There are a lot of us here, but I just wanted to say hello! I'm not new to wetshaving (have used a cheap boar brush and Caswell-Massey almond shave soap for a long time), but I've recently switched to DE shaving, and started doing research - in the process, I've learned that I've been lathering my soap incorrectly for years. Anyway, I can manage to get a decent shave without any nicks after starting DE shaving at Christmas, but can't quite get the BBS - lots of "patches" that I can't seem to get, especially on my jawline and chin. I'm just trying to take it slow and concentrate on getting "good enough" shaves for a while, until I'm really comfortable with pressure & angle. Thanks for having such a great and welcoming community!
Will, welcome to the Den. Take your time and remember that with a DE you need slowly mow down the beard, you won't be able to get it in one swoop. Also, never go over an area without some lather. I still catch myself doing this and pay for it later.
Hello and welcome! Seems like you and me are on about the same level What razor are you using? Enjoy your stay!
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone! Peders, I'm using the Merkur Classic. I've been slowly moving through some different types of blades and have settled on the Red IP as my 'starter blade'. I'm going to try and stick with them exclusively for a month or so to minimize changes to the routine, so that I can really work on technique.
Alright sounds like a good idea. Me myself has been struggling around with blades in the past 2 months. It's not over yet as I have a samplepack shipped to me this week. It's obviously a way to walk but I do like the whole routine so I think it's well worth it
Welcome to TSD. Your story is much the same as mine. I started w/ a boar and CM soaps too. I also wasn't preparing my lather properly. I also use Red IP's.......you're not a clone are you??? It can take a few months to get really comfortable so stick with it. What are you using for soaps/creams now?
<bad joke>If I am a clone, you'd better find me before I order a bunch of Gentleman's Refinery, T&H and AoS products using our credit card.</bad joke> Well, for Christmas, my wife gave me a L'Occitane Cade soap puck along with my Merkur Classic, which I really like, but I couldn't help myself and also ordered a puck of Tabac ($12 shipped w/ ceramic bowl on Amazon!). I've been alternating soaps, and I know this is heresy, but I think I like the Cade better (although I do really like the Tabac). The juniper scent on the Cade is really relaxing for some reason. I don't have any creams yet, I think because I've been using soaps so I'm more comfortable with them, even though I am a total beginner to bowl-lathering (I used to just smear some soap on my face with the brush and then scrape a Mach3 across it - small wonder I've had a beard of some sort for almost 10 years). :ashamed001
<even worse joke>I put the credit card in your name and it's already overdrawn</even worse> Good job on the Tabac. The finest soap there is IMO. I was strictly a soap man myself for 15 years or so, but have come to appreciate some of the finer creams now as well. When you're comfortable think about expanding the horizons a bit. TOBS is in the same league as Tabac. Omega, Proraso/CO Bigelow, heck even KMF makes a great shave cream.
Thanks; one of my obsessions prior to wetshaving was bourbon. Then it was beer, then homebrewing. Now I'm on to wetshaving. I seem to pick something, obsess completely, then move on, relegating the other items back into the "hobby" category and away from the "obsession" category; I'm still interested, but not completely consumed. For example, at the moment it's all I can do to not order every cream, soap and blade I read about, and I find myself fighting the temptation to read shaving forums all day during work (yikes! :ashamed001) EDIT: Maybe I should add that I'm currently sipping a pour of William Larue Weller barrel-proof wheated bourbon from the Buffalo Trace antique collection - mmmmm. Only problem is that it's somewhere in the range of 125 proof, so a little goes a long way.
Welcome aboard, Will! I, too, find myself flipping between hobbies periodically, but proper wetshaving has become more of an obsession than any hobby I've ever had...
