I am new to DE Shaving - here's what I just bought!

D

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Hi guys,

Firstly I'd like to thank NottheStig, johnnyO, Fido, and a few other members for their kind advice and perseverance with me.

This is for fellow noobs i guess. I am a newbie here and new to DE razors and the whole "proper shaving" thing and after a few days reading and browsing and watching youtube I have purchased the following: (note i'm british to any americans seeing this)

Product Code: DE89BA11bl
Product Description: Edwin Jagger DE razor - Barley Chrome plated - with pack 5 blades
Unit Price: 25.50

Product Description: Proraso Shaving Cream in a Bowl - 2 sizes
Unit Price: 3.50
Size: 75g Bowl:

Product Description: Geo F Trumper Sandalwood Shaving Cream - 2 sizes
Unit Price: 8.50
Size: 75g Tube

Product Description: Proraso aftershave cream 100ml<br>PZ1501
Unit Price: 8.00

I also ordered the: New Forest Finest Silvertip from Fido for £38 for my first ever brush! :)

Edit: bought an Edwin and Jagger Alum bar for £11, after being advised to get an alum bar :)

I'll keep you all updated on how my "first proper shave" experience goes. :).

Thanks everyone!
 
That looks like a good starter set.

Quick tip though - did you buy an alum block? If not I'd recommend getting one before you start for any little weepers or nicks you get.
 
Tall_Paul said:
That looks like a good starter set.

Quick tip though - did you buy an alum block? If not I'd recommend getting one before you start for any little weepers or nicks you get.
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did think about it but didn't in the end. Any recommendations? Can you link me to a reasonably priced one plz? would asda have then?
 
Hi Everyone!

I got all my gear today and had my first ever DE shave. I used the EJ deba11 (normal de with knurled handle), proraso cream and aftershave, EJ alum block.

So first I tried building a lather in the green bowl that came with the proraso cream but got all over my hands so tried it in a kitchen cereal bowl. I found building a lather very hard. I lathered it for a few minutes till my wrists got tired and still it wouldn't volume up like on mantic59's videos so i added more water, and more and then i think i had too much so added more cream and kept trying it till i got something resembling a lather!

Then applied it using the new forest brush. This was tiring too! took ages to get a volumous lathers over my face but once done I started the shave. The blade used was the freebie Derby supplied. So I took the first shave down (with the grain) all over the face. Then i relathered and tried doing an angled stoke with the grain, and the third lather and angle with the grain.

You pros would be done at this stage but not me! I felt very rough and thought it was a bit "meh" so I proceeded with against grain passes very slowly! I did this and felt the areas on my faces that were still rough and lathered just these bits for a 5th pass to get the face smooth.

After all this i rinsed the blade and face with cold water and rubbed the alum block over all the nicks, small cuts on the throat and upper lip (and all over the face). This was very painful and stung for an hour! I put on the proraso aftershave on in dabs all over the face.

That's my first shave! It felt very good despite the pain (no pain no gain). The skin felt firm, rubbed face with hand and it felt like a baby's bottom as they say, but still parts of my throat were a bit rough, but good for a first attempt despite it being a bit botched!

One question I have is what to do with the razor after shaving. Do you take the blade out and dry everything or do you leave the blade in and wipe off excess water and let it dry by itself. Same with the brush, i just rinsed it in cold water, got rid of excess water and left it to stand on itself.

Any tips/feedback fire away!

Thanks to everyone,

P
 
new2DE said:
One question I have is what to do with the razor after shaving. Do you take the blade out and dry everything or do you leave the blade in and wipe off excess water and let it dry by itself. Same with the brush, i just rinsed it in cold water, got rid of excess water and left it to stand on itself.

Any tips/feedback fire away!

Thanks to everyone,

P
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Firstly, congratulations on surviving the first shave!

I normally loosen the head of the razor a turn or so to allow the blade to move a little, rinse under the hot tap, shake til mostly dry. Very careful not to let it slip out of your hand. Rinse the brush with warm water, shake out excess, mebbe wipe on a clean towel a couple of times, then stand it up somewhere airy.

Ainslie
 
Razor drying for me involves removing the blade, rinsing, patting (not rubbing) dry on my towel, then placed it aside while I rinse and dry the razor, then put the blade back and reassemble. As for the brush, hold it bristles upwards under a running tap and gently squeeze upwards from the base of the knot (where the bristles meet the handle) a few times until the water that comes out of the brush is clear. I gently squeeze it, then (again gently) give it 3-4 shakes, and swipe it across my towel a few times. Fluff up the bristles and leave to air dry. Do not put an een slightly damp brush in any enclosed cupboards or drawers, as it can go manky.
 
hi guys,

just had my second shave and the lathering was better than yesterday but my strokes must be going wrong. I didn't get a clean shave after 3 passes and had to do up to 6 in spots to get rid of the hair! :( What's worse is that my face was stinging all night after applying the alum block and then proraso aftershave cream. What am i doing wrong? i also noticed this morning that my skin was bubbling up under the sideburns - looks disgusting!

Please help someone - disaster in the making:/ - the shave in the end was good as I went along the grain again, but i can't seem to get a good shaving using mantic59's 3 stroke method.

Thanks,
 
Not that many weeks ago I was where you are now, I almost gave up, but so many people on here offered me such good advice, remember even the most experienced had to begin where you are now.

This is my recipe and I am still learning.

Prepare your face with lots of hot water, you can apply it using your brush.

Proraso is a fine product, apply to a damp brush and lather up on the face.

Watch how Mantic59 uses the brush and also how he holds the razor.

Make sure the razor is set at around 30 degrees angle to your face.

Let the weight of the razor do the work, don't pull it (very important)

I would limit yourself to just downward strokes until you are more confident, don't go against the grain, it will just cause irritation.

Never (ever) go over the same area twice without re lathering.

Take your time, this is so important.

When finished, apply lots of cold water to the face, again you can use your brush for this, which helps to remove soap etc from the brush also.

Try applying a post shave balm, I use Nivea post shave balm sensitive.

I hope this helps you.
 
I would advise washing off the alum with cold water after it has dried on your face, as it tightens your skin, and then apply your AS balm, maybe you are already doing this. Mr Foo has very good advice above, just take your time with it and you will be fine. I don't remember my first shaves with a DE but I do remember what a difference it made for me after I had seen mantics video about how to shave and seeing which way your stubble grows, up until then I had just shaved from north to south and always got a rash on my neck, now I very rarely have any problems.

All the best

Adrian
 
Adrian said:
I would advise washing off the alum with cold water after it has dried on your face, as it tightens your skin, and then apply your AS balm, maybe you are already doing this. Mr Foo has very good advice above, just take your time with it and you will be fine. I don't remember my first shaves with a DE but I do remember what a difference it made for me after I had seen mantics video about how to shave and seeing which way your stubble grows, up until then I had just shaved from north to south and always got a rash on my neck, now I very rarely have any problems.

All the best

Adrian
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I got similar symptoms with the Derby blades. As well as the advice above I would not shave for a day or two to allow your skin to revover from the soreness a bit, then try another blade from the stash I sent you. Not the Dorco ST300 though - that's not the sharpest or smoothest! (now it looks like I've dumped a load off cr*p blades on you!) Try one of the Gillettes or the Shark
 
new2DE said:
hi guys,

just had my second shave and the lathering was better than yesterday but my strokes must be going wrong. I didn't get a clean shave after 3 passes and had to do up to 6 in spots to get rid of the hair! :( What's worse is that my face was stinging all night after applying the alum block and then proraso aftershave cream. What am i doing wrong? i also noticed this morning that my skin was bubbling up under the sideburns - looks disgusting!

Please help someone - disaster in the making:/ - the shave in the end was good as I went along the grain again, but i can't seem to get a good shaving using mantic59's 3 stroke method.

Thanks,
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Do you have very coarse hair? I certainly have, and I've found that inadequate prep can cause similar problems to those you describe. Get the face hot and wet and keep it that way for three minutes (excluding pauses to re-wet a cloth if that's what you use). Alternatively, if you shave post shower, make sure you get loads of hot water on the beard area. Softening the hairs is crucial to a successful shave.
 
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