So I guess I'm not a newbie anymore. On or around this day last year, my Henson AL13 mild came in the mail and I had my first shave with it. I'd been using a Gillette Sensor with Sensor Excel cartridges and canned gel for about 30 years, apart from a few years with electrics. I mostly just switched because it was hard to find the carts in the grocery store anymore, so I wasn't looking to get into anything, just get a new razor. Figured I'd get a blade sampler, pick a favorite, and carry on with my new razor, 100 of some blade, and canned gel.
That plan changed pretty fast. It's been interesting. I certainly didn't expect to be hanging out here every day a year later, still getting advice, exchanging experiences, and trying things out. I've learned a lot in that time, much of it from the ladies and gentlement of this community.
I don't know if anyone will find anything useful in this post since so much is YMMV, so maybe this is just me being self-indulgent, but I'm going to look back at what I've learned in the last year anyway.
Razors
I'd recommend the AL13 mild to anyone starting out. And I could probably be perfectly content getting a 15-minute DFS with only occasional weepers at this point with this razor plus a favored blade, an inexpensive brush, and any decent soap or cream, if I wasn't such a perfectionist.
I have since acquired 3 other razors. The AL13 medium is a small step up in efficiency and my current favorite. The aggressive AL13 is significantly more aggressive and will take more getting used to. I also have a Lupo 58, which is another good razor. I was happy to discover that I can now pick up an entirely different DE razor and get a good shave. I also learned that I think I prefer the Henson, though I'm still very glad I tried the Lupo.
YEAR 2: I'm well on my way to being a Henson fanboy. I expect in the next year, I'll settle on the medium or aggressive Henson and buy a TI22. I'll keep the equivalent AL13 for travel, and sell the other 3 razors.
Blades
I didn't think that there would be much difference between blades, they're just thin pieces of sharpened steel after all, but I got a sampler because everyone said I should. Turns out they were right!
My current top 5:
1. RK
2. Voskhod
3. Shark SS
4. Shark SC
5. Silver Star
YEAR 2: Finish my sampler - I keep getting sidetracked trying other new and interesting blades - and buy a sleeve of the winner. Probably keep doing some blade participation PIFs. And probably buy that massive 150-blade sampler from razorbladeclub and dive in!
Brushes
Having not used a brush for my first 30 years of shaving, this seemed like an extravagant and unnecessary accessory. I wish I hadn't resisted getting one for as long as I did.
I got good advice early on to start with any 24mm Plissoft, Yaqi, or PAA that looked good to me - all are good quality, under $25, and 24mm is a medium size. It takes some trial and error to figure out what one likes, best not to spend a fortune and hope you guess right.
My first and still primary brush is a PAA Starcraft. It's nice and soft, but got me thinking that I might like something smaller (both handle and knot), and maybe a little more backbone/scrub. My second one is a Maggard travel Timberwolf. It works for travel, but I definitely prefer something bigger (again, both handle and knot) for everyday use. And I like the Starcraft's hybrid shape better, which made me think I may prefer a fan. My last brush is a Boti 22mm N3C fan. Handle is perfect size, a 22mm knot is about right, and I like the fan shape. It's not quite as soft as the other 2 though, and a little more backbone/scrub would be nice.
YEAR 2: After much overthinking, I've decided a 24mm G5C will be my next brush, I just need to decide on a handle. If it's as good as I expect, I probably won't keep the Starcraft or Boti. If it's not, I'll probably try a Muhle STF.
Soaps and creams
I really wish I hadn't tried to make do with canned gel. It's fine for cartridges, but it's not even remotely slick enough for a DE. I should have used it to finish my cartridges and just binned the rest. I also wish I hadn't bothered with brushless creams like Van Der Hagen or Cremo. They're slick enough, but I found that they would start to dry before I finished a pass and I'd have to splash on more water, and they really didn't save any time over just using soap or cream with a brush.
Another mistake I made was buying too much early on. I bought a stick of La Toja, a tube of Speick cream, and 3 sticks of Mama Bear, then soon after I added 4 sticks of Razorock to an Italian Barber order to use up a gift card. I thought I'd prefer the milder scents, and while they all perform well, it turns out I really love the Mama Bear scents, as well as Southern Witchcraft Samhain and Proraso green (received as PIFs from generous B&B gentlemen). So now I have 4 1/2 sticks of soap to finish that I have little interest in using.
YEAR 2: I probably won't need any more any time soon, but when I do, I want to try some Stirling, some more Southern Witchcraft, and some Captain's Choice cream.
Aftershave
I started with Nivea sensitive balm, which was excellent. Then I went cheap and tried Blade - some drug store brand - and it's ok at best. Then I got samples of Nancy Boy, which is even better than Nivea, but not by enough to justify the cost. I also tried a sample of Southern Witchcraft splash with the soap sample - it's a good product, but I feel too self-conscious wearing scented aftershave.
YEAR 2: Try Stirling unscented menthol and/or unscented glacial balm. Pretty sure that long-term, I'll either be using one of those or Nivea.
Technique
My biggest mistake with technique was trying to do too much too soon. First 2-3 shaves should really just be WTG. Then at least a week or 2 just WTG and XTG. Unfortunately, all the shaving videos are experienced shavers showing you how easy it is to get a 3-pass BBS shave. Furthermore, seemingly all Henson reviewers want to tell you that it's so mild, the only way to cut yourself is if you try to. It made for a frustrating experience, being unable to get BBS and getting weepers (or worse) nearly every shave. Add on the fact that it was taking nearly 30 minutes to shave versus about 5 with cartridges, and it's a wonder I actually stuck with it.
Happily, I did stick with it, and technique is slowly getting better. Over time, I've picked up a few tips and tricks to get better results on the neck and jawlines. I've gotten more efficient, reducing the passes and buffing required, and as a result, I get fewer cuts and weepers than I used to. Of course, there's still room for improvement. Shaving still takes 20+ minutes most days, and I still get at least a spot of blood somewhere almost every shave. It's an ongoing process, and I try not to get too frustrated, though I still do occasionally.
YEAR 2: I suspect technique will continue to evolve well beyond year 2. I'd really love to get to where a typical shave is closer to 15 minutes, and completing a shave with no blood is not unusual, while still getting DFS+/BBS- results.
That plan changed pretty fast. It's been interesting. I certainly didn't expect to be hanging out here every day a year later, still getting advice, exchanging experiences, and trying things out. I've learned a lot in that time, much of it from the ladies and gentlement of this community.
I don't know if anyone will find anything useful in this post since so much is YMMV, so maybe this is just me being self-indulgent, but I'm going to look back at what I've learned in the last year anyway.
Razors
I'd recommend the AL13 mild to anyone starting out. And I could probably be perfectly content getting a 15-minute DFS with only occasional weepers at this point with this razor plus a favored blade, an inexpensive brush, and any decent soap or cream, if I wasn't such a perfectionist.
I have since acquired 3 other razors. The AL13 medium is a small step up in efficiency and my current favorite. The aggressive AL13 is significantly more aggressive and will take more getting used to. I also have a Lupo 58, which is another good razor. I was happy to discover that I can now pick up an entirely different DE razor and get a good shave. I also learned that I think I prefer the Henson, though I'm still very glad I tried the Lupo.
YEAR 2: I'm well on my way to being a Henson fanboy. I expect in the next year, I'll settle on the medium or aggressive Henson and buy a TI22. I'll keep the equivalent AL13 for travel, and sell the other 3 razors.
Blades
I didn't think that there would be much difference between blades, they're just thin pieces of sharpened steel after all, but I got a sampler because everyone said I should. Turns out they were right!
My current top 5:
1. RK
2. Voskhod
3. Shark SS
4. Shark SC
5. Silver Star
YEAR 2: Finish my sampler - I keep getting sidetracked trying other new and interesting blades - and buy a sleeve of the winner. Probably keep doing some blade participation PIFs. And probably buy that massive 150-blade sampler from razorbladeclub and dive in!
Brushes
Having not used a brush for my first 30 years of shaving, this seemed like an extravagant and unnecessary accessory. I wish I hadn't resisted getting one for as long as I did.
I got good advice early on to start with any 24mm Plissoft, Yaqi, or PAA that looked good to me - all are good quality, under $25, and 24mm is a medium size. It takes some trial and error to figure out what one likes, best not to spend a fortune and hope you guess right.
My first and still primary brush is a PAA Starcraft. It's nice and soft, but got me thinking that I might like something smaller (both handle and knot), and maybe a little more backbone/scrub. My second one is a Maggard travel Timberwolf. It works for travel, but I definitely prefer something bigger (again, both handle and knot) for everyday use. And I like the Starcraft's hybrid shape better, which made me think I may prefer a fan. My last brush is a Boti 22mm N3C fan. Handle is perfect size, a 22mm knot is about right, and I like the fan shape. It's not quite as soft as the other 2 though, and a little more backbone/scrub would be nice.
YEAR 2: After much overthinking, I've decided a 24mm G5C will be my next brush, I just need to decide on a handle. If it's as good as I expect, I probably won't keep the Starcraft or Boti. If it's not, I'll probably try a Muhle STF.
Soaps and creams
I really wish I hadn't tried to make do with canned gel. It's fine for cartridges, but it's not even remotely slick enough for a DE. I should have used it to finish my cartridges and just binned the rest. I also wish I hadn't bothered with brushless creams like Van Der Hagen or Cremo. They're slick enough, but I found that they would start to dry before I finished a pass and I'd have to splash on more water, and they really didn't save any time over just using soap or cream with a brush.
Another mistake I made was buying too much early on. I bought a stick of La Toja, a tube of Speick cream, and 3 sticks of Mama Bear, then soon after I added 4 sticks of Razorock to an Italian Barber order to use up a gift card. I thought I'd prefer the milder scents, and while they all perform well, it turns out I really love the Mama Bear scents, as well as Southern Witchcraft Samhain and Proraso green (received as PIFs from generous B&B gentlemen). So now I have 4 1/2 sticks of soap to finish that I have little interest in using.
YEAR 2: I probably won't need any more any time soon, but when I do, I want to try some Stirling, some more Southern Witchcraft, and some Captain's Choice cream.
Aftershave
I started with Nivea sensitive balm, which was excellent. Then I went cheap and tried Blade - some drug store brand - and it's ok at best. Then I got samples of Nancy Boy, which is even better than Nivea, but not by enough to justify the cost. I also tried a sample of Southern Witchcraft splash with the soap sample - it's a good product, but I feel too self-conscious wearing scented aftershave.
YEAR 2: Try Stirling unscented menthol and/or unscented glacial balm. Pretty sure that long-term, I'll either be using one of those or Nivea.
Technique
My biggest mistake with technique was trying to do too much too soon. First 2-3 shaves should really just be WTG. Then at least a week or 2 just WTG and XTG. Unfortunately, all the shaving videos are experienced shavers showing you how easy it is to get a 3-pass BBS shave. Furthermore, seemingly all Henson reviewers want to tell you that it's so mild, the only way to cut yourself is if you try to. It made for a frustrating experience, being unable to get BBS and getting weepers (or worse) nearly every shave. Add on the fact that it was taking nearly 30 minutes to shave versus about 5 with cartridges, and it's a wonder I actually stuck with it.
Happily, I did stick with it, and technique is slowly getting better. Over time, I've picked up a few tips and tricks to get better results on the neck and jawlines. I've gotten more efficient, reducing the passes and buffing required, and as a result, I get fewer cuts and weepers than I used to. Of course, there's still room for improvement. Shaving still takes 20+ minutes most days, and I still get at least a spot of blood somewhere almost every shave. It's an ongoing process, and I try not to get too frustrated, though I still do occasionally.
YEAR 2: I suspect technique will continue to evolve well beyond year 2. I'd really love to get to where a typical shave is closer to 15 minutes, and completing a shave with no blood is not unusual, while still getting DFS+/BBS- results.
!
