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Twin blade razors, cream and balm - advice please

This is a three parter asking for advice as I review most aspects of my shaving.

For years I have used a Gillette Tech (fat handled) and Lord Platinum blades. When travelling and buying cheap disposable twin blade razors, I have found them surprisingly effective and comfortable, especially giving less chin redness. I have tried, in my purist way, to ignore this for years but it’s time to fess up and recognise that ‘proper’ shaving might not suit everyone. So I am trying to find my future razor. I bought a Mach 3 turbo (am I banned for writing that?) but it is like a car with crazy amounts of suspension, and anyway two blades are enough. Next was a Gillette Vector (twin blade, with a lubrastrip which I can do without) which works OK but I would like something with a little more weight. Any suggestions?

For shaving cream, I have incredibly sensitive skin and use Taylors of Old Bond Street Organic. It is very good but pretty expensive. Any suggestions for pure and unperfurmed affordable alternatives?

Finally, I used to get ingrowing hairs and found Power Shave (originally Priva Shave for Men) worked well, but the new formulation is gloop you can barely get out of the bottle. I may have outgrown the ingrowers, so can someone please suggest a good and totally unperfurmed balm? Many thanks.
 
TracII/GII cartridges - no swivel head and no Lubra strip
Comes now as set from India as PII

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And the good @Colonel Conk has a metal handle for it if you like the weight better.

 
Wilkinson Sword/Schick Lady Protector razor. It has twin blades which are also compatible with the mens Protector 3. Alternatively just buy the Lady Protector blades which can be fitted to the mens Protector 3 handle

Again the Wilkinson Sword/Schick Hydro brushless shaving cream is very very good for sensitive skin it has some olive oil extract in it.

For sensitive balm/moisturizer you could try a baby lotion such as Johnsons
 
For cartridge razors, I have had good luck with BIC Metal - single blade but works well for me when travelling or to clean up my neck when I can't seem to get acceptable (for me) smoothness.

You might try Proraso White. It's made for sensitive skin and is unscented.

Finally, using an alum block may help with your ingrown hairs.

Good luck!
 
Sir Djangeroo, much credit to you for your frank and honest post!!
Indeed, I also get some great shaves with Gillette carts, whether 2 or more!
Specifically, Trac II's and Sensors somehow still can be found and have lots of followers!
I once had a heavy, marble Sensor handle and it gave a great shave.
If you're looking for something heavier than a disposable, you might look for a vintage Sensor or Trac II handle.

As far as shave cream, I can't offer a lot of help; sensitivities vary so much from person to person that you might just have to experiment around to find a formulation that works best for you. Consider as well some unscented shave soaps, as I find that shave soaps generally have less fragrance and sensitivity issues than creams.

Enjoy your explorations!

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I second the Trac II suggestion. If you want a heavier razor there are many vintage handles to be found such as those by International Silver. The Schick Super II cartridges interchange, so you can use those handles as well. Also, Personna still makes Trac II cartridges.
 
If you like the old twin blade razors, you may want to take a look at the Maxwell June razor. It uses a standard DE blade but snaps it in two pieces (not exactly in half) using a special tool and seats it like a dual-blade disposable or cartridge razor. Best of both worlds: The comfort and ease of use of a twin blade cartridge razor but the eco-friendliness of a DE razor.
 
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I too love the Gillette Trac II. I don't use it often since I got hooked on the DE and SE razors we use around here but there will always be a place in my heart for a 2 blade razor that the head does not swivel. They give a great shave.

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Thanks All. Regarding aftershave, I thought the purpose of alcohol was to close the pores which in turn reduces ingrowing hairs. Is that correct, and if so does balm have any similar properties?
 
I am also on the TracII bandwagon. Its a great razor but I prefer the Personna blades WITH the strip to the standard blades. However you can still get TracII blades if you wish, from Gillette. As for a good cooling aftershave that wont break the bank, I dont think you can beat Skin Bracer IMHO. It has enough alcohol to be mildly disinfectant, which is the reason for the alcohol, and enough menthol to be cooling on a summer day. Pinaud Lime Sec is good also. As for balms, they are mostly to sooth and moisturize the skin. Im not big on them in the summer as they seem to make my skin feel oily. Especially when I sweat.
 
I have come to the same conclusion as yourself and love using either a Gillette Sensor2 or Bic Twin Select alongside TOBS creams lathered up with a nice badger brush. I don’t like pivoting heads or goo strips so I have limited options.

2 blades is way better than 1, 3 is way too many for me. Live and learn, and use whatever works!

We need a cartridge forum.

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I have come to the same conclusion as yourself and love using either a Gillette Sensor2 or Bic Twin Select alongside TOBS creams lathered up with a nice badger brush. I don’t like pivoting heads or goo strips so I have limited options.

2 blades is way better than 1, 3 is way too many for me. Live and learn, and use whatever works!

We need a cartridge forum.

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Check this Modern Shaving Systems - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/forums/modern-shaving-systems.271/
 
De/straight razor user here, though when I go away holiday, weekends etc I take a trac ll.
Same here, although when I travel I take an Excel, mostly because I still have several old Excel handles. Expensive blades though (compared to DE); I always wait until I have a 40% coupon at CVS.
 
Same here, although when I travel I take an Excel, mostly because I still have several old Excel handles. Expensive blades though (compared to DE); I always wait until I have a 40% coupon at CVS.
Blades are the issue, even with the trac blades here in the UK I have to go online
 
Like others here I use a DE (Yates 921) when home and the 7'O'clock Trac II clone ($4.72 on Amazon) when travelling. I bought 100 personna cartridge's for about $12 off amazon which makes it super cheap. I have a couple Sensor handles but the cartridges are more expensive so I don't use those.
 
Trac II (or GII in the UK) is a great system. However I too struggle to find carts without the lube strip. Paired with a nice handle the no-lube carts are hard to beat.

However, I would suggest you should try the Gillette Guard too if you can find it. Not just the best cart razor I have ever used, but maybe the best overall shaver (and I have used many varieties of DE, SE and cart systems!)

Arko Sensitive cream is not perfume free (it has a light lavender fragrance) but it worked great on my sensitive skin. It is also very reasonably priced in most parts of the world. I can get a tube for £1.50 (approx $1.80).
 
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Arko Sensitive cream is not perfume free (it has a light lavender fragrance) but it worked great on my sensitive skin. It is also very reasonably priced in most parts of the world. I can get a tube for £1.50 (approx $1.80)
Where can make find inexpensive cream like arko for $2. I often see them as $10
 
Where can make find inexpensive cream like arko for $2. I often see them as $10
Europe, not sure what is available in the US.

If you want budget creams it’s hard to beat the Italian 500ml sizes (Proraso. Vitos) or the 1,000ml soft soap bricks (Cella, TFS, Vitos).

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