Grandson Showing Interest in Wet Shaving

[DonN]

Our grandson is showing an interest in double edge wet shaving after reading that it would be less harsh on his skin - he's currently using a multi-blade cartridge - we'd like to get him some items for his upcoming birthday to get him started - some basic questions I have as follows :

1. Razor : Adjustable or not​

2. Lathering : Face or cup/bowl​

3, Soap : Hard puck or cream​

4. Brush : Badger , boar , or synthetic​

​

Realize there may be other considerations that I left out but would welcome your thoughts .

Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[Guido75]

My son opted for wet shaving after seeing me get into the game. With help of other brothers he got a Gillette Slim (so adjustable) which sets him for life. He is unlike his dad in that sense I can tell you! The TTO is excellent for starting out as loading the blade is a breeze.

He is a face latherer using a Dutch hard soap with a synthetic brush from the same brand as the soap. Both relatively cheap in the Netherlands, but good enough to try it. He is in his 9th month now so plenty of time for other gear should he desire so.

Cheers,

Guido

 

[Frito Ray]

1) not an adjustable, doesn’t need to be fiddling with adjustments until he gets basic technique down... start with something mild.
2-3) creams are easier at first. A bowl is useful skill to develop especially if he has sensitive skin…only he can tell you that.
4)I’d go with synthetic, they dry much faster and don’t have the “barnyard aroma” that might scare away a newbie

Might consider a limited blade sampler…2-3 brands of popular blades. Get tucks of 5 or 10, not individual blades(before he gets technique down, he won’t have the ability to properly judge a blade)

 

[Lightcs1776]

I recommend a Merker 34hd for an inexpensive first razor. It is easy to use, IMO. I find Captain's Choice, Stirling, or similar soaps easy to lather. They are on the softer side. An Omega or similar brand shave brush is a good starting brush as well. Just my thoughts. There are plenty of other ways to get started that are just as valid. This is how I got my kids, wife, and nephews into DE razors.

 

[JeffJ]

My son uses a hand me down Edwin Jagger DE 89 with brushless cream. I slip him tucks of DE blades. He and his friends took it on when they had to buy their own carts. Purely economics and essentially a zero dollar outlay with no hobby acquisitions, churning, or collecting.

 

[nlife]

It's great to see that someone is there to help him get into wet shaving. My dad used Bic disposables when I was growing up, but then was long into electric razors by the time I started shaving so I didn't have anyone to show me the ropes. In terms of your questions:

1. Razor : Adjustable or not

I don't have an adjustable razor. I do have a number of plates for my Game Changer razor and could make a razor similar to the 6S, but like most, I found a plate and I've been sticking to that. Personally I like to choose the mildest razor that will get the job done. Game Changers are an excellent option for beginners, particularly the .68P. Henson AL13++ is another good alternative for a transitioning cartridge shaver. They also have a great 100 day money back guarantee if he doesn't like it. You do have to purchase direct from Henson and not a 3rd party vendor.

Before you buy him a razor, do you have a razor or razors that he can try or use? If he finds one he likes I'd think that a razor from grandpa would have more meaning to him than one currently commercially available. He can always buy a new one, but there's only one "grandpa's razor". Especially if you have a close relationship with him.

2. Lathering : Face or cup/bowl

I do a hybrid, though I've been working on my face lathering for the last few months. I used to use a small ceramic bowl from a Chinese store, but I have since picked up the slow feeder dog bowl equivalent to the one Stirling sells and it whips up a lather quick!

The nice part of bowl lathering is that you can really control the water amounts and work up a decent, well hydrated lather until you really learn the in's and out's of what a lather should be.

3. Soap : Hard puck or cream

I started with Nivea Sensitive Shave Cream, but I've since moved on to soaps. I've never used a 'Hard Soap', rather I picked up a number of Stirling Sample Soaps and found a few scents that I really like for relatively little outlay. They are great bang for buck soaps. I also picked up some Crafters Square Round Tin Containers from Dollar Tree and put the samples in there. The Stickers from the sample packs pull off pretty easy so I was able to put them on the lid for a more finished look.

That said, lots of folks here are fine with Prorasso tubes, though I've never tried it.

4. Brush : Badger , boar , or synthetic

Just about any brush will do. I have a horse hair brush I picked up long ago. When I started in on DE shaving, I picked up a Wilkinson Sword Synthetic brush for $5 CAD. I bought it at the same time I picked up the Wilkinson Sword Classic DE razor when I wanted to try it all, but I wasn't sure if it was for me.

I've since picked up a higher priced synthetic APShave Co. G5C 26mm brush and a cheap Omega 10005 Boar brush. The G5C is a lather building MACHINE, but I find it a tad large. It is super soft and splays great, but I've been using my smaller Omega Boar brush since it has the right amount of 'scritch' for my face.

Synthetics really don't require any break in, but natural fibers like Boar and Badger do. Natural fibers can also have a bit of a smell that some find objectionable. My boar didn't smell too bad and frankly a few hand lathers to break it in and it was smelling like shave soap in no time.

5. Other

I've created this last one since you didn't ask, but I'd suggest a blade sampler pack (as have others) to find the right blade for his face. I'd also suggest picking up some Alcohol Free Witch Hazel (Thayers and Earthwise both make these as do others). I have tried the Aloe version of Thayers and it left my face sticky. I really didn't like that. It's a great way to sooth the skin and get rid of razor burn.

 

[BigJ]

First, congratulations of helping raise a fine young man (who is even interested in learning from his grandfather)!!

To answer your questions:
Razor: I suggest either a 34C or one of the EJ89 series.
Blades: A sampler pack is the way to go, as others suggest.
Soap and lathering: I would start him out using shaving sticks, something like La Toja or Speick.
Brush: I suggest either an attractive boar or synthetic.

Mainly, encourage him to ENJOY the journey!!

 

[Tanuki]

Just so you have a true B&B excess of advice:

Two words - Italian Barber

1: a mild 3 piece stainless steel razor from their extensive line up.
2: face lathering with a small bowl for adjusting the water content
3: a puck and a stick of one of their Italian "What the Puck" hard soaps. The quality is high and the scents are not polarizing. Quantity is easy to dial in with hard soaps.
4: a synthetic brush - no one will raise any issues about use of animal products.

And an opinion. For a eliminating the 'harsh', give the lather at least a minute to do its work before lifting the razor. Shaving immediately after a shower is also great for dodging harshness.

All three of my sons (in their 20s) are traditional wet shavers, with three completely different approaches and set ups.

 

[DonN]

Thanks for all the responses and your time - I first joined this forum when I decided to return to wet shaving a few years ago - I'll bet for many of us of a certain age, wet shaving ( we just called it shaving back around 1960 ) with a double edge , blade , & some soap was all that was available - and then Gillette , Wilkinson, etc saw an opportunity to provide an alternative to traditional shaving and many of us succumbed - however , I still have my FatBoy ( E4 ) ready to go .

 

[DesertIguana]

Well if it was my Grandson I would buy him Vintage Tech, or Slim adjustable.

Then get Yaki brush, Puck of Soap, and price point Lather bowl. Last I would buy ASSORTMENT of DE Blade. Mild Sampler.

Think that’s all he needs.

 

[Tomo]

It would be hard to go wrong with the following set up

Henson Mild
Feather Blades
Tube of Speick Classic Cream or Shave Stick
Mühle Medium STF Synthetic
Nivea Sensitive Balm

Mild and efficient razor, quality blades with built in blade bank, high quality and cost effective software and a low maintenance crowd pleaser brush.

 

[Filudo]

If I was buying:
synthetic brush (Chinese) Maggards, RR or similar
razor: zamak head copy or EJ 89 with a standard handle
a shaving cream no weird smell
an aftershave no fancy stuff
NO bowl.....
gillette or personna blades....
I would avoid irritants (menthol, etc).


OR
you can chose one each from your collection and let him try.....(just not an expensive razor that he may drop and break).

 

[SamplingNature]

If you have one of your own razors/brushes/mugs to give him, it will become a prized possession for life.

If not, make a nice gift set up for him with new gear that won't break the bank. I started with an Edwin Jagger DE89...good shaver, and very shiny. Add a reasonable boar brush , mug, puck of soap and a bottle of aftershave.