Might I make a recommendation for your post shave?
I never shave without it. Zero sting, great soothe!
Now I have a question. Should I use aftershave, or aftershave balm, or both, and, if both, in what order?
Fantastic shave by the sound of it! Very cool! Yes a good soap and lather does make a big difference. I agree that a comfortable shave is what you need to aim for and especially as you are learning the inns and outs of DE shaving. Once you have a number of shaves under your belt you can experiment a bit and see if you can make it closer. You will have some successes where it is closer with not added irritation and you will have some where it adds an unexpectable amount of irritation and you learn what works and does not work.I really liked my FIRST EVER shave with a brush and soap. I painted my face with the Arko stick, and the brush made lather all over like magic. It was my best shave yet.
I also decided that my sensitive skin and face irritation is probably what made me dislike shaving for my whole life, so I think I will pursue a COMFORTABLE shave rather than the close shave. I did only two passes, one with the Rockwell R3 plate followed by a second pass with the R1 plate.
Now I have a question. Should I use aftershave, or aftershave balm, or both, and, if both, in what order?
This forum is a gold mine.
MtB
I’m right there with ya. I started using a safety razor a few weeks ago and only used Edge Gel applied by hand and no other products). Then, like you, I read a lot about the “proper” way to use a safety razor (and watched plenty of YouTube videos). As a result, I purchased the full fleet of Proraso products - preshave, shaving cream, aftershave, alum bar, brush, etc. I can honestly tell you that my shave is NOT in any way better using these products and, in some ways, it made the experience worse.This might be a very dumb question, and I do beg your pardon. I'm a rank beginner--wet shave No. 5 just this morning. I'm not trying to be provocative. I'm getting the impression that shaving connoisseurs tend to be generous and cordial people. I got so many helpful and thoughtful replies on my first thread.
And I do understand (or think I understand) connoisseurship...at various periods in my lengthening life I have been deep in the weeds with: tube amplifiers and vinyl records; Japanese bookbinding; large-format field cameras (the kind made of wood and brass, with leather bellows, used on a tripod with a dark cloth over one's head); and roasting my own green coffee beans at home (best ever: a friend on the Big Island who is a grower of Kona would ship me green 100% Kona beans. Most of the "Kona" that tourists get in hotels and restaurants in Hawaii is 10% or 15% Kona at best).
But...with DE razors, why don't at least some people just use commercial shaving cream like Gillette Foamy? It's so...easy. And it seems to work fine with my Rockwell. I mean, just making ignorant assumptions, I would think there would at least be a subgroup here that would be using DE or SE razors without all the rigamarole of the soaps and the bowls and the brushes and so forth. Wouldn't it simplify things? (I do have a brush and bowl on the way.)
Then again, I haven't *tried* soaps/bowls/brushes yet, so maybe this is merely a case of "contempt prior to investigation" (although I don't have "contempt" for it).
Cordially,
MtB
Furthest from a dumb question. I'm using Proraso canned and since Foamy is back to its original scent with add that too.This might be a very dumb question, and I do beg your pardon. I'm a rank beginner--wet shave No. 5 just this morning. I'm not trying to be provocative. I'm getting the impression that shaving connoisseurs tend to be generous and cordial people. I got so many helpful and thoughtful replies on my first thread.
And I do understand (or think I understand) connoisseurship...at various periods in my lengthening life I have been deep in the weeds with: tube amplifiers and vinyl records; Japanese bookbinding; large-format field cameras (the kind made of wood and brass, with leather bellows, used on a tripod with a dark cloth over one's head); and roasting my own green coffee beans at home (best ever: a friend on the Big Island who is a grower of Kona would ship me green 100% Kona beans. Most of the "Kona" that tourists get in hotels and restaurants in Hawaii is 10% or 15% Kona at best).
But...with DE razors, why don't at least some people just use commercial shaving cream like Gillette Foamy? It's so...easy. And it seems to work fine with my Rockwell. I mean, just making ignorant assumptions, I would think there would at least be a subgroup here that would be using DE or SE razors without all the rigamarole of the soaps and the bowls and the brushes and so forth. Wouldn't it simplify things? (I do have a brush and bowl on the way.)
Then again, I haven't *tried* soaps/bowls/brushes yet, so maybe this is merely a case of "contempt prior to investigation" (although I don't have "contempt" for it).
Cordially,
MtB
I have used Dickinson’s but prefer Thayers. Although Dickinson’s is cheaper to buy.Witch hazel is a classic splash after a shave. Traditionally in an alcohol solution but available in just water.
I use plain Dickinson's or a plain generic alcohol type myself, more than any other AS splash or balm. My internet reading indicates that almost all witch hazel originates at the same single distillery, though many brands then add scents and other ingredients.