Good afternoon, ladies and gents!

Welcome!! Holyrollah pretty well summed most of it up! Some of the things I used when I first started out was c.o. Bigalow shave cream from bath and body works. It's cheap shave cream but works really well. Van der Hagen from Walmart is great and they usually have kits for $8 with a bowl, brush and soap. This you may already have since you said you had soap from Walmart. Also if your wanting to try a pre shave oil, Shavesecret from Walmart is great stuff also! Hit up your local flea markets and get your self a razor. You can usually find vintage razors really cheap there, if you find one look around the forum on proper ways to clean a vintage razor. Don't be afraid to ask any questions in your journey of wet shaving, there is many guys and gals that are willing to help out! Good luck and shave on my friend!

 

Thank you all! Very cool place. Thanks for being so welcoming.

 

Welcome to the Den! I started like you, with a Van Der Hagen brush, bowl and soap kit from Walmart, and continued with a cartridge razor for a while. The brush and soap were definitely better than canned goo, and when I finally started with a DE it only got better.

 

That's what I'm after! I'm slowly trying to put it all together!

 

I will second the guys who are suggesting vintage. I started with a new razor and since I have tried a couple of vintage razors and love them. Ebay is great and if you do a quick search you can find some other sources as well. Just make sure that you clean it well, there are some threads here for that too. As for cream, soap and aftershave why not check out the TSD store. JoAnna makes some awesome products and Sara has some soaps on there too which I still need to try myself. They're really affordable and most everything comes in samples to help you choose.

I can't specifically attest to them yet but, there are a couple of good threads for Stirling Soaps around as well with high recommendations and they are very affordable.

It's all going to be about what you find that works best for you. Hang in there and enjoy the ride.

 

Hello. If youre looking for the absolute cheapest just to see if you like shaving with a de. You cant go wrong with a Lord aluminum razor and a Tweezerman brush with some Arko soap stick or cream. If you're willing to spend a little more for a little more quality I suggest an Edwin Jagger razor with an EJ brush perhaps and I'd still reccomend the Arko. I know however you will want to soon replace the first option with some better stuff in that case you can always give it away and make more converts.

As for blades get a sampler pack.

 

Here's some stuff I like, my tastes generally run to the less expensive items, especially for things like Shave Soaps and AfterShaves....I believe you should start cheap and work your way up, after all the cheap stuff just might work "VERY" well for you and if not, you can always spend more money.

Vintage razors: Gillette 3 piece Fat handle tech DE,Gem 1912 or EverReady 1924 "shovelhead SE

New razors: Edwin Jagger 89,Sabi T2 or Cadet OC...If you can afford and would prefer stainless steel instead of pot metal Weber SS 3 piece with either BullDog or Classic handles..The Weber at around $70 is roughly twice the price of the EJ, but it is the best price going for Stainless Steel and I.M.O. worth it...I own a couple and a Weber DLC is my daily use razor...

PreShave: Corn Huskers Lotion..American made,works as well for me as a preshave as either Proraso or Jack Black, and is a "TON" cheaper!!
Shave soaps: As of the last month or so I've been using Arko and really enjoying it "ALOT"..If you don't dislike the scent, it works well and is priced right. If you'd like something locally available that works well and is inexpensive try a puck of Van der Hagan Delux shave soap or a tube of C.O. Bigalow shave cream..

Postshave: Nivea sensetive Post Shave Balm..

AfterShave: I like the old time inexpensive stuff, All of the Pinaud Clubmans(even the "Veg"), Aqua Velva Ice Blue and Sport, Mennin skin bracer or Barbasol Brisk(cheaper),Florida Water and Dollar Store Old Spice...

My favorite razor blades: Viking's Sword(the blade I'm currently using),Astra SP and PolSilver Super Iridium, any of the 7 O'clocks...My advice get as large a blade sample pack as you can afford...The more blades you can try the better

I hope this helps give you some ideas....

 

178-bplatoon nailed it.

 

Perfect example of what is was looking for. Thanks bplatoon

 

I'm glad if I helped you out some...Another razor you might want to consider getting while they are still relatively inexpensive is a "Rolls Razor"..Google them and check them out they are a really neat self contained razor system...You have to maintain them a bit and keep the blade edge sharp (like a straight only easier I.M.O.), but you never have to buy another blade again... I have a few and they are a must in my mind for a collector as well as a user....just make sure the hone is in good shape and not cracked,you can buy a "thin" piece leather and cut it to fit for the strop if you need to...I'm trying to save enough money so I can send my blades in to someone who can put a proper shave ready edge on them for me...

 

Welcome, glad to have you here