First Shave!

[erehwesle]

Allright! I did it, and a nice close shave, much better than the damn Gillette with none of the clogging!

So the set up is one of Whipped Dog's DE packages, so:

A handle and head I'm not sure about
the brush they sent
Bald Frog Soap
Astra SP blade, new

So here was the routine:

I covered soap in hot water, and separately put brush in sink in hot water.
Showered
Dumped water out of mug and loaded brush
Lather face
Washed off with hot cloth and let sit on face a bit
reloaded brush
lathered directly on face
one vertical pass, one horizontal, adding lather as needed
Rinse, and bay rum

Done! Feel great, and a nice close shave. Not perfect, but better than I have gotten with a cartridge in a long time, even with a fresh cartridge and expensive goo, and no clogging! I love that I could just run the DE under the water and it was good to go again!

Pics added, as you can see, I let my beard grow out several days to give this new skill a challenge.

Two minor nicks, closed up now.

This Rocks!

 

[erehwesle]

A little clearer final result picture.... I know, sucky phone cam shots overall, but just to give an idea.

 

[tinashubby]

Congratulations!! Keep practicing on your lather for a bit, it will get much better!
What kind of Bay Rum did you use?

 

[ironfist]

Brush looks like their black badger, does it feel scratchy? If so, one of their silvertips can be picked up cheap and the tips are soft

Keep at it, your technique will get better

Ive been DE shaving for around 8 months and i still get nicks here and there

 

[joshgambit]

Welcome to B&B - good job on your first shave!

 

[erehwesle]

I was surprised how easy this was. No real problems with technique, two minor nicks, but they were on bumps from previous ingrown hairs, which I am really susceptible to. I would have nicked them with a cartridge.

 

[erehwesle]

Clubman on the Bay Rum. Funny story, when I first started dating my fiancee she asked once why I had a bottle of rum in my bathroom!

 

[wagstaff]

I have one of those razors, too... no idea what it is. I should try it again now that I've been using DE s a for a while. Looks like a great first experience!

 

[drm20]

Congrats! You'll never look back. Have fun and remember, use no to VERY little pressure. You'll be happy.

 

[AjaxLepinski]

Welcome to the fold brother! I was a bloody mess after my first DE shave - lots of nics and razor burn. It took me two weeks to get a good shave so, it looks like you're way ahead of me!

 

[KodiakAttack]

Always glad to hear when people have a positive first experience

 

[Attila]

Congrats and welcome. I would say that you should watch your pressure, going from cartridges many are used to using too much pressure which is not needed with a DE Razor. Also, don't worry about going ATG (against the grain) on your neck. Just do two passes WTG (with the grain) and that should be enough. Going against the grain in the lower neck area is just asking for trouble. There is lots to read and learn here so read as much as you can and before you know it you'll be getting better and better shaves.

 

[ERVARGASNY]

Awesome, Love hear about shaves like this, Thanks for sharing and keep ip the good work

 

[ThomasB98908]

Great job on your first DE shave. You will find that the ingrown hairs, etc... will decrease as you get your technique down. The key words are:
Patience
Practice
Pressue
Be patient and take your time. Taking 20+ minutes to shave is not a problem - its a hobby
Practice makes perfect. Over time you will find that you will naturally (instinctively) get the angle and pressure right without even thinking about it.
Pressure - now thats the key word. Going from a cartridge razor to DE most newbees push down too hard and eventually end up with nicks/cuts/weepers.
You will apply a little (very minute) amount of pressure to keep razor on face and not allowing it to skip/jump. But again, practice will teach you the right amount.
The key with this hobby/advocation is take you time and enjoy enjoy enjoy..
BUT - watch out for the evil RAD/SBAD and all the other AD's related to this hobby.

 

[elmerwood]

BUT - watch out for the evil RAD/SBAD and all the other AD's related to this hobby.

+1

Congrats and welcome to the world of DE shaving!

I think the razor you have is a Chinese or Taiwanese razor. Is the twist to open knob splined? And the razor light weight?

Either way it does its job. If you'd like to give a vintage Gillette a go, I'll give you one of these and ship it you as a welcome gift.

Pick your poison.....


left to right are a 1951 Super Speed - NDC Fat Handle Tech - And a Milord. Just choose one and I'll ship it to you

 

[celestino]

Congratulations!

 

[erehwesle]

+1

Congrats and welcome to the world of DE shaving!

I think the razor you have is a Chinese or Taiwanese razor. Is the twist to open knob splined? And the razor light weight?

Either way it does its job. If you'd like to give a vintage Gillette a go, I'll give you one of these and ship it you as a welcome gift.

Pick your poison.....
View attachment 289329

left to right are a 1951 Super Speed - NDC Fat Handle Tech - And a Milord. Just choose one and I'll ship it to you

You sir are a prince among men, I tell you what, I will PM my address, send me that nice Milord, and I will send a jar of my chilli spice. Good for anything that used to be an animal you may want to warm with fire and eat.

 

[PMT]

Awesome! welcome! it only gets easier

 

[STLMike]

Nicely done sir! Much better then my first shave! For me changing blades was the key to getting comfortable shaves. I started out with Merkur Platinum blades and quickly made the switch to Derby. Haven't looked back since.

 

[Copierguy]

You sir are a prince among men, I tell you what, I will PM my address, send me that nice Milord, and I will send a jar of my chilli spice. Good for anything that used to be an animal you may want to warm with fire and eat.

Excellent choice.......the '46 Milord is on my short list.

Well done elmerwood!!!