Ok not really, but I thought I'd share a few of my xmas gifts this year because they're pretty awesome and hopefully you'll prolly be jealous and i can get my hehe face on. I don't really burden myself with grooming. I bite my nails and wait months between haircuts, but this is one thing I really enjoy:

I asked for most of this shiet specifically because I got interested in old school shaving after reading a few articles online. In the image you'll see some shaving soaps and a small dish, 2 shaving brushes, Merkur Hefty Classic safety razor, and some Proraso shaving cream made in Italy. This is likely how your gpas or ggpas shaved back in the day, or very similar to the type of shave you could maybe get at an old school barbershop.

The brushes are pure badger hair which may sound weird, but for whatever reason badger hair is the best at holding in the large amounts of water necessary to working up a great lather from the cream. You soak your brush and make sure it's full of water, and use about the same amount of cream from the tube as you would toothpaste for brushing your teeth. After a little magic you have a full bowl of hydrated lather ready for several shaves (more later). The brush is key here; the water from inside the bristles works into the cream and determines the consistency of the lather, which can determine the closeness of the shave. The brush is also used for really working the lather into the pores of your faces so you can achieve perfect lubrication, and it has a massage element that feels really nice when coupled with great smelling/feeling cream.

I've only tried the soaps twice, because they come nowhere near to feeling as good after shaving with Proraso cream. This shit is made with eucalyptus oil and menthol and there's no alcohol or other chemicals like most canned gels these days. It has an immediate cooling and soothing effect on the skin and smells amazing, definitely the best part of the whole kit. There is no burning or itching or dryness, only awesome. Took some practice, but the cream is the best part of all.

The razor uses disposable single blades with a cutting edge on both sides which run about 50 cents a blade (amazon has 30 Merkur blades for 13.95). These blades are made extremely sharp, and need the cream to be effective. Multiblade razor are actually designed to use the first blade as a yanker to pull the hair out of the follicle and then have the other blades cut it, which increases the tendency for irritation and ingrown hairs. The idea when shaving with the type of razor is that you do not press down at all, you let the razor do the work and you get a much closer shave for doing so. You also shave in passes, not one hack and slash attempt. Think of beard reduction on each pass. I usually do about 3 actual shaves: one down, one oblique, and one up. May sound a bit tedious, but when the cream and shave feel this good you'll enjoy every minute of it. You also tend to take a little more care when shaving with this because when you first start you're more likely to nick yourself on these incredibly sharp blades, not to mention soon realizing that you cant go back and forth over the same areas where you've already shaved.

I usually shave right after a hot ass shower, so my face is already wet/moisturized from the steam and the pores are opened and shiet. This style of shaving is actually called wetshaving and keeping the face wet and warm is part of the technique. Each time before you lather up you should soak your face again. The water helps keep your beard hairs soft so they're easier to cut, and also helps with the lubrication that is so essential for a good shave.

-there is no burn or irritation, no razor bumps
-no drying elements like alcohol which are terrible for your skin, and leave your face looking dried out
-almost zen-like, turns shaving from a cumbersome chore to a relaxing treat
-the smoothest shave you can get, for sure. I feel like a god damn porcelain doll after every shave, it's magnificent.

I'll never go back to shaving with disposables, multiblade junk, or aerosol gels. This is the only way to shave

prOxi.swAMi

Australia3091 Posts

March 25 2010 22:14 GMT

#42

On March 26 2010 04:22 HuskyTheHusky wrote:
Shaving is gay. I suffer from this same experience.

What I do is shave it first with the trimmer on the electric shaver. Then I use the normal shaving part. Then I shaving cream the hell out of my face and shave with the grain. Then I shaving cream the hell out of it again and shave against the grain. After that I look super close and go over anything I missed with just the razor.

Seriously, its super stupid though.

Shaving is too un-fun to warrant this much time being spent on it.

Emon_

3925 Posts

March 25 2010 22:36 GMT

#43

I've had some experience with various ways of shaving so I will pass on some of my experiences. There are a couple of topics to consider:

- The hair (length, wet/dry)
- The foam (gel/foam or old-time soap and brush)
- Razors (Gillette, electric razor or single razor)
- After the shave (aftershave + moisturizer)

Lets start with the length of the hair. If its been growing for more then 1 day (2 max) you will have trouble with your electric razor because it usually leaves a lot of the longer hairs. I'm 22 now and it's just now that I feel comfortable with using an electric razor on dry hair every day. Before I used to get crazy rashes if I tried shaving with it every day. Now nothing happens. If we rule out the electric razor as an option, that leaves us with manual shaving - meaning your hair needs to be wet. After a shower is ideal, though soaking it up with warm water also does the trick for me. But maybe if you are younger this still gives you rashes. . .

Next step is the foam. I've had great success with using a brush and soap like old timers used to. The brush is held under warm water and then rubbed against the soap to build up foam, and then you work it over the beard. Supposedly the brush makes the hair stand up more, making a closer shave possible. This is a very comfortable and fun way to shave since it take a little more time but it feels more rewarding afterwards. There is zero rash and with a fresh razor the shave is the closest that can be achieved. The drawback is the cost (brush and soap usually add up to 30$, and the razor handle is another 30$) and that it takes time, usually 10min. Other then that it's a good method for sensitive skin. Using simply foam or gel works for me nowadays, but I think it's because I've become hardened so I don't need to soap it up as much. It's cheap and works well. After a steamy shower I think it provides the same effect as the brush/soap combo.

As for the different types of razors - I recommend using single razors that you put into those old-time handles - the name escapes me - and changing razor every 3 shaves. They are pretty cheap (3-4$ for 10) and give a really close shave. Though you might cut yourself in the beginning so be careful. Gillette gives an equal shave, but their razors cost 8$ for 4, and they go dull just as fast as the other ones. They are however much safer and irritate less and cut less. But with the right single-razor technique Gillette becomes obsolete. A lot of people have recommended shaving against the grain - I strongly advise against this. At most you can shave at a 90degree angle to the grain. Be especially careful on the neck and only shave with the grain. In my experience I get crazy rashes when I shave against the grain with razors. With electric razors its another thing - then you want to always be against the grain.

Lastly - you need a good aftershave to disinfect the face. Try to find something without perfume and that doesn't have a lot of ingredients. This is because the skin on your neck is the thinnest and shouldn't be exposed to foreign substances or else the body might start showing allergic reactions when its exposed to it. Be careful with the expiration date and always but the head on - or else it might become sour and react more easily with your skin. LASTLY - moisturizer. This should be as oil-free as possible. Preferably entirely water soluble and free of fat. This way the face gets freshened up without leaving any fat on the face that might cause acne. Aftershave and moisturizer should cost you tops 7-8$ together. Ask the pharmacist, I'm sure he'd love to show you some good products.

All in all you might get some better results if you experiment with various methods and in the end you might find one that fits you. Hopefully my post is of some help in that search. Best of luck with the shaving