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Absolutely on the 89. A classic piece of shaving kit. Not too sure on TOBS though
See my posting above
You have restraint?
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What mistakes did you make when you first started wet shaving?
- Thread starter Merkurologist
- Start Date
Absolutely on the 89. A classic piece of shaving kit. Not too sure on TOBS though
See my posting above
You have restraint?
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Reading shaving forums and Google search for the 10 best razors
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I had a lot of good advice here so missed some of the pitfalls.
However my biggest mistake was going after the shave too much , rather than gently learning how. Then hoping and changing equipment too much in the beginning, in my case going on a 2 week business trip did me the world of good as I just used one set of stuff during that time.
However my biggest mistake was going after the shave too much , rather than gently learning how. Then hoping and changing equipment too much in the beginning, in my case going on a 2 week business trip did me the world of good as I just used one set of stuff during that time.
OP
Merkurologist
LeJog 2022 Finisher
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- Thread Starter
- #20
Must be a couple of years ago when a newbie asked for advice on this forum about his shaving, he showed some pictures and I can honestly say that I've never seen anything so horrific... I can't remember what blade he was using but I remember he was using the R41... he kept trying and trying. He was quickly pointed in the right direction and I hope he is enjoying his shaves now.
It can be full of pitfalls for a newbie.
It can be full of pitfalls for a newbie.
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I know exactly what you mean. My first razor cost me 30€ with shipping. I don't even want to calculate what I have spent on all the straights, DEs, soaps etc. Thank god she has no idea about the value of any of them.
Except for item #5 on the original post I have made all the mistakes.
I have been doing it for couple of years now and I am glad all that stuff is behind me now.
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Same with me. I tried to work out how many years it would take to get my money back on Mach 3s by spending £31 on a Merkur Progress and £49 on a Rooney 1/2 Silvertip. It was my only brush for 10 years and would probably benefit from re-knotting but definitely got my money's worth out if it.
Mistakes in order:
1. My dad taught me to wet shave in the late 1980's. He used a Gillette Super Speed he got for high school graduation in 1949 and hand soap to shave with. Irish Spring, Ivory, whatever my mom bought that was cheap. He lathered it up on his hands, rubbed it on his face and shaved it off. He bought me my first razor from the Rexall drugstore. I don't remember the brand or anything about it other then it was a butterfly and it worked fine with hand soap. My mistake was not asking my friends how they were shaving. They might have been as dumb as me but they couldn't have been taught a more brutal method.
2. When I first joined the Army all my fellow Soldiers were using Gillette Sensors and I switched. I should have done some research and tried some other products. At this stage I still had DE razor muscle memory. There's a place for disposables and cartridge razors but at the time I couldn't afford steam off a hotdog and I could have really saved some money.
3. When I left cartridge razors behind I bought an internet highly recommended razor, blades, soap, and brush. I couldn't get a decent lather and everything was too harsh. I bought another internet highly recommended razor, blades, soap, and brush. Repeated this process until I realized it was my lathering technique. About a year ago I found my original set up and tried it out again. They work awesome now that I know what I'm doing.
4. I need to actually get close to using up a soap, tuck, shaving cream etc before ordering their replacement and when I receive the replacement throw out the old. I literally have more shaving product then all of my wife's make up etc. That's just not right.
My list could go on and on.
1. My dad taught me to wet shave in the late 1980's. He used a Gillette Super Speed he got for high school graduation in 1949 and hand soap to shave with. Irish Spring, Ivory, whatever my mom bought that was cheap. He lathered it up on his hands, rubbed it on his face and shaved it off. He bought me my first razor from the Rexall drugstore. I don't remember the brand or anything about it other then it was a butterfly and it worked fine with hand soap. My mistake was not asking my friends how they were shaving. They might have been as dumb as me but they couldn't have been taught a more brutal method.
2. When I first joined the Army all my fellow Soldiers were using Gillette Sensors and I switched. I should have done some research and tried some other products. At this stage I still had DE razor muscle memory. There's a place for disposables and cartridge razors but at the time I couldn't afford steam off a hotdog and I could have really saved some money.
3. When I left cartridge razors behind I bought an internet highly recommended razor, blades, soap, and brush. I couldn't get a decent lather and everything was too harsh. I bought another internet highly recommended razor, blades, soap, and brush. Repeated this process until I realized it was my lathering technique. About a year ago I found my original set up and tried it out again. They work awesome now that I know what I'm doing.
4. I need to actually get close to using up a soap, tuck, shaving cream etc before ordering their replacement and when I receive the replacement throw out the old. I literally have more shaving product then all of my wife's make up etc. That's just not right.
My list could go on and on.
It's considered normal here
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When I started shaving, there was only wet shaving, unless you were rich, then "electric" razors were an option. Not many choices, Gilette or Shick injectors. Ditto with the blades, and the soaps/creams mostly came in a can or tube, but the tube were kind of "old guy" stuff. Toothpaste came in a tube, not something you would use to remove the manly gristle that was appearing on your face and chin! (Maybe in a few years some of that would start sprouting on your chest!)
A couple of years later, I received a Norelco double headed non-flexible buzz-tronic as a Christmas gift. That was either a learning experinece or a near sucicidal venture. That demonic device produce more nice and cuts than any blade with whom I have attempted to prune the hedge on my face . My younger brother picked it up and did indeed verify the aforementioned outcome.
A couple of years later, I received a Norelco double headed non-flexible buzz-tronic as a Christmas gift. That was either a learning experinece or a near sucicidal venture. That demonic device produce more nice and cuts than any blade with whom I have attempted to prune the hedge on my face . My younger brother picked it up and did indeed verify the aforementioned outcome.
That is awesome. I can verify your story. While going into a family member's bathroom during a visit I tried the "man of the house's" Norelco double headed razor. It left two "burn" marks on my 14 yo face. I actually bled. Every time my older sister and I have a few drinks she mocks me to this day about that.
I kind of like shaving cream in a toothpaste tube though.
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Ignoring first razor advice about buying an adjustable and then proceeding to use it exactly how I was advised not to.
Starting off using a hard soap and not using a cream believing their use was somewhat inferior. Just use shaving cream to start, it's far far easier to lather even when your technique is less established and less brush quality dependent at a time when densely knotted brushes were less available and expensive let alone developing a preference for hair type.
Linked to the above, waving a brush over a hard soap and thinking it was probably enough loading.
Using far too many products...scrub, preshave, oil, post shave, aftershave then moisturiser etc. I guess that's part of the learning/acquiring process to earmark a new hobby as well as make up for poor technique but as my shaves improved the amount of products I thought I needed to use also fell away.
Starting off using a hard soap and not using a cream believing their use was somewhat inferior. Just use shaving cream to start, it's far far easier to lather even when your technique is less established and less brush quality dependent at a time when densely knotted brushes were less available and expensive let alone developing a preference for hair type.
Linked to the above, waving a brush over a hard soap and thinking it was probably enough loading.
Using far too many products...scrub, preshave, oil, post shave, aftershave then moisturiser etc. I guess that's part of the learning/acquiring process to earmark a new hobby as well as make up for poor technique but as my shaves improved the amount of products I thought I needed to use also fell away.
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Apart from a few cuts etc I can't remember much about it, I was 15 (now 65) and there was one brass ball end razor which my father and older brother used too, no such thing as hygiene back then , the razor was always spotless tho but we all did use the same blade, my father would buy one blade at a time, a gillette, I never remember buying a blade for myself, I just picked up how to shave by watching my Dad and Brother, the soap was always a stick...don't remember what one either tho.
As the years went on I got a bit more "modern" and I started using carts, that continued up until about two years ago and because of the cost and excess use of multi blades I thought I would try de again, it was like I never went away, it all came back so easily, this time tho I looked into the rabbit hole....and here I am, I wanted to try straights so I got two , a feather dx and a parker srx, took a wee while, maybe 3 months, then I went full tonto and bought a couple vtg straights, with good advice and billyfergie honing a couple for me I was hooked, I now have around 35 vtg straights and one modern Dovo..oh! and a modern TI. I hone all my own blades and enjoy that too, I have 1 vtg shell strop, 1 bridle and await a latigo from Westholme strops. Not finished yet...lol.. i have 3 felt homemade strops and one clean leather homemade, I tried balsa etc but I feel the cushioning of the felt helps to soften the edge, especially the dia spray one, the crox one just has a better draw than balsa too, if you make one, i advise 3mm felt, it is sooo cheap off ebay.
As the years went on I got a bit more "modern" and I started using carts, that continued up until about two years ago and because of the cost and excess use of multi blades I thought I would try de again, it was like I never went away, it all came back so easily, this time tho I looked into the rabbit hole....and here I am, I wanted to try straights so I got two , a feather dx and a parker srx, took a wee while, maybe 3 months, then I went full tonto and bought a couple vtg straights, with good advice and billyfergie honing a couple for me I was hooked, I now have around 35 vtg straights and one modern Dovo..oh! and a modern TI. I hone all my own blades and enjoy that too, I have 1 vtg shell strop, 1 bridle and await a latigo from Westholme strops. Not finished yet...lol.. i have 3 felt homemade strops and one clean leather homemade, I tried balsa etc but I feel the cushioning of the felt helps to soften the edge, especially the dia spray one, the crox one just has a better draw than balsa too, if you make one, i advise 3mm felt, it is sooo cheap off ebay.