I have a little brother who just graduated high school and will be off to college in the fall. I'm quite a bit older than him, about 17 1/2 years, so I'm nearly twice his age but we've been connecting much more over the last few years. I left for college shortly after he was born and went on to find my way in the world. The age gap is narrowing by the year. Well, I'm pretty heavily into wet shaving and think a fantastic gift for him to leave for college would be a nice grooming kit. Turns out, even though we have many years between us, we are more similar than one can imagine. I think he'd really take to it as much as I have.
So, I know there are all sorts of pre-assembled kits out there, but I'm planning on putting together a kit with some of my favorite items.
There are a few items I could use some suggestions. I'm trying to keep costs down but won't be skimping on quality.
Shave Bag - I want to get him a decent bag and that is an item I am not sure what to get. Suggestions would be fantastic.
Grooming kit - I will be getting him a nail trim set and I'll find one in a local store so that's not a big deal.
Brush - I was gifted a Semogue 620 and an Omega Mixed Midget and love both. I love Boar and the prices are great. Any suggestions for the best, most economical Semogue or Omega would be greatly appreciated for a beginner. I'm thinking around 22-24mm knot, as it's middle of the road. I might go with the 620, but suggestion is welcome.
Razor - I'm thinking of giving him my first razor given to me by my best friend, a mid-50's flare tip or one of a couple other non-valuable old Gillettes. They all shave wonderfully. If I get a new one, I'm thinking of either a Maggard or a Razorock as the prices are great. Suggestions would be appreciated.
Razor case - My sister got me a nice little leather razor case and it now holds my favorite razor whenever I travel.
Blades - Just a sample pack from Amazon. As long as there are 5-10 of around 10 or so different blades, he'll be fine finding his way.
Soap/Cream - Going to order him a cream and a soap. I love Razorock and will probably get him one of the new scents as they are all fantastic and priced great. I'll probably get him Proraso red as it's fantastic as well. I've thought of doing a sample pack as well, but I'm not sure. So many choices. As long as he has something, he'll be fine.
Pre-Shave - Pre-barba from Razorock. Love it more than any other pre-shave oil I've used. He may or may not need or want it, but I want a nice full selection of different types of items.
Alum - Again with the Razorock. The case is so nice and the price is even nicer.
Styptic Pencil - local drug store item. No thought necessary.
Aftershave - I'm either going to get him a sampler or just buy him one I like, probably either one from Fine or Razorock. Joe seems to be getting a lot of my money these days and this is just an excuse to add another item or two to the order for myself.
As long as he has the razor, blades, a brush and some sort of soap, he's good. Everything else is just icing. He can get what he likes for creams, aftershaves, etc. as he sees fit. I'd just like to get him started with a full slate and to also send him along with some of the items that I have landed on that put a smile on my face day in and day out.
So, any thoughts on some of the items would be greatly appreciated. This will be probably more fun for me than it will be for him receiving it, but who knows. Maybe he'll be a happy convert.
So, I know there are all sorts of pre-assembled kits out there, but I'm planning on putting together a kit with some of my favorite items.
There are a few items I could use some suggestions. I'm trying to keep costs down but won't be skimping on quality.
Shave Bag - I want to get him a decent bag and that is an item I am not sure what to get. Suggestions would be fantastic.
Grooming kit - I will be getting him a nail trim set and I'll find one in a local store so that's not a big deal.
Brush - I was gifted a Semogue 620 and an Omega Mixed Midget and love both. I love Boar and the prices are great. Any suggestions for the best, most economical Semogue or Omega would be greatly appreciated for a beginner. I'm thinking around 22-24mm knot, as it's middle of the road. I might go with the 620, but suggestion is welcome.
Razor - I'm thinking of giving him my first razor given to me by my best friend, a mid-50's flare tip or one of a couple other non-valuable old Gillettes. They all shave wonderfully. If I get a new one, I'm thinking of either a Maggard or a Razorock as the prices are great. Suggestions would be appreciated.
Razor case - My sister got me a nice little leather razor case and it now holds my favorite razor whenever I travel.
Blades - Just a sample pack from Amazon. As long as there are 5-10 of around 10 or so different blades, he'll be fine finding his way.
Soap/Cream - Going to order him a cream and a soap. I love Razorock and will probably get him one of the new scents as they are all fantastic and priced great. I'll probably get him Proraso red as it's fantastic as well. I've thought of doing a sample pack as well, but I'm not sure. So many choices. As long as he has something, he'll be fine.
Pre-Shave - Pre-barba from Razorock. Love it more than any other pre-shave oil I've used. He may or may not need or want it, but I want a nice full selection of different types of items.
Alum - Again with the Razorock. The case is so nice and the price is even nicer.
Styptic Pencil - local drug store item. No thought necessary.
Aftershave - I'm either going to get him a sampler or just buy him one I like, probably either one from Fine or Razorock. Joe seems to be getting a lot of my money these days and this is just an excuse to add another item or two to the order for myself.
As long as he has the razor, blades, a brush and some sort of soap, he's good. Everything else is just icing. He can get what he likes for creams, aftershaves, etc. as he sees fit. I'd just like to get him started with a full slate and to also send him along with some of the items that I have landed on that put a smile on my face day in and day out.
So, any thoughts on some of the items would be greatly appreciated. This will be probably more fun for me than it will be for him receiving it, but who knows. Maybe he'll be a happy convert.