Nearly 60

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Hi I will be 60 on 1st October and never shaved with a DE Safety Razor, The kit arrived early this morning decided to give a go. I had watched yotube videos, on the 3 pass system, Downward, Re-Lather, Side-Ways. Re-lather and cold water. Tried this process out with Gillette Fusion, was best shave I'v ever had. Today I aprroached it the same way using Jagger DE89, must sdmit was nervous of razor, but after 3 passes there were very smooth areas but 2/3 still had roughness, I wnt over the roughnes with my Gillette Fussion,which allowed me to make heavier contact and clear the last 2 /3rd like babies bottom. I am doing something wrong or am I just being to scared to make the same harsh contact I would make with the cartridge razor?
 
I found it took me a little while to adjust to DE shaving. I was stuck in the habit of shaving with a cartridge razor that had a moving head, so my angle would be incorrect frequently.

I'd say continue as you are, take your time & clean up with the Gillette if necessary. Eventually it will click and you will find that you don't need the Gilette. In my experience, when the angle is right, then minimal pressure is all that you need

Also, what blades and shaving cream are you using?
 
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The DE89 is a mild razor, it won't get everything off your face as quickly as the Fusion, but when you get used to the process, you should find your skin looks and feels much better for it. Is there a reason you changed (ie sick of being ripped off buying cartridge packs), or simply that you fancied giving DE shaving a go? Watch the tutorial vids, scour the forum, any questions ask away, and take your time shaving. Its called a 'learning curve' for a reason. It takes a while to adjust from cartridges and hone your technique. If it changed in an instant it would be a learning hairpin bend!

Welcome to the forum and happy birthday in advance, you share a birthday with my eldest son.
 
If you didn't have any skin issues, and can afford the cartridges, it sounds like you'dbe perfectly happy using a nice brush, a good soap and a Gillette Fusion, just making sure your technique is good.
 
Look out for the good quality artisan soaps - many really interesting and complex scents. Don't go for Cella, Tabac, Proraso and the mass market stuff - there's much, much better out there. If you have any difficulty lathering get a Yaqi synthetic brush - they're marvellous. I no longer use all my badgers, and they were top quality like Maseto. Badgers can live in peace these days....
 
If you practice then you will get great shaves with a de razor, but maybe a slightly more aggressive one would suit you better. However, for me, the greatest pleasure is using a great soap and face lathering. I agree with les that you should use a good soap or cream. I know that some guys love the cheaper ones such as Pamolive stick but they usually add ...good for the money!
 
  • DE Safety Razor Shaving Starter Kit – MentholT
  • Edwin Jagger DE89 Safety Razor – Knurled Handle
  • Omega Synthetic Fibre Shaving Brush
  • Proraso Menthol Shaving Soap – 150ml
  • Razor Blade Sample Pack – 25 blades
  • Alum Matchsticks x 20
This was the starter gift I ordered and began with £48.00 worth of contents, didnt want to overspend and find I didnt like the DE shaving style, My main consideration was price as on my own now, shoping, I can get 200 of the 1st DE g7 blade I'v used for same price as 4 Gillette Fusion cartridges. I dont know if Gillette 7 DE Razors are the best to use, was just the recognizable name out of 5 blades x 5 brands in kit. Really fed up going to cash register and having fery few items, shocked at bill, turns out my shaving gear had contibuted to most of receipt as £11.95 set of 4 fusion cartidges every 4 wks + the £2.00 odds for fusion gel, cartridges are £144pa, More expensive than my car Insurace. The Proraaso Shaving 150ml soap, has new bowl each time and is compatable with price of 200ml of Fusion Shaving gel. I know just a synthetic brush instead of badger, but will upgrade if I get used to using the DE. Am I chosing the correcr blade for heavy growth? IE usually 5 o'clock shadow, but today its 1.23am and skin is still softest but that extra last pass with fusion cartridge but never felt so soft with fusion one shave pass. A fusion 3 shave pass would be terribly expensive!
 
The beauty of this is that it can pretty much be as cheap or as expensive as you like.

I went into Tesco the other day and was genuinely disgusted by the fusion prices.

Everybody will have different experiences with different blades so maybe that blade just isn't for you. I had my first shave with a voskhod blade in my DE89L last night and it's the closest shave I've ever had. So I'd recommend those thoroughly. However I would think that all blades should remove the hair if your technique is correct and your lather is. Maybe the blade is a dud? Astra are a very good cheap blade. I got 100 for around £10.


You may be better off trying some shaving cream rather than soap? I found it easier to get a good shave with cream when I started DE shaving, but that's just from my experience. I also find a good pre shave can make a world of difference. You can get King of Shaves pre shave oil from most supermarkets for a couple of quid and I've found it far superior to products that cost significantly more.

Best of luck!
 
I know just a synthetic brush instead of badger, but will upgrade if I get used to using the DE. Am I chosing the correcr blade for heavy growth? IE usually 5 o'clock shadow, but today its 1.23am and skin is still softest but that extra last pass with fusion cartridge but never felt so soft with fusion one shave pass. A fusion 3 shave pass would be terribly expensive!

No such thing as correct blades. If it's sharp (straight out of a pack) it will be fine.

You have to look pretty hard these days for a really terrible synthetic brush. I was gifted one in a Baylis and Harding set at Christmas, and I've not heard great things about the £3 Wilkinson Sword offering from most supermarkets.

You could get a superb Omega boar brush for about £8 If you really felt the synth was poor. I also have a tuxedo synthetic brush which is gorgeous.
 
As above, you don't need to change the synthetic brush - stay with synthetics. These days they are really, really good and you get effortless lathering from them. Add to that you don't need to soak the brush before using it or be careful drying it out. Brushes have moved on.

Save your money for a couple more good artisan soaps. The variety in scents will give you joy when you shave. Try some Fougere or Vetiver or Lime for instance. Shaving is about more than just cutting hair - it's a pleasurable personal experience.
 
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To add to the great advice already given, I would say not to buy any blade in bulk this early on. Despite 100 or more of most blades being vastly cheaper than Fusion carts (£15 for 4 everywhere I see them and never on offer), there is not much point in having a few hundred of one particular blade, only to get through your sampler packs and discover you prefer others over that one. I've been DE shaving for approaching one year and am still working my way through sampler packs before making any bulk buy decisions. I've ruled out a few blades already but of what's left am still deciding which are my faves. Also even if you're not sure on a blade, try one again in a few weeks in case the other was a dud, also by then your technique will have improved and you may actually like it by then.

Some would also say to stick to the same blade for a month as you get used to the adjustment from cartridges. When you feel you're getting somewhere with your technique, perhaps take some notes during your tryout of different blades. You'll find that some just don't agree with your skin, whilst others leave it looking and feeling much better.

Anyway, because DE blades are so much cheaper than carts, you can enjoy spending the money saved on some nice creams / soaps. If you are really bored you can read online articles telling you why cream out of a pressurised can is not a good idea. I have not delved into soaps yet but I know that a good tub of cream can last a few months, and you only need a tiny amount to make enough lather for 3 DE passes.

Oh, and your car insurance is very cheap!
 
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Yes - blades, the final frontier..... I haven't got there yet! I do have 12 beautiful artisan soaps which absolutely make my shaving experience, plus 3 Yaqi synthetic brushes and 3 DE razors. But just 100 Astra SP blades. Good advice to sample some first - I should have done that.
 
I thought I was a late starter at 50, but well done you! The 'face mapping' as highlighted above should not be underestimated. It's the reason why some cars get cleaned better in an automatic car wash than others - they all have different curves & dimensions, hence the brushes designed for a 'standard' run may not clean your car particularly well. All the YouTube videos will show standard passes, but if you know your own face intimately, (which you may not as a cartridge razor compensates), you can begin to add the few strokes here and there that nake all the difference. Just persevere with it, all I can say is it's worth it, and I haven't used a cartidge razor since the day I gave them up. Oh, and Happy Birthday!
 
Hi I will be 60 on 1st October and never shaved with a DE Safety Razor, The kit arrived early this morning decided to give a go. I had watched yotube videos, on the 3 pass system, Downward, Re-Lather, Side-Ways. Re-lather and cold water. Tried this process out with Gillette Fusion, was best shave I'v ever had. Today I aprroached it the same way using Jagger DE89, must sdmit was nervous of razor, but after 3 passes there were very smooth areas but 2/3 still had roughness, I wnt over the roughnes with my Gillette Fussion,which allowed me to make heavier contact and clear the last 2 /3rd like babies bottom. I am doing something wrong or am I just being to scared to make the same harsh contact I would make with the cartridge razor?

...welcome; I am sure you will get great shaves in a very short time with the DE89, it is a great shaver and all the razor you will ever need once learnt. I have some spare gear (boar brushes, synthetic's, shave creams and probably a razor head or two that will fit your DE89 handle) that I am happy to send and you can perhaps get a quicker idea of your preferences. If interested PM me your address...
 
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