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Gray hairs in beard! Time to start shaving!

Yep, I'm a total newbie here.

Here's some background on me.

When I was an early teenager, little tiny hairs started popping out of the skin around my mouth. That years, my parents gave me an electric razor to remove them. I used that electric razor until it died, then got another one.
When I was 22, I got a job working at a hotel. One day I came in with a bit of a beard, and my manager looked at me and told me to go into the back with one of the disposable razors and tiny packs of cream that we give to the guests.

Somewhat amused that I'd never shaved wet, he sent a supervisor to accompany me in the bathroom to show me how to do it. The same supervisor who, when I was hired, was the one to show me how to tie a tie. He was a few years younger than I, so he probably thought I was a little strange. But, after replacing the facial hair with facial blood, I considered myself a success. Then my managers left and got replaced with someone who had a nice goatee. So I grew mine back, trimming it regularly with either a cheap cartridge razor, or just using the plastic disposable single-blade Bics from the hotel. They're free, and free is always good. Especially since they only do about half my face before they start pulling more than cutting. But when you have an unlimited supply, who cares?

Well, now I'm 27, and I'm planning on leaving the hotel business shortly, as I just graduated this week as a CMT. I also hadn't trimmed my goatee for a month or two, so it was looking quite long. As I stood in the mirror admiring the ability of my face to grow long dark hairs, I realized with horror that amidst the jungle on my chin were several hairs undenyably lacking in hue.

Well, that was unacceptable, so I pulled out a Bic, reached for my trusty $1 spray can of Beard Buster foam, and then paused as I contemplated the excruciating pain that would probably result. I put down the Bic, grabbed some scissors, and trimmed as much as I could of the inch-plus strands until I went back to the Bic.

And I thought to myself....there has to be a better way.

And thus I found Badger and Blade.

Here I found a wealth of information on an activity that I never knew could be so complex. I'd always likened shaving to brushing my teeth and applying deodorant--one of those things that I just plan have to do whether I want to or not if I ever hope to get a girlfriend.

Now I'm intrigued. Not only could I get a closer, less painful and less bloody shave, but I could also begin a whole new journey. This is the weapon of a Gentleman. Not as clumsy or random as an electric; an elegant weapon from a more civilized age.

Could I really learn the ways my great grandfathers shaved?
Could I really gain the respect of friends by knowing how to handle a straight razor?
Could I really gain the respect of all the Thespians obsessed with Sweeny Todd?

I delved into the FAQs here and perused the Wikis.
Could a simple one-time investment really give me a lifetime of satisfaction?
..well, no, not that last one.
I'm certainly in no financial situation to buy a straight razor, a strop, a hone, a brush, and a good supply of soaps and solutions, then send out a razor for sharpening while I buy another few razors to practice honing myself so I don't damage the good one.

No, as much as it appeals to me, now is not the time for me to invest in a Straight Edge.

Perhaps, though, a classic "safety" razor is what I need. Before I began lurking here, I'd always assumed a saftey razor was what they called those Gillette Warp Speed cartidge razors with the 17 blades they advertise as giving the best, closest shave imaginable.

Now, I discover, Safety Razors are the single-bladed devices that despite being made 100 years ago, are far superior to modern advances in technology.

You'll have to forgive my lack of knowledge of the subject. I know so little that it's embarassing, though I know we all must start somewhere. I don't even know the difference between a double or single edge razor, and though common sense indicates that one has twice the cutting surfaces, I'm bewidered as to how one would use both edges at once. I suppose the purpose is simply so you don't have to change the blades as often?

And I certainly know nothing about shaving soap, or what advantages it has over my trusty $1 aerosol can or free packets of cream from the hotel. On the other hand, were I to cook someone a magnificent Filet Mignon dinner, I'd hardly serve it to them on a styrofoam plate with plastic knives and forks. And I certainly wouldn't pour ketchup on it. So while I may not grasp the mechanics of it, I do appreciate that some things, while perhaps even functional, are still just wrong.

Aftershaves, on the other hand, are subjects about which I am completely clueless. I've never used them, and don't know what they are. As best as I can determine, they make shaving painful by giving a burning sensation, proving that you must be a "real man" to shave. The fact that they contain perfume negates this theory somewhat, though.

With all that said, I'm looking for a good razor. And a brush, and some soap, of course. If I'm going to do this, I want to do it right. I'll want a nice razor: something pretty, and something good. I don't mind paying a little more for something classic or something with some culture, but still reasonable.
There is a "Gold Fat Handle Tech" for sale here which has caught my eye, but when I don't know the difference between a double or single edged razor, let alone be able to figure out which this particular one is, I feel I'm hardly qualified to make an educated purchasing decision yet.

Any advice you could provide me would be well appreciated. Thank you in advance.
 
I'm a newbie here...I'm sure there will be better advice come along after me...you're in the right place.

As for starter razor: The Tech I hear is a good one as a starter (my gf uses for her legs now...no problems for her). The classic starter razors seems to be the Merkur HD (which I currently use) - though some like the Edwin Jagger 89L as a great starter razor. Also, you will need blades...I went to amazon and search for a sampler pack there are got a great deal - most here say go to westcoastshaving.com and buy one of their sampler packs.

As for brush - you can start high priced...but many people starting out begin with a Vulfix or a tweezerman and swear by it - I started with a Vulifix 1000 -- though if you're willing to spend there are much much better brushes - look no further than the brushes section of this very forum.

Soaps - I say start with Tabac....some suggest starting with a cream - I don't necessarily agree with that - but if you do, most say Proraso cream is a very easy cream to lather.

Aftershaves - really, you should go with a balm for sure....that can be anything really - may I suggest Proraso Pre/Post cream as a good irritation calmer and Trumpers Skinfood as an excellent moisturizer. If you'd like to have an Aftershave also - that's really for scent in my opinion - I love Pinaud Clubman. In my opinion the best thing you can do for yourself after a shave is Witch Hazel - just trust me.


And in the end...you will get a lot more than you need - we all do...you will be buying stuff you don't need in no time. I joined one and a half months ago - I now have 8 razors, 5 brushes, 6 soaps, 6 creams, 3 aftershaves, 4 aftershave balms.
 
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Yep, I'm a total newbie here.


I don't even know the difference between a double or single edge razor, and though common sense indicates that one has twice the cutting surfaces, I'm bewidered as to how one would use both edges at once. I suppose the purpose is simply so you don't have to change the blades as often?

And I certainly know nothing about shaving soap, or what advantages it has over my trusty $1 aerosol can or free packets of cream from the hotel.

.
A DE has two cutting edges, because the blades also do. You stroke, then flip, using both sides. Two edges, less razor dunking time.

Merkurs are good new razors, Vintage Gillette's abound on BST for 15-20 dollars.

Soap or cream is far superior to hotel freebs or canned stuff. It lathers properly, provides proper lubrication, looks after your face and makes it feel better. And it's cheaper per shave. Tubes will last far longer than cans, and soap refuse to die or run out. Proraso cream is a good one, but there are many others.

Any beginners brush in badger or boar from the usual vendors is a good start. You need one.

True after shaves do something other than smell. Most don't even do that after a few minutes. They soothe, heal and tone, and some even moisturise enough not to need one added. The burn is in direct proportion to the quality of shave you have created, bit the alcohol quantity also plays a part.
 
You will get different suggestions concerning all of your questions. I say go with a DE razor.......and I still think the adjustable Gillette Slims are the best to start with because you can adjust the blade exposure (aggressiveness) on a 1-9 scale. Again, just my opinion. Get a blade sampler pack because the blades available differ greatly. Decide if you want to use soap or cream (or both) and check out the review section and find an After Shave as well which looks appealing. As for the brush, someone else will be of more help with that than me. Keep checking the B/S/T forum because people on this board sell off things all the time for great deals. And pretty much any specific question you have, someone here will be able to answer it...........a ton of pros hang around here. Good luck!
 
Welcome to the enlightened side of shaving.

First, you already know you want to use a straight.
Why bother with a DE?
On the BST, (buy sell trade) section of this site, there are often very well respected straights that sell for less than $50.

I don't know what your financial situation is, but for $100, you can get yourself VERY nicely equipped with a straight(or two) a strop, and a soap or two.

For a beginner strop, the Filly from RupRazor is hard to beat.
http://ruprazor.com/store/index.php...category_id=9&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=32

And for $20 extra, you can get the filly with a sraight.
The Gold dollar is a chinese made blade, and while dirt cheap, will take and hold a top quality edge.
These straights cannot be found for much less than 10 bucks, and with sending them off for honing, another 15-20, so for the price of honing, you get a shave ready straight.

The Van Der Hagen kit at wal-mart is around $7, and is a decent starter set.

Or, buy an Omega brush (bottom of the linked page, best price I have seen)
and pick out a good quality soap, like Mitchells Wool Fat, Tabac (scent might scare you) or DR Harris.
http://gentlemensbest.com/brushes.aspx
If you want to get into straights, I'll volunteer free honing for a year(you pay shipping) so you can take the time to learn.

The straight users here are a great bunch, and will really go out of their way to help you find your stride.
 
Welcome. You're quite a story teller.

First, you can get into straight shaving without a strop or a big collection of soaps.
A straight razor in a good shape on ebay shouldn't cost you more than $30.

If you buy lapping film and a glass plate, all for less than $20, the 0.3 micron will serve you as a strop replacement in a more effective form IMO. Using it is exactly like spreading butter on toast, nothing to it.

You'll need a brush - you can either buy a small brush like Tweezerman or if you're a handyman, you could easily make one with Golden Nib knot for less than $30.

Soaps and creams - I recommend Nivea shaving cream as it's cheap, easy to lather and offers a lot of protection.

I think you'll do well to get a thick towel for the hot towel treatment before the shave, at least for the first few weeks. It will make the shave easier and safer.

An alum block is cheap and effective for the undesirable learning curve side effects and occasional bleeders.

Last but most important - watch the videos by Mantic on youtube as they're both education and fun to watch.
 
If you want to go for a straight do it, while most people here use a DE, there are plenty of straight users that will be more than helpful with any questions you may have.
 
At the risk of incurring the wrath of some members, skip the straight for now and give DE a try. There are any number of great razors out there, so pick one that appeals to you and give it a shot. I've got around a dozen and have become particular to the EJ DE89L. But I do love the rest of them.

Straights are terrific. I learned to shave with one about 16 years ago. I gave it up because they simply take too long to get a proper shave. I still have my straghts, but rarely use them. DE, on the other hand, is about as fast as a cartridge shave and it gives me a much closer, superior shave than any cartridge can.
 
First W E L C O M E ! ! It's a pleasure to read such a well thought out and composed introduction to our midst.

I delved into the FAQs here and perused the Wikis. ... You'll have to forgive my lack of knowledge of the subject.

Thank you for this. Most newbies here don't bother to do so. There is much good information there. I would also recommend watching all of Mark's (Mantic59) videos over on Youtube and perusing the webpages of LeisureGuy.

As for your lack of knowledge, most all of us were the same as you, started out on the commercial crap goo and multi-blade face scrapers or electric razors until we discovered or were shown a different way. I say most because there are a few here who have always shaved this way since they were around when King Camp Gillette marketed his first razor. You're on a good start to learning for one important reason. To find the method which works for you.

As I stood in the mirror admiring the ability of my face to grow long dark hairs, I realized with horror that amidst the jungle on my chin were several hairs undenyably lacking in hue.

Well, that was unacceptable..

Embrace the grayness! I was in a singing group in college which didn't allow facial hair, then nearly 29 years in the Army, so now that I've retired, my newly grown goatee is a nice mixture of red, brown, and gray.

Here I found a wealth of information on an activity that I never knew could be so complex.

It doesn't have to be complex. I have one razor; a Merkur Progress. I have one set of blades; Derbys. I have one shaving soap; Tabac. I have one shaving brush; a nice custom made badger. I have multiple, but few aftershaves; Clubman and Bay Rum by Pinaud, Aqua Velva, and Ogalalla Bay Rum. You can make this easy and simple. Resist the Acquisition Disorders when you've found a good solution which works for you.

You'll have to forgive my lack of knowledge of the subject.

Aftershaves, on the other hand, are subjects about which I am completely clueless. I've never used them, and don't know what they are. As best as I can determine, they make shaving painful by giving a burning sensation, proving that you must be a "real man" to shave. The fact that they contain perfume negates this theory somewhat, though.
 
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Welcome to B&B!!!

I went from an electric direct to a straight but I do not necessarily recommend it for everyone. You can always use a DE so if you are interested in using one in your inventory of razors, I would go ahead and start out with one. You have a few other variables to learn about that can keep you occupied for a while too (lathering using a brush, face prep, blade angle, etc.) Most of all have fun!
 
Welcome to the Forum !
What ever way you choose DE or straight I guess you will enjoy it.
Personally I suggest to start with DE for a start.

-- Joerg
 
You're going to get tons of advice, 50% of which is recommending the poster's personal favorite product, and the other 50% is just going to go over your head at this point.

2 things you need to do right away:

Read the stickie threads on lathering, techniques, etc.
Watch mantic59's videos on youtube.

Don't get hung up on the details, just absorb the general overview of wetshaving and the rest will come in time. There are least 500 threads already started on any specific questions you might have, and we're more than willing to answer them a 501st time if you need any specific information :)
 
B

bluefoxicy

And I thought to myself....there has to be a better way.

The words, "This is bull****," went through my mind when I had an electric. Electrics just make me cry for several hours but that's more of a face-raping than a shave.

Welcome. Learn to use a straight razor. It's like learning to drive a stick shift: it sucks until you get it right, then you can't imagine anything else being viable (I can't even drive automatic).

That being said, yes it'll cost you. You'll get there though. Hell, I got there and I don't even have interest in ever having a girlfriend (periodic horrible anomalies aside, which I need to stop allowing to happen).
 
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First of all, thanks for the many warm welcomes.

I've decided I'm going to get a DE razor first. If after doing that, I decide to go for a straight, I can always sell the DE razor for about whatever I paid for it. I'm assuming that the brushes and probably soaps are compatable between DE and straight.

I'll be browsing through the BST forums until I find something that strikes my fancy, and then hopefully shortly after that I'll be shaving.

One of the reasons I don't want to jump straight into Straight Razor shaving is that when/if (okay, when) I get a straight, I'm not going to want an old razor, even if it's really good. I'm going to want to get a nice, probably custom one. I saw someone here recently posted pictures of a carbon fiber razor, which was absolutely beautiful. When I'm ready for a straight edge, I will get rid of every other razor and purchase some custom made blade with a carbon fiber or cocobolo or bubinga handle or something.

Come to think of it....why don't they use more exotic woods in razors? They seem to be almost all plastics handles. I realized there's a lot of moisture around, but I also have some wooden spoons that are a few decades old and don't seem to mind being submersed.

michael.scheller, I wondered when I posted that if anyone would understand that to mean that I did spend a lot of time studying the wiki--many people seem to think it means the opposite of what it means.
 
This is the weapon of a Gentleman. Not as clumsy or random as an electric; an elegant weapon from a more civilized age.

:thumbup: for Star Wars reference. Welcome to B&B! I see that, with your sense of humor, you should fit in JUST fine.

Yes, there is endless variety knocking at your door, but it doesn't have to be bank-breaking. For example, when I started, I spent about $20 on a Feather "Popular" razor, $8 on a Vulfix boar brush, $5 on a 10-pack of Feather razor blades, all from http://www.Classicshaving.com and about $5 on some C.O. Bigelow (rebranded Proraso) shaving cream from Bath and Body Shop. This setup lasted me more than 2 months, and all but $10 was one-time cost. Even the shaving cream will last quite a while.

My best advice is to check out the videos by our own illustrious Mantic59 that you will find on YouTube. My second best advice would be to not stretch for BBS on the first time out. Work on perfecting your technique first, and the very smooth shaves will come of their own accord. You should aim for irritation-free more than anything.
 
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michael.scheller, I wondered when I posted that if anyone would understand that to mean that I did spend a lot of time studying the wiki--many people seem to think it means the opposite of what it means.

It is one of the phrases used around the U.S. Army that make me cringe because every time I hear it, it is almost always used as "peruse this quickly". It has become one of my pet peeves, almost as much as replacing "at the present time" instead of "now" or "in order to" instead of "to" or "in a timely manner" instead of "quickly" or "now".
 
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