I took the plunge!.....or How I Learned to Love the Safety Razor!

[fathomblue]

I joined the forum less than 2 weeks ago and got a lot of feedback with great advice. Thought I'd start a fresh thread, as I jumped in head-first.....well, face-first....with a DE safety razor and other products.

I'm a complete (45 yr. old) rookie here, so if I get some terminology incorrect or any glaring errors jump out, I'd appreciate constructive criticism.

Anyway, after a fair amount of internet sleuthing, this is what I purchased:

Blackland Blackbird DE safety razor
Personna Lab Blue blades
Stirling black 2-band Finest Badger brush (24mm x 53mm)
Stirling 4-slot stainless razor & brush stand
Stirling Bergamot Lavender shave soap
Stirling Bergamot Lavender witchhazel w/ aloe
Stirling Bergamot Lavender aftershave splash
Shavex alum block
Stirling Barber Shop shave soap
Stirling medium shave soap tins
Stirling shave soap waterproof tin labels
Stirling Bergamot Lavender bath soap

Ok, so I went a BIT overboard. I mean, I could have shaved once and thought that the whole thing wasn't for me. Hooooowever......I just completed my first facial shave and HEEELLLLOOOO!!! Where has this been all my life???

The whole experience turned a "damn, I gotta shave" cartridge-experience into an "I can't wait to do this again!" DE-nirvana.

Btw, I had placed a separate order for a shaving scuttle mug, plus a blade variety pack on Amazon, but apparently this whole current virus thing stopped that in its' tracks.

Observations:

I showered first and used a nice facial scrub from Dollar Shave Club. Probably stayed in the shower too long, however, which caused a problem later.

Rookie mistake #1: forgot to squeeze out warm water from the brush after it had a nice soak. This obviously had me running way too thin of a lather. Added a bit more soap to thicken things out, so my first WTG pass was ok, but could have been better.

With that said, my next lathering for a XTG appeared to be spot on for pass #2. Just looked and felt right. I didn't like my actual shave technique however. Was kinda all over the place with that one.

Rookie mistake #2: my water wasn't warm enough in the beginning and cooled off quickly. This seemed to cause the Blackbird to clog up a bit with cold lather. I can't help but feel that the scuttle mug would have helped out on this. Remember that long shower earlier? Yep.

Anyway, I kept my mustache and goatee. Decided to wait and see before I use it to shave my head. So just a basic sideburns, cheeks, and neck shave.

Only got 1 weeper! Not even a bad one. The alum seemed to seal it right up afterwards and didn't burn much at all.

Washed everything off afterwards with warm water. Then washed again with cold water to close the pores. Splashed on some witchhazel with aloe. Looked, smelled, and felt great!

Decided to not use aftershave, as I was just hanging around the house tonight. I generally never, ever use aftershave or cologne anyway. But, I will next time.

Probably took me close to an hour. Lol. I felt like I was shaving with a loaded handgun. I was a bit nervous, as the Blackbird is like a work of art. It's a 303 stainless steel shavin' sonuvagun. Soooo damn impressed with this thing. It's so well made. Shawn from Blackland Razors even responded to a question I had via email and followed up with a very lengthy one later with a lot of great info. Finally a shorter resoinse for me to get back to him after my first shave. So, I'll probably link this to him. Overall, VERY impressed with his product and customer service. Shipping was fast. Just a great company to deal with.

The Stirling lavender shave soap whipped up very well and smells amazing. An even bigger bonus is that they are an Arkansas company, which I didn't realize until after I ordered. I'm just outside of Little Rock, so within 2 hours of their business. I'm glad I could keep a little bit of money in-state.

Also, their stainless stand is a nice piece. The Blackbird fit on there perfectly. The badger brush felt like the silky hair of an angel wisping across my face. I can't adequately express as to how soft it is.

In closing, for the tldr'ers........tonight was the most relaxing shave of my entire life, even tho I was a bit nervous at first. Can't wait to do it again either tomorrow on my head or back to my face on Monday evening.

I'm hooked!!!

 

[comis]

Welcome to B&B!

I had only been shaving for the past month too, I think one of the main lessons I've learnt is to invest more time in a fixed set of gears, at least right at the beginning, to allow my technique to grow and learn the basics.

I think for the Rookie#2 you'd mentioned, the clogging up may or may not have to do with lather getting cold.
AFAIK, I think most majority shavers I have seen here don't seen to be shaving with a scuttle, many lather on face and some even like cold lather. What I found useful is to rinse the razor after short strokes in the sink or under the hot water, so it will keep the blade/blade gap free of clogging.

Another tip I got from an English gentleman Aimlesswanderer is to get shaving soap/cream from shavedash.com, so I could get the full sizes later, only if I like the scent and how it performed.

I too heard many good things about Stirling, and am looking forward to try them.

Have a good shave!

 

[dmshaver]

Welcome to B & B, enjoy!

 

[Atlantic59]

You certainly jumped in headfirst. You're committed now. Welcome to the asylum.

 

[BroGuy17]

Welcome to your new favorite hole on the internet!

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

Welcome. I agree with comis. I run a sink full of hot water after I have everything prepped and use that water to rinse off the razor when both sides are filled with cream. That’s about once for each quadrant of my face.

One thing I noticed missing from your list was a preshave oil or cream. Don’t underestimate the value of applying a preshave. It gives you some extra protection from nicks and gives some extra slickness for the blade to slide over.

I was about to jump off and buy a stainless razor, but decided to wait until I have my technique better perfected. Then I can decide which aggressiveness is best for me.

I’m trying out a blade pack that I picked up on Amazon, and so far, the Astra bladesdo it best for me. I haven’t tried the Gillette 7 o’clock or the Feather blades yet, so the jury is still out. I have eliminated some blades from the list, and even threw out one pack when the first two blades left me hacked up.

Enjoiy your new guilty pleasure. Oh, my first couple of shaves lasted an hour as well. But I’m now down to 30 minutes, unless I want it to last an hour.

 

[MTG Jr]

Welcome to the hobby. Glad everything is working out for you.....but I’d like to know who recommended the Blackbird to you as a beginner DE shaver?!

 

[BigJ]

Great progress!! Welcome to the club!!

 

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B!

I had only been shaving for the past month too, I think one of the main lessons I've learnt is to invest more time in a fixed set of gears, at least right at the beginning, to allow my technique to grow and learn the basics.

I think for the Rookie#2 you'd mentioned, the clogging up may or may not have to do with lather getting cold.
AFAIK, I think most majority shavers I have seen here don't seen to be shaving with a scuttle, many lather on face and some even like cold lather. What I found useful is to rinse the razor after short strokes in the sink or under the hot water, so it will keep the blade/blade gap free of clogging.

Another tip I got from an English gentleman Aimlesswanderer is to get shaving soap/cream from shavedash.com, so I could get the full sizes later, only if I like the scent and how it performed.

I too heard many good things about Stirling, and am looking forward to try them.

Have a good shave!

I agree with the bold comments. In the warm weather I cold water shave. In the winter my lather is just warm. I never have trouble with my razor clogging. For years I used a mug or scuttle. However, for the past three years I usually face lather.

 

[merovirginian]

Big hearty welcome! Nice first set of purchases too. Impressive that you went with the Blackbird! An absolutely beautiful razor, but not a mild one to many. Well done.

 

[comis]

Welcome. I agree with comis. I run a sink full of hot water after I have everything prepped and use that water to rinse off the razor when both sides are filled with cream. That’s about once for each quadrant of my face.

One thing I noticed missing from your list was a preshave oil or cream. Don’t underestimate the value of applying a preshave. It gives you some extra protection from nicks and gives some extra slickness for the blade to slide over.

I was about to jump off and buy a stainless razor, but decided to wait until I have my technique better perfected. Then I can decide which aggressiveness is best for me.

I’m trying out a blade pack that I picked up on Amazon, and so far, the Astra bladesdo it best for me. I haven’t tried the Gillette 7 o’clock or the Feather blades yet, so the jury is still out. I have eliminated some blades from the list, and even threw out one pack when the first two blades left me hacked up.

Enjoiy your new guilty pleasure. Oh, my first couple of shaves lasted an hour as well. But I’m now down to 30 minutes, unless I want it to last an hour.

I tend to agree with the pre-shave oil too, either that, or at least I would rub the lather on face while I am lathering up the cream/soap, which gives time for the treatment to soften my beard.

And enjoy the shave, that's all that matters.

 

[cryhavoc]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[fathomblue]

First things first, it's Shane at Blackland. My autocorrect got me. Apologies.

Thanks for all the responses, btw!

 

[bassplayer7770]

Ok, so I went a BIT overboard. I mean, I could have shaved once and thought that the whole thing wasn't for me. Hooooowever......I just completed my first facial shave and HEEELLLLOOOO!!! Where has this been all my life???

The whole experience turned a "damn, I gotta shave" cartridge-experience into an "I can't wait to do this again!" DE-nirvana.

When I first started, I admit I was scared of that first shave, but I tried to do plenty of research first. I started with a Merkur 34C, Astra Platinum blades, a really cheap badger brush, and Proraso cream. Obviously, in time, my technique has vastly improved, and I never gave up. Plus, I started to figure out which products worked best for me.

I absolutely hated shaving with cartridge razors and would get horrible irritation and cuts, and now I get amazingly comfortable shaves that are closer than they ever were previously. Of course, a big part of that is because I actually learned the way my beard grows.

 

[fathomblue]

First things first, it's Shane at Blackland. My autocorrect got me. Apologies.

Thanks for all the responses, btw!

To address a few comments:

No one specifically suggested the Blackbird to me. It was just a name that popped up in my research. Really liked what I saw and read. Followed up by seeing a shave with one on YouTube, so that led me down the path. Yes, I'd say it's probably pretty ambitious for a beginner, but no one ever accused me of being smart. Lol.

Guess we'll see on the hot vs. cold lather thing. The water was just barely warm in the beginning (because of running the prior shower), yet the razor didn't clog up when rinsing the Blackbird off. But, a few minutes in, after the water cooled off, the clogs started. I may have to microwave a plastic bowl full of water, if required. It takes forever for the water heat up at my place and then once it's gone, it takes forever to heat back up.

Amazon actually shipped my scuttle mug today, so I'm supposed to see it on Tuesday.

Can anyone recommend a couple of pre-shave oils/creams? Am I missing any other products or steps?

Thanks for all the responses, btw!

 

[bassplayer7770]

Can anyone recommend a couple of pre-shave oils/creams? Am I missing any other products or steps?

I have the Proraso pre-shave, but I rarely use it. When I load my brush, it tends to create a decent amount of "lather", so I use some of that lather left on the soap and put it on my face as a type of pre-shave. It works well for me.

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.
I cannot stand cold lather so use a scuttle throughout the year.

 

[fathomblue]

Just had my 3rd or 4th face-shave tonight. By far the most confidence I've had and the results showed. BBS and no weepers. Started using shorter strokes and just felt more sure about things.

Love this Blackbird!

 

[Rustyshackelford]

I wouldn’t get too hung up on the romanticized idea of warm lather. The only way that really comes together is with a scuttle and badger brush, and you’ll be happy if your brush feels just slightly warm by the 2 lather. Once you decide if you are a face or bowl latherer you can get a scuttle to suit your needs. As for the brush clogging, that would not have anything to do with the water/lather temp. That’s lather all the way. You have probably figured it out by now, but it’s very common for the artisan soaps like a good bit of water. For example, some commercial soaps you’ll find you add a few drops of water to the bowl/brush at a time to get the lather dialed in, but with many of these artisan soaps you can dunk the brush into the sink about a half dozen times to get the water they need.

When I first started, simply learning how much water should be in the brush and how to load effectively from the soap puck was a challenge. I used far more water than I do today. This is my way, it’s neither the right or the wrong way. I squeeze the brush and give one shake, then I go to my tub/puck to load. I don’t care for the messy sudsy loading, instead I like to more or less create a layer of paste on top of the soap by moving the brush, easier to do on softer soaps. I can check to see how loaded the brush is by looking at the tips, and if they are pasty I am confident I have enough soap. See pics attached. I personally like this method because some tricky hard soaps are more of a challenge and your shave will suffer if you don’t get enough soap to build your lather. This method works wonders for me with MWF. I don’t have any personal experience with Stirling soaps, but their reputation is solid and I’d love to try them some day. But you have made a good choice with them as long as you learn to dial it in and get the most it has to offer.

As for the skipping of the aftershave after your maiden voyage, I would suggest not skipping. You are doing this whole thing for the benefits and enjoyment of it. As much as aftershave scents add to the post shave enjoyment, it’s also an important component of the entire process. It helps your skin in a multitude of ways depending on the splash/balm/serum/skin food of your choice. Even if you don’t use a matched or paired product every time you shave, I recommend you keep a generic balm like Nivea around to use for the benefit of your skin. A good post shave helps immensely, especially if you have had a rough shave. Also as a new DE shaver who is shifting from a view of shaving as a chore to a luxury, your desire to shave often will most likely stress your skin if it doesn’t get an occasional day off. This is where a good post shave routine helps keep your skin healthy and able to rebound faster.

Sounds like you have the rest of it pretty well taken care of. If you haven’t already, take the time time map your grain, as that will yield better results once you conquer the challenge of figuring out how to do your passes in the correct direction for your beard.

Enjoy your top shelf hardware, the good software and journey of the whole process. Welcome!!