So, you're new then

Absolutely - mapping the direction of growth of the various sections of your beard, if you haven't already done so, is also invaluable as it means you can be confident that your first pass is WTG (with the grain) only, rather than across the grain (XTG) or even against the grain (ATG) in some areas. Mantic59 in his Youtube videos emphasises the idea of steady beard reduction over 3 passes as opposed to trying to completely remove it in a single pass where you're scraping over areas without lather on them.
 
Thanks for the responses. I have had a look at Mantics video very informative.

I am thinking of either Proraso cream or All Natural Speick Shaving Cream. Any thoughts?

My skin is not greasy and can be dry and a little sensitive here and there.

Thanks

Ben
 
hdb3326 said:
Thanks for the responses. I have had a look at Mantics video very informative.

I am thinking of either Proraso cream or All Natural Speick Shaving Cream. Any thoughts?

My skin is not greasy and can be dry and a little sensitive here and there.

Thanks

Ben

For what it's worth, my suggestion would be to pop into your local branch of Tescos and get a tube of Palmolive cream. It lathers easily, even in very hard water, and smells inoffensive (at least to most). I actually love the smell, but most regard it as pleasant enough but not particularly exciting. Alternatively, Superdrug sell Ingrams cream, which is essentially a British equivalent of Proraso minus the eucalyptus. Be aware, though, that some tubes from a faulty batch which was very thin in consistency may still be on the shelves - the answer is to remove the tube from the box and shake it next to your ear. If you can hear a sloshing sound, it's a duff tube. It lathers very well, and, like the Palmolive, it's cheap.
 
For the first few shaves I'd just go North to South for a couple of passes for a week or so, it'll mean you shave some areas across the grain but angle and lack of pressure are what you should be concentrating on. Chris is right about the benefits of beard mapping but you can introduce that a little later when you're absolutely comfortable with these first steps.

The concept of beard reduction is a little misconceived but if it stops people from hacking away trying to get the perfect shave after one pass so be it. If it were actually true then a week or even two weeks growth would take incrementally many more passes than it does and we all know in reality three passes is more than adequate for most shaves irrespective of the amount of growth.
 
I've just tried my first ever DE shave after using Mach3 and the likes for years...
A nice hot shower followed by a Gillete Slim (set to 2), Astra blade, and Palmolive cream. I got one small cut and a bit of neck rash.
I think the thing to do is very small strokes rather than the long strokes you probably do now, and let the razor do the work rather than press on it.
tbh I think the end result is a lot better than multiblades, though it will probably take a good few shaves for my skin to adjust.
 
antdad said:
For the first few shaves I'd just go North to South for a couple of passes for a week or so, it'll mean you shave some areas across the grain but angle and lack of pressure are what you should be concentrating on. Chris is right about the benefits of beard mapping but you can introduce that a little later when you're absolutely comfortable with these first steps.

The concept of beard reduction is a little misconceived but if it stops people from hacking away trying to get the perfect shave after one pass so be it. If it were actually true then a week or even two weeks growth would take incrementally many more passes than it does and we all know in reality three passes is more than adequate for most shaves irrespective of the amount of growth.

Good points, Tony. My opinion (FWIW) on the beard reduction question is that I reckon each pass removes a rough percentage of what's there, irrespective of how much there is in terms of length (to a point). For my face, most razors seem to remove roughly

40-50% on the first pass
25-30% on the second pass
All but about 5 % of what's left on the third pass

I suspect this varies for different people, and some blades seem to me incapable of taking-off more than 30% even on the first pass.
 
I shall certainly be taking it easily and going for a comfortable rather than a close shave. Will remember to take my time and persevere.

I shall also lather and repeat as necessary.

Will keep you all informed.
 
Absolutely - mapping the direction of growth of the various sections of your beard, if you haven't already done so, is also invaluable as it means you can be confident that your first pass is WTG (with the grain) only, rather than across the grain (XTG) or even against the grain (ATG) in some areas. Mantic59 in his Youtube videos emphasises the idea of steady beard reduction over 3 passes as opposed to trying to completely remove it in a single pass where you're scraping over areas without lather on them.

Thanks for this 'chrisbell' at 64 I'm now getting a good shave.
Rik.
 
i thought i'd write this little bit as a welcome to the newer brethren and as a reminder to us so called wiser ones :roll:


so you've decided to try wet-shaving and somewhere along the line you've stumbled on our happy abode.
many do, for whatever reason
cost, years of irritation using the latest cartridge system or just a chance to return to a simpler and better way of shaving.
like most here it will be a combination of all of the above.

the great thing about our forum is the the lads involved and the amount of knowledge and advice you'll get

that's also the worst thing :lol:

as with anything where people contribute you'll get different opinions, all are right but also all wrong
:?
after reading through some posts you'll understand what i mean
"what razor should i start with?" = HD, vintage Gillette, Edwin Jagger etc
"what's the best brush for me?" = loads of answers
soaps or creams, bowl or face, badger or boar, tallow or glycerin
the list is endless
about the only thing people will agree on (although i've noticed a change of late) is get a blade sampler pack to find which one suits you.


so from someone who's learned the hard way (through my wallet :lol:) here's a little advice on what you really need to get started

the first thing i tell people new to this is that the most important part to this wet-shaving is using a brush and a decent soap or cream to create a proper lather
not the razor
first step is to look at marks videos
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59</a><!-- m -->
he's basically the best teacher there is without having a barber in your house
[youtube][/youtube]

when starting out i'd say learn to face lather first
the reasons for this are
1. it's the easiest way to prep your face for shaving
2. you get a better feel for what your doing when making the lather
3. less gear to buy, clean up
4. it feels like the proper way to do it, well to me anyway

before making the switch to using a DE, for years this was my set-up
Gillette Sensor
Wilkinson Sword black bowl soap
Grandads old boar brush
[attachment=2]
[attachment=1]
[attachment=0]
did it work?
it did, and that's before i knew how to make lather properly.
(actually the Sensor is a very good razor)

so to get started all you need is very simple and basic

a brush and some soap\cream, just carry on using whatever razor you got until the cartridges run out.
although hopefully you don't use a Fusion or Mach3 as 3 or more blades do tend to cause problems, 2 blade cartridges seem to be fine if they're not cheap nasty ones
i like the Gillette Blue two's, basically a disposable Sensor

which soap then?

the Palmolive soap stick or the Boots bowl
cheap, available everywhere and best of all they work brilliantly

on the other hand if you fancy trying creams first

Palmolive again :roll:

now the brush

Vulfix 404 badger\boar mix
less than a tenner well made and so easy to use
best of both worlds with the mix hair knot

so there you have it
that's all you NEED to get started

next installment i'll look at razors (if anyone is still interested :oops: )

will you get more soaps and creams?
will you want to try different brushes?
more than one razor?
aftershaves and balms?

we'll get to that but this is your first regular step in wet-shavery so enjoy
it
Good thread, please keep it coming Regards Paul
 
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