Cream needed

Hey guys,
This is my first post. I am looking into getting a straight razor, as i have used my dads once a long time ago and thought it was the best shave ever.. also the barber does a great job, but he of course does it all day long.
My real question is, how important is the shaving cream to the shave. I only ask because while I use a Mach3 razor now, I have long since abandoned anything but water. In fact I shave against the grain daily and can shave dry with no bumps if need be. Not preferable of course, but I was wondering if anyone shaved with a straight razor and no cream. I have facial hair that is hard to see beneath the cream and was looking for some advice.

Also I want to purchase a pre-sharpened razor and strop (the bare minimum) but how long in between sharpenings will the razor go, before I need to take it back in to a professional (yes I know everyone is different, hair and whatnot, but whats a good average?)
Thanks for your help.
This board is a wealth of information.. and so classy.

The cream serves the purpose of keeping hot water against your whiskers and lubricating your beard for the piece of steel you are about to pass over it. The idea being to slide over, not *cut* the skin, while cutting off the whiskers. With a cartridge razor, this is less important, as most of them have some sort of aloe or other lubricating strip built in that accomplishes this. With a straight, it is possible to shave with just hot water, but not recommended, IMHO.
Also, you can just use soap to good effect. There are plenty of good shaving soaps as well as (if you are resourceful and search the forums) a few bath soaps that do ok. To be honest though, it's worth the $ to just get a good soap from one of the vendors on here or a cream, and a brush. It will amaze you how luxurious shaving the old way can be. Even on those days when you make a mistake and bleed, the experience over all will still be enjoyable.
As for honing and stropping, etc. etc. I would recommend getting a hone (search here for good recommendations as well as the old yahoo groups SRP) and following the instructions to make at least one of your razors match the professionally honed one. Some people offer a "guarantee" where they will rehone for you for a certain period of time, but IMHO it is quite possible to figure it out on your own before this occurs.
Time between honing-depends on the razor and your stropping technique/type of strop. Some razors it can be a ***LOOOONG**** time. Others, not so long. Especially when you are new and your strop technique is still being learned, it might be a short period between the two.
Finally, a pasted strop is recommended by many here, or you can use what I do, search for a very fine barber hone (I have an Itsapeech for this purpose-I would estimate it WELL over 12,000 grit) for touch ups-1-4 light passes when the razor starts to pull, followed by the strop, and it should be good as new again...

I know, too much info.
In the mean time, if you have a favorite canned gel/foam, try using it only after a hot shower and after washing your face with very hot water (you can even use the old barber trick of a hot towel, sometimes after rubbing one's face with noxzema or some such). Then apply the canned product and rub it in thoroughly. I did this until I was able to get a proper brush and soaps/creams, and it did quite well for me.
Don't hold off on the fun just because you don't have everything you want just yet, after all.

Hope this helps.


John P.

I also shaved with an M3 with just water or dry. You will appreciate a good shave cream or soap. You will be amazed in the difference you'll find in your skin. Also if you have any razor burn/irritation you will find it quickly fading with a straight and a good soap.

Take a look at the Alba shave cream products. I use the lime shave cream. It comes in a tube and is transparent on the skin. It provides excellent lubrication and leaves my face feeling very cool. You can purchase their products on their web site if you can't find it in a drug store.

One other attribute to using good soap (and probably cream as well). I really like the feeling of a hot brush spreading the lather over my face. I could never get any feeling of goodness by spreading that canned stuff over my face using my hand. It looks like the choice between cream and soap seems to be entirely personal.

Dan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Labhoncho

Take a look at the Alba shave cream products. I use the lime shave cream. It comes in a tube and is transparent on the skin. It provides excellent lubrication and leaves my face feeling very cool. You can purchase their products on their web site if you can't find it in a drug store.

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+1 on the Alba products for a fast shave they do work well, I sometimes use them at the gym...
However that being said they by no means compare to a quality shave cream or soap and a good brush..... and the warm thick creamy lather that they produce :D

Thanks, I have to see what I am doing and clear would be very helpful

So what would you recommend instead? I have a beard I have to work around, and its short and i have to kinda see it in order to really use anything, which is why i abandoned shaving cream long ago. i just use water.