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New Lady shaver here!

The B&B BST is a great place to get quality gear at reasonable prices from reputable sellers. PIFs (giveaways) also common here. And don't be surprised if people just offer you samples and bits of gear.

It's a great community. The only request is that you contribute your knowledge and experience (or experiences) as others will share theirs with you.
 
Thank you all for such a warm welcome, I honestly thought that being a lady might be a detriment, obviously it's not! This is I'm really doing this more for my husband than myself, but the more I learn the more excited I am for me!



Yes! This is why I chose the 6S, so we can share for a bit until we get a straight edge figured out for him. The way I see this going, I will be doing all of the work, studying, maintenance, and if things go right, shaving him when I can. He deserves to be pampered, and I enjoy pampering him. He has a tough job working a lot of hours and as much as he would love to dive head first into this new adventure, he just won't have the time. I do. I will try to condense the info I have learned so he can help with decisions and of course he will learn how to properly shave with both tools so he can give me proper feedback of likes and dislikes. He is a guy that loves tools of all sorts, loves using his hands to build things and I know this will be something he will fall in love with. He is quite excited. I hope the guy that has one for sale gets back to me, I sent him a message but can't post on the thread yet. Now I am learning about which soaps/creams to start with, which starter blade pack to try, brush, bowl, etc. It is all overwhelming, but in a good way! Is it OK to buy this kind of stuff used from the BST forum? Anything to stay away from?

Brenda

PS To Lightcs1776, I am 49, so well beyond the real middle age, can't image living to 98! LOL
He is one lucky guy.

I am 52 and my wife is 53. I still refuse to consider myself middle aged - grin.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Thank you all for such a warm welcome, I honestly thought that being a lady might be a detriment, obviously it's not! This is I'm really doing this more for my husband than myself, but the more I learn the more excited I am for me!



Yes! This is why I chose the 6S, so we can share for a bit until we get a straight edge figured out for him. The way I see this going, I will be doing all of the work, studying, maintenance, and if things go right, shaving him when I can. He deserves to be pampered, and I enjoy pampering him. He has a tough job working a lot of hours and as much as he would love to dive head first into this new adventure, he just won't have the time. I do. I will try to condense the info I have learned so he can help with decisions and of course he will learn how to properly shave with both tools so he can give me proper feedback of likes and dislikes. He is a guy that loves tools of all sorts, loves using his hands to build things and I know this will be something he will fall in love with. He is quite excited. I hope the guy that has one for sale gets back to me, I sent him a message but can't post on the thread yet. Now I am learning about which soaps/creams to start with, which starter blade pack to try, brush, bowl, etc. It is all overwhelming, but in a good way! Is it OK to buy this kind of stuff used from the BST forum? Anything to stay away from?

Brenda

PS To Lightcs1776, I am 49, so well beyond the real middle age, can't image living to 98! LOL
I realize you didn't solicit this, but as someone who owns over 150 razors, 40+ brushes, 50+ soaps, creams and croaps, and thousands of blades, here are some things I wish I'd learned early on (besides starting with a blade sampler)...

There are a handful of classic soaps and creams that will outperform the VAST majority of all others, and are a super value! Here are a few:

Cella (about $11)
Tabac (about $12)
La Toja stick (about $5)
Palmolive cream (about $5)

Synthetic brushes are extremely cheap and durable and often one is all you need (about $15).

A vintage Gillette Tech costs about $20, will last a lifetime, and will put most other razors to shame.

Artist Club Straight razor shavettes are made to last a lifetime and cost a fraction to maintain and always have a sharp edge.

Also, technique is everything (learn how to maintain perfect angle with any tool and apply minimal pressure).

Oh! And proper lather is at LEAST half the shave.
 
Lots of tips already

A couple more
Stirling has some female oriented shaving soaps they perform great for a nice price. But require a brush.
For heavy beard you might like stirlings pre shave soap.

Some razor manufacturers make dedicated lady de with longer handles. Highly personal though.

For a shaving/lather bowl almost anything works. A rougher or ridged surface works faster.
 
I agree with everything Hachet said, except i would not buy a shavette to start out with. Get your technique down first before you try with a shavette, they have very little room for error because the blade is so thin. It is better to start out with carbon steel so you can feel the steel on your face to learn technique. Everyone's beard is different so everyone's tech for attacking it will be different. You will be a pro in a week.
 
I agree with everything Hachet said, except i would not buy a shavette to start out with. Get your technique down first before you try with a shavette, they have very little room for error because the blade is so thin. It is better to start out with carbon steel so you can feel the steel on your face to learn technique. Everyone's beard is different so everyone's tech for attacking it will be different. You will be a pro in a week.
The Shavette recommendation was for her husband (she mentioned it somewhere)
 
WOW! Thank you all so much for the help, and for the unsolicited info! I have been quite overwhelmed while looking at soaps and creams. I will just get one or two on the list from Hachet (the cella for sure, I've been reading how yummy it smells) and start there, my brain needs a break! I will look into the shavette for hubby as well, never gave them a second look but they make sense, once he masters the DE. I have been combing thru all of the info pages and reading thru reviews of things, you guys have sooooo much information!
 
Hi all, I am a middle-aged housewife who has been wanting to get my husband into straight razor shaving for some time. I just cancelled our DSC membership because of who they financially support and now we need a new way to do things. I have spent all day learning about the differences between DE safety razors and straight edged ones. I have decided on a Rockwell 6s for me, I want it last a very long time and I am clumsy! I have not yet picked out a straight edge for my man and I may not need to. My step dad has a few older ones and he said I could have the best one, the one with no rust on the blade. Hoping he will send pics soon. Still have a ton to learn about blades, soaps, and all of the other neat stuff, I love to learn new things! Are there any other ladies on here?

Brenda
Hey Brenda I’m new also. Nice to see another girl here :)
 
Hey Brenda I’m new also. Nice to see another girl here :)

Awesome! Any idea what you are looking at purchasing? I thought I had it all figured out but I think I will be better off taking the advice of the people here with experience and not my own research. These guys know stuff! I can't wait to share our newfound knowledge, when we actually get some! LOL!


Brenda
 
I realize you didn't solicit this, but as someone who owns over 150 razors, 40+ brushes, 50+ soaps, creams and croaps, and thousands of blades, here are some things I wish I'd learned early on (besides starting with a blade sampler)...

There are a handful of classic soaps and creams that will outperform the VAST majority of all others, and are a super value! Here are a few:

Cella (about $11)
Tabac (about $12)
La Toja stick (about $5)
Palmolive cream (about $5)

Synthetic brushes are extremely cheap and durable and often one is all you need (about $15).

A vintage Gillette Tech costs about $20, will last a lifetime, and will put most other razors to shame.

Artist Club Straight razor shavettes are made to last a lifetime and cost a fraction to maintain and always have a sharp edge.

Also, technique is everything (learn how to maintain perfect angle with any tool and apply minimal pressure).

Oh! And proper lather is at LEAST half the shave.

Solid advice. I’ll second all of this. Especially the feather artist club for your husband.
 
Awesome! Any idea what you are looking at purchasing? I thought I had it all figured out but I think I will be better off taking the advice of the people here with experience and not my own research. These guys know stuff! I can't wait to share our newfound knowledge, when we actually get some! LOL!


Brenda
Hey :) Right now I’m using a DE that my dad gave me but I really want to try with a straight razor!
 
Here's some information regarding Artist Club Shavette type razors:

1. Purists will rightly defend the position that in the end, if you enjoy straight razor shaving, a nice traditional set is likely where you will end up (since it's incomparable). My response would be that it takes money and time to maintain a traditional straight, since it requires patience and practice, using quality strops, pastes and stones (or film) and it can involve sending it off to have it re-honed occasionally. Also, if you enjoy straight razor shaving, you will likely own more than one, as you upgrade or graduate to something better or more suitable, so why not start with an Artist Club that costs much less and affords the same amount of time for the learning curb? After all, it's a nice shaver that he won't regret owning well after he collects traditional straights.

2. While I love my Kais and clones, I have to recommend Feather Artist Club. For the price, you simply cannot beat the Feather SS. The two things to be aware of are: it is somewhat light weight and its geometry was designed with safety in mind, so its edge is slightly bulbed, to kinda force the new user to maintain angle within a narrow margin, in order to get the blade to cut. Too far outside this narrow margin and you notice it's not cutting. This is actually terrific for someone practicing. Even if your new straight razor uses a different angle, you will have practiced maintaining angle so all yu have to do is adjust slightly. The Feather DX Professional is much more kin to a straight razor, as it has a very pointed edge (no bulb or bevel) so it basically tapers smoothly down to the blade, which tapers even further. It's less forgiving to a new comer, but it is the nicest of the Feather series and carries the price tag to prove it. DO NOT however, overpay for these razors. You can buy the folding version of the Feather SS for about $60 and the Feather DX Professional for about $125.

3. You can buy a cheap knock off of the Artist Club razors mentioned above, which will run you about $25. This might be the cheapest way to determine quickly, whether or not straight razor shaving is even worth pursuing. (You could do the same with a Gold Dollar brand traditional straight razor, which costs about $10, but you have to have it honed and sharpened first, which requires shipping and paying and waiting, vs an Artist Club which is ready to shave with out of the box).

4. Kai and Feather make safety blades (they have tiny guards on them) for the Artist Club razors. Remember, these are special long blades. Feather ProGuard and Kai ProTouch MG are both guarded Artist Club blades and will make the learning phase much more enjoyable and less harrowing.

My strongest recommendation for an Artist Club razor and blade combo is the Feather SS (folding version) and the Feather ProGuard safety blade. Total cost to start: about $75
 
OK, I finally made my first purchases. After consulting with some of the gurus here, I decided not to get the Rockwell, but instead got 2 1957 Gillette Techs. One in silver and one in gold to match the emblems on our 1957 Chevy Bel Air! Two were needed for now because I travel quite often and sharing isn't possible. Inexpensive and will get us in the game. I also purchased a Parker chrome handle silver tip badger brush (a lady user loved it and so did her husband) and a sample of 16 different blades, all popular ones.

Right now I have a sample of creams and soaps (including the Cella) and a block of alum in my shopping cart on West Coast Shaving. I need more stuff to get free shipping. Anyone wanna give me some ideas on whether hubby needs pre shave soaps, lotions, etc? Or aftershave? I have witch hazel on hand. Do we need glycerin soap as a pre wash? Anything else I didn't mention? I looked for the Shavette but it is sold out. This is more fun now that I actually made some decisions. Well, I didn't make them i just acted on them!
 
Welcome. Your husband may enjoy using a shavette/barber's razor for a while before making the jump to a straight razor. A shavette is functionally a straight razor, but it uses double edge blades snapped in half. This will allow your husband to learn how to hold and shave with a straight but it won't require him to learn stropping and blade maintenance yet, and that's the hardest part of using a straight razor.
Good advice
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Welcome to the forum, you're sure in the right place!

OK, I finally made my first purchases. After consulting with some of the gurus here, I decided not to get the Rockwell, but instead got 2 1957 Gillette Techs. One in silver and one in gold to match the emblems on our 1957 Chevy Bel Air!

Great choice. In cars too! There are quite a few car and hot rod people around. My Chevy was 10 years newer and a Chevelle though haha.

When it comes to blades, I'd suggest Try A Blade to put together a sample pack. You can buy as many or as few of any blade you'd like to try.

I'll also suggest Stirling Soaps. A very good soap at a great price with enough scent choices to overwhelm. Stirling soaps are also available through Maggard. Another good source of products is Connaught Shaving in the UK. If by chance you might like a Rose shave cream, the Cyril R Salter Wild Rose Connaught carries is spectacular.

We also have on B&B The League Of Leg Shavers. You might have a read through that thread when you find the time.
 
Preshave is nice if your using a straight razor, sounds like you’ve purchased some nice shaving soaps so you probably won’t need it. I use a straight and make my own preshave oil out of coconut oil, almond oil and whatever essential oil compliments the soap / aftershave I’m using. It’s so inexpensive. Save your money for more soaps and razors!

welcome and enjoy!
 
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