Wet Shaving Products for Dummies! I had too much free time on my hands this week and decided to write this “Primer” for newcomers to Wet Saving. It is based solely on my own experience. It focuses on using double edge razors. Disclaimer: This will be the ultimate YMMV! One thing that is very difficult in the beginning, is trying to narrow down which products to try. There are many very good razors, blades, brushes, and soaps out there. You cannot count the number of “What is the best razor, blade, soap, or brush to start with?” threads posted. I certainly posted my fair share! I am just going to recommend some items that work for me and have great track records generally. I highly recommend following GDCarrington’s sage advice about sticking with the same razor, blade, soap, and brush for the first 30 days while you are learning to develop your technique. Here are some suggestions for items I have used and like. It may save you some time and money in experimenting: Razors-If you want to use a new razor, I can recommend the Cadet (RazoRock) and Maggard razors. They are inexpensive and easy to shave with. I personally prefer the vintage Gillette’s. The Tech’s, Superspeed’s, and the Slim are all excellent with very low learning curves. If you are patient, you can still find some good deals on them. I have not paid over $25 for any of my vintage Gillette’s. Remember, less pressure is your friend! Blades-Do not order a sample pack. I have yet to see one that does not have a “stinker” or two in it. Instead, just order 5-packs of 5 different blades. There are several great vendors where you can get about any blade you want. I recommend picking from the following to try as a good cross-section to start with: Gillette Silver Blue, Personna Med Prep, Voskhod or Rapira Swedish Supersteel, Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow SE, and Israeli Red Personna. (Yes, I know, I could list 5 more that are just as good to try.) Different blades will perform differently in different razors. Don't give up on blade right away, try it in another razor and/or in a few months when your technique is better too. Soaps-I consider these “must tries”. They are all good performers, even in hard water. These will let you try soaps, croaps, creams, and a stick: Proraso Green Tree & Oat (The White Tub), Tabac (refill puck is less expensive to try), Cella, La Toja or Proraso Blue Cream, Speick Stick. None of these will break the bank. Brushes-I started with a Van der Hagen Boar from their Premium Shave Set. It worked just fine. For your first Silvertip, I recommend a Whipped Dog ($30-$35 shipped). Mine is 22mmx48mm. I also recommend the WD Synthetic ($22 shipped) for a good travel brush. Mine is 24mmx58mm (higher loft seems better for the Synthetic). For a good inexpensive Boar, I went with the Omega 10066-24mmx54mm ($9.00). There are many good Omega’s and Semogue’s for under $15. The 2:1 rule is a good guideline overall with the loft of the knot twice the size of the width of the knot at the base. Aftershaves: This is really too personal to make many suggestions. I can recommend the LEA Aftershave Balsam for a good conditioning balm. I could re-write this with completely different products that I have and still be on target. Everyone here will have a slightly different list. That is one of the nice things about wet shaving. There are plenty of very good options. I hope however, that you can find one or two things in this that will help you. I just wanted to give a good starting point to work from with products that have worked well for me. I see too many posts that start out: “Well, I have read that such and such is good…..” based on no personal experience. As I stated at the beginning, this is the ultimate “Your Mileage May Vary”, but these have all worked for me. I can also almost guarantee that no one will agree with me on everything here! Good Luck! Bob
Some very good practical suggestions, Bob! I can't really disagree with any of the points you make. Since shaving is a 'personal' task, we all have our own preferences, but this list provides some good info for those wishing to learn where to go and what to buy in wet-shaving.
nice have just tried cream in a tube vs in a can. cannot make cream lather as i do not have a brush yet the cream makes a slick face for a close shave.
Great advice. But I have to say I love my sample pack. There were some blades in my sample pack that got bad reviews so I was reluctant to try them. Turns out one of them became my favourite. One mans stinker can be another mans go to blade.
Nice write-up, Bob. *insert boilerplate disclaimer about the blades that you like not necessarily working for New Shaver X, particularly if his razor is different*
i found that tryablade.com allowed me to create my own blade sampler. i was able to buy 1-5 of the blades i was interested in, and liked that i had total control. i agree that pre-built samplers have some duds built into the pack. great advice..thanks for sharing.
