Great post. I would add that Thayers Witch Hazel and Nivea ASB (White or Silver) are good locally available products. Also, the proraso pre shave shouldn't be top priority. It's more like the shaving stand and blade sampler which is 2nd priority. Good work it has helped me tremendously along with Leisure Guy
Getting Started Wetshaving ~ Tutorial
- Thread starter rusirius
- Start date
Boy I wish I had found this site and this thread a couple of months ago, I would have saved quite a bit of grief and be a lot further along with my wetshaves.
wow! practically a short book there. very well thought out.
love the amount of detail you put into the post, helps alot and now i know what i need to pick up to get the ball rolling
Somehow, mysteriously, I ended up finding this thread. And I must say, thank god.
I started out buying a cheapo Weishi (spelling?) DE, some proraso shave creme and a 'Comoys of London' brush and away I went. After a few months of struggling to get a shave better than my Gillette Blue2's, I came here. So anyway, after biting the bullet, I pretty much followed this guide word for word.
I've bought pretty much everything on the 'premium' list - after scouring around on the internet for most of it, I did find some in my local shops (Perth, WA).
I've just (literally 10 minutes ago) had my first experience with my brand spanking Merkur HD mixed with some Derby Extra blades - Holy cow. It was sensational. The lather was perfect and plentiful, the blade cut dam close. I was actually pushing a bit too hard, as the last blade and razor I had were obviously quite crap. Not to fear, a bit of alum blocked stemmed the slight flow of blood.
I'm sitting here now typing this, extremely content with what is, probably the best shave I've had in my life - and its only the first time with all the new gear. So thankyou rusirius!
Anyway, thought I'd give a rundown on the gear I used and how I found it, for any newbies!
Merkur Classic HD
-Bought from Lees razors (along with the proraso after shave and alum block). Even after all this, it was still cheaper than buying the razor locally!
Derby Extra blades
-bought a sample pack from Westcoast shaving, theres only 5 in there, so I'll give all the other types a shot too - but I'm liking these blades!
Proraso Pre-Post Cream (or hair conditioner)
-local store - I must admit, this doesn't work too well for me, hair conditioner actually works better.
Taylor's Avocado Cream
- I searched high and low for this in my city and couldn't find it, I was about to buy it off the internet, but the postage was outrageous - luckily I stumbled across a B&M store in an arcade, and he had every flavour! But I chose the avocado, and I love it!
C&E Best Badger Brush or Omega Silvertip
-I'm still using my Comoys brush, but will look to upgrade, although I have no idea where to get a 'C&E' from?
Thick Rice Bowl (and electric kettle if needed)
-Local chain store
Alum Block
-Lees Razors
Proraso Balm
-Lees razors
And thats it. Thanks for all the input here, looking to post again
I started out buying a cheapo Weishi (spelling?) DE, some proraso shave creme and a 'Comoys of London' brush and away I went. After a few months of struggling to get a shave better than my Gillette Blue2's, I came here. So anyway, after biting the bullet, I pretty much followed this guide word for word.
I've bought pretty much everything on the 'premium' list - after scouring around on the internet for most of it, I did find some in my local shops (Perth, WA).
I've just (literally 10 minutes ago) had my first experience with my brand spanking Merkur HD mixed with some Derby Extra blades - Holy cow. It was sensational. The lather was perfect and plentiful, the blade cut dam close. I was actually pushing a bit too hard, as the last blade and razor I had were obviously quite crap. Not to fear, a bit of alum blocked stemmed the slight flow of blood.
I'm sitting here now typing this, extremely content with what is, probably the best shave I've had in my life - and its only the first time with all the new gear. So thankyou rusirius!
Anyway, thought I'd give a rundown on the gear I used and how I found it, for any newbies!
Merkur Classic HD
-Bought from Lees razors (along with the proraso after shave and alum block). Even after all this, it was still cheaper than buying the razor locally!
Derby Extra blades
-bought a sample pack from Westcoast shaving, theres only 5 in there, so I'll give all the other types a shot too - but I'm liking these blades!
Proraso Pre-Post Cream (or hair conditioner)
-local store - I must admit, this doesn't work too well for me, hair conditioner actually works better.
Taylor's Avocado Cream
- I searched high and low for this in my city and couldn't find it, I was about to buy it off the internet, but the postage was outrageous - luckily I stumbled across a B&M store in an arcade, and he had every flavour! But I chose the avocado, and I love it!
C&E Best Badger Brush or Omega Silvertip
-I'm still using my Comoys brush, but will look to upgrade, although I have no idea where to get a 'C&E' from?
Thick Rice Bowl (and electric kettle if needed)
-Local chain store
Alum Block
-Lees Razors
Proraso Balm
-Lees razors
And thats it. Thanks for all the input here, looking to post again
Thank you for the very thorough and informative post.
Welcome to the mix richie83, lot's of great info awaits ya!
just getting into wet shaving.
this is by far the most informative website on the subject.
great thread answered all my questions!
this is by far the most informative website on the subject.
great thread answered all my questions!
Welcome richie!
By now you've probably figured out, but for other newbies, C&E is Crabtree and Evelyn.
If you found Taylor's cream locally, I'm sure you have a C&E around nearby
For more on blade angle, there's a great post in this room 'On blade angle' that has some very informative diagrams.
so whats the number for the Merkur HD I see plenty of them and
it gets me a little confused...
34C
157
163
198
it gets me a little confused...
34C
157
163
198
so then what is the 38C?
Thank again
Thank again
Great tips, I've taken some of them into consideration myself.
The Classic Long Handled (barber pole) one.
- Thread starter
- #57
Wow... Seems amazing that it was almost a year ago that I wrote this. I'm glad it's still helping those in need and still well received.
Now for the GREAT news... The last year has still continued to teach me a LOT... I don't know exactly when, but very soon I will post a new updated version of this. Through trial and error as well as experience I've learned a lot of things that can be added or changed.
For those that are curious, if you're concerned that the info here might not still apply have no fear, most of what I'm going to change concerns technique. Some of my recommendations may change, but that's simply because I've found something slightly better, NOT because what's already here doesn't work well. My personal belief is that the information presented here is solid and has obviously been tested and proven by many. In the same respect much like everything else, knowledge grows over time and hopefully soon I can share more of what I've learned.
Now for the GREAT news... The last year has still continued to teach me a LOT... I don't know exactly when, but very soon I will post a new updated version of this. Through trial and error as well as experience I've learned a lot of things that can be added or changed.
For those that are curious, if you're concerned that the info here might not still apply have no fear, most of what I'm going to change concerns technique. Some of my recommendations may change, but that's simply because I've found something slightly better, NOT because what's already here doesn't work well. My personal belief is that the information presented here is solid and has obviously been tested and proven by many. In the same respect much like everything else, knowledge grows over time and hopefully soon I can share more of what I've learned.
I first want to say thank you for putting all this information into one spot. I was tuned into this web site from The Fedora Lounge site where someone recommended this place for the best info on shaving. being a newbie to this type of shaving, I read through the information and the steps you provided and did my first wet shave with my grandfathers 1920 DE gillette this afternoon, and I have to say it's the best shave I ever had! Thanks again.
This is a great article but it is now missing the pictures. Is it possible to recover them? The author (rusirius) hasn't been around since October.
