Soo.....I started wet shaving. I got er...directed to this place from another forum. I won a PIF, and through the generosity of Lamboy, I have a bunch of different blades to try out:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/343660-PIF-Blade-Sampler-for-newbies/page2
It all started with AOS lemon and an R89. The AOS shaving cream is gone, but the oil and post-shave balm is hanging on as is the brush.
So here is what I have noted thus far in this journey. Please feel free to tell me that I am an ignorant noob - it helps me learn.
Pre-shave - in my meanderings through the threads here I found a post from someone mentioning that conditioner works well as a pre-treatment in the shower. The good thing is that this appears to be true. Bad thing is that my wife is starting to notice that her Paul Mitchell Conditioner is mysteriously disappearing.
Shave - I have tried three shave soaps/creams with varying results:
AOS Lemon - great shave, doesn't clean the greatest from my razor. Feels great on the skin
Neutrogena Skin Clearing Shave Cream - this is NOT a lathering cream: deal with it. What it does well is feel good after/during the shave. This stuff is almost TOO slick on my skin. If I get it on my razor as I shave and rinse, my razor actually gets hard to hold on to. On the down side, it doesn't clean well from the razor. Not bad to keep around for when you have little time to shave.
Van Der Hagen Select - I used Williams when I was a teenager, one thing that drew me back to wet shaving. This actually builds lather pretty easily, which is something considering that my water is as hard as you can get from the tap. Just enough lubricity to get things done. Scent isn't the greatest, but disappears quickly. Cleans well from the razor, but dries quickly.
Barbasol Aloe - seriously. Just for giggles. Smells ....okay. Shave sucks. It is like shaving dry newspaper after using any of the above three. I'll use it as a pre-shave balm.
And blades?
When I got hooked in to AOS in Bellevue, I picked up a 10-pack of Merkur Super Platinum blades. Typical noob, my first outing was successful in that:
a. I didn't bleed to death, although it was close for a while
b. I was happy with the shave nonetheless.
The Merkurs feel....substantial? I know the blade is there. It cleans well and lasts for about 3-4 shaves, although after three it starts to pull quite a bit.
When my PIF arrived I pulled out the Astra Super Platinum first. I get a good shave from the Astra, although I almost think that the Merkur works better for me. More research is warranted. These blades do last longer though - the first Astra didn't start tugging until I had 4 days of shaving on it.
Really need to pick up some aftershave. I am currently using my old rotation:
John Varvatos Aftershave Gel. Smells great, although the scent fades fairly quickly. No burn at all, and keeps my skin soft.
Nivea Post-Shave balm - wife loves the smell, gives a bit of burn, doesn't keep the skin in as good condition as John Varvatos or AOS aftershave lotion.
That Captain's Choice I keep seeing talked about looks great.
Back to your regular ramblings....flame away!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/343660-PIF-Blade-Sampler-for-newbies/page2
It all started with AOS lemon and an R89. The AOS shaving cream is gone, but the oil and post-shave balm is hanging on as is the brush.
So here is what I have noted thus far in this journey. Please feel free to tell me that I am an ignorant noob - it helps me learn.
Pre-shave - in my meanderings through the threads here I found a post from someone mentioning that conditioner works well as a pre-treatment in the shower. The good thing is that this appears to be true. Bad thing is that my wife is starting to notice that her Paul Mitchell Conditioner is mysteriously disappearing.
Shave - I have tried three shave soaps/creams with varying results:
AOS Lemon - great shave, doesn't clean the greatest from my razor. Feels great on the skin
Neutrogena Skin Clearing Shave Cream - this is NOT a lathering cream: deal with it. What it does well is feel good after/during the shave. This stuff is almost TOO slick on my skin. If I get it on my razor as I shave and rinse, my razor actually gets hard to hold on to. On the down side, it doesn't clean well from the razor. Not bad to keep around for when you have little time to shave.
Van Der Hagen Select - I used Williams when I was a teenager, one thing that drew me back to wet shaving. This actually builds lather pretty easily, which is something considering that my water is as hard as you can get from the tap. Just enough lubricity to get things done. Scent isn't the greatest, but disappears quickly. Cleans well from the razor, but dries quickly.
Barbasol Aloe - seriously. Just for giggles. Smells ....okay. Shave sucks. It is like shaving dry newspaper after using any of the above three. I'll use it as a pre-shave balm.
And blades?
When I got hooked in to AOS in Bellevue, I picked up a 10-pack of Merkur Super Platinum blades. Typical noob, my first outing was successful in that:
a. I didn't bleed to death, although it was close for a while
b. I was happy with the shave nonetheless.
The Merkurs feel....substantial? I know the blade is there. It cleans well and lasts for about 3-4 shaves, although after three it starts to pull quite a bit.
When my PIF arrived I pulled out the Astra Super Platinum first. I get a good shave from the Astra, although I almost think that the Merkur works better for me. More research is warranted. These blades do last longer though - the first Astra didn't start tugging until I had 4 days of shaving on it.
Really need to pick up some aftershave. I am currently using my old rotation:
John Varvatos Aftershave Gel. Smells great, although the scent fades fairly quickly. No burn at all, and keeps my skin soft.
Nivea Post-Shave balm - wife loves the smell, gives a bit of burn, doesn't keep the skin in as good condition as John Varvatos or AOS aftershave lotion.
That Captain's Choice I keep seeing talked about looks great.
Back to your regular ramblings....flame away!
