Thread: advise before purchase please?

Another place you can usually find Thayers is at GNC. That is where I get mine.

One word for you: whippeddog.com

foxjaeger,

Use a drop or two of mineral or baby oil and dental floss on the razor pivot.

I would still recommend the 3" strop over the 2.5" that you have settled on.

The Thayer's witch hazel can be purchased either at amazon.com via a reseller or at Best Grooming Tools.

Thayer's also makes a witch hazel aftershave that may be perfect for your sensitive skin.

BTW...When you begin shaving, only shave a small area of your face with the straight (ie. one side of your face). That will be enough for a beginner--and it will alert you to any allergic reaction to the shave cream you are using.

I'm a fan of supporting local brick & mortar, but as you find creams and things you enjoy, don't forget to support the site sponsors/vendors. I've only worked with a couple of them but they've all been top notch and I will definitely do business with them again. If you are able to find some things locally, splurge on a nice brush. It's what will be touching your face every shave. If you have sensitive skin you may want to just start with badger. The Simpson Wee Scott and pretty much any Vulfix will get you in to badger without being too painful on the wallet.

Also, here is the Real Shave Co cream.
Before:

Real Shave Co Cream by harner.bill, on Flickr
(I added about half again as much cream as I forgot that the brush I was using likes to eat lather. Omega "Professional")

After about 30 seconds of churning:

Real Shave Co Cream by harner.bill, on Flickr

Originally Posted by jhenry

I would still recommend the 3" strop over the 2.5" that you have settled on.

I really want the 3" but the extra $15 is tough on my wallet... or maybe i will get it. hmm.
and i'll try the baby oil with the floss. hopefully i have some.

Originally Posted by bharner

I'm a fan of supporting local brick & mortar, but as you find creams and things you enjoy, don't forget to support the site sponsors/vendors. I've only worked with a couple of them but they've all been top notch and I will definitely do business with them again. If you are able to find some things locally, splurge on a nice brush. It's what will be touching your face every shave. If you have sensitive skin you may want to just start with badger. The Simpson Wee Scott and pretty much any Vulfix will get you in to badger without being too painful on the wallet.

After about 30 seconds of churning:

Real Shave Co Cream by harner.bill, on Flickr

I have that same bowl, (now) shaving cream, and... toothbrush holder?! lol
i found the Witch Hazel at a very unlikely place... Whole Foods. it was $9. and i picked up the shaving cream at Rite Aid.

but yes, i shaved today before i went out and purchased the Witch Hazel and the shaving cream... so i'm pretty excited to use them both.
i notice that by the end of the day, my face is pretty oily after i've shaved in the morning... so i hope the Witch Hazel will fix that.
also, i have been rinsing (after my shave) with hot water. i'll try cold water next time and see if that helps. i can already feel in-grown hairs coming in.
finding the combination for my skin is such a head ache!

so i just tried the Real Shaving Co shaving cream, and it dries out before i can get to that part of my face. any suggestions?

Originally Posted by foxjaeger

so i just tried the Real Shaving Co shaving cream, and it dries out before i can get to that part of my face. any suggestions?

More water to the lather. Or shave faster...but unless it's taking you 15+ minutes to get there, I'm going to go with more water. If your lather now seems good, add a few more drops of water. Something good to do is just to see how much water it will hold. Just make a bowl of lather and keep adding water a few drops at a time then mixing then water, etc until it's too loose. You'd be amazed at how much water most crimes will hold.

I like your remark: "Most of all, take your time and have fun putting the whole system together." It really pulls it all together in regards to what straight razor shaving is all about.

Originally Posted by foxjaeger

I really want the 3" but the extra $15 is tough on my wallet... or maybe i will get it.

The 2.5 inch strop is not "settling." Until less than 5 years ago, nearly all strops were 2.5 inches, and the rest were 2 inches, wide. Men used nothing but those narrower strops for a reason, and that is that the 3 inch width is unnecessary, as your razor benefits from an x-stroke that can be accomplished just fine on what is now considered to be a narrower strop.

Originally Posted by Utopian

The 2.5 inch strop is not "settling." Until less than 5 years ago, nearly all strops were 2.5 inches, and the rest were 2 inches, wide. Men used nothing but those narrower strops for a reason, and that is that the 3 inch width is unnecessary, as your razor benefits from an x-stroke that can be accomplished just fine on what is now considered to be a narrower strop.

I've got one strop that is 2.5" and one that is 3". If my narrower strop had the same quality of leather as the wider one I don't think I'd touch the fat one as often. I do like the extra width on my webbing. I have that in 2" and 3" and the 2" is a bit narrow, IMLE, for my tastes but YMMV.