Remember your roots

[bettershaves]

Hi everyone. It's been a long time since I've posted anything, but I felt compelled. Since I started this wet shaving journey about 15 years ago, there has been an explosion of products. If you're like me, and based on what I've seen, many of you are, it can be easy to go down the rabbit hole of the next best thing in shaving. I have very sensitive skin, and a coarse beard...you know, the deadly combination. I have tried many different razors...1904, muhle OC, merkur OC, fattip OC, 38C, gilette coronation vintage, Henson mild AND medium, and the Merkur sledgehammer slant. Let's not forget all of the possible blades. Back to my point. Over the last year, I have noticed that I was never happy with my shave. Whether it be irritation, closeness, in-growns, etc. I started to think that my skin was probably changing due to my getting older (56 now). This started me down the path of different combinations of blades, razors, soaps, creams, pre-shaves, after shaves, etc. I'm sure many of you have been there, or are experiencing this right now. But since we've already established that many of you are like me, I'm sure you have fond memories of the first amazing wet shave you experienced. For me, that was the Merkur Sledgehammer slant with a feather blade. So, last week, I set up with some Cella pre-shave, TOBS avocado cream and my slant and feather. Ahhhhh...there it is again. Nice slick shave, no irritation and beautifully smooth. That's why the title here is "Remember your Roots." I'm sure most of you have more than one razor. I mean, we have to keep the industry going, right? But, if you ever start feeling like wet shaving just doesn't work for you anymore, just remember how it all started for you, and revisit it!

Cheers!

 

[dotKomo]

Good to remember why we came to this hobby. My worst shave since adopting wet shaving and traditional razors is still better than by best shave with my Trac 2 and Edge Shaving Gel.

 

[KQY61]

Hi,

My roots. Dad handing me a Pre War Tech when I was 15. Used it for a long time. Still have it. Used his brush and soap and blades at first. Eventually, I got my own brush and soap and was buying blades that Dad then made use of. He used a Post War Tech and also had a SuperSpeed. I also wound up with my Grandfather's Old Type when he passed.

Dad is now gone as well, but I have all his stuff, including two Old Spice mugs with some OS soap still in them. I use Dad's Tech on his birthday and his SuperSpeed on Chrinstmas day - along with his brush and soap. Grandpa's OT I use a few times each month.

Heirlooms

• KQY61
• Jan 19, 2017

Grandpa's Old Type. The rest is all from my Dad.

Stan

 

[BigJ]

I started with a ‘hand-me-down’ Slim in the 1960s!!

And I wish I had kept that razor!!

 

[Tomo]

I come from a family of bearded men. At 40 I decided to start shaving and I haven’t looked back. I knew that I could do better than the multibladed plastic razors that they serve up at the supermarket. I now use a straight razor. Shaving can be manly too.

 

[sm29]

In the early 70s, I had various Schick injectors. I wish I had kept the Paul Revere one especially. I’m guessing there was also a SuperSpeed in the mix as well as a Trac 2 and I remember an Atra in college.

Today I used my first vintage razor (bought as a vintage razor and not bought new). The C1 Tech with a Feather blade gave a very nice 3 pass shave. Because I use a Ti Bird almost everyday at home and a SS Blackbird almost every day I’m on a trip, I won’t pretend that the Tech gives a Blackbird shave.

Since I used Noxema shaving cream (my father’s choice before he went to canned) and the brush my grandfather gave me (when he went to an electric), I’m not sure those could be duplicated.

Aftershaves were a long process, Mennen, Aqua Velva, Old Spice, English Leather, British Sterling, Aramis 900 over the first 10 years or so.

I don’t miss the old stuff as I am very happy with the components of my current kit.

 

[Big Jim]

I have an Old Spice Mug with original soap and a VDH Boar Brush that matches us to the Surrey of my younger days. Sometimes I'll even break out my Black Beauty Slim, but only if I'm willing to suffer nicks and weepers. More frequently I use my grandfather's old Erskine Brush which I reknotted with a nice Silvertip Badger and is the brush I started with. I more recently found a nearly matching Erskine that is in even better shape than my grandfather's was when I first obtained it. Using it with some original Old Spice Soap takes me back to when I was 15.

 

[h3hound]

i picked up my first vintage razors in the 90s - my friends thought i was goofy (they weren't wrong, necessarily). i had found some early injectors, autostrops, a gem junior, and a fatboy that i thought were interesting back then. An old SE i had finally died; scales broke, it rusted over, and so i tossed it.

a couple of years ago i pulled out the fatboy (out of its plastic display case), gave it a quick buff polish, and now regret ever packing it away. love that thing; its my go-to rig again. then, upon finding shaving forums that feed this rabbit hole; i discovered that my fatboy had found online stardom! mine is an E-2 so, 1959.

speaking of rabbit hole... i did recently get a Dovo 5/8... so the adventure continues.