1st one is in the bag... Wow, pretty exhilirating!
I've been DE shaving for the past 2 months and finally decided to take the leap. I can't believe I waited so late into my adulthood to try a straight shave! Incredible!
I never had a problem with sensitive skin, in-growns, and things like that... so the Mach 3 was always a no-brainer. If it's not broken, why fix it? Then a buddy at work introduced me, and some other coworkers, to the world of wet shaving. He proclaimed the virtues of wet shaving... you know, slow down, enjoy the process... stop and smell the roses kind of stuff. Initailly I balked. LIke I said, my Mach 3 did a fine job, and being rather miserly, I could go weeks on one cartridge. But with nothing but time on my hands and a little curiosity, I jumped in. Bought a 34C, a jar of Proraso pre/post a cheap no-name badger brush and a tube of Trumpers Sandalwood.
It opened my eyes... I got it. Take some time, relax, enjoy the process. Appreciate the materials and the craftmanship of tools... and of course enjoy a super-close shave.
So here we are right now. Tonight. 2 hours ago a package came in the mail and contained some creams, soaps, aftershave lotions and my newest weapon of choice, and Sham-honed, Dovo Special 6/8 in tortoise.
I needed to workout first. So I spent some time on the treadmill thinking about what products I wanted to use and how I was going to go about doing my first straight shave. Like a mantra, in my head, over and over, "stretch the skin, pay attention to the angle, take it slow....".
I also decided to buck the conventional wisdom. Like an earlier poster said " I read all the advice and promptly ignored it." I was going to do this start to finish, no matter what.
After the shower, I immediately applied some Proraso pre/post and let that sink in. Played some Miles Davis on Itunes, and began laying out my other gear. I stropped the blade for 20 laps on a 2-inch wide, black veg tanned belt (yikes!). My Vulfix brush was soaking since before I got in the shower, so I shook her out several times and prepared the soap. Using a brand new stick of La Toja, I swirled the brush about the stick, and then when properly coated, dropped 3 drops of Trumpers Sandalwood Skinfood right into the middle of the up-turned brush. After a minute of vigorous swirling, a crazy lather exploded in my Japanese wooden rice bowl. I applied the lather, looked my self in the mirror, and very cheesily said aloud, "here we go".
Not gonna lie, it was easy. And what a rush! WTG and then ATG, and I ended up with just as good a shave as I was getting with my 34C and Feather blades. Finished with the Proraso pre/post, some Floid Suave, and some DR Harris Arlington Cologne. The only issues was a mole on my non-dominant side cheek that has a little stubble left near it, which I didn't notice while I was still at the sink. Otherwise, I shaved myself ridiculously well - no blood, no burn. Took just over 25 minutes start to finish. I must say, this was a great experience and I can't wait to do it again tomorrow!
Thanks for all the kind advice that is offered up here everyday, and the fellowship that make this forum a joy to visit.
