First DE shaving experience

[taiga]

Hi all, just wanted to post about my first time shaving with a DE razor tonight. I used a Merkur 34C with a Merkur super platinum blade. First I applied white proraso pre shave cream. I then (tried) to create lather in a small ceramic bowl with an Omega (pig?) bristle brush and white proraso shaving cream. I ended up using too much water and it didn't turn out great. The actual shaving experience was nice; I was worried about cutting myself, but thankfully no cuts. I shaved mostly WTG, and I tried out some ATG on my cheeks where the risk of irritation is minimal. I was surprised how difficult it was to get the correct shaving angle, I'll definitely be working on that during my next shaves. I finished the shave by applying an alum block to the sensitive portions on my neck, and then applying a Lavera sensitive aftershave balm. I also bought a large sampler pack of different blades so I plan on experimenting with them. Overall I'm pretty happy with my first time using a DE razor

 

[Phoenixkh]

Congrats on your first shave and welcome to the B&B community.

 

[Eric_75]

Welcome to B & B!

 

[Old Hippie]

I used a Merkur 34C with a Merkur super platinum blade.

Good place to start! Once you've been through a few of those Merkur blades I suspect you'll be ready for something a little more efficient, but that was my experience. Let us know what's in your blade sampler, and I'm sure there'll be some folks share their experiences with various blades.

First I applied white proraso pre shave cream.

Good; give your skin some love while it's getting used to having a blade run over it.

I then (tried) to create lather in a small ceramic bowl with an Omega (pig?) bristle brush and white proraso shaving cream.

I do love boar brushes, and I've been using the same Omega for about three years because it just makes me happy. But there are a couple of tricks to boars. If this is the first time you're using it, it will need some time to break in. I prefer to break them in by using them; others do all sorts of gymnastics to try to break them in faster.

When you're setting up your shave area, run some warm water into an old coffee cup and put the brush in it to soak for a few minutes. After 3-5 minutes, simply pull the brush out and give the bristles a light squeeze over the sink to get some of the water out. Then start building your lather. I'll also say that a new boar brush is usually a bit of a "lather hog" and may take some extra soap, water and time to get going for the first few uses.

The actual shaving experience was nice (...); I was surprised how difficult it was to get the correct shaving angle

That's great! You're going into it just the right way, I think. Don't worry; after a while that shave angle thing just becomes automatic. When I started I'd just "tune for maximum noise" and that was generally pretty close to the right angle.

Overall I'm pretty happy with my first time using a DE razor

Thumbs up, indeed! Congratulations, and welcome to B&B!

O.H.

 

[V12Stu]

Hello @taiga - it's great to hear your update after your first posts! Thank you for letting us know how you're getting on.

Really pleased to hear that you've taken the plunge and tried DE shaving - I know I won't look back and I hope it's the same for you.

Shave angle will come quite quickly - @Old Hippie describes exactly what I've done for learning shave angle so far - the angle that gives you maximum noise..... Working very well for me so far.

And getting your shave cream/soap lather right will also come with practice - from my limited experience, add more soap/cream than you think you need.

Look forward to the next instalment!

 

[Stuart Ganis]

Welcome from West Tennessee.

 

[yellcohawg58]

Welcome to the board.Pretty much parallels my first shave when I started back in September.

 

[NachoMamma]

You're doing great! I started DE in the shower, in the dark, with just Irish Spring and a cheap Vikings Blade. You did some homework and it shows.

 

[TheSynergist]

Overall I'm pretty happy with my first time using a DE razor

Great news! Welcome!

 

[desertcat]

@taiga welcome, and I hope you have many happy shaves!
@Old Hippie has excellent advice, but to add a little bit of my own... I also started with the 34C and Merkur blades. Those blades really didn't agree with me, and one of my first "lighbulb" moments was trying a different brand. Once you've developed enough muscle memory and the razor feels vaguely familiar, the first thing I'd change is the brand of blades. When trying each brand, consider giving them at least 3 shaves to see how they change with use.

Boar brushes are excellent but require a little time to reach peak performance. After a good number of uses, the tips of the bristles will slowly fracture and become softer, while retaining excellent backbone toward the brush's handle. I echo @Old Hippie suggestion of soaking the brush, I prefer to soak in about 1/2" of water for 5 minutes or so. I use a conservative amount of water because capillary action will pull water deeper into the brush, and I don't want my lather starting wet--water can always be added to a lather, but can't be removed. While I'm whipping I add a few drops in several doses, until everything looks hydrated.

As you're learning, pay special consideration to all your options with preparation and post-shave care. They can really change the results. The smallest changes in your routines can make big differences--some folks discover that cold-water shaving is beneficial to their skin, or that they get more comfortable results if they shave before they shower. I discovered that my neck doesn't care much for alum, but my face tolerates it fine.

And welcome to a very friendly corner of the internet! Keep us updated!

 

[BigJ]

Congratulations!

And, welcome aboard!

 

[taiga]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

@Old Hippie , In terms of sampler blades, I currently have Merkur super platinum, BIC chrome platinum, Ladas, Shark super chrome, Shark super stainless, Shark platinum, Derby extra, Voskod, Gilette Platinum, Rapira platinum lux, Personna platinum, Bolzano superinox inossidabile, Astra superior stainless, Derby premium, Wilkison sword, Treet platinum, Lord platinum, and Astra superior platinum.

I haven't done much research yet to the differences of each one, however I've heard that the brand Feather is very sharp and not recommended for beginners, and that Voskhod isn't too sharp.

 

[@ngel]

In terms of sampler blades, I currently have Merkur super platinum, BIC chrome platinum, Ladas, Shark super chrome, Shark super stainless, Shark platinum, Derby extra, Voskod, Gilette Platinum, Rapira platinum lux, Personna platinum, Bolzano superinox inossidabile, Astra superior stainless, Derby premium, Wilkison sword, Treet platinum, Lord platinum, and Astra superior platinum.

That is a proper sampler pack, my favorites are Sharks SS, but the rest of them are not bad at all either.

And yes, Feathers are the sharpest by consensus, but that doesn't make them the best, their performance drops faster than other blades. Voskhods are very sharp also, but they are teflon coated, so it takes a couple of shaves to “hone” the edge of the blade before they perform, at least that was my experience with them, but once the true edge comes out they are sharp/smooth blades.

 

[NorthernSoul]

You've got a nice selection of blades. Wilkinson Sword, Personna Platinum, Gillette Platinum would be good middle-of-the-road blades to learn on.

Maybe save the Feather and BIC blades for later on.

You might use the Derby blades, but only as a last resort (just kidding)!

 

[Old Hippie]

In terms of sampler blades, I currently have Merkur super platinum, BIC chrome platinum, Ladas, Shark super chrome, Shark super stainless, Shark platinum, Derby extra, Voskod, Gilette Platinum, Rapira platinum lux, Personna platinum, Bolzano superinox inossidabile, Astra superior stainless, Derby premium, Wilkison sword, Treet platinum, Lord platinum, and Astra superior platinum.

That ought to give you a pretty diverse perspective!

I tossed my first shave diary a year or so back, so what's left of my memory may be a bit porous (shrug) but I started with Merkur blades, which I and some others now think are good for giving something like a shave while creating a safe space within which one can begin to develop technique. I remember that I stopped in a local men's store that had a selection of tucks of several kinds. I had heard that Feather blades were "non-beginner sharp" so of course I tried some and yeah, they were right.

I had some Voskhods, some Rapira, and Derby Extra and then somebody recommended the Astra SP. Bingo. In a YMMV world the Astra SP is a great blade for me. I recently tried some vintage Israeli Reds that I had around, and it just wasn't the same shave. Some member PIFfed me about 50 Feather blades, which I've been slowly using up in an old 1/2DE shavette that I keep next to the oven as a lame for slashing bread loaves. My least favourite razor and my least favourite blades; it's a good fit for the use.

O.H.

 

[l3ortron]

I started with pretty close to your same setup a few years back now. Haven’t went back to cartridge razors since. Un/fortunately now I own about 10 new and vintage safety razors 5 brushes, 10 aftershaves, and more soap than I can use in ten years. I still get excited about new acquisitions (while my girlfriend rolls her eyes). It’s a journey from here, good luck and have fun with your shaves!

 

[cryhavoc]

Congrats and welcome to B&B!

 

[emwolf]

welcome and enjoy the shaves. I spend more time on the lather than any other single component of my shave. I'm getting better but there are still days of too much water.

 

[wes1953]

Welcome to B & B!

 

[dmshaver]

Glad you've joined, welcome!