I decided a couple of weeks ago to go old school and wish I had done it a long time ago. Started with a Van Der Hagen that I picked up at Target. Liked it enough to try a Gillette Super Speed and now I am waiting for a 1940's tech fat handle to come in the mail. Can't wait to try it. This could become an obsession.
Since you are new to the Double Edge world, 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 down to enjoy it all. This really does work. Oh and one more 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
Welcome to TSD! Please Sign up for the Newbie Give-Away HERE looks like you are on your way! Happy Shaving! Glad your here!
GD, Thanks for the advice. The only problem I am having is deciding whether or not I should shave against the grain or not. I like the closeness of going against the grain but not loving the irritation. I usually do this after the first pass of going with the grain and lathering up a second time. Any advice.
Ah, it's a slippery slope. Next thing you'll be wanting to try a straight and then you'll be talking about all kinds of AD's...lol
Welcome to the Den! With regards to going Against The Grain (ATG), some people are never able to do it without irritation. However, when you are starting, I would recommend a 3 pass shave if you want to go ATG with lathering in between each pass. The 3 passes would be WTG (with the grain) - XTG (across the grain) - ATG. For a newbie you might actually find it better to do a 2 pass WTG-XTG. If that leaves you smooth, no need for ATG. Chasing perfection can leave you feeling burned. The other thing is you need to know which way your beard grows. Everyone presumes it grows vertically down. However, for me, my cheek stubble grows pretty much horizontally back. Therefore, my WTG is nose to ear and XTG is north to south. Oh yeah, remember, no lather = no blade. Always relather between passes Now, sit back and enjoy the ride to shaving bliss!
to TSD "DEfettish" My advice, go slow and gentle, your just starting, time and practice will take care of many of your problems. As VedderLG said some people simply can never shave ATG in certain spots without irritation. IMO an irritation free DFS is much better than a BBS with irritation! Concentrate on an irritation, nick/weeper free shave rather than a super close one at this point, the closeness will come. That Gillette "Fat Handle Tech" is a great mild shaver, at least mine is! I like my 3 piece "Fat Handle" much better than my SuperSpeed. If you haven't done so already get a large sample blade pack, the more different blades you can try the better. Try not to think of "traditional" shaving the hobby as an obsession...IT"S a "DISEASE", you have it, there is no cure, and the BEST you can hope for is to control it. So you may as well sit back and enjoy it, that's what the rest of us do..
As someone who has been traveling down the same road for roughly the same amount of time, you have my condolences. Say goodbye to having any excess cash! Welcome to the Den!
Same thoughts I had when I first switched over to DE. now you can enjoy your morning shave instead of it being a chore.
It IS an obsession. It's also some kind of grand conspiracy by the "antique razor mob" to take our money.
Welcome to DE shaving and TSD. I am also new here. I must say that after a month the shaves are something to look forward to and no longer a chore. In about 4 weeks I have managed to collect about 7 De razors and the hunt continues. I was very lucky in that once my technique was worked out (as best ti can be in such a short time) the irritation did also. I have found that the technique is so much more an issue that razor or blades. Good luck my friend and welcome to the world of DE.
If you can pull off an atg shave without irritation, by all means go for it but if it's irritating, you shouldn't sacrifice comfort. I am one who gets irritated going atg so I settled for 3 pass shave and maybe hit a few areas as a cleanup if I have to.
