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Greetings!

I am constantly in search of the ideal shave and thought I'd stop by here to see what kind of help, guidance, and advice I could get. Especially since Facebook decided to start flooding me with ads for safety razors.

My current routine is to shave in the shower, which I do last after I've done everything else. I've been using Proraso Green (the sensitive skin formula) with a Parker Safety Razor "Long Loft" brush. I wet the brush by soaking it for a minute and then shaking it out, then I put a dollop of the Proraso onto my palm and charge the brush just by swirling it into the brush and wiping everything up. I allow the cream to lather up directly on my face with brushing.

Proraso Green has been my cream of choice after having tried a number of other creams and soaps. I have a tendency to get razor burn and bumps on the lower half of my neck; Proraso Green seems to offer me the best protection from that. For the past few days, I've also been trying Viking Revolution Sandalwood. I've always liked a sandalwood fragrance, but this was the first time I'd ever seen the fragrance advertised for "sensitive skin", rather than for "coarse beards". It lathers quite a bit more than the Proraso, but I'm not sure yet whether it actually gives any better protection than the Proraso. I need to use it a while longer to form an opinion.

My current razor is a Norelco 3500 wet/dry rotary electric, which I hope is not going to earn me the death penalty around here... I've experimented in the past with wet/dry rotaries and foils, and I like the foils better. I've shaved with blades in the past, but it always seems like they don't do a very good job on my face, only on my neck. I have never worked with safety razors or single edge razors. I have no interest in learning to use a single edge, but if I can get a close, comfortable shave in the shower with a safety razor, I'd be interested in trying one.

My after shave procedure is to rinse off in the shower (warm/hot water), dry off with a towel, and splash Proraso Green on my neck -- not cheeks. Proraso Green seems to help well with burn and irritation, and it has a scent that I not only like, but that also fades pretty quickly, which I also like because that way it won't clash with whatever cologne I might be interested in wearing that day.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season!
 
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Hi, Mempho, thanks for the welcome. The main thing I'm wondering about is whether switching to a Henson or the like will allow me to get a good shave and avoid the redness and bumps on my neck. I feel pretty certain that that's being caused by the electric, but I'm not sure I'd be able to learn how to shave with a safety razor.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
@Pharoiste welcome to B&B.

Razor bumps and irritation are a common concern for may shaving men, particularly with cartridge shavers and to a lesser extent "safety" razor shavers.

One day you might be tempted to try straight razor (SR) shaving, either with a shavette type or a traditional SR. Once you develop SR technique, bumps and irritation (and cuts, nicks and weepers) will mostly become a thing of the past.

Most SR shavers wish that they had started SR shaving in their teens.
 
I don't think I'd have the stones to try straight razor shaving, no matter how tempting the rewards might be. However, these single-blade safety razors that I'm seeing on Facebook do have me tempted. Do you have any experience with any of them?
 
Welcome, glad you've joined. There are many good modern razors available, & it's a wonderful rabbit hole to jump down - searching for that perfect shave! Another rabbit hole to consider is jumping into vintage Gillette razors. A classic smooth shaver is the Gillette Tech, & it can get you started, or continue you, down the road of wet shaving. There is no right way. Or for that matter, there is no wrong way. The Henson gets good reviews from many here on B & B. But please keep us posted on what you go with. We learn from each other. So ask any question you like & be prepared for a multitude of answers!
 
The problem I've always had with standard razors like the Mach 3 or the Gillette Sensor has always been that they're great at shaving the neck but do nothing for my face... for a while there, I was actually shaving my neck in the shower with a Sensor, getting out and drying off and everything, and then using a rotary electric dry on my cheeks. I got so fed up with it that I finally decided to try a few different wet/drys in the shower. I'm wondering how well a Henson, OneRazor, or the like would do in the shower. Might be time for me to start a thread in a new forum -- or, better, review the existing threads first; I very much doubt I'm the first person to wonder about this.

Thank you for the welcome!
 
Hmmm ... Whiskers, at least mine, are generally softer on my face than on my neck. I'm wondering if you might not quite have the right angle when shaving your face. You might want to consider and older single edge safety razor like the GEM Micromatic Open Comb or GEM Damaskeen. Their heads are designed to be held almost against the skin to act as a guide to ensure the proper cutting angle. Both are capable of providing a very close, smooth shave with a little practice. Both can be found quite inexpensively. Blades are also inexpensive and last quite long in my experience.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I don't think I'd have the stones to try straight razor shaving, no matter how tempting the rewards might be. However, these single-blade safety razors that I'm seeing on Facebook do have me tempted. Do you have any experience with any of them?
You don't need any stones to maintain a traditional SR once it has been first properly honed. All you need is a set of diamond pasted balsa strops that you can put together yourself for under USD 100 and a decent strop for about USD 60.

An alternative is to use a shavette type SR. They can be very cheap to buy and you just replace the blade when you need to.

I have no experience with single edge (SE) "safety" razors.

The reason why I put "safety" in quotation marks is because I don't consider them safer to shave with than SR's. You have to be braver than me to shave with a razor where you can't see the edge on your skin.
 
Welcome aboard! A safety razor will hopefully work well for you in the shower, but does take some time to gain experience and hone your technique. If you like an electric, the key finding something that works for you.
 
Another Welcome. I am glad to see another electric user here. I have both electric and blade razors, and use both. For me an electric does not shave as close, but has less irritation plus no nicks, cuts or weepers. I would never try to dissuade you from using a blade razor. Nevertheless, I would suggest you experiment with different soaps and creams before going to a blade razor. It has been my experience so for that you need to prioritize glide or slickness over body or cushion. If it isn't too much trouble you could also try adding some glycerin to your lather. Best of luck!
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Welcome. Proraso is pretty good stuff. Personally I wouldn’t shave with a DE in the shower. Keep us posted on your journey.
 
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