Thread: Yet another newbie

all good advice. do not take your new blade to a hone until you have had enough experience or you will do more harm than good. pick up a cheap good quaility steel blade to practice honing on. order your blade shave ready so you will have a blade to compare to when you start honing reading is great but honing is an art

Okay so a bit of an update! I happened to find a drugstore that did in fact carry some nice cheap soap, (Williams) as well as a fairly decent $9 Boar bristle brush.

And now for thoughts. First off, the soap was really good and the bar did not shrink at all it seems. The soap was nice and fluffy too so thats a good one right off the bat. Next was the boar bristle brush... which was not so great. As I was applying some of the lather on my face, bristles were coming off and I had maybe at least 20 drop off. Maybe it was the shotty workmanship in the brush or maybe that is just kind of normal and these things have a bit of breaking in to do. Still, I did not really appreciate that much and then there was the smell from the wet boar bristles. Mildly unpleasant but worst of all was that I was given a new razor. Normally I have some two blade generic razor that is smooth enough. This time I decided why not and use this new Gillette Fusion, the one with 5 blades...

Going with the grain was silky smooth, I will grant it that and I relathered up for going against the grain as is my usual agenda and this was where it really lost it's comfort. I would argue that it was worse than my generic 2 blade disposable... Now I think I am slowly recovering from this ordeal... I doubt I will go against the grain with this razor again. >_>;

Also I was not too impressed with the brush. Something softer, odor free and doesn't loose bristles would be really appreciated.

Welcome to SRP, LC,

Don't be too put off by your boar bristle brush. The smell should disappear soon, as should the loose bristles. I have my dad's old drug store bristle brush (cheap) and it's still serviceable after 40+ years. The bristle brush and Williams soap will be fine as you learn to make lather. It sure beats the canned crap. Eventually, you'll acquire better soaps and a badger brush, then you'll be amazed at the difference. My wife got me a Rooney silvertip brush for Christmas and it smelled like a wet badger for a few shaves.

Now what about Synthetic brushes? I'd assume those have no smell, no aminals were harmed, nor would they cost as much... what do you guys think on those?

I don't like synthetic brushes. They don't hold water like natural fibers do and that is a big part of lather-making. Like I said, the smell disappears after a few uses. I don't know what synthetic fibers are made of, but most likely they are petroleum-based. So, while no animals are harmed directly, there is an indirect cost of drilling and shipping crude oil. No such thing as a free lunch.

Give your brush some time for the odor to go away. If you still want a synthetic brush, check on the brush forum. I know there are a few members that use synthetic brushes and strops, so you can find out what they recommend.

Welcome to SRP LuckyCynic,

I think you got some great advice so far..

I started with a simple boar brush and made my own silvertip brush just a little while back..

Well good luck finding your gear and dont forget to start having fun shaving...

Maarten

Give the brush a good shampooing, like you would wash your own hair. Maybe some conditioner too. Comb it a bit afterwards. It will shed more hairs, but those were bound to come off on your face anyway. If the brush is marginally decent, the shedding will stop, except for a single hair every now and then.

Williams is good soap. It 'll sure get the job done.

Please stay away from anything with multiple blades. If you have to rely on a cartridge for the time being, go for the one with the least blades, like "sensor excel", which has two, if I'm not mistaken. A good old DE, with a single blade, would even be better in preparation for the day you're going to use your straight razor.

Best regards,
Bart.

Hi, and welcome to SRP. I've read your post and few of the others. There are lots of reputable sites out there to meet your needs. Many of them are forum sponsors as you'll see. Some folks are partial to one place over another for some reason.
I've personally used, Vintage blades, Classic Shaving, and Straight Razor Designs. The later being the website for the founder of this forum. All will give equally good customer service and quality products. As far as the classifieds here go, Good luck finding any razor at all. Most are sold the moment they get put up. With 11,000 + members, it no wonder. Plus,if your new and don't know what your looking at, I'd stay away and get the advice of one folks at one of the websites. Take a look yourself. You'd be wise to buy a new Dovo. Brushes, well you get what you pay for, and when you put a cheap drug store brush next to a good badger, you'll know where that extra money went. A good Badger brush will hold water like human hair does and lather for that matter...Shop around, talk to guys here, PM people...I think you'll find most people are willing to help and guide you along the way. Welcome....

if you like the williams soap you'll really love the good stuff.
unfortunately brushes are sometimes not made too well and will shed like cats. it happens a lot more often with the cheap ones too. it is not uncommon that a brush will shed a bit at the beginning and then settle down.
the animal smell is very common too, it disappears eventually, usually it takes weeks.
the shampooing as bart wrote should help with these things.

i've only had one synthetic brush and it worked pretty well. wasn't shedding either, but it did have some plastic-type smell. i believe i gave it away to somebody who was starting. i think they're made out of nylon.

i just did a quick search on google and here's one
Omega Syntex 100% Synthetic Fiber Shave Shaving Brush with RED Plastic Handle | Simple Luxuries Collection

omega is very reputable brush maker.

i'd stick with the one you have for a bit longer. soak it for few minutes before use.

Alright guys, well here is what I am going to do. I'm just going to be practicing making a good solid lather in the coming weeks, get used to the brush, etc etc.

So far I think I have a good start. I'll come back if I hit a roadblock, but as it stands getting a nice thick and rich lather is the next objective.