I have a neighbor/friend who I was having a beer with over the Christmas break and the subject of shaving came up. Not sure how but here we are. Any way he mentioned how much he didn't like shaving and said he uses a cart and canned foaming goo. So I suggested that shaving is just as much in the prep as it is in the tools you use. I mentioned that I use a brush, shaving cream and/or soap, and a double edge razor and ever since starting my face has never been happier. And I actually enjoy shaving. So he asked what I might suggest. Initially I was going to tell him to just go to Shoprite and pick up the Van Der Hagen kit and see how it goes. But then I thought, no, he should go with good stuff that he could use longer term (not that Van Der Hagen is bad). Anyway I'm now putting together his kit and have arranged to buy the following, trying to keep the overall cost down as low as possible:
Razorock DE1 safety razor
Omega S10065 synthetic brush
A bunch of AOS unscented samples of pre-shave oil, shaving cream and aftershave balm
A couple travel size tubes of AOS Sandalwood shaving cream
A block of Maggard's alum
A salsa bowl for lathering
A smattering of blades: Gillette Silver Blue, Voskhod, and some others I have lying around
I'm also going to recommend that he get some witch hazel for use after the alum. I know the alum and witch hazel both do essentially the same thing as an astringent but this is my routine and it works nicely for me.
So, here's my question. He is african american and realize that there can be issues with ingrown hairs and irritation due to curly hair. I am wondering if there is anything that I have not included in his kit that would help him start using a double edge successfully. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated, as always.
Razorock DE1 safety razor
Omega S10065 synthetic brush
A bunch of AOS unscented samples of pre-shave oil, shaving cream and aftershave balm
A couple travel size tubes of AOS Sandalwood shaving cream
A block of Maggard's alum
A salsa bowl for lathering
A smattering of blades: Gillette Silver Blue, Voskhod, and some others I have lying around
I'm also going to recommend that he get some witch hazel for use after the alum. I know the alum and witch hazel both do essentially the same thing as an astringent but this is my routine and it works nicely for me.
So, here's my question. He is african american and realize that there can be issues with ingrown hairs and irritation due to curly hair. I am wondering if there is anything that I have not included in his kit that would help him start using a double edge successfully. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated, as always.