Thread: Post Shave #1

Well, I have only been "traditional" shaving for about 10 months. Started with DE, about 3 months with a Feather Artist Club, and about a month with a straight. I can get consistent BBS from my DE and Feather, usual BBS/DFS neck with straight. So for the little my opinion is worth, I will attempt to answer your questions lol.

1)Necessary, No. I am a minimalist. Shower,wet face,lather,shave, and then AS. I have never used a preshave oil. Highly recommended, it depends on who you ask. Some people swear by it. As with most things shaving, YMMV!
2) Ask a ten gents which blade is better, you may get ten different answers. Everyone has their favorites. I have not seen much praise for derby blades, but some guys do like them. I don't think I have heard anyone proclaiming their love of Merkur blades. In my DE I liked Astra SPs. You would probably do best to get a sampler pack. I love the Feather artist club blades, but never tried their DE blades. Astras, personnas, and feathers all have their following, so I would look for them in any sampler I got.
3) The neck is a problem area for most guys. I would suggest doing only N-S or S-N passes in the beginning. Conventional wisdom is right hand for right side and vise versa. Personally I would do whatever you are most comfortable with. I shave mostly with my right hand. I use my left for about half of my left side and have used my left a little on my right side. No one has busted down my bathroom door screaming at me yet

Beard mapping will help a lot, especially on the neck. I thought I had it figured out in the beginning,but after a closer look found that I was going ATG on the first pass in a couple spots. The stubble on my neck grows all different directions. Sorry for the long reply. Hope it helps and good luck!