How did you guys get into wet shaving?

[Yukonmark]

My dad taught me to shave. He always used a butterfly DE with either Wilkinson Sword or Gillette blades. He always used a brush and soap in a dish
I started with a DE. I then turned to the dark side in my mid 20's by switching to disposable Bic razors and cans of foam
I got back into real wet shaving in my late 30's

 

[MurderousCrow]

Seems that most of us have reconnected with wet shaving in some way after a period of purgatory with cartridges or electrics!

I got really annoyed when I realised I'd left all my cartridge razor handles at work and had to buy a new setup. The cynicism of providing a poor product and tying someone in to that at a big regular expense - regardless of manufacturer - was galling. I paid, disgruntled. Got home and after a few predictably unsatisfying shaves (which resulted in the frequent breakouts you experienced @SavageMatty) I decided to just jump in to using a straight. Hitting 40 not long ago made me realise I needed to get on with actually doing things I'd wanted to for a long time, and using a straight was definitely on that list...

I knew the Japanese would have designed something excellent for this task, and soon found the Feather AC SS. Searching for reviews led to this forum, and the knowledge imparted by its denizens increased my confidence. I bought my AC SS from an eBay seller in Japan; bought a quality brush and cream and in Feb '19 I got started. Soon after this I purchased a Razorock Hawk as a back-up system for travel and days when I'd be short on time. What a change! The learning curve was steep, but helped massively by some extensive reading on B&B. Lumps and bumps disappeared almost instantly, and I soon started to experience really nice shaves. Really a world away from cartridge razors and electrics!

 

[Omarz]

For me it was out of trying shaving with a straight but that went to hell so I decided to shave like my grandfather did and follow in his footsteps and it worked out well and I found it pleasurable and cheap so I continued

 

[MurderousCrow]

Back when i started wet shaving a man could just walk into any supermarket or drug store and pick up a Gillette Mach 3 and a can of Barbasol and go on his merry way to great shaves. We never gave it a second thought. One day i ran out of carts and went to pick some up at a local Stop and Shop. Hanging next to my usual blades was a newfangled VanDerHagen double edged razor. I bought it on a whim and soon realized shaving isn’t so simple. Now it’s preshaves and balms; aftershaves and brushes; not to mention the “soap wars!” It seems like every day a new artisan tries to add ever more slickness and cushion to their soaps. You used to just choose between Gillette and Barbasol! And back when i started shaving we had dial up internet! Dial up! Amazon? They sold books. Try ordering online with that youngsters! I remember when a man could walk into a real STORE and buy what he needed to shave. Now, forget about it. Most men would laugh at the idea of a cart and a can of foam. Yes, simpler times indeed. Alas i went along with the crowd and now have blades and soaps from all over the world. Maybe one day i’ll go back to the way my father shaved with some good old canned foam and a cart. But for now, i’m running with the crowd.

Dry. Kudos, sir

 

[Stuart Ganis]

OK here goes, started with a Gillette TTO that my dad gave me in 1958, mid 60s started driving trucks long haul and my Gillette TTO was not practical to use on the road so I bought a Gillette cartridge razor and a can of shave cream. Still used my de razor when I was home. After a divorce all my stuff got lost in the shuffle
I was lucky I got to keep the pants I was wearing.
After I settled down bought another Gillette cartridge razor for home use. Now let's jump to 2017, i'am retired and looking at my tablet for cheap Gillette cartridges I found that de razors were still available, so to save a few dollars bought a Parker 99r and Feather blades.
Then I found Gillett vintage razors, it was like a kid in a candy store. Then the stainless steel razors came out.
End of story never did save any money, but this shaving business keeps me going, it's something to do and I really like my collection and enjoy shaving.
Got to go now have to check if my wife moved any of my razors, soaps, or brushes.

Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk

 

[Timeclo]

I got into wet shaving to save money and see what options were available. I find out that there are a ton of products out there to use but I did not save money during that process.

I used to use a cartridge razor and a shaving foam. I shaved because I had to, not because I wanted to. It was a boring, monotonous process that I just went through. However, now that I wet shave, I get to have a choice. It's not just a cartridge and a shaving foam but I can choose a vintage razor with an artisan soap, coupled with a handmade brush. It's the small details that count and I enjoy every shave now.

 

[shave/brush]

My father wet shaved with a brush and razor so I did also but I only did it about once a month using my Trac II. One day I wanted to buy a new shave mug and when I did a search I found B&B. I wanted to try a DE razor so I got one and it took off from there. It has been a lot of fun.

 

[guitarslinger]

From '94 to '06, I used a Gillette Sensor, then some Gillette Good News Disposables. Around '05, I started noticing the blade quality going down. (they moved production, I think).
In 2006, I was a stupid kid right out of college, so I was hungover a bit too often. My shaving cream smelled like deodorant, which made me want to hurl.

THEN......I read that fateful Corey Greenburg article that converted a number of people.

It said, why do you want your face to smell like deodorant when it can smell like English Violet? Then, it said, something like, "your Grandfather used a razor like John Wayne and JFK. Newer doesn't mean better."

I immediately ordered a Merkur 23C, some Classic soaps, a Vulfix badger brush. Then, I went to Target and bought all of the Proraso stuff. (back when Target! carried Proraso).

Changed my life. I never went back.

FWIW, here's the article. Dated by now, but still interesting. It sure made a BIG impression on me.

How to get that perfect shave

Ever since prehistoric man first scraped a seashell across his cheek so prehistoric woman would let him dance cheek-to-cheek, shaving has been a part of the male experience. But even with today’s high-tech razors, lots of men still get nicks, cuts, and razor burn. Today’s Tech Editor Corey...

www.today.com

 

[Macduff]

Dry. Kudos, sir

Why should the old timers get to have all the “back in my day” stories?” Really though my start with DE’s was born out of trying to get the perfect shave. I already liked shaving and was getting near perfect shaves with a Gillette Fusion for many years. But i always thought i could get just a bit better if i could get the blade(s) closer to the skin. Carts limit blade exposure so i’d always have a couple stray hairs that refused to get cut. That and i (like many ) was tired of dropping $40 for each cart resupply. The part about seeing the VanDerHagen in Stop and Shop is true. So basically i tried it on a whim, got some soap and a brush online, found B&B and have been thoroughly enjoying my shaves ever since. Are they better now than with carts? Yes and no. When DE goes poorly it’s in a big way. But the best DE shaves were and are better than my best cart shaves. Not by much, but that little extra is what i was looking for.

 

[mumB_L_E]

Multi-blade cartridges were foisted upon us recruits at MCRD Parris Island and I just stuck with those for years. I initially picked up a butterfly top Van Der Hagen six or so years ago as a cost saving measure and got much better shaves with it, VDH blades, and brush-less cream until I snapped my dominant arm like a toothpick. I picked up a Braun Series 7 for the recovery. After nine months of relatively decent shaves, I brought the VDH to shave with on a vacation, but ended up "losing my touch" and created a bit of irritation. The electric shaves were fine, but the ingrown hairs they caused--though much fewer and further between than Mach 5 or whatever--were BAD!!! I was finally pushed over the edge when an exotic dancer mistook a BAD ingrown hair for a hickey while on a bachelor party...

I wanted to have clear complexion for the upcoming wedding season and ordered a new DE, boar brush, and Proraso soap/pre-shave before leaving the hotel in Tampa. I found B&B while searching for "natural" soap options a couple weeks later.

 

[SavageMatty]

From '94 to '06, I used a Gillette Sensor, then some Gillette Good News Disposables. Around '05, I started noticing the blade quality going down. (they moved production, I think).
In 2006, I was a stupid kid right out of college, so I was hungover a bit too often. My shaving cream smelled like deodorant, which made me want to hurl.

THEN......I read that fateful Corey Greenburg article that converted a number of people.

It said, why do you want your face to smell like deodorant when it can smell like English Violet? Then, it said, something like, "your Grandfather used a razor like John Wayne and JFK. Newer doesn't mean better."

I immediately ordered a Merkur 23C, some Classic soaps, a Vulfix badger brush. Then, I went to Target and bought all of the Proraso stuff. (back when Target! carried Proraso).

Changed my life. I never went back.

FWIW, here's the article. Dated by now, but still interesting. It sure made a BIG impression on me.

How to get that perfect shave

Ever since prehistoric man first scraped a seashell across his cheek so prehistoric woman would let him dance cheek-to-cheek, shaving has been a part of the male experience. But even with today’s high-tech razors, lots of men still get nicks, cuts, and razor burn. Today’s Tech Editor Corey...

www.today.com

Great story, and a very good read @guitarslinger. Crazy that you essentially drank yourself down the rabbit hole we all know and love.

 

[Ron R]

How I got into wet shaving or traditional shaving was sharpening my Victorinox knifes, I was researching some articles on Youtube about using knife sharpeners and off the to the side on other video's was razor sharpening videos. So clicked on a few and before I knew it I was looking at a Gillette slim or Fatboy that was similar to what my father used. Doing a little more research I found out that blades were readily available for double edge razors so I ordered some and bought a Gillette slim at a garage sale and ordered some soap. At first I was into saving money and did not have a lot of gear so I was not out much money for the experience. I started to clip my own hair and that saved me some $ and plowed it all back into shaving supplies and have enjoyed it all along.
2020 will be a good year for myself in wet shaving because I will come close to breaking even $ wise if I do not buy any more gear.
The forums make it a lot more interesting for learning because I grew in the cartridge era and used them for over 34 yrs, I believe that a single blade is better than multi blade razors if you learn good technique with a little discipline or have skin issues that make multi blade shaving unbearable like some have already mentioned.
This is a inexpensive hobby if you can discipline your self from buying every thing & one of the pleasures of life IMO.

 

[BradWorld]

As a young boy, my grandfather taught me how to shave with a Super Speed with no blade. Of course when I started shaving for real, I used a cart like my dad. That didnt last long, as I had an uncle that was big on the norelco electrics. I really dug the convenience of the whole electric shaving process at the time. As I got older I started getting ingrown hairs, and also got really tired of the pulling when I had intentional facial hair like a goatee or what have you. Every time I got too close to the beard, the electric would pull a hair in a painful way. And if I let my face go for a few days, the electric was pretty rough as well. So about 10 years ago, I went back to a cart... for one day. I found it like pulling a cheese grater across my face. So the cart razor went right into the trash. I remembered my experience with my grandfather's Super Speed very fondly at that point, did some research, and got a 34c, some Taylor soap and aftershave, and a cheapo Escali badger off amazon. And the rest was history.

 

[PreachTheWord]

Was tired of the terrible shaving and irritation I got with cartridges and goo. I walked into Walgreens one day and 3 cartridge refills was about $15. That was the last straw for me. I walked out, came home and started doing some research into alternatives. I ran into traditional wet-shaving, ordered some gear, and the journey began.

 

[PreachTheWord]

...and I have no real discipline, so this is not a money saving venture for me.

 

[pdieten]

The Van Der Hagen soap-brush-bowl kit was $8 on the shelf at Walmart one day when I went to get a new can of shaving cream.

The DE razor came along much later when I needed cartridges and Dorco didn't have them on sale, so they were more expensive than I wanted to pay.

 

[guitarslinger]

Great story, and a very good read @guitarslinger. Crazy that you essentially drank yourself down the rabbit hole we all know and love.

Great thread, man. I've enjoyed reading everyone's story, including yours.

I probably could have made mine longer, but I try to be brief.

I probably left out the best part; I found my Late Maternal Grandpa's Gillette 70's Knack DE in the attic while my Merkur was in transit. I grabbed some Personna blades at the grocery store the day I got my Target Proraso stuff (also procured in the meantime whilst awaiting my Classic order). I went home and took that first brave step into rubbing a razor blade down my cheek. It cut like butter, and the Proraso green smelled like some type of country club locker room. My first DE shave was a smashing success. Amazing......

Fast forward to receiving the Merkur stuff.
Merkur blade was TERRIBLE.
Merkur 23C wasn't as good as the vintage Gillette
Classic soaps didn't lather at all compared to the proraso cream or soap.

BUT........................Even with this small defeat, I KNEW I was on the right track because of Grandpa's Gillette and the Proraso cornucopia. Okay. I feel better now. That's the rest of the story.

 

[lancre]

Back in the mid '60s, my Dad used a Blue Tip. To be different, I went with a Schick Injector.

When I went away to college, every September they distribute these toiletries packs for about $1.00 or so. Those packs always included a cartridge razor. So I switched - newer is better, right? Later on, after following the market all the way up to Fusions, I found that I got at least as good a shave from an old Sensor Excel as from the 5 blade face grater, and returned to the 2-blade Excel because the cartridges were cheaper.

About 2015, I got curious about the old DE razors and started researching them. By 2016, my wife had gotten sick of me looking at DE razors without buying them, and gave me a Merkur 23c. I loved it, and when it broke 2 months later (zamak razor vs. ceramic tile floor - tile wins every time.), I bought myself a BET and a Fendrihan stainless Mk. I.

That's when the White Rabbit started beckoning to me.....

 

[BradWorld]

...and I have no real discipline, so this is not a money saving venture for me.

Me neither! The serial collector in me took over and now i literally have hundreds of razors, and a ton of other software and hardware. But I started collecting the razors at a time where I was trying to break myself of a terrible guitar collecting habit. I was buy a couple of guitars a month for a long time, and amassed a pretty sizable collection of instruments, amps, pedal, and all that stuff. So the shaving habit literally replaced a much more expensive hobby. And has allowed me to not only stop buying guitars, but also to liquidate a lot of the collection. So effectively i am saving money. Just not on shaving!

 

[Jaybeez]

I was using a cartridge razor and always got a 5 O'Clock shadow around noon. Started looking into some of the shave club options, and found they were just a different spin on carts. My dad was a DE shaver, so I started looking into it. Ended up at B&B and it's been Nirvana ever since.