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Do you remember when you started shaving and what you used?

Somewhere around 1967/68. I was 15 or 16. My dad was no help, I don’t even think he knew I was shaving. I bought a Gillette TTO, and for the life of me I can’t remember enough about it to identify it. I think it may have been a tech or a super speed. I do remember the blades. Gillette Blue Blades, 5 blades in a metallic dispenser that also served as the blade bank. I used Gillette Foamy and applied it by hand. Aftershave was Aqua Velva and my cologne/EDT was English Leather and then I changed to something from Avon called Wild Country or something like that. I remember it came in interesting decanters.

I wish that I still had the razor, but the LOTH pitched it when I went to the Dark Side.
 
My first shave ever was Gillette Mach3 Turbo cart and Gillette gel in a can. Nivea Balm for aftershave. I was 15 I believe. In highschool this was perfectly OK since peach fuzz is not hard to cut. Trough the years I progressed to Fusion Proglide. In my college days I started to resent shaving more and more (hair got tougher, shaves got worse, went trough carts quicker and it was expensive), luckily I discovered DE and now shaving is a joy
 
When I was 18 or 19
Gillette TTO razor, Knack??
Gillette de blades
De Vergulde Hand shaving soap
Badger brush, got it from my parents
First aftershave when I was 22 Amando Noir, a birthday gift
 
@1973. Used a black handle SuperSpeed and canned goo. For a now-forgotten reason, I switched over to the Wilkinson Bonded cart and shaved w that until I grew a beard in law school.
 
I started shaving in 2009, I was 13. I used a Gillette five blade fusion and Gillette gel, the stuff that foams as you spread it.
 
Year 1975-1976.

I started with my father's razor. It was without guard. I suppose it is a Gillette probably.

I still have it and use it from time to time, and probably I will put a photo and ask about it....
 
I started shaving 15 years old with an old Philip's 3 rotor electric razor (then moved to foil type) and used nothing else for 31 years. I loathed shaving each time. Just over a year ago I had enough with the poor results which seemed to get worse over time with bumps and ingrown hairs and stumbled upon B&B.

Upon the very wise advice of a member on here to start very simply and inexpensively, I bought the Wilkinson Sword Classic (plastic) that came with 5 blades and used my wife's leg shaving cream. I watched hours worth of YT vids for some ideas on techniques and with great respect for that blade began to learn. I never cut myself but I think I got around a weeper a week.

Within 1 month I had it down. I won a PIF that included a Gillette Tech and it shaved perfectly each time and I decided I couldn't get better than perfect. I acquired a backup Tech, an Omega boar brush, some Proraso soap, and found my top 3 blades after a sample pack. I stayed minimalist and it was a ver inexpensive simple conversion for me and I haven't looked back.

I still enjoy DE shaving every. dang. time.
 
My mom and I lived with my grandparents and I just sort of tried to teach myself. My mom got me an Atra and a can of Edge gel. I practiced with the bladeless piece of plastic the Atra shipped with. My grandpa didn’t teach me anything but he was born in 1900 so he had an assortment of methods from straights to DEs to electric. I picked up some of his Palmolive occasionally but I didn’t know about brushes so I kind of just smeared it on. Still it was better than the Barbasol I was buying. I was afraid to try the straight with no help. I bought an electric when I was 16 but settled back into carts and eventually kept moving up in blade count until Gillette sent me a Fusion in the mail. Thankfully I found Badger and Blade 8 years ago and finally learned how to shave. Now I have two sons of my own and I bought them EJ DE89s and some TOBS right from the start.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
I remember having a black handled Super Speed and a Black Beauty, but have no idea what I first used or what happened to them. I remember the Techmatic being around as well, but I think it was my father's. Within a year or two I switched to a Trac II, and shaved with that and/or its descendants for many years. I remember really liking Noxzema foam in the white can. Very quickly, however, I bought a brush and Williams soap and I'd say within a year or two of starting to shave I was using soap & brush. I always loved seeing brushes & soaps in the movies or on TV so as soon as I realized you could still do it I jumped right in. It helped that my father told me I was crazy for using a brush and soap. His failure to approve only confirmed my decision. Anything he thought was stupid I thought was terrific. Fathers and sons are like that sometimes.

There were periods from a couple months to a year or more over the next 40 years when I would use foam, but for the most part I've always been a brush and soap shaver. But it was always 1 soap and 2, no more than 3 boar brushes till I discovered internet shopping.
 
I started shaving in the mid 90s or so. I used either a Mach 3 or the good news disposables (can’t remember which) and canned shaving cream
 
When I was 16 way back in 1988, I remember my father bought me some gillette disposables and a can of Nivea shaving cream and aftershave balm 😁
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
My first shave was when I was about 8 years old. Lathered up with bath soap using my father's shave brush and then shaved with my father's three-piece safety razor with top plate only. BBS finish and absolutely no skin damage.
 
I started shaving in 1977 and used a Gillette Tech, badger brush and Williams soap. I’ve always used either a DE or a straight.
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
I used a predominately plastic Gillette adjustable butterfly with Astra SP blades and a can of Barbasol shaving cream.
 
I used a Gillette razor, Gillette 7 O’Clock blades, Kent Brush, and Imperial Leather shaving soap.
Everything was Imperial Leather then - shaving soap, aftershave, and liquid brilliantine.
 
Not my first shave but the first shave of several shipmates. I will not say the year but my dress blue issue had 13 button bell bottom pants and we washed our clothes on a tin top table and rinsed them in galvanized buckets. The first morning I called our company for muster I could not believe the facial damage. Red cheeks, chins and necks plus weapers and nicks. I will never forget one kid, probably 18, fair skin, blonde hair and just peach fuzz. He was bleeding from several cuts. The type of cut you get if you set the razor down incorrectly and pull sideways. Cuts longer than the blade and skin missing. He had a handful of tp trying to stop the bleeding unsuccessfully. The rest of the week did not help his technique. We were issued a ditty bay of personnel items including a Gillette superspeed and several blades. They were not free, their cost was deducted from the first paycheck. I had to march them down to the PX so they could buy blades and cigs to last the first week. Viva la Great Lakes NTC
 
I was the ripe age of 10. My friends always tease me for being the first in the family to walk upright. It was in the summer and my grandfather had passed away, my dad pulls me aside the day before the funeral to have me scrape the wooly worm over my lip and all the stray whiskers on my chin. Either my mom or one of my aunts complained to him, anyway he showed me how to shave with Gillette Foamy Lemon-Lime and his Gillette Gold Ball End Tech followed up with a splash of Brut.

I still have that razor, my dad gifted it to me years ago. I was able to get my grandfather's Gillette Tech that I only break out on special occasions. I also was able to get my great grandfather's Ever-Ready 1914 and his scuttle.
 
I still have that razor, my dad gifted it to me years ago. I was able to get my grandfather's Gillette Tech that I only break out on special occasions. I also was able to get my great grandfather's Ever-Ready 1914 and his scuttle.
Hopefully you have some fond memories of them
 
I'm not sure the age when I started to shave. I do remember I started using Gillette Foam shaving cream and Gillette sensor razor blades. I just used the brands my dad used cause I didn't know any better.

Now, I'm getting my dad and son interested in wet shaving.


John
 
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