Hello - Newbie here!

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Hello All

I’m a 24 year old looking to ditch the cartridge razors. My main motivation is that I get ingrown hairs which cause nasty bumps/spots – so I am hoping that this will improve the look of my skin. Of course, saving some money along the way may be a bonus.

At first I considered straight razor shaving, but I am put off for a variety of reasons, the main one being that I am concerned that I would not be able to look after the blade well (e.g. stropping and honing). Someone also advised that I should look at DE safety razors first, learn this art, and then move over to straight razors once I have learnt how to shave my face with the DE. I’d be interested to hear what others think about not jumping straight in to straight shaving.

Anyway, apologies for the length of this post – I’ll get on to my main question. What should I start out with? I see that some people have gone for the Starter Kit from Traditional Shaving. I am thinking of going for the ‘Starter Kit – Luxury Cream’ version (link below), but they are out of the Truefitt and hill 1805 – can anyone recommend a different cream that is on the dropdown list? Would this be a good start? Will I need to buy anything else, such as a shaving bowl? Should I opt for a more expensive brush? I don’t mind paying out for a silver tip badger one, but is this wise as I am starting out?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.traditionalshaving.co.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/traditionalshaving/_STA-CRE-LUX/268168/Starter-Kit---Luxury-Cream" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.traditionalshaving.co.uk/mal ... xury-Cream</a><!-- m -->

Thanks.

Mark
 
Hello Mark, welcome aboard :D

It would probably be more sensible to do a bit of DE shaving before trying a straight razor, because a lot of the same things apply. You can get started more cheaply with a safety razor, and the learning curve isn't so steep.

On the subject of brushes, consider one of the New Forest ones. There's plenty of discussion of them on this forum, and they represent very good value for money. I'd also suggest a modest investment of 50p or so in a stick of Palmolive soap: good stuff, and learning to make lather with it will stand you in good stead.

Enjoy yourself, and all the money you save ;)
 
Hello and welcome Mark :)

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Have a look here, keep it nice and simple and cheap to start with. You can build from there.
 
Aye Aye mark and a warm welcome.

Good bit of kit that but i went for the EJDE89L when i first started plus the T and H cream is very good as well.
I got my starter kit from them as well for Xmas.
Stick with the DEs first though
 
Hi and welcome to TSR Mark! :D Lotds of good advice, if you like the idea of straights, don´t invest to heavy into DE:s though, cuase sooner or later you´ll prob turn to straights.
 
Hi & Welcome ;)

Agree with the common concensus here, start with DE, move to a straight afterwards when it feels right.
If you're looking for a cheap vintage DE, you can always PM me, and I'll find you something suitable.

Do buy a good brush, get in touch with Fido for a Silvertip, or get the NF that Pedro is selling on BST, it's a bargain!
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If you decide to go for something cheaper, in the long run you'll end up buying a better one anyway, so might as well get a good one to start with. Even if you end up going back to cartridges or on to straights, once you've used a good badger, you'll continue using it.

Just my 2cts.

Max
 
Evening All

Thanks for the advice and offers - much appreciated.

I quite like the sound of the 34C as a starter razor, so think I will be going for that one. Is it worth getting it as a part of the starter kits that Traditional Shaving offers? How do the more expensive soaps compare to some of the cheaper ones that have been mentioned here? I am now contemplating purchasing...

EJ silver tip badger
ToOBS sandalwood soap in bowl
Razor blade sample pack (35x)
Merkur 34C

Will cost £103 - does that represent fair value for money? If I was buying separate I would definitely be going for one of Peter's New Forest brushes, but thought that the starter kit might be worth it for the soap etc...
 
Hi! A young chap shaving with a straight blade has got to be a lot cooler than shaving with a multiblade cartridge razor........
 
llyamah said:
Evening All

Thanks for the advice and offers - much appreciated.

I quite like the sound of the 34C as a starter razor, so think I will be going for that one. Is it worth getting it as a part of the starter kits that Traditional Shaving offers? How do the more expensive soaps compare to some of the cheaper ones that have been mentioned here? I am now contemplating purchasing...

EJ silver tip badger
ToOBS sandalwood soap in bowl
Razor blade sample pack (35x)
Merkur 34C

Will cost £103 - does that represent fair value for money? If I was buying separate I would definitely be going for one of Peter's New Forest brushes, but thought that the starter kit might be worth it for the soap etc...
Click to expand...

I would personally have to say no this is not value for money. As others have stated you can easily buy from members of this forum on BST all the equipment you require for far less. The choise however is yours, at the end of the day.
 
Hello and welcome to TSR!

You where asking for cream scents: I like Grafton (a very "fresh" scent) and lavender (just because I like lavender)

You also mention ToBS Snadalwood. My first soap after 1 (one) stick of Palmolive was the same soap. I think efficacy wise the Palmolive is superior to the ToBS soap, but the scent of the ToBS Sandalwood is very nice. You wont be wrong to purchase ToBS Sandalwood aftershave balm as well. Gives a very nice finish, and does a very good job at caring for your shaved face, and that scent is even better than the soap!

I found with ToBS Sandalwood soap that I needed to use more soap than I thought I did, and I needed to add less water than I thought i needed, thereby stopping mixing lather when it seemed a little too dry. It very quickly becomes to "light". Add water by the drops from your fingers, litterally.

Regarding your choice of brush: I do not own a New Forest Brush, but I plan to. From what I read around here this is where you get your value for money. A 2 band New Forest (same as silvertip from what I understand from Fido), will cost you the same as the extra you will have to cough up with to upgrade to an EJ silvertip. I would buy a New Forest, or go the completely other way and buy a very reasonably priced Vulfix 404 bodger (badger and boar mix) for £10. It is also very highly recommended by others (I do not own it, but will some day. I'll have to know what the rave is about :D ) You can find the link to New Forest brushes in the signature of Fido's response to your introduction (the very first response)

Happy shaving! :shave

/Max
 
Does seem quite expensive. I went for a similar "starter kit" - but I'm already a convert to DE single blade shaving having bought a cheapo plastic Wilkinson sword safety razor with some blades from the local chemist.

I've taken delivery of this kit (with a sample selection of blades) and it's waiting for my eager hands at home!
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.traditionalshaving.co.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/traditionalshaving/_STA-SOA-LUX/268168/Starter-Kit---Luxury-Soap" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.traditionalshaving.co.uk/mal ... uxury-Soap</a><!-- m -->

I'll let you all know how it goes.
 
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