What's the best shaving cream?

[php111]

Hey, I'm new to the forums on here!

I have really thick hair I mean it gets pretty wild on my face meaning my beard and mustache. It's because I'm 50% Italian so my hair grows fast and thick. Anyway, my questions are, what is the best shaving cream? And are MACH3 turbo with refill blades are good razors and blades? No, the razors won't cut the hair like that. I always have someone take the hair off my beard using an electric head shaver to my beard, than use a razor once most or all of the hair is removed. I have disposable razors and they make my skin red and painful with ingrown hairs, so would a MACH3 turbo be better? Thank you!

[gsgo]

Welcome aboard!

Your questions are not unique and many of us here have had the same ones.

There are plenty of creams or soaps to choose from in the marketplace finding one that works for you may involve some trial and error. As far as blades and razors, this to shall vary. Most here shave with the traditional DE Safety Razor but this is not the only tool of choice, many shave with Straight Razors, Injectors, Single Edges and even cartridges like the Mach III.

While the variety of choices are extremely broad and left to endless discussion some things we do agree upon is that to shave well is a process of preparation and learning the techniques to shave properly regardless of ones beard type or facial skin characteristics. You will undoubtedly find many references and posts by simply surfing through the vast amount of posts here at SMF and other forums on line ( mantic59 on you tube is a great place to start). Getting started is just the beginning of the fun, making recommendations at this stage can be difficult but given your Italian heritage I might suggest Proraso products as a start but the choices are endless on all sides.

[php111]

Thank you so much!

[php111]

All I do with Mach3 razors is keep the razor itself and buy refill blades, right?

Would this be the right razor and to buy it? http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/Gillette-M ... 7-38002306

And would these be good blades to buy online as well? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I0YHCR ... 732&sr=8-6

[Thalay Sagar]

Welcome to the forum. Gary gave you great advice- there are many good creams and soaps and there are as many recommendations. So here are mine. For a traditional English shaving cream I really like Truefitt & Hill, especially the Rose. For a more more "modern" style cream go with Nancy Boy (see past the name). I am especially fond of the Signature scent.

[wvbias]

Other English creams include Geo. Trumper's
and Taylor's of Old Bond. Both come in a variety
of scents. All of these creams mentioned so far
work best with a saving brush.

There are any number of videos on youtube on
using a brush to create lather with both cream as
well as shaving soap. A video is worth a million
words.

Good luck and welcome to SMF.

Terry

[gsgo]

All I do with Mach3 razors is keep the razor itself and buy refill blades, right?

Would this be the right razor and to buy it? http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/Gillette-M ... 7-38002306

And would these be good blades to buy online as well? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I0YHCR ... 732&sr=8-6

Nothing wrong in getting started with the Mach III, after a few years of using a DE I have gone back to Mach as I find it is the best for me. Source it from wherever you can get it for the best price. I buy my blades at Costco for the best possible price. Using the Mach to start gives you the chance to learn all the other basics of prep, lathering etc.

[JRTASTER]

Welcome to Shave My Face.
Good advice so far on your choice of the Mach3 and suggestions on shave creams.
There are no absolutes, just good choices and some experimentation!
We all hope you will come to really enjoy wet-shaving, the experience and results both.
Keep us posted on your choices and how it's going for you!

[bernards66]

Welcome to Shavemyface. As has already been mentioned, the opening questions you are asking have been asked MANY times before on this forum and often responded to at length. It really is worth the time to explore a little in our archives. And has also already been mentioned, most of the members here shave with single bladed razors...older designs that many of us feel are more effective as well as kinder on the face. Of course, most razors of these types take a little bit of learned skill to use optimally. But to me, and many other members, it is well worth it. Would I personally recommend a Mach 3 for the type of beard you describe?...absolutely not! I did not find them to shave that well and they irritated my skin markedly. Do we have a few members who use them?....yes..but not that many. SMF is fundamentally a 'traditional' shaving site and the razors, shave creams, or soaps usually talked about here are not products one can normally find at local chain stores. Of course, for some of us that simply makes it all more fun. For others of us ( usually gents who have shaved this way for decades ) it is a pain in the back side but we do what we must to get the kind of shave that we want. Stick around a while and see what you can learn.
Regards,
Gordon

[ShadowsDad]

It would help to know your location.

As others have written, there is no one best cream.

In the USA Kiss My Face can be found (for myself anyway) in natural food markets. It's a very good product and won't set you back a great deal. Bath and Body Works carries Bigelow cream and that works fine also (it's rebranded Proraso). Those can be had over the counter.

Mail order opens up so many really good creams that it's impossible to list them all. But the 2 I mentioned above are really good and might be available to you immediately.

Both will tell you on the package that they can be "hand lathered". Yes, and you can take a VW swimming too. I suggest neither. I suggest using a brush and lathering them.

OK, I have to ask... why must you have a cream? If you're going to be using a brush there are hard soaps and croaps (a hybrid between a cream and a hard soap), that have advantages and work fantastically. It's a huge world of soaps, croaps, and creams.

Brushes needn't be expensive, but they can be. Price is no indicator of latherability, usability, or longevity. It's all what you wind up preferring. There are synthetic, badger, boar, and horse that I know of. With prices ranging from $6 to hundreds of dollars. If you want more info re: brushes ask that question. I just tried to give you a very basic intro' nothing more. I don't want to write more if you don't want it. Plus there's plenty of info already on the site. Probably what you'd want would be more easily found in the shave university rather than the brushes section. "Brushes" wouldn't be so much brushes 101, but more advanced discussion.

As Gordon wrote, yes, you can shave with a Mach3, but blade shaving will also do the job and most of us (not all) far prefer it over carts. I've been there and rejected it. I haven't had an ingrown hair since. It takes a bit of training (OJT) but in the end I think it's a better way to shave. YMMV (your mileage may vary) For many of us shaving has become an enjoyable part of the day. That may sound strange. But at one time shaving (with a cart back then) was a despised chore that I did as infrequently as I could get away with. Now if I don't shave for a day I miss it. Check out the site, there will be some jargon you won't know yet, but you'll catch on. There's even some discussion about cartridges. But cartridge or blades, the products we use are far superior to what you get out of a can, so you're headed in the right direction IMO. Maybe I'd have done better with carts if I had used these products. I'll never know since I won't go back to carts without a fight.

Edit: I see 2 PIFs in Selling & Trading right now for a croap, 3P, and a horse hair brush. A PIF ( pay it forward) is free. It would be a good place to start. Just don't judge other brushes by the horse hair brush. It's a brush all it's own. But it'll give you something to use and to generate discussion. We can help you better after you get your feet wet.

[rbaloha]

Welcome.

Suggest you try La Toja sensitive.

Beard prep is important. Suggest you try products from SheaMoisture. Cuts hair effortlessly and provides a nice feel.

[php111]

Thank you everyone!

I never used those hard soaps before. I never used brushes before. May I please ask what is a good single blade? And what is the difference between a single blade and a mach3?

[gsgo]

Here is a link to mantic59 on youtube, watch his three intro clips it will go a long way to getting your started -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjhIy9rg ... 2F52BA7608

Most of us have all watched these over the years, they have become a major entryway for many into traditional wet shaving.

[wvbias]

Thank you everyone!

I never used those hard soaps before. I never used brushes before. May I please ask what is a good single blade? And what is the difference between a single blade and a mach3?

I prefer soap over cream but will always have
both in my rotation. Spend some time browsing
over this part of the forum to see what the members
are using and not using. Also the Shave of the Day
part is also a good source.

Checkout the Razor and Blade section as well to
see what is being said about the various razors
as well as blades.

There is a lot of good info on SMF and a lot of
knowledgeable members just itching to share
their expertise with new members.

Oh yeah, go to the home page and checkout
some of the vendor sites on the right hand side.


Terry

[php111]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NL0T1 ... 364&sr=8-1

That's the Merkur Long Handled Safety Razor. Would that be a better one? Could someone provide some blades to choose from so I have a choice on what to try?

[wvbias]

Merkur makes excellent razors IMHO and I'm
sure that most of the members will agree.

As far as blades I suggest that you checkout
the vendor sites and try a sample pack. This
will include a variety of different blades.

Some members may like a particular blade while
others think that it is awful. The only way to find
out is to try them.

I hope this helps.

I've had good luck with Astra SP's.


Terry

[php111]

Hi Terry,

Is this what you are talking about? http://www.straightrazordesigns.com/ind ... cts_id=189

[wvbias]

If your thinking about a shaving brush
i will suggest purchasing an Omega
Boar to get started. Many of these
are under $10.00 and are of good
quality.

This way if you decide that this isn't
your cup of tea you haven't spent
a lot of money.

If on the other hand you end up enjoying
it you can always buy another brush. These
things are herd animals and are always happier
when they have a few friends. Same goes
for razors as well.

Enough of my insane ramblings....

Terry

[brothers]

Welcome, sir. As you can tell already, your questions are our meat and potatoes, our bread and butter. We used to be where you're at. Don't let it overwhelm you, just be patient and gather information. As stated above, there's no right or wrong answers. You'll find those products that work best for you, and that's the path you should follow.

[wvbias]

There's really nothing to it. We have taken an
otherwise mundane daily chore and turned it
into something fun and enjoyable.


Terry