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Hello! Recommendations for a newish daily shaver…..

I think you are quite right regarding multiple passes with the electric razor causing more irritation. That was certainly the case for me.

One of the other good pieces of advice I received here on B&B was to proceed slowly and change only one variable at a time (shave prep, razor, blade, product, etc.). In this way it will be easier to identify more easily what works for you and what doesn't.

A DE razor is a win for many here for various reasons but it's certainly not the only way to shave effectively. Experiment with changing only one variable at a time, and enjoy the journey!

StewB
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Welcome to B&B... pull up a chair and enjoy our little community. My son just loves his Merkur 38C... it has a big longer handle. .

It's hard to recommend something for someone just starting out. That is, it isn't easy for me. I took a slightly different path, but it was a bit more costly. I got an Artist Club razor... it's a single edge, not double edge that uses the AC blades mentioned. If you end up showing some interest, I'd be happy to explain why this works so well for me.

No need to overwhelm you at the very beginning of your journey.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Welcome to B&B... pull up a chair and enjoy our little community. My son just loves his Merkur 38C... it has a big longer handle. .

It's hard to recommend something for someone just starting out. That is, it isn't easy for me. I took a slightly different path, but it was a bit more costly. I got an Artist Club razor... it's a single edge, not double edge that uses the AC blades mentioned. If you end up showing some interest, I'd be happy to explain why this works so well for me.

No need to overwhelm you at the very beginning of your journey.
Folks who have issues with sensitive skin or blemishes do not realize how great the Feather AC 50mm pro-guard blades or AC 50mm Kai protouch guarded blades are at protecting their skin and blemishes. The blades prevent the blade from digging into the skin and I used them in my Kai clone style shavette razor, a naked blade in one takes a lot of skill where the protouch blade allows for some error, it will still bite if a person is pressing hard but it is superior to a lot of blades out there and of course is expensive per blade but would be worth it for some folks who's job depends on clean shaven face.
Not many razor systems offer these blades other than AC 50mm system and they shave just as close as any blade from my experiences when you dial in the razor.
I even altered one in my Schick G type injector with good results. (click to enlarge)
Schick collage with a altered Kai Protouch.jpg

As you can see how close to the skin it can get for nice comfortable shaves and helps preventing digging in error by operator!

YY Kai Protouch guarded blade AC blade 2.jpg

Have some great shaves!
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
I have a Panasonic Arc 4 electric shaver, and I was using it before I converted over to DE. But here's what I found regarding electric shaving. They never get all the hair in a single pass, they won't get all the hair to achieve a BBS shave in a second pass either! You have to rake your skin multiple times, until your red faced, till the hair is gone.

Because of the irritation that I got, that made me look like I just came back from being tortured by someone, I finally started using a non foaming shave gel from Tomb45!
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This shave gel allowed my Panasonic Arc 4, to glide across my skin, and get a shave with much less irritation! And this is what I had to do, while I waited for my first DE razor to arrive.

Keep in mind, you can only do this with modern electric shavers with are water proof rated. They are designed to let you clean them out over the tap, which you will have to do, after using a shave gel. But ya, I much prefer DE shaving honestly.
 
Welcome to B&B.
And if I do, go for a DE safety razor?
My hair is pretty coarse and does grow in a few different directions on my neck, which is where I have the majority of issues. I also have a couple of moles that I worry about catching if I wet shave.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be hugely appreciated.
I am not sure if you are a daily shaver but a Merkur 34C or Edwin Jagger DE89 would be a good start in razors for a daily shave; paired with a blade like the Gillette Silver Blue or Astra SP they are a good combination.
I am note sure about moles as they vary in prominence but take it lightly around any moles and you should be okay. Those razor blades can easily slice off moles if you are not careful.
Start with a two pass shave and add addional passes if you are confident of avoiding irritation.
There is a Shave Wiki, link top left of page, which will help you through preparation and razor technique.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
Welcome to B&B. :)

You will get a ton of different recommendations based on what works on the face/skin/whiskers of the individual providing the recommendation.

If you are up to doing a bit of reading, it may be helpful to read the following threads:
Also, my journal has notes and shaving impressions of the various razors I've tried since I joined B&B:
Always happy to provide clarification and/or additional information to assist you. :)
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Welcome to the forum from Australia and thanks for checking in with us and sharing your experiences.
 
Hi all,

Just a little update after a weeks worth of reading and watching videos. I've taken the plunge and ordered the following.

- Edwin Jagger DE89 (with the knurled handle)
- 5 x Astra SP and 5 x Voskhod blades (razor comes with 1 feather blade)
- PAA cube for pre-shave
- Body Shop Maca Root shaving cream
- Barts Balms set of aftershave (to try out different ones)

Thanks for all the recommendations and advice.

All the bits should arrive this week, so will report back on my first DE shave in a week or so!
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Hi all,

Just a little update after a weeks worth of reading and watching videos. I've taken the plunge and ordered the following.

- Edwin Jagger DE89 (with the knurled handle)
- 5 x Astra SP and 5 x Voskhod blades (razor comes with 1 feather blade)
- PAA cube for pre-shave
- Body Shop Maca Root shaving cream
- Barts Balms set of aftershave (to try out different ones)

Thanks for all the recommendations and advice.

All the bits should arrive this week, so will report back on my first DE shave in a week or so!

Congratulations!!! I am hoping that you will love them! :thumbup:

Please don't forget to post the pictures of them as well, we love pictures hehe. :thumbup1:
 
I had the same issues with my Braun Series 7. It really irritated my neck really badly and gave me ingrown hairs. It wasn’t pleasant. And cartridges weren’t as bad I thought on my neck. But still caused some irritation and ingrown hairs. And also like you said I do have a mole that I have to be careful of while shaving the right side of my mustache area. Which I have just slightly nicked before accidentally. So being careful of it is somewhat irritating. But you get used to it after a while. One of my first razors was a Edwin Jagger DE89. But I had got it with the plain chrome handle instead of the knurled one. Which I honestly wish I would’ve gotten the knurled one because the one I have can get kinda slippery I think. Outside of that one small drawback it’s a solid mild shaver that could be used as a daily shaver. Otherwise ones that I have that for me would probably not be bad is Merkur 37c, both Gamechagers or Lupo 95 from Razorock, Timeless 95 Titanium if you’re willing to pay the money for it sometime down the line, or my Gem Jr is fairly mild and could be used every day. And from what I can remember the Razorock BBS is fairly mild also. But I haven’t used it in a while though. But that’s just me. And it may be different for everyone else.
 
Hi all,

Just a little update after a weeks worth of reading and watching videos. I've taken the plunge and ordered the following.

- Edwin Jagger DE89 (with the knurled handle)
- 5 x Astra SP and 5 x Voskhod blades (razor comes with 1 feather blade)
- PAA cube for pre-shave
- Body Shop Maca Root shaving cream
- Barts Balms set of aftershave (to try out different ones)

Thanks for all the recommendations and advice.

All the bits should arrive this week, so will report back on my first DE shave in a week or so!
Please don’t start out with the Feather, the other two blades are solid. Enjoy the ride!
 
Welcome to B&B! As you can see people are ready to jump in and provide suggestions. I support started with a milder razor even if you have coarse hair because it is about the combination of that 1) razor with 2) your blade of choice and 3) your technique that makes the shave.

I agree with @Ron R that concentration on technique is key and may be your first focus. And beard mapping is definitely a step in developing technique. WTG XTG ATG are all dependent on what your growth pattern is in the first place. Because if you do not know the direction what exactly is a WTG pass, right? To add to Ron’s pictures, here is an example of mine:


I am biased but anything posted by @never-stop-learning or @AimlessWanderer is always educational and handy to improve your shave. In addition I found the Four Pass shave instrumental in my own journey (it was the reason I joined this forum):

A newbies journey into DE shaving - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/a-newbies-journey-into-de-shaving.622889/post-11714354

And it is also why I discovered that with the proper beard map my shaves became even better.

I have not tried adjustables yet but if I do @Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker ’s posts will be the first ones I will read.

Happy exploring what works for you and what is best left untouched!

And rest assured that we are all here to help one another.

Cheers,

Guido
 
Hi all,

Little update. Today was the first DE wet shave of my life! And.....it was ok! Not too bad for a first go I think.

Out the shower, on with the Cube pre-shave whilst I made up the lather (Body Shop Maca Root) in my bowl and loaded an Astra SP into the EJ.

I did 2 WTG and 1 XTG passes. The first WTG pass was terrible, as I was in and out of the right angle for different parts of my face and I think my lather was too stiff and dry. I noticed that between the blade and the base plate the lather/hair mix was being quite stubborn to rinse away. Second WTG pass I added a little drop more water to the bowl and the lather was much better and I concentrated on getting a consistent angle and blade contact with the skin. And the razor cleaned off much easier.
Similar story to my XTG pass to finish off.

Result I would say is similar to the final result I get with my Braun Series 9. But with much less irritation! This will hopefully get better as my technique improves and I get more consistent. There are a couple of patches that could be closer but I get that with the electric anyway. I think these happened where I lost my angle and just scraped off the lather.

Got 2 nicks. One was where I've had an ingrown hair lately so it was raised already and the other was me just catching the edge of my mole so to be honest I'm quite happy with that for a first go. Especially as that was with 5 days stubble growth.

I didn't want to push it any further today. Want to let the skin recover for 48 hours before I give it another go. I'm hoping that a combination of my skin have less bumps/ingrown from using the electric and my technique improving will give me a much closer, smoother WTG and XTG shave. Once I feel confident, I'll give a ATG pass a go to really try and get BBS.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Hi all,

Little update. Today was the first DE wet shave of my life! And.....it was ok! Not too bad for a first go I think.

Out the shower, on with the Cube pre-shave whilst I made up the lather (Body Shop Maca Root) in my bowl and loaded an Astra SP into the EJ.

I did 2 WTG and 1 XTG passes. The first WTG pass was terrible, as I was in and out of the right angle for different parts of my face and I think my lather was too stiff and dry. I noticed that between the blade and the base plate the lather/hair mix was being quite stubborn to rinse away. Second WTG pass I added a little drop more water to the bowl and the lather was much better and I concentrated on getting a consistent angle and blade contact with the skin. And the razor cleaned off much easier.
Similar story to my XTG pass to finish off.

Result I would say is similar to the final result I get with my Braun Series 9. But with much less irritation! This will hopefully get better as my technique improves and I get more consistent. There are a couple of patches that could be closer but I get that with the electric anyway. I think these happened where I lost my angle and just scraped off the lather.

Got 2 nicks. One was where I've had an ingrown hair lately so it was raised already and the other was me just catching the edge of my mole so to be honest I'm quite happy with that for a first go. Especially as that was with 5 days stubble growth.

I didn't want to push it any further today. Want to let the skin recover for 48 hours before I give it another go. I'm hoping that a combination of my skin have less bumps/ingrown from using the electric and my technique improving will give me a much closer, smoother WTG and XTG shave. Once I feel confident, I'll give a ATG pass a go to really try and get BBS.

Your story reads similar to mine, when I first began wet shaving. Yes, blade angle is key when wet shaving, so you will have to learn to keep your angle constant throughout the shave. But worry not, I have complete faith in you, that you will learn to do this with experience. And your story about the lather on your face, you realize after two months, going on 3, that I have been wet shaving, I made that mistake several days ago?

Yep, I couldn't believe it! I was like, how could I have made that lather too dry, what was I thinking? Well, I guess sometimes we need reminders in our lives, that tell us, you need more water in your lather. I have a bouillon spoon, its about the equivalent to a teaspoon, and I use it to add more water to my lather. Another option is, you can dip the tips of the hairs of your brush in water, and then bring that up to your face to hydrate the lather further.

When we all first started wet shaving, we were getting nicks and weepers. It just takes experience to learn how to do it. You will get there, like I said, I have complete faith in you. Were all here rootin for ya, were a big family here at B&B, so you have a lot of support. Next shave will probably go a little better. We know you can do it! :)
 
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