Hi, everyone. New here, had my third DE shave this morning. I'm using a 1960 Super Speed, Personna blade from Wal-Mart, OC Bigelow cream mixed in a mug and applied with a VDH brush from Wal-Mart. At this point, I am making 2 passes, WTG. My face is smooth, but not BBS by any means, but no cuts either. I am concentarting on trying to get the correct angle on the razor and trying not to press too hard. Previously I used a Gillette Fusion Multi-blade and Nivea sensitive shaving cream and shaved in the shower. I am curious about the following: 1. I just got an economy sampler pack from WCS with a pack of Derby, Crystals, Dorco and REd Pack Isreali's. I'm sure these are all better then the wal-mart blades--any suggestion as to which blade to use next? 2. My lather seems thin and seems to dry out on my face. The "thinness" makes me think I have too much water, but the drying out, too little water? Unsure about that. 3. Between getting out of the shower and mixing my lather, my face dries, so I have to re-wet it--am I losing the advantage of showering before shaving? Thanks in advance for you help!
Welcome to the Den Don't use any of those regularly so I can't advise. Don't sell the American Personnas (the Walmart blades) short; they've always worked well for me. If the lather is too thin then yeah, probably too much water. It dries out fast because there's not enough soap to hold the moisture. No, your skin is still well hydrated after your shower, but why not use a hot moist towel as well anyway? They feel really nice and you can't hydrate too much when you shave. Best Regards goshawk
Welcome to the Den! FWIW, all of the blades you have are considered great by some and all are considered not great by some. If it were me, I'd try the Red IP blades next. Happy Shaves!
What a great username you have, and fantastic show to be a fan of, I'm working on the third season on Netflix now myself. Welcome to The Shave Den! A great community of guys and gals that enjoy wet shaving, I hope you enjoy your stay! Be sure to sign up for the April Newbie Give-Away for a chance to win some great shave gear! While its not required, how about you hop over to the Newbies Section and give yourself a proper introduction thread, I'm sure you'll receive many warm welcomes from the friendly folks of this community. Seems like Goshawk has you covered on your cream question, and like Tom says, blades will be a very personal choice.
Thanks! I think I will stick with the blade I'm using for the rest of teh week and use a differnet one on Sunday. I used a little less water this morning to lather, I also read in another thread that it takes a week or two for the brush to get broken in, so I'll see how it goes over the next week or two.
Welcome to TSD! Some tips! Keep practicing! For now, don't mind that you don't get BBS. You started out in the right way. Experiment with the blade angle, do short strokes, try holding the razor from the base of the handle. Now for the lather. Be generous with yourself, and load the brush with MORE soap/cream that you THINK you should. The soap or cream will last quite allot so don't panic. And I think you, like many of us, will end up having lots of shaving software. So be generous with yourself. Let us know how you are doing.
WELCOME to the den. I agree with all the advise given above. I had some problems with my Bigelow at first also. Mostly because I was trying to make my soap tube last as long as it could so I was not using enough soap. Once I increased my "snurdle" a bit I was getting enough lather for 3/4 passes and a touch up. I always save that bit of lather that is inside my brush for the touch up pass. Just pull the brush between your thumb and index finger and BAM a nice amount of perfect lather comes out and is sweet for touch ups! Happy shaving
