Hello guys: I am about to introduce my 16 year old son into DE shaving. He has been using the Gillette Fusion system (razor and goo) for a year and I am on a mission to deny Gillette of the outrageous profit they make on replacement cartridges. I would like your recommendations on the gear and methodology to get him into DE shaving with the least trauma and fuzz possible. Some specific questions I have are: Should I get my son a fixed or adjustable razor? I am thinking about getting him a Merkur razor. Any recommendations? Is any blade more appropriate than another for a young/newby shaver? Which one should I get him to try first? On the brush topic, would a "Best Badger" make more sense for a beginner than a Silvertip? Given the lack of patience for rituals teenagers have, should I get him a shaving cream as opposed to soap for speed sake? Perhaps even a brushless cream/gel? I plan to sit down with him to watch the Mantic videos and then do a demo session on my own face before proceeding with his own test. I intend to use my Merkur Vision for the trial, perhaps loaded with a Derby Blade (I got the West Coast Shaving Choice Blade Sample Pack). Any recommendations on the training methodology? Thank you all for sharing your knowledge!
I would let him share your stuff for a while. Seems like you have a selection of soaps and creams for him to experiment with, as well as a fine adjustable razor. If he takes to it, he may actually enjoy the process of picking his own stuff. Just a thought.
Good idea to try my stuff I was definitely going to do that before taking the plunge. I have the Vision razor and silvertip brush, the AOS Sandalwood cream, and the Zirh aloe shaving gel. Perhaps a Cella Sapone and a Pre de Provence order will come in next week to widen our options... My only concern is that he may get to like my Vision set TOOO much as it will be fairly expensive to get him his own set!
It sounds to me like you need to find an antique store or check the classifieds here or even e-bay Eliut. Buy a used vintage razor or so and try them out. There is no harm in having more than one. Or you could get him one of the lower priced Merkurs, which the two of you could still share. Personally, I'd go with a vintage adjustable by whichever means you can find it wallet friendly.
Hunting for a vintage might be fun Sounds fun to go through eBay to get an antique. Should he want a new unit I was considering the Merkur Progress...
1 - I'd go fixed. At 16 I know I would have messed with an adjustable too much and ruined my shaves. 2 - I don't own a Merkur. I'd consider a Vintage Tech or Superspeed as alternatives. 3 - Many of the popular, but not extremely sharp blades can work fine for a first shave. Some good ones are Crystal, Red Pack Personna, Dorco ST301, and Derby. 4 - The only advantage of starting with a Best Badger Brush would be that if it is mistreated or not liked, it's a smaller financial loss. You might even consider pure badger or boar. The Tweezerman badger brush is only about $15 and a Vulfix VS/5 boar is $10.50 at Bullgoose. 5 - While I personally prefer soaps, cream in general have a shorter learning curve and would be a good place to start. Go with something easy to lather. Some good options are Kiss My Face, TOOBS, and Proraso/C.O. Bigalow. I wouldn't go to brushless since the great brush crafted lather is such a big part of what makes the wet shaving experience so enjoyable.
Eliut, you never really say one way or another whether your son has shown any interest or curiosity about wet shaving. If he has he will take to it like a duck to water because he will think it was his idea. If not he may think it's just some weird thing that his old man does.
Who's idea is it? Actually... it's my idea. But truth be told, he just doesn't know anything about DE shaving because he's never seen it. I am myself discovering this new way of life. When I brought up the subject with him he was intrigued but also asked me to check on the "Rolling Razor" concept he'd heard about. I looked it up and then showed him the poor review they got in Badger And Blade. Now we are both waiting for the arrival of my Merkur Vision set to start experimenting...
That is what I did with mine and it has worked out quite well. Razor-wise, they started with a fat handled Tech and just kind of rotate through the collection to fit whatever mood they are in...same with the soap/cream Yeah, they have discovered that they like my Toggles, so they keep walking off... ________ herbalaire reviews
adjustable NO I did try an adjustable Gillette when a teen, borrowing my brother's, but I never could find a setting that seemed to work and it was nothing but frustrating. Go fixed, go mild and he can always pick up an old Fat Boy when he wants to experiment. Does he actually like old stuff of any kind? Perhaps shiny and new is more his speed. If so I can recommend the Weishi razors as inexpensive and mild on the face. You won't have spent a bundle if he finds it's not for him.
I have had the honor of getting my son into wet shaving just recently. It was probably the most/best bonding time we have had in a long time. I let him start out with the brush and mug and the Mach 3. He went on to to my 66 SS for the second shave and never looked back. Together we have been trying out other blades and soaps/creams so we are having a good time with it. I keep trying to get him to join the forum but he thinks that is two weird. Today we got him his own 71 Superspeed black handle. He really likes it. My 66 is the one on the bottom.
Sweet! He should really enjoy that razor. It's a major leaguer. If he gets to the point where he wants to get an adjustable, I can vouch for the Merkur Progress. A fine tool! As far as blades go, I only have a limited array, but my 2 favorites are the Dorco 300 and the Feather (not for a newbie). But every one must find the ones that suits them. Kudos on grabbing his interest and guiding him into this world of DE shaving.
An idea: maybe a shaving stick and lathering directly on the face (rather than in a mug) would strike him as "way cool" or at least, zippety muy mucho faster Speedy Gonzales, eee-pah andele andele.
My son tried it before asking me--just used my razor at the time. Let's just say that he results were a little less than acceptable. :happy102 But since he had shown an interest, it was a great deal of fun demonstrating proper use of blade and soap, and since then comparing notes on blades, brushes and the like. It's also a blast hunting razors with him. He now has a Weishi gun metal (which he loves), a red-tip SS (I traded him for his Old Style--he can't get a good shave out of it yet), and an Ever-Ready. If he still has peach fuzz, I'd definitely go with a mild shaver, especially starting out. No sense swatting flies with a cannon-ball. I would definitely avoid an adjustable--my first experiences with them were in my late teens, and it was just too tempting to be a "man." lol.
Vintage or new His first taste of DE shaving will be with a futuristic, high tech merkur vision. He's kind of high tech like Dad. But as I start showing him stuff I think he may want to go for a Merkur 38c with a blue handle.
Stick vs. bowl vs. goo for a teen In this I'll have to rely on your experience. I have never tried the stick myself. Looking at the Mantic videos I got the impression that working proper lather right on the face takes twice as long as doing it in a bowl. If anything, I think my teenager might be tempted to continue using the Gillette goo with the DE razor. Just out of laziness I presume. I'll try to get him to try all the options and then settle on one or two lathering techniques.
Great story Bill This is the sort of experience I am shooting for! I'll let you know how it goes. I'm hoping to conduct our first DE experiemnt this weekend!
My nephew is 16 as well, and has a pretty tough beard, but he is afraid of DE's. He shaves every day, but with a Mach 3, and Barbasol foam. I must to convert him to proper wetshaving. I will try to figure a way.
