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New here. Tired of paying for poor quality disposables.

M

majeiks

Hello all -

@TheJameel sent me over here to get started with proper shaving. I've always used a disposable or an electric shaver - both of which left me with poor results.

Looking to get started with wet shaving, but not sure where to begin or what I need to get started.

Any input or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Matt

http://www.twitter.com/majeiks
 
T

TonyBrown

educate yourself before you buy anything.

youtube: Mantic59 and geofatboy have some great tutorial videos
ShaveWIKI right here on the forum is another great resource.

then read some more thru the Newbie 4m and you'll start getting a feel for it.

don't expect shave #1 to be the best shave of your life, in all reality, it will be mediocre at best. work your technique and you'll improve and soon it will get much better.we

welcome.
 
rxonmymind

rxonmymind

Welcome Matt. Well your going to get a wide variety of suggestions here but I'll give you my. 02 cents.
Razor : Ej89
Soap: Cella or Proraso
VDH luxury kit includes mug, soap & brush.

All the above is a good beginner kit and if your a little more adventurous head over to Italian Barber.com or West coast shaving. Com and order some Razorock Artisian soaps. Excellent products.
Good luck!
 
PugslyCat

PugslyCat

Welcome aboar the good ship B&B! Hope you enjoy the cruise.

I would offer the advice that you need to establish your goals for taking up DE shaving. Is it strictly to save money? If so, setting a budget is important. Is it to get the best shave at any cost? Education and process are key.
 
BigBull

BigBull

Welcome! As a bald man who shaves regularly, changing to DE shaving was one of the best decisions regarding my own personal grooming (2nd best was using my son's wet wipes)...I'm confident you'll experience the same. It has now become a hobby.

My advice would be this: Take it one step at a time. If you jump in changing everything at once, it'll be hard to identify what you are doing right/wrong. I have been a wet shaver for 5 years, always intrigued because my grandfather used the technique. However, for some reason, frankly I was concerned about the sharpness of the blades and shaving my head. The first step I made years ago was walking into the Art of Shaving store and learning from a REALLY HOTT CHICK how to properly prep and shave. Of course, I dropped about $100 in product (mostly in the brush) and was excited to start the hobby. My shaves improved, no doubt! After years of using great AOS products w/ shoddy expensive cartridges, a buddy of mine brought up DE Shaving. Like you, I was directed to this site from a friend.

Then it really got fun! I did EXACTLY what TonyBrown suggested...scoured this site, watched the Mantic & GeoFatBoy videos and started to educate myself on what is out there & proper technique. You'll find 99% of this is your personal preferrence and this site is an INCREDIBLE resource and wealth of knowledge. Have a ? post it here and you'll get legitimate, almost immediate results. It's unlike any other message board I've ever been on. Props to everyone who participates!

Learn up on technique. Watch and Read Reviews on the Razor's, Blades, Brushes, Creams, AfterShaves, etc...then when you feel comfortable your not throwing your money away, dive in. Or, you can say F-It and just jump in! This really isn't rocket science and it can be more daunting than neccesary if you let it.

This I can guarantee you: Your first razor won't be your last. Neither will your brush. Or your Blade. Or your Cream. Or your Bowl...you get the picture.

(Take a look at westcoastshaving.com - bullgooseshaving.net - smallflower.com - razorbladesandmore.com and read some reviews on various products...each site offers their own "free shipping" program, etc to get you started it'll all depend on what you want to spend....last but not least, ORDER A BLADE SAMPLER PACK!!)

My $.02 Enjoy!
 
M

majeiks

Thank you all for the very warm welcome.

My goals for shaving can be summarized as follows:

1. Get a better shave with less irritation.

2. Enjoy shaving instead of "dealing" with it.

3. Save some money by straying away from the cartridge types.

I'm going to check out some consignment shops for an older safety razor just to get me started.

In addition, I'll probably get a sample pack through Amazon.com - do either of these packs look okay?

http://www.amazon.com/FEATHER-Ocloc...ef=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335453333&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/SHARK-BIGBEN-...ef=sr_1_4?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335453333&sr=1-4
 
P

pipskicks

majeiks said:
Thank you all for the very warm welcome.

My goals for shaving can be summarized as follows:

1. Get a better shave with less irritation.

2. Enjoy shaving instead of "dealing" with it.

3. Save some money by straying away from the cartridge types.

I'm going to check out some consignment shops for an older safety razor just to get me started.

In addition, I'll probably get a sample pack through Amazon.com - do either of these packs look okay?

http://www.amazon.com/FEATHER-Ocloc...ef=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335453333&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/SHARK-BIGBEN-...ef=sr_1_4?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335453333&sr=1-4
Click to expand...

Both look good with the first one having more "popular" and probably also easier to find blades.


Check out the consignment shop but don't forget the "Buy, Sell, Trade" forum, it may not have anything right now, but just this morning I saw a bunch of vintages that all seemed to just need a quick soak in soapy water and some barbacide. They were all pretty cheap, although I have to admit, finding them in the shops is a thrill (although my experience hasn't been great on prices).


If you are looking to get started people get on the equipment pretty hard, but I really think it's not that big of a deal, the sampler blades will do you well, just making sure you get a mild blade vs. and overly aggressive one and I think the brush/mug/soap can be done cheapest (it may not be the most pleasing, but I bet it'll be better than dealing with gel goo and it will be really cheap, if you save the money now you can get a lot nicer brush or soap after you've tried it out and start getting an idea of what you like).
 
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