Another great post! I've got sensitive skin like an infant, with a brillo-tough beard. Of late: 1) Replace blade after 2 shaves, 3 shaves MAX, and always if I haven't shaved for a couple of days. 2) Don't go for BBS every shave. Common sense to you guys, maybe, but it's taken me 5 yrs of wet shaving with a DE to learn this. 3) Let lather rest on my beard at least a full minute before the first pass (I'd let it rest longer, but drying out is an issue). Beard prep may be the most important thing for me. I can get a good shave with a marginal blade and soap/ cream if prep is good. Converesely, if prep is rushed, I can get a horrible shave with my best stuff. 4) Start with 2 WTG full face passes. Then, varying angles of a XTG full-face pass. Call it good on most days. 5) If going for BBS ... for the final ATG & touch-up on chin and a couple neck spots, I'll switch to Pacific Shave Oil. PSO is absolutely the best "final solution" I've found. I'd shave with it exclusively, if I didn't love the badger and good creams/ soaps so much. And by the way, here is the stuff I'm using lately: - Red Personna blades exclusively. I've tried maybe 12 different high-quality blades but these suit me perfectly. Get 'em from West Coast Shaving - Ogallala BR, Sage & Cedar soap: I'm in love with this soap - La Toja Sensitive cream: scent, lube and protection - Erasmic cream: old school scent, slick! - Fraser's Oriental Spice cream : scent & the BEST protection for me - TSD Lemon & Cedarwood After Shave Milk: bliss - Wesley & Scott Orange After Shave Balm: nirvana - Nivea Sensitive After Shave Balm: outstanding
Another recent addition to the shave knowledge library: Shave creams make for excellent lather but often smell better on the visage then soaps do. Not real sure if I am going to continue to use soaps or use a cream. Also drug store bought creams are not well thought of, might order some if I think of it in a few weeks. Don't have a store for any of the stuff in DC, will need to go to the suburbs to get any sort of quality creams.
One little gem that I picked up recently: If you don't quite understand what's so great about the hot towel and warm lather that everyone is talking about, your water isn't hot enough. Boil some water in a kettle to make your hot towel (add a bit of cold water too so the towel doesn't scald you), warm your bowl, and wet your brush. It's good for dipping your razor after rinsing to warm it up. I use a coffee mug of hot water for my brush and razor. Don't rinse the blade in the mug though, you'll just end up with a mess.
2 things: 1: Thanks to Rolls, I now strop my Derbys and Feathers before every shave...........much smoother and they last twice as long. 2: Hot Towel Treatment (HTT) before final ATG and Touch up passes make for really enjoyable finishes
Jay, Don't know about you but if I stayed with my 5 lather catcher SE razors and got rid of the rest my wife would have a fit. First because she likes seeing the things hanging on the rack in the bathroom. Second because she would not understand why I bought all the others in the first place. Guess I would have to make up some story about how much money I made in profit from selling them. Then again. I get such a great kick out of each of my razors in my rotation that I probably will not sell any of them.
He has a life, he didn't have time for it anymore. Yeah, it is a bummer that the store closed, but I am happy that he is getting things worked out, and to me it sounds like he has his priorities in line.
