Thread: The barber made me do it

Wow! I just shaved with the Musgo Real, hand-massaged onto my face. Still with the cartridge razor, but the cream makes a huge difference!

My birthday is coming up, and I was planning to ask the family for some specific shaving supplies, but it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to wait.

Next up: I've read about brushes here. How serious a brush do I need to get going? If I get a moderate badger brush, am I going to want a nicer one right away? Is there any way to figure out how much I may like a brush without buying one after another?

I'm from outside of Boston. The barber is in Watertown, and did use a disposable blade on a razor. I wasn't educated enough to spot whether it was a Shavette or something similar.

Thank you for all the help!

I just started straight shaving a month and a half ago and have to say....just jump in w/ both feet! I was shaving both my head and face with the straight right out of the gate, but later choose a DE for the head only as it became extremely time consuming when shaving the face and head at once. Sure, there's a learning curve, but it sounds like this sort of thing appeals to you regardless of the nicks/cuts you may encounter! Just stick to it!

About the brush, I started with a boar's brush from Walgreen's while I waited on my hand-turned cocobolo wood silvertip-badger brush from Australia (full description not for bragging, but for demonstration of how this can become obsessive!). The boar brush was about $6 and is pretty stiff giving a nice message. It is also useful digging into the mug soaps. I like the purpose it serves. The silver tip badger is really soft and great for creams, yet it takes a little time to work up a lather from a soap. It's really comfortable, but sometimes I like a coarse massage rather than a soft blanket on my face! I also have a pure badger which is kind of a nice compromise between the two. Silvertip $? $92. Pure $? $25.

Thanks, Costabro! You motivated me to get a brush for now - Tweezerman's pure badger, only $12.50 at Amazon. I have a feeling that I'll be chipping away at the shopping list before birthday and holiday season.

One issue I have is that I'm deaf. That isn't a problem by itself, but every once in a while a family member barges into the bathroom and scares whatever pants I'm wearing off of me. So I have to think carefully about holding a naked blade when that happens. I could lock the door...

Originally Posted by hsamuels

One issue I have is that I'm deaf. That isn't a problem by itself, but every once in a while a family member barges into the bathroom and scares whatever pants I'm wearing off of me. So I have to think carefully about holding a naked blade when that happens. I could lock the door...

Just as long as your not holding YOUR NAKED blade when they barge in. I would definitely lock the door once you progress to a straight razor. It took a while, but my wife finally learned that when I'm shaving, that is my time, and no interuptions allowed.

Originally Posted by hsamuels

One issue I have is that I'm deaf. That isn't a problem by itself, but every once in a while a family member barges into the bathroom and scares whatever pants I'm wearing off of me. So I have to think carefully about holding a naked blade when that happens. I could lock the door...

Definitely lock the door. At first you're going to experience problems with the shaving itself, there's absolutely no need of further outsider interference. Good luck!

Thanks. I'm sure I can lock the door, I just wonder about the wrath of a woman separated from her cosmetics!

Originally Posted by hsamuels

Thanks, Costabro! You motivated me to get a brush for now - Tweezerman's pure badger, only $12.50 at Amazon.

I was just wondering how that brush worked out for you?

I've been using it with Musgo Real cream, and am getting pretty good at making a nice lather in a bowl. The brush is pure badger, but I guess that means it is trimmed to shape, and also a little stiff. Sometimes it feels scratchy, but sometimes I like the brisk massage aspect of it. And I always finish off just before shaving with a few paint strokes, which are really quite smooth.

I can whip up the cream into a lather in no time. Today I got my first soap - a puck of Kent. Not sure if I'll use the Tweezerman or the Kent brush (stiffer) that came with the soap.

Thanks again for the recommendation.

The art of shaving has a nice travel pack with cream, oil, aftershave balm and a badger for $50. That is what i started with and am still using the razor. It might be more than you are wanting to pay butmit gives you some difference in shavecream to play with.