Shave of My Life (SOML) - First DE Shave

pjgh

pjgh

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Location
Halifax, Republic of Yorkshire
Thanks to some great advice and a wealth of knowledge here, this is my first DE shave ...

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Quick back story ...

After a succession of awful shaves with a cartridge razor, I decided to look into exactly what I was doing wrong and whether I could get a decent shave somehow.

First, poor technique - good prep with a shower/hot water and Nuage oil, poor technique pressing too hard, scraping against the grain and too little/poor lather using gel from an aerosol and not lathering it up, not great equipment (Gillette Sensor Mach 3) and poor aftershave care using hot water/hot towel and then straight to eau de toilette! Yes ... blotchy skin, inflamed and a day later the start of a minefield of ingrowers.

Leave far too long because it hurts to shave or shave again with the same technique and compound the problem.

So, after some initial reading, I bought:

Merkur 23C (comes with one Merkur blade)
BBR Cream Sample
BBR Aftershave Balm Sample

... all arrived today.

Meanwhile, I already had a Wilkinson Sword brush, a nice porcelain bowl and with a new-found fascination for old scents picked up a bottle of Old Spice from the supermarket. Great! Now I read that these are no longer the "old" scents and I need to look to India and beyond for the originals. Thank goodness for the internet, eh?

While waiting, I've also ordered:

Gillette 7 O'Clock (Green) blades
Mixed pack of blades
Pure Badger brush ... I just can't bring myself to spend THAT MUCH on a brush ... but I know I will in due course
Tabac Aftershave Lotion ... for more "classic" smells
Brut Aftershave Lotion ... for even more "classic" smells

More fun to be had ...

So, how did it go?

Preparation: Shower, hot towels and Nuage Men oil
Cream: BBR Cream
Brush: Wilkinson Sword synthetic
Razor: Merkur 23C
Blade: Merkur Super
Aftershave: Old Spice ... later, E45 ... even later dabs of Witch Hazel

I did a four pass. With a face full of blotches, bumps and scars from ingrowers, recovering cuts from dry skin and general soreness under my nose and corners of my mouth, I intended to take it easy and go for a one pass with a couple of days to recover ... but ... it felt great after one pass and so I carried on ...

My lather was perfect. First application felt good but dried out on my face, so a drop more water and more whisking in the bowl, massaged into my face ... perfect. Nailed it! Like thick whipped cream.

Hot rinse and re-lather between passes ...

Second pass, great! Third pass, great. Two weepers - one on a raised scar and one nicked the tail end of a healing ingrower. No drama - the latter won't be an issue in future and the former, I'll know for next time.

Fourth pass ATG. Perfect! Finished the job off really well.

Hot rinse ...

Cold rinse and massage ...

Old Spice. What a difference! Yes, I read the article about the differences between aftershave, eau de toilette and eau de cologne and what a ditz I feel for doing it wrong for so long.

Still having a really dry face from those rubbish shaves, I gave a good helping of E45. I feel really good and I'm sure I'll feel even better in the morning.

Roll on a couple of days when I can go again ...

I have to say, I seem to have taken to this really easily and think I'll be quite happy with sharper blades, even a slant in due course to get the job done in fewer passes, maybe an open comb for my Grizzly Adams days.

Meanwhile, a question, or two:

First, being the first time I've done this, I found the Merkur blade fine. Where does it sit amongst other blades? What is it's character, compared?

Second, I love menthol. The pre-shave oil is lovely. Post-shave, I want more. So, is the Proraso stuff a good choice? I'm looking at the pre/post-shave cream and the aftershave lotion. Pre-shave, I'd use the cream, then a soap; post-shave, lotion for good days, cream for when I have dry skin. Is that a good idea, or is there something more menthol out there?

I'm going to grab Mitchell's Wool Fat Soap for no other reason than it's made in Bradford, my home town. That, and the great reputation for folks with sensitive and dry skin.

Third, I prefer to shave in the evenings, so the aftershave scent is not likely to be around in the morning. I like a spritz of eau de toilette in the morning. Should I avoid the face? Just neck and chest?

Cheers, all. Thanks to the folks who've directly replied to my earlier questions and for advice given. Thanks to all who've contributed to the forum so far - the collective knowledge is invaluable.

Here's to many more great shaves!
 
Ahhhh ... yes, that DOES sound like my kind of thing.

Quick google and I found "I had read that it contains a lot of menthol but I didn't expect quite so much. I almost double-checked to make certain that I hadn't picked up the toothpaste by mistake. Lathering was a very strange sensation. It almost felt like it should sting but instead left my face feeling cold and slightly numb."

I like the first sentence, the second sounds great and the third sounds brilliant!

Thanks for the tip. Very cheap, too!

So, I guess I squirt a bit out into my bowl and lather up with a drop or two of water, as appropriate?
 
Yes, keep EDT or cologne off your face. Just go for the pulse points.

Old Spice is great, isn't it? Really works after a shave, and smells great.

Merkur blades are the worst I have used. Usually only good for one shave in my experience. Get a multi brand pack from one of the online stores and see what works for you. I really like Shark and Treet, but everyone has there own favourite.
 
Yeah, Old Spice has a great scent. I don't quite recall the original version, but whatever is in the bottle I bought, I like it.

I've got a mixed pack of blades coming ...

1 x Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharpedge (Yellow) - Russia
1 x Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Stainless (Green) - Russia
1 x Feather HI-Stainless - Japan
1 x Supermax Stainless - India
1 x Supermax Blue Diamond - India
1 x Astra Superior Platinum - Russia
1 x Astra Superior Stainless - Russia
1 x Dorco Platinum ST-301 - South Korea
1 x Wilkinson Sword - Solingen (Germany)
1 x Shark Super Chrome - Egypt
1 x Shark Stainless - Egypt
1 x Rapira Stainless - Russia
1 x Rapira Swedish Supersteel - Russia
1 x Derby - Turkey
1 x Polsilver Super Iridium - Poland

... I guess I'll have some fun with that lot.
 
pjgh said:
Meanwhile, a question, or two:

First, being the first time I've done this, I found the Merkur blade fine. Where does it sit amongst other blades? What is it's character, compared?
Click to expand...

Most consider the Merkur blades to be a bit rough. However, I tried one a couple of weeks ago and found it perfectly OK! There seems to be less consensus on blades than any other part of DE shaving.

Glad to hear it went well :)
 
That's quite an assortment of blades you have there.
Keep a shave diary.
That will help you keep track of the blades as well as other variables (different prep, soap/cream, etc.)
I use a spreadsheet that I update after every shave.
 
I'll try to keep the pre-shave and soap routine constant, razor constant and enjoy varying the blades and perhaps the aftershave lotion. Keeping a log is a good idea and I'll do that. I'm not particularly scientific, nor attracted to that kind of approach so going with instinct (even if I have no experience to back that up at this point) is how I'll do it ... I'm sure instincts will get honed when it feels good afterwards.

Thanks, dcc ... I have a starting point for next time. Polsilver, it is.
 
Congratulations and well done!

Its quite the in thing to hate Merkur blades but I love them (used one this morning) and I consider them to be excellent. You're wise though to get a mixed pack and discover what suits your face - we're all different.

Keep at it but watch your spending; most of us go spending mad in the first few months...

:icon_razz:
 
IF your skin is really dry go easy on product, particularly aftershave and avoid rinses of extreme temperature hoping "close or open pores" you can't, tepid to warm will do.

See if you can pick up a bottle of witch hazel to use as post shave, I think it'll help it usually does.
 
Thanks for the idea, antdad. Still a little puffy and blotchy from old shaves, I did find dabbing some neat witch hazel really soothing later on last night.

Thinking of homebrewing, I considered a theoretical blend of witch hazel and menthol crystals. The green Proraso aftershave lotion appears to be pretty much that, blended no doubt with more knowledge and experience. I think that, along with their pre-wax cream is rising to the top of my next purchase list.

Noted tepid water - I'll try that next shave and compare.

Thanks again for the comments, all. What an epiphany!
 
There's a post of mine somewhere trying to copy Proraso AS semi successfully, basically it was 1/3 Alcolado to 2/3 Hazel.

Alcolado is a very mentholated high alcohol rub/AS that really needs knocking back, seems to work.
 
Well done that man.

In the BST there is a blade starter pack fantastic value and a great range, I must have had mine 4 months or so and have still to try some brands.

I have that W/S Brush in my travel kit and when I get home it's going in the bin. I just don't like the feel of it on my face, it works ok but there is much better available for little money.
 
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