Where are you in your shaving journey...?

Like most of us on this shave forum, I really enjoy traditional wet-shaving and everything that surrounds it.
From my humble beginnings with a Microtouch One (Weishi...lol, I had never heard of Weishi back then), my journey has changed directions multiple times, including this past fall, when I came to discover my affinity for fragrances, or perfumes, or colognes, whatever term suits you.
I realized that of all the components in the shave, the ONE that lasts the longest is the fragrance. Not the fragrance of the soap, but the pièce de résistance that will follow you, sometimes proceed you the rest of your day.
Another veering of my shaving road is my fairly recent decision to have only triple-milled shave soaps. Almost gone are my creams and croaps. Why? I guess the short answer is shelf-life. But not only do I want just these hard soaps, I only want traditional, lightly-scented soaps. Don't get me wrong, I like a fragrant soap, but I don't want something to compete with my final fragrance. Not to mention that after my shave, I use unscented witch hazel to remove any soap residue. The soap scent is obliterated.
Another change is that I am not going to purchase "matching" aftershave splashes, indeed, I am moving away from aftershaves, in general, although I still have some and they'll probably outlast me on this earth. My experience with matching aftershave splashes is that they either dry my skin, don't really smell that terrific, or have no longevity. Yes, there are exceptions, but that is my experience. I think soap makers should stick to making soap and let the perfumers take care of the scents. Two completely different areas of expertise. Now, I prefer an unscented, or very lightly-scented aftershave balm, such as the Proraso white bottle or the Stirling unscented. These are terrific products that give my freshly-shaven face the nourishment it needs and, again, will not compete with my cologne. What is it that attracts us to fragrances? I would say that most of us here have the same answer: There's something about the olfactory stimulation that intrigues us, or pleases us, or stimulates us.
That's why we buy so many different soaps. Let's face it, ONE good soap is all we really need, but we buy a variety. Not because the soap we have doesn't work, but because we want a different olfactory experience.
If---and I emphasize the word, "IF" I were to go back to the beginning and "IF" I knew all that I know now, I would have one straight razor, one DE razor, one shavette razor. I would have less than a handful of triple-milled soaps, one nice badger brush, one nice boar brush, and spend my money on a diverse and quality fragrance collection. Ahhh, but 20/20 hindsight is perfect.
How about sharing your shave journey? And answer the question: "Knowing what I know now, what would I do differently?"
I think the responses could really assist and guide those new to our hobby, get a lot more pleasure out of it and, along the way, save a few bucks.

 

Interesting question.....

I've been a daily wetshaver since I was 15 or 16. (I'm 71 now). Started with Gillette DE razors, switched to TRAC IIs, Atras, etc. as the came along. As far as aftershaves go it was pretty much limited to Skin Bracer and Clubman. Like many here, got fed up with cartridge prices and saw an ad in Duluth Trading Co. listing a EJ DE87 razor. Mentioned to my wife that the razor would make a nice Christmas gift and save money. That's all she needed to hear but little did she know about the rabbit hole I was about to enter. This was probably 11 or 12 years ago. Looked around local stores for DE blades and wasn't happy with the meager offerings. Hopped on line. Lerked around some shaving forums which opened my eyes to the vast variety of not only blades, but razors, brushes, creams, soaps, aftershaves, balms available. Up to that point I was using canned Barbasol with the EJ and perfectly happy. You all know the next chapter.....

Do I need a more agressive razor? Of course I do. Fatip Grande, check. How about a slant? RR German 37, check. These guys are raving about (fill in the blank) soaps & creams. Better check 'em out. Have to have a boar AND a badger brush and a bowl! What the heck is a scuttle? I have a nice GP G12. Now, I never did get caught up in the vintage stuff. Figured I'd already used the Gillettes of the 60's & 70's already. So now, I pretty much use the Grande as my go to razor. Did go overboard on blade acquisition. At my age I figure a lifetime supply is in house.

Primo, I too am obsessed with scents. I don't use cologne, but I love aftershave splashes containing alcohol. And for a while I was setting up a collection of matching soaps & splashes from our RR friends. Have probably 10 sets to date. I do enjoy them but seeing as how I shave prior to showering, the soap's scent is short lived and somewhat pointless except for the olfactory high while shaving. I do lean toward creams in the colder months as they work well in the scuttle. But I really, really like a long lasting scent with a nice tingle upon application. I'm retired and do not have the capability of annoying anyone at the office anymore!

So, knowing what I know now, I would not have bothered with the scent matching aspect of the shave. Sure didn't need to be buying blades 100 at a time. Settle on a razor or two that get the job done to your expectations. (If you are a collector, I can see that being a cool hobby). Experiment more with various blades (get sample packs before you spring for the bulk buys) and more importantly, blades that work well with all your razors. I probably would (in hind sight) have purchased a few higher end soaps and aftershaves but I'm perfectly happy with what I have. I get great results.

Now, if you think wet shavers have cornered the market on various products geared to one pursuit, check out some beard forums! I let my beard grow out most winters. This year being no exception. I have enough different beard oils to change the oil on my car. I have beard butters and balms. I have beard wash. I have a special beard brush (boar of course) and a bamboo (plastic would be bad form) beard comb.

I do look forward to Spring or sooner, when I'll shed the mane, lather up, cut those whiskers giving no quarter, splash on some aftershave and greet the day smooth, refreshed and scented.

 

@Primotenore
Almost the same journey. Just one differece: I love matching products as fragrance.
Few producer has soap / balm / splash in the same scent. Also because of this, I love Meissner Tremonia.
Aswell Stirling and Phoenix Shaving (PAA).
My option is the Italian way to use them. First the balm, and after the splash.
The first helps the skin and protect from the alcohol.
The fragrance of the second is kept by the balm, and stays stronger and longer.

I've been starting with SE.
Best option today, modern ones with AC guarded chinese blades. (Sapphoo Red).
Great choice is the RazoRock V2 AL, wich I love in Hulk Green!!!

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It'd have been the last one, when I was normal.

 

I have reached the destination in my shaving journey. My goal was always to get consistently great shaves, with a cool looking razor, at an affordable price. By great shaves, I mean both close and comfortable. Way back in 2007, the second razor and blade combination I tried was a Merkur 34C and Derby blades. Along with Kiss My Face Moisture Shave cream, this duo gave me the great, affordable shaves I was seeking. If I had to do things over again, I think I would stop right there. Mission accomplished and on to whatever is next. Then I read this thread by Sodapopjones two years later. Holy fancy razors, Batman!

The DE89L recommended in that thread really was that good, and it sure was purty. The Derby blades did not work too well with it, so I began trying other blades. Some were stellar, but I kept on looking for that perfect shave. Some 90+ blades and many soaps and creams later, I found some very good candidates. The Gillette Platinum and Gillette Rubie gave really close shaves, lasted 1 week per blade, but were very slightly irritating. Then I tried those blades in a Gillette Slim, which had been my backup razor. Holy freakin' cow! Consistently excellent shaves, very smooth and not irritating at all. Then I tried the Gillette shaving cream from the drugstore. I ran out of shaving soap, and wasn't expecting much. Wow, did that cream work well! Now my shaves are all baby bottom-smooth, super comfortable, and just totally awesome. I found the perfect shaves for which I was looking all along, and with a fancy razor to boot.

Was it worth all that effort? I don't know. The end result has been excellent, however, and I am not one to cry over spilt milk.

 

I am enjoying my acquisitions.

Almost immediately after becoming a wet shaver I set off on a quest for the perfect shave setup. This resulted in endless buying and trying along with a heavy dose of collecting.

These days my buying is much less frequent and the original quest is only a memory as I enjoy several different razors, blade brands, brushes, etc.

I was looking for a single solution only to discover several.

My only unsolved issue at this point is figuring out how to use up everything I’ve acquired before I die.

 

I've passed my zenith. I'm mostly interested in getting and keeping great products. I've owned most of the vintage razors I've ever desired, mostly. The ones I haven't I assume will shave similarly or worse than the ones I've already had.

I've moved onto straights for the most part but only half-heartedly. Honing still intimidates me but I get more confident each successful honing. I'm just happy I can get a good shave nearly every shave with as much as I've changed things over the years. I currently have a beard and am only shaving my neck, mustache, and flavor savor. I'm not jaded or anything but the thrill is basically gone and I'm solidly in a maintenance phase. I do want to complete a frankensteined 7 day set of straights but that's about all I'm interested in aside from getting better at honing.

I've been up the hill and am coasting down the other side rather happily knowing I had a hell of a trip on the up side. I really can't ask for much more.

EDIT: I forgot the whole point of posting; I didn't answer the question!

Knowing what I know now, I'd still do it the way I did it. Try a bunch of stuff. Get good at it. That way you know what you like.

 

Ditto. A few trifling curiosities remain but no new frontiers and I don't really want any.

Wait, there is one. I still haven't figured out multiquote.

 

I've been at it for over a decade now and it is really just shaving to me any more. I shave when I have to for work, get good shaves, and enjoy the kit I have.

Answering the question... I would tell myself to pick a razor and learn to use it. Good shaves are more a result of skill set not tool set (It took a couple of years for that to sink in). Also soap lasts a really long time and while inexpensive, you do not need that many Arko sticks on hand...

 

Agree, but I think you mis-typed "many", when you meant to type "any". I'll let you do your own editing.

 

Hah. Just from counting up my Amazon orders, I have had at least 55 sticks here. There are two left and if they get thrown away, it would not upset me.

 

I started wet-shaving in 2013 and then in 2015-ish I stopped the forums (life was very busy) only to visit here and there. When I stopped I was back to Gillette Fusion and Barbasol in the shower as my morning routine was hectic with new job. Good shaves but in-grown whiskers would occur sometimes.

Since last October (of 2020) working from home during COVID has allowed me to take my brush and soaps out again and continue by journey with Gillette and Schick Injectors and chase for that consistent non-irritating daily shave.

I have to admit the thrill is a little gone even with posting SOTD pictures on forums and my blog. All the old posters I knew seem to have left and but the posts are still interesting and fun - just hard to keep up with the forums.

So my journey has been the search for a daily kit that provides a close but comfortable daily shave (no BBS chasing anymore) but also enables me to use my modest collection of soaps and brushes. I have to like the design of the razor to use it, and also I have to have a mild razor if I want to wet-shave. Also I found that the one-pass shave with occasional touch-up works best for me.

 

This two golden rules led me here.

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I forgot to answer the question.

“Knowing what I know now, what would I do differently?”

I’d marry money.

 

i was a cart shaver for 35 + years,used williams and a wilkie brush for the last 10 or so cart years and been experimenting with many soaps and brushes the last 4 years as a vintage gillette user.most of my years since the early 80s i have been into fragrances.probably not the top end stuff like many vets here but colognes/edt all the same.if i had to do it over,well gillette de for sure,a brush or 2 ,and a soap or 2 of tabac performance quality.i would still and will continue to be a frag head....

 

I'm satisfied with where I am. And it certainly has been a journey. Had I not discovered Clubman in my early shaving years(both the shave cream and A.S.)I would have had to "research" it today and say "Hey I like this stuff!". I'm glad I got such a great head start. . My first ever wet shave was before I joined TSD(but when I was much older than my "early Clubman" days.) I wasn't too thrilled with the product at the beginning(Stephan "shave cream soap"), although I must say I ended up quite thrilled, marveling at the result...such a soft smooth sensation Fast-forward to becoming a member here. Great help, inspiration, and coaching from everyone. All right, the enabling has been great, too! I love the products in my "baby den". Where I am with my "technique" is not where I'd like to be, but then I ask myself, "Can I do better, or is this my best offering?"(Specifically with razors that aren't of the disposeABLE persuasion). My manual dexterity might be trying to convince me that I might be better off sticking with disposeABLES, with which I have been most comfortable through the "journey". I'm always willing to TRY the fancy razors, but just something about them may make them out of my "league". I'll keep working with the Red Tip, as it's a lovely-looking razor, and since it joined me in coming into this world in 1957. But these razors really have been a struggle for me. I have other "technique" issues I need to work on, whichever razor I use(dispy or Red Tip). They present challenges that I welcome(lathering, loading, trying to prevent Knicks and cuts, mainly). But overall, I love that I have caught on to a degree, to shaving like my grandpappys and perhaps great-grandpappys did. TSD is a great place for me!!

 

My shave journey? Well, I didn’t learn wetshaving from my father. He was using canned foam and a Gillette Trac II or Atra from my earliest recollections in the mid-late 70s. I got a Remington MicroScreen for Christmas at age 16 and used it for a few years. Then spent several years with Edge Gel and a Gillette- first a Sensor and then a Mach 111. About 10 years ago, for a reason that is lost to me now, I switched to a shave soap and brush. Always cheap drug store (Wilkinson boar) or Body Shop (smallest synthetic of all time) with various pucks or tubs. A couple C&E, a body shop or two, etc. Kept one soap on the go. I didn’t know what I was doing and didn’t really care. Lathered up improperly, did one pass daily and didn’t even clean the brush sufficiently. No aftershave, just a splash of water.
In the fall of 2016, after looking around the internet a bit, I bought an EJ 89 that came with Derby blades. I ordered a badger brush from Whipped Dog and learned how to lather properly. I was working through an AoS Sandalwood tub at the time, but placed an order for a few other soaps and (gasp) aftershaves. Joined TSD in December of that year. Started reading the 30Day thread pretty religiously within a month or two. Mixed my own pre shave oil and used some balms too. Both aren’t really a part of the den any more, but I do keep Stirlings balm for a general face moisturizer. Ordered a few vintage Gillettes on the ‘bay...started down that path.
I also dusted off the lathe and started making brushes and bowls right about then and that really fueled my ‘hobby’. I accumulated lots of stuff in trades and really got to try lots of different stuff.
Where am I at now? I like a decent rotation of hardware and software, but do cap my den. Matching soaps/splashes? Sometimes. Modern and Vintage? Yes to both. Like you, I am leaning to a lot of 3x milled soaps. I do like alcohol based splashes, though, and use them every day (loud and proud!). Very few colognes, but think I’ll try more some day. DE and SE- yes to both and am always into trying different stuff. One Shavette, but no real interest in going down the straight razor rabbit hole.
Basically, right now, I am incredibly comfortable in the ‘hobby’. I keep what I like and move on what I don’t. I’m happy experimenting, yet also happy reaching for a trusted piece of brass or scent.
Your 2nd question- What would I change knowing what I know? It is probably too easy to just say I wish I started a decade earlier. Besides that, where I’m at is a product of the journey I’ve enjoyed and I wouldn’t change a thing. Well, besides being roped into trying Arko...

 

I went from thinking I need really aggressive razors to liking the most mild razors. Also I suffered for many years with a too coarse beard because of magnesium deficiency. I have reached the destiny where I do not have any *AD anymore and I have been able to standardize my shaving routine.

If I could go back I would just tell myself to supply with magnesium and to get an iKon X3 head and a light aluminum handle (from a cheap Saiver razor), Sputnik blades, Speick cream and an Omega Boar brush. With this setup I get consistently a good shave. I still feel guilty for the money wasted on about 30 razors before I got my RAD killed.

 

Where I am supposed to be.