My short and somewhat misleading shaving guide for those foolish enough to listen

[Teppanyaki]

Over my last 7 months of wetshaving and surfing the boards here, I keep reading posts that ask similar questions - what kind of brush to get, which razors work well, et cetera. I thought of putting all of my stock answers into one post that I can refer back to.

I do realize that there is a certain hubris in putting together a "guide," but I intend to plagiarize heavily from people who are more experienced and knowledgeable. I also intend to toss in my own experiences, more for what not to do (which can be helpful as well!).

Here goes . . .

I came to wetshaving looking for a better way to shave - better results than my electric without the high cost of cartridges. As it turns out, to really save money you need to be disciplined and not turn this into a hobby (I did neither ). I did find that better shave, but more importantly I found that wetshaving is fun. I look forward to my morning shave much like a massage or spa therapy for my feet. It just plain feels good. There's also a sense of mastery and accomplishment which I love.

Preparation - like almost every other guy on the board, I have sensitive skin and an uncommonly tough beard. A hot shower or hot towels for 3 minutes work well. The 3 minute time is, to my understanding, the time it takes water to hydrate your beard. When I say "hot" I mean "as hot as is comfortable and not uncomfortable." I wet a towel, hold it to my face, rewarm a few times over the 3 minutes, and then put it aside. If you want to be fancy, you can use barbershop towels, add a few drops of an essential oil to the towel, or prelather. I love hot showers. Some people love cool or cold water - I can understand cool, but cold makes me shiver.

Lather - I love to cheat on this. The proper way to do this takes several minutes and generates lovely cushiony slick protective lather that also vacuums your house and washes the dishes. I get a relatively dry brush (boar or synthetic) and swirl on top of a puck of my favorite soap. I add water a bit at a time by dipping the brush tips in the sink, and when I get a creamy lather without bubbles I brush it on. If there are bubbles, I keep stirring to get them out and to get more product. It's a bit of experimentation, but I can lather up very quickly this way. I do need to go back after each pass, typically.

You can use creams (almond sized dollop for some, I used a lot more) or soaps (soft or hard). Find one you like and enjoy.

Shaving - This took me a while. I can understand concepts like "no pressure" (which really means as little as possible while getting the job done and the razor on your face) and "watch the angle" (which means the blade should be within a narrow range of angles to shave well and not irritate/nick/scrape). What took me weeks to get the basics of, and months to refine, was how to do this. With time, patience (again, my thanks to Wingnut who kept telling me to be patient. He was right), and a lot of practice, I feel reasonably competent in this. In short, minimal pressure and watch the angle.

You can hold a DE razor with the handle parallel to the floor and gradually lower it until the razor starts to shave. You can also hold the handle perpendicular to the floor and gradually lift it until the blade starts to shave. Each will give you somewhat different results. For under my nose, I start with the handle perpendicular and "roll" the blade down as I shave towards my upper lip until I end up with the handle almost parallel to the floor. Without pressure, this works very well. With pressure, ouch.

Aftershave - I love Thayer's cucumber. It moisturizes my face, feels good, and (hopefully) does other stuff due to the witch hazel as well.

Gear - I really got into trying different razors and blades out, at least until I had tried a bunch of different razors and blades and figured out which I liked. I then PIF'ed the rest.

The right way to start out is to pick a good razor and blade, and then practice and let your technique mature. If there are too many variables, then it takes longer to get competent and to shave well. The flip side is that it is fun to experiment with different razors, especially starting out, and had I started experimenting sooner I think I would have figured out that my face and my Muhle R89 just didn't get along.

Razors - There are a bunch of razors suitable for beginners - currently I recommend Gillette Techs as being mild and a good way to get used to wetshaving. They feel very smooth and safe to me. Yes, I realize that my experience is not generalizable. But I still wish I had started with a Tech. For a list of razors that I am glad I tried that covers "the bases", I would pick - Gillette Tech (several variants), Gillette New (several variants), Merkur Slant, Edwin Jagger de89 or Muhle R89, and a 1912 GEM/Ever-Ready SE. This is obviously heavily biased based on what has worked well for me. The Muhle R41 is very aggressive, but it is a nice razor.

Brushes - To start, I'd say an Omega or Semogue boar. They get nice and soft, lather well, have enough stiffness/"backbone" to lather hard soaps, and can be bought for under $10. I wish I hadn't wasted my time with bad synthetics before this. For a great synthetic that feels velvety soft and lathers well, I'd say go straight for a Muhle silvertip fiber.

Blades - I'd get a good sampler kit. Astras and Personnas get lots of recommendations, as do some Gillette blades. I personally like Voskhods (ptfe-coated) and Super Iridiums the best, so those are worth trying as well in my opinion. For SE blades, get shaving quality ones - I like the coated ones from Connaught Shaving.

Soaps & Creams - There are tons of great products out there. I like Stirling and Mike's for soaps. I haven't found a cream I like that well, though I have a tube of Spieck as well. Common recommendations are Proraso, RazoRock, Cella, Arko, Kiss My Face, and others.

Since I have now completely lost my original train of thought, I'll end here. Hopefully this is helpful to someone.

Happy wet shaving!

 

[redrako]

Superb summary of not only your experience, but of how to wet shave. My hat's off to you!

You may have "plagiarize[d] heavily" your summary, but seven months in it's now well-informed by your shaving experience and the time spent researching. My only complaint is that your title is overly too defferential, your article is neither misleading or suitable only for fools.

I'm sure that it took you some time to compose such a comprehensive piece, so you have my thanks and appreciation!

 

[The Accountant]

Well said, good sir!

 

[Badger Bill]

You've done an awesome write up here.... I'm sure that MANY will find it very useful. Thanks!!

- Badger Bill

 

[Teppanyaki]

Updated version, since I can't edit the former (adding bits on WTG/XTG/ATG) -

Over my last 8 months of wetshaving and surfing the boards here, I keep reading posts that ask similar questions - what kind of brush to get, which razors work well, et cetera. I thought of putting all of my stock answers into one post that I can refer back to.

I do realize that there is a certain hubris in putting together a "guide," but I intend to plagiarize heavily from people who are more experienced and knowledgeable. I also intend to toss in my own experiences, more for what not to do (which can be helpful as well!).

For something more authoritative, I highly recommend Mantic's videos (on the Sharpologist website) or the stickies on this forum.

Here goes . . .

I came to wetshaving looking for a better way to shave - better results than my electric without the high cost of cartridges. As it turns out, to really save money you need to be disciplined and not turn this into a hobby (I did neither ). I did find that better shave, but more importantly I found that wetshaving is fun. I look forward to my morning shave much like a massage or spa therapy for my feet. It just plain feels good. There's also a sense of mastery and accomplishment which I love.

Preparation - like almost every other guy on the board, I have sensitive skin and an uncommonly tough beard. A hot shower or hot towels for 3 minutes work well. The 3 minute time is, to my understanding, the time it takes water to hydrate your beard. When I say "hot" I mean "as hot as is comfortable and not uncomfortable." I wet a towel, hold it to my face, rewarm a few times over the 3 minutes, and then put it aside. If you want to be fancy, you can use barbershop towels, add a few drops of an essential oil to the towel, or prelather. I love hot showers. Some people love cool or cold water - I can understand cool, but cold makes me shiver.

Lather - I love to cheat on this. The proper way to do this takes several minutes and generates lovely cushiony slick protective lather that also vacuums your house and washes the dishes. I get a relatively dry brush (boar or synthetic) and swirl on top of a puck of my favorite soap. I add water a bit at a time by dipping the brush tips in the sink, and when I get a creamy lather without bubbles I brush it on. If there are bubbles, I keep stirring to get them out and to get more product. It's a bit of experimentation, but I can lather up very quickly this way. I do need to go back after each pass, typically.

You can use creams (almond sized dollop for some, I used a lot more) or soaps (soft or hard). Find one you like and enjoy.

Shaving - This took me a while. I can understand concepts like "no pressure" (which really means as little as possible while getting the job done and the razor on your face) and "watch the angle" (which means the blade should be within a narrow range of angles to shave well and not irritate/nick/scrape). What took me weeks to get the basics of, and months to refine, was how to do this. With time, patience (again, my thanks to Wingnut who kept telling me to be patient. He was right), and a lot of practice, I feel reasonably competent in this. In short, minimal pressure and watch the angle.

You can hold a DE razor with the handle parallel to the floor and gradually lower it until the razor starts to shave. You can also hold the handle perpendicular to the floor and gradually lift it until the blade starts to shave. Each will give you somewhat different results. For under my nose, I start with the handle perpendicular and "roll" the blade down as I shave towards my upper lip until I end up with the handle almost parallel to the floor. Without pressure, this works very well. With pressure, ouch.

Most people shave in "passes", which means that you are going to shave your face from 2 to 3 times. This is a generalization, as some people can get good to great results with 1 shave, and some people go for 4, but my understanding is that most people do 2-3 passes. I do 2. If you're starting out, I would start with 1 pass, and then when you are comfortable with that add a second pass, and when you are comfortable with that you can try a third.

Passes are generally described as WTG/XTG/ATG, which means "with the grain", "across the grain", and "against the grain". To figure out your hair growth and grain, you can run your hand across your stubble. The direction where you feel the least scratchiness is WTG and the opposite which presumably feels the scratchiest is ATG. You can be technical and print out a facial map and literally map it out on paper. You can also try to remember, or you can ballpark it by shaving north-to-south (imagine a compass on your face where north is your forehead and south is your Adam's apple) as WTG.

Trouble areas are under the nose, the chin, and the neck. Paraphrasing someone else on the board, go for comfort and then closeness. You can shave under your nose as above (approach with the razor handle perpendicular to the floor and then roll the edge down as you gently drag the razor from right under your nose towards your upper lip. You can also shave ear-towards-midline, or the reverse. You can do one of each for different passes. The same techniques apply to the chin and neck. It can be easier to think of your chin as multiple planes/angles and to tighten the skin by blowing your cheeks out and holding it like a frog, or bringing your lower lip up and into your mouth. I shave my chin in very short strokes.

Personally, I shave WTG for pass 1 (north-to-south) for everything. Pass 2 is XTG for the cheeks and right under the nose (ear-to-midline), and then WTG again for my chin/jawline/neck. I get a DFS (darn fine shave) if I did a good job with lather and didn't rush.

If you want a BBS (baby's butt smooth), you'll probably need to shave for 1 pass as ATG. I don't, because it looks about the same for me but it tugs and irritates my skin a lot. As always, Your Mileage May Vary and some people can do this without problems. Some people can also drive stick shifts, don't think jalapeno peppers are hot, and can drill screws into drywall without a huge mess and not carving out a chunk of drywall. I am clearly not some people.

Aftershave - I love Thayer's cucumber. It moisturizes my face, feels good, and (hopefully) does other stuff due to the witch hazel as well. Some people prefer alcohol containing ones (Dickinson's witch hazel which I believe has alcohol), or about a zillion others.

Women's Shaving - I have zero personal experience of this, but some women do this. There are several threads on this board that cover that (wrinkles and AnnieV are 2 names that come to mind). Lady Gillette razors are frequently recommended. Other people use long handled razors - examples are the long Super Adjustable/Slim, anything on a Tech fat handle, or . . . heck, beats me. If you really want to know about this, please look up a different post from someone who actually knows what they are talking about!

Gear - I really got into trying different razors and blades out, at least until I had tried a bunch of different razors and blades and figured out which I liked. I then PIF'ed the rest.

The right way to start out is to pick a good razor and blade, and then practice and let your technique mature. If there are too many variables, then it takes longer to get competent and to shave well. The flip side is that it is fun to experiment with different razors, especially starting out, and had I started experimenting sooner I think I would have figured out that my face and my Muhle R89 just didn't get along.

Razors - There are a bunch of razors suitable for beginners - currently I recommend Gillette Techs as being mild and a good way to get used to wetshaving. They feel very smooth and safe to me. Yes, I realize that my experience is not generalizable. But I still wish I had started with a Tech. Other commonly recommended starters are the Edwin Jagger de89 series, Merkur 34c or similar, or a vintage Gillette adjustable (Fatboy, Slim, or Super Adjustable). For a list of razors that I am glad I tried that covers "the bases", I would pick - Gillette Tech (several variants), Gillette New open comb (several variants), Merkur Slant, Edwin Jagger de89 or Muhle R89, a vintage adjustable, and a 1912 GEM/Ever-Ready SE. This is obviously heavily biased based on what has worked well for me. The Muhle R41 is very aggressive, but it is a nice razor. There are a ton of razors out there, but I consider the "major" categories to be a slant bar, an open comb, a slant, an adjustable, and a SE (single edge). By the way, a modern razor is not necessarily better than a vintage. Each has its proponents and critics.

Brushes - To start, I'd say an Omega or Semogue boar. They get nice and soft, lather well, have enough stiffness/"backbone" to lather hard soaps, and can be bought for under $10. I wish I hadn't wasted my time with bad synthetics before this. For a great synthetic that feels velvety soft and lathers well, I'd say go straight for a Muhle silvertip fiber. For a badger, Whipped Dog sells silvertip badger brushes for a great price (I think $40ish or less?). Beyond that is beyond my very limited knowledge of badger brushes, but you can spend hundreds.

Blades - Many people recommend a good all-around blade until you get your technique down. Others go for a sampler kit right off of the bat. I'd get a good sampler kit and a bunch of Astras, learn on Astras, and then experiment. Astras and Personnas get lots of recommendations as ones to start out with, as do some Gillette blades. I personally like Voskhods (ptfe-coated) and Super Iridiums the best, so those are worth trying as well in my opinion. For SE blades, get shaving quality ones - I like the coated ones from Connaught Shaving. Don't get them from hardware stores unless you hate your face and want t punish it for truly legendary quantities of evilness.

Soaps & Creams - There are tons of great products out there. I like Stirling and Mike's for soaps. I haven't found a cream I like that well, though I have a tube of Spieck as well. Common recommendations are Proraso, RazoRock, Cella, Arko, Kiss My Face, and others. A running joke is that Arko smells like industrial lemon cleaner but lathers like a dream. Tabac is another soap with a . . . polarizing scent.

Since I have now completely lost my original train of thought, I'll end here. As always, take everything I say with a huge grain of salt, as the only truth is that everyone is different and someone (probably many someones) did it exactly the opposite of how I learned and is just fine. Hopefully this is helpful to someone.

Happy wet shaving!

 

[Bushhippi]

Thanks for this helpful information. I have to +1 redrakos comments. Yes very will said.

 

[captaincaveman]

You should make your sig a link to the latest version's post.

 

[Teppanyaki]

How do I link to a post that isn't the first in a thread?

 

[captaincaveman]

In the post's header, all the way on the right on the same line as the date, is the post number. Right-click the number and copy its link address.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...oolish-enough-to-listen?p=5730403#post5730403

 

[Teppanyaki]

Ah ha! Thank you very much.

 

[Teppanyaki]

Updated version, since I can't edit the former (adding bits on Gary's Sample Shop for new razor kits) -

Over my last 8 months of wetshaving and surfing the boards here, I keep reading posts that ask similar questions - what kind of brush to get, which razors work well, et cetera. I thought of putting all of my stock answers into one post that I can refer back to.

I do realize that there is a certain hubris in putting together a "guide," but I intend to plagiarize heavily from people who are more experienced and knowledgeable. I also intend to toss in my own experiences, more for what not to do (which can be helpful as well!).

For something more authoritative, I highly recommend Mantic's videos (on the Sharpologist website) or the stickies on this forum.

Here goes . . .

I came to wetshaving looking for a better way to shave - better results than my electric without the high cost of cartridges. As it turns out, to really save money you need to be disciplined and not turn this into a hobby (I did neither ). I did find that better shave, but more importantly I found that wetshaving is fun. I look forward to my morning shave much like a massage or spa therapy for my feet. It just plain feels good. There's also a sense of mastery and accomplishment which I love.

Preparation - like almost every other guy on the board, I have sensitive skin and an uncommonly tough beard. A hot shower or hot towels for 3 minutes work well. The 3 minute time is, to my understanding, the time it takes water to hydrate your beard. When I say "hot" I mean "as hot as is comfortable and not uncomfortable." I wet a towel, hold it to my face, rewarm a few times over the 3 minutes, and then put it aside. If you want to be fancy, you can use barbershop towels, add a few drops of an essential oil to the towel, or prelather. I love hot showers. Some people love cool or cold water - I can understand cool, but cold makes me shiver.

Lather - I love to cheat on this. The proper way to do this takes several minutes and generates lovely cushiony slick protective lather that also vacuums your house and washes the dishes. I get a relatively dry brush (boar or synthetic) and swirl on top of a puck of my favorite soap. I add water a bit at a time by dipping the brush tips in the sink, and when I get a creamy lather without bubbles I brush it on. If there are bubbles, I keep stirring to get them out and to get more product. It's a bit of experimentation, but I can lather up very quickly this way. I do need to go back after each pass, typically.

You can use creams (almond sized dollop for some, I used a lot more) or soaps (soft or hard). Find one you like and enjoy.

Shaving - This took me a while. I can understand concepts like "no pressure" (which really means as little as possible while getting the job done and the razor on your face) and "watch the angle" (which means the blade should be within a narrow range of angles to shave well and not irritate/nick/scrape). What took me weeks to get the basics of, and months to refine, was how to do this. With time, patience (again, my thanks to Wingnut who kept telling me to be patient. He was right), and a lot of practice, I feel reasonably competent in this. In short, minimal pressure and watch the angle.

You can hold a DE razor with the handle parallel to the floor and gradually lower it until the razor starts to shave. You can also hold the handle perpendicular to the floor and gradually lift it until the blade starts to shave. Each will give you somewhat different results. For under my nose, I start with the handle perpendicular and "roll" the blade down as I shave towards my upper lip until I end up with the handle almost parallel to the floor. Without pressure, this works very well. With pressure, ouch.

Most people shave in "passes", which means that you are going to shave your face from 2 to 3 times. This is a generalization, as some people can get good to great results with 1 shave, and some people go for 4, but my understanding is that most people do 2-3 passes. I do 2. If you're starting out, I would start with 1 pass, and then when you are comfortable with that add a second pass, and when you are comfortable with that you can try a third.

Passes are generally described as WTG/XTG/ATG, which means "with the grain", "across the grain", and "against the grain". To figure out your hair growth and grain, you can run your hand across your stubble. The direction where you feel the least scratchiness is WTG and the opposite which presumably feels the scratchiest is ATG. You can be technical and print out a facial map and literally map it out on paper. You can also try to remember, or you can ballpark it by shaving north-to-south (imagine a compass on your face where north is your forehead and south is your Adam's apple) as WTG.

Trouble areas are under the nose, the chin, and the neck. Paraphrasing someone else on the board, go for comfort and then closeness. You can shave under your nose as above (approach with the razor handle perpendicular to the floor and then roll the edge down as you gently drag the razor from right under your nose towards your upper lip. You can also shave ear-towards-midline, or the reverse. You can do one of each for different passes. The same techniques apply to the chin and neck. It can be easier to think of your chin as multiple planes/angles and to tighten the skin by blowing your cheeks out and holding it like a frog, or bringing your lower lip up and into your mouth. I shave my chin in very short strokes.

Personally, I shave WTG for pass 1 (north-to-south) for everything. Pass 2 is XTG for the cheeks and right under the nose (ear-to-midline), and then WTG again for my chin/jawline/neck. I get a DFS (darn fine shave) if I did a good job with lather and didn't rush.

If you want a BBS (baby's butt smooth), you'll probably need to shave for 1 pass as ATG. I don't, because it looks about the same for me but it tugs and irritates my skin a lot. As always, Your Mileage May Vary and some people can do this without problems. Some people can also drive stick shifts, don't think jalapeno peppers are hot, and can drill screws into drywall without a huge mess and not carving out a chunk of drywall. I am clearly not some people.

Aftershave - I love Thayer's cucumber. It moisturizes my face, feels good, and (hopefully) does other stuff due to the witch hazel as well. Some people prefer alcohol containing ones (Dickinson's witch hazel which I believe has alcohol), or about a zillion others.

Women's Shaving - I have zero personal experience of this, but some women do this. There are several threads on this board that cover that (wrinkles and AnnieV are 2 names that come to mind). Lady Gillette razors are frequently recommended. Other people use long handled razors - examples are the long Super Adjustable/Slim, anything on a Tech fat handle, or . . . heck, beats me. If you really want to know about this, please look up a different post from someone who actually knows what they are talking about!

Gear - I really got into trying different razors and blades out, at least until I had tried a bunch of different razors and blades and figured out which I liked. I then PIF'ed the rest.

The right way to start out is to pick a good razor and blade, and then practice and let your technique mature. If there are too many variables, then it takes longer to get competent and to shave well. The flip side is that it is fun to experiment with different razors, especially starting out, and had I started experimenting sooner I think I would have figured out that my face and my Muhle R89 just didn't get along.

Razors - There are a bunch of razors suitable for beginners - currently I recommend Gillette Techs as being mild and a good way to get used to wetshaving. They feel very smooth and safe to me. Yes, I realize that my experience is not generalizable. But I still wish I had started with a Tech. Other commonly recommended starters are the kits from Gary's Sample Shop (quite affordable for a full kit - http://sampleshop.blogspot.com/), the Edwin Jagger de89 series, Merkur 34c or similar, or a vintage Gillette adjustable (Fatboy, Slim, or Super Adjustable). For a list of razors that I am glad I tried that covers "the bases", I would pick - Gillette Tech (several variants), Gillette New open comb (several variants), Merkur Slant, Edwin Jagger de89 or Muhle R89, a vintage adjustable, and a 1912 GEM/Ever-Ready SE. This is obviously heavily biased based on what has worked well for me. The Muhle R41 is very aggressive, but it is a nice razor. There are a ton of razors out there, but I consider the "major" categories to be a slant bar, an open comb, a slant, an adjustable, and a SE (single edge). By the way, a modern razor is not necessarily better than a vintage. Each has its proponents and critics.

Brushes - To start, I'd say an Omega or Semogue boar. They get nice and soft, lather well, have enough stiffness/"backbone" to lather hard soaps, and can be bought for under $10. I wish I hadn't wasted my time with bad synthetics before this. For a great synthetic that feels velvety soft and lathers well, I'd say go straight for a Muhle silvertip fiber. For a badger, Whipped Dog sells silvertip badger brushes for a great price (I think $40ish or less?). Beyond that is beyond my very limited knowledge of badger brushes, but you can spend hundreds.

Blades - Many people recommend a good all-around blade until you get your technique down. Others go for a sampler kit right off of the bat. I'd get a good sampler kit and a bunch of Astras, learn on Astras, and then experiment. Astras and Personnas get lots of recommendations as ones to start out with, as do some Gillette blades. I personally like Voskhods (ptfe-coated) and Super Iridiums the best, so those are worth trying as well in my opinion. For SE blades, get shaving quality ones - I like the coated ones from Connaught Shaving. Don't get them from hardware stores unless you hate your face and want t punish it for truly legendary quantities of evilness.

Soaps & Creams - There are tons of great products out there. I like Stirling and Mike's for soaps. I haven't found a cream I like that well, though I have a tube of Spieck as well. Common recommendations are Proraso, RazoRock, Cella, Arko, Kiss My Face, and others. A running joke is that Arko smells like industrial lemon cleaner but lathers like a dream. Tabac is another soap with a . . . polarizing scent.

Since I have now completely lost my original train of thought, I'll end here. As always, take everything I say with a huge grain of salt, as the only truth is that everyone is different and someone (probably many someones) did it exactly the opposite of how I learned and is just fine. Hopefully this is helpful to someone.

Happy wet shaving!

 

[Chadao]

Very nice. I'm glad you added in Whipped Dog. You can get a nice silvertip for $30.

 

[Teppanyaki]

Updated version, since I can't edit the former (adding bits on vintage Gillette adjustables) -

Over my last 8 months of wetshaving and surfing the boards here, I keep reading posts that ask similar questions - what kind of brush to get, which razors work well, et cetera. I thought of putting all of my stock answers into one post that I can refer back to.

I do realize that there is a certain hubris in putting together a "guide," but I intend to plagiarize heavily from people who are more experienced and knowledgeable. I also intend to toss in my own experiences, more for what not to do (which can be helpful as well!).

For something more authoritative, I highly recommend Mantic's videos (on the Sharpologist website) or the stickies on this forum.

Here goes . . .

I came to wetshaving looking for a better way to shave - better results than my electric without the high cost of cartridges. As it turns out, to really save money you need to be disciplined and not turn this into a hobby (I did neither ). I did find that better shave, but more importantly I found that wetshaving is fun. I look forward to my morning shave much like a massage or spa therapy for my feet. It just plain feels good. There's also a sense of mastery and accomplishment which I love.

Preparation - like almost every other guy on the board, I have sensitive skin and an uncommonly tough beard. A hot shower or hot towels for 3 minutes work well. The 3 minute time is, to my understanding, the time it takes water to hydrate your beard. When I say "hot" I mean "as hot as is comfortable and not uncomfortable." I wet a towel, hold it to my face, rewarm a few times over the 3 minutes, and then put it aside. If you want to be fancy, you can use barbershop towels, add a few drops of an essential oil to the towel, or prelather. I love hot showers. Some people love cool or cold water - I can understand cool, but cold makes me shiver.

Lather - I love to cheat on this. The proper way to do this takes several minutes and generates lovely cushiony slick protective lather that also vacuums your house and washes the dishes. I get a relatively dry brush (boar or synthetic) and swirl on top of a puck of my favorite soap. I add water a bit at a time by dipping the brush tips in the sink, and when I get a creamy lather without bubbles I brush it on. If there are bubbles, I keep stirring to get them out and to get more product. It's a bit of experimentation, but I can lather up very quickly this way. I do need to go back after each pass, typically.

You can use creams (almond sized dollop for some, I used a lot more) or soaps (soft or hard). Find one you like and enjoy.

Shaving - This took me a while. I can understand concepts like "no pressure" (which really means as little as possible while getting the job done and the razor on your face) and "watch the angle" (which means the blade should be within a narrow range of angles to shave well and not irritate/nick/scrape). What took me weeks to get the basics of, and months to refine, was how to do this. With time, patience (again, my thanks to Wingnut who kept telling me to be patient. He was right), and a lot of practice, I feel reasonably competent in this. In short, minimal pressure and watch the angle.

You can hold a DE razor with the handle parallel to the floor and gradually lower it until the razor starts to shave. You can also hold the handle perpendicular to the floor and gradually lift it until the blade starts to shave. Each will give you somewhat different results. For under my nose, I start with the handle perpendicular and "roll" the blade down as I shave towards my upper lip until I end up with the handle almost parallel to the floor. Without pressure, this works very well. With pressure, ouch.

Most people shave in "passes", which means that you are going to shave your face from 2 to 3 times. This is a generalization, as some people can get good to great results with 1 shave, and some people go for 4, but my understanding is that most people do 2-3 passes. I do 2. If you're starting out, I would start with 1 pass, and then when you are comfortable with that add a second pass, and when you are comfortable with that you can try a third.

Passes are generally described as WTG/XTG/ATG, which means "with the grain", "across the grain", and "against the grain". To figure out your hair growth and grain, you can run your hand across your stubble. The direction where you feel the least scratchiness is WTG and the opposite which presumably feels the scratchiest is ATG. You can be technical and print out a facial map and literally map it out on paper. You can also try to remember, or you can ballpark it by shaving north-to-south (imagine a compass on your face where north is your forehead and south is your Adam's apple) as WTG.

Trouble areas are under the nose, the chin, and the neck. Paraphrasing someone else on the board, go for comfort and then closeness. You can shave under your nose as above (approach with the razor handle perpendicular to the floor and then roll the edge down as you gently drag the razor from right under your nose towards your upper lip. You can also shave ear-towards-midline, or the reverse. You can do one of each for different passes. The same techniques apply to the chin and neck. It can be easier to think of your chin as multiple planes/angles and to tighten the skin by blowing your cheeks out and holding it like a frog, or bringing your lower lip up and into your mouth. I shave my chin in very short strokes.

Personally, I shave WTG for pass 1 (north-to-south) for everything. Pass 2 is XTG for the cheeks and right under the nose (ear-to-midline), and then WTG again for my chin/jawline/neck. I get a DFS (darn fine shave) if I did a good job with lather and didn't rush.

If you want a BBS (baby's butt smooth), you'll probably need to shave for 1 pass as ATG. I don't, because it looks about the same for me but it tugs and irritates my skin a lot. As always, Your Mileage May Vary and some people can do this without problems. Some people can also drive stick shifts, don't think jalapeno peppers are hot, and can drill screws into drywall without a huge mess and not carving out a chunk of drywall. I am clearly not some people.

Another option is to shave XTG one way, and then another pass going XTG the opposite way.

Aftershave - I love Thayer's cucumber. It moisturizes my face, feels good, and (hopefully) does other stuff due to the witch hazel as well. Some people prefer alcohol containing ones (Dickinson's witch hazel which I believe has alcohol), or about a zillion others.

Women's Shaving - I have zero personal experience of this, but some women do this. There are several threads on this board that cover that (wrinkles and AnnieV are 2 names that come to mind). Lady Gillette razors are frequently recommended. Other people use long handled razors - examples are the long Super Adjustable/Slim, anything on a Tech fat handle, or . . . heck, beats me. If you really want to know about this, please look up a different post from someone who actually knows what they are talking about!

Gear - I really got into trying different razors and blades out, at least until I had tried a bunch of different razors and blades and figured out which I liked. I then PIF'ed the rest.

The right way to start out is to pick a good razor and blade, and then practice and let your technique mature. If there are too many variables, then it takes longer to get competent and to shave well. The flip side is that it is fun to experiment with different razors, especially starting out, and had I started experimenting sooner I think I would have figured out that my face and my Muhle R89 just didn't get along.

Razors - There are a bunch of razors suitable for beginners - currently I recommend Gillette Techs (triangular slots) as being mild and a good way to get used to wetshaving. They feel very smooth and safe to me. A vintage Gillette adjustable (Fatboy, Slim, Super Adjustable) is another option as you can start them out at a low number (2-3) which is also pretty friendly. Yes, I realize that my experience is not generalizable. But I still wish I had started with a Tech. Other commonly recommended starters are the kits from Gary's Sample Shop (quite affordable for a full kit - http://sampleshop.blogspot.com/), the Edwin Jagger de89 series, Merkur 34c or similar, or a vintage Gillette adjustable (Fatboy, Slim, or Super Adjustable). For a list of razors that I am glad I tried that covers "the bases", I would pick - Gillette Tech (several variants), Gillette New open comb (several variants), Merkur Slant, Edwin Jagger de89 or Muhle R89, a vintage adjustable, and a 1912 GEM/Ever-Ready SE. This is obviously heavily biased based on what has worked well for me. The Muhle R41 is very aggressive, but it is a nice razor. There are a ton of razors out there, but I consider the "major" categories to be a slant bar, an open comb, a slant, an adjustable, and a SE (single edge). By the way, a modern razor is not necessarily better than a vintage. Each has its proponents and critics.

Brushes - To start, I'd say an Omega or Semogue boar. They get nice and soft, lather well, have enough stiffness/"backbone" to lather hard soaps, and can be bought for under $10. For a badger, Whipped Dog sells silvertip badger brushes for a great price (I think $40ish or less?). Beyond that is beyond my very limited knowledge of badger brushes, but you can spend hundreds. For a great synthetic that feels velvety soft and lathers well, I'd say go straight for a Muhle silvertip fiber. I wish I hadn't wasted my time with bad synthetics before this.

Blades - Many people recommend a good all-around blade until you get your technique down. Others go for a sampler kit right off of the bat. I'd get a good sampler kit and a bunch of Astras, learn on Astras, and then experiment. Astras and Personnas get lots of recommendations as ones to start out with, as do some Gillette blades. I personally like Voskhods/Sputniks (ptfe-coated) and Super Iridiums the best, so those are worth trying as well in my opinion. For SE blades, get shaving quality ones - I like the coated ones from Connaught Shaving. Don't get them from hardware stores unless you hate your face and want t punish it for truly legendary quantities of evilness.

Soaps & Creams - There are tons of great products out there. I like Stirling and Mike's for soaps. Bonus points to Stirling for excellent customer service, customizable scents, and other cool stuff like bath soap and lip balm. I haven't found a cream I like that well, though I have a tube of Spieck as well. Common recommendations are Proraso, RazoRock, Cella, Arko, Kiss My Face, and others. A running joke is that Arko smells like industrial lemon cleaner but lathers like a dream. Tabac is another soap with a . . . polarizing scent.

Since I have now completely lost my original train of thought, I'll end here. As always, take everything I say with a huge grain of salt, as the only truth is that everyone is different and someone (probably many someones) did it exactly the opposite of how I learned and is just fine. Hopefully this is helpful to someone.

Happy wet shaving!

 

[Chris Bosworth]

Great post. Helpful for a noob like me

 

[Tea-bott5000]

^+1. Super helpful.

 

[PMT]

Well said bro! Love a mate who doesn't take himself seriously!

 

[Teppanyaki]

I have noticed that my guide is now almost a year out of date. Version 4.3.001.a.qzb or whatever . . . I have made some minor changes and tossed in a blurb about fountain pens. Next time I may throw in something about cats, or al dente pasta, or who knows what . . .

Over my brief time wetshaving and surfing the boards here, I keep reading posts that ask similar questions - what kind of brush to get, which razors work well, et cetera. I thought of putting all of my stock answers into one post that I can refer back to.

I do realize that there is a certain hubris in putting together a "guide," but I intend to plagiarize heavily from people who are more experienced and knowledgeable. I also intend to toss in my own experiences, more for what not to do (which can be helpful as well!). I shall periodically update this guide . . . when I feel like it. At least I’m honest . . .

For something more authoritative, I highly recommend Mantic's videos (on the Sharpologist website) or the stickies on this forum.

Here goes . . .

I came to wetshaving looking for a better way to shave - better results than my electric without the high cost of cartridges. As it turns out, to really save money you need to be disciplined and not turn this into a hobby (I did neither ). I did find that better shave, but more importantly I found that wetshaving is fun. I look forward to my morning shave much like a massage or spa therapy for my feet. It just plain feels good. There's also a sense of mastery and accomplishment which I love.

Preparation - like almost every other guy on the board, I have sensitive skin and an uncommonly tough beard. A hot shower or hot towels for 3 minutes work well. The 3 minute time is, to my understanding, the time it takes water to hydrate your beard. When I say "hot" I mean "as hot as is comfortable and not uncomfortable." I wet a towel, hold it to my face, rewarm a few times over the 3 minutes, and then put it aside. If you want to be fancy, you can use barbershop towels, add a few drops of an essential oil to the towel, or prelather. I love hot showers. Some people love cool or cold water - I can understand cool, but cold makes me shiver.

Lather - I love to cheat on this. The proper way to do this takes several minutes and generates lovely cushiony slick protective lather that also vacuums your house and washes the dishes. I get a relatively dry brush (boar or synthetic) and swirl on top of a puck of my favorite soap. I add water a bit at a time by dipping the brush tips in the sink, and when I get a creamy lather without bubbles I brush it on. If there are bubbles, I keep stirring to get them out and to get more product. It's a bit of experimentation, but I can lather up very quickly this way. I do need to go back after each pass, typically.

You can use creams (almond sized dollop for some, I used a lot more) or soaps (soft or hard). Find one you like and enjoy.

Shaving - This took me a while. I can understand concepts like "no pressure" (which really means as little as possible while getting the job done and the razor on your face) and "watch the angle" (which means the blade should be within a narrow range of angles to shave well and not irritate/nick/scrape). What took me weeks to get the basics of, and months to refine, was how to do this. With time, patience (again, my thanks to Wingnut who kept telling me to be patient. He was right), and a lot of practice, I feel reasonably competent in this. In short, minimal pressure and watch the angle.

You can hold a DE razor with the handle parallel to the floor and gradually lower it until the razor starts to shave. You can also hold the handle perpendicular to the floor and gradually lift it until the blade starts to shave. Each will give you somewhat different results. For under my nose, I start with the handle perpendicular and "roll" the blade down as I shave towards my upper lip until I end up with the handle almost parallel to the floor. Without pressure, this works very well. With pressure, ouch.

Most people shave in "passes", which means that you are going to shave your face from 2 to 3 times. This is a generalization, as some people can get good to great results with 1 shave, and some people go for 4, but my understanding is that most people do 2-3 passes. I do 1 pass with touchups, or 2 if I have time. If you're starting out, I would start with 1 pass, and then when you are comfortable with that add a second pass, and when you are comfortable with that you can try a third.

Passes are generally described as WTG/XTG/ATG, which means "with the grain", "across the grain", and "against the grain". To figure out your hair growth and grain, you can run your hand across your stubble. The direction where you feel the least scratchiness is WTG and the opposite which presumably feels the scratchiest is ATG. You can be technical and print out a facial map and literally map it out on paper. You can also try to remember, or you can ballpark it by shaving north-to-south (imagine a compass on your face where north is your forehead and south is your Adam's apple) as WTG.

Trouble areas are under the nose, the chin, and the neck. Paraphrasing someone else on the board, go for comfort and then closeness. You can shave under your nose as above (approach with the razor handle perpendicular to the floor and then roll the edge down as you gently drag the razor from right under your nose towards your upper lip. You can also shave ear-towards-midline, or the reverse. You can do one of each for different passes. The same techniques apply to the chin and neck. It can be easier to think of your chin as multiple planes/angles and to tighten the skin by blowing your cheeks out and holding it like a frog, or bringing your lower lip up and into your mouth. I shave my chin in very short strokes.

Personally, I shave WTG for pass 1 (north-to-south) for everything. Pass 2, if I do it at all, is also WTG. Many people go XTG or ATG for pass 2. I don’t, as I have found that I personally get better results with less irritation and nicking going WTG for both passes. I get a DFS (darn fine shave) if I did a good job with lather and didn't rush.

If you want a BBS (baby's butt smooth), you'll probably need to shave for 1 pass as ATG. I don't, because it looks about the same for me but it tugs and irritates my skin a lot. As always, Your Mileage May Vary and some people can do this without problems. Some people can also drive stick shifts, don't think jalapeno peppers are hot, and can drill screws into drywall without a huge mess and not carving out a chunk of drywall. I am clearly not some people. Plus, my stubble looks somewhat unshaven even when perfectly smooth, and by midafternoon no matter what I have stubble, so for me I’d rather shave reasonably well in the morning but keep my skin happy enough to shave again in the evening before going out for special occasions.

Another option is to shave XTG one way, and then another pass going XTG the opposite way.

Aftershave - I used to love Thayer's cucumber. It moisturizes my face, feels good, and (hopefully) does other stuff due to the witch hazel as well. Some people prefer alcohol containing ones (Dickinson's witch hazel which I believe has alcohol), or about a zillion others. I have since gravitated towards Speick’s aftershave balm (which still doesn’t smell as wonderful as the cream, but it is nice) or Stirling’s custom aftershave scents (tangerine orange or lime).

Women's Shaving - I have zero personal experience of this, but some women do this. There are several threads on this board that cover that (wrinkles and AnnieV are 2 names that come to mind). Lady Gillette razors are frequently recommended. Other people use long handled razors - examples are the long Super Adjustable/Slim, anything on a Tech fat handle, or . . . heck, beats me. If you really want to know about this, please look up a different post from someone who actually knows what they are talking about! The League of Leg Shavers is a good place to start at http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/311517-The-League-Of-Leg-Shavers.

Gear - I really got into trying different razors and blades out, at least until I had tried a bunch of different razors and blades and figured out which I liked. I then PIF'ed the rest.

The right way to start out is to pick a good razor and blade, and then practice and let your technique mature. If there are too many variables, then it takes longer to get competent and to shave well. The flip side is that it is fun to experiment with different razors, especially starting out, and had I started experimenting sooner I think I would have figured out that my face and my Muhle R89 just didn't get along. The truth may be that I was impatient and that, had I not changed blades and razors like a hummingbird on crystal meth, I might have learned how to shave decently in weeks rather than months. I will, of course, never actually admit this.

Razors - There are a bunch of razors suitable for beginners - currently I recommend Gillette Techs (triangular slots) as being mild and a good way to get used to wetshaving. They feel very smooth and safe to me. A vintage Gillette adjustable (Fatboy, Slim, Super Adjustable) is another option as you can start them out at a low number (2-3) which is also pretty friendly. Yes, I realize that my experience is not generalizable. But I still wish I had started with a Tech. Other commonly recommended starters are the kits from Gary's Sample Shop (quite affordable for a full kit - http://sampleshop.blogspot.com/), the Edwin Jagger de89 series, Merkur 34c or similar, the starter kits at Maggard’s, or a vintage Gillette adjustable (Fatboy, Slim, or Super Adjustable). For a list of razors that I am glad I tried that covers "the bases", I would pick - Gillette Tech (several variants), Gillette New open comb (several variants), Merkur Slant, Edwin Jagger de89 or Muhle R89, a vintage adjustable, and a 1912 GEM/Ever-Ready SE. This is obviously heavily biased based on what has worked well for me. The Muhle R41 is very aggressive, but it is a nice razor. There are a ton of razors out there, but I consider the "major" categories to be a slant bar, an open comb, a slant, an adjustable, and a SE (single edge). By the way, a modern razor is not necessarily better than a vintage. Each has its proponents and critics.

Brushes - To start, I'd say an Omega or Semogue boar. They get nice and soft, lather well, have enough stiffness/"backbone" to lather hard soaps, and can be bought for under $10. For a badger, Whipped Dog sells silvertip badger brushes for a great price (I think $40ish or less?). Beyond that is beyond my very limited knowledge of badger brushes, but you can spend hundreds. For a great synthetic that feels velvety soft and lathers well, I'd say go straight for a Muhle/Edwin Jagger silvertip fiber. I wish I hadn't wasted my time with bad synthetics before this. I also wish that Muhle/EJ made a bigger synthetic.

Blades - Many people recommend a good all-around blade until you get your technique down. Others go for a sampler kit right off of the bat. I'd get a good sampler kit and a bunch of Astras, learn on Astras, and then experiment. Astras and Personnas get lots of recommendations as ones to start out with, as do some Gillette blades. I personally like Super Iridiums the best, so those are worth trying as well in my opinion. Feather blades have a reputation as being the “sharpest” and are probably worth trying – some people swear by them, others . . . don’t. For SE blades, get shaving quality ones - I like the coated ones from Connaught Shaving. Don't get them from hardware stores unless you hate your face and want t punish it for truly legendary quantities of evilness.

Soaps & Creams - There are tons of great products out there. I lean towards “natural” stuff with as little synthetic stuff as possible. Some agree with that, some don’t. I like Catie’s Bubbles/Maggard’s/Stirling/Mike's for soaps. For Mike’s soaps, Vintage Blades LLC has some in stock and ships . . . presumably quickly. Mike’s is very popular and . . . can be out of stock frequently or take a long time to ship. The lime is almost certainly worth the wait, although Maggard’s makes a very nice lime as well. Bonus points to Stirling for excellent customer service, customizable scents, and other cool stuff like bath soap and lip balm. I haven't found a cream I like besides my tube of Speick. Common recommendations are Proraso, RazoRock, Cella, Arko, Kiss My Face, and others. A running joke is that Arko smells like industrial lemon cleaner but lathers like a dream. Tabac is another soap with a . . . polarizing scent.

Colognes – best left to those who know enough to comment intelligently.

Replating – I’m throwing this in here as there are a lot of great vintage razors that can be restored to looking like new (or better!). Chris at razorplate.com has my highest recommendations, and is whom I currently use. I’ve heard good things about Nick at SportShaving (and he’s very nice to deal with when I bought 2 razors from him), although there is relatively little member feedback as of this typing. Onotoman (Dave at Restored Razors in England) and Krona Kruiser (in the US) are also outstanding, but neither of them is currently replating. For any replating vendor, please check out customer feedback and reviews from multiple sources, as there are replaters out there with reputations ranging from mediocre to downright abysmal.

Fountain pens – I have to put a plug in here for them, as they are tons of fun and, in my humble opinion, the safety razors of the pen world. A Pilot Metropolitan and several ink samples from Goulet Pens . . . will get you a second addiction. It will also bankrupt you if you start looking up vintage flex nibs or Pelikans or that really gorgeous Namiki maki-e dragon fountain pen set for several thousand dollars . . .

Since I have now completely lost my original train of thought, I'll end here. As always, take everything I say with a huge grain of salt, as the only truth is that everyone is different and someone (probably many someones) did it exactly the opposite of how I learned and is just fine. Hopefully this is helpful to someone.

Happy wet shaving!

 

[gdgeorge]

Thanks Tepp. Great addition to fuel the FP RAD. They're as much fun to make as they are to write with...

 

[Cphobes]

Great stuff thanks!

-Stephen

 

[Teppanyaki]

Latest iteration - minor changes.

Over my brief time wetshaving and surfing the boards here, I keep reading posts that ask similar questions - what kind of brush to get, which razors work well, et cetera. I thought of putting all of my stock answers into one post that I can refer back to.

I do realize that there is a certain hubris in putting together a "guide," but I intend to plagiarize heavily from people who are more experienced and knowledgeable. I also intend to toss in my own experiences, more for what not to do (which can be helpful as well!). I shall periodically update this guide . . . when I feel like it. At least I’m honest . . .

Here goes . . .

I came to wetshaving looking for a better way to shave - better results than my electric without the high cost of cartridges. As it turns out, to really save money you need to be disciplined and not turn this into a hobby (I did neither ). I did find that better shave, but more importantly I found that wetshaving is fun. I look forward to my morning shave much like a massage or spa therapy for my feet. It just plain feels good. There's also a sense of mastery and accomplishment which I love.

Preparation - like almost every other guy on the board, I have sensitive skin and an uncommonly tough beard. A hot shower or hot towels for 3 minutes work well. The 3 minute time is, to my understanding, the time it takes water to hydrate your beard. When I say "hot" I mean "as hot as is comfortable and not uncomfortable." I wet a towel, hold it to my face, rewarm a few times over the 3 minutes, and then put it aside. If you want to be fancy, you can use barbershop towels, add a few drops of an essential oil to the towel, or prelather. I love hot showers. Some people love cool or cold water - I can understand cool, but cold makes me shiver.

Lather - I love to cheat on this. The proper way to do this takes several minutes and generates lovely cushiony slick protective lather that also vacuums your house and washes the dishes. I get a relatively dry brush (boar or synthetic) and swirl on top of a puck of my favorite soap. I add water a bit at a time by dipping the brush tips in the sink, and when I get a creamy lather without bubbles I brush it on. If there are bubbles, I keep stirring to get them out and to get more product. It's a bit of experimentation, but I can lather up very quickly this way. I do need to go back after each pass, typically.

You can use creams (almond sized dollop for some, I used a lot more) or soaps (soft or hard). Find one you like and enjoy.

Shaving - This took me a while. I can understand concepts like "no pressure" (which really means as little as possible while getting the job done and the razor on your face) and "watch the angle" (which means the blade should be within a narrow range of angles to shave well and not irritate/nick/scrape). What took me weeks to get the basics of, and months to refine, was how to do this. With time, patience (again, my thanks to Wingnut who kept telling me to be patient. He was right), and a lot of practice, I feel reasonably competent in this. In short, minimal pressure and watch the angle.

You can hold a DE razor with the handle parallel to the floor and gradually lower it until the razor starts to shave. You can also hold the handle perpendicular to the floor and gradually lift it until the blade starts to shave. Each will give you somewhat different results. For under my nose, I start with the handle perpendicular and "roll" the blade down as I shave towards my upper lip until I end up with the handle almost parallel to the floor. Without pressure, this works very well. With pressure, ouch.

Most people shave in "passes", which means that you are going to shave your face from 2 to 3 times. This is a generalization, as some people can get good to great results with 1 shave, and some people go for 4, but my understanding is that most people do 2-3 passes. I do 1 pass with touchups, or 2 if I have time. If you're starting out, I would start with 1 pass, and then when you are comfortable with that add a second pass, and when you are comfortable with that you can try a third.

Passes are generally described as WTG/XTG/ATG, which means "with the grain", "across the grain", and "against the grain". To figure out your hair growth and grain, you can run your hand across your stubble. The direction where you feel the least scratchiness is WTG and the opposite which presumably feels the scratchiest is ATG. You can be technical and print out a facial map and literally map it out on paper. You can also try to remember, or you can ballpark it by shaving north-to-south (imagine a compass on your face where north is your forehead and south is your Adam's apple) as WTG.

Trouble areas are under the nose, the chin, and the neck. Paraphrasing someone else on the board, go for comfort and then closeness. You can shave under your nose as above (approach with the razor handle perpendicular to the floor and then roll the edge down as you gently drag the razor from right under your nose towards your upper lip. You can also shave ear-towards-midline, or the reverse. You can do one of each for different passes. The same techniques apply to the chin and neck. It can be easier to think of your chin as multiple planes/angles and to tighten the skin by blowing your cheeks out and holding it like a frog, or bringing your lower lip up and into your mouth. I shave my chin in very short strokes.

Personally, I shave WTG for pass 1 (north-to-south) for everything. Pass 2, if I do it at all, is also WTG. Many people go XTG or ATG for pass 2. I don’t, as I have found that I personally get better results with less irritation and nicking going WTG for both passes. I get a DFS (darn fine shave) if I did a good job with lather and didn't rush.

If you want a BBS (baby's butt smooth), you'll probably need to shave for 1 pass as ATG. I don't, because it looks about the same for me but it tugs and irritates my skin a lot. As always, Your Mileage May Vary and some people can do this without problems. Some people can also drive stick shifts, don't think jalapeno peppers are hot, and can drill screws into drywall without a huge mess and not carving out a chunk of drywall. I am clearly not some people. Plus, my stubble looks somewhat unshaven even when perfectly smooth, and by midafternoon no matter what I have stubble, so for me I’d rather shave reasonably well in the morning but keep my skin happy enough to shave again in the evening before going out for special occasions.

Another option is to shave XTG one way, and then another pass going XTG the opposite way.

Aftershave - I used to love Thayer's cucumber. It moisturizes my face, feels good, and (hopefully) does other stuff due to the witch hazel as well. Some people prefer alcohol containing ones (Dickinson's witch hazel which I believe has alcohol), or about a zillion others. I have since gravitated towards Speick’s aftershave balm (which still doesn’t smell as wonderful as the cream, but it is nice) or Stirling’s custom aftershave scents (tangerine orange or lime).

Women's Shaving - I have zero personal experience of this, but some women do this. There are several threads on this board that cover that (wrinkles and AnnieV are 2 names that come to mind). Lady Gillette razors are frequently recommended. Other people use long handled razors - examples are the long Super Adjustable/Slim, anything on a Tech fat handle, or . . . heck, beats me. If you really want to know about this, please look up a different post from someone who actually knows what they are talking about! The League of Leg Shavers is a good place to start at http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...Of-Leg-Shavers.

Gear - I really got into trying different razors and blades out, at least until I had tried a bunch of different razors and blades and figured out which I liked. I then PIF'ed the rest.

The right way to start out is to pick a good razor and blade, and then practice and let your technique mature. If there are too many variables, then it takes longer to get competent and to shave well. The flip side is that it is fun to experiment with different razors, especially starting out, and had I started experimenting sooner I think I would have figured out that my face and my Muhle R89 just didn't get along. The truth may be that I was impatient and that, had I not changed blades and razors like a hummingbird on crystal meth, I might have learned how to shave decently in weeks rather than months. I will, of course, never actually admit this.

Razors - There are a bunch of razors suitable for beginners - currently I recommend Gillette Techs (triangular slots) as being mild and a good way to get used to wetshaving. They feel very smooth and safe to me. A vintage Gillette adjustable (Fatboy, Slim, Super Adjustable) is another option as you can start them out at a low number (2-3) which is also pretty friendly. Yes, I realize that my experience is not generalizable. But I still wish I had started with a Tech. Other commonly recommended starters are the kits from Gary's Sample Shop (quite affordable for a full kit - http://sampleshop.blogspot.com/), the Edwin Jagger de89 series, Merkur 34c or similar, the starter kits at Maggard’s, or a vintage Gillette adjustable (Fatboy, Slim, or Super Adjustable). For a list of razors that I am glad I tried that covers "the bases", I would pick - Gillette Tech (several variants), Gillette New open comb (several variants), Merkur Slant, Edwin Jagger de89 or Muhle R89, a vintage adjustable, and a 1912 GEM/Ever-Ready SE. This is obviously heavily biased based on what has worked well for me. The Muhle R41 is very aggressive, but it is a nice razor. There are a ton of razors out there, but I consider the "major" categories to be a slant bar, an open comb, a slant, an adjustable, and a SE (single edge). By the way, a modern razor is not necessarily better than a vintage. Each has its proponents and critics.

Brushes - To start, I'd say an Omega or Semogue boar. They get nice and soft, lather well, have enough stiffness/"backbone" to lather hard soaps, and can be bought for under $10. For a badger, Whipped Dog sells silvertip badger brushes for a great price (I think $40ish or less?). Beyond that is beyond my very limited knowledge of badger brushes, but you can spend hundreds. For a great synthetic that feels velvety soft and lathers well, I'd say go straight for a Muhle/Edwin Jagger silvertip fiber. I wish I hadn't wasted my time with bad synthetics before this. I also wish that Muhle/EJ made a bigger synthetic.

Blades - Many people recommend a good all-around blade until you get your technique down. Others go for a sampler kit right off of the bat. I'd get a good sampler kit and a bunch of Astras, learn on Astras, and then experiment. Astras and Personnas get lots of recommendations as ones to start out with, as do some Gillette blades. I personally like Super Iridiums the best, so those are worth trying as well in my opinion. Feather blades have a reputation as being the “sharpest” and are probably worth trying – some people swear by them, others . . . don’t. For SE blades, get shaving quality ones - I like the coated ones from Connaught Shaving. Don't get them from hardware stores unless you hate your face and want to punish it for truly legendary quantities of evilness.

Soaps & Creams - There are tons of great products out there. I lean towards “natural” stuff with as little synthetic stuff as possible. Some agree with that, some don’t. I like Catie’s Bubbles/Maggard’s/Stirling/Mike's for soaps. For Mike’s soaps, Vintage Blades LLC has some in stock and ships . . . presumably quickly. Mike’s is very popular and . . . can be out of stock frequently or take a long time to ship. The lime is almost certainly worth the wait, although Maggard’s makes a very nice lime as well. Bonus points to Stirling for excellent customer service, customizable scents, and other cool stuff like bath soap and lip balm. I haven't found a cream I like besides my tube of Speick. Common recommendations are Proraso, RazoRock, Cella, Arko, Kiss My Face, and others. A running joke is that Arko smells like industrial lemon cleaner but lathers like a dream. Tabac is another soap with a . . . polarizing scent.

Colognes – best left to those who know enough to comment intelligently.

Replating – I’m throwing this in here as there are a lot of great vintage razors that can be restored to looking like new (or better!). Chris at razorplate.com has my highest recommendations, and is whom I currently use. Captain Murphy fixes adjustable razors but doesn't replate - he also has my highest recommendations. Onotoman (Dave at Restored Razors in England) and Krona Kruiser (in the US) are also outstanding, but neither of them is currently replating. For any replating vendor, please check out customer feedback and reviews from multiple sources, as there are replaters out there with reputations ranging from mediocre to downright abysmal.

Fountain pens – I have to put a plug in here for them, as they are tons of fun and, in my humble opinion, the safety razors of the pen world. A Pilot Metropolitan and several ink samples from Goulet Pens . . . will get you a second addiction. It will also bankrupt you if you start looking up vintage flex nibs or Pelikans or that really gorgeous Namiki maki-e dragon fountain pen set for several thousand dollars . . .

Since I have now completely lost my original train of thought, I'll end here. As always, take everything I say with a huge grain of salt, as the only truth is that everyone is different and someone (probably many someones) did it exactly the opposite of how I learned and is just fine. Hopefully this is helpful to someone.

Happy wet shaving!