Newbie gal here, with a few questions for the ladies!

[suliabryon]

Hi everyone!

I am new to this type of shaving. I've been frustrated with my shaving experience for...well, ever. I recently decided to take the plunge and "borrowed" my husband's safety razor when I had run out of disposable refills and my electric razor wasn't charged. It was one of these beasties:



I was a little scared using it, but I borrowed my husband's brush and soap as well, soaped up the legs and went for it. To my shock, the blade just glided over my skin. Being extra careful and paranoid, I was using no pressure at all, and this seemed to work. After a few passes, I noticed it wasn't clogged or gunked up at all, and I wondered if it was even working! I have super fine fair hair on my legs, so it can be hard to see. But then I looked at the water in the tub, and there was all the hair! I kept going, finishing my legs and even doing my underarms, and it took a LOT less passes than with a disposable, and the shave was so much closer, leaving my legs super smooth! I was sold. I immediately set about searching for my very own razor, which led me here.

I ended up ordering the L6 off of Amazon, as well as a cheapie shaving kit that included a stand, brush, and soap. My husband prefers Feather blades, and we buy them many packs at a time, so I figured, why mess with what works? The stuff came yesterday, so of course I had to try it out today. To my surprise, while I like the longer handle of the L6, I don't think it is quite as close as the other razor I used. It took a few more sweeps to achieve the same result, but the tradeoff is I didn't feel quite as much like I could cut myself at any moment. (I have so far managed to avoid that.)

So, my questions are:

~ Ladies, what is your favorite razor to use, and why?

~ How long does a blade last for you? We are shaving quite a bit more territory than the men, but far less often, so...I'm just wondering about how often I'll need to change out the blade. Every time? Every other, or three?

~ What shaving soap do you like? I'd like to find something that smells more feminine than my husband's. I prefer to use natural products that are gentle on the skin as much as possible.

As a side note that some might find of interest - instead of aftershave, I got my husband hooked on using the 100% pure Argan Oil I use on my face and hair, and he LOVES it. He says it removes any sting pretty much instantly, and I can attest that it keeps his skin nice and soft. I use either it, or some shea butter on my legs after shaving, and both work well for me.

 

[tattooed]

Since I'm not a lady, I'll sit back and listen but I'm a tattooed guy who keeps the hair off his legs for the sake of his tattoos and I do it with a de safety razor.

 

[suliabryon]

LOL, maybe I shouldn't have only directed my questions at the ladies! I welcome all answers. DE stands for double edge, right? Or does it refer to a specific razor?

 

[dcobranchi]

LOL, maybe I shouldn't have only directed my questions at the ladies! I welcome all answers. DE stands for double edge, right? Or does it refer to a specific razor?

First, welcome to B&B. It's always nice to see some women enjoying these old razors.

Correct DE=double edge. You'll also see the corresponding SE (single edge).

Your ball end OLD type is known to be an aggressive razor. You handled it just right. No pressure. The Lord is more forgiving/less aggressive. As you noticed, it takes a bit more work to get a super close shave. OTOH, it's probably less likely to bite.

 

[kingfisher]

Lots of great choices for more feminine smelling products. For example, there are many rose-scented creams and soaps. MamaBear makes soaps in all sorts of nice scents, including florals and even women's perfume clones. RazoRock and Mystic Water offer amazing lily of the valley scented soaps.

Welcome.


By the way, I love that Old Type razor that you posted. If your husband decides he doesn't want it for some odd reason, let me know.

 

[tattooed]

LOL, maybe I shouldn't have only directed my questions at the ladies! I welcome all answers. DE stands for double edge, right? Or does it refer to a specific razor?

I'm not sure how great my advice would be really, as I only shave them once or twice a month. I also use a much cheaper blade, I use Astra SPs. They're about a third of the price of Feathers. Being so cheap, I use them for one round of shaving and toss them. I do this because I just don't want to risk a cut on the leg, being a guy, I have no real talent shaving my legs, its awkward and the cuts always happen somewhere that will bleed and bleed (knee, ankle, etc). So, its about 9 cents for a blade, so I toss it.

As for the razor I use, I use an OLD type similar to the one you posted but more often I use a NEW. A very similar razor but with a bigger comb on it, it clogs even less than the one like you posted and the handle is much lighter, which seems more nimble to me.

 

[Bengal Tiger]

If you like all natural stuff, have you tried the kiss my face line of shaving creams at your local natural food store? Those have very feminine scents and are a great place to start. I've wondered what types of people buy floral scented shaving products, but you could look into those from the higher end brands like Truefit and Hill, Geo F Trumper, or Taylor of Old Bond St. They make excellent creams with scents like rose, lavender, lily of the valley, citrus, etc. I imagine stores like bath and body works and the body shop would have women's shaving products since they carry about 90% stuff for women.

Since you already learned how to lather up soap, +1 for Mystic Water soaps. Those are totally excellent quality and made by a wonderful woman who knows her stuff. Highly recommended

No advice on the shaving process since I'm male, but I do hope you asked your dear husband before using his stuff. I wouldn't like it if it were me. Lots of women like big brushes, and they do sell women's shaving brushes and DE razors online. Check it out. If you want products that don't hurt animals, look for horse hair or synthetic brushes.

 

[suliabryon]

Thanks everyone! I will definitely look up Mystic Water soaps. My husband won't be getting rid of the Old Type anytime soon, I think. He prefers the straight razor now, but still used the DE when he's short on time.

Tiger - Indeed I did ask him, first. Like you, he does not like sharing his stuff, but he makes an occasional exception for me. Still, I used it once, and then immediately set about searching for my own razor, knowing he wouldn't like me using his regularly.

Although, I also took his apart after I used it and slipped it in my sonic cleaner. It was quite a build up of soap on it that he hadn't noticed, lol. I'm a jewelry designer, so I pay attention to and notice such details. Normally, the sonic cleaner cleans jewelry, but it worked a treat on the razor. A little warm water and mild dish soap, and now it is all clean and shiny. (The husband: "Did you know this was a Gillette?? I've never seen that inscription before." To be fair, he hasn't exactly researched different razors much. We picked up the Old Type at the local antique mall for $6 when he thought he might want to try traditional shaving.

 

[celestino]

Congratulations on trying the traditional shaving razor and welcome to B&B.
i also shave my legs as i cycle quite often and DE razors do a fantastic job. You may also consider Mike's Natural Soaps www.mikesnaturalsoaps.com
Just like Mystic Water Soaps, Mike's are all natural and incredible soap. Good luck!

 

[ThePatrician]

Welcome to B&B! Honeybee Soaps also has a good selection of floral scents, plus they're glycerin and all-natural vegan. And a +1 to Mama Bear.