Daily shaving as a beginner. Questions.

All they had here was more VDH at least in the shaving section. Mayhap I was looking in the wrong place. Probably a regional thing is my best guess.

 

By the way, time and practice will likely resolve this.

 

I was guessing so too. But I figured I'd check with everyone cause I'd love to knock down the stubble but the wife is hell bent that I need to give it a break. I guessed if I could gather sufficient information on if it's kosher or not I could convince her cool her jets. As nice Sunday evening shave sounds sooooooo good right now.

 

I also recommend cold water shaves. I use them about 10-11 months out of the year.

 

Definitely gonna give those ago! I imagine a cold blast from the water is crazy refreshing.

 

I can't remember what brand Dollar General blades are.

 

Dollar General? Don't have those here haha

 

Give your face time to calm down (sounds like you are doing that). I had problems, too, when I first started. In my opinion, blades can make a difference, but they are all pretty sharp and any of them will generally do a decent job. But, all of us have our favorites. Order a starter pack from an on-line vendor and give several of them a chance. You will probably find something that you love and it won't cost you an arm and a leg.

But, really, all of the advice here about technique is what you should really pay attention. If you want to shave everyday good gear helps, but good technique will help you make your daily shave consistent and comfortable. I would take a look at that the 30 Day Rule/Focus. You can get to the bottom of any issue pretty quickly and learn how to avoid, work-around or correct the problem. This will help you understand how to use new gear and will help you collect a list of things that work best for your technique. Your face will love you for it.

Welcome to the Den.

 

Looks like its a moot point, but Dollar General has the lower end Dorco blades (I forget the number).

As stated above, a "bad" blade can make learning tougher, but technique is almost certainly the root cause here. We've all been there. My advice? Order 50 or 100 Astra SPs online for $5 or $10, and put the blade question behind you. It's a good blade for most people. Then do practice your technique (i.e. shave and learn from your mistakes). With time and practice, anyone should be able to get an irritation free shave on a DE.

The more you fiddle with changing out blades, razors, brushes and soaps, the tougher it will be to learn. Kinda like learning to swing a baseball bat. It doesn't matter what bat you use until you get the swing mechanics down. Once you practice enough to have muscle memory to have a good solid swing, then look around for a better bat for you. Until then, it just takes time and practice. Again, the 30 day focus thread is a great place to ask questions along the way.

 

Another quick question since this thread is still alive. I was eyeballing my VDH razor and noticed one side had more blade exposure than the other. How bad can the wreck a shave or ones face?

 

Well, the angle will be a little different from one side to the other. That may be all that it takes to scrape instead of cut. It's probably manageable, but something that you will need to consider with each pass. You, most likely, can adjust the position of the blade before closing it that last final twist (it's a TTO, correct?). Or, with some practice, you can probably figure out if there is a certain position that the blade needs to be in when you drop it in. Might take a couple of tries to get it right.

 

BTW... Aloe vera gel and vitamin E oil works wonders on razor burn. You can usually get both in one lotion, cream or balm.

 

Yeah it's TTO I can move it so the extra bit of the blades tabs are evenly aligned but I can't fiddle the actual blades into alignment doesn't have enough play.

 

Duely noted! Thanks again everyone.

 

So, you might think about getting an old Gillette Super Speed. The image is a Flair Tip, but there are several others. I think these are, perhaps, most common.

Most of the inexpensive TTOs are based on these old razors. They are pretty reasonable price wise (eBay, Etsy, etc.) and most of are very serviceable. They might take a little clean up. I have a couple and neither has any that have alignment issues.

 

Equipment isn't usually the issue, but if the razor is defective (i.e. blade out of alignment) it could definitely be a problem. If I had to do it over again at the beginning, here's what I'd do: Spend $30 (or more if you want to, but not necessary) for a starter kit at Stirling. That way you'll know your soap, your blades, and all your equipment is up to par. (I'd probably get some extra Astra SPs as well). Do a 30 day rule (i.e. only use the soap, razor, blades, and brush in the kit for 30 shaves - no gear changes), and it's just about you and practicing your technique. Do a 30 day rule, ask questions on this forum (best place is the 30 day rule thread), and you'll be a pro by next month. Just my $.02, but if you follow that advice, I'll be shocked if you don't have great results.

https://www.stirlingsoap.com/starter-shave-kit-budget/

 

Luckily I have a good brand name razor on the way. I'll just stick with it for a good while before any more are sent to my door step. That the actual picture from the listing.

 

I have no doubts that Fat Boy will make you happy. A great thing is if it ever needs work or adjustments there are plenty that can do that, but it's built like a tank and should out last you.

 

Awesomeness! That's pretty much what I wanted out of it!

 

Yes! Great catch.