Hello everyone, I've been lurking for a couple of days, reading up at the wiki and looking at some sticky posts. I recently decided to take up straight razor shaving after waking up one morning and looking the the disposables I had in the bathroom that tend to "ginsu" my face whenever I use them, and remembering how much my mach5 cartridges cost - and just feeling completely sick of it all.
I remembered my Grandfather using a straight razor when I was a boy, and figured I would try it. (No, I'm not lucky enough to have any of that equipment, my family sold it all off a long time ago.) I picked up a $7 made in china no-name straight razor from a local Spanish grocery, grabbed an old latigo belt that has traditionally doubled as a knife strop for me, and a canvas twill belt that I never wear. A boar's hair brush from Walgreen's, a bar of VDH shave soap later, and many a headache trying to get that cheap arse piece of stainless to take and edge, and I actually have been able to start shaving with it. I haven't gotten to the shaved smoother the the proverbial bady's ____ yet, but I'm sure I will once I can get some better equipment.
Now, I'm a big DIY'er and I noticed that there were very few DIY type articles in the wiki pages. I was wondering if y'all could point me in the right direction of some good threads on making shaving equipment ie strops, soaps, aftershave lotions, and the like. Also, my wife does make skin lotions so what kind of scents would all you guys like in these types of things?
Later,
Liam Boyle
Louisville, KY USA
