New to wet Shaving

[rohman]

Hi all,

Well, I just started shaving using a non electric razor few weeks ago when my friend bought me mach3 turbo, nivea shaving gell and nivea balm. But everytime I shave, no matter the time between shaves, I get irritation and cuts. This is especially pronounced on my neck and on the jaw line. I read few articles that say that safety razors will give me better shave and cause less irritation when used properly compared on the new razors. Now I am thinking of getting me Merkur "Futur" Double-edge Razor from classicshaving.com site. Would you recommend this razor or any other razor to a beginner (me)? Also, what other suggestion could you give me?

Thanks,

Rohman

 

[Queen of Blades]

Welcome to B&B!

You have come to the right place to learn about wet shaving. These guys will provide you with much needed advice and help.

 

[Jim]

Welcome Rohman here's some reading to start you off-

FAQ

newbie to newbie-click here

leisure guy


kYLE

 

[TraderJoe]

Welcome to B&B

The single-most important thing you can do to improve the quality of your shaves is to begin using brush and shaving soap/cream. Ditch the canned goo (although I've seen a person or two who swears by the Aveeno). Depending on your budget there are many brush options available, but many people recommend the C&E Best Badger for $35. I started with the Herban Cowboy boar brush but it was shedding all over the place and I eventually busted it up. My next brush (which I still have and enjoy) was the C&E Super which is a softer badger hair.

You may wish to read around on the forum reviews to get a feel for what soap or cream you want, but I would recommend you pick up some Arko, and QED soaps. Some other favorable options are SCS and Mama Bear. Of course, there are the three T's and the widely-praised Proraso. There are so many others, but these are what I have tried.

As for razors, starting with the Futur can be a good choice, if you keep an eye on your technique and respect the aggressiveness of this razor (keep it dialed down). Most would recommend a more forgiving razor such as an old gillete or merkur classic. I started with a merkur open comb. (I wasn't sure what an open comb was)

I've seen some pretty good posts about the Futur on this thread here. Check it out.

 

[mantic]

Rohman--

We feel your pain.

I have created some videos that might help.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

--Mark

 

[rohman]

Wow, you guys work fast.

Thanks for all your help, I will start reading over all the material ASAP.

rohman

 

[Dinder1]

Welcome.
Cheers, DJ.

 

[Shermdog]

I highly recommend the Merkur HD. This was my first DE. Also, it will prevent you with messing with the settings which can cause even bigger problems when just starting out.

The Merkur HD is still my "go to" razor and it made learning to shave with a DE easy. Plus....I am irritation free and baby smooth when I use it.

Search around this site. Many will tell you to start with an HD. For me....I started and ended with an HD.

Good luck.

 

[boboakalfb]

I would start out with a fixed head Merkur. I like the HD. The added weight helps with the no pressure philosophy If you have larger hands a Merkur Long Handle Classic may be your best bet. The classic and 1904 would be fine as well...a bit lighter but they all share the same head. I don't know much about the Vintage Gillettes but alot of people like certain models for a noob. I would also suggest a blade sampler from John (LetterK) to see which blades work best for you.

Most importantly welcome to B&B...

 

[rohman]

Does anyone know any good stores in Houston to buy shaving gear or a search term to search on google maps or something? Because I can't find merkur HD on classicshaving website or amazon.

 

[TraderJoe]

Does anyone know any good stores in Houston to buy shaving gear or a search term to search on google maps or something? Because I can't find merkur HD on classicshaving website or amazon.

how about qed? its cheaper there anyhow:


QED HD


Sorry, don't know anything about Houston

 

[Scorpio]

If you have a Target near you, there you can find Proraso products in the Spa/cosmetics section. If you have a Nordstrom close by, there you will find AOS products as well as Truefitt & Hill products. Also, if you wanted to try different high end shaving creams you can go to Scotto here in B&B and he will take care of you with a sampler pack . Letterk will take of the blades samples if you wanted to try different blades to see which one works better for you. Do some reading, give it some thought and ask questions.

Welcome to B&B!!

Rafael

 

[Capt. Pat]

I highly recommend taking advantage of the sampler packs offered by Scotto (creams) and LetterK (blades). I've been able to fairly quicly and inexpensively narrow down what works for me and what doesn't.

 

[mrob]

Great suggestion, Curly. . .er, Pat. . .er. . .???

 

[rohman]

Thanks for all your help.

 

[readyme]

the best advise i can give is to read past posts, and ask lots of questions. i am new myself, and have spent countless hours reading in here (my wife thinks i am crazy...though i wouldn't rule it out myself). good luck.

 

[Jack Bauer]

I am also new to wetshaving and would like to start off by saying thanks to everyone for providing such in depth analysis of the products and for giving great advice.

I agree with Readyme, you should definitely take advantage of all the past posts and the wealth of knowledge provided on this website.

I currently have a Merkur HD and find it to be a fantastic razor, although it is my only DE, it is hard to imagine anything can give a closer more comfortable shave, but hopefully I'll have many years to figure that out. I have also received samples from Trumpers and T&H and would highly recommend doing that as well since you have nothing to lose.


Chris

 

[Leisureguy]

"Merkur HD" is a bit of a misnomer. It's actually called the Merkur Heavy Classic. Heavy Classic: HD. Make sense? Here's the link at Classic Shaving. Em's Place has the HD in gold, which I got and like the looks of. No difference in performance, I assume. She calls it the "Heavy Duty", which is undoubtedly where the HD comes from.