UPDATE: My very first double edge safety razor is on the way to my house right now! It's coming by mail. I got everything I need for the razor including blades, and shaving cream. I tried to buy cream and a brush but they wanted way too much money for it.
For blades, which I already mentioned, I bought three packs of five Astra SP blades, and for the cream I got a can of shaving cream Barbasol brand. I'm just so used in using Barbasol shaving cream, I guess. I know it's wiser to use brush and soap but I can't afford it right now.
You can use whatever trips your trigger, no need to apologize to anyone around here. There is also something to be said for taking up one aspect of this at a time. If money is an issue when you are thinking about a brush, consider a synthetic from Stirling Soap, or Maggard Razors. You can get something that will perform as well as anything out there, for about $15 shipped to your house. My second choice recommendation would be to look at Omega boars. You can get great brushes starting at $10 on Amazon. Soaps can also be as cheap or expensive as you want them to be. If you take Stirling soap for example, it costs you $13.00 for a tub, but you can shave out of it for months. It's pennies a shave. Anyway, when you get ready to jump there are tons of threads on here with good suggestions, or start a new one. It isn't like we don't like to talk about this kind of stuff. Congrats on the new stuff headed your way. Check us out on the 30 Day Rule/Focus thread when you get ready.
Do whatever works for you. I enjoy reading about all the soaps, creams etc the guys on hear love, but I keep it simple just use the nivea shave cream from the drug store because it works for me. The thing I did add based on what I heard here was using an Osma alum block. Works awesome post shave to staunch any nicks and along with the switch to DE shaving it eliminated all the persistent irritation I'd always had to deal with for years. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk
If you take a look in the Market Place tab, and go to Freebies there is a new posting in which a guy is giving away two nice looking Badger brushes to a newbie who has never owned on before. If you are really serious I might could find a soap to pass along or something. To me the shaving soap and brush really go along way to having a good shave. I also believe that the post shave can be just as important. See if you can find some piunaud clubman aftershave around locally ( I know cvs and possibly a few other drug stores carries it.), as well as a decent post shave balm. I hear nievia is very nice ( don't know if I spelled that right, but know wal-mart carries it). The post shave balm and aftershave will set you back about $15, but doing a few things like this will help eliminate poor shaves, and frustration that could lead to you giving up on it.
It would be nice if some of the donations that are contributed to this forum could go towards a fund to help out newbies that are strapped for cash, or have a significant other that won't allow the initial start up cost. It would be difficult to determine who is really serious. I get that, but this would be an offer of products not cash as a board operated PIF. Possibly even create an exchange where vendors could trade a little advertisement for discounted rates to the forum, and then the forum distribute products not cash to those they feel are deserving. Don't know just spit balling here.
Shave Cream- C O Bigelow Premium(Bath & Body Works) made by Proraso. It's the same as Proraso Green in the tube, $10.
Good luck and enjoy many great shaves, but remember it takes time to get you technique in the groove. Stay with it and look forward to hearing your adventure! Steve
Hope you get many good shaves and remember to get a good blade sample pack! Astra SP are not bad blades, but not the perfect for everyone.
I think it was a Schick Krona, a nice razor to start out with. Some good advice here. Also another place to look for things would be Italian Barber, good prices and products.
A good super cheap cream not requiring a brush is Kiss My Face, way cheaper per shave than Barbasol and excellent in all respects. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
