ViewtifulJC
Banned
Sterilize your razor blades after every use.
From the looks of your face, you need a topical bactroban and vitamin A compound to reduce the scarring, and get rid of the acne rash.
Anything you'd recommend?
Sterilize your razor blades after every use.
From the looks of your face, you need a topical bactroban and vitamin A compound to reduce the scarring, and get rid of the acne rash.
I have long had difficulties when it comes to shaving. I have very sensitive skin, so my face constantly breaks out when I shave it.
Out of desperation, I decided to go old school, and picked up the following off of Amazon:
Merkur Model 180 Long Handled Safety Razor
100% Pure Badger Bristle Shaving Brush with Rosewood Handle
Proraso Shaving Cream
100 Shark Super Chrome Double Edge Safety Razor Blades
And I've continued using my Nivea for Men After Shave Replenishing Balm. For a supermarket aftershave, it's pretty damn good.
Two weeks later, I've already seen a huge difference. I still get a little bit of irritation, but not nearly as much as I used to. It's also the closest shave I've had in my entire life. I haven't perfected the motion yet, but I'm getting closer with every shave.
While the initial investment is high, you're actually saving money in the long run. Double-edged razor blades are dirt cheap - we're talking 10-15 cents per blade - and high-quality shaving soaps/creams will last you for months. If anyone else is dissatisfied with their current routine, I highly suggest going old school.
Any other old school GAF shavers out there? Super old school straight razor shavers are welcome as well.
Here was BertramCooper's opening post in a safety razor thread.
I have long had difficulties when it comes to shaving. I have very sensitive skin, so my face constantly breaks out when I shave it.
Out of desperation, I decided to go old school, and picked up the following off of Amazon:
...
Two weeks later, I've already seen a huge difference. I still get a little bit of irritation, but not nearly as much as I used to. It's also the closest shave I've had in my entire life. I haven't perfected the motion yet, but I'm getting closer with every shave.
While the initial investment is high, you're actually saving money in the long run. Double-edged razor blades are dirt cheap - we're talking 10-15 cents per blade - and high-quality shaving soaps/creams will last you for months. If anyone else is dissatisfied with their current routine, I highly suggest going old school.
It's fair to note that the Buyer's Guide only considers razors currently in production.
It's become abundantly clear that you aren't currently interested in vintage alternatives and that's fine. I was just presenting the option to people which may be interested if they had thought to consider the idea.
I wasn't trying to start a new vs. old safety razor flame, which might actually be a GAF first.
Mantic59's youtube tutorials are pretty damn good at explaining every part of the shave.
I recall a few people in this thread wondering about the shaving creme/soap lather. Watch this.
Yeah, I watched a lot of them, but all the filler is annoying.
So, I see some people putting some water on the soap in it's tub and some not while letting the brush soak in water.
Any aftershave recommendations other than the Nivea sensitive? I previously used it but stopped because it didn't seem to do much.
A helpful review said:Pros: Reliable, Compact, Easy To Use
This is alcohol with bay leaf oil in it, bay leaf oil is the base fragrance in many great smelling bay rum aftershave and colognes. Superior 70 has a very pleasant and light smelling bay leaf smell to it, its not really "bay rum" im my opinion as it doesn't have the other tradtional additions like cinnamon, clove, and various spice oils. But it is a very nice, uncomplex smelling alternative for anyone who likes bay rum to use as a aftershave.
I use Superior 70 Bay Rum.
It's a basic bay rum with 69% alcohol by volume and bay oil, nothing else. There is no clove or spice just a very mild single note bay scent. It's used for everything from aftershave to arthritic joints. Great stuff and only $2.50 for 12 ounces. You'll find it in areas with a higher hispanic population.
69% alcohol? Yikes. That'd probably be too much for my extremely sensitive skin.
I just realized that I have a tube of Art of Shaving unscented aftershave somewhere in my bathroom- maybe I'll test it out later since I like shaving cream so much.
Finally got my stuff. Very excited to try this out tomorrow.
Realize I didn't order a quality aftershave, but I know earlier in this thread people mentioned some basic face/acne cleanser that does the trick, so that's what I've been using before. Not so much as aftershave, but just been a face cleaning ritual for as long as I remember now. Figure for the most part my acne just came from bad shaving anyway, so maybe I don't need it now.
Maybe I'm just thinking too much, but it seems like I'm putting a lot of stuff on my face and that can't be good either.
If you wash your face with a cleanser after you shave and use a moisturizer, you shouldn't really need an aftershave unless you get bad razor burn.
I'd probably get a stand for your brush, you don't want it to get moldy or anything from improper storage.
Did my first shave with a Derby blade.
My lather and application was pretty horrible but I completed the shave with three with the grain passes and no cuts.
Is it bad to do touch up without lather? I did around my lips and some parts of my chin can be hard. Didn't feel burn.
I'll improve and learn. I know my passes weren't great because I didn't map my beard.
The verdict is I really like having two sides to alternate between,not having my hair pulled, and not having whiskers get stuck between blades.
Edit: Oops, only washed the brush bristles with water. Is soap needed?
Those who are about to shave, we salute you!
---
ShaneB, starting off with Feathers. Remember, apply no additional pressure. Let the weight of the razor do the job. You won't want to be keeping that brush in that container. It needs to air dry.
Edit: Oops, only washed the brush bristles with water. Is soap needed?
Should the brush be stored upside down on a stand/holder, or should they be sitting on the handle? I think I read somewhere that they should sit on the handle but then I see all the stands holding them upside down.
Doesn't matter. They sit upside down in the stand because the stand will only fit around that part of the brush and it just looks better upside down than with the brush towering high above the rest of the set. There are pics out there of both and it just looks better with it hanging upside down.
I use a deep Starbucks coffee mug as my shaving bowl. So once I'm done shaving and wash everything out, I stand the brush on it's handle inside the mug and it goes into the cabinet under the sink.
Those who are about to shave, we salute you!
gaf is getting creeped on hardcore guys.... check the 'gaming' link :lol:
http://sharpologist.com/2012/01/we-are-everywhere-shaving-discussions-in-non-shaving-forums.html
Heh, thanks!
I got all my kit now, waiting for a non-work day (Saturday) before I go to town with this, giving myself a decent amount of time to learn how to shave with a DE.
Can't wait, frankly!
Yo blogger, I don't know what's amazing about it. This is the off-topic section. Doesn't matter what the on-topic section is.gaf is getting creeped on hardcore guys.... check the 'gaming' link :lol:
http://sharpologist.com/2012/01/we-are-everywhere-shaving-discussions-in-non-shaving-forums.html
I don't even know. I'll do my next shave tonight or tomorrow and tell you in more detail.How was your lather? Was it soapy, bubbly? Runny? Describe it. When I first started, I was using too little water.
For really small clean ups, like right around the lips? You should be fine with just water. I wouldn't be making any strokes bigger than say 1/8" though. Each person's skin is different, you'll know fairly quickly if you've gone a little too far.
About mapping your face: Once you've made a good first pass, rub your face and neck and you'll begin to get a decent idea of how your hair grows. I've never sat down and mapped my face. Over time, I've just become familiar with my growth patterns.
Water is fine. When you think about it, you would be rinsing out soap with more soap. When I rinse my brush I run it under the tap and thumb over the bristles until I don't see soapy bubbles.
I meant when first buying. But I also wanted, yet didn't ask, more clarification on post shave drying which you guys touched on.If it's a badger hair brush, no... just water will do.
However, after you've gotten all the cream or soap out of it, flick it towards the sink numerous times so that you get the remaining water out of it. The hairs will actually perk right up and it'll even look dry as the hair sheds water really well. It'll be damp but not soaking wet. It'll dry a lot faster this way.
Does anyone here use Edwin and Jagger products? I live in Vancouver and it seems like our options are somewhat limited (not to mention this stuff is damn expensive).
Yo blogger, I don't know what's amazing about it. This is the off-topic section. Doesn't matter what the on-topic section is.
We all shit, eat, shave, fuck, watch movies, like candy, etc.
Communities like to discuss things with each other.
I think the point is that wetshaving appears to be rebounding a bit. I'd be interested in whether merkur or feather and such have seen a rise in sales recently.
I bet it has. When the metrosexual movement sputtered out thousands of men had developed burgeoning interests in style and grooming, but were put adrift, lost with no direction. And what they've discovered is that direction existed all along, and it was stuff their grandfathers did.I think the point is that wetshaving appears to be rebounding a bit. I'd be interested in whether merkur or feather and such have seen a rise in sales recently.
I bet it has. When the metrosexual movement sputtered out thousands of men had developed burgeoning interests in style and grooming, but were put adrift, lost with no direction. And what they've discovered is that direction existed all along, and it was stuff their grandfathers did.
gaf is getting creeped on hardcore guys.... check the 'gaming' link :lol:
http://sharpologist.com/2012/01/we-are-everywhere-shaving-discussions-in-non-shaving-forums.html
I was going through some old boxes in my attic yesterday, and found the article that I've scanned and posted with this post (the magazine cover image is above; the actual article, as a PDF, is linked below.) In light of my recent conversion to DE shaving, maybe some of you will be interested in the story behind it...
I was 27, it was 1989, and I was at my first serious job, working as a reporter in New York at a magazine covering the advertising and marketing industry. Gillette was my beat, and the company was about to announce a new, "secret" razor. The pressure to figure out what the company was doing before the official announcement was intense; I was in the chase with the business writers at the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and all the other magazines in town that covered the company.
And I got the scoop by heading down to the US patent office and tediously going through all of Gillette's recent patents, then comparing them to what issue we thought Gillette's product might address, which - we believed - was the increasing marketshare being garnered by the Good News product, which had commoditized the company's business. I confirmed the info by calling the Gillette designer listed on the patents, who told me I was right. He probably shouldn't have, and he probably got in trouble (more on that in a second.)
Though we didn't get the name of the product - it would be called "Sensor" - I pretty much nailed the design, with the spring-loaded cartridges and the improvements (debatable!) on the Atra/Trac II designs.
...
- Dan
Adweek August said:On Oct. 3, with great fanfare and a huge ad budget, Gillette plans to unveil a shaving system that returns to it's marketing roots: Selling the blade and not the razor. Will U.S. Patent No. 4,756,083 help stem the bleed on profits caused by disposables?
Yup. He's really helped a whole lot of people.That's actually Mantic59, the guy that makes all of those videos. Some of them were a great help to me when I was starting out.
Anyone looking for a dirt cheap straight razor...?
http://www.straightrazor.co/c=p0InQ...turing-Americas-1-Selling-Straight-Razor.html
$35 with shipping with strop with lifetime warranty @_@
I'm a black guy, and after seeing this thread and doing a lot of research I picked up an Edwin Jagger. It's said that the single blade razor is best for black men because multi-blade razors shave too far under the skin, so our curly hair is more prone to cause ingrowns and bumps and other irritation.
I haven't had to shave regularly for the last 3 years, but I will probably have to soon. Just did my first shave with the DE which took 25 minutes from start to clean-up. Didn't cut myself or anything, got a decent shave from 2 passes that would pass military inspection.
I might wait a couple days before I shave again to see if the 'less ingrown/razor bumps' theory is alleviated, because I have a lot of friends who are pretty much ready to jump onto this if it doesn't affect me since I have had major problems with it in the past. It really is a huge problem for black guys.
I'll definitely need a lot more practice, though.
My starter kit, minus the brush and Proraso cream.
http://yfrog.com/obw2zxcj
I'm a black guy, and after seeing this thread and doing a lot of research I picked up an Edwin Jagger. It's said that the single blade razor is best for black men because multi-blade razors shave too far under the skin, so our curly hair is more prone to cause ingrowns and bumps and other irritation.
I haven't had to shave regularly for the last 3 years, but I will probably have to soon. Just did my first shave with the DE which took 25 minutes from start to clean-up. Didn't cut myself or anything, got a decent shave from 2 passes that would pass military inspection.
I might wait a couple days before I shave again to see if the 'less ingrown/razor bumps' theory is alleviated, because I have a lot of friends who are pretty much ready to jump onto this if it doesn't affect me since I have had major problems with it in the past. It really is a huge problem for black guys.
I'll definitely need a lot more practice, though.
My starter kit, minus the brush and Proraso cream.
http://yfrog.com/obw2zxcj
Just completed my first shave and it was...awful. Probably the least close shave I've ever had. I basically got down to a 5 o'clock shadow. Not too much razor burn but I'm not really sure what I did wrong. I'll go watch some more YouTube videos and try to figure this out. Feel pretty stupid.
Also, I don't think I really like this razor. Unfortunately they sent me the plated, not lined version. I thought I wouldn't care but the all smooth surface makes the thing too damn slippery.
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