I've been a member of B&B for over a year now, probably going on a year and a half. I joined in September of 2006 and have been wet shaving since then. I've learned a lot from the people who were here before me. I hope that I have been able to be helpful to other new wet shavers too. I just wanted to share a few tips and tricks I use, as well as a few philosophical moments.
I originally found this forum the same way most of you probably did. I was having bad shaving experiences and knew there was a better way to do it. I don't know if I got linked to the site through Wikipedia, or just a google search. Whatever it was, my shaving experience instantly took a turn for the better. I welcomed the feeling of a great shave. I also enjoyed the company of the friendly members of B&B. I had just started an internship at a printing company in Manassas, VA and didn't know anyone in the area. The hours I spent on the forums made me feel less lonely. It also gave me opportunities to explore the surrounding DC area in search of good shaving products.
The Wet Shaver
The wet shaver is an interesting specimen indeed. We come from all walks of life. All age groups, professions, nationalities and races and even sexes. Yep, I converted my girlfriend into a wet shaver (legs of course).
One thing that I have noticed about almost every member of this forum is the dedication and desire to do things the right way. This reflects in every facet of our lives, not only shaving. Members of this forum roast their own coffee, drink loose leaf tea, talk about the pleasures of single malt whiskey, brew their own beer, are great cooks and even make their own shaving hardware and software.
The wet shaver will not settle for mediocrity. We look for quality in every facet of our lives.
Thoughts on Shaving
I enjoy the luxuries of wet shaving as much as the next person. I dont always have the funds to purchase that $20 puck of soap (no matter how long it will last) or a $100 Super Duper Badger brush. I want to give a brief outline of the products I have found that won't break and leave you feeling like a king.
Soap
Think quality, not cheap. There are a lot of vendors affiliated with the site that offer great prices, even though their name isn't Trumper, Taylor or Truefitt. For soaps, I look no further than MamaBear or QED. Glycerine soaps last a good while, and lather like no other. You can't beat Mama Bear's wide selection of scents. My skin is pretty sensitive to crazy fragrances. Much to my chagrins, I can't use Bay Rum soaps. Sue makes a great fragrance called "Marauder's Citrus". This citrusy bay rum gives me that bay rum kick, without the burning. While you are there, check out Sue's summer aftershaves. They are labeled "summer", but I use them all year.
Charles at QED also makes a mean soap. People with sensitive skin beware. Some of the stronger scents like Pine Cedarwood and Bay Rum may burn.
Florena is great. If you are in the US, write to one of our friends in The Great White North and get some. You will thank me.
Prep
Pre-shave oils, lotions and balms. Take em or leave em. They do nothing for me. If you like them, more power to you. Get to know Kyle's pre-shave post well. I don't use it every day, but when I do, I get amazing shaves.
Never underestimate the power of Aqua Velva. For those of you that are college age, it is a major chick magnet. Ditch the Axe (if you haven't already done so). Aqua Velva also happens to be a great aftershave. Think you don't like alcohol based aftershaves? Think again. AV has helped cool and relieve my skin after some of my nastiest shaves. If you are looking for other scents for yourself or to attract the ladies, keep a close eye on the BST forum. I recently bought a nearly full bottle of T&H Freshman for $40. This is typically a $75 bottle of cologne. My girlfriend loves it too.
I had more to write, but seem to have hit a wall here. My best suggestion is to enjoy the variety but don't get too caught up in it that you amass too much. I've only bought 2 pucks of soap in the past 6 months. Right now, I'm still sitting on at least 6 Mama Bear pucks, a few tubes of Florena, a tub of Nancy Boy, a tub of Taylor's St. James. Thats just off the top of my head.
I originally found this forum the same way most of you probably did. I was having bad shaving experiences and knew there was a better way to do it. I don't know if I got linked to the site through Wikipedia, or just a google search. Whatever it was, my shaving experience instantly took a turn for the better. I welcomed the feeling of a great shave. I also enjoyed the company of the friendly members of B&B. I had just started an internship at a printing company in Manassas, VA and didn't know anyone in the area. The hours I spent on the forums made me feel less lonely. It also gave me opportunities to explore the surrounding DC area in search of good shaving products.
The Wet Shaver
The wet shaver is an interesting specimen indeed. We come from all walks of life. All age groups, professions, nationalities and races and even sexes. Yep, I converted my girlfriend into a wet shaver (legs of course).
One thing that I have noticed about almost every member of this forum is the dedication and desire to do things the right way. This reflects in every facet of our lives, not only shaving. Members of this forum roast their own coffee, drink loose leaf tea, talk about the pleasures of single malt whiskey, brew their own beer, are great cooks and even make their own shaving hardware and software.
The wet shaver will not settle for mediocrity. We look for quality in every facet of our lives.
Thoughts on Shaving
I enjoy the luxuries of wet shaving as much as the next person. I dont always have the funds to purchase that $20 puck of soap (no matter how long it will last) or a $100 Super Duper Badger brush. I want to give a brief outline of the products I have found that won't break and leave you feeling like a king.
Soap
Think quality, not cheap. There are a lot of vendors affiliated with the site that offer great prices, even though their name isn't Trumper, Taylor or Truefitt. For soaps, I look no further than MamaBear or QED. Glycerine soaps last a good while, and lather like no other. You can't beat Mama Bear's wide selection of scents. My skin is pretty sensitive to crazy fragrances. Much to my chagrins, I can't use Bay Rum soaps. Sue makes a great fragrance called "Marauder's Citrus". This citrusy bay rum gives me that bay rum kick, without the burning. While you are there, check out Sue's summer aftershaves. They are labeled "summer", but I use them all year.
Charles at QED also makes a mean soap. People with sensitive skin beware. Some of the stronger scents like Pine Cedarwood and Bay Rum may burn.
Florena is great. If you are in the US, write to one of our friends in The Great White North and get some. You will thank me.
Prep
Pre-shave oils, lotions and balms. Take em or leave em. They do nothing for me. If you like them, more power to you. Get to know Kyle's pre-shave post well. I don't use it every day, but when I do, I get amazing shaves.
Never underestimate the power of Aqua Velva. For those of you that are college age, it is a major chick magnet. Ditch the Axe (if you haven't already done so). Aqua Velva also happens to be a great aftershave. Think you don't like alcohol based aftershaves? Think again. AV has helped cool and relieve my skin after some of my nastiest shaves. If you are looking for other scents for yourself or to attract the ladies, keep a close eye on the BST forum. I recently bought a nearly full bottle of T&H Freshman for $40. This is typically a $75 bottle of cologne. My girlfriend loves it too.
I had more to write, but seem to have hit a wall here. My best suggestion is to enjoy the variety but don't get too caught up in it that you amass too much. I've only bought 2 pucks of soap in the past 6 months. Right now, I'm still sitting on at least 6 Mama Bear pucks, a few tubes of Florena, a tub of Nancy Boy, a tub of Taylor's St. James. Thats just off the top of my head.
). Reading people's experiences and reviews has narrowed many choices down for me where I might have otherwise have just paid into blindly, possibly only to find out it was a bad investment. Plus with things like the BST, group buys, passes, decanting, etc, this group has a pretty wonderful sense of community and sharing and that is a major benefit to belonging as well and gets things around faster and fairly inexpensively and to a pretty wide audience that might not have otherwise been able to experience them.
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