How did you guys get into wet shaving?

[Stingy Jack]

When I was 16 my Dad gave me his old Phillips electric shaver and with very little direction said turn it on and move in a circular motion. The electric really wasn't my thing and didn't really shave all that well. I expressed my displeasure with my Dad and I then got a Gillette Fusion. The shaves were still horrible and uncomfortable but I thought well this is it. So I stuck it out.....
I used carts either Schick or Gillette variants until was 25 and I found this forum completely by accident.

I signed up read all about DE's and SE's and straights and I bought my first DE (1965 Schick Krona). I told my Dad about it and he was telling me how my grandfather used to shave with a DE but he would always cut himself etc. He said I shouldn't go into this and stick with carts.

Well I didn't listen and in 2 weeks my Krona arrived along with some Derby blades. In pure excitement I loaded my face up with some shaving Gel and put a Derby into the Krona. TRAIN WREACK! My face was so red and I had nicks all over the place. My Dad said " I told you" and I was crushed. However I didn't give up and I thought "hell I stuck it out with carts for so long might as well stick with this"

So a lot more practice and a few more razors to my name here I am now 29 and still shaving like "an old man" and enjoying every bit of it. I did try to get my Dad to convert but he doesn't have the nerves and has stashed away the RR I gave him and went back to his fusion. He asks me every so often if I am still shaving this way and I tell him yes and he tells me I'm nuts.

I read somewhere shaving with a DE was supposed to save money............ XD

P.S: SWMBO has been shaving with a Lady Schick Injector for a few years now and loves it

 

[tamahagane]

Started with a cartridge in high school and had skin problems as long as I used it. Then at the beginning of my undergraduate studies, I had an electric which broke down 4 times in 6 months (still a step up from cartridges though). Then tried some cartridges and other OTS stuff but had to put a very quick halt (as it later turned out, allergies). Then I considered a SR, something I had only seen in movies, but after some googling decided on a DE and a shavette, a brush, some blades, an alum block and a soap. I consider SR and DE equally good, except the DE was 10 times faster so I sticked to DEs.

 

[been around]

When I started shaving all we had were TTO razors and a host of DE blades. I bought my first razor (a slim in high school) to shave my peach fuzz. In college they were giving away free Trac IIs at the book store (Get 'em young), late 1971 I believe, and I loved it. One swipe with the grain and off to class. Went to an Atra in 1978. I still have both. I would on occasion still pull out my slim and pop in a Wilkie. I really enjoyed the Trac and Atra more than the slim, so it got packed. As I got older and my skin got rougher and thinner. I was suffering from constant painful ingrown hairs and rashes. Yes, those carts really did shave below the skin line. I found the old slim and some unused English Wilkies in a box of junk that never got unpacked in all the moves over all the years. I figured what the hell. I gave them a try. In a few weeks of DE shaving, my skin felt better and the ingrown problems stopped. The shaves with the Trac and Atra were faster and safer, but it wasn't worth the skin problems. Next came Try a blade, a cup, soap and brush. The rest, as they say is history.

DE shaving is like riding a bike. once you learn how you never forget. Still use the Trac and Atra once in a while, but I'm a DE guy again. Life, as they say, goes full circle. If that is true why can't I do eight mile cross country runs?

 

[rbscebu]

I started off with TTO Gillette Slim adjustable with an ACME brush and Palmolive stick in my teens. I stayed with that until I went to sea with the RAN (navy) where I changed to carts. I resigned from the RAN (as a CPO) to continue my studies but stuck with the carts (still using soap and brush) for many decades after.

I never enjoyed cart shaving but persevered as I had forgotten about DE shaving and knew nothing better.

A couple of years ago, for some forgotten reason, I decided to give SR shaving a go. I made the typical n00bie mistakes like buying a RSO, useless strop and a couple of $2 Chinese "whetstones". After not being able to shave with my RSO, I did some internet searching that always seemed to point me to B&B.

I joined B&B and the rest is history plus another 30 odd SR's, strops, half a dozen brushes and a few soaps.

 

[BigSpender]

How did you guys get into wet shaving?

Hello gents. I was thinking, and found myself very curious as to how you guys got hooked on good old traditional wet shaving. A family member perhaps? Maybe just curiosity? Or maybe even the “potential” money you can save? (Yep that didn’t last long for me either ) whatever the case may be, I really do find it amazing how we are all sort of connected in a brotherhood together on our quest for the perfect shave. My personal story is that when I first started working, I grew tired of my face always breaking out (up Until about 19-20 years old). I Had tried just about everything under the sun including charcoal face mask’s that made me look pretty goofy around the house. So, I eventually started to notice it got real bad the next morning after shaving with my Gillette fusion. So after doing research, and actually having a little bit of income I decided I wanted to buy myself a quality shave set to try out. All of my hope was lost at this point. I bought a chrome shaving stand, a $50-$55 Parker silver tip badger brush, some Proraso green soap/aftershave, a box of Astra SP’s, and a Merkur 38C HD. I pretty much never looked back once my teqnique improved, and my breakouts slowly faded away. Now I’m forever in debt to all of you guys (and the bank for that matter) for teaching me the ropes. My dad wasn't really around, and my mom could only teach me so much. It’s been 5 years since I made the switch, and I expect another 50 years to come. I would like to say a huge thank you to all of you guys again, and I look forward to hearing your personal back stories that led you into the art of wet shaving!

Puberty





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[GR5233]

Just got tired of paying the crazy prices for replacement carts even with the “discount” at the membership warehouse and trying to use a cart for as long as possible

 

[camoloc]

looked at a VDH TTO at meijers a couple years ago in the fall around my birthday.......and bought it and a VDH kit.

quickly progressed from DE's to SE's and then onto SR's.

been golden since. prior to this I used cheap carts and sometimes shaving cream.

camo

 

[Hercule]

I had very fond memories of watching my father shave when I was very young, so when it came time for me to shave there was obviously no other option that I considered. (Sadly, my own son hasn't followed this model, though I tried. It's hard enough getting him to use an electric razor.) I used dad's razor, brush and cream and soon got my own razor. I did electric for a while during my college years and beyond and would occasionally go back to wet shaving. When I finally ditched electric I switched to multi-blade disposables in the shower, shaving by feel with bar soap. Then about 10 years ago I went back to real wet shaving with a vintage razor. (Discovered B&B at about the same time and collected for a bit. Now I just acquire.) This past week was the first time I shaved with a truly brand new and modern razor. I hope to get dad's Fatboy restored soon.

 

[Hms123]

Started young with a Gillette TTO of some sort.
Hated shaving, so I gave it up and grew a beard.
Beards take work, too...who knew?
On to some sort of Norelco, then a Braun, but they never did a good job.
Then...cartridges. They kept getting more expensive and less-well made, until one day I threw up my hands and said “no mas”.
I started researching wet shaving...all roads led to Badger and Blade, of course.
I bought a Merkur 34c and a sample pack of blades, and it was down the rabbit hole I went.
I now enjoy the almost-meditative process of wet shaving.

Best of all, with the addition of a Timeless, a Tatara, and an ATT, and soaps and brushes, I have saved a fortune.

 

[Heavy_Metal_Hound]

From about age 15-29 I shaved with a Gillette Mach 3 & can of shaving gel and I believed that was all one needed for a good shave. Then in 2014, after moving home I found myself in need of restocking my "blades". So off I go to the local pharmacy expecting to find Mach 3 blades, only to find out that they are out of stock. This was and remains the only time in my life in which I have gone to a mens razor section and not found Mach 3 blades. Looking for a temporary replacement I saw a Wilkinson Sword classic, the black Plastic one, I was instantly curious about what it was like to shave with those "old fashioned razors" so I brought one, expecting it to last until I get more mach 3s. I was instantly impressed by how good it shaved, so impressed that I threw away my cart & gel and decided to embrace traditional wet shaving. However I continued to have many of my old cart attitudes (1 pass only, only need soap & water etc). Then I Christmas 2019 My girlfriend got me a Gillette Tech, now realising that there are better DE razors out there than what was by then my second Wilkinson sword classic, I finally started researching how to de shave & De razors...eventually leading me to Badger and Blade.

Oh If anyone is wondering what happened to my 1st Wilkinson Razor, it broke in 2019 when the pin that connected the handle to the baseplate snapped due to corrosion. The second one has recently been thrown into a bag of unwanted stuff that was donated to a random charity shop.