New to wet shaving
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Carrington
- Posts: 67
- Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:35 pm
New to wet shaving
A couple days ago I gave in and bought a brush and a bar of shaving soap. My question is, is a badger hair brush better than the one I bought at Walmart, and how cheap can I get one? Also, any suggestions on aftershave. Is the type of aftershave I should use any different than that of regular shaving? Thanks alot
You bought a boar hair brush. The difference between boar hair and badger hair is night and day. The badger hair will hold plenty more water and give you a wetter shave.
There are some excellent over the counter AS available. I believe Nivea has been mentioned as excellent.
Welcome to SMF. Read through the forums and you will absorb some excellent information.
There are some excellent over the counter AS available. I believe Nivea has been mentioned as excellent.
Welcome to SMF. Read through the forums and you will absorb some excellent information.
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Rob
Welcome to SMF, Carrington.
Yes, a badger hair brush will normally be better than any of the brushes available at Wal-Mart. It is commonly recommended around here that newbies get a Crabtree & Evelyn EJ Best Bagder Brush or a Savile Row SR-204.
The EJ Best Badger can be found here (though it says it's out of stock at the moment): http://store.crabtree-evelyn.com/acc130147.html
And the SR-204 can be found here: http://qedusa.com/ (I personally own an SR-204 and I love it.)
You can also get a synthetic brush here (model SB-7): http://www.odsoap.com/id19.html (I own one and it's a fine brush to use.)
As far as aftershaves go, you really shouldn't need to change what you've been using. Unless you want to, that is. There's nothing wrong with trying out different aftershaves. Who knows, there's probably one out there that you might like better. Safety razor shaving does not require any special aftershave.
On a side note, soaps are tricky to get the hang of as a newb. You may want to consider going to your local Target and picking up some Proraso shaving cream in the 'spa' section. Get the tube. It's not in the shaving section, oddly enough. Also, CVS Pharmacy is having a clearance sale of Palmolive shaving cream these days. Pick some up in the red tube for dirt cheap (less than $2 probably).
Yes, a badger hair brush will normally be better than any of the brushes available at Wal-Mart. It is commonly recommended around here that newbies get a Crabtree & Evelyn EJ Best Bagder Brush or a Savile Row SR-204.
The EJ Best Badger can be found here (though it says it's out of stock at the moment): http://store.crabtree-evelyn.com/acc130147.html
And the SR-204 can be found here: http://qedusa.com/ (I personally own an SR-204 and I love it.)
You can also get a synthetic brush here (model SB-7): http://www.odsoap.com/id19.html (I own one and it's a fine brush to use.)
As far as aftershaves go, you really shouldn't need to change what you've been using. Unless you want to, that is. There's nothing wrong with trying out different aftershaves. Who knows, there's probably one out there that you might like better. Safety razor shaving does not require any special aftershave.
On a side note, soaps are tricky to get the hang of as a newb. You may want to consider going to your local Target and picking up some Proraso shaving cream in the 'spa' section. Get the tube. It's not in the shaving section, oddly enough. Also, CVS Pharmacy is having a clearance sale of Palmolive shaving cream these days. Pick some up in the red tube for dirt cheap (less than $2 probably).
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Carrington
- Posts: 67
- Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:35 pm
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Rob
Glad to hear it. Wet shaving with a double-edge safety razor is wonderful. Welcome to the club!Carrington wrote:Hey thanks alot. I've really grown to like Aqua Velva. But I've heard alot of mixed things about alcohol in aftershave. All the irritations from those massive 5 blade razors I used to use have disappeared since I began wet shaving. I'll never go back
Whats going on Carrington,
Ill tell you what little Ive learned--
I started with that same brush and soap (xmas gift). Upgrade them. A cheap badg hair is much better than that walmart boars hair POS. I got a Col Conks from the local tobacco shop for 25$ and like it much, much better.
Dont try to lather up soap in a regular coffee mug, get like an expresso cup or cereal bowl. The mugs limit your space to work. If you can, get a soap you can melt in the bowl--like 20-30 sec in the microwave will do it. I didnt care much for that Walmart Mug brand soap either, some people like it, though.
I dont use aftershave, but I would try a few if I were you. Trying out new stuff is part of the fun of this.
And remember that you have 8 pints of blood in your body. It has been proven that the most you can lose by cutting yourself up shaving is 1. Use this to your advantage by going out and getting drunk afterwards. Your bar bill will be much cheaper and you can use the money you save to buy more shaving products.
Just kidding on the last one, have fun
Ill tell you what little Ive learned--
I started with that same brush and soap (xmas gift). Upgrade them. A cheap badg hair is much better than that walmart boars hair POS. I got a Col Conks from the local tobacco shop for 25$ and like it much, much better.
Dont try to lather up soap in a regular coffee mug, get like an expresso cup or cereal bowl. The mugs limit your space to work. If you can, get a soap you can melt in the bowl--like 20-30 sec in the microwave will do it. I didnt care much for that Walmart Mug brand soap either, some people like it, though.
I dont use aftershave, but I would try a few if I were you. Trying out new stuff is part of the fun of this.
And remember that you have 8 pints of blood in your body. It has been proven that the most you can lose by cutting yourself up shaving is 1. Use this to your advantage by going out and getting drunk afterwards. Your bar bill will be much cheaper and you can use the money you save to buy more shaving products.
Just kidding on the last one, have fun
Welcome to the boards!!
Just about everything has been covered, but I will speak up for the boar bristle brush. Some prefer the stiffness to massage the face. It will be more prickly than most badger brushes, but a good boar brush can be a nice change of pace for your face. Sorry about the rhyme. Anyway as long as it's giving you a good irritation free shave, there really isn't any need to change unless you want to. Most guys that come here saying, "I don't want to spend a lot of money on this." Usually wind up spending more than they had anticipated. I say, spend away. It's worth it for a good shave.
Now if you like Aqua Velva you should really take a look at the other aftershaves from companies like Tabac, Trumpers and Penhaligons. Be warned though they are a bit expensive.
Good luck and happy shaving!!
Just about everything has been covered, but I will speak up for the boar bristle brush. Some prefer the stiffness to massage the face. It will be more prickly than most badger brushes, but a good boar brush can be a nice change of pace for your face. Sorry about the rhyme. Anyway as long as it's giving you a good irritation free shave, there really isn't any need to change unless you want to. Most guys that come here saying, "I don't want to spend a lot of money on this." Usually wind up spending more than they had anticipated. I say, spend away. It's worth it for a good shave.
Now if you like Aqua Velva you should really take a look at the other aftershaves from companies like Tabac, Trumpers and Penhaligons. Be warned though they are a bit expensive.
Good luck and happy shaving!!