Thread: New guy...

There is an fn forum for everything out there it seems hahaha. I am surprized to find one for shaving but cant even explain how happy I am to find one.

So where to start...Basically I HATE HATE HATE shaving but I must for work. I have tried all the store bought 1-5 blade razors along with every kind of pre during and post shave cream as well, nothing worked. I have tried several different electric razors but them too make me want to jump off a bridge. All that has brought me here in hopes of finally getting a great shave while having my skin not hate me...

I have done a lot of surfing the site through the FAQ's the wiki random posts in different sections and so on...

As of right now I have decided on going with a DE razor. I am thinking the Merkur Hd Classic "Barber Pole" Long Safety Razor which I found to have best reviews on amazon along with great feedback here. That is as far as I have gotten. I am now trying to figure out which brush to buy, whether or not to go with cream soap gel or whatever else, and of those which brand. Also do I need pre/post shave oil and so on...

Can someone tell me is there a section/thread with best bang for the buck? I would love to read something like "best brush for $50 and under" or $50-$100, $100-$200 so on so forth. Would also be nice to have something like that for each item such has razor, brush, soaps, creams, cups, holders, ect. ect. Hell maybe even a thread on if I had $200 to spend this is what I would get or $300, $400, $500 ect. ect.

Thanks
Me

This may catch some flak, but I have found the Van der Hagen soap to provide a good lather, if not a fine scent or overall smashing experience. A puck of this is under $2 at your local drugstore or Walmart. I have found a less-expensive brush in the 18-22mm 'Best Badger' provides a grand blend of economy, stiffness, and comfort...

...best of luck!

It sounds like you're on the right track by taking the time to research stuff before you just go drop a lot of money.

I've never used a safety razor, so can't comment on your selection there. You might find it helpful to start a thread in the "shaving with safety razors" area.

As to the "best" brushes... well there is a lot of personal preference involved there. I wouldn't drop a whole lot of money on a brush until I had tried a few different low to mid priced brushes and knew what I liked.

Soaps? I'd suggest trying both a cake soap and a cream to see which you like better. You can go from there... You might also want to pick up a small bottle of glycerine to experiment with in your lather making.

Sorry I can't give you a shopping list with specifics... There is just so much stuff out there, and so much of it comes down to preference. My advice is to try some different lower priced products, get an idea of what you like, then move into more expensive products.

And as for the Pre/post shave oil.... If your skin is easily irritated then I would recomend getting a decent pre shave oil and after shave balm.
Neither of these have to be expencive, Pre shave oil can be made from a mixture of castor oil and some other oil such as olive oil.

and after shave balms can be bought cheap enough from almost any chemist/super market. I personally prefer the cheaper ones rather than the expencive one as they have fewer components and so seem to work better.

have aq look at what i wrote in this thread.http://straightrazorpalace.com/presh...tml#post557876

Originally Posted by HNSB

It sounds like you're on the right track by taking the time to research stuff before you just go drop a lot of money.

I've never used a safety razor, so can't comment on your selection there. You might find it helpful to start a thread in the "shaving with safety razors" area.

As to the "best" brushes... well there is a lot of personal preference involved there. I wouldn't drop a whole lot of money on a brush until I had tried a few different low to mid priced brushes and knew what I liked.

Soaps? I'd suggest trying both a cake soap and a cream to see which you like better. You can go from there... You might also want to pick up a small bottle of glycerine to experiment with in your lather making.

Sorry I can't give you a shopping list with specifics... There is just so much stuff out there, and so much of it comes down to preference. My advice is to try some different lower priced products, get an idea of what you like, then move into more expensive products.

Thanks brotha...I dont plan on spending a butt load to start with but I dont want to get wally world crap either. Hell I just spent $28 at target for refills on my fusion power lol...

For lather I thought people were using soap on the brush then whipping up some cream in a cup? Are you saying do that and then add some glycerine to it? What is that btw? Does baby oil work for preshave or straight olive oil?

Originally Posted by perferd

For lather I thought people were using soap on the brush then whipping up some cream in a cup? Are you saying do that and then add some glycerine to it? What is that btw?

Once again, you have options... The answers you seek are in the wiki: Category:Lather - Straight Razor Place Wiki

You can do cream lather, soap lather, or the Uberlather. (which is pretty much the soap, cream, and a little bit of glycerine)

thanks brotha....

I think I will be hitting up crabtree and evelyn soon to find some good soaps/creams. Also going to call a couple barber shops find out if there are any good places to buy in town...

Thinking about picking up the merkur progress. Can someone tell me are there different models of the progress? I see on amazon they all look the same but one says #570 and another says #500 while still another says comes with casing...

Thanks guys...

Here is my list so far and its made up from reviews on shaving forums but mostly reviews by buyers on amazon and youtube vids lol...

Razor: Merkur Progress or HD 38c
Blades: Sample pack from west coast shaving
Pre/Post Shave: Proraso
Soap: Proraso
Cream: Proraso
Glycerin for uberlather
Brush: undecided but probably best rated from amazon lol

I like to buy things of same brand its kinda strange lol. Also I will be getting all of the items in super duper extra sensitive skin to start and if there are anymore layers/stages I can use I will use...My Skin Hates Me!!!