Its woth taking a risk on wet shaving, and buying the equipment if for some reasome he dont/wont take to it you can get a good price for the stuff on ebay so the risk is fairly low, That green Marvy mug does look cool Ive seen a few people using them on this site. You sound like a great mother good luck with your choices.
I feel as though I have stumbled onto a great group of guys. You have no idea how comforting that is. My budget is whatever it needs to be. I am a registered nurse & will work extra shifts if I need to to get what I need for my son. Since I gave birth to my son & especially after his dad left us, I thank God I am a nurse. It gives me the flexibility to work day or night, varying hours per shift as I need to. I really like that green rubber shaving mug on Amazon. Thank you. I have to run now & take my mom grocery shopping & then pick my brother up from the airport. He moved to Ireland after graduate school & got married & has 4 kids there. Its been 2 yrs since I've seen him & can't wait to pick him up from the airport. But, I will delve more into the different types of cartridge razors later today. Again, thank you so much to all. ColetteMarie
Before I run off for the rest of the day... BassTone, that is fantastic!! Thank you so much!!! I am excited to hear back. It never fails to amaze me how much info can be had thru networking...even on a shaving forum!!! LOL!!
ColetteMarie, Many of us who had fathers that were there all the time had to teach ourselves to shave. I had to teach myself and learned with a Trac II razor and a can of goo many, many years ago. That being said, you have stated that "He wants to shave like he remembers both his dad & his grandfather shaving." Do you have any other male figure available, an uncle or a cousin or even a very good friend who is available to him that can assist in "showing him the ropes" so to speak? Letting him watch the videos repeatedly will take him very far, but what may be concerning you is the fact that he is trying to bond and shaving between men is one of those bonding issues. BassTone has brought up a good point and I hope that can be of assistance as well. Take care.
Hi, ColetteMarie, this is Niki, BassTone's wife. After reading your posts and most of the responses, I have a couple of questions that need to be answered before I can help. How involved is your son in this process? It sounds like he wants the big picture (wet shaving, not electric razor), but is not as involved in the process of choosing the products, watching the videos, etc. The more he makes choices, the more invested he will be in the outcome. I guess the real question is, is he as involved as he is able? How might he feel about latex gloves? The kind that is tight to the skin and is used for medical or first aid purposes. No cream on hands, period! If this is not feasible, use of a brush with a shave cream (already slick without major lathering) would be less problematic than a shave soap, which does require a bit more lathering, and an increased chance of lather getting on the hands. Personally, I don't like the cream on my hands, either, so I keep a hand towel nearby to wipe my hands periodically. Pressure sounds like a problem as well, and that's a hard thing to teach, especially with a razor. He may also be afraid of cutting himself. It sounds like he needs practice on something other than himself. Try some lather on a blown up balloon, and make sure you blow up quite a few! Also, have him look at his stubble and see which ways the hairs seem to be pointing, and on a picture of either himself, or a blank face, write down what he sees. This will help in knowing which way to shave where. Hope this is helpful thus far. This is a lot, but it is just a start. We can also talk individually, if you'd like. Feel free to PM my husband and we can swap info.
As an affordable, good quality starter set, I'll recommend what I recommend to other starters... but since you reside in New York, you're lucky enough to have some great brick & mortar places that carry all kinds of shaving goodies such as Pasteur Pharmacy or Cambridge Chemists and I'd suggest that if you are in the City, definitely stop by one or the other or both. That way you can smell the scents and feel the brushes, etc. for yourself. Brush: Frank Shaving finest badger - black handle: http://www.ebay.com/itm/270688941211 Frank Shaving finest badger - butterscotch handle: http://www.ebay.com/itm/270737851376 Frank Shaving finest badger - red handle: http://www.ebay.com/itm/280773109648 Mug/Scuttle: A scuttle is essentially a bowl sealed inside a bowl, with a spout for you to fill the inside cavity with hot water. The hot water once in between the walls of the two bowls keeps the lather bowl hot/warm so that the lather you make in it is warm and stays warm. They have grooves in the lather bowl that helps in making lather. They are made out of fire-hardened clay so depending on your son, it may not be the best option as if it gets dropped, it'll break into many pieces. If he's not prone to dropping or throwing things, then I'd suggest a Robert Becker Scuttle. See here: http://www.robertsfeatsofclay.com/cscuttles.html If you think breakage would be an issue, I'd second the already suggested Marvy rubber shaving mug. Soap/Cream: I too would suggest a cream. Creams are easier to lather than hard soap pucks or soap sticks. Our very own Queen of Blades here makes some wonderful creams and soaps offered through The Shave Den store linked at the top of each page here as 'Store'. There are literally hundreds of brands out there so it's hard to recommend one over the other as scents number hundreds as well and only you and your son knows what he likes to smell. There are some good and very cheap soaps out there that you can get from eBay or other shaving vendors such as Palmolive Classic, aka European Palmolive. It is indeed a classic and one of the few creams that I think a majority would recommend. Edit: It took me a while to type all of this out so there's been plenty of replies before I posted this but while I was writing it. All good advice, etc. But I can't stress enough that if you're in the City, stop by one of the shops I mentioned above. There's nothing like being able to see, touch and smell the products first hand.
Thank you Niki, my wonderful wife! Also something to keep in mind. Our friend Dan, who as mentioned above works with teens on the spectrum, once told us about a client that mistakenly and unsupervised, ran a cartridge razor across his face sideways (along the cutting edge) and cut his lip open very badly. Dan taught him to say and repeat with hand motions "Start up, then down - NEVER side-to-side" several times before he began, and this helped. Also, invest in a good 'ol alum block to help sooth and stop the bleeding of any nick that might occur. You won't find alum blocks at Target and the like, but you will find them at the online shaving goods dealers that many of us frequent. As a matter of fact you can get one here at The Shave Den for about $5 and they last a long time and sting much less than a drugstore purchased styptic pencil. At the top of this page you will see a tab that reads "Store." Hope this helps!
Something else that just occurred to me. On the issue of shaving creams, there is this issue of Menthol. Menthol provides an invigorating and cooling sensation, but might be off putting and even create an aversion to cream if your son has tactile and associated sensory issues. Id's stay clear of menthol until you know for sure how he reacts. Also, if looking for an aftershave that won't sting, GNC stores sell Thayer's witch hazel wich contains aloe and natural scents (like lavender, my personal favorite ) which is very soothing and calming to freshly shaved skin or just after washing your face. Good stuff, but Niki is right, his involvement in choice could be helpful. ...OK, I'll stop for now and let you digest all of this - it's a lot, I know. All the best to you and your son, and please keep us updated on how he's doing and with any questions you have. - John
Hello, Colette! Welcome to The Shave Den! As the mother of a child with developmental and physical delays also, it would be my honor to offer you samples of products for you and your son to test out as you begin this portion of your journey. All I have to offer is software (shaving cream or soap, aftershaves), unfortunately. The fellas have given some great advice on the hardware part, though. (Please don't take this as a derailment folks. This thread isn't about me. I just want to share with Colette.) My daughter is 7 1/2 years old, has Cerebral Palsy, and the descriptions you've given of your son remind me strongly of her.
I want to say first that I am completely ignorant to autism, but, I dunno guys, it sounds to me like the Hydro may be an ok thing for him as long as he doesn't do the side to side movement as BassTone mentioned above. My son's Hydro had all the blades wrapped with a wire so they would respond in unison (I guess...) but that seemed a little safer to me. And knowing that you can put a relatively decent amount of pressure on a cart before cutting yourself, I think it may be safe enough. I think you two can do this ColletteMarie! You may want to have him try small strokes with the razor and rinse the blades frequently. I think that will help get to the hairs. Just my take, but I think he can do this. It is still a less than 100% safe operation so there may be a bit of blood at some point but shouldn't be nearly as bad a using a DE. Just a nick here or there, which can be shored up with styptic. And if it proves to be too much or too dangerous for him he can always grow a beard. After the awkward teenage stringy fuzz/pseudo-facial hair grows into real hair, he can sport a sweet beard. It doesn't have to be all ZZ Top or anything. Keep to your mantra and you'll make this standard practice.
Hi Collette, and welcome to The Shave Den. Here are my thoughts, based on experiences using safety razors, cartridge razors, Remington foil screen electric and Norelco rotary electric razors. Just a thought, but you might also want to check with a parents of autistic children support group and see how they solved this problem. There must be some online and perhaps even in your local community. But eventually it will become daily, so he needs to be reasonably comfortable with whatever method is chosen. That right there would rule out any form of wetshaving in my opinion. If creams or lotions on your son's hands freak him out that much, then wetshaving is likely to be a miserable and incredibly unhappy ordeal. Even if a shaving brush and soap were used, your son still might get some lather on his hands. With a safety razor, such as most of the folks here use, there is the danger of some pretty painful nicks and cuts if one does not focus and concentrate on the shave. That danger is somewhat less with cartridge razors, but still very much present. Also, both safety and cartridge razors cause some very unpleasant irritation if too much pressure is used while shaving. That is particularly true with safety razors. Which brings us to... I think an electric razor would be the best option. Yes, electric razors can be painful, but need not be so. The shaves may not be as close as with a safety razor, but an electric should be much easier to master. A comfortable, enjoyable shave is more important than a close shave. I used a Remington electric foil screen shaver for 30 years, and found it comfortable and easy to use. The shaves are reasonably close, too. It would probably be best to get the simplest razor possible, as that would be the easiest to use. Maybe the Remington F3790? The others have pivoting heads, which might (or might not) complicate the shaving experience. Your son should be careful not to shave an overly long time with the electric trying to get his face extra smooth, as that will result in irritation. Also, don't press down too hard when shaving, as that will cause premature wear on the shaving head screens and dulling on the cutting blades. It could cause irritation, too. The foil screen will need to be replaced every so often, as will the cutting heads. If I recall correctly, that needed to be done about once or twice a year. When the foil screen fails, a tiny bit of metal between two of the holes will break off, which causes the razor to nick. The solution is to keep an extra foil/cutting head replacement kit on hand. Make sure you use Remington made/branded replacements, as the nondescript, bargain-basement no-name Chinese made kits give truly brutal, painful shaves. The only rotary razor I ever used was an old Norelco, but it proved to be quite irritating and resulted in ingrown hairs. My father has used one for 40 years, though, and likes it quite a lot. The cutting heads on the Norelco were self-sharpening, if I remember correctly. Remington also sells rotary razors which appear to be of the same general design. All electric razors need the batteries replaced every few years, so it is a good idea to locate a shop that can do this in your area. Others may have a different take on things, but I hope this helps. Good luck to you and your son!
Welcome to the Den Collette. I salute you in your efforts, as well as JoAnna and the rest of the Den members, they truly are a great bunch of caring and giving people. If your son is somewhat of a perfectionist he may really enjoy making lather with a brush. Personally I think that the old trac 2 razor may be a good choice very easy to use for a beginner in my humble opinion. God bless you and your son, people like you restore my faith in humanity.
Late to the party but I see you already have been given some great advice and a generous offer by JoAanna, so I just wanted to Welcome you to TSD.
Good morning!! I continue to be amazed how much time & effort so many have taken to help my son & I. As I mentioned, my instinct is to have my son shave with en electric razor. But, for several reasons, I will support his preference to shave with a razor. His classmate's not so positive experience with an electric razor has my son convinced electric razors are painful. His classmate was very dramatic in his description of his experience & told my son he had to stay home from school because his face was so painful. He told him the redness of his face, from the electric razor, caused him to be awakened during the night every time his sore face rubbed against the fabric of his bed pillow. I don't know this other boy and I tend to think he is being overly dramatic, but his description of how he fared with the electric razor has set the tone on how my son feels about them.To force my son to use an electric razor, when he thinks it will hurt him, is not the direction I want to go in for my son's start to what he will be needing to do his whole life...shaving. I am pretty sure my son will be able to handle getting some shaving cream on his hands from a shaving brush. A year ago, I wouldn't have been too sure. But, in this past year,he is making great strides in being able to tolerate what he couldn't in the past. Just the other night we were out for dinner & he ordered a hamburger and picked it up to eat it. In the past, he would never have done so. He would have been too self conscious to allow anyone outside of home to see him cut a hamburger to eat with a knife & fork when it is normally picked up to be eaten. Just a few weeks ago, we ordered McDonald's at the takeout window & on the way home, he reached into the bag to eat some of the french fries. He would never have done that before. He would have waited until we got home & would have used a fork to eat the fries. He is finally starting to eat more foods, too. The food textures, in his mouth, don't seem to bother him as much as they used to. Now, he is willing to experiment & try new foods. He is finding that he is liking many of them. This fall, when we went shopping for a new winter coat, he picked out a red (red is his favorite color) ski / snow board jacket to try on. I was amazed. In all the past years when he needed a new winter jacket, it was very difficult finding him a jacket he would wear. He couldn't stand the sound of nylon fabric used for ski jackets. I remember him once asking my dad to not move his arms while we were all in my car going somewhere. Whenever my dad moved his arms (he had on a nylon jacket), the sound of the nylon with movement was a sound my son had a hard time with. It was always very difficult to find a non ski type winter jacket for boys. Now, this year, here he was picking one out himself. He wanted it because it is red. But, he is wearing it & has made no mention of the sound at all. So, given how much he has matured in the past year, I will let him at least give brush & cream /soap shaving a try since that is how he wants to shave. Of course, I will supervise.Last night we both sat down & watched the videos recommended here on the forum. He thinks he can do it. Nikki, you are right. He does tend to depend on me to gather info & then proceed, once I have taught him. The main reason that is so is because he also has a severe reading disability. Despite being tested quite a few times, his treading disability has not been given a name. He is not dyslexic but yet struggles to learn how to read. His strength is his comprehension when read to. He has an almost photographic memory. His Individualized Education Plan (IEP) dictates that all tests be read to him. Of course, I have to do his homework with him. I read the material to him & he tells me what to write. I write it & he copies it down on paper. He is a auditory learner. I would say the sentences he says the most to me every single day is, "Mom, what does this say? or "Mom, can you read this to me"? He is successful doing grade level work (10th grade), with an A average, yet is reading independently at 3rd grade level. He has had a reading specialist come to our home 2 days a week, an hour each session for the past 5 years & has gone, in that time, from not reading at all to where he is now. We are making progress, but it is slow. He has become very dependent on me to read the written word to him. I push him to try before automatically asking me to read all of what he wants to have read. I recently found another MD, an eye MD, who works with kids like my son. This doctor's work goes beyond the standard acuity eye testing & the first appt. is a 2.5 hr appt. I am willing to try anything that will help. Unfortunately, the MD does not take insurance & the 1st appt. costs $1000 to $1200. But, he is so in demand that I couldn't get an appt. until March 30. Joanna, I am honored with your generosity. I have been on this site barely a few days, yet you have reached out. Thank you so very much. It will be a great help to try different creams. I know he will not like anything minty/ menthol. Even toothpaste with any type of mint is a big problem. Thank God for Tom's of Maine mintless toothpastes.Pretty much anything else would be fine. He especially likes fruit smells and one of his favorite candles (I love candles & usually have one burning in our house every day) is 'Leather & Lace', which is leather & vanilla. He also wanted men's cologne this Christmas, for the first time. So, we went to a store called Perfumaria to see what he liked. The scents he gravitated to was Curve For Men, The Golden Secret and Calvin Klein Aqua. My sister gave him a goats milk body soap for Christmas that is described as being "old fashioned barber shop scent" (with lemon, woods, vetivert & sandalwood), that he loves. After he comes out of the bathroom, I love the scent it leaves in the bathroom, too. Do you make a shaving cream / soap similar to what I have described as old fashioned barber shop scent? The goat's milk soap is especially good for his skin since it isn't as drying as many other soaps. No matter how dry his skin gets, he will not put on any kind of cream. So, since discovering goat's milk soap, his skin has not been dry at all. I think he will use aftershave, as least I hope he will. I know he will not use an aftershave face balm, which I am assuming is a cream. He views shaving cream / soap as a soap that won't leave a residue as a moisturizing cream will. Witch Hazel, I think, he will use. I don't remember my father or my husband using anything other than something they splashed onto their face after shaving. I don't recall any cream. So, I guess my son will be OK without a face balm / cream. One last question... I plan to get my son the Marvy Green Rubber Shave Mug. I do have one thought, though. Is it so deep that I should be looking for a longer handled badger brush for ease of whipping up a good lather so as to reach the cream / soap at the bottom of the mug? It also sounds like I need to buy that "pencil", for any cuts or nicks that may occur. I don't think I ever saw my dad or husband use one of those. But, it does sound like a good idea. Again, thank you for reading yet another long post. I should have anticipated the day would arrive that my son would need to start shaving. But, I never really thought about it until that day did arrive. Then, it was like... now what??!! ColetteMarie
If he wants to get something a little more vintage...I tried a Wilkinson 'Classic' and it feels alot like a cartridge...It's kind of like taking a DE blade and surrounding it with enough plastic That it makes it as safe as a cartridge only the shaves are closer and less irritation than a cartridge...If he is the type that sees so accurately and wants to get every whisker like he is about photography...A cartridge can cause alot of irritation if you're going for a very close shave...This Wilkinson Classic is pretty hard to get cut...In fact if you don't have the right angle it won't cut at all....Right angle and clean shave...as long as you don't go side to side it won't cut you..... The only thing is you still have to handle a DE blade to load the razor, although loading is actually very easy too...The act of putting the top on lines the blade up perfectly....Here's an article review with pictures so you'll see what I mean.... http://www.bruceonshaving.com/2010/12/03/wilkinson-sword-classic-de-razor/ Good luck, and welcome to the Den....Your son is lucky to have such a caring mom...I'm sure however you come to grips with this, it will make you both closer, and of course it will enrich your lives by sharing all this... PS.: Also I know money is not a prime concern but this system is less than $10 with 5 Wilkinson blades incl. so if you try it and decide against it you haven't loss much...But if you do like it, it really does give close smooth shaves with all the benefits from DE shaving with the safety of a cartridge....When you check out that article you'll know if it might work...also let him check out the pictures, he might like the 'Classic' shaving Tool...
Hi Colette! Welcome back. On the subject of brushes, here are some that I would suggest that would not only reach down in the mug well, but also give more distance between his hand and the lather. One is a new brush by Omega, rather novel little guy, but a fine brush just the same - kinda looks like an ice cream cone, but would catch a lot of lather from creeping up the handle. The others are reasonably priced and well regarded boar bristle brushes with long handles. I threw into the list an alum stick that doesn't have the white coloring which dries white on the face. http://www.shoeboxshaveshop.com/om2beliashab.html http://www.shoeboxshaveshop.com/vulfix-2199--pure-boar-bristle--shaving-brush-2199.html http://www.shoeboxshaveshop.com/omega-10098--the-big-br10098.html http://www.shoeboxshaveshop.com/iha-styptic-pencil.html The Wilkinson Classic razor mentioned above sounds like a good choice to me. Also, while I've not tried them myself, I know those who've found the Bump Fighter http://www.walgreens.com/store/store/product/view_product_details.jsp?vpd=true&id=prod6001023 razors to be very mild and forgiving razors as well. Also, Niki will chime in soon with some further suggestions from our friend Dan who works with teens with basic life skills, and many of his clients have Autism. Shaving is just one of the many things he deals with. Additionally, it sounds like your son has been making great strides in many respects, and I think that's fantastic! Here's to you both!
