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Putting together a kit for person interested in DE Shaving

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.
 
Maybe a couple of good shave towels. I used to use a face washer but struggled to get all the soap off my skin. It was much easier once I bought a couple of shave towels.
 
Thanks guys. @Grundi, I saw the first of those threads but not the second one you mentioned so I'll look through it to see what I can learn. And @elgrumpo, great suggestion on the shave towels.
 
Good man! The main present is your thought process in picking quality products that are likely to get him off to a great start!
 
So, this afternoon I dropped off the kit I put together. Razorock DE1 razor, Omega S10065 synthetic brush, a bunch of unscented Art of Shaving samples of pre-shave oil, shaving cream and aftershave balm, two travel sized tubes of Art of Shaving Sandalwood shaving cream, a salsa bowl for lathering, a Maggards alum block and a few tucks of blades (Gillette Silver Blues, Voskhods, Derbys, Sharks, Dorcos, Merkur, and one or two others). I gave him some pointers, suggested he get some witch hazel and gave him the name of this website. Time will tell if it takes but at a minimum I think he gets the benefits of using a brush and quality software, shaving creams, etc. that is free of bad chemicals. I think he really liked the brush and how soft it was.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Very thoughtful and nice. Your neighbor is going to love this kit and what a gesture. Keep us informed when you present it. Maybe get him hooked on B&B too.

Wow what timing right after I posted I saw your update. Great work. An in person pif
 
You are a good friend. One possible addition to your kit for this gentleman...a bottle of Lucky Tiger.

Stuff like aftershave I leave for someone to pick out for themselves. I find that scents are very different for different people. And since I have no idea what he likes, I think the kit I put together is just fine to get him started. After all, he does wet shave, just with a cart and canned foamin' goo. And I'm sure I'll hear more from him once he's taken some time to try a few shaves. But I won't push anything on him. That's not my style. He opened the door and I walked in. I figure there are scents that he likes and the he knows his wife likes. After all, he's just north of 50 so I'm sure he's got that part down.
 
Stuff like aftershave I leave for someone to pick out for themselves. I find that scents are very different for different people. And since I have no idea what he likes, I think the kit I put together is just fine to get him started. After all, he does wet shave, just with a cart and canned foamin' goo. And I'm sure I'll hear more from him once he's taken some time to try a few shaves. But I won't push anything on him. That's not my style. He opened the door and I walked in. I figure there are scents that he likes and the he knows his wife likes. After all, he's just north of 50 so I'm sure he's got that part down.
I agree. My thinking on the Lucky Tiger was to address his ingrown hairs and skin irritation. But as you said in your OP...perhaps just a recommendation to consider.
 
So, I checked in with my friend on how things were going. His response was "The verdict is still out. It does give a close shave, however the time it takes is an issue for a regular activity for me." I responded saying that he should do it on weekends when he has the time. And over time he will get quicker at shaving with a double edge. I feel vindicated since he does feel he gets closer shaves from a double edge. I guess time will tell if he is willing to get mediocre shaves from a cart versus spending a little more time to get a closer shave.
 
So, I checked in with my friend on how things were going. His response was "The verdict is still out. It does give a close shave, however the time it takes is an issue for a regular activity for me." I responded saying that he should do it on weekends when he has the time. And over time he will get quicker at shaving with a double edge. I feel vindicated since he does feel he gets closer shaves from a double edge. I guess time will tell if he is willing to get mediocre shaves from a cart versus spending a little more time to get a closer shave.
Good advice for doing weekends as he gets speed up. Did all you can do but looks promising :thumbup:
 
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.
Get "The Cool Fix"! It can be costly, but for his skin, I highly recommend it. Ulta usually carries it...I got mine online on ebay
 
Well done, sir!

I'm not African-American, but my beard hair are curly and grow close to the skin rather than straight out. When I used cartridges, it was a constant dance of picking out the hairs that we starting to embed - no fun. I found that Tend Skin helped a bit.

What really helped, though, was switching to a DE. Very rarely do I have to perform an "ingrown intervention" these days, like once per month versus one or two per day. If a hair is starting to get ideas about going the wrong way, it doesn't matter because the DE blade takes care of it. I get a close shave without irritated follicles.

I think that if you neighbor can get the hang of it and start using the DE regularly, he'll see real relief from the ingrowns.
 
I'd tell your buddy to stick to creams that lather easily as opposed to soaps because IMO they lather faster and require less "work". Maybe tell him to pick up a tube of Nivea shaving cream? If I had to start all over again that's where I would have started with a synthetic brush. He's also going to have to deal with it just taking more time. He'll get quicker with experience I'm sure.
 
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