Oh man, I'm going to love this.

[Quietville]

First off, Hi, I'm Brandon and I'm a newbie to shaving in general, but especially wet shaving!

So, my dad had actually turned me on to wet shaving when I was like 16 (I ignored it, which I honestly wish I hadn't now)... I started shaving with a Mach 3, and honestly it was okay for about a year. After that I just really didn't shave very much for the next two years, and when I did, I trimmed it down and used "ye olde disposible cartridge razore". Yeah, shaving sucked. Then I'm not sure how, but I stumbled upon Mantic's shaving channel and I remembered what my dad had told me... Now, my father has never really gone full out and done the brush and three pass routine, he just uses a D/E razor and some Gillette gel - one pass, and thats fine and dandy for him... Mind you he's done this my whole life, but I ignored it especially since my parents got divorced when I was 8 and yada yada. Since then I've wanted to be as different as I could from my dad... But now, I'll be happy to pick up this tradition! I shaved for my first time with a D/E razor a couple nights ago, and I used Gillette goop. I only went for one pass because honestly I was afraid. After only nicking myself once (as opposed to on average 3-5 times with my Mach 3), I've decided that I am going to love wet shaving!

Now I'm just waiting for a brush and some shaving soap, and I'm sure that at age 19 I am going to lead a much happier shaving adventure!

Thanks Mantic!

 

[Chairman Nemo]

Welcome to B&B! I hope you continue your pursuit of wetshaving!! This is a great place to ask for advice and chat with some knowlegable gentlemen over a variety of topics!

Best of luck and happy shaving!

 

[mantic]

Welcome (and you're welcome )!

--Mark

 

[masonjarjar]

Now I'm just waiting for a brush and some shaving soap, and I'm sure that at age 19 I am going to lead a much happier shaving adventure!

I started using a brush at the age of 19, and minus a few detours (a Panasonic Wet/Dry electric, probably more than a few cans of gel and foam), have been using a brush and soap ever since. Don't fret about the few years you spent not wetshaving, think about all the great years ahead of you!

-Mason

 

[crichton]

Welcome to B&B!!

 

[michaelskar]

welcome aboard, sir!

 

[Quietville]

Don't fret about the few years you spent not wetshaving, think about all the great years ahead of you!

Thanks for the welcomes, and that was the moral of my story! Although I've only wetshaved once, I'm sure that it's going to be awesome in the future (I wonder how much longer it'll take that brush and soap to get here)

Oh, and I have an interesting situation. Shaving in the dorms will be great fun! lol

 

[Robby]

You might be surprised at how much positive attention the DE and brush might get.

And of course the BBS face is going to get some attention from the ladies!

 

[indykramer]

Welcome to B & B

 

[iron maiden]

Welcome to B&B

 

[Phog Allen]

Welcome to the fold Brandon. Would to God that I had discovered proper shaving when I was your age. I actually started with a DE and lost it to a fire. The multi blades had to be better, right? About 5-6 years ago I discovered these forums and it has been a revelation ever since. I would only offer two real pieces of advice. Do not get caught up in a spending frenzy right away and no matter what any of us tells you, only your experience with a particular toiletry or style of shaving will be of utmost importance. You will hear many of us wax endlessly about certain lathers, aftershaves, etc. We are really dealing with minutiae in that regard. The true difference between most of the top shelf stuff is not as great as many conversations would lead you to believe. Most of the products have been thoroughly tested, whipped, drug through the dirt or whatever you want to call it so use the search function. It will yield a lot of great information. Oh, and one more thing. At first, you may want to limit your lathers to a range of 4-6 being opened at one time. This will let you get a feel for different lathers through the week. One of the first things I learned(the hard way)is to not sell a product short due to lack of trial or patience. If a soap or cream is not doing well for you, lay it aside for one month and revisit it. Now I am not suggesting you keep using something that is obviously causing allergic reaction. That is a different matter. Just don't give up on something after one or two uses. A good rule of thumb is 3-5 uses over a relatively short period of time, say 5-10 days, and then make a judgment. It is always fun to watch and help newbies and best of luck to you. I will offer a caution to you. This little pursuit tends to eat money like a IRS auditor. Just so you can't say you weren't warned.

Regards, Todd

 

[masonjarjar]

Thanks for the welcomes, and that was the moral of my story! Although I've only wetshaved once, I'm sure that it's going to be awesome in the future (I wonder how much longer it'll take that brush and soap to get here)

Oh, and I have an interesting situation. Shaving in the dorms will be great fun! lol

Yea, there weren't many other shave brushes in my dorm building, that's for sure. A few guys used shave soap but they didn't use brushes. Mostly it was electrics or canned goo/disposables.

-Mason

 

[masonjarjar]

I will offer a caution to you. This little pursuit tends to eat money like a IRS auditor. Just so you can't say you weren't warned.

Well, I've been having fun and I haven't spent a fortune at all. I got some Floris samples so I could get a taste of the good life. I got a tube or Proraso. Other than that, it's been all things priced under $10 (Van Der Hagen soap, for example, some aftershaves, Burma brush (I've been using these for years), etc..). Being in the position I am with my family and kids, it would be irresponsible of me to spend a lot on this hobby. I have a nice variety of stuff, but I haven't broke the bank either.

-Mason

 

[SmoovD]

Being in the position I am with my family and kids, it would be irresponsible of me to spend a lot on this hobby. I have a nice variety of stuff, but I haven't broke the bank either.

Huh, I need to git me some kids!

 

[BMWRider]

Welcome to B&B.

 

[Quietville]

Thanks for the words of advice. I want to especially say that I figured out that this could be a money sucking endeavor right away! Just looking for a DE razor was quite the chore! I did however find an amazing 1955 Gillette Super Speed that honestly I'm a little afraid to use. That thing is older than my dad, and I got it in GREAT condition. The amazing thing is that I only paid $12.50 for it, with shipping! I don't know how good of a deal that is, but considering new Merkurs sell for $100, I was satisfied. After getting a razor, brush, soap, and blades I had only spent barely over $40. I say that that is quite a good, and a relatively cheap late Christmas present (which is what it was... and how I got the money.) Considering I'm in college, and on a college budget, I thought long and hard about making this decision before just leaping in. I have to tell you though I am FED UP with shaving with a cartridge razor. I think I either have sensitive skin, or I just have thicker hair than most college students, but it just doesn't work for me. I rip my face up and curse up a storm - not to mention the razor burn. So all-in-all I think it was a good investment. I think I'm going to try to find some Proraso Liquid Cream Aftershave in the City when I go back this weekend, which will bring my total to only $56.02 (or more assuming that tax will push the Aftershave up past $14). But honestly, that's not too bad considering you can hardly buy a good badger brush for that much. And for a beginner, I'd say that's not bad

 

[Nancy Boy]

Hi, Brandon and welcome to our little corner of the world!

 

[gps]

Welcome!

 

[LukeInFlames]

greetings.

sure wish i would have thought to DE shave at Uni, that would have added to the list of my eccentricities even more...

something i like about this strange hobby is that it adds a distinct sense of 'mindfulness' and ritual to an otherwise bland and anodyne task.

and, despite the perils of RAD, it's easy to avoid if

a. you're poor / a tightwad (like me!)

and

b. have a modicum of self-control.

merry face-carving,

-l.

 

[lamina]

Welcome!!

Well, it's never too late to do the right thing...and wet shaving is the righteous path!!