Hi everybody! I'm pretty new to the world of traditional wet shaving and thought I'd chronicle my experiences here, allowing for those with a bit more experience to share some advice (or have a good laugh).
First, a bit of background. Up until about a month ago I exclusively used a cartridge multi-blade razor when I shaved. For the last almost 5 years I didn't shave at all. I had a closely trimmed beard that I used electric beard clippers to trim. Then the bald spot showed up....
A few months ago i randomly lost a patch of hair on the left side of my chin. My father credits it to stress. So, I decided I needed to start shaving again so I didn't look like a weirdo. I immediately went back to my Gillette Fusion with 5 blade cartridges. Readily available at any corner drug store, must be the best thing I can get right? After a lot of burn, bumps, and irritation I decided to find a better way. Enter Gonzomadness44...
A loyal member here, and my little sister's boyfriend, Gonzo has been a traditional wet shaver for a few years now. He knew that I had acquired my grandfather's 1961 Gillette Super Speed "Fatboy" when I was younger. I held on to it because I'm into old vintage stuff and I thought it looked cool. After only being able to find Rite Aid brand blades for it, and my wife giving me a tub of The Art Of Shaving sandalwood shaving cream, I decided to give it a go. I was not very good....
It could have been a combination of being new and the cheap blades. Maybe I just really had no idea what i was doing. Whatever it was the results were awful. I looked, and felt, like I took a cheese grater to my face. Blood everywhere. Face felt it was on fire. What did I do wrong? I was told my blade angle was off. I adjusted and got the same result. Then one day I received a care package from Gonzo. An assortment of soaps and blades, a brush, an aftershave balm. While loading one of the newly acquired blades (a Shark I believe) I realized that the TTO mechanism on my razor wasn't closing all the way. Yup, I was trying to shave without closing the razor head completely which meant the blade wasn't being flexed. Therefore, I couldn't obtain the proper angle on my face. Once that little mistake was discovered it's been a world of difference. I still have my good days and bad days, and there's still a lot to learn, but it's been a definite improvement.
So what I would like to do here is chronicle the learning experience, and hopefully gain some insight from anyone willing to offer up any advice.
Looking forward to sharing with everyone. Sorry for the extra long post!
First, a bit of background. Up until about a month ago I exclusively used a cartridge multi-blade razor when I shaved. For the last almost 5 years I didn't shave at all. I had a closely trimmed beard that I used electric beard clippers to trim. Then the bald spot showed up....
A few months ago i randomly lost a patch of hair on the left side of my chin. My father credits it to stress. So, I decided I needed to start shaving again so I didn't look like a weirdo. I immediately went back to my Gillette Fusion with 5 blade cartridges. Readily available at any corner drug store, must be the best thing I can get right? After a lot of burn, bumps, and irritation I decided to find a better way. Enter Gonzomadness44...
A loyal member here, and my little sister's boyfriend, Gonzo has been a traditional wet shaver for a few years now. He knew that I had acquired my grandfather's 1961 Gillette Super Speed "Fatboy" when I was younger. I held on to it because I'm into old vintage stuff and I thought it looked cool. After only being able to find Rite Aid brand blades for it, and my wife giving me a tub of The Art Of Shaving sandalwood shaving cream, I decided to give it a go. I was not very good....
It could have been a combination of being new and the cheap blades. Maybe I just really had no idea what i was doing. Whatever it was the results were awful. I looked, and felt, like I took a cheese grater to my face. Blood everywhere. Face felt it was on fire. What did I do wrong? I was told my blade angle was off. I adjusted and got the same result. Then one day I received a care package from Gonzo. An assortment of soaps and blades, a brush, an aftershave balm. While loading one of the newly acquired blades (a Shark I believe) I realized that the TTO mechanism on my razor wasn't closing all the way. Yup, I was trying to shave without closing the razor head completely which meant the blade wasn't being flexed. Therefore, I couldn't obtain the proper angle on my face. Once that little mistake was discovered it's been a world of difference. I still have my good days and bad days, and there's still a lot to learn, but it's been a definite improvement.
So what I would like to do here is chronicle the learning experience, and hopefully gain some insight from anyone willing to offer up any advice.
Looking forward to sharing with everyone. Sorry for the extra long post!