Well, after getting a lot of info on wet shaving from you fine folks, gratis no less, I've decided to stop lurking and create an account. I just started shaving with a DE razor this past week, and am eager to get better with my technique, find my ideal blade, and spend my way into penury in short order (I thought people said this was a cheaper alternative). I kid of course, I've long been tired of cartridge blades, their cost, and their shoddy job. I have coarse facial hair, and have found over the years that I needed a fresh cartridge every 4 shaves or so unless I wanted to put myself through plain misery. After switching, I have found that I actually look forward to the process, which in and of itself makes this pursuit a bargain and then some. Well, I've been long-winded enough for an introductory post - I'll save the rambling for elsewhere on the board. Thanks for sharing, thanks for having me, and just... well.... Thanks!
Welcome to TSD. One thing you will learn about is the three Ts which stands for "Technique Trumps Tools." Now I mention defective products, no amount of technique can overcome a defective product. The products must be ones that can work correctly. No out of alignment razors, or poorly manufactured blades that have bad edges, can be overcome by technique. Here is the advice I received when I started with a DE and so I freely give it to new users. The most important things in shaving are, your skin and technique. All other things fall in line behind those two things and to support them. Since the skin is a given fixed item, the next major item is technique. It is called THE 30 DAY RULE. THE 30 DAY RULE is as follows: Find a razor, then a blade that will not cause issues with your skin (that may take a few different blades in a sampler pack to find a suitable choice or it maybe the first out of the gate) and select a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, and it may take a couple of weeks to find this combination, order a quantity of that blade, enough for 30 days, and then spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. (Note that only one brand blade is used for 30 days after each blade in the sampler pack is tested to make the decision on the blade brand to use for 30 days.) The 30 day clock starts when you have the right blade for you. After 30 days, change one and only one variable and work for another week then change another after another week. At that point you should be able to make better decisions because your technique is now in place. This will help you to avoid buying too much gear and stuff too soon without having the technique available to enjoy all the gear. Oh, and one last thing ... 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
Thanks, GD. As a lurker (see, I told you) I ran across the 30 day rule mentioned in a few spots, and am definitely taking it under advisement. I've started this journey with a Merkur barber pole 38 HD. I did some foraging around when I first got tipped off to this adventure as to what might be a good starting option. I've picked up some blades locally (Derby and American Personna) and am giving them a shot for the time being. Of course, I have a long list of "stuff I just gotta try." But I'm committed to letting all that come in time. Thanks for the warm welcome. Hope to see you around plenty!
Welcome. I am from Peoria. I was born there, grew up 20 miles west of there, and then moved to a neighborhood off of Sterling Ave right next to the interstate. Small world.
I don't live there anymore, I got smart and moved to Florida to avoid all the terrible weather. But it's definitely cool to know someone on here who is from the same area I'm from.
to TSD "Steinbeckian" Time, technique, practice and patience will get you to your goal of a Close and Irritation free shave. A large blade sample pack is another good thing to get. Another important thing about single blades as opposed to multibladed carts, is if you change blades with either type everyday, you "WILL" come out cheaper using DE, SE or Injector, as far as buying blades is concerned. However that said "traditional" shaving as a hobby can get kind of pricey(based on my experience)
