Safety Razors

Sean Quagmire

How long are you using the DE at this stage? I dont suffer from ingrown hairs too much myself but I can tell you it takes a few weeks for the hairs on your face to adapt to the slicing action on a DE as apose to the thugging of a multiblade.

My skin has improved so much from using a DE and my facial hair grows better I think, weird I know but it take a little time for your face to get used to it. stick with it.

Pokerpro

How long are you using the DE at this stage? I dont suffer from ingrown hairs too much myself but I can tell you it takes a few weeks for the hairs on your face to adapt to the slicing action on a DE as apose to the thugging of a multiblade.

My skin has improved so much from using a DE and my facial hair grows better I think, weird I know but it take a little time for your face to get used to it. stick with it.

Cheers for the response.
Have been DE shaving for about 3 weeks, the problem is the hairs grow everyway on my neck - do i shave with the grain, against, onepass/two passes i dont know.

As i said it is improving gradually. So prob just need to be patient

BTW - DE shaving is awesome otherwise!

Amalgam

I have started face lathering with TOBs, not by choice I might add, I needed to cut down on the shave routine.

I place a small nut of cream in a warm and wet brush, plant it on the chin and work the cream about, great great lather. The brush is propped on the sink between a brisk two pass and chin shave.

I do enjoy using a mug\bowl, but I also enjoy a quick shave, with time put aside for other preparations.

Anyone else just cut to the chase and face lather with shaving cream?

Current set up: Semogue 2000, Mühle R106, Bluebird\Gillette blades. TOBs shaving cream. Floïd aftershave.

CrowdedHouse

The only face lathering I've done is with the good ol' Palmolive stick - best lather to least effort ratio going

I suppose if it was a fiver instead of 50 odd cents we'd be raving about it !

Must try a dab of cream as a test though

bothyhead

Pokerpro wrote: »

the hairs grow everyway on my neck - do i shave with the grain, against, onepass/two passes i dont know.

I bet that the main cause of your uncomfort is shaving with too much pressure when going against the grain. Your solution is to study your growth pattern. Have a good look at your face, neck, an jaw in the mirror, and note the direction of the hair growth; it may be different on both sides of your face. If it helps, draw it plot it out on a diagram. Once you have an understanding of this growth, try to remember that when you are shaving, and vary the direction of shave so that you are always going with the grain (for the first pass at any rate). It might seem a bit silly, but it will be worth it. I did it and found that I have 3 different growth directions on my neck. I very carefully went with the grain, and razor burn was substantially reduced. After about 4 shaves I had built up a shave pattern, with I now automatically repeat without thinking about it. The results are terrific.

bothyhead

Amalgam wrote: »

Anyone else just cut to the chase and face lather with shaving cream?

I used to do it this way with regular palmolive shaving cream, until I went more upmarket.

Pokerpro

Palm olive shave stick is unreal!

For a superlather lightly apply palmolive shave stick then pop some proraso on your shaving brush and mix directly on the face.

Really rich and silky lather

Amalgam

bothyhead wrote: »

..until I went more upmarket.

Buckled shoes, curly wigs, cloved oranges?

MediaTank

Pokerpro wrote: »

MT - i am encouraged by your post. I suffered badly from ingrown hairs in my neck after shaving, the main reason why i bought a DE was to hopefully stop the hair growing inwards.

While i have noticed an improvement some hairs still tend to grow into the skin :mad:. Can you tell me what exactly you did to eliminate the problem completly???
Much appreciated

It takes a couple of months for your skin/beard to get used to DE shaving and during that time your technique will improve too. The most important things are no pressure on the razor - it's weight should do the work. And secondly, don't go for baby butt smooth, one or two passes at most when you are starting out and not against the grain.

Cabaal

Sean Quagmire wrote: »

My skin has improved so much from using a DE and my facial hair grows better I think, weird I know but it take a little time for your face to get used to it. stick with it.

For me it took perhaps two months for my skin/hair to adapt to changes of shaving with a DE now I find that my neck is alot beter now then it ever was with a Mach3 or Fusion and the close is far closer.

Also I'm at the stage after almost a year where I can go many shaves without even one small cut

Amalgam

6 weeks roughly, for my neck to settle. I don't bleed at all now, unless a spot gets beheaded.

I still get red though, depending on the blade used.

Also.. I call them 'Farmer blotches', I get the purple patches under the sideburns occasionally.

Mr Jinx

Just took delivery of my new Merkur progress and wondering what setting I should use starting out ?

Cabaal

Mr Jinx wrote: »

Just took delivery of my new Merkur progress and wondering what setting I should use starting out ?

If you want to be careful 1-1.5 I would say personally, shouldn't be too dangerous for starting

axer

Mr Jinx wrote: »

Just took delivery of my new Merkur progress and wondering what setting I should use starting out ?

The lowest setting. When you twist the knob at the end you will see the blade bend closed. Use that for a while until you are used of the DE razor and then open it up as time goes on for more aggressive cutting.

I used to find that the dial does not match up to to the numbers unless I turned the progress upside down and put pressure on the top as I twisted the knob closed. The numbers then matched up perfectly.

CrowdedHouse

DonJose wrote: »

Anybody here try their Blue Bird blades yet. I've used them for the third time and they are excellent.

Thanks to DonJose's kind donation I was able to try a Blue Bird this morning.
(60 Super Speed + GFT Coconut + Simpson PJ2)

First Impression - excellent.
Sharp and smooth and comfortable,I got near bbs without trying.
I'd imagine they are a forgiving blade,I've used KAI which are very sharp but if you get careless you're bleeding :pac:

The Blue Bird is more comfortable and better results.I'll let you know how it stands up after a few shaves.

Amalgam

1 Bluebird blade has lasted the week, today's shave was a delight. Very very nice blade. Thanks to DonJose, I wouldn't have ever thought to try the brand.

Mühle R106, 2 Pass & chin. TOBs Avocado, face lathered with a Semogue 2000. Floïd.

Gran Hermano

Glad to hear the Bluebirds getting good reviews, I ordered some last week
from NTGUYS and was afraid they were just re-badged Derbys (which I dislike!).

MediaTank

Mr Jinx wrote: »

Just took delivery of my new Merkur progress and wondering what setting I should use starting out ?

In tune with the other responses. As low as possible i.e. 1. This minimises the gap between the guard rail and the blade making it less agressive. If you are working through a sample pack of blades then go through each one at setting one, then cyclle back and try them again at setting 2, if you feel the need. FWIW I get a great shave at setting 2 (of 10) with a Gillete Fatboy. To keep the razor in good working order always open the jaws before changing the setting.

seosamh

You should really check out Mantic59's great video on the Progress' annoyances

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FZvMmuX_GE&feature=player_profilepage

Some people turn down the agressiveness setting when they shave their necks, so you might consider this as you get your skin used to the DE experience.

Shaving.ie

Amalgam wrote: »

Thanks to DonJose, I wouldn't have ever thought to try the brand.

I would not have considered them either but now I think I will try them out. There is alot of speculation about the origins of this blade. Once I heard Melyus got confirmation from Derby that they were made in the Derby plant I never gave them a second thought.. It seems there are a few missing links in the story. Here is an interesting thread about the Bluebirds:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=83534

Amalgam

Interesting.. I find them to have the same kind of edgy feel and sound of a Feather. Derby are fairly dull on the face by comparison.

If you could breed razor blades, I'd say it's half Gillette Black (India) and half Feather.

As sure as a Feather, without the crankiness, but rounds out its life like a Gillette.


EDIT: I would also go along with that thread in sentiment. The second shave was better than the first .. and I love this quote:

tlanning: This blade gave me an unusual shave to say the least.
No irratation at all, bbs and lasted longer than I wanted to use it. Thats the strange part.

Pokerpro

Had my first shave with a wilkinson sword blade just now.
Best shave i've had to date. I know my improving technique is probably a factor but liking these blades alot.

Where can i Bulk buy???:)

Gillo

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

Don't be so sure buddy, they had my order to me the next day! :eek:
Hopefully you can try the new razor out at the weekend!

Yeah, got home this evening and there it was.
I was out in TK Maxx yesterday and picked up some TOBS, so now have a choice of Avocado, Lemon & Lime and Barber Shop, I've a cold though and my nose is blocked so can't smell the difference.

Great service from them.

nkay1985

Hey lads I'm looking to use my new gear for the first time some stage today. I've got a question though.

I've got the Proraso Soap but I'm just wondering where do you create the lather. I thought I saw in one of Mantic's videos before that you lather in the bowl it comes in but I can't find it so I'm thinking i may have imagined that.

Any hints and tips?

EDIT:
FFS, I just noticed it says this exact sentence in the link I gave! "Perfect for use with a boar or badger shaving brush as you can lather directly from the tub." I guess that's where I saw it.

Still, any hints or tips are welcome.

bothyhead

nkay1985, here's how I use proraso in the bowl:

I make the lather in a separate bowl (mug)

* Soak your brush and mug for a couple of mins, to heat up
* Gently squeeze the water from the brush. You want the brush to be damp, but not dripping wet.
* Swirl the brush in the tub of proraso, occasionally pounding up and down - I do it for 10 secs or so. You want to accumulate a clump of proraso on the tips of the brush.
* Add a small bit of water (couple of mils) to your mug, and proceed to make the lather there. It's better to start off with too little water, and to add more if necessary.

Mr Jinx

just had my first shave with my new razor. A couple of nicks and cuts, but not bad for my first time. Just one problem I encountered. I was using the Omega shave cream in a bowl. After I lathered up my face fairly well, I was taking my time shaving, but some of the lather began to dry up on me fairly quickly and get crusty. Any ideas how to counter this? should I not do my whole face at once and do it bit by bit ?

bothyhead

Mr Jinx wrote: »

I was taking my time shaving, but some of the lather began to dry up on me fairly quickly and get crusty. Any ideas how to counter this? should I not do my whole face at once and do it bit by bit ?

I haven't used the omega cream, but it might be that you need a touch more water - it sounds as if it wasn't hydrated enough.

Contrats on your first DE shave! - the second one will be better. If you feel that the blade is being too aggressive, just lift your hand up a fraction in order to bring the blade slightly more parallel to your face. Provided you use very light pressure, you should be able to experiment a bit, without causing too much damage.

Shaving.ie

Mr Jinx wrote: »

but some of the lather began to dry up on me fairly quickly and get crusty. Any ideas how to counter this?

Sounds like a lack of water. The lather should sit comfortably on you face for quite a while and should be rich and creamy. Try loading your brush with warm/hot water and swirl in a circular motion in the tub and you should eventually hit a point in about 30 seconds when the lather will be perfect.

oscarBravo

I had a really, really close shave this morning - I was interviewed on the radio, and wanted to look my best.

It's now more than twelve hours later, and I have the sort of stubble I used to have immediately after a quick'n'nasty shave with my old multi-blade setup.

nkay1985

Also had my first shave with my DE razor today; Sunday must be a day for it!

I set my Progress to about 1.5 and used a 7 o clock blade. I followed bothyhead's lathering advice. For my first pass, I think I used a bit too little soap or didn't whip it for long enough. I made a whole new batch for my second pass and it was perfect!

I really enjoyed the feeling of applying the lather with the brush. You really feel it exfoliating and standing up your stubble. I had a little of stubble left after the second pass so decided I'd be adventurous and go for an against the grain pass and this worked out great.

I had two little nicks in the upper lip area. I got a styptic pencil as part of my order. It just says wet before use so do you literally just dip the tip in water and dab it on the cut?

About ten minutes after I finished shaving, I found that my skin had become a bit dry. I was showering anyway so that didn't really matter and once I was dry after my shower, my face felt great and my skin feels soft.

But I presume I should get an aftershave of some sort?


My final question is what's a good after shave routine with regard to your gear? What do you do with your brush and razor? And how many shaves should you have before replacing the blade?