Safety Razors

Johnny Utah

axer wrote: »

:eek:

First thing you need to do is throw that away! Those things are deadly. I used those when I first started and I had razor burn all over my neck. I nearly gave up at that stage.

You will notice with a proper DE razor that the blade will be angled downwards whereas the Wilkinson DE points straight out this has the effect of not cutting well. So because the razor doesn't cut well and it is too light you will find that you are putting too much pressure on the razor against your skin.

What you need to get it a Merkur Slant Bar. It is the ultimate in getting through hairs because it slices through them instead of cutting through.

I use the Merkur Slant Bar combined with Feather blades to get the sharpest possible combination so I need even less pressure against my face (the razor's weight is enough). You might want to start with Gillettes or something less ninja sharp until you get used to the Slant Bar.

So first thing you do is dump that razor.

I decided I would start off with a cheap safety razor to see if I would stick with it in the long term. I thought the blades were the most important part anyway?

Is there really that much difference when you're using the same blades?

Plus, I don't quite understand how the Merkur DE razor allows the blade to angle downwards?

StealthRolex

beat me to it axer and fully agree - great blades but a very poor razor.

first razor - wilkinsons DE - not a great introduction but cheap and cheerful.

second razor - Gillette Slim TTO found in the shed. Beats the Wilkinsons hands down and my go to travel razor.

next a Merkur. Good but for me not great.

Then a Merkur Slant. Works great with Feathers but Axer is spot on - start with a milder blade. I find the Gillettes a bit too draggy and prefer Wilkinsons blades.

axer

Johnny Utah wrote: »

I decided I would start off with a cheap safety razor to see if I would stick with it in the long term. I thought the blades were the most important part anyway?

Is there really that much difference when you're using the same blades?

Plus, I don't quite understand how the Merkur DE razor allows the blade to angle downwards?

Compare this with your wilkinson de razor


You see the way the blade is curved in the right image. You can also see how the slant bar works aswell from the bove images by making the blade run at a slant to the actual razor head thus the blade cuts across whiskers instead of straight down through them.

CrowdedHouse

DonJose - Thanks very much for the..ahem....Sensor....Blades

Shaving.ie

I agree with what axer is saying Johnny Utah. You seem to have a good selection of creams etc.. however it the most likely answer is you need a better razor. Although they seem expensive one should last you a lifetime.

MediaTank

Some good advice there for Johnny Utah, but I would not recommend moving from the Wilkinson to the Slant Bar. To get used to shaving with a real DE razor try a Merkur Progress instead, adjusted to the lowest setting. With this, shaving the razor does all the work. Also start with a baseline blde such as the Merkur.

The reason you use a brush to apply the lather is that as well as lather application it also gently exfoliates the skin and rasies the hairs ever so slightly.

You say you exfoliate before every shave, try doing it every other shave instead as exfoliating that often can cause irritation - I know it did for me.

The problem patch I would shave a lightly as possible, it may not look great now but it will get better. As I said earlier TendSkin is pretty agressive, instead try some Trumpers Skin Food (or glycerine) before applying the lather and shaving.

I had a similar problem to you when I shaved with a Mach 3 (in the distant past), and it does take a while to get used to a DE, but once you find the right product combination it'll be worth it.

MT

Shaving.ie

Morf wrote: »

I do like the sound of these soaps but i just can't tolerate the smell of almonds.

Same here but thinking about it a few of my favourite creams are made from ingredients that I never would have thought I would like. I'll have to try some one day.

MediaTank wrote: »

...but I would not recommend moving from the Wilkinson to the Slant Bar...

Yes. I would only recommend moving to a slant once you get a standard safety razor to work for you and have perfected your technique for achieving a comfortable shave.

DonJose

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

DonJose - Thanks very much for the..ahem....Sensor....Blades

shhh... I sent them in a brown envelope for a reason

Fajitas!

Popped into both Taylors and Trumpers on Jermyn St today while doing some shirt shopping, the prices in the latter are way OTT compared to buying online, but Taylors was much more realistic, both are very 'well to do', with their own barbers and knowledgable staff.

Picked up some Lemon and Lime shaving cream, styptic pencil and hazelwood & witchhazel shaving balm from Taylors, came to just over twenty pound, which isn't too bad, consider I got to give all the samplers a sniff before buying.

Just had a top notch shave there, tested out everything in the process, all good except the shaving balm gave a proper good burning for a minute before cooling down, all good now.

Did I mention I love living in London

DonJose

Gran Hermano wrote: »

Whilst you've a kilo of Cella to last you a while, check out the P160 soap.

The P160 1kg block is back in stock at Connaught, they also got styptic pencils in stock now.

http://connaughtshaving.com/p160.html

http://connaughtshaving.com/styptic.html

vengeance52

DonJose, cheers for the blades, think im fully stocked for a good while now

Amalgam

Brrrrrrr.. Chilly bathrooms!

Johnny Utah

I didn't have enough time yesterday, so I shaved this morning instead. Usual prep, and I used Clinique Aloe Shave Gel with the Crystal blade. The shaving gel is very well lubricated and it was easy to lather. I got a fairly close shave. There was little/no irritation on my neck, but I ended up with a good few nicks around my face (probably because the gel gives such a close shave I guess). I then applied a clay face mask and when I washed it off ten minutes later, all nicks were gone.

A few minutes later when my neck was completely dry I applied the Tend Skin. The first thing I noticed was that the TendSkin smelled the exact same as a lotion which I tried last year - Skin Doctors Ingrown Go- which was recommended by a chemist. I checked the ingredients on both bottles and sure enough they were almost the exact same. Nevertheless, I applied the TendSkin to my entire neck with a cotton ball. At first, it stung quite a bit and my neck was left pretty red. However, after 5-10 mins it dried out fine, so it's definitely not as harsh as the Skin Doctors lotion (which would really sting and leave my neck red for hours). I also noticed after the TendSkin dried in that it left the skin on my neck really smooth, and I can really feel this when I run my finger over the right side of my neck.

Dord

Amalgam wrote: »

Brrrrrrr.. Chilly bathrooms!

Mine has a heated floor!

Just need to figure out how to work the bloody thing.

MediaTank

Dord wrote: »

Mine has a heated floor!

Just need to figure out how to work the bloody thing.

So between work bonuses, heated bathroom floor and endless shaving gear, and we're in a recession it's all right for you m8 :D

MediaTank

Johnny Utah wrote: »

I didn't have enough time yesterday, so I shaved this morning instead. Usual prep, and I used Clinique Aloe Shave Gel with the Crystal blade. The shaving gel is very well lubricated and it was easy to lather. I got a fairly close shave. There was little/no irritation on my neck, but I ended up with a good few nicks around my face (probably because the gel gives such a close shave I guess). I then applied a clay face mask and when I washed it off ten minutes later, all nicks were gone.

A few minutes later when my neck was completely dry I applied the Tend Skin. The first thing I noticed was that the TendSkin smelled the exact same as a lotion which I tried last year - Skin Doctors Ingrown Go- which was recommended by a chemist. I checked the ingredients on both bottles and sure enough they were almost the exact same. Nevertheless, I applied the TendSkin to my entire neck with a cotton ball. At first, it stung quite a bit and my neck was left pretty red. However, after 5-10 mins it dried out fine, so it's definitely not as harsh as the Skin Doctors lotion (which would really sting and leave my neck red for hours). I also noticed after the TendSkin dried in that it left the skin on my neck really smooth, and I can really feel this when I run my finger over the right side of my neck.

Johnny it's time to ditch the Wilkinson and move to something else. The reaosn why TendSkin stings is that it is almost all alcohol (like the aftershaves of yesteryear - 'splash it on all over'), and the rest is mainly aspirin. It exfoliates and cleans while leaving a thin layer of aspirin on your face which is the smooth feeling you get. But is very, very harsh and drying on the skin - I know, I tried it too.

However, I believe you are tackling the symptoms and not the root cause.

Try a brush, some English style shaving cream and a Progress and see the difference.

MT

Dord

MediaTank wrote: »

So between work bonuses, heated bathroom floor and endless shaving gear, and we're in a recession it's all right for you m8 :D

Sounds like a lavish lifestyle but really it ain't.

I haven't gotten round to buying the shaving gear yet, I'll try at the end of the month.

Amalgam

MediaTank wrote: »

Johnny it's time to ditch the Wilkinson and move to something else. The reaosn why TendSkin stings is that it is almost all alcohol (like the aftershaves of yesteryear - 'splash it on all over'), and the rest is mainly aspirin. It exfoliates and cleans while leaving a thin layer of aspirin on your face which is the smooth feeling you get. But is very, very harsh and drying on the skin - I know, I tried it too.

However, I believe you are tackling the symptoms and not the root cause.

Try a brush, some English style shaving cream and a Progress and see the difference.

MT

A relative brought back 'Bump Patrol' from the US, the smell of the alcohol is so strong, that and aspirin. I use it occasionally for a tiny patch on the underside of my chin.

---

I'm using up the 'dregs' of my shaving cream collection\leftovers. Not the happiest camper.. Palmolive, Erasmic, Kappus, Speick. Not awful creams, just not very exciting either, with rather thin lather.

MediaTank

Amalgam wrote: »

A relative brought back 'Bump Patrol' from the US, the smell of the alcohol is so strong, that and aspirin. I use it occasionally for a tiny patch on the underside of my chin.

It's a TendSkin clone. You can make your own at home

Gran Hermano

Amalgam wrote: »

I'm using up the 'dregs' of my shaving cream collection\leftovers. Not the happiest camper.. Palmolive, Erasmic, Kappus, Speick. Not awful creams, just not very exciting either, with rather thin lather.

I did the same at the end of last month to use up all the tubes with just small amounts left. It was a super-lather combo week

On a side note, shaving.ie has the Semogue prices up.
(That's another brush I've just added to the collection - 730HD).

MediaTank

Dord wrote: »

Sounds like a lavish lifestyle but really it ain't.

I haven't gotten round to buying the shaving gear yet, I'll try at the end of the month.

Oh yeah

Johnny Utah

MediaTank wrote: »

Johnny it's time to ditch the Wilkinson and move to something else. The reaosn why TendSkin stings is that it is almost all alcohol (like the aftershaves of yesteryear - 'splash it on all over'), and the rest is mainly aspirin. It exfoliates and cleans while leaving a thin layer of aspirin on your face which is the smooth feeling you get. But is very, very harsh and drying on the skin - I know, I tried it too.

However, I believe you are tackling the symptoms and not the root cause.

Try a brush, some English style shaving cream and a Progress and see the difference.

MT

Is the Tend Skin really that harsh?

I've only used it once so far, but it seems to have improved things already.

It's certainly not as bad as the Skin Doctors stuff I used previously. And would it be a bad idea to use the Tend Skin continuously in the long-term, even every second shave?

Gran Hermano

Johnny Utah wrote: »

Is the Tend Skin really that harsh?

I've only used it once so far, but it seems to have improved things already.

It's certainly not as bad as the Skin Doctors stuff I used previously. And would it be a bad idea to use the Tend Skin continuously in the long-term, even every second shave?

JU, I imported the Tend Skin type products about 10 years back when I had real bad ingrown hair problems and I found it very harsh on my skin
after using it a couple of weeks. I'm not a big fan of it as apart from how
it left my skin feeling dry and taut I couldn't help feeling I was addressing
the symptoms and not the cause. If you must use it, use it sparingly
and I'd recommend only applying a small amount directly to the
troubled area with a cotton-bud.

Get yourself a Merkur HD, Merkur Progress or Gillette SuperSpeed
The Superspeeds are pretty mild and not aggressive and pair it up with
a Red Personna or similar mild blade.

piaget

DonJose,

Thanks for the extra blades, you're a gentleman.

DonJose

vengeance52 wrote: »

DonJose, cheers for the blades, think im fully stocked for a good while now

piaget wrote: »

DonJose,

Thanks for the extra blades, you're a gentleman.

You're welcome, now I have space in my shaving cabinet for 2kgs of P160 and Cella shaving soap

DonJose

After a year of shaving with DE razors and after countless experiments using different safety razors, razor blades, shaving soaps, shaving brushes and after shaves I have found the perfect combination. Here is mine, post yours.

Safety Razor - Merkur Futur
Razor Blade - Feather
Shaving Brush - Shavemac 177 Silvertip Bagder
Shaving Soap - P160
Aftershave - Proraso

axer

For the past 2+ years I have been using.
Preshave - Praraso Pre Shave Cream
Safety Razor - Merkur Slant Bar
Razor Blade - Feather
Shaving Brush - Got a Mühle sliver tipped badger something or other brush for 100 euro 2/3 years ago.
Shaving Soap - Taylor of Old Bond Street (usually rose)
Aftershave - Proraso

mantic59

Merkur Progress razor
Derby blade
Em's Place "greys" brush (Havanna handle)
Speick shave cream
Thayer's Witch Hazel
Trumper's Skin Food

Shaving.ie

Merkur Progress with a Feather
Omega 48 and Omega 31064 brushes (soon to try a Semogue)
Proraso, Taylors and Speick shaving creams depending on the weather
Proraso Aftershave Balm

Gran Hermano

Current Rotation


Gillette New, Merkur Long Handled Progress, Merkur 12c, Gillette Fatboy, Gillette Tech

Shark, Astra Keramik, Red Personna, Permasharp, Gillette 7 O'clock Russian yellows.

Proraso cream, Kiss My Face Mint, Connaught Shaving's 'cooling' shaving cream, TOBS Avocado

MWF, P160, Valobra Menthol, Provence Sante soap

Semogue 2015HD, Semogue 2000, Omega 48, Jaguar



(Apols, no way I can limit myself to one of anything!).