Thread: Recommend easy to use shave cream for a first time, teenage shaver?

Alright, point well taken. I remember when I first needed to start shaving too, I was psyched to be in the club as well. And the idea of using old school type tools would have been even more appealing to me then, I think so anyway.

So what would be a good starter brush? I'm not made of money of course, but I do believe you get what you pay for. Is it alright to go simple, non-sliver tip, maybe a fine or best badger brush to start? Hell, I don't even have a silver tip... maybe I should by myself a silver tip and give him a hand-me-down?

Originally Posted by jammyman34

Hell, I don't even have a silver tip... maybe I should by myself a silver tip and give him a hand-me-down?

Now THAT sounds like a plan! Maybe you should get a few good creams & a soap or two too & you can both get stuck in!

ya know i have to agree with smokelaw, my dad didnt really teach me to shave so much as hand me a bic and tell me i looked like crap (i know real touchy feely family right) but ya i felt pretty darn bad as* to finally be shaving and really adding the brush (and sneak in the straight for that matter) would only add to that feeling

Any solution that ends with you having a silvertipe sounds good!!

In all seriousness, there are some VERY reasonably priced basic badger brushes out there that perform quite well. I don't have first ahd knowledge of them, but I know many men here do, and will hopefully chime in.

Originally Posted by jammyman34

So what would be a good starter brush? I'm not made of money of course, but I do believe you get what you pay for. Is it alright to go simple, non-sliver tip, maybe a fine or best badger brush to start? Hell, I don't even have a silver tip... maybe I should by myself a silver tip and give him a hand-me-down?

What sort of budget are you looking at? There are several threads about making your own brush, which I followed and made my own silvertip for about $35. That price includes an antique brush (I bought for the handle), a silvertip knot shipped from The Golden Nib, and the marine epoxy used to seat the new knot. If you're crafty with wood you can just make your own handle instead of buying an old brush for one.

I'm not much of a craftsman and I found the process surprisingly easy, affordable, and only took about 30 minutes of work. Hardest part was waiting a day for the epoxy to dry.

I have a thread w/ some pics here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...back-life.html

It all goes back to personal preference again. You going to teach him to bowl lather or face lather? Like many of us, after I did the bowl lather for a while, I found it was just easier to face lather. For that, I prefer a boar brush. The inexpensive VDH boar was a good choice (once the bristles quit shedding ).

I'd suggest something cheap Palmolive or Body Shop Maca Root SC - neither of them is particularly thick, so they could easily be massaged into the beard with the fingers. On the other hand though, the slick from the Body Shop stuff is not that flash. The Palmolive's probably best for the price, and easiest to find too (my local Supermarket sells it, and I live in a SMALL town/city).

Alternatively, you could buy him a cheap brush and decent soap (e.g Supermarket boar or Tweezerman and Col. Conk) and a bunch of small foams/gels, and teach him early on that brush + soap/cream is infinitely better than foams or gels.

**Tangent**

My old man taught me to shave with a Mach 3 gift pack (inc sh***y gel and cartridge razor), but ages prior to that I'd watched him using his brush and soap and pestered him for ages to be allowed to use his brush. He eventually bought me a cheap and rubbish supermarket brush (I was about 10 at that point), and I felt like the man using that brush and some hand soap to scrub my face.

I still have that Mach 3, but I've now progressed on to straight shaving (and am going to buy a DE next pay day). I've rediscovered that great feel of using brush and soap on one's face, only with the incredibly close shave a straight offers (which I doubt my old man's ever experienced). Maybe I'll teach him when I get enough razors to donate him one or two...

Well, there aren't a lot of good Rights of Passage in a young man's life these days, so why not make this one? Get him a tub of Cella, a lather mug, a Jagger best badger brush, a nice vintage Gem 1912, some of the Ted Pella blades, and a bottle of witch hazel? That way he'll have a kit he will never have to replace or upgrade. A man's kit, and one he can be proud to own and keep. Something he'll remember you by.

I think the Cella is good as a starter soap. Great stuff, easy to lather and not much scent, so he can wear whatever AS he wants (if any). And you can't beat the Gem 1912 for an easy razor to use, yet one that has lots of class and a sense of history. A million of them on Ebay for cheap, too.

(and if he doesn't take to any of this stuff, you can make a nice starter kit to sell off here on SRP)

If you want something inexpensive, extremely effective and widely available, try Headslick. It lathers incredibly with little brush action and is just very effective lubricant. Buy some and try it out yourself before giving it to your boy.

You have to be able to stand menthol.

Oh and for a cheap, soothing balm, its hard to beat Cornhusker's Lotion for injured skin.