Thoughts on my first 30 days

Having just completed my first month of DE shaving, I thought I'd throw out some of my thoughts. Feel free to throw your own in your own thoughts here too. YMMV after all.

1. Prep and lather are the most important part of the shave for me. I've got some tough whiskers and if I don't soften them up, I can't get a blade through them smoothly. Dry lather doesn't help either. I like mine wet and slippery. I'd much rather have a bit too much water in mine than not enough. As long as it's not runny of course. If I've done good prep and got a good slick lather, just about any blade I've tried works pretty well. VDH (Van Der Hagen) soap is cheap, easily found and gives a good cushiony and slick lather. I also use it for my prep. After a hot towel, I just brush it on and let it sit there for a few minutes. Then freshen it up with a brush after dipping the tips in water before shaving. I'd recommend VDH for any newbie.

2. Blades seem less important. I'm not really trying to buck the conventional wisdom of buying a blade sampler as a newb, but for me, I think I would have done just as well buying a few packs of a blade that most people seem to like and just knowing that any problems I have are probably my technique and not the blades. I'm thinking Astra SP's or Wally Wilkies are a good beginner's blade. They're sharp enough but still smooth and forgiving.

I'll probably think of some more but need to get ready for work now.

 

But I do not agree with the blades. For me that is what made the biggest difference. The Merkur left half of my face raw feeling because that was all I used it on. My Astras are very smooth and the difference was like night and day.

 

I have no doubt that you're right Ryan. I'm just saying as a brand new DE shaver, I can't tell much difference between lots of blades yet. When I was trying out blades, I tore myself up pretty well with a Shark SS. I went and checked out what other people say about them and they seem to get sort of mixed reviews. It's hard to find much negative press on Astra SPs though. So it seems they work well for a majority of people and that's why I'd say one of the blades that most people like is a better place to start than a random sampling of different brands.

Believe it or not, I used the 1 Merkur blade that came with my Futur and I didn't think it was that bad. This was about a week or two in so that could just be an illustration of a newbie not being able to feel the subtle differences between blades. It's probably bad to draw conclusions from one blade though and I'm not going to go buy more because they're not worth what they ask for them.

 

I agree with the other guys that you should try out the different blades to find out if variation there really is going to matter. And yes the whisker softening process is of paramount importance and am also favoring a wetter, more slippery product these days. You may want to experiment even further with lather consistency as well as both bowl and face lathering...

 

You are off to a good start, but I agree with the others about the blades. It took my husband & me several months of experimenting with blades & technique (which will change subtly) find what gave us best results.

 

I was also a newbie when I used them. This is another example of YMMV. But good choice in not buying them again. There are better blades at that price and cheaper that feel smoother and are more agressive. They are only priced that high because they say merkur on them

EDIT.
I used merkur also and I used them before hearing bad reviews about them. They are overpriced garbage. Astra SP are a good choice. I can get a bbs when put in my parker SR1- found out this morning . WHEN put them in my merkur 34c I can't get bbs. Not even with two atg. I used the shark blade that came with my shavette and felt the same way as you did.
Speaking about overpriced garbage... Did I hear about the artist who got 1 million dollars for a garbage can full of garbage?

 

Thanks everyone. I'm finding that even after a month, my technique is still getting better every day. I haven't given myself a nick or weeper in a couple weeks now. Maybe I'm lucky I've found several blades that can give me close comfortable shaves. It could be that after almost 30 years of cartridge razor shaving, almost any DE blade feels better. Maybe years of razor burn has cured me of any sensitive skin issues. I definitely plan to keep trying new blades. There's a 10-pack of Feathers that came in my sampler that I've been dying to break open. I might wait just a little longer for my technique to solidify first though.

 

You've definately been observant your first 30 days... You.ve certainly learned more than I did in my first 60 days!! Prep is critical at least for most people. Some people of course can take it or leave it, I actually know a guy who dry shaves on purpose...

Your thoughts on blades are also on the money I.M.O. especially for a newbie. After all how do you choose a blade when you no experience and nothing to compare it to. Blade reviews can be VERY important at this time in helping you make a choice for a blade to start with.. I started with and liked Wilkies and store branded Personnas, blades I could find locally. However you will find that with time and experience a blade sampler and trying out as many blades as possible, combined with improved technique can make a difference in your shave for the better. Technique is critical and will make a BIG difference!!

VDH is an excellent shave soap for a newbie or an old timer and in general can hold it's own against the competition...Brushes are something else that you start out cheap with(VDH boar) and as you research and time passes you find the one the you really like. I like the #6 Turkish Horse myself,because for me at least, they work and are INEXPENSIVE/CHEAP..

Something to remember is for the most part, all the various shave stuff works. It just findling the stuff that you prefer to use. It's one of the things that makes "traditional" shaving FUN.. Time,Technique,Practice and Patience will see you through to GREAT shaves!!!

Something fun for you to do is remember this post and then compare it to how you feel 6 months to a year from now...

 

I tried the store branded Personnas too and at first I thought they were fine. However, after running through a few of them I found they seem to give me an occasional weeper. It's not really that I could feel much of a difference but the results were not quite the same for me. I'll revisit those blades later but I'm going to lay off them for a bit. So, maybe I've just contradicted myself. I guess blades do matter. But if you read the reviews of those blades, they're pretty mixed as well so maybe not the best place to start?

 

It gets so confusing doesn't it...Things will change with time, at least thats been my experience....Things you like you begin to like less, things you disliked you start to like. Theres no BEST place to start.. Starting is all thats really important.....