Hello there - I'm a new guy from MA that finally started using double-edged razors in the 6th decade. My Dad - not granddad - used a straight razor all his life and kept a few double-edge Gillettes for traveling. I would watch him strop that thing for what seemed forever to a 6 year old although it was probably a few minutes. Then the foam or shaving soap and brush, then fussing with the aftershave. Looking back, it was probably his "me time" when no one could bust in with requests. I used an electric razor all my life on my thin blonde facial fuzz. Like, if I tried to grow a beard my face would simply look out-of-focus. One pass every two days was plenty. I tried twin-blade disposables that corroded in two days - shave once, leave it for two days, and it would feel like a serrated steak knife. My brother suggested returning to real blades. Ho-kay, I'll just get one from the store and --- Nope. No DE razors, blades, or shaving soap in the stores. WTH? Search online and find the dang things are now collectibles. $150 for an old Gillette. $40 bars of shaving soap. $235 boar bristle brushes? Really? I just wanna shave. I start reading forums like this and find - Noxzema still exists! Wilkinson Sword is still considered a good blade. (I grew up with those brands) You can find new twist-to-open razors. And, it's OK to start with simple stuff. On Amazon I order up a Weishi, some Nivea shave cream, and an assortment of 60 blades. They are delivered in 3 packages, a week apart. Sometimes Amazon Prime is too efficient. The razor arrives last and I try it that night. Plug in the Ying Li blades that came with the razor. Use too much Nivea and get it all over the place. Take a few swipes and - ahhhh! It just glides across. Keep going, wipe off with warm water and finish with simple witch hazel. Me time. Now I get it. -Doug
NOW YOU GET IT! Glad that you landed here at TSD, Doug. It is a great community of shavers. Join us on The Shave of the Day thread. It is fun, and you will see all kinds of products. And please Mark YOUR location on the TSD map - instructions here.
Welcome aboard! I love your description of your start. Shaving will never be the same. This is the friendliest and best place on the web. Glad to have you along.
to TSD "Epimetheus" Glad your here. It's so nice to rediscover that "traditional" shaving still exists isn't it!
Thank you for the warm welcome. Shave of the Day, eh? Sounds good. I've been taking notes on most days to see what feels best. In a database. ('peuter wonk. Sry.) As a beginner, some things don't go so good. Or just weird. -Doug Oh, and the handle "Epimetheus"? That's the other mythology guy. Prometheus is fore-thought. Epimetheus is after-thought. Like, dang, I knew I forgot something.
A warm welcome to you from North Texas. You might want to take a look at some of the references contained in my signature line below for discussions of the 30 Day systems and more on shaving hardware and software. With that being said ... Welcome to the Den. We know you'll fit right in. So grab yourself a comfy chair, and give our threads a spin! Burma Shave
