Safety Razor Virgin

[Too Tall]

What is the bowl? Is this my World’s Greatest Dad mug, something separate, the soap lid or what?

Birthday on the 14th so this will be gift to self

https://www.westcoastshaving.com/col...ing-bowls-mugs

Yes and yes.

[slwrnu]

if you new to wetshaving it is a good idea to go with some basic blades to start and practice. Use them in a reasonable Merkur razor and practice a bit. Do not press on the razor. Some knicks will likely occur. When your are comfy with you skill get the Feather blades. I just rub some cream into my palm, rub together, then apply.

[holliscx]

First DE wet shave!

I didn’t watch any videos or anything about how to work soap into a lather so my lather struggled.

Boar hair brush.

My only goal was to try not to take off a chunk of my face for I used Feather blades and aimed to take care.

In my mind shave number 1 was a success with no cuts.

The best part I swear was splashing Old Spice original after shave how it bites into the skin. I love that.

Not bad for my first go. This is manual trans, baby! Keep the 5-blades away; I'm retired from drawing circles on my face with electric jokes.

BBS, yes please

[giordana93]

surprised I missed this one when it came up, so I'll throw in a couple of my two pence. I'm a frugal guy, so as much as I might like an expensive razor and badger brush, I fall into the "everyman" category, as in once upon a time every man shaved with a DE and the Shimano 105 equivalents (or Centaur, I guess..) for the purpose are out there and well worth exploring. I am a huge fan of vintage razors, especially for the beginner trying to figure out the style of kit that suits them. Basically, razors and blades vary in their degree of sharpness/smoothness for the latter and aggressiveness/"efficiency" for the former. I have some Feather blades, and while I like them well enough, I won't take the time to strop them, and there are a number of other blades I turn to first when I don't want the stupidly sharp Feathers, which pair really well with a mild razor, but take more care than I may feel like giving for that shave or an aggressive razor. With that said I realize I'm already getting lengthy, so without further ado:

I like boar brushes--not just because of the value; I like the scritch & backbone
no bowl for me; I always face lather (=why I prefer scritchy boar)
good blades besides Feather:
Astra Platinum--great value, sharp and smooth, only possible negative is made in Russia if you care
Personna are very, very sharp, but don't hold their edge beyond a couple of shaves. I almost prefer the 2nd shave of a Personna more than the first. cheap enough not to care about quick turnover
Gillette Platinum (also Russian I think)
Sharks--haven't made my mind up on these; nothing really to complain about, and kinda cool they come from Egypt

soaps:
anything Proraso is good and inexpensive; I'm less a fan of the sandalwood but it's classic; prefer the sensitive skin the most and the green mint 2nd. both classics and readily available for $10. they come in hard soap (well, really a little soft) and a cream. good for beginners 'cause easy to lather
Palmolive--really. used to be dirt cheap still a bargain
Taylor of Old Bond Street are more expensive and easy to use too much of (they are soft soaps) but you can sometimes snag a cheaper fragrance and they give a hint of luxury soaps--lots of fragrances, almost too many

highly recommended vintage razors:
almost anything Gilette. the Techs are a steal and the basis for many modern expensive razors. Mild enough for a beginner but will please an experienced shaver (who has learned to manipulate the angle of attack), especially paired with a sharp blade like a Feather
--quite a few adjustable models, though some command a premium. I think the Slim is a great razor and still probably easy to find one under $50. oh yeah, you can also get it in your birth year and even quarter, which is kind of cool
--if you want to try an open comb, quite a few out there by G as well
.....the Schick Krona is another very affordable and somewhat unusual razor--crazy mild, which some see as a drawback but it's very hard to cut yourself with it and can tame a crazy sharp blade so you don't have to think as much about the shave (mind you, thinking about it is part of the fun, but some days you just wanna whip out a quick shave)

A few modern razors have been suggested above, but I'll throw out the Razorock offerings that are made in Canada out of premium stainless steel and reasonably priced. It's just a little tougher to know which one to choose, which is why I suggest wading into vintage offerings to see if you like aggressive or laid back. Many folks go down the rabbit hole of chasing the closest, most aggressive shave possible; whatever floats your boat. I've got a couple along the spectrum and choose based on mood/conditions

just a reminder too that we have a long thread on this here if you want to poke around. I assume some of the opinions may have evolved over time, but it's still a decent thread for winter reading

[giordana93]

forgot to add: if you like the bite of an aftershave, the alum block is also an interesting add-on. stings a little on the irritated or cut skin and supposedly anti-bacterial. Not a bad way to "grade" your shave because the less irritated the skin the less it stings so you can gauge your technique/blade angle. a block lasts for years