Going back in time

[DoctorStrobe]

Hello,

I did my first shave ever with a DE safety razor tonight.
I just happened to get my new razor kit on the same day as I received a new record player so I had an old vinyl record (The Ventures - Walk Don't Run) playing during the first shave.
Felt like going back in time...

I had been using a Norelco electric for the past 20 years(?) but now that I'm older it just isn't working for me anymore. Lots of ingrown hairs, razor burn, etc.
Also, if you don't shave every day the electric just can't handle the longer hairs which leads to ingrowns. To make things even worse I would sometimes follow up with a cheap BIC single blade disposable to get the longer hairs the electric couldn't cut. DRY...
I really didn't know what I was doing to my face...

I think Amazon tracks what you search for (ingrown hairs...) on the internet because they recommended a safety razor kit. Brush soap, etc.
So I researched it and ordered a different kit. Parker 99r with brush.

So, back to the first shave...
It went very well. Feels so smooth now. Much better than the electric with new blades.
Just a few weepers where the ingrowns were, but they stopped quickly.
I used the included Parker brand blades. They seemed to cut well though I can't compare them to other blades...
I bought Arko soap in the plastic dish. The dish really isn't deep enough to make much lather though. I need a mug...
While shaving I was mainly concentrating on NOT pressing down, then blade angle and trying to follow the grain.

This is going to take practice but its worth it.

 

[Dzaw]

Welcome aboard, glad you could join us!

Yes it is certainly going to take some practice, but is well worth the time and effort.

You will very likely find a lot of kindred spirits around these parts, an appreciation for simpler, slower days gone bye seems to be in the air here. Not quite the rose colored glasses that thinks everything was better in "the good old days", but an appreciation for things that were quite fine, but seem to have been left behind by the mainstream anyway.

 

[ouch]

Why, just tomorrow I went back in time 24 hours and now it's today. And yet I still need to shave. How does that work?

 

[TexLaw]

It's mighty fun, isn't it?

 

[dmshaver]

Glad you found this enjoyable way of doing a daily necessity. Enjoy your time here at B & B!

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Doc,

Are you in the continental US? If so, PM me your name/address and I will send you a few different blades to try. (Click on avatar.)

Welcome to B and B.

Mac

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome and congratulations on the shave. Once you start you can't stop. Watch out for all the Acquisition Disorders, they will sneak up on you.

 

[Bricksville]

I think Amazon tracks what you search for on the internet

WHAT?! Advertisers on the internet are tailoring their advertisements according to our internet searches?! When did that start??


Seriously, you've begun walking a good path. Enjoy. I'm pretty sure you will.

 

[sharpstar90]

Congratulations and welcome! You have found an enjoyable hobby, a healthy skin routine, and a community of people who likely share a common outlook. It sounds like you have chosen a great razor and brush. You can go as deep down the rabbit hole as you want with this practice and you can get out what you put in. Personally, I got into this hobby as a replacement activity when I quit drinking. My habits were getting unhealthy and I took this up as a way to occupy my mind. The people here have been incredibly helpful, kind, and interesting. Shaving can be a meditative and therapeutic practice and I hope you find it to be that way for you.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

Traditional wet shaving is a skill that takes a bit of time and concentration. Well worth the effort!!

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.

This is going to take practice but its worth it.

Be patient and you will improve your shaves. Try a few different blades and you will find some you prefer as blades are a variable even in different razors.

 

[Howler]

Congrats on the first DE shave! If you're finding the soap dish too shallow, I'd recommend just using the dish to load and face lathering. You'll meet plenty of face lathering advocates on the forum. I find the process helps lift up the hairs more and improves the outcome of the shave.

 

[ackvil]

Congrats and welcome.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Welcome aboard, glad you could join us!

Yes it is certainly going to take some practice, but is well worth the time and effort.

You will very likely find a lot of kindred spirits around these parts, an appreciation for simpler, slower days gone bye seems to be in the air here. Not quite the rose colored glasses that thinks everything was better in "the good old days", but an appreciation for things that were quite fine, but seem to have been left behind by the mainstream anyway.

Take a 1950s Gillette razor like a Red Tip, a can of Barbasol or Rise, some Old Spice aftershave . . . have some Sinatra or Doris Day or Gogi Grant on the stereo . . . wear your "athletic shirt" (the man-haters have dubbed it the "wife-beater," and I refuse to use that abomination of a term) and your trousers with your suspenders down off your shoulders . . . the 1950s at their best.

1960s? Swap out the music for some pre-Beatles pop music or rock 'n'roll like Chuck Berry, the razor for a '62 Slim, and you've got it.

 

[H4nk]

Arko doesn't require as much work up. Go to your local thrift store and see if you can find a bowl/mug with a fairly rough bottom. Lightly load the brush and then go to work in the thrift bowl.

 

[Mike76034]

I would agree with Howler and recommend face lathering with Arko soap as it is quite an easy soap to lather. Good luck!

 

[DoctorStrobe]

The second shave didn't go as well as the first. Lots of nicks...
I made a change that I shouldn't have. I found a cool shave mug and bought a puck of a different soap at the supermarket. Van Der Hagen Luxury soap.
I didn't think a soap change would make much difference but it really didn't lubricate as well as the Arko. Especially in the neck area.

I'm going back to the Arko till I get better at this.
I found a nice old silver plated copper shaving cup for $2 at a local consignment shop.
I'll just jam the Arko puck in there...

Thanks for all the replies everyone.