the barbershop was a great idea.
I also have to mention that my hair grows very quickly and that I trimmed my beard and 'stache for the first time at seventh grade. Ever since I've been only trimming my beard (not shaving) because my father and also my uncle told me to do so. Untill I went to a barber, where he didn't actually removed my beard but formed it into a very nice-looking shape. He did a very good job with my hair as well.
So the result was absolutely satisfiying as well as the whole experience.

I was impressed from his skills, the way he handled the instruments, this technique.
The products he used - high quality, heavenly smelling and great-working.
As I got the hot towel on my face I started to get little nervous and I will now explain why:

When I say thick I don't mean the normal definition of thick, neither I mean very thick, nor Wolverine thick, I actually mean Gorilla thick beard only from trimming. Knowing this hair is going to be touched with a razor wasn't the most relaxing thought. This hair type with a very big and strong folicle under the surface in combination with my sensitive skin is hell of a combination. Of course I told him that that's my first time at a barbershop and also that my beard has never been wet shaved. Fortunately, he used the proper products and desinfectants in order to prevent irritations. The success of the products as no irritation occured even on the next day was a good surprise. In most cases there's no product which is competitive against my sensitive skin.

This visit at the barber's felt like the right place, although it looked pricey to me at first (I'm a student in a foreign country as I already mentioned.)

Another interesting fact is that I have been experiencing dissatisfaction with most of the hair stylists I have visited as I tend to be a perfectionist with a challenging hair style and also hair type.

After this great experience at the barbershop I thought this would turn into a nice memory and nothing else as I can't afford to go there every time.

Two weeks later I went to a complete new barbershop(cheaper ofc), where I got a very bad hair cut. As I got home and looked at the mirror I was completely mad. Few minutes later I started cutting my hair and 30 minutes later I managed to almost clean up this mess.

Right after I made my decision. I won't take my hair type as a curse I'll take it as a blessing.
That's the reason why I'm going to invest in a good cut and thus look well groomed all the time. I plan visiting a barber every two weeks even if I have to sacrifice something else.

I hope you guys enjoy the story.
I'm here to spread some excitement around and listen to your wise words.

I actually didn't mention how I find this place. Well, there was a topic "What kind of razor do you shave with?" in the fragrance forum, where I posted about my style and problematic skin asking about advice and there was a man who provided me with a great introduction into the world of straight, DE razors as well as the world of wet shaving and he gave me a link to this amazing community right here. That's how I decided to join.
His name is Steve btw - shout out - WOOOOOOH ! (I hope I don't get banned for my excitement.

P.S. I'm looking forward to finding the right thread to ask for your advice as this is only a brief introduction.
I'm trying to make my both facial hair and skin more manageable.
I am also interested in straight razors and also to find out whether wet shaving would change how my facial hair grows and appears.

Kind regards,
Radostin Kolev

Hi Rado,

I can certainly sympathise with you as I too have what I would call stubborn and wiry hair.

I'm order that it looks good I have to use a ton of wax as they're like springs and want to go in all kinds of direction if not managed so I tend to have a crew cut just to save the trouble of styling it every day.

My facial hair is much worse and without the sharpest blades it feels like I'm pulling my hairs out. A not so sharp blade will leave red spots all over my face from the tugging.

I wish you all the best but as a student, getting into straights isn't going to be cheap as you'll need a good razor, a strop and stones to keep the blade sharp.

I would recommend you try a shavette first or a single edge razor if you are looking to do some beard styling.

Technically wet shaving won't affect how your hair grows but to achieve the best results, you'll need to start slow as it's a steep learning curve for using straight razors.

Check out the straight shaving section the guys are super helpful!

Cheers,

Mawashi
 
Welcome Rado, I enjoyed reading your post & learning about you. I hope you'll participate in our forum regularly, there are many good folks here.
 
Another welcome from someone who really enjoyed reading about the journey that brought you here to B&B.

As as guy who recently passed 50 years of age and hasn't visited a barber since adopting a Wahl trimmer for haircuts a few years ago, enjoy that mane of yours. :)
 
Welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing your story with us.

As as guy who recently passed 50 years of age and hasn't visited a barber since adopting a Wahl trimmer for haircuts a few years ago, enjoy that mane of yours. :)
As someone who just turned 30 and misses his thick hair and original hairline, I second this!
 
Welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing your story with us.


As someone who just turned 30 and misses his thick hair and original hairline, I second this!

On the plus side, you are merely ~ 20 years or so from saving big time on haircuts! Remember, the glass might be half full if viewed from the proper angle. ;)
 
On the plus side, you are merely ~ 20 years or so from saving big time on haircuts! Remember, the glass might be half full if viewed from the proper angle. ;)

"Some say the glass is half full. Some say the glass is half empty. I want to know who is drinking my beer!!"
- funny t-shirt.
 
Welcome aboard, Rado! Your telling of your journey here is great. You have the perfect name for a collector here! [emoji3]
 
Rado,

Depending on how adventurous you are you can start with a cheap and good shavette or the less risky option of an open comb single edge razor.

1. US $12.33 |77 Razor Blades Brand Stainless Steel Safety Straight Razor Blades To Shave Blade For Men Barber -in Razor from Beauty & Health on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
The thread that lead me to itb
Shavette suggestions

2. A single edge shick or open comb double edge vintage gillette Vintage DE for cleaning up gotee

Either way you'll need a ery good slick soap and the most bang for the buck are Arkos, proraso and TFS.
I prefer arkos as they seem to last forever lol.
TFS Traditional Shaving Soap Block 1000 ml

For brushes get a cheap Omega or a Semogue they are great brushes, don't get a large one unless you need to shave your beard n head otherwise a medium should be sufficient.
OMEGA Shaving Brushes
Semogue Shaving Brushes

I would love to have a 1800 or 11126.

Lastly if you find it difficult to break it in try this Rofl!
Mawashi Patented 15 min Boar Busting Method lol.

Happy shaves!
 
Welcome to B&B and please teach these 'muricans that Bulgarian cream "Kapo" is pronounced "Karo". :smartass: It' s french for the diamonds playing card symbol.
 
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