I joined this forum several months ago and have enjoyed reading the posts. I purchased my first razor in February and have been slowly purchasing more shaving gear as my budget permits.

My original goal was two fold. I've always suffered from redness and mild bumps after shaving and read that using a DE razor could reduce the risk of such happening in the future. Also I wanted a cheaper alternative to using disposable razors to shave with daily.

After having read up some I ended up purchasing a Fatip Piccolo Double Edge Razor and some Astra Platinum Double Edged Razor Blades to begin my wet shaving journey. Since then I have purchased a boar hair shave brush as well as some Van Der Hagen Deluxe Shave Soap. I'm currently waiting for Amazon to ship my Witch Hazel and an Alum block I ordered earlier this evening.

Collectively I have spent approximately $80 on shaving gear and have enough to last me at least a year and a half, perhaps two years so I have achieved my goal of spending less money shaving in the long term. Unfortunately I still suffer from redness and shaving bumps after shaving. The Witch Hazel is supposed to help with redness so I'm hoping for the best.

While I wait I was wondering if any of you have recommendations as to what aftershave to use (currently I use Skin Bracer). I also welcome any other recommendations for razors, brushes, etc, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and I look forward to your responses!

hello and welcome

Hi!

to TSD "Shawn Hackett"

I hope you enjoy it here.

While your equipment is good it still may or may not work for your face/technique. Did you get a sample blade pack? Trying as many blades as you can greatly helps in your choice of a blade that works well for you. Time, technique, practice and patience are key to a good shave. In my experience technique trumps tools. So hang in there and work on your technique.
That said the Fatip is considered an aggressive razor, you may want to consider something a bit milder like a Gillette "FAT" handle tech, EJ89, Muhle or Parker. I own and use the Gillette, EJ89, Merkur 34C and Parker 97R all are considered mild, well made safety razors, they all shave well and aren't overly expensive.
Nothing wrong with "Skin Bracer" all I mostly use are the drug store or Dollar store clones of AS's like Aqua Velva, Old Spice, Barbasol and Clubman..
I hope this helps you some.

Welcome to TSD!

thanks for joining us, I'm glad your here!

Eddie,

Thank you for the prompt reply. Thus far I have only purchased the Astra blades however will go on the hunt for a variety pack of blades and perhaps a milder razor this weekend after my pay has posted to my account.

Hi you can find nice blade samplers here or build your own. www.tryablade.com some great blades include polsilver, voskhod, Gillette silver blue and many others. Ask for help and no question is silly these guys are great at helping and their advice has been and is immeasurable to me as I'm also a newbie. Have fun above all else!

Thank you, everybody, for the warm welcomes and for all the valuable information you've posted to this forum in the past!

Welcome Sir..
Billy..

Welcome to TSD.

Hi Shawn! Welcome to the Shave Den.

welcome! this is a great place!!

i do not know the fatip. however, i wholly second the motion for a blade sampler ... at a minimum. tryablade.com is also my goto for samplers; i really like the top10 sampler.

keep in mind that it's the "razor and blade combo" that is key ... (along with a good lather, good prep, little pressure, correct angle, and all the other stuff)

i've been trying a new razor the last few days, and one of my goto blades for my EJ89 is not nearly as nice to me in this new razor. so, i've now started another sampler with this new razor.

have fun and keep on keepin on ... the shaves will only get better!

I found a milder razor with an assortment of blades on eBay at this URL and was wondering if you guys could have a look and tell me what you think. Towards the bottom of the eBay listing their is a video demonstration of the razor in use and is compared to the Merkur 180 and the Edwin Jagger DE89.

After my third shave using actual shaving soap rather than canned shaving cream I ended up with a bloodless shave and only minimal redness today. That being said I am still considering a milder razor and trying some different blades.

while i have not used the razorock mission, i would say the opinion of the seller is pretty strong. all of my sons started on and currently use the 180, and i've used it a few of times. my first razor was the EJDE89lbl and is still my goto razor when trying a new soap or cream.

while it's true that neither razor has a 'solid brass' handle, i would not call either of them cheap or lacking balance. in fact, i would say both razors are nice middle-of-the-road (in terms of aggressiveness and blade gap/exposure) starter-and-beyond razors.

that said ... the mission might be a nice razor, too.

Thank you for the feedback!

Shawn, looks like you are off to a good start. I suggest you get a little spray bottle to put your WH in. After you shave, leave your face wet and rub the alum block all over. Let that air dry a bit while you clean up and then rinse it off and towel dry. Then apply the WH with a few short squirts and rub it over your face with the other hand.
This will make your WH last much longer. This is the point where I brush my teeth. Then I apply my after shave, also in a spray bottle. You can get these little bottles at
Wal-Mart or Target for about a buck each. A couple of my favorite AS are Aqua Velva and Pinaud Clubman.

Also of interest: http://www.jrshaving.blogspot.com/p/label-making.html

Thank you for the suggestion! I would have thought the Witch Hazel would be to thick for a spray bottle. I will pick up a few bottles next time I'm out!

Shawn,
Welcome to TSD. All good advice above. Although I have no experience of the Fatip, I've read it's regarded as quite aggressive, certainly for a DE newbie. As has been suggested already, you could either try an adjustable razor on low setting, a vintage Gillette Tech or one of the new breed of DE razors, like the Edwin Jagger range. I started with an EJ DE89 and although I now own several other razors I would never part with it.

Don't forget your shave prep is a key factor in trouble free shaving. Hot water prep, cold water rinse to close the pores and seal those little weepers. Alum block or styptic pencil to stop the ones that cold water doesn't.

Try one of those razors with a blade sample pack, experiment with soaps/creams and find the combinations that work for you. You'll be hooked like the rest of us!

Regards,
Chris