Real Mans Shaving - Double Edge Razors

[simonkidder]

Thanks for the link jeltz. I have ordered a sample pack of blades as I only have the Derby extra blades so it will be good to see the difference in them.

Now if someone can give me some advice. After I've had the shave I'm just putting some aftershave on, no moisturiser as it makes my skin very greasy. is there anything else I could do to help reduce spots.

Also if I rub an alum stick over my face it leaves a white residue so I wash it straight off. should it do this and are you supposed t wash the face after using the stick

 

[Jeltz]

Alum: Some rinse some don't, I don't but equally I have greasy skin so I don't end up looking like a regency fop.

No idea on the spots but, like you, I don't use balms or moisturiser as they make my skin greasy just aftershave. If I feel I've overdone it the I sometimes use witch hazel and the AS I use if the bite from the alum was harsh is Old Spice Whitewater. While the smell is OK it contains caster oil (I think) and seems to suit my skin.

 

[simonkidder]

My skin is actually feeling better today after not using the moisturiser. Which is a Nivea sensitive. I'd pay good money for a moisturiser that got on with my skin

 

[Russ146]

I hate shaving

ive tried it all and the best thing i do is:

Shave in the shower

Shampoo the bonce
smear it round me chops

first shave downwards
re-lather with shampoo suds
second shave up-wards

Fantastic

And dont bother with the 5 bladed Gillette, Lidls do an identical 5 blade one called the "Shark" its £3.99 for a handle and 2 heads and replacement heads are £3.99 for 4

And they last twice as long as tuthers

Best shave yet

 

[Baldbrewer]

Oh dear spent my pocket money on this :
Edwin Jagger De89bl Chrome Plated Double Edge Safety Razor

Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream (150 g)

Edwin Jagger Ivory-Coloured Plastic Handle Pure Badger Hair Shaving Brush

So for the 1st few shaves just with grain?

Also normally I shave my head being a baldy, might have to practice a bit on a balloon first!

 

[Cyclops]

its all down to technique, check out youtube for some great videos on it :)

I dont get on with Derby Extra's, at the moment my favourite is the Lord Blades.

 

[miker7301]

Oh dear spent my pocket money on this :

Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream (150

So for the 1st few shaves just with

I got the Taylors sandalwood shaving cream for Christmas,it is lovely! But,be warned,it does not last very long.
I also found that changing to a different soap (I use woolfat) changed the way the blades felt on my skin.
I have never found it necessary to go against the grain. Simply with, then once across the grain, and I have a tough stubble (according to t'wife)

Mike

 

[Baldbrewer]

Any other cream /blade recommendations?

 

[Jeltz]

Well as I said before blades are personal taste so best get a sample pack and see what suits you as for creams and soaps -

Body Shop Maca Root is great
Culmak Soap if you can find it in any independent chemists
For an artisan soap Nanny Silly Soap Co. Her hard soaps are my preference not that they are actually hard!

 

[hedgerow pete]

all you DE lads wanna whach out, your all on a slippery slope towards single edge blades,


it took me about ten shaves to get the gist of it and about 4 months to stop nicking my self, but if you think DE can get close, try a ungaurded straight edge :shock:

also you can keep resharpening a straight edge aswell so no need to buy replacement blades

 

[Jeltz]

When you say single edge are you talking straight razors (cut throats) if so then yep they are excellent. I have about a dozen I've collected in the last few years as well as an array of sharpening stones.

I tend to use a DE if I am going to shave in the shower otherwise I use a straight.

Of course you could be talking about SE razors such as the ever ready razors, I have one of those and they are excellent but there aren't a lot of suitable blades. While I've not heard of re-sharpening those blades I can see it would be possible,

 

[Baldbrewer]

Well just had 1st de shave,

Nervous wasn't the word, non the less no cuts and smoooooothe! .
1st shave with grain then 2nd across.

Wow the Taylor's has that proper old barbershop smell ain't it?

Not sure when I' ll feel brave enough to do the old noggin

 

[hedgerow pete]

sorry, what i call a straight razor you called a cut throat razor or single edged razor, just depends where you live and what its called, my time shaving was out in the middle east so sweaty pores needed proper shaving to keep the rashes down, a straight razors shave and removes dead skin and cleans pores.
never collected razors as i always brought mine from new, when i was out there, they should or normally arrived blunt and you have to sharpen them up, we used to use a japanise water stone then a strop.

we used to strop three times before every shave and stone the blades once a week with three wipes each side to keep it going, a rozor used to get low as i was told to call it after about 6 months depending what the blades grinding pattern was, some lasted longer others shorter, i used to shave 6 days a week every week, never used sticks or gells or such like only every used bowl soap, sandelwood mainly, and gwad knows how many brushes i have shot through.

if any one is intrested in trying it, there are two blade corner shapes to consider, that is the corner of the blade at the opposite end of the handle, straight corner and curved, the difference is the rounded corner is not sharpend which means unlike me with a square corner you dont try to slice your ear lobe off at the bottom as i did :rofl: :rofl:

 

[Jeltz]

Yep square point razors are a good way of getting "gills"

 

[hedgerow pete]

shame no one told me before i went into the shop and brought it, it soon got ground off to bluntness

 

[Baldbrewer]

Anybody use the Paraso pre/post shave cream?

rotating between Taylors sandlewood and paraso menthol , love them both!

Shaving is no longer a chore but a bit of me time

 

[Aleman]

Anybody use the Paraso pre/post shave cream?

No but I do use the Proraso shaving creme . . . . not that happy with it as it rend to irritate my skin TBH . . lovely lather, good softening, nice aroma . . . may be I need to try the sensitive . .


I'm using the Body Shop Macca Root which is damned good for the price, as it The English Shaving Co stuff.

 

[The Goatreich]

OK, I wonder whether any of you guys can answer this for me. I only have a cheap DE razor, and regular Tesco own brand blades, but I find I get a better shave, less rash and less cuts if I use a blade that is at least a few weeks old. The minute I try a new blade I end up blotchy, cut, and spotty all over my neck and face.

I'm loathed to spend a fortune on another type of blade, or a better razor, or new soap etc if it's just not going to make any difference. I'm not particularly hairy and only really need to shave twice a week if I want to keep it really short, but more often than not I just shave once a week in order to avoid said blotchiness.

The cream I currently use is from Lush and is called Prince. I like the idea of Lush as it's all animal friendly etc, but I don't particularly like this cream as it clogs the blade with every swipe. I have a cheap badger brush, which I wouldn't have bought if I'd realised it was badger at the time, but this also doesn't work particularly well with the Lush cream.

I'm not after a close shave look anyway, 3 day stubble is my current preferred look, but I'd still like to know where I've been going wrong all these years.

 

[Jeltz]

Change cream, lush cream has a poor reputation. Palmolive and Boots Cool Cologne are both cheap but good performers. Ingrams is also cheap but has a menthol hit, which some like and others don't. Body shop Maca Root is great but a little dearer while Taylors, Trumpers and so on carry a premium due mostly to better fragrances. I suspect the badger brush will do a much better with any of the creams above than it does with the Lush. IME getting a good lather with a reasonable cream and a brush improves any shave, having used a cartridge razor a few times since switching to DE and straights I find that the better cushion and glide from a good lather coupled with a better technique makes cartridge shaving much better than it used to be.

The blade you have may not suit you. Tesco's ones are generally regarded as mid range and most people get on OK with them. Some people do what is known as hand stropping or corking to take the edge off a bit but I have never found a difference. If you have a pound shop or independent chemist then try and get hold of some Wilkinson Sword blades next time just to see if you get the same reaction. However, its equally likely that your technique is a little off, remember that you should use no pressure, just let the weight of the razor do the work. With a cheap lightweight razor that's harder to do than with a medium weight one. Go with the grain and across the grain, many people can't go against the grain and each pass is based on beard reduction rather than eradication.

 

[PD]

Us men " up North " manage with a Black and Decker rotary sander, with a good dose of red diesel afterwards.... no problems !

Spots will disappear with maturity ( which is different to age )

and if anyone approaches my neck with a cut throat, open single edged blade.............I'm gone.