Several months down the road

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Messa
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Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 7:37 pm
Location: Wellington, New Zealand

Several months down the road

Post by Messa »

Well it's been several months since I picked up a DE and there is no sign of stopping! I've disposed of all my old cartridge razors and goo, they are not missed. I now have 2 brushes a Muhle and vulfix 2234, 2 creams tobs almond and tabac, I find myself browsing online for all manner of new products... I blame you guys :).

I'm finding lathering most challenging, feel it's a bit sub par but saying that it's lubricating nicely so guess I can't complain. Still trying blades out with persona being the current choice, finding them very comfortable but getting a few ingrowens so might try feathers next but all in all noticed far less ingrowns and irritation now just want to eliminate it entirely. Picked up a bottle of Thayers original and finding that good too. No major cuts yet touch wood think I got the technique down and am alot more confident. Got the attention of some friends as well so maybe I can convert them.

Have found the information on this site in-valuable, have looked at some others but keep coming back here as its alot more friendly and reckon there's more experience here so thanks :)
marsos52
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Location: new jersey

Post by marsos52 »

hi and welcome to the smf family

good to hear about your progress from switching to de shaving

and about your heathlty interest in the product too..

about ingrowns,,they are always a problem, and in many many cases de shaving helps you not to get them or at least to get less of them

one reason one can experience ingrowns when using the modern multi-blade razors is that they lift the whisker and then cut the whisker..
this can give a closer shave but the result is the cut hair now is below the skin line. so when the hair begins to grow in, it just may become ingrown
from being cut to short

a de razor cuts the whisker just above the skin line so when the hair begins to grow back..its already above the skins surface and is less likely
to become ingrown..

so you may not want to try feathers (at least not yet anyway)
feathers are crazy sharp and may shave you really well,,,but for now you dont want super close shaves..that can only open the possiblities of ingrown hair again.

also feathers tend to shave the skin as well as the beard so they may give you irration over the long term..

here is a tip for ingrowns you find,,dont tweeze them out.. just get the hair out of the skin. and lightly shave the hair off..so the hair is above the skin line..tweezing the hair out..leaves the hair under the skin line

how you understand my point and hope it helps too
marc
brothers
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Post by brothers »

Hi Messa. Good to have you here.

I hope you're not having too many troubles with the lathering. Both of the products you've named are some of the most user friendly lathering products. It just takes a little time to figure out the ins and outs of using the brush in the bowl or on the face, and getting the water to product ratio figured out.

Just take whatever time it might take to work with it until the lather looks like you think it should. You don't have to be satisfied with a sub-par lather with either of your current soap and cream.

Best regards,
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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jww
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Post by jww »

Are you bowl or face lathering? What creams/soaps are you using?
Wendell

Resident Wool Fat Evangelist & anglophile. Have you hugged a sheep today?
Messa
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Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 7:37 pm
Location: Wellington, New Zealand

Post by Messa »

Might hold off on the feathers then, got some derbys and astras to go through yet.

I'm using a bowl with tabac and taylors almond, tried using my had on holiday and can't say I liked it
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jww
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Post by jww »

Messa -- I started with hand lathering, and then moved to a bowl for about 6 months -- but as I gained an appreciation for soaps, found that face lathering was a better option for me. Now I face lather everything. You may want to give it a try.

I'd stay away from the feathers for a bit -- unless, that is, you can get ahold of a nice mild DE like a Gillette Tech. I have an undated gold tech, and it's a perfect mate for feathers, but keep feathers out of my other razors which include a couple adjustables (fatboy, black handled), some super speeds and a Chatsworth as they do not match well for me in any of these razors.

Derbys are quite good for me -- although I only may get 3 or 4 shaves out of one blade -- they are so cheap I don't worry about that though.

I have still never used Tabac -- but mainly because I find the scent falls within the range of my highly developed scent sensitivities -- but I understand it's a good latherer -- as is the Taylor's Almond. D R Harris soaps are great latherers as well. And when you are ready to take the plunge, you may want to add Mitchell's Woolfat to your rotation (I just couldn't help this seeing a thread without the vaunted fat mentioned ..... :wink: )

Keep working at things -- and let us know how things are working for you.
Wendell

Resident Wool Fat Evangelist & anglophile. Have you hugged a sheep today?
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JarmoP
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Post by JarmoP »

My advices on lathering. They are just YMMVY.

Keep it thick, not too much water. I am a face latherer so this goes just for this:

With Tabac, you should build your lather really thick, starting with a well shaken brush when loading the soap from the puck. And only once maybe after you have build the soap on your face and smeared also in paint brush style to dip to sink and then get the finish lather in paint brush style.

Same goes to my Palmolive grated soap. Not too much water.

MWF is a bit different in that it allows myself to dip onto sink 2 times and still having the slickness and and supportive lather even if that much water applied to my face. Some say it is only good for those that have soft water like I have.

My advice anyways: keep your lather soapy and not watery.
Jarmo
Messa
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Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 7:37 pm
Location: Wellington, New Zealand

Post by Messa »

Thanks for the suggestions. Been trying face lathering a few weeks now and seems to be working well, better than a bowl and I'm using less product with better results. Also been eyeing up an R89 can get one at a reasonable price but not sure if I should just leave it and maybe get an adjustable at the end of the year....
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jww
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Post by jww »

=D> =D>
Wendell

Resident Wool Fat Evangelist & anglophile. Have you hugged a sheep today?
jbc
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Post by jbc »

A dear black friend of mine got ingrowns all of the time then he bought himself a vintage super speed and managed to get that down to one every two months then he took up a straight and has never gotten an ingrown since.
JBC
Nuts about wet shaving
brothers
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Post by brothers »

jbc wrote:. . . then he took up a straight and has never gotten an ingrown since.
=D> =D> =D>
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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ThePossum
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Post by ThePossum »

Glad you are overcoming your problem with ingrowns.

As for the blades, I used Derby when I first resumed traditional wet shaving and found them to be fine but not the best for me. I have settled on the Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge (Yellow box) blades. Get a ton of shaves with them and also great results.

I use both creams and soaps (Tabac, MWF, and a few artisan soaps). I have found that I get the best soap lather using a boar brush (have gotten some nice lather with a badger) and the face lathering technique.

Have found that when using Tabac and MWF not to get the brush too dry before loading it. I shake it a couple times then load the brush for 30 seconds or so and then take the brush to my face and work up a nice lather. I will on occasion dip the tips of my brush to add a bit more water. This sometimes happens after my second pass.

Good luck with the lathering. You will eventually get it down. Have you tried using a shave stick rather than lathering from a soap puck? I found that using the stick sometimes makes face lathering a bit easier.
Bryce

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Messa
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Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 7:37 pm
Location: Wellington, New Zealand

Post by Messa »

About a week ago I had a moment of enlightenment and the lathering just clicked, where I was scooping it out of the tub before I now swirl the brush around and am getting great later using less product, face and bowl. Am keen to try some soaps now as well as another razor but all in due time. Just started on the derbys and want to like them but not too sure yet so will give them some more face time, want to try the 7 o'clock yellow but they not reddily available here that I know of. Still got lord, bic and feathers to test. Used a styptic pencil this morning, brilliant!
brothers
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Post by brothers »

Today I had a good face lathering experience with some Trumper's Violet SC in the tube. Just squeezed out a big glob into the loft of the soaked and shaken brush and went at it. Good stuff. Good lather and good shave.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
Messa
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 7:37 pm
Location: Wellington, New Zealand

Post by Messa »

Went a bit nuts with the online ordering last weekend and now have a package containing tobs rose, that seems to be alot creamier than the almond I already have and is a newer recipe without paraben as far as I can tell. Also a puck of bayrum conk, Thayers original (love that stuff), personas and the thing I really wanted some woolfat with the ceramic container. Looking forward to trying it out tomorrow just hoping it's agreeable with my face. Also the gillette slim I ordered has yet to arrive.
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