Welcome to TSD. My advice...keep it simple to start. Get yourself a good three piece or TTO DE razor, pick one kind of blade, eg. Astra or Feather, buy a good soap (too many to choose from...I would suggest something like Proraso...inexpensive, good lather and easy to work with) and an Omega or Semogue boar bristle brush. Work with it for a while, read lots and go from there... Resist the temptation to buy everything at once. Enjoy the journey.
I can't recommend the MicroTouch enough. It is relatively inexpensive (@ $20 at Macy's, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, etc). It is very forgiving and great to learn technique with. Also, I recommend the Art of Shaving (AOS) starter kit. For $25 you get a pure badger brush, Pre-shave oil, post shave balm, and shave cream. These are available at AOS stores and Macy's (perhaps elsewhere). Also, specialty stores like L'Occitane, Kiehl's, Bath & Body Works, etc. may give samples that would be enough for a few shaves each. Regardless, welcome to the club and enjoy the journey.
Welcome aboard. You have come to the right place. Here are my recommendations: Omega brush A 3 piece razor. Maggard Razor Shaving mug local thrift store Shaving soap or cream. Get samples of them and see what pleases you.
Wow a lot of really good and helpful advice. Looks like I have a little bit more homework to do haha. Thanks again everyone!
to TSD "KJiggs" I hope you enjoy it here. Another TTO razor you might look into is the Feather "Popular" it's inexpensive, not cheap, and good quality.. You can also get a variety of nice 2 or 3 piece razors for under $30. A largo blade sample pack is a must IMO. The VDH starter kit(delux shave soap, ceramic lather bowl and depending on the kit either a boar or badger brush) is a pretty good deal and can many times be found on sale locally at drug stores, walmarts, sallys beauty supply etc.. The Van der Hagan Delux soap is actually very good soap, while the brush isn't the best, it will get you started. If you want to try some type of preshave oil I use Corn Huskers Lotion, it's easy to find locally, inexpensive, works very well for me at least and doesn't leave your skin oily feeling. I use Nivea sensitive post shave balm after I shave, followed buy the aftershave of your choice(Aqua Velva, Mennen, OldSpice, Clubman Original, Barbasol Brisk and Pacific Rush) all are locally available , inexpensive and will give you a bit of variety in your after shave choice. Hope this helps you out some. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Welcome Not sure what your start up budget is but http://www.fendrihan.com/ You can get a brush & DE razor each for under $20. Blade sample packs start at just under $11. And spending $50 gets you free shipping. Then grab a puck of Williams soap (under $5) from pretty much any pharmacy or WalMart. Probably not the least expensive way to go but could be worth a browse. And you get a high five for doing reasearch before spending $$
Welcome! There are lots of good razors, soaps, and brushes for the budget-conscious. The micro touch one is a good mild starter razor. If you can wait for shipping from China, the identical razor can be had for a little bit cheaper (over there it is called Weishi 9306, you can find it on ebay). I'm a big fan of Arko, a ridiculously easy to lather soap that's also very inexpensive. Enjoy my friend!
A warm welcome to you from North Texas. You might want to take a look at some of the references contained in my signature line below for discussions of the 30 Day systems and more on shaving hardware and software or CLICK HERE! With that being said ... 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, you have landed in a great place! I am also a newbie and started with a small budget. I put together my own kit to get started. I got the VDH Deluxe kit from Walmart or CVS (cant remember which one had it in stock) to get a brush, bowl and the soap it comes with. I bought the Lord L6 razor from Amazon. It can be had for about $10 and has been great for me! I also decided I wanted to try a few different soaps so I ordered samples from Stirling Soap. Then I ordered a couple blade sample packs from tryablade.com All have turned out wonderful in my transition from cartridges. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, but you will find whatever you get now will definitely just be the beginning!
