so as some of you may know (i posted in the intro section a few days ago) that i was a cartridge shaver who really cozied up to the idea of DE shaving because of the price, primarily, and then enthralled later by the ritual and tradition of it.
i placed an order after quite a bit of research. I have to say that thanks mainly to maniac and a lot of bloggers, youtubers, and people on this forum (i did a lot of lurking before signing up) i am VERY happy with my setup and my results. In case som/most of you didn't see my order that i posted, here's a brief overview: 1) Merkur HD Classic 2) Shavemac 21(or maybe 22)mm silvertip badger brush 3) Tabac shave soap 4) Proraso shave cream (eucalyptus and mint) 5) extended blade sampler pack 6) Musgo Réal aftershave.
my shave last night was easily the best shave i've ever had. it even beat the shave i got at a barber shop about a year back with an SE (she was a scrub, and not a real 'barber' per se). I couldn't believe i was actually shaving anything; the resistance was negligible. I thought the bar was just gliding over my face hahaha AND THEN I LOOKED. the most amazing thing wasn't the look, but the FEEL. the lower part of my neck is EXTREMELY sensitive and no matter my prep work or whatever i usually just end up scraping the hell out of my neck. granted, i did get a couple minor cuts around the jawline (that i didn't feel, but saw the very slight amount of blood) but the cuts over my previous razor burn on my neck were much worse. i applied the styptic and the pain and bleeding subsided, applied the moisturizer and alcohol splash and then went to bed a few hours later. when i woke up i realized that even though i shaved (3 passes, 2 WTG and one final XTG) - i skipped the final pass on my sensitive neck - my usually bumpy, super-agitated neck was CALM AND CLEAR (despite 2 very minor scabs) i couldn't believe it! i finally was accepting that nothing could be done about my sensitive lower neck, despite shaving in every possible direction et al, and then it would appear at first glance that this might be the resolution i always wanted!
Thanks again to everyone here for any input and suggestions!
p.s. i know you guys say to stay constant as much as possible, but i used the tabac for the first pass, but after losing the lather by dropping my freaking mug in my water-filled sink i decided to try the proraso - AMAZING (my soap lather technique has some ways to go)
i placed an order after quite a bit of research. I have to say that thanks mainly to maniac and a lot of bloggers, youtubers, and people on this forum (i did a lot of lurking before signing up) i am VERY happy with my setup and my results. In case som/most of you didn't see my order that i posted, here's a brief overview: 1) Merkur HD Classic 2) Shavemac 21(or maybe 22)mm silvertip badger brush 3) Tabac shave soap 4) Proraso shave cream (eucalyptus and mint) 5) extended blade sampler pack 6) Musgo Réal aftershave.
my shave last night was easily the best shave i've ever had. it even beat the shave i got at a barber shop about a year back with an SE (she was a scrub, and not a real 'barber' per se). I couldn't believe i was actually shaving anything; the resistance was negligible. I thought the bar was just gliding over my face hahaha AND THEN I LOOKED. the most amazing thing wasn't the look, but the FEEL. the lower part of my neck is EXTREMELY sensitive and no matter my prep work or whatever i usually just end up scraping the hell out of my neck. granted, i did get a couple minor cuts around the jawline (that i didn't feel, but saw the very slight amount of blood) but the cuts over my previous razor burn on my neck were much worse. i applied the styptic and the pain and bleeding subsided, applied the moisturizer and alcohol splash and then went to bed a few hours later. when i woke up i realized that even though i shaved (3 passes, 2 WTG and one final XTG) - i skipped the final pass on my sensitive neck - my usually bumpy, super-agitated neck was CALM AND CLEAR (despite 2 very minor scabs) i couldn't believe it! i finally was accepting that nothing could be done about my sensitive lower neck, despite shaving in every possible direction et al, and then it would appear at first glance that this might be the resolution i always wanted!
Thanks again to everyone here for any input and suggestions!
p.s. i know you guys say to stay constant as much as possible, but i used the tabac for the first pass, but after losing the lather by dropping my freaking mug in my water-filled sink i decided to try the proraso - AMAZING (my soap lather technique has some ways to go)
