Its been five years on my journey wet shaving with double edge razors. I've tried various razors, blades, soaps, creams, brushes... yeah, I got it bad
Pretty early on I tried Feather blades and had difficulty using them with standard DE razors (Merkur 34C and Edwin Jagger DE89). I ended up switching to smoother blades (Personna lab blues, Rapira Super Stainless). I practiced for a few years and revisited the Feathers and found if I was careful I would be rewarded with a better or faster shave. I still didn't settle on them for everyday use though. I was still getting irritation every so often. A couple of years later I discovered my favorite (and now only razor) - the Merkur 37C slant. I loved this razor with most blades but found Feathers were too aggressive. Its been a couple of years using the 37C and I decided to try Feathers again - wow! I'm assuming my technique has improved as my selection of software. I am now getting excellent shaves. During this five year journey my technique and consistency has improved and I've dialed in what equipment work best for me.
Here is my current setup:
Merkur 37C
Feather blades
Speick Men shaving cream or stick (I love them both and just alternate)
Speick Men after shave lotion (its really a splash) - my family likes the smell and the performance is superb as my skin feels "healed" after use
Wet Dog synthetic brushes (I have two)
Bloc de Osma Alum Block (I use this sometimes especially if my face has felt oily the day before)
Dickinson's Witch Hazel with a few drops of essential oils (peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender) - I alternate this with Speick after shave. I like how my face feels at the end of the day using witch hazel. However, my face feels better immediately after a shave with Speick.
Pretty early on I tried Feather blades and had difficulty using them with standard DE razors (Merkur 34C and Edwin Jagger DE89). I ended up switching to smoother blades (Personna lab blues, Rapira Super Stainless). I practiced for a few years and revisited the Feathers and found if I was careful I would be rewarded with a better or faster shave. I still didn't settle on them for everyday use though. I was still getting irritation every so often. A couple of years later I discovered my favorite (and now only razor) - the Merkur 37C slant. I loved this razor with most blades but found Feathers were too aggressive. Its been a couple of years using the 37C and I decided to try Feathers again - wow! I'm assuming my technique has improved as my selection of software. I am now getting excellent shaves. During this five year journey my technique and consistency has improved and I've dialed in what equipment work best for me.
Here is my current setup:
Merkur 37C
Feather blades
Speick Men shaving cream or stick (I love them both and just alternate)
Speick Men after shave lotion (its really a splash) - my family likes the smell and the performance is superb as my skin feels "healed" after use
Wet Dog synthetic brushes (I have two)
Bloc de Osma Alum Block (I use this sometimes especially if my face has felt oily the day before)
Dickinson's Witch Hazel with a few drops of essential oils (peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender) - I alternate this with Speick after shave. I like how my face feels at the end of the day using witch hazel. However, my face feels better immediately after a shave with Speick.