Hello all,I myself am new to DE shaving(since Dec. 2014)and would like to offer my findings to the new guys as well as offer something for the pro shavers here to ponder and chime in on.Let me start with my personal experience,I was gifted one of the pawn star guy endorsed razors for Christmas.I started out with some can goo and off I went,first impression was not bad.My shave wasn't as good as I was getting from cart razors but my skin was in way better shape than before.Soon I started seeking tips online and deceided it was time to upgrade my gear.Picked up a better quality razor(EJ DE89)a decent brush and a couple tubs of TOBS shave creams(Jermyn St and Eaton College)and a razor sampler pack.Right off the bat I found the right combo for "MY" needs,Astra blades,Tobs JS cream and matching AS.My shaves never went as irritation free and my skin was in the best shape it had ever been since puberty took over lol.Well as a tinkerer by nature(I enjoy doing all the maintenance on all my cars and bikes,reloading all my ammo etc.)the gears started turning and off to the internet I go buying all sorts of soaps creams,pre shaves AS,and balms and adding my own little ingrediants to make a great shave even better.Well I soon found out I was deep into a rabbit hole and getting the most terrible shaves ever,tried every blade,soap and cream combo I could get my hands on thinking I would find that "Holy Grail'so to speak.But to no avail,today I dug out the last Astra in my stash and put the TOBS back into the rotation today.Just like the old saying K.I.S.S(keep it simple stupid)bam fantastic shave.Newbies I am not trying to talk you out of trying new products,because I did find some things that worked good and may well work fantastic with my blade/razor combo.I am just saying slow down,find the combo that works well for "YOU"(Not to mention get that technique down first and foremost) and if you feel the need to make changes go about it one product at a time.It truly is a work in progress but I can't stress enough when you find that great combo stick with it a while and if you feel you need to make changes do it one product at a time,your face and bank account will thank you.Roger
Advice for newbs from a newb
- Thread starter WVHDRyder
- Start date
Sound advice, Roger.
Good advice. Glad you learned it so soon, even if it was learned "the hard way."
Can't disagree with that.
I am falling a bit into this trap. As a new shaver I already have 5 or 6 soaps, and I am slowly going through my blade sampler. I am doing well with only changing one variable at a time to make sure that I know what is impacting (for better or worse) my shave. Thanks for the good reminder to take it slow and to focus on good shaves, rather than focusing on trying every product under the sun.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Good points.
Good points. I might not follow then all of the time myself, I'm guilty of trying new stuff often.
Good post! It think your points are well observed. I also tried lots of difference stuff too soon and found myself floundering around. In the end, simplicity works best.
Very good post. I'm still very new to this style of wet shaving, and I constantly fight the urge to change up a lot of stuff at once. So far, my every day cream is the Bio Palmyra. I've tried a couple of different soaps now, but keep finding myself returning to the little green tub. I'll continue to try new soaps and creams, but will always keep the BP on hand for when and if the new soap doesn't work out well. Case-in-point: picked up a puck of Williams at a local store. Dropped it in a coffee mug, commenced to lathering, got a passable lather, but as soon as my razor started to 'glide' through it I could immediately tell something wasn't the same. Had I given in to my sometimes uncontrollable noob urges and: 1. dropped in a different blade from the sampler pack and 2. used my other razor, I wouldn't have been able to tell that the discomfort was coming from the soap. Once I realized what was going on (before the irritation got bad) I was able to whip up a batch of BP lather and take care of business.
Thanks for reminding all of us to take it slow, take note of the process, and above all enjoy the shave.
Thanks for reminding all of us to take it slow, take note of the process, and above all enjoy the shave.
Very good, its always nice to read about members making good progress and taking good advice
Hi! when you said "adding my own little ingrediants to make a great shave even better" what did you add and why?
That's a good question, I'm thinking maybe oils.
