Wet Shaving

[Joleat]

I've always struggled with extremely sensitive skin under my chin and down my neck. Because of this, I often put off shaving for longer than I should. If I could grow a decent looking beard, I would give up shaving completely.

After a bit of reading and several YouTube videos, I decided to give wet shaving a try. Rather than investing the money in the proper tools only to be disappointed, I thought I would find an old school barber in the area so I could see if this technique will serve as a remedy to the redness. As luck would have it, I found a highly regarded shop in the area and stopped in yesterday morning for my first wet shave. I'm happy to report that I am still free of irritation and am ready to commit to wet shaving.

Now comes the part of selecting the right tools...

I've read a lot of great things about Merkur safety razors, Feather blades, and Prosaro cream. The brush area is a little more confusing. I know I want to go with badger hair instead of boar's hair, but there seems to be a pretty steep price difference between pure badger and silvertip badger. Is it worth it?

To get started, I was thinking of going with a kit to make things simple. I might pick up a tube of Prosaro and a multi-brand pack of razors to help me narrow down the choices for future purchases.

Any thoughts on this kit?

http://www.amazon.com/Shaving-Merkur-Safety-Husband-Boyfriend/dp/B0010Y1KYA/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1376874256&sr=8-11&keywords=merkur+safety+razor

[Scott13SHO]

I just switched over to using a Safety Razor in December myself, I got this set for my B-day from my Fiancee:

http://shavenation.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=109_112&products_id=440

She got it on Amazon, but I couldn't find it there after a quick search myself.

Some other hints...IMO don't get the tube of Prosaro cream...get this instead:

http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Eucalyptus-Menthol-Formulation/dp/B00837YY18/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_z

The tube stuff is decent if you travel alot and need to save some space

Also get this...this is vitally important:

http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Irritation-Pre-shaving-Cream-Oatmeal/dp/B003VS5O3Q/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1376915432&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=prosaro+preshave

It helps lucubrate your skin and cut down on irritation

As for the blades...Feathers can't be beat...they are actually "too" sharp at times. You'll also notice that you'll need to adjust your razor differently if you use them vs other blades because they are so sharp. 

[jcl78]

I use feather blades as well with an Edwin Jagger DE setup. I used to like Astra blades, but I hated the glue they used to keep the blades in the wrapper.

I bought the pure badger over silver tip and it has been just fine. Proraso cream I think is excellent, I have the shaving soap tub version as well, but I prefer the cream. Also, Proraso aftershave is awesome, very light scent that doesn't last, but it feels great.

I was an electric shaver guy before going DE, I will never go back!

[Scott13SHO]

Also, Proraso aftershave is awesome, very light scent that doesn't last, but it feels great.

I use it also...its really nice!

[74d34h]

I have been doing this over 5 years. I can get closer then even those 5 blade cartridges. Feathers the sharpest and best quality, derby is the cheapest that my face can tolerate. Taylor of Bond makes great creams, and I have an Art of Shaving store closely they are pretty good.

[geswek]

WTF are you people talking about?

I use a Gillette Fusion, some Gillette Gel, and a little elbow grease--bam perfect.

Actually, no, I lie, I'm pretty pissed because suddenly I have break out all over left side of my face and I don't know why -- so uncool because my beard is the s***.

[DJE624]

I used to use injector single blades.  Loved them but you can't find them.  Then, two blade Sensor Excel.  Can't find them either.  Now, 5 blade Gillette. I don't like them though.  I keep getting little ingrown beard hair under my jaw.  I might just go back to two blades.  I can only find the disposable kind and I hate that they are so light!  Might grow a beard come October. 

[jcl78]

WTF are you people talking about?

I use a Gillette Fusion, some Gillette Gel, and a little elbow grease--bam perfect.

Actually, no, I lie, I'm pretty pissed because suddenly I have break out all over left side of my face and I don't know why -- so uncool because my beard is the s***.

Come to the DE side my friend. Here is a good article that talks about DE vs multi sweet blades y0! http://www.shaving101.com/index.php/education/double-edge-shaving/164-money-magazine-got-it-wrong.html

Basically there were straight razors, then DE (Double Edge) safety razors then multi blade cartridges. DE razors have made a comeback in a big way to stomp the whole 4 vs 5 vs 18 blade cartridges. It is a better, cleaner shave, less irritation and much cheaper AFTER the initial investment. Put it this way, I invested $130 for a good DE setup 3 years ago. I have since spent maybe $50 on aftershave, blades and shaving soap / cream.

I would do the DE shaving route even if it were several times more expensive than the Fusions, etc of the world. The chemicals in shaving foam are crazy next to the nice old time shaving soaps and creams. The DE razor with feather blades once mastered give you the closest shave next to a straight razor and have fixed many a face problems.

[EcoBrick Bob]

Can you do wet shaving on your car instead of a clay bar?

OOPS....*

* am punch drunk from being so tired I can't walk straight... Am in Naples, FL for a funeral.

[Rob1334]

I grow facial hair like an adolescent Taliban, about chin only haha. Face is sensitive to so I just have up on shaving all together. I use a trimmer to cut it down to scruff when the wife complains and that's it besides a goatee. Last real shave with a blade was newborn pictures for my son 2 years ago+.  Work doesn't care so I gave up on blades.

[Joleat]

All of the feedback is greatly appreciated. I was wondering about the Proraso pre-shaving cream, so it's good to see that someone commented on it. I was nearly to the point where I was ready to do a Turkish shave and burn the hair off my face. One of the websites I visited said it best when talking about disposable razors. It said, "why shave with a toy when you can shave with a tool?" I'm no longer buying into this gimmick of having 5 ultra-thin blades and an aloe strip. I'm finished with paying $18 for 3-4 replacement cartridges that can't hold an edge. I'll gladly drop $100-$200 on some decent shaving equipment that will last for years to come.

[Kolk1]

You know how real men shave their beards? They don't.

But seriously, if I clean shave I get tons of bumps and ingrown hairs, so I gave up a long time ago.

This is me around May this year:


This me shortly after when I tried to do a spartan style beard:


And this is me 2 days ago when I shaved it all off to start over:

[SHOdded]

Kolk, shaved???  Tell me it ain't so!

[PopolZ]

My face gets hot and red just by getting a razor close... I stopped shaving.
I've tried quite a few razors and even the electric ones you can use in the shower.
The next i'll try: straight razor.

[Scott13SHO]

I'm no longer buying into this gimmick of having 5 ultra-thin blades and an aloe strip. I'm finished with paying $18 for 3-4 replacement cartridges that can't hold an edge. I'll gladly drop $100-$200 on some decent shaving equipment that will last for years to come.

I was never happy with a razor once they started going past 2-3 blades...till I went old school. The only complaint I have is that I can nick myself up pretty good  with a safety razor