Good afternoon!
After being a cart shaver for 20 some odd years and some brief flirtations with a Norelco, I've made the jump to a DE safety razor and I'm loving it. I have fairly sensitive skin and cart shaving had actually gotten trickier for me the past couple of years...discomfort, irritation (especially on the neck), in-growns, you name it. An acquaintance at work hipped me to the benefits and pointed me in a direction to get started with DE safety razor shaving, and I've been at it now for a couple of weeks with amazing results. I'm still "learning my face" and figuring out what gear works best, but I'm truly enjoying it. I actually look forward to shaving now.
I went big and got a Merkur Futur (my buddy's favorite). I wanted something adjustable, "heirloom quality", and the personal testimonial helped. To me, $60-70 bucks wasn't a steep price for all that. I have literally nothing to compare it to, but it's working well for me at this stage. I've worked up to a "3" setting and may ease it up more in the coming shaves. I'm already poking around at vintage safety razors...I'm a history buff and love old things, so it's a natural fit.
I see a lot of mentions about Gillette Techs (pre-war, post-war etc)...would love to hear more.
Blade-wise, I got the typical sampler of 30 or so blades (15 different brands). So fair I've used the Wilkinson and I'm on to a Personna now. Again, not much experience to rely on, but I know both are miles better than the carts I was using. So far, I'm digging the Personna over the Wilkinson, but the Wilkinson was my very first shave so it'll get another shot. There's a couple of Feathers in there; I'm going to give it a few more shaves before I give those a whirl.
Soap-wise, I started with Proraso sensitive shave soap and the pre-shave cream. The shave soap is fine, but I quickly moved on to some Stirling Soap samples and I'm enjoying those more (they feel slicker and I've decided I like to have a bit of personality in the fragrance). They also seem to lather easier for me as well, but still a skill I'm developing. I do like the Proraso pre-shave cream, though. I finish up with the Kiehl's post-shave balm I've been using for years and love.
Still getting my technique down. My facial hair isn't curly nor very coarse; I've never been able to grow much of a beard. But it turns out the growth direction changes on a dime. I'm still finding my way around the goatee area and getting a little bit of the same sort of "break outs" (in-grown hairs, clogged pores, not really sure) that I was getting with carts, BUT the post-shave irritation and redness I was getting in that area has pretty much vanished. If anyone has any thoughts on this, I'm happy to take them.
So, that's that! Looking forward to hanging out, having fun, and looking better (though not an easy task on my part)!
After being a cart shaver for 20 some odd years and some brief flirtations with a Norelco, I've made the jump to a DE safety razor and I'm loving it. I have fairly sensitive skin and cart shaving had actually gotten trickier for me the past couple of years...discomfort, irritation (especially on the neck), in-growns, you name it. An acquaintance at work hipped me to the benefits and pointed me in a direction to get started with DE safety razor shaving, and I've been at it now for a couple of weeks with amazing results. I'm still "learning my face" and figuring out what gear works best, but I'm truly enjoying it. I actually look forward to shaving now.
I went big and got a Merkur Futur (my buddy's favorite). I wanted something adjustable, "heirloom quality", and the personal testimonial helped. To me, $60-70 bucks wasn't a steep price for all that. I have literally nothing to compare it to, but it's working well for me at this stage. I've worked up to a "3" setting and may ease it up more in the coming shaves. I'm already poking around at vintage safety razors...I'm a history buff and love old things, so it's a natural fit.
I see a lot of mentions about Gillette Techs (pre-war, post-war etc)...would love to hear more.Blade-wise, I got the typical sampler of 30 or so blades (15 different brands). So fair I've used the Wilkinson and I'm on to a Personna now. Again, not much experience to rely on, but I know both are miles better than the carts I was using. So far, I'm digging the Personna over the Wilkinson, but the Wilkinson was my very first shave so it'll get another shot. There's a couple of Feathers in there; I'm going to give it a few more shaves before I give those a whirl.
Soap-wise, I started with Proraso sensitive shave soap and the pre-shave cream. The shave soap is fine, but I quickly moved on to some Stirling Soap samples and I'm enjoying those more (they feel slicker and I've decided I like to have a bit of personality in the fragrance). They also seem to lather easier for me as well, but still a skill I'm developing. I do like the Proraso pre-shave cream, though. I finish up with the Kiehl's post-shave balm I've been using for years and love.
Still getting my technique down. My facial hair isn't curly nor very coarse; I've never been able to grow much of a beard. But it turns out the growth direction changes on a dime. I'm still finding my way around the goatee area and getting a little bit of the same sort of "break outs" (in-grown hairs, clogged pores, not really sure) that I was getting with carts, BUT the post-shave irritation and redness I was getting in that area has pretty much vanished. If anyone has any thoughts on this, I'm happy to take them.
So, that's that! Looking forward to hanging out, having fun, and looking better (though not an easy task on my part)!
