Reddit mentions: The best men shaving creams

I love sandalwood. My lady loves sandalwood on me. Here are a few of my opinions on sandalwood and sandalwood-inspired scents.

St. Charles Shave Santalum Album Extract: (EdT) This is a one-note sandalwood. Quite sweet and creamy, and almost gourmand in character. US$18 for 2 oz.

St. Charles Shave Limited Edition Sandalwood from Wood: (EdT) still a one-note sandalwood, but deeper and richer. Less sweet, a bit more woody. A friend of mine pronounced that it has "more gravitas."

Herve Leger Homme: (EdT) This is artificial sandalwood (ebonal, and maybe okumal) but smells quite nice. Brightened up with ginger and yuzu (a hint of fruity acidity compared to a creamy sandalwood) and lasts a long, long time. Unfortunately, this has been discontinued. Dangit!

Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Cologne: This is a sophisticated scent, with some lavender, floral notes, and patchouli, with plenty of powderiness (to my nose.) The sandalwood isn't very present at all, though it's a nice scent. Garnered compliments from my lady despite its sweetness and floral notes. Not very long-lasting, and wants a separate atomizer. (Used as a splash, it's too powerful, and cloying!)

MPeG Santal Noble: Edt - A favorite of mine. Not super sandalwoody, but very woody. Smells like freshly-sawn cedar planks, along with amber, coffee, and spices. A superb scent, though not sandalwood-forward.

Karnataka Mysore Sandalwood Soap: This is a soap with actual Santalum Album oil (this is the "true" sandalwood, as opposed to the less complex "Australian sandalwood" and "Hawaiian sandalwood" oils.) Very little sweetness. The "soap" scent comes through clearly, but smells natural, as opposed to artificial. Over time, the sandalwood scent diminishes, but doesn't smell less "real," only less strong.

Every Man Jack Sandalwood Bodywash: This is a gel, in a plastic showergel bottle. It's not real sandalwood, but is pleasant enough. The scent doesn't last beyond the shower, but my lady likes how it smells as I use it. Sweeter than Karnataka, and more artificial, but not bad for everyday shower duty.

Caress Endless Kiss Sandalwood Vanilla body wash: No. Just no. Got it home and was uninspired. I added actual sandalwood oil and actual vanilla extract in an attempt to salvage this, but it could not be done. You'd have better luck adding fragrance oils to an unscented body wash, in my opinion.

Proraso Red (sandalwood) shaving cream: This is a great shaving cream, expecially for the price. The sandalwood is very earthy, and not very sweet to my nose. Lathering is excellent, lubrication is great. The scent doesn't last after the shave, but it's great while it does. I carry a tube in my gym bag, and also use the stuff at home. Very nice earthy sandalwood scent.

Nature de France Sandalwood Deodorant: This is an earthy sandalwood, quite similar to the Proraso cream. Not sweet, not overly creamy or woody. No aluminum, so it's not an antiperspirant, just a deodorant. Still, I love the smell.

Ogallala Bay Rum with Sandalwood aftershave: This is an aftershave, based on Ogallala's spice-heavy Bay Rum scents (cowboy-style, as opposed to pirate-style "pure" bay rum scents.) The sandalwood isn't particularly realistic, but it is pleasant, and has gotten me more than a few compliments. It's a very sweet sandalwood, to the point where I sometimes find it a bit cloying. My lady never fails to compliment me, though, if I've used it, regardless of whether I tell her that I have. Needs to be shaken and -for best result- applied once your face is dry. Good skin conditioning.

Straight razor shaving is a great way to accomplish an irritation-free shave, but it requires a good razor, good lather, and good technique.

Let's start with the razor. Which razor did you buy, and where did you buy it? Most of the straight razors on the market are made with inferior steel that can't hold a shaving edge. And even if you have a good razor, it's going to cause irritation if it hasn't been properly honed. (Note that many vendors claim their razors are "shave-ready" when they're not.) Unless and until you have a good razor with a properly-set bevel and a well-polished edge, good soaps and aftershaves aren't going to do you any good.

For good lather, you'll need a brush and a high-quality soap. You can't beat the ~$10 Maggard Razors synthetic brushes for value, but personally I prefer badger brushes (and broken-in boars, but let's not go down that rabbit hole yet). For $30-40 you can order a Frank Shaving finest or an Ace Shaving silvertip on eBay; just be prepared to wait for shipping from China. A couple of Amazon vendors are currently having a price war on the Semogue Owners Club that has driven it down to the lowes I've ever seen - $57 with free Prime shipping. Thanks to the weak Pound, $85 will now get you a Kent BK4 from a UK vendor. And once you hit $100 you have tons of great options.

Speaking of great options, there are so many fantastic soaps out there that you could write a book about 'em. If I had to pick one for somebody just starting out, it'd either be something from the Barrister & Mann Latha line (I really like Le Petit Chypre) (sign up for the Rewards Program for $5 off your first order) or, if you're already on Amazon, Pre de Provence.

Then there's technique. Getting a good shave with a straight razor is a challenge. You need to make absolutely sure everything else is right, so that your technique is the only variable. Frankly, you'd probably have an easier time with a safety razor, which will accomplish exactly the same thing with a shorter learning curve. But if you want to learn to use a straight, make sure you've got a good edge and a good lather, and then shave with it every day. Every. Single. Day. Maybe not a full shave; maybe just one pass, but use it every day. After 2 or 3 months you should develop competency.

First, for grooming products, it has been my (vicarious) experience that once you convert to using Taylor of Old Bond Street shaving cream you will never, ever go back. I ordered it for my father on the recommendation of a male friend who has since converted others. It's a little expensive as shaving creams go, but that little pot lasts you a good six months or more, especially if you use a shaving brush with it (you want something like boar bristle if you do that). The Sandalwood scent is your safest bet there, but feel free to go for something like Lavender if you feel adventurous.

But now for my real love...cologne. I adore cologne. It's been a while since I've taken someone cologne shopping (I used to always take my brother...which became a problem when I noticed too many attractive men smelling like my brother), and my ex refused to wear it, so I may be a little out of touch. However, I do have some recommendations.

Boss Bottled is excellent if you want a warmer, sweeter scent. It kind of reminds me of vanilla. I had a friend who regularly wore this scent, and I kid you not, my girl friends and I used to gather around taking turns smelling his jackets after he took them off. He would specifically wait to spray it on until one of us was at his place so that we could maul him over it. We LOVED that stuff.

Gucci by Gucci is a stronger, sharper smell - it's got notes of bergamot, black pepper, and leather - very "manly," one might say. Also extremely sexy, and totally ruined for me due to its association with my brother. Though I'm told it has brought him much success.

Aqua Di Gio is very common at this point, but it's popular for a reason. Avoid it if you want to smell unique, keep it if you want a step above the generic "clean man" smell.

Polo Blue is another standby, as is Armani Code...I can't remember either one specifically, but they're also well-known for good reason.

I haven't personally smelled this one, but a good friend highly, highly recommends Versace Man.

If you don't want to get fancy, most ladies like Old Spice.

And no Axe. Never, never Axe!!

(Note: all links are from random Google searches, so you may be able to find better deals elsewhere.)

Edited to add some things to the first paragraph.

Not sure what your budget is, but here are a few soap of the lower-cost, Amazon available soaps that I would recommend.

Pré de Provence

Pré de Provence is an excellent triple- or by some accounts quad-milled soap French soap, and strikes one of the best cost/performance/longevity ratios I've ever seen on a soap. It creates an excellent, slick, protective lather and provides an awesome post-shave feel even after you rinse it off. It comes in two scents:

Pré de Provence is a light, herbal scent that seems to have a strong sage note in it. I haven't used it, but I have used its brother. $11.99USD for 150g on Amazon.

Pré de Provence No. 63 is a warm, spicy cologne sort of scent that has notes of pepper, cedarwood, leather and tobacco leaves among others. $14.04USD for 150g on Amazon.

Cella Crema da Barba

Cella is a soft Italian soap that has a mild scent of cherry and almond. I don't know if it would be considered "manly," but this stuff has been around for nearly 120 years, and men have been shaving with it for all that time, so it has to be doing something right. It's also a great performer with good post-shave feel. $12.00 for 150g on Amazon.

La Toja

La Toja is a Spanish soap in stick form, containing mineral salts. Its scent reminds me a bit of briny sea air and talcum powder. La Toja's claim is that the addition of the mineral salts helps as a skin conditioner. $6.00USD for 50g on Amazon.

Speick

Speick is a German soap whose scent comes from the speick plant and lavender essential oil. It's one of my favorite soaps of all time in terms of both performance and scent. $8.08USD on Amazon.

Chiseled Face Groomatorium

Chiseled Face is one of our US artisans, and his products are among the best performing that I've ever used. He has a handful of different scents that you may find interesting, but my favorite of them is Ghost Town Barber.

Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber has notes of bergamot, basil leaf, white patchouli, oakmoss, texas cedar, leather, smoke, and gunpowder (I copy/pasted that from his description). $14.99USD for 113g on Amazon.

 

These are all US links, so I hope they work for you. I'm sorry to say that I can't help with the dry skin thing; my skin is fairly oily and not overly sensitive.

Plugging TOBS Sandalwood for a recommended cream... If you don't have a soap, it's notoriously easy to lather. I use it when I rush my shaves, or if I don't have time. Very good shaving cream IMHO, and it always gives reliable shaves.

Not better than my Stirling, but we're talking Amazon here, and TOBS Sandalwood Cream would be my recommendation for something to get latherin'.

For a brush, although I have not tried boar knots, the 10048 looks pretty good, and I've seen someone else recommend it already. If I was buying on a budget from Amazon, that would be my first pick.

The TOBS cream and Omega brush will set you back about what you would have paid for the VdH kit, which is rubbish from what I've heard, although I have no experience with it.

Face or palm lather the TOBS and save yourself a bowl. The mug in the VdH kit is only to put soap in anyway, and shouldn't be used to lather - only to load your brush. Even if you did try to lather in it, it's not really the 5-6 inches diameter you're gonna wish you had.

Also, if you have leftover cash, spring for some Witch Hazel. Stuff is frickin magical. Apply right before you apply aftershave balm, and let it sit for a minute or so to really tighten up your face.

If you have even more leftover funds, or opt to get WH at your local drugstore, apparently Clearly Natural Glycerin Soap is a good pre-shave. I use MR GLO, but people have told me that any high-glycerin soap makes a nearly equivalent MR GLO substitute. And, for the price of less than one puck of MR GLO, you get 3 bars of Clearly Natural. Hooray for hydration and slickness!

And if you're in for a splurge, get a fancy stand. Adds counter appeal - totally unnecessary, but cool.

Good buy on the Nivea Sensitive ASB, and sub the EJ for a Parker 24c, per /u/leisureguy's post. He's never steered me wrong. Both purchases I've made based on his recommendations have worked out great, which were my Plisson brush and MR GLO.

As for the sample pack, you're probably better off spending some out-of-pocket dough on tryablade.com, or any of the other sample pack resellers. Get your money's worth.

P.S. - Don't forget to soak your boar brush (should you select it) in hot water for a few minutes before you try lathering with it. Boar brushes also have a break-in period, so be mindful that your first few shaves/lathers may be less than desirable.

Ok, money, time, and convenience, the bodywash will work. It won't give you the ultimate experience that's possible, but in a utilitarian sort of way, it will work. Make sure to turn off the water, and spend a little time to build up a lather.


Going the extra steps isn't much more effort or cost. It also allows a closer shave, smoother and tighter skin, if you decide to do the complete process. I used to be ok with a disposable razor using hair conditioner during my shower shave, because it wasn't much different result than a sink shave, with my disposable razor, and aerosol shave soap. I've now been wet shaving for 10+years, and occasionally try a disposable razor. I can get a pretty close shave but my face feels raw. The shave that isn't so close I can live with, but I can't stand the scrapped up feel of my skin.

For the best shave, you should wash your skin first, then build a lather. That means clean up with the bodywash isn't really a wasted step, if you decide to go with shave soap. The wash process also gives your skin sort of a rub down which benefits the shave process.

Stay away from aerosol shave soap. The brush and puck of shave soap will be the least expensive, but I get it not wanting to deal with that in the shower. Shave creams come in a tube like toothpaste, make a fine lather without a brush, for probably $10-$15. I find those easiest to use in the shower. There are creams that come in a tub with a screw on lid. Those can also be used without a brush. Heck, even a puck of shave soap can be rubbed on your legs, and then build a lather with just your hands, without a brush. Just make sure to turn off the shower water as you build your lather. The splashing water makes it hard to build a lather. Hard puck of soap would need to be stored in container though, otherwise it will melt away in the shower faster than you wish.

The most difficult part of choosing a shave cream, is probably to find a nice scent. I have lots of favorite creams and soaps, but my scent preference will be different than yours. Learning that you're female, sort of makes me out of touch what you might like. Truefitt and Hill along with Taylor of Old Bond Street both make good shave cream, in lots of different scents. You might like the rose scent, but it might remind you of granny instead. I haven't tried their lavender, but that might be a good scent. Taylor of Old Bond Street also makes a nice lather. You might like the almond or avocado scents. They also have a lavender, a peppermint, a grapefruit, and a coconut that I have not tried.

As someone explained, ingrown hairs happen when the hair doesn't actually break the surface of the skin, the most common cause for them is shaving with poor gear or incorrectly. Basically you shave and instead of cutting the hair, the razor pulls it slightly out from the hair follicle before actually cutting it. So when the hair grows back, if it's even slightly off from it's previous position, there's a good chance it won't break through the skin and end up as an ingrown hair.

Some people also have naturally very curly hair which then ends up causing much more ingrown hairs than most others. If they just happen even without shaving then the issue is a bit more difficult to manage and there's actually very little you can do about it. However if they happen after shaving, then solution do exist.

I'm going to detail some things you can do about your shaving routine that should help with ingrown hairs.

First of all, get yourself a double edge razor. If you want something cheap you can get one for about 3$ from Amazon, for something a bit better and more expensive the Edwin jagger DE89 is an excellent razor. There are literally hundreds of other options out there, you can often find DE razors from antique shops, flea markets or just your parents/grandparents place. And vintage razors are often extremely good if they are in decent shape.

Next you'll need some blades, I recommend buying a sampler pack again this one is about 11$. The reason you want a sample pack is because certain blades work better for certain people, so you can try them out and find the blade that fits you.

Now why on earth would you spend the whopping 15$ on technology from 70's when you have the new gilette 20 blade razor that is supersharp technology masterpiece? Mostly because it's not supersharp, well..It kinda is but it won't stay that way. The problem is that blades go dull, and when blades go dull they don't cut well, when they don't cut well they tug the hair and you end up with ingrown hairs. The easy solution is to change the cartridge often, but the cartridges are really goddamn expensive so you don't want to do that. DE blades? You can get a years supply for 20-30$, change it every 1-3 shaves and you can ensure the blade stays sharp and cuts well.

Someone also suggested exfoliating the skin, but you can kill two birds with one stone. You can get yourself a shaving brussh, something simple like the Omega 10077 it's a good, cheap starter brush it's a bit on the harder side so you can easily use it to exfoliate your skin prior to shaving. With that you can get a tube of Proraso shaving cream which is leaps and bounds better than the stuff you get from a supermarket in a can. Then to top it off get yourself some nice aftershave to calm your skin after shaving.

Now you'll also need to change your entire routine a bit. Slap a blade on your new razor, fill your sink up with some hot water and let your brush soak in the water. While your brush soaks rinse the areas you want to shave with plenty of hot water, this helps to open up the pores and soften your hair prior to shaving. If you want you can use some pre-shave to try and keep the irritation to your skin to minimum. Now you'll need to prep some lather, you can use a bowl, your hand or just do it right where you want to shave Here's a good guide on what you can do. The basic idea is to make sure your brush isn't exactly dripping wet but still wet, get about an almond size drop of the shave cream, then just mix up the cream like you'd be mixing eggs, add drops of water if needed. Once you have some lather, apply it in the places you want. You should use rather brisk circular motions, these help to prop your hair up and makes them easier to shave. Applying cream with hands usually has the bad effect of pushing your hair flat on your skin which makes shaving harder.

Now you have some lather so you'll need to shave. There are two main things to keep in mind with a DE: Blade angle and pressure.

Basically there is an ideal blade angle and finding one will take some time. However there is an entire wiki page dedicated to this. The second one is pressure, with a cartridge razor you ten dto press it against your skin, because the blades are dull and you try to shave as well as possible. With a DE, you should not put any pressure on your skin. The blade is sharp enough to cleanly cut the hair with zero pressure. Getting a hang of it is gonna take a week or so, but once you do you will consistently get better shaves. And be sure to rinse your blade often with the water you have in your sink, you don't want too much cream clogging the blade up.

The basic three pass DE shave includes one pass with the grain of the hair, another across the grain and the final pass is done very carefully against the grain and only if needed or you absolutely want to do it. Shaving against the grain gives you the best shave, but also irritates your skin more and is much more likely to end up with reddish skin or small cuts. So you fist shave everything with the grain, then rinse, apply lather, shave across the grain, rinse, and shave against the grain if needed.

Finally rinse with cool water, dry yourself up and apply aftershave. For other post-shave products you can get yourself an Alum bloc. It's a natural astringent that closes up most small razor nicks. After your final pass and after rinsing your face, grab the block and just massage it on the areas where you shaved, then rinse your face again. Another excellent product is witch hazel. It's again an all natural skin care product, it helps to cool, refresh and revitalize your skin. You can also use it daily even if you don't shave. Personally I apply witch hazel after I rinse off the alum. Then wait a few minutes and apply after shave.

Doing all that should help to decrease skin irritation and reduce ingrown hairs. And those products are just a dip in he ocean, there are hundreds of soaps, aftershaves, creams and all manner of other things you can get cheap and easy. Check out /r/wicked_edge for more.

Tl;Dr OP delivers/is a faggot.

Haha, all right, I'll tell you everything I know. First, get these:

http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Model-180-Handled-Safety/dp/B000NL0T1G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346053195&sr=8-1&keywords=safety+razor

http://www.amazon.com/Tweezerman-2801-h-Mens-Shaving-Brush/dp/B000G647Y8/ref=pd_sim_hpc_1

http://www.amazon.com/Derby-Extra-Double-Razor-Blades/dp/B0032Q41LS/ref=sr_1_5?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346053303&sr=1-5&keywords=Derby+double+edge

http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Street-Sandalwood-Shaving-Cream/dp/B0007MW2ZW/ref=pd_sim_hpc_13

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Norelco-BodyGroom-BG2040-34/dp/B0037HP9OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346053392&sr=8-1&keywords=Body+hair+trimmer

First, shampoo your groin hair with the strongest shampoo you can think off. The drier and fluffier the hair down there, the easier this is going to be.

Second, use the body hair trimmer while in the shower to get all the hair everywhere as short as you possibly can without making yourself uncomfortable. If you want to start above the dick, then start there to get accustomed to how the trimmer works then work your way to all the areas you wish to tame. I also shave my gouche etc, it's up to you. This will make the next part a lot easier.

Get some water and get it boiling hot. Then let it cool until you can touch it without seriously hurting yourself. The hotter the water the better but don't burn yourself. Now take the brush and soak it with the hot water. Then swish it around in the soap until you build up a nice foamy lather.

Lather that shit on there!

Here's the most time consuming part. You want to first go with the grain, shaving wherever you are first comfortable with. You want to use as small of an angle as you possibly can, I shave with the blade almost parallel to the skin. You do NOT push hard! It's a light grazing! LIGHT GRAZING! LIGHT! You use the weight of the head of the razor that is ALLLL the pressure you need! If it isn't enough pressure, increase the angle slightly.

EVERY time you pass by with the razor, you wash the blade in the water and apply new soap with the brush until you're satisfied. This keeps the soap and hair from clogging the blades and cutting something or ripping out a hair.

Always switch sides of the razor with each pass. This ensures near uniform wearing of the edges.

After you have passed by everything going with the grain, do the same against the grain. After you've done that, I go perpendicular to the grain for a grand total of three passes. Always cleaning the blade after every stroke, always re-soaping until you're satisfied.

After you've shaved everywhere, It's supposed to take a long time! Hurrying leads to awful bloody cuts! Then you LIGHTLY apply aftershave. It will always burn some, but not as much as it normally would! You whatever aftershave you have on hand.

For the balls, stretch out the skin as much as you possibly can and DO NOT APPLY PRESSURE! The same goes for the skin on your shaft if you have hair there.

Finally, baby powder that bitch! This will ensure you stay dry and clean and fresh all day!

At first, it will itch. There's no avoiding it. After you've shaved down there maybe 6 times, the itching will reduce until you don't notice it. ALWAYS USE A FRESH RAZOR! They're like less than 8 cents a piece, that's worth not having to worry about bleeding all over the inside of your pants!

And that's how I shave.

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For those of you who don't have the time but still want to get the job done, here was an insightful post by reddit user: OftenStupid

Disclaimer: If you wish to ritualize some portion of your life, the above is wonderful and I can see how it would be very satisfying. However, If your goal is to shave your junk:

I'm with SuccumbedtoReddit, the guide reads like it was purposefully written for hipsters. What the fuck, a brush? a FUCKING BRUSH? Old-school decapitate-yourself razor?

Please, just get a decent razor like you would for say another part of your body that you do not wish to mutilate like say....ummm.. your face.

Use some warm water, you're in the fucking shower just turn the knob goddamn it.

Apply some shaving cream. No you won't make it, nor handcraft it nor pick it from the freshest cream-trees growing on the purest mountain tops. You'll go out and buy a can that reads "shaving cream" on the label. Apply cream. Fap, if the mood takes you there, as smearing warm creamy-like substances on your privates might do.

Shave. Apply some pressure. Shit, with most modern razors you can fucking hate-stab yourself with it without drawing blood. If you want to be cautious, start gently and proceed according to how much time you want to invest.

Wash it off, re-apply shaving cream, shave against the grain.

Trim the hair on the border between penis and belly, because no-one likes the "this area has been nuked from orbit" look.

Wash off, endure the itchiness for a day or two.

Play with yourself whenever and however you wish to, without the excuse that it's somehow a necessarry procedure.

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You may have more nicks if you rush TOO much, but any nicks you get will be tiny and won't hurt or bleed that much. The above is more or less what I do when I'm in a rush, minus the shaving cream.

If he doesn't already have experience with shaving with a straight edge, you should go with a double-edge/saftey razor. They require far less upkeep and are easier to learn to use. The general recommendation is something like a Merkur razor.

If you're thinking of going with a badger brush and shave cream, you'll want to get him a nice brush. That will probably be the bulk of what you spend. I personally have a Saville Row brush from QED that I love but I'm sure others can chime in with their favorites.

As for hypo-allergenic shave cream, there's always Prorasso for sensitive skin. Although I don't have exema, I have sensitive skin and my absolute favorite cream is Taylor of Old Bonds Street Avocado. Contrary to the name, it doesn't smell like avocado, but something else incredible.

Lastly, I'm a big proponent of non-alcohol Witchhazel. I have my mom and my gf addicted to this stuff. It's a natural toner and antibacterial. It works great and and doesn't smell like much of anything. It's good enough that I barely use aftershave anymore. Though Nivea sensitive balm is widely accepted as a good aftershave balm.


That's about what I've been using for the last half-decade. The very last bit is razor blades. There are a number of manufacturers from Merkur, to Derby to Feather. Best bet is to buy him a trial pack (5 blades from a number of manufacterers) from a shaving site online and let him figure out his favorite.

Here's what I would suggest:

Razor: either this one if you want to stay frugal or this one if you want to splurge a bit. I'd stay away from the QShave. It's a clone of a razor with a lot of design issues. One being that the head is so large it's hard to get under the nose, etc.; another issue is that it is extremely aggressive even at its lowest setting.

Brush: This synthetic brush. I think it's much better to start with a synthetic than a boar brush. Boar brushes are less comfortable on your face and actually make it more difficult to make lather until they break in. No reason to mess with those variables when you're just trying to get the hang of it. As for this specific synthetic brush, I have one and it is an amazing value for the money. It is one of about a dozen brushes I own, some of which were $200+, and this $12 brush holds its own with them.

Shaving soap: Lots of options here. Barrister & Mann's Latha line performs extremely well and is a great value. Several scents to choose from. Barrister &
Mann's Glissant line is a bit more expensive but has even better performance and more complex scents. Seville is a particularly good starting point with B&M, just an extremely clean, classic, masculine scent. Pre de Provence and Pre de Provence No. 63 are classic french soaps that smell great and perform very well.

Aftershave: Even more options here. You could go with Thayer's witch hazel with aloe, or if you want a traditional high alcohol aftershave, Fine Accoutrements is excellent. There are several scents, all based on popular and/or classic colognes. Or you could splurge and get the world's greatest aftershave product, L'Occitane Cade After Shave Balm.

Blades: Amazon has some good deals on blades in bulk but just sucks for sampler packs, and you want to start with a sampler pack because reasons. So head on over to TryABlade and order two of the "Top 10 Sampler." You can't use your Amazon credit there, but it's going to come to less than $10 including shipping.

So, if you go with the cheapest option in each category, you come out to fifty dollars or so if I'm adding right, which leaves you room to pick out one or more of those splurge options I mentioned.

A Fusion ATG everyday on a coarse beard is going to murder your face. That used to be how I shaved for a long time, and my skin hated me.

My suggestions in the immediate term is to step up your prep and shave products. That alone will make a very big, immediate difference without breaking the bank or requiring you to teach yourself how to shave with a safety razor (i.e. a double-edge razor).

My advice is to buy the following:

• Proraso shaving cream
  
  
• Proraso pre-shave cream
  
  
• Omega boar-bristle brush
  
  All-in, you're looking at about $40 in products. IMO, Nivea makes a perfectly good aftershave balm, so no need to mess with that. If you want to try a splash, you could try this, but it's not necessary.
  
  For the prep and shave: after your shower, soak the brush in hot water for a couple of minutes. In that time, wet your face with hot water, then rub in about a dime to a quarter-sized amount of the pre-shave (however much it takes to get a thin layer of coverage without any gooping). Rinse it off with hot water. Your face should feel slicker after the pre-shave.
  
  Remove the brush, squeeze the bristles to get the excess water out, then give it a 1/2- or 3/4-inch line of shaving cream. Go to town on your cheek with broad, swirling motions, lathering right onto your face (you can use a mug or whatnot, but your face works just as well and saves time).
  
  If the cream feels too thick, just add a bit of water and continue lathering. It'll take some experimentation to get the amount of water right (varies based on water hardness). Too little water and it will not lubricate very well. Too much and it becomes a runny mess that doesn't lubricate at all. Add water in little bits. You'll figure it out by feel pretty quickly.
  
  Shave WTG, hot rinse, lather, XTG, hot rinse, lather, ATG. Use as little pressure as possible and try to let the blades do the work on each pass. It should feel like the blades are just barely touching your face. Rinse cold after you're done.
  
  That should help deal with the irritation and improve your shaves in the short term. When you're ready, feel free to move up to safety razors. Probably the best way to start is to get ahold of a basic Merkur 34C razor and this thing. Switch brands every two weeks and slowly work through until you find one you're really happy with.
  
  Good luck!

Get yourself a variety pack of razors. Your face will react differently to each one and after you've tried several you'll know which to buy more next time you make a purchase.

As for building a lather, check out some of the many videos like this one by mantic59. After some time you'll find what works best for you but this video provides some basics. Once you've committed yourself to wetshaving you'll find all sorts of ways to build lather - mug, palm, stick, scuttle and others. For the college student I'd recommend Proraso's shave soap or one of the many Taylor of Old Bond Street options as they are both in their own bowl, which saves a bit, for now.

Since prep is critical for a nice shave I'd invest in a nice pre shave soap and/or cream. I use Musgo Real Glyco Lime Oil soap and Proraso's pre/post cream.

The Merkur 180 razor you've listed is what I use and I love it. I don't have experience with the Col. Conk soap but I'm sure it's fine. Leisureguy has recommended Proraso's glycerin soap in previous posts. I think I use the same brush you linked to and it's fine. If you'd like to check out some better options Bull Goose Shaving offers some good priced horse hair and Whipped Dog offers some neat options for silvertip brushes. BTW, Larry over at Whipped Dog can make you a brush and bowl combo, just pick out the color options yourself.

*edit: a less expensive sampler pack.

Taylor of Old Bond Street and Geo F Trumper are both London-based companies with a very good reputation here. Both companies offer a sandalwood variety of shave soap. For around £10 you should be able to get a 6 oz soap of either in a plastic tub, or you can upgrade to Geo F Trumper in a wooden bowl for about £20.

Edwin Jagger is a company based out of Sheffield that offers very nice razors for around £20. Any that start with DE8_ are good, they all have the same head... it just comes down to the handle for example DE86 has a faux-ebony handle but DE89 is all chrome... the cutting head is the same on both.

A silvertip (highest quality) badger brush will run you at least £20, so as you can probably start to see, getting a soap, brush, and razor all for £30-40 will be tricky. If you downgrade to a boar brush you can get one for about £10 which will bring all 3 products to about £40. A boar brush isn't "worse", it's just different -- many people prefer it over badger. It's also more humane as the badgers need to be killed to harvest their hair. Otherwise you will need to start getting into lower-quality soaps and razors to offset the cost of the badger brush, or spend at least an extra tenner.

For example here are some amazon.co.uk links for you, there are probably other UK-based shaving websites that carry all these as well, or if you live in a major city you might even have a physical shave shop:

Razor

Shaving soap

Boar brush (personally I would look for one with a wooden handle though, I think it's classier than the plastic. If you want to stick with plastic, they come in a variety of colours)

I intentionally picked British-made products for you since you want to incorporate strong traditional and classic themes, but other companies like Merkur (German), Gillette (American), Parker (Indian) also make good razors that you might want to take a look at. I'm also assuming you want a brand new razor and not something vintage. Proraso is a nice Italian soap I use myself that will probably cost you £5 if the others are a bit too expensive.


You can add in an aftershave but that will again be another £10 or so, same with a bowl. If you want something classic and like an aftershave, I'd pick up an alum block instead. It's a naturally-occuring mineral that acts as an astringent and antiseptic -- you run it over your face after shaving to close your pores and prevent razor bumps, etc. Brand generally doesn't matter, it's all the same chunk of rock. I think a bowl is an unnecessary extra cost, any cereal bowl or latte mug can be used. If anything, just go to a charity shop and pick out the nicest mug you can get for £1-2. The bowl is used to produce your lather... you swirl the brush on the soap for 30-60 seconds to load it, and then transfer to the bowl and the lather will grow into something like a normal shaving cream when you stir it for a couple minutes. You can also lather directly onto your face or in the palm of your hand if preferred too.

If he has any questions on how to use the stuff, just direct him our way :)

I am in a similar situation to you. I have a beard which is extremely thick, and somewhat sensitive skin. For reference, on multiple occasions (including a professional straight razor shave) the barber has commented on the fact that my facial hair is like copper wire. If I use a Gillette fusion on 2 days of growth, the blade will be dull before I make it to a second pass.

Here is what I have found works best for me (obv YMMV):

• Merkur 37c. This is a slant bar razor which may not be the best instrument to learn wet shaving, but it makes a tremendous difference in the shave. It cuts my beard in a slicing motion without scraping the skin as much, so it reduces the beard while preserving the skin.
  
  
• Astra SP (green) blades. Everyone has their own favorite, but for me these are the best. They are decently sharp (especially in the slant-bar) but still sturdy enough to take me through 4 or 5 shaves. Many people suggest the feather, but I have found these to be better on a thick beard. The feather is undoubtedly sharper, but it does not hold its edge against a thick beard nearly as well as the Astra in my experience.
  
  
• Taylor of Old Bond Street Jermyn Street collection for sensitive skin (both the shaving cream and aftershave) They are a bit pricier than the regular TOBS stuff, but I have found that they reduce irritation immensely, and I really like the scent (despite having no idea what scent it is). I forgo oil, because I feel that the cream and my prep is sufficient.
  
  
• Beard prep: most important of all. I usually shave right out of the shower, and I make sure to wash the area with hot water and glycerin soap beforehand.
  
  My skin has gotten better over time, but realize that if your hair is as thick as mine is, you may never get to BBS on the neck, no matter how many passes you try. I generally do 3 passes (WTG, XTG, XTG) and I look professional, despite not feeling as smooth as I might ideally want.
  
  Let me know if you have other questions. Also the other answers here have some pretty phenomenal advice too. Good luck!

Thank you very much for your detailed reply!

Thanks for the sterilization tip, I was a little concerned about sanitizing them but that seems like an easy way to do it.

I was thinking of the Super Speed because I heard that they're less aggressive for beginners, which I would like because my face gets irritated easily. Is that true or was I just reading a biased review?

Great idea on letting it grow out to find the grain! I always get irritation on the sides of my neck so I bet they're the swirls you're talking about!

I have a cheapo boars brush that I'm using with cheapo soap and my Mach 3, but I'm planning to get some Pre de Provence soap and some Astra blades. Does that sound like a good plan?

I just looked at your link for the Nancyboy. Is it a lather or just kinda a cream? It looks kinda interesting!

Thanks again!

copy pasting this from the last thread:

I use Magic Shave Powder which works, for me at least, like nair, but better, and with less irritation. It's gotten rid of all the ingrowns and razor burn and the vitamin E/aloe formula doesn't irritate me at all unless I've been chafing..

If you do go with it, some advice:

1. A whole can of the stuff will easily get all the unwanted body hair off of me, someone who's 6'1" but not super hairy above the waist.
   
2. I have a 12 oz cup that I use to apply it. Dump the powder into a cup and slowly add water and mix until you reach a consistency a little thinner than pancake batter. Mixing water into the powder goes much better than mixing powder into water for stirring it up. Once you figure out the proportions for the consistency you like (around 1:1 by volume) you can put the water and powder in a lidded container and shake vigorously to make the whole thing go faster
   
3. I use a 2" paintbrush to apply it. Just brush it on, doesn't need to be super thick. It takes 5-7 minutes to work well so after I apply it everywhere I use the brush to agitate it anywhere hair is real thick to make sure it gets into the nooks and crannies, I don't know if this actually does anything but it gives me something to do.
   
4. Shower afterwards, not before you use it. It's not very irritating but it's a caustic product that dissolves your hair and your skin oils will protect you from it.
   
5. It's water activated, so you have to make sure it doesn't dry out after you applied it. You can do this with a little misting bottle full of hot water, by continuing to run the brush over spots that are drying out, or, my favorite, just running a hot shower to keep the whole place nice and steamy. This prevents you from getting patchy hair removal from spots you didn't notice were dried out.
   
6. After you've had it on for 5-7 minutes, hop in the shower and scrub yourself down. It's all drain and septic safe, and your hair will be broken down enough to easily go down any drain. Then wash, exfoliate, and moisturize
   
   Also: It smells, the stronger the stuff you buy, the worse it smells. Don't do it right before you invite a date over.
   
   as for avoiding bumps: exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. If you wear clothing that rubs against your body, you're drastically increasing the chances of developing red spots. You can tweeze or wax at where your pants sit on your waist to help there, but your upper thighs this is less feasible for that. My advice for the winter is to use clippers at a #1 or a #1.5 for your upper leg hair. The hair will still be there, but it'll be small, and there won't be nearly so much red bumps.

> My opinion of Proraso is that it’s cheap and it’s good to, an opinion a lot of people have on it.

Proraso with all its additives works. But I wonder why anyone would claim that it's "cheap", when it's obviously not, at least not outside Italy. And that is no matter of opinion (which its utterly synthetic smell may be, I won't even call that a "scent", but others like it), but of numbers anyone can check.

Cheap would be Arko (wich also smells divisively synthetic) or - in Europe - the Palmolive stick that doesn't smell luxuriously either, but perfectly acceptable to me. Yes, that's completely subjective. But both make solid lather.

For the 10 bucks you have to pay, you could either get a real traditional triple milled shaving soap like Pre de Provence or variety of pleasantly scented, very good US artisanal soaps. Even with shipping, these are definitely worthwhile.

I wouldn't buy a ready-to-go kit, especially from a supermarket-type store like Target. However, you can find countless combinations of razors, brushes and soaps all over the internet. My preferred razor is the Edwin Jagger DE89lbl. It is a fantastic razor with great weight distribution, blade expoture and it looks great too. I'm not sure how much you've looked into the different types of brushes but a few good brands that I like are Simpson (pretty pricy), Omega (better price for starters), and Edwin Jagger (in-between the two). For soaps I'd recommend TOBS Sandalwood. You can't go wrong with the scent of sandalwood IMO. If you want to spend less for soap than go with Arko. It's very cheap and will last quite a while because it is hard. Speaking of which, if you have hard water than don't go with the Arko and go with a softer soap/cream that comes in a tub like TOBS. You'll have a tough time trying to create a lather with a hard soap if you have hard water. That's all I've got for you, I don't use any pre-shave oils. One last thing, some antiseptic wouldn't be a bad idea. I hope this was helpful for you and good luck!

Easy one for me. I'd skip the Proraso White and spend a few extra bucks on a Chosera 1k.

Proraso White made my skin tingle, despite being marketed as a "sensitive skin" soap.

Aside from that, I've been wanting to try an Omega Hi-brush for a while. Price seems kinda high, but I've been pleasantly surprised by the synthetic brushes I've tried so far.

Also, you mentioned you don't need any more soap, but TOBS Lavender. There are better Lavender soaps out there, but for the price TOBS is in my top three. I'm a big fan of Lavender in general, and I love how insanely heavy TOBS goes on the fragrance.

Lastly, CeraVe in the tub. The folks over at /r/SkinCareAddiction turned me onto this stuff. You use it after shaving, like a balm. Seriously, man. Seriously. This stuff is the shit. If you've never tried it, treat yo'self.

Also, Merry Christmas!

To be honest I have had a hard time getting good quality stuff from Amazon. I prefer them, but the smaller shops just don't have their products there. Scent is almost as important to me as the lather and the feel, so you may not enjoy what I do in that aspect.


I prefer soaps over creams I think. With a soap I can lather right from the tub rather than having to put it into a separate bowl.

My suggestions:

• Proraso Sandalwood - Not the best quality but a cheap good starter soap. Lathers in a bowl very easily.
  
  
  
• TOBS Sandalwood - Some people dont like this cream, but I feel like it had a good scent and a decent lather.
  
  
  
• Tabac - Probably more spendy here than you can get elsewhere. I really enjoy this soap. Good lather and will last forever. Has a clean powdery smell.
  
  
• Through the fire soaps - I absolutely love the soap I have from them. My favorite on all fronts. I have the Forged scent.
  
  
• Chiseled Face Sherlock - My second favorite. Very solid soap.
  
  
  
  
  I would suggest avoiding Col. Conk. I did not like any of their soaps.
  
  

I think that you would be better off with a double edge. It's less technically demanding to learn, you don't have to maintain the blade (you'll have to sharpen a straight edge from time to time and strop it daily) because it's disposable.

My philosophy is that shaving is less about the hair and more about the skin, caring for it and leaving it comfortable/not irritated. Even with a light beard, it's worth learning how to shave well because it's good for the skin and it's a pleasant and meditative ritual. The whole process of carefully prepping the skin, applying the soap/cream and doing a multiple pass shave is satisfying. Like a very masculine manicure, manly pampering. Mampering? No...

Anyway, if you click around this sub a bit, you'll notice that it's easy to go overboard and get too into it, and shave gear isn't cheap. But that's as much a blessing as a curse. I have three straight razors and a double edge, and I fully expect them to last me decades.

If I were you, I wouldn't jump in the pool quite that deep though. Here are the suggestions I make to most shave newbies interested in checking out the wetshaving gig:

Edwin Jagger DE 89:https://www.amazon.com/Edwin-Jagger-Kelvin-Double-Safety/dp/B00K6Z24SK/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1469558129&sr=8-4&keywords=edwin+jagger+de

This is a simple, entry level razor. It comes with a few blades, but I'd recommend buying a sampler pack (and yes, I picked this pack because it has Feather blades, they are exceptional, if slightly too sharp for me. I use Sharks.):

https://www.amazon.com/FEATHER-Oclock-SILVER-Blade-Sampler/dp/B004UIZFQW/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1469558238&sr=8-4&keywords=double+edge+sampler+pack

After that you'll need a brush. I'd just check the sidebar there, I use a wee scot and I suspect that not many would push you in that direction.

Then you'll want a nick stick, because dude... you'll cut yourself. It happens. Again, sidebar. But here's the cheap one that I use (don't cut myself much anymore so I don't invest in the good stuff these days):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013H6AVM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And beyond that is the decision between soaps and cream and an aftershave. That one is up to personal preference in terms of scents and consistency.

I use this cream and like it fine: https://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Old-Bond-Street-Sandalwood/dp/B0007MW2ZW/ref=pd_cart_rp_1_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=519dkWyoBqL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_SR100%2C99_&psc=1&refRID=FTVMYYYARCCYAX4AK72N

I use this aftershave and love it to pieces, enough to spend 50 fucking dollars on it a few times a year: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007XMDQO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This isn't a super cheap set up (about $200) but you could get a cheaper aftershave and brush and be all set for under $100 and make improvements down the line if you decide you want to keep doing this.

Agreed! But I'm partial to BlueBird blades... a little sharper and last a little longer than Shark (which are also good) but they won't shave your face off like you can with Feather blades... and a little cheaper too!

My razor is a Parker 91R Super Heavyweight (I like it)... and it's inexpensive.

And then for my shave cream I use Taylor of Old Bond Street... a little goes a very long way. The stuff is great.

A good badger shave brush and a shave mug.... maybe some pre-shave oil if you really want to take your time. And you got yourself a shave that is far closer and more comfortable than an expensive as hell cheaply-made multi-bladed razor...

Sure upfront costs are slightly higher, but in the long run you save tons of money... plus you get a better shave. What's not to love?

Hey. We're glad to have you. Definitely a worthwhile endeavor. Anything that says sensitive skin on it will (that is of quality) should be good. I'd start here:

proraso

or here:

TOBS sensitive

As far as the DE razor, I've been shaving for over half a year with one DE and absolutely love it- the Edwin Jagger DE86. here


I'm not saying it's the best. It's just the only razor I have experience with. But I am very pleased with it. It helped me find a blade I like and I feel like a DE pro now. But there are others that are good as well. See sidebar for more information.


And of course- the proper legal disclaimer: YMMV.

What is you max budget?

Here is my recommendation for your kit(trying to keep with a budget):

Blade sampler $23

Edwin Jagger DE89 $30, it's the one I have and I love it.

This Omega Brush for $13, I have a similar Omega boar brush and love it. You have to soak it in hot tap water for about 5-10 minutes before you lather up to soften it up so it can absorb water.

For soap you could also consider C.O. Bigelow w/ menthol and eucalyptus $10, just got this at bath and body works for $5 in store (if you live near a store) and shaved with it today, it was fantastic, had a nice cooling effect to it and had a good protective lather. Taylor of Old Bond street is good as well, i have the sandalwood one(the hard soap) and it is fantastic. You have to consider they have hard soap, cream and sticks as well so you could look at those as well.

And as far as lathering you can lather in a bowl/mug or straight to the face, i like the face method thats just a personal bias though.

For soaps/creams on Amazon:

• Wet Shaving Products soaps
  
• Pre de Provence soap & PdP "63" soap (love these!)
  
• Wholly Kaw soaps
  
• Art of Shaving cream
  
• Chiseled Face soaps
  
• Castle Forbes shaving creams (expensive but nice)
  
• Proraso Green shaving cream (nothing exciting, but works well)
  
  Brushes:
  
  
• Fine Accountrements 20 or 24mm synthetic brush
  
• Satin Tip white synthetic brush
  
  
  Honestly, Amazon is kinda lacking when it comes to quality brushes. There are a ton of really questionable or low quality brushes on Amazon and it can be hard to find a good one unless you have a specific model or brand in mind.
  
  For the money the RazoRock Plissoft brushes are the best "bang for the buck." The $10 or $13 version would both be good. After that, the Stirling Soaps "factory seconds" 26mm brushes are also a great value and use the same style knot.

I'll include links but by all means shop around...

• Edwin Jagger DE89 - popular three piece starter razor
  
  
• One of the many creams by Taylor of Old Bond St. - inexpensive and quality
  
  
• An alum block like RazoRock - you can also find some of their artisan soaps
  
  
• A synthetic shaving brush - this one looks to have the same fibres (Plisson clone) as some other very good ones. You could also get a boar brush by Omega or Semogue for eg but these will have a break-in period. Do NOT get a badger brush on your budget; it will be shite. The exception might be this mixed loft Omega 11047 "mixed midget" which is a fantastic little brush; works out of the box like a badger but gets better over time like a boar.
  
  
• Go to your local drug store for Nivea Men Sensitive after shave balm - inexpensive, effective, and widely available.
  
  This is a more than decent starter kit and affordable but you'll also need skills. Check out this poster from /u/mmosh and search for tutorial vids on Youtube by Mantic59 and/or "Nick Shaves".
  
  EDIT: Completely left out blades. You want to sample many kinds to find what is right for you. Something like this.
  
  
  
  

I have two to recommend. One is a soap that my wife makes, she is the creator of mason boutique soaps, and she makes one called maya which is a very clean fresh scent. The other one I'd like to recommend is Taylor of old bond street avocado. It's one that I think most people would be apprehensive to try, but it's a wonderful scent, nice, cool, clean, crisp. I also like the TOBS Grapefruit, but with that it's either love it or hate it. I honestly can't see anyone NOT loving the avocado one.

I made the switch about 2 months ago to a safety razor, brush, and nice shaving cream. I love it. It takes a while to get used to, but I watched mantic59's videos before starting and they helped a lot. I used to use those crappy multibladed razors, then tried an electric razor, but safety razor is by far the best.

I use Taylor of Old Bond and it's great. If you do go this route, make sure you also grab a nice alcohol free aftershave, I use some Proraso aftershave.

Merkur Long Handled Safety Razor (MK 23C) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NL0T1G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_O90CzbSJ0E07Y .
.
Proraso Shaving Soap in a Bowl, Sensitive Skin, 5.2 oz (150 ml) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JHEY14/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Y-0CzbYSCM0MT .
.
Taylor of Old Bond Street Jermyn Street Luxury Shaving Cream for Sensitive Skin, 5.3-Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VZPTAC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_bb1CzbP65TJRP .
.
100 Astra Superior Premium Platinum Double Edge Safety Razor Blades Personal Healthcare / Health Care https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EXPTR0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_7b1CzbPDNCYAR .
.
Perfecto 100% Pure Badger Shaving Brush-Black Handle- Engineered for the Best Shave of Your Life. For, Safety Razor, Double Edge Razor, Staight Razor or Shaving Razor, Its the Best Badger Brush. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VF1NI5M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_zd1CzbRXDRTVE .
.
Crown King Victorian/Western Style 12 oz Shaving Scuttle - Durable Porcelain - Hierloom Quality - Dishwasher Safe - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTF145J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_9e1Czb0XEH37V .
.
Proraso After Shave Lotion, Refreshing and Toning, 3.4 Fl Oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085UECY2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_4f1Czb32JE3AZ

Hey there - I started off with the same shave set as you did. Have upgraded since then, but it did a great job for a long time. My first upgrade was to some proraso Shave cream (link 1 below) and then some art of shaving cream (link 2). I LOVE and highly recommend the AOS cream, the sandalwood smells amazing. You will get more for your money with the first one, but I personally think the 20 bucks for AOS is worth it.

What kind of razor are you working with?

1. http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Eucalyptus-Menthol-Formulation/dp/B00837ZOI0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375907425&sr=8-2&keywords=proraso
   
2. http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Shaving-Cream-Sandalwood/dp/B000I2XL4M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375907434&sr=8-2&keywords=art+of+shaving
   
   
   
   

Those cremes are not that expensive I use this one and it lasts almost a year. I bought a ton of razor blades cheap but its fun to try out a ton and find the one you like. I recommend this site. We all all different and I used to think just like you and then I tried it this way. Its nice to get up in the morning, make some lather and enjoy a nice shave.

Prep is so important. Make sure your skin is as ready as it can be before shaving..A hot shower, or a hot washcloth or towel wrapped on your face for a few minutes. Rub a little conditioner on your face as well during a shower or hot towel soak. Get your skin soft and those pours wide open! What kind of shaving cream do you use? If it's foam in a can or anything Gillette wonder color in a can, throw it away immediately! An easy alternative that makes a world of difference grab yourself a bottle of Kiss my face shaving cream. It will help improve the smoothness of a shave. If you wanna do one even better, grab yourself a bore shaving brush, a shaving bowl and some C.O. Bigelow shaving cream and learn how to lather it up properly and apply it with the brush. Using a brush will help stand the hairs up better so you can get a closer shave...Next, sign up for Dollar shave club and get their middle of the road package. They'll send you more blade then you'll need..I had to cancel my account for the time being because I have stacks of extra blade cases I haven't gotten to yet. You'll save a TON of money and their blades work great. Which leads me into my next tip. Maintain your blades! After every use make sure you rinse all the gunk out from between the blades and then dry it as good as you possibly can!..Most people just give it a quick rinse and toss it back on the counter or wherever while it's still wet..If you dry your blades and don't leave them face down on anything, they'll last much longer...And lastly, when you do all that and actually start to shave after all the prep. Always shave with the grain for the first pass then shave parallel then shave against the grain. Remember to keep your blade rinsed during the process and don't be afraid to lather on a bit more shaving cream, even if its after every couple of strokes..Keep your skin moist and lubricated..Take your time and try to make every pass count. The fewer passes you make the better. Some people will suggest an Alum block to use post shave, but with so many open wounds on your face, I'd hold back on those for now. Not only will it sting like hell for you, it could aggravate any conditions. Only grab one and use as a preventative once your face has cleared up as well as possible...

Also, it would behoove you to learn about Oil cleansing method. My tips may not suit everyone, but as someone who's face use to look like yours and had trouble shaving for so many years. So applying my tips if you haven't tried them already could provide similarly positive results like I had...Good luck!

That's going to be an excellent razor. If you can afford it, go for it. I got the same deal from SRD, except I bought the 6/8 instead, and 3 inch strop. The 5/8 is much better suited for beginners, as it's easier to handle, so go with that.

As a great alternative, I recommend you get a restored vintage razor from MaggardRazors.com, and buy the strop separately. I've only had great experiences with MaggardRazors.

I don't really like Col. Conk soaps as they don't go well with my water (I'm in the Chicago area). I always had a hard time shaving with my SR when I used Col Conk soap. Instead, I recommend you go with some shaving creme. Proraso sandalwood works like a dream. If you really want shaving soap, Arko is the only one that truly works with my water for SR shaving. I can use all other soaps just fine with my DE, just not with SR. I actually use Arko 70% of the time, and the remaining 30% I use some sort of shaving creme, or other new products I want to try. It's that good.

Another thing I found helps is some form of pre-shave oil or creme. I've tried regular olive oil from my kitchen, and it works great - no need to spend tons of money. The trick is to use a small amount on your wet face before you start lathering (I lather on my face); too much, and you'll start to experience drag. I'm currently using Proraso pre-shave creme which is excellent.

The alum block you're getting is also a must in my opinion (I have sensitive skin), but I would also recommend getting an actual styptic pencil on the side, because you WILL cut yourself in the beginning. The alum block isn't too effective for larger cuts.

Good luck and keep the cartridge handy for the chin area in the beginning! :)

Magic Shave Cream - I believe. They sell it in Walmart, wegmans, amazon, etc...fairly inexpensive as well, about 3-5 dollars, but I find one container only lasts one to two applications.

As I said before, I use it on everything waist down and haven't had any problems, but do a test patch just to be sure. I have coarse hair so sometimes I do end up shaving my legs for extra smoothness, but this will work great for butt(hole), the area between the scrotum and butt, and the scrotum itself. It can also be used on the face (that's originally what it was created for), but I don't really grow facial hair so I've never tried it on my face.

Another good thing about this is it doesn't have that burning sensation like nair, even if you leave it on a minute or two longer than suggested (at least not for me)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00C5RI0P8/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1499233659&sr=8-2&keywords=magic+shave+cream

It also comes in different strengths.

Let me know how it goes!

Hair that grows back is always going to be prickly because it's so short. Only way to avoid that would be laser treatment.

Best way (imho) to avoid razor burn is to use good products.

I shave with a safety razor and use a nice shaving cream. You'll need a shaving brush and a small shaving bowl as well. I change the blades frequently (available online or at drug stores) and pretty much every time before I do my legs.

I will never go back to disposable razors and canned shaving cream. I had to use both on vacation recently and it gave me the shittiest shave and worst razor burn.

Now shaving for me is less of a chore and more like a mini spa trip. :]

Full Disclosure: using a safety razor takes a little practice and I promise you will nick yourself a few times before you get it right. Be patient, it's totally worth it.

edit: I also find this helps with razor burn, bumps, and ingrown hairs: I exfoliate, shave, exfoliate (again), towel dry, use moisturizer.

This will leave your skin soft and smooth and also helps prevent bumps! :)

Good luck!

I'll add to this, especially for the Afro-Americans out there.

 

Shavers...

 

After all of the cordless electric shavers I've used over the years, my Remington F5-5800 Foil Shaver gives me the smoothness shave I've ever had without using an actual razor. I finish off by edging up and trimming with a [Philips Norelco G370] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FED5DU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_F702AbWT46ATE) (it was <$100 and it's probably outdated by now) I've used it for ~4-7 years and dropped it a few times. It leaves the skin a bit rough, though, but I've rarely ever nicked myself with it (if at all).

 

Instructions & Maintenance...

 

Read the instructions and follow proper maintenance (brush, clean, oil, etc.). Always.
And for the record, both of my shavers are easy to clean. The Remington requires more effort, especially once a month, but the Phillips only requires a quick brushing (I add Andis Clippers Clipper Oil). The "hardest" part is letting the Remington dry for so long before putting the head back on. Don't brush the clippers while it's on, btw. Seriously, you'll ruin the brush and end up needing to replace it.

 

Battery Life...

 

If the instructions say to let the battery die before its first charge, I do so. If it says to fully charge it for X hours before its first use, I do so. Now, people of Reddit had a particular conversation about battery life once. I never looked into the matter myself, but I started practicing it with all of my chargeable devices. After the initial required drain (if instructed), I always charge it after it hits 30-50%. I do my best to never let it drain completely to 0%. The idea is that the battery will actually degrade much quicker if it drains to 0% and will need to be replaced sooner. Feel free to call me a fool on this one, but please explain your reasoning.

 

Razers & Magic Shave...

 

This one requires a story or warning.
I wet shaved with my brother's razor when I was in high school because my cordless one (probably a Phillips) wouldn't work properly when I put it back together after taking the top apart for a full-ish cleaning for the first and last time (the school started reinforcing its facial hair policy).

Though it was my first time, and I shaved against the grain, I didn't cut myself or apply anything to my skin before or after. My face was so smooth that I kept touching it. Three days later, I start noticing bumps. By the fifth day, I had full on razor bumps everywhere I originally shaved. Bump Stopper II took a month or so to really any progress and around three months to really make an impact, but it left my skin dry and very flaky. Eventually, I moved to Skin Tight Razor Bump Ointment Extra Strength. It burned like hell in the beginning, but showed better progress. That and washing my face daily with soap and a towel of course.

Since I still had to shave, I just went over the bumps with a shaver and routinely wiped the blood away. Due to a barber's suggestion, I started using Bump Fighter Razors. He warned me that they were going to miss some hairs, but it worked well enough.

At some point, I was recommended (powder blue) Magic Shave because it would "eat those bumps up" (oh, boy). This stuff stinks, flakes all over the place, and can tear up your skin if you aren't careful. I tore a descent sized section of my skin off when I dragged a wet towel down my chin at the wrong angle once. I could see the skin sitting intact in the towel with the inner-end of my hairs barely sticking out of it. Was a really weird moment. That section of my face was pink and hairless for awhile before it healed over. Looked funny on my lovely complexion. For the record, I only used it every three or four days. Three is the minimum, IIRC.

If you're going to use Magic Shave, use a wet towel to wipe it off (prepare to rinse repeatedly), designate a magic shave cup that is to be used for nothing else, consider only wearing boxers, bring a broom and dust pan, and stay in one room or outside. Hell, turn the vent on, you stinky mutt. Overall, I do not recommend Magic Shave's original formula (powder blue). I cannot speak for its powder gold fragrant or creme light fresh scent version, though.

Now for razers...
I started using the cheap pack of (dark blue) Gillette dual-blade razers from Walmart in high school. They worked very well. Here are my instructions: Shave with the grain, rinse the blades after every stroke, thoroughly rinse the blades after you're done, wipe them carefully with a toilet paper to get extra crud off, and let air dry somewhere. Hell, thanks to another Reddit conversation, I kept a short round plastic container of isopropyl alcohol around in college to "shake" the razer in as a finishing touch of cleanliness. Supposedly, the alcohol evaporates after awhile, so I just let it air dry after that (read the 4/24/18 edit at the bottom). The blades lasted a pretty long time doing all of this before I need to pull out a new razor. That combined with how cheap they were...

 

Razer Bumps / Ingrown Hairs...

 

I found that daily shaving, Skin Tight creme, and actually washing or just wiping my face with a clean damp paper towel kept the bumps from fully returning. A trick I discovered to get rid of the ones that lingered was to grow my facial hair out. It looked awful for a month since the bumps returned as the hair grew (they might have been curling into the skin), but there's a point where the bumps start to recede into the skin and all you have is a full beard (minus some areas of the lower neck). Now just maintain it or shave it off. What you'll find is a smooth face with practically no bumps. You must keep the hairs from growing back, though (and maybe wash your face?). Mess that up, and the lingering bumps will return.

Oh, to hell with Bump Stopper II and don't bother with Skin Tight. My physician recommended Tend Skin Solution after I graduated college, and, let me tell you, it works better than both. I hear the ingredients aren't that bad for your health either.

 

My Routine...

 

I wash my hair (including facial) with Bubble & Bee's hard water shampoo (the price is worth it, especially since it lasts for a surprisingly long time), pour on and rub in their vinegar rinse ratio (a fourth of the bottle tops; it's optional when you purchase the shampoo), wash that out, apply Nature's Way Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to my facial and scalp hair while still damp/wet (I'm not 100% certain about using it on the scalp yet; used to use AVEDA Dry Remedy Daily Moisturizing Oil twice or thrice a week), brush my facial hair (soft bristles for the cheeks and neck; medium bristles for the beard and moustache) once in the morning, and apply Tend Skin Solution twice a day with cotton balls.

I should be using the foil shaver daily, but I don't always. Hence why I brush my cheeks and neck.

 

In closing...

 

If you're close to (or cool with) any Afro-American males, especially ones who've just started growing facial hair, consider having them read this so they can learn from my mistakes. Those razor bumps were rather unsightly.

 

tl;dr: Use Tend Skin Solution for razor bumps, wash your face, follow instructions, foil shavers leave smoother skin, read the section on battery life, don't shave against the grain with a razor, and don't use magic shave or bump stopper II.

 

EDIT (4/24/18):
About my shaving cleanup steps. I later realized that letting the isopropyl alcohol dry on the razer caused the blades to dull quicker, so I started rinsing them off and wiping them with toilet paper a second time as the final step.

Then in that case if you want to up the ante of gift giving, (i ordered all my supplies on Amazon since i have Amazon student and 2 day free shipping) but i also ordered a stand. Like you can build your own kit really nicely and then arrange it for him as a surprise!

Razor

Blades

Badger brush

Stand

Shaving cream, my favorite

And as for a cup to mix the shaving cream? Don't bother buying one just use a short mug it's much easier

Also, think about it this way, when you are using a regular 4 bladed razor you need to go over each spot at least 2 times right? That's as if 8 individual razors went over that spot. With a single blade you usually get every hair in one pass but sometimes you need 2-3 but still, 2-3 is less that the original 4 so you're regardless way less likely to get razor burn

Here you go

Edwin Jagger De89lbl Double Edge Safety Razor Chrome Plated Lined Detail

Dovo Stainless Steel blade BLACK Handle Shavette Straight Razor Uses Replaceable DE Blades and a Brut Styptic Pencil you're going to need it

Edwin Jagger Razor Stand for Double Edged Razor or Colonel Conk Evernice Model 775 Chrome Safety Razor Stand

Double Edge Safety Razor Blade Variety Pack - 100 Blades! and/or 115 BEST Blade Sampler FEATHER SHARK ASTRA BLUEBIRD LORD GILLETTE

Edwin Jagger 1ej946sds Traditional English Best Badger Hair Shaving Brush Faux Ebony With Black Drip Stand

Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream Bowl, 5.3-Ounce

Proraso Shaving Cream 5.2 oz (147 g)

Bloc Osma Natural Alum Block

Ogallala Bay Rum Bonanza Sampler!

And just use a kitchen bowl to make the lather.

Edit : Made an Amazon List

Not bad at all. I highly recommend that for the razor you go with one of the Edwin Jagger DE8x series, which come in a variety of handles. Some cost less than the Merkur you picked, and all have the newer and (IMO) better head than the Merkur Classic head.

You might also want to take a look at this low-cost, high-luxury kit suggested by Bruce Everiss.

My one quarrel is with the soap and brush kit. I think you'd be better off with a Tweezerman brush ($12.50) and a Speick shave stick ($6). The brush is adequate for a beginner, and the shave stick will create a fine lather if you have a normal beard: you rub the stick against the grain all over your wet beard, then brush briskly with the wet brush and the lather arises as if by a miracle. The brush holds plenty for subsequent passes. (You lather before each pass, as you probably know.)

The shave stick does require a normal beard to scrape off enough soap. A young man just starting to shave has a sparse, soft beard, and a shave stick may not work with that.

I would recommend a pre-shave wash of the beard at the sink with Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil soap (MR GLO): wash the beard, rinse with just a splash of water, and start working up the lather over the MR GLO residue, which adds lubricity. I find that really does help my shave. Note that MR GLO is a pre-shave soap, not a shaving soap.

Not really artisanal soap, but this and this are excellent values. Those are 5.25 ounce pucks of hard milled soap that will last incredibly long even with daily use. I can’t compare these to Proraso since I have never tried it. These soaps though will no doubt last way longer than a tub of Proasomthough. I have both of these pucks and enjoy them both very much. They represent what I consider to be one of the best values available. Every once in a while you can catch the original scent for under $10 on Amazon.

Ok, so I am going to assume (make an ass of both you and me) that you have absolutely no idea what you are doing.
I recommend the following:

• Shaving cream with Aloe (I use Barbasol)
  
• Safety Razor ( I use the Merkur Long handled safety Razor with Astra Blades)
  
• Shave the morning of your shift.
  CAUTION
  IMPROPER HANDLING, EXCESSIVE PRESSURE, OR ALLOWING THE RAZOR TO DRAG LEFT TO RIGHT CAN RESULT IN SEVERE CUTS. DON'T BE A DUMBASS AND TAKE YOUR TIME.
  
  
• Shaving Procedure( FOLLOW IN ORDER):
  
• Get shaving cream and razor
  
• Rinse Razor wit warm
  
• Wash your face with warm water (do not dry face, leave it wet)
  
• Apply shaving cream to your left hand
  
• Gently apply the shaving cream to all of the areas you wish to shave (on your face)
  
• Gently hold the razor at a 45 degree angle to your face and begin shaving in a position that is comfortable against the grain. (I start with the bottom of my neck)
  
• Rinse the razor frequently ( It usually takes me 6 - 7 rinses to finish the bottom of my neck after two days of growth. You can take out a full grown beard with the procedure. It just takes time)
  
  
• Once you feel that you can pass the razor smoothly across your face, its time to really fine tune the shave.
  
• Reapply shaving cream to your left hand.
  
• Apply it to your face.
  
• Move your hand in a circular motion so that you can feel the grain of any hairs that you missed.
  
• Shave against the grain.
  
• Rinse the razor.
  
• Repeat until your face is nice and smooth.
  
  
  NOTE
  
  Remember to touch up your side burns and the points where the curves your nose meets your upper lip.
  
  
  
  LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE:
  
  Link to the Razor:
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Long-Handled-Safety-Razor/dp/B000NL0T1G/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1467945848&sr=1-1&keywords=merkur+safety+razor
  
  
  Razor Blades:
  
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QY8QXM/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  Shaving Cream:
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Barbasol-Soothing-Thick-Shaving-Cream/dp/B001SGLDCO/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1467946485&sr=1-1&keywords=barbasol+aloe+shaving+cream

About $6.22 USD (I'm Canadian), free shipping on orders over $35 (probably $25 USD) that include other free shipping eligible items (doesn't matter what it is). Works well, same amount, probably smells better, not sure about ingredient differences in terms of if one's healthier. If I'm gonna ask for free stuff like shaving cream, I'd be doing the people helping me a favor by at least doing my research. Looking for deals, not luxury items that cost several times (4x in this case?) more than it could if one was willing to use alternatives. Spend smart.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00837ZOI0

I browsed /r/wicked_edge for a bit before diving in. Their FAQ should be a good place to get you started.

I've improved my pre- and post-shave routines as well as using a brush and non-canned shaving cream. Anecdotally, the learning curve wasn't very steep for me (a few nicks and cuts starting out) and I'm noticing that my issues with sensitive skin and ingrown hairs are resolving.

Your start-up costs may seem a little steep, but you can find some deals or cheaper gear and upgrade later. The fact that I actually enjoy shaving and feel better after doing it more than makes up for the initial purchase.

I started with the following:

Razor Emporium Sensitive Skin Blade Sampler pack

Musgo Real Lime Glyce Soap

Parker Safety Razor SYNTHETIC Bristle Shaving Brush

Taylor of Old Bond Street Avocado Shaving Cream

Edwin Jagger DE89bl Chrome Plated Double Edge Safety Razor

Gentleman Jon 3.5 Ounce Alum Block

Instead of a hot shower you could use a pre-shave such as this. This, applied after splashing your beard with some water should decrease the time used for prep. During the time you have it on your face, you could get all your gear ready for the shave.

Also, slant razors have the reputation of doing the job quicker, in less passes, so that is something you could look into. I don't have one so I won't be of much help in this case.

I don't know what your prep and shaving routine is, however if you don't face lather you could try that. In my opinion, it takes less time to face lather rather than bowl lathering.

Also, don't try to get a BBS every time!!!

That is all I can come up with at the moment. I wish you all the best during your service and good luck with your shaving! :)

>cornerstone low foaming gel

I could not find an ingredient list on their website, so I cant be sure how good the product is.

​

If you are in the UK, truly excellent shaving products are available to you locally.

Here is a list of worldwide vendors, including the UK.

https://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/wiki/stores_vendors

​

For example here is a set of an Omega boar brush & Arko soap on Amazon UK. The scent of the Arko isn't anything to write home about, but it is truly an excellent performer.

Palmolive shaving stick is available in most malls for less than £1 & is an excellent product.

If you want to go slightly more upmarket, see here & here.

The brush you got can be hit or miss, some people have great results with it but I've seen quite some complaints as well. This brush would be my first choice, this is a nice budget brush and the soap is identical to the (old) Proraso.

Derby blades are well liked, but blades are very individual. I'd recommend a sampler instead of just buying one brand.


1 The pre-post can be found cheaper, so can the shaving soap

2/3 This razor is a great starter razor. After you master it and still want something more aggressive you can try a slant or a Muhle R41.

I had the same reaction to Maggard's Barbershop. The few soaps that didn't give me any irritation include Proraso Sensitive (the white one), Sterling's Sandlewood, and TOBS Avocado. Maybe one of these may work just as well for you as they have for me, but it seems like everyone reacts differently to each individual scent and/or brand of soap if there is any sensitivity issues. Best of luck hunting down what works best for you.

Oct 8, 2019

Pre: Proraso Pre-Shave Cream
Lather: Barrister and Mann Leviathan - Soap
Brush: Parker Safety Razor Handmade Deluxe "Long Loft" 100% Pure Badger Shaving Brush 22mm
Blade: Lord Platinum Class (1)
Razor: Merkur 38C
Post: Thayers Alcohol-free Unscented Witch Hazel Toner & Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Fragrance: Barrister and Mann Leviathan - AS Splash

Sweet baby jesus! I can smell again after a 2 week cold I can finally smell. And what smells to come back to. I love the scent of Leviathan. I'm hoping it lasts a good portion of the day.

Also, I reaffirmed what I already knew today: slow shaves are the best shaves. Taking your time makes them more enjoyable and creates less irritation.

I possess extremely long, extremely thick, extremely coarse, extremely curly hair. Think somewhere between Claudio Sanchez of Coheed & Cambria and the fat guy from Lost except halfway down by back.

Every day, I shower. When I do so, I wet my hair then rub it down with a cedarwood/rosemary shampoo bar (solid-form shampoo composed mostly of saponified shea butter and jojoba oil without any natural-oil-stripping sulfates) and lather it up. I let it sit for awhile, then rinse. After that, I apply a thick coat of dandruff-defense conditioner (liquid form) and let that stand while I wash my body (with a fancy loofa and a really nice bar of cold-pressed, natural soap called "Desert Sands"). I rinse the conditioner out, wring most of the water out of my hair, and then step out of the tub.

I apply a mist of leave-in spray condtioner and let it stand while I shave (using a variety of natural shaving soaps and/or creams with a badger hair brush, a German safety razor, and a number of facial care products including an alum block, witch hazel splash, and moisturizer) and brush my teeth. I finally run a large brush (with scalp-protecting beads on the bristles and a malleable backing to allow it to shape itself to the contours of my head as I brush) through my hair until there are no more knots or tuggy spots..

On work days, I'll throw on my shirt, pull my hair back, then brush it back into a ponytail that I'll hold up with a hairtie. Otherwise I let it airdry into a gloriously fluffy, unbelievably soft, and delicious-smelling mane that encircles my entire head and neck and draws the eye of every woman I pass.

-------

What else would we use indeed!

In that case go ahead and order from Amazon. I would pick something like this:

• Edwin Jagger Kelvin. This one has knurled handle for better grip. But I believe the handle is shorter little bit. All the Edwin Jagger razors use the same razor head. I personally have a smooth handle Edwin Jagger DE86 and don't have issues with it. Another option is the Parker 24c/26c.
  
• Omega 10048 boar brush. Or if you want something smaller Omega 10065 boar brush.
  
• Pre de Provence shaving soap. Or if you want a shaving cream, perhaps the Proraso Sandalwood shaving cream. But note that some people can be sensitive to Sandalwood. Cella is another good choice. It's an Italian soft soap.
  
  So basically switch out the Van Der Hagen kit. Because the soap is okayish at best, the brush is pretty bad, and the bowl is mainly intended to hold the soap puck. Instead you can buy a quality boar brush and a good shaving soap/cream. For bowl lathering you can use any small sized bowl you have in your house. Approximately 3 inches deep and 5-6 inches in diameter would be a good size. You can also find something from your local supermarket for couple of dollars. Alternatively you can face lather which removes the need for a bowl.
  
  This post has general information about shaving brushes.

• Merkur Razor
  
• Derby Exra Super Stainless DE blades
  
• Omega "Pura Setola" Brush? Googled it. Means Pure Boar.
  
• Omega Crema da barba
  
  From what I've seen while looking around here, Omega is made by Proraso which is good, Merkur razors are generally good, and as far as blades go get a sample pack (EDIT: or HERE). I have watched /u/betelgeux's guide on face mapping and what not to do with Irish Spring. I watched a Lathering tutorial by /u/cadinsor.
  
  What I am not sure on is I don't have Alum nor a non-alcoholic aftershave, and some pre-shave stuff such as a good face wash. I have ordered from Amazon:
  
  
• RazoRock Alum
  
• Proraso Pre-Shave
  
• and even a stand to keep my shiny new razor off the counter.
  
  What are some good recommendations for face wash? As well as a decent aftershave, or is the Alum enough?
  
  EDIT: Brush info and blades link.

Hi there. I started shaving with a DE about 1-2 months ago. Some things I recently leaned:

• Put some good effort on your prep. I recently bought 2 towels at walmart for the sole purpose of shaving. I shave x2 during the work week and the hot towels really help with the prep. Also, get some pre-shave. I use Proraso on the first 2 passes and it works really well.
  
• Don't shave where there's no foam: make sure you lather up the area to be shaved.
  
• Focus on reducing your whiskers, not on eliminating them on a pass: This is really important. you can always get 3-5 single passes to reduce your whiskers. So make sure that you take it easy and avoid putting pressure on your DE, that's only going to make it worse.
  
  I hope this helps you a bit. As a newbie, I sometimes get overwhelmed with the huge FAQs and guides, so take it easy and learn at your pace. Just keep learning, that's a good advice on life overall.
  
  Edit: added context
  
  

Redditing at work is AWESOME and I am writing this from work!

You are a great person, and I wish you all of the best things in life.

But seriously how cool is [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Eucalyptus-Menthol-Formulation/dp/B00837ZOI0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=ZVFNWVOU83Z&coliid=I178CEPOI0J2IE)

Looking good, brother! When I finally fully shaved my head, it was a truly liberating experience.

Don't use a Bic, pick one of these up as well as some Proraso shaving cream. If you want, you can also pick up an exfoliating scrub as a pre-shave.

I shave my head in the shower and go by feel; I don't need a mirror until after when I touch up my sideburns to make it even. Using warm/hot water, I get my head wet and scrub with my hands, then use the exfoliator and scrub the oils/dead skin off. Rinse. (The wicked_edge subreddit users may wanna look away here) Use about a nickel-size dollop of Proraso on my left hand and lather it up on my head real well. I keep the lather on my left hand and with my right hand, start shaving with the grain. After that first pass, I add a little more water to my lathered hand and lather my head again for the second pass WITH the grain. This is where I go by feel; I use my left hand to feel and my right hand to shave until smooth all around.

Once I feel that I've gotten everything, I rinse off and use a beard shampoo to help get all those shaved bits outta my beard; they tend to cling onto the beard oils otherwise and I just use a bit of extra beard balm to keep it hydrated.

So yea, you may or may not need a 3rd pass since it'd be your first time shaving like this but I've been shaving this way for the past 4-5 years and I rarely need to anymore.

Yeah, keep the soap/cream in its container to load the brush and then build the lather elsewhere as you confirmed. Soaps are generally more dense so you can swirl them around in their own container and get some lather without using too much product, but with creams you'll find that a little goes a long way.

I love lavender as well. I do like the Art of Shaving lavender but it's admittedly pricey for what you get. Taylor of Old Bond Street has a good lavender cream (and really purple) that's quite affordable. Mitchell's Wool Fat is a classic in the wet shaving community and also one of my favorites.

For a post-shave you can look at Thayer's brand witch hazels. They have a variety of unscented and scented astringents and toners, including lavender.

Yeah you really don't have to press at all. I usually don't have to do much to my face. Wet it with some warm water. Then I wet my brush with warm water, then apply some shave butter to the brush. While doing this I keep my razor under hot water. You can get some pretty good shaves not going against the grain, so don't think you have to. Take your time. You will cut yourself many times. The neck is the easiest part, you just can't apply any pressure and have to take it easy. The hardest part is the chin/jaw line. Oh, and for gods sake don't use normal shaving cream. It's some of the worst stuff you can use. I just bought this about three weeks ago and is easily the best I've used so far. It has such a manly smell too.

I've been with a straight razor for two years.

If you're up for it and willing to spent ~50$ I'd suggest you switch to safty razor. It really is gentler to the skin, mostly because of the better lubrication and ingredients of the lather from the shaving soap/creme. The guys at /r/wicked_edge can sure help you with that.

Even if you want to stay on your disposables I highly recommend a good lather product like this and an omega boar brush.

Okay, just IMHO, but...

> using conditioner as shave cream lately

No. Stop now. Get a real shaving cream. Something for sensitive skin, like Proraso Blue.

>since my girlfriend also uses that razor on her legs, and I don't know how many times it's been used by the time I get to it again.

Congratulations, you made my nervous eye tic come back.

Razors are cheap. Get your own, and your own set of blades. Think of razors like toothbrushes--would you honestly let her (or would she even want to) share a toothbrush on a daily basis?

At this point, I'm going to defer to the W_E community, especially those with sensitive skin. You may want to ask their daily regimen for shaving, as it will give you a great idea as to where to start for keeping the bald beautiful.

I just got some C&E Sienna shaving soap. I loved it, it smells wonderful and the lather is quite good. It takes some time to get it to lather but it's worth it. If you have a spare bowl with a lid you can buy the refill for $9 either from a store near you or online (seems to be out of stock right now though). I also recommend Proraso shaving cream and Taylor of Old Bond Street sandalwood.

Happy shaving!

As boring as it sounds, Barbasol is the way to go in my opinion. My boyfriend and I both use it to shave anything and everything we want and I love it! I think we have this kind but I remember it being cheaper when I bought it months ago (it lasts forever idek) but shop around because certain types are cheaper. Don't be afraid by the super manly/boring appearance, I really love it. I used to be a conditioner gal too but this changed my mind totally. Sometimes I don't even exfoliate first with a body wash & scrub and I'm still fine.

As for razors, I have no clue.

I second /u/Blasphemy4kidz . I started with his suggestion, and it's been working fabulously so far! My top picks for razor blades are

• Feather, sharpest and most expensive of these
  
  
• Merkur, you'll start with these, very good but not as cost efficient
  
  
• Astra (I own these, do not confuse with Atra!!!), sharp and durable
  
  
• Gillette Nacet, or any other Gillettes are good, too, idk why they have so many types
  
  You'll save a ton of money buying these; a 100 pack of razors is $10 ish, and if you're like me you'll only use one per week, or two weeks. That comes out to about two years' worth of razor blades.
  
  I use Proraso Shaving Soap, but I've been eyeing this one for a while, Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream Bowl.

As Kinganti points out, samples are a great way to find new soaps you like for very cheap.

And as for my two cents, I am loving TOBS avocado though you really can't go wrong with any TOBS.
I also like to have a tube of Proraso on hand for the mornings I really need a "wake up" or for hot summer days.. speaking of, I've been going through a lot of Proraso in the past few weeks...

On this topic, I have a 'hard' beard. My current set up is the Merkur 39C slant (with the sample blade they include) + shave brush + either a TOBS cream, New York Shaving Cream (came with my Christmas present from the wife - the Bespoke Post box), and a vegan shaving soap I got as my reddit secret santa gift.

The Merkur is by far the most aggressive razor I've used so far, and as a result, seems to be giving the best shave. However, even it fails to get everything on my face! My shaves are pretty good, and better than with cartridges, but you can still clearly see teeny tiny hair tips on my face.

My lathering is pretty damn good, most of the time, and I do two passes. I usually wash my face pre-shave with Dr. Bronner's liquid soap + a drop of either jojoba or cocoa oil. I feel like it doesn't help much, though, which is why I've ordered Proraso's Pre shave cream off of Amazon. I'm getting it tomorrow, but I'm curious. . . Is it worth it? Does it do anything? Should I try one of the soaps you've listed above instead?

FWIW, I have no razor burn at all with my shaves. I rub all over with the alum block, and it doesn't sting at all (except with the Merkur, mostly because I'm still learning how to wield it properly).

Aftershave is a sort of an umbrella term that encompasses balms, slashes, creams, and ointments. Personally I feel alum and witch hazel are a big help, and are a step before aftershave. I think a general rule of thumb for aftershaves is: alcohol dries out your face, but helps to close up pores. Balms, creams and ointments moisturize and could be medicated. Get a sample of the proraso pre/post cream from gary's sample shop and try it out for yourself, it feels great, and your skin will love you for it. Many alternatives are available.

Fellas fellas. Let me fill you in on the best/fastest/easiest way ever to take care of this. Just use Magic Shave Cream, it is a depilatory like Nair but not so harsh. I use it for this purpose specifically and it works like a dream.

You can take care of everything at once, dick, balls, taint, even bh. If you use it the recommended time I guarantee you won't get burned unless you have the most sensitive skin in the world. I always go a few minutes over because my hair is coarse and still have no problems.

An additional benefit is no chance at razor burn and significantly reduced occurrence of ingrown hair. Best life change I have ever made.

I have yet to try this, but I hear Proraso White is a good one. At only $10 it seems like a pretty good deal too.

I use a pre shave cream...it is in my opinion less messy and for me, it works better. http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Irritation-Pre-Shave-Oatmeal-Ounces/dp/B003VS5O3Q My technique: I wash my face with warm water and regular hand soap. Then (on my wet face) I apply an almond size amount of pre shave cream. Then I take a nice warm shower. After a shower, I apply shave cream (Arko) over the pre shave and then I shave. I have a pretty rough beard and very sensisitve skin, especially on my neck. The pre shave has helped me a lot in minimising iritation :)

Go with the Semogue 620.

Soaps: Get some Chiseled Face! It's seriously great stuff, love Summer Storm. And itching to try Santa Paula.

I also like Proraso Red. and Speick. And a favorite of mine, the matching Speick splash

Not saying this is the best or what you definitely should get but this is what i would get if i were in your situation and was willing to spend $150.

Razor

Brush

Cream

Pre/Post shave

Blade sampler

Alum

Styptic

$144

but i suggest you look around at some sites and see if there is some other stuff you like. westcoastshaving, royalshave, shoeboxshaveshop, bullgooseshaving.net are just a few great sites you can look around.

Gotta say, this changed my entire view on my manscaping. Its worth looking into Magic Shave Cream. I use it once a week and it keeps everything looking good, add a dusting of baby powder and everything is smooth as silk. I should probably go for twice a week to keep any stubble down, but for now I'm happy with once.

Funny thing is my wife doesn't care, she just liked everything to be trimmed. But damn, it's nice to keep it cleaned up.

Hi there, I am also irritated by shaving every day, but I do it because it is professional. Upgrade your shaving routine, and you too can have a nice clean shave every day. I recommend a Braun series 7 razor along with its self cleaning station so it is sterilized every day, along with Proraso sensitive skin shaving cream, and a good shave brush. Wet shaving in the shower takes only a minute or two, and is very refreshing. After my shower I use standard skin bracer and a good moisturizer. If the electric razor is to harsh on your face still, a safety razor takes a few more minutes time, but provides and even less irritating shave.

Speick. Dude, please buy a tube of Speick, It comes in a manly lavender scent. It's amazing. Everyone I've ever sampled it out to has loved it as much as I have. 2.5oz tubes are perfect for travel too. Amazon is $3 higher than everywhere else. Typically it's 6.50.

Edit: But it's German! Sorry. I read the title first and than responded too soon.

This is what I bought to start out. It is a bit of an upfront investment, but I appreciate shaving way more now (and I don't think it takes longer by much like people say).

DE Safety Razor
http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Long-Handled-Safety-Razor/dp/B000NL0T1G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410294107&sr=8-1&keywords=merkur+long+handle

http://www.amazon.com/Tweezerman-2801-h-Mens-Shaving-Brush/dp/B000G647Y8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1410294228&sr=8-4&keywords=badger+brush

http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Eucalyptus-Menthol-Formulation/dp/B00837YY18/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410294249&sr=8-2&keywords=proraso

http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Pre-shave-Cream-Refresh-Ounce/dp/B0082BYLS6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1410294249&sr=8-4&keywords=proraso

http://www.amazon.com/Double-Safety-Razor-Blade-Variety/dp/B0038KA5RC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410294301&sr=8-1&keywords=double+edge+blades+variety

Now I took the plunge head first but you might want to get a smaller number of blades until you know its for you. I recommend an assortment though as the type of blade make a difference, and there's no way to find out what you like but to try it (for 2 weeks at least).

Read up on /r/wicked_edge for tips, or just the amazon reviews have a lot of tips. It does take some skill/concentration but I'm a clumsy idiot and I figured it out after a week or two.

A good double-edge safety razor, blade sampler pack, shaving brush, and shaving soap can free the both of you from expensive cartridge razors and canned goo. It could take you a little bit to learn how to shave the "old fashioned" way, but as someone who recently took the plunge, it's worth it. Gives a much better shave for a fraction of the cost. (Replacement blades are usually $0.07 - $0.30 each)

If you have hard water, you may want to go with a shaving cream instead, or you could get a gallon of distilled water for $1 that will last you through about a month's worth of shaves.

Shameless plug for /r/wicked_edge. There are a lot of resources there to help you transition.

[edit] Here's a cheaper alternate razor - this is what I have. You can get them even cheaper if you want to wait a few weeks.

I really like this product and its cheaper than Nair but is a little bit harder to use. It comes as a powder and you have to mix it with a bit of water. I have found it in almost every store I have ever looked for it in Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens etc. You can find it in the ethnic hair care aisle.

https://www.amazon.com/SoftSheen-Carson-Magic-Conditioning-Shaving-Powder/dp/B0000532Q5?th=1

Heres a really good Youtube video on how to use it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ1Ow91MX9k&t=316s

Edit: As far as safety, Ive never had a reaction to it but if you are worried just test a small patch before you do a large area.

I'm a big fan of Proraso products myself. They are easy to lather, smell great, and last a long time. I've had my most recent tube for over 6 months. They do make a soap for sensitive skin here. It's also available in a tube if you prefer that. You might could try Sephora in the mall as well. Supposedly they sell some decent shave soaps but I've never checked myself. Hopefully that helps you out! :)

I am assuming you want a clean shave? Not the stubble look?

My personal preference for shaving the parts of my face that are unbeareded or for the rare occasions I forget that I look like a man baby without facial hair is a double edged razor and this shaving cream
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Taylor-Old-Bond-Street-Sandalwood/dp/B0007MW2ZW/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1464852677&sr=8-2&keywords=shaving+cream

Pick up a sample pack of blades too too see which ones you prefer, I tend to use feather blades.

This guide might help you with shaving. Personally I tend to skip the across the grain part to save time but that doesn't mean its the best way to do it.

http://www.shaving-shack.com/blog/shaving-against-the-grain-do-or-dont/

I am making the switch too. After reading a lot on here and talking with a buddy who uses a DE this is what I ordered (should be arriving today). Total cost was around $125. If anyone knows anything I should add let me know. (Edit formatting)

Double Edge Safety Razor Blade Variety Pack

Merkur Model 180 Long Handled Safety Razor

Taylor of Old Bond Street St. James Shaving Cream

Nick Relief Styptic Pencil

Colonel Conk Evernice Model 775 Chrome Safety Razor Stand

Tweezerman Men's Shaving Brush

Proraso Pre-shave Cream

You don't have to spend the earth on it, just go for something on Amazon with decent reviews like this or this

I like to use this shaving soap, it is kinda pricy but it lasts me ages and it's actually really nice. You'd also need a brush sorta like this and maybe a small bowl to lather up in like this one. Initial outlay is fairly pricy, probably somewhere between 20-30 quid, but once you have that stuff buying more soap and razors once every blue moon works out dead cheap and will give you a better shave.

I'm really not a fan of normal disposable razors you'll find in a supermarket, I find those multi-razor jobbies just tug more and wear out far too quickly for how much money they cost

Also if you're unsure how to use it there's a bunch of how-to guides on youtube for shaving with a safety razor

Oops! Well all mistakes I've made I've made on my own. This is the razor I ordered: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CP27F5I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Why is the soap not so good? I heard good reviews of it online which is why I ordered it, would you have a different recommendation?

(This is the one I got https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0031OOHB0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

And for posterity's sake, here's the brush. https://smile.amazon.com/Fento-Badger-Shaving-Safety-Straight/dp/B01EUG393E/ref=pd_ybh_a_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=031MRQJWNV2VPPZHHNSF

Thanks for the advice as well! I really appreciate it.

How I shave is detailed below. The most important thing to do is a pre-shave scrub and to 'treat' the skin by putting unscented anti-persperant on the shaved skin, and also not to wear tight clothing for some hours after shaving, although loose cotton underwear should be OK.

Safety razor, good razor blades, soothing shaving cream, shaving brush. See below.

Have a shower. Scrub your crotch with a lemon-sugar scrub to remove all the dead skin and oil.

While you're still in the shower, put a dab of shaving cream on your wet shaving brush and work up a good lather on your crotch. Shave with the grain. Learn to use your razor on your legs before you take it near your clit. This isn't a venus, if you make the wrong movement with this razor you can slice your most sensitive of sensitives wide open.

Watch some tutorial videos. Safety razor shaving isn't difficult and men manage to shave their faces every day using them without incident. Go slow and take your time to learn the techniques.

I've linked some good starting products below. Your mileage may vary.

http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Model-180-Handled-Safety/dp/B000NL0T1G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374443612&sr=8-1&keywords=merkur+safety+razor

http://www.amazon.com/Feather-Hi-Stainless-Platimum-Double-Blades/dp/B0022R947O/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1374443626&sr=1-1&keywords=feather+razor+blades

http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Eucalyptus-Menthol-Formulation/dp/B00837ZOI0/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1374443646&sr=1-1&keywords=proraso

http://www.amazon.com/Escali-100%25-Badger-Shaving-Brush/dp/B003WR3QSG/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1374443659&sr=1-1&keywords=shaving+brush

Taylor of Old Bond Street Jermyn Street lathers really easily and well in a dish. Start out with nearly no water and titrate some in a few drops at a time.

It's expensive, but worth it. You also only need to use about a quarter to half a teaspoon of the cream per shave, so the tub goes really quite far.

I've actually ended up mixing it with other soaps that I enjoy, but don't lather well in my hands. The results have been good.

Linky: http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Old-Bond-Street-Sensitive/dp/B003VZPTAC

Complete bullshit. I’d just like to ask why you have to ask your mom to shave? You’re old enough to buy yourself some razors, dude. On the subject, I’d suggest a good double edge safety razor and some good shaving cream - it’s much better for sensitive, teenage skin and is just cheaper in the long run (the refill razor blades are like 10 cents each).

I currently go full Brazilian wax and have been doing so for 5+ years, but since starting in the LS, I've had to shave more often, which encourages faster growth than when I don't shave between waxing.

I've read the advice for "stripper smooth" shaving, but do you actually shave your delicate bits? I've used a fresh razor each time (I then use it for my legs and armpits, so as not to be wasteful), but I get so nervous with a sharp blade on my labia and near my clit.

I've tried Carson Magic per a friend's recommendation, but my hair must very tough, as it didn't work and I was worried about chemical burns.

Help!

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/01/04/how-to-shave-like-your-grandpa/

I have the Merkur Long Handled Safety Razor mentioned in the article and it's amazing and it's a very reasonable price. For blades I went with these which are about 12.50 for 100 and they are double sided so even if you want a fresh blade each shave that's like half a cent per shave.

Which cream to get is more subjective but I got this with this which works for my needs. All this has lasted me a full year worth of shaving.

I don't know how good the stuff I got is vs other's because I haven't used anything else but it's way better than cartridge shaving.

On mobile but here. Also might be nice to get a razorless razor in the "other people also bought" thing.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000142TKO/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1417296820&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

I shower an hour or 2 before. Then I use an electric if it's super long just to get rid of extra that would stop you from applying to the base of hairs easily. Apply everywhere you want hair gone. Sit on toilet for 15 minutes and get on reddit. Use razorless razor or something that has a thin plastic edge. Wipe the rest with a washcloth. Shower.

This is for you my friend:
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Conditioning-Shaving-Powder-Vitamin/dp/B0000532Q5
Actually you can get it at wal-mart for like next to nothing. You don't have to order it. It was formulated for black mens' beards, which tend to be very thick. It's a depilatory that will give you a nice clean shave (without a razor) and leave no razor bumps or ingrowns. Just don't leave it on too long- it's a bit caustic. I've found it works nicely.

I have a NY State Waxing License & in your case, I do not recommend waxing nor threading. Coarse hair often has large follicles which when they come out will make you bleed. Not a ton, but it's just not worth it. I used to be on a forum called MakeupAlley & at one point everyone was buzzing about (I kid you not) the Magic Cooch Powder. I had to know wtf this was. I think it's the answer you need. It's a product marketed to African American men as an alternative to shaving because due to the fact that their hair can be super curly, many of them suffer horrible ingrown hairs. This powder is like Nair but gentler & meant for the face. You mix it w/ water into a paste then apply. I just looked it up: it's actually called Magic Shave Powder- https://www.amazon.com/SoftSheen-Carson-Magic-Conditioning-Shaving-Powder/dp/B0000532Q5/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Magic+Shaving+Powder+sensitive&qid=1566696603&s=hpc&sr=1-1 It's only $1.99 on Amazon & it's literally made for faces. Back to the name I originally called it, all the women on the forum were using it for their bikini areas, thus the cooch part. It's supposed to be super gentle. Also, FYI, for your laser hair removal, if it's available where you are, check for Groupons for a year of sessions & double check the fine print for how many they say you can do. If not, 6 sessions will still leave you relatively hairless w/ occasional touch ups (I've found that it's STILL cheaper for me to pay the Groupon price for 6 sessions for 1 touch up when they send me coupons or I use Groupon select).

You are much better off doing this. Disposable blades are a colossal, sucky ripoff.

100 blades - Made in Russia - for $9
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QY8QXM

The best soap - Made in England - for $15
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007MW2ZW

Merkur razor - Made in Germany - for $32
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NL0T1G

Badger hair brush - $13
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G647Y8

The best aftershave - Made in Italy - $14
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085UECY2

So, $83 with money to spare and it's all you need for at least 12 months. The Art of Shaving is neat, but it's grossly overpriced. Clearly they have latched on to the hipster instagrammy nature of society with a price tag to match. I have some of their sandlewood soap and while nice, it's no better than the soap I listed.

It's funny how classic shaving is all of a sudden a trendy thing. All I know is I love it. I came from the 3 NO 4 NO 5 NO a BILLION blade world. It's a joke. Just go old school and take your time. Enjoy the ritual. Baby bottom smooth in 7 minutes. Modern disposable cartridges are a sad scam that society has fallen for. Complete and total scam.

May as well toss this in...especially if you travel. Love mine.

Parker leather razor case - $14
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O8NCI4

Thats a full year of supplies and a lifetime worth of hardware (minus the badger brush). Think about that for a minute...

Go new. With vintage you run the risk of having rust on it. I personally use http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002IFFSOS/ref=mp_s_a_1_8_a_it?qid=1457711681&sr=8-8&keywords=safety+razor. Nicely balanced and doesn't break the bank. You're gonna wanna invest in a beaver hair brush. I use http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003WR3QSG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_a_it?qid=1457713208&sr=8-2&keywords=beaver+hair+brush&pi=SY200_QL40 make sure your wash out the brush thoroughly and then you're gonna need a ceramic bowl for lathering. There are tons of YouTube videos on proper lathering techniques and blade strokes. For shaving cream http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0007MW2ZW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_a_it?qid=1457713304&sr=8-2&keywords=shaving+cream&pi=SX200_QL40. And then you're gonna need a holder for your blade and brush for its not good for them to rest on the counter and it helps the brush naturally dry. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B017XXRM84/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_a_it?qid=1457713408&sr=8-3&keywords=brush+and+blade+stand&pi=SY200_QL40. For blades I always recommend http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001QY8QXM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?qid=1457713447&sr=8-1&keywords=astra+blades&pi=SX200_QL40.

Hopes this points you in the right direction.

If you want to try TOBS and you're in the US, I'd recommend amazon to be honest.

This for example: http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Old-Bond-Street-Sensitive/dp/B003VZPTAC/

Cheaper and free shipping.

I use proraso pre-shave cream. It has it's ups and downs. I'll list them for you:

Pros:

• Price: $9 on Amazon here. Most oils are crazy expensive
  
  
• Feeling: Like all proraso products, it has the menthol that will cool your skin with a nice tingly feeling. It results in a super comfortable shave and a good smell.
  
  Cons:
  
• Not oil based: It's a water based product, which means its going to wash off a lot easier than oil will. That makes it impossible to use in the shower.
  
  
• Only one available smell. If you don't like it, you're SOL
  
  
• I dont think it works as well as oil. It softens hair, but not as much as it could. This probably varies per person

Merkur Model 180 Long Handled Safety Razor

Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream Bowl, 5.3-Ounce

Tweezerman Men's Shaving Brush

100 Astra Superior Premium Platinum Double Edge Safety Razor Blades

And some Jojoba Oil

"TOBS Jermyn St. for Sensitive Skin". It provides great slickness, doesn't irritate the skin and it smells phenomenal.

For your skin, I'd also advise against using most balms as their lotions may be comedogenic, which can cause break-outs. I'd suggest using something like Cetaphil or any other non-comedogenic facial moisturizer after your shave.

If you really enjoy using the alcohol-based aftershaves, feel free to do so but just top it off with a non-comedogenic moisturizer.

Well if you wanna just try it for pretty cheap, there is a silver tone de razor that is less than $3 shipped, you could get an arko shave stick for about $4. And there is brushes for $8 or so. Then you could get a blade sampler pack you can design yourself ( pick which blades you want) in a pack of 5,7,10,15. Depending on how many you want and how much you want to spend. There is also proraso shaving cream, both proraso and arko are easy to lather.

Silvertone-
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0050HO9MI

Arko shave stick-
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002A5OLHQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1376581017&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY190

Proraso red-
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0084GVSWG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1376581079&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY190

Proraso green-
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00837ZOI0/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1376581117&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX110_SY190

Cheap brush-
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000G647Y8/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1376581295&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX110_SY190

And for a shaving bowl, you can get a bowl from the dollar store or something if you want. Or something in your house.
Sorry it took so long to respond, I'm on my phone right now.

I use this hair removal cream called "Magic Razorless Cream Shave" and I've been pleased with the results.
Granted, it is not intended to be used there and I am no medical professional, but a lot of the people in the review section admit that this is also what they use it for.
You apply a thick layer on where you want the hair removed and you kinda have to wait it out. I use the "extra strength" kind and I have to leave it on for at least 12 minutes. (Keep in mind the bottle says to me only leave it on for 7. This did not work for me.) after the time is up you take a plastic card (I use a hotel room key) and scrape the cream off. I go against the grain and I press a little hard.
Sometimes I have to go over it again. It should not burn, really. It's more of a fresh feeling. I would reckoned testing a smaller area of your nether regions first. After this I wash the area off. And apply coconut oil.
This stuff is a life saver. It's cheap and can be found at Target or Walmart. I will warn you though, it does smell kind of bad. It's not too bad, and it doesn't leave your public area smelling bad. It's very much worth it.here is the amazon link to show you what it looks like. I recommend you read the reviews.
For me this stuff lasts two to three days, where as regular shaving only lasts one day.

then legitimately, just snag a safety razor, 20 dollar steel one, and a 10 dollar 100 blade pack.

bam, you've got shaving supplies for a year.


Get soap later if you care, it's just another way to save money. A thing of soap lasts years. You just lather it up with a brush.

You might consider switching to a safety razor. Cartridge razors don't work well with very thick hair.

Here is a pretty good place to start. Razor, brush, scuttle, cream

I personally use Feather blades, but you might consider a variety pack because blade preferences vary person to person.

It costs a bit of money up front, but your blades will only cost 25-35 cents afterwards, so if you are used to using a Mach 3, it will pay for itself in a couple years and will save you hundreds or thousands of dollars over a lifetime.

Use this stuff! Works like a charm if you can stand the smell. Also have to mix the powder into a paste, which takes forever. You like smooth? You'll be smooth! I've shaved my crotch before, and it's fine for 10 hours, then the nightmare stubble comes in. With a depilatory, you don't have any rough edges.

I also love and use Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream Bowl, Merkur Long Handled Safety Razor,and the Carbon Steel Straight Razor 6/8" w/ Box

I use this stuff instead of waxing... it's amazing: Magic Razorless Cream Shave Regular Strength Light Fresh Scent 6oz Tube https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000142TKO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gkqyzbAPSB7WX

Everyone is touting safety razors for a reason. Here is what you want...

Pick up a Merkur Classic safety razor.
https://www.amazon.com/MERKUR-Classic-MK-34C-2-Piece-Double/dp/B002A8JO1Q/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=merkur&qid=1565340143&s=gateway&sr=8-4&th=1

Then buy some Feather refill blades (they are the sharpest I have found without dragging)
https://www.amazon.com/Feather-Double-Blades-30-Ct/dp/B002OCANQI/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3F44F5VGGF2N1&keywords=feather+razor+blades&qid=1565340348&s=gateway&sprefix=feather+%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-7

Get a nice silver tip badger shaving brush
https://www.amazon.com/Parker-Safety-Razor-Silvertip-Bristle/dp/B00LEU3PJS/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=badger+shaving+brush&qid=1565340426&s=gateway&sr=8-4

A decent quality razor and brush stand
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0725X6TNH/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B0725X6TNH&pd_rd_w=vS9lk&pf_rd_p=8dbd62ec-d8d3-48e5-b85d-16f701719d81&pd_rd_wg=MJlWF&pf_rd_r=AWB84ARTRPN3QVS12KKD&pd_rd_r=e316a787-1b5c-4984-8255-71ebf10c06f0&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyT0pTWlZPSTkwRTk1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODY4ODA2Mzk3VjNBV1hDUUhIWCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTk1NTY5U0xYWkpYODJXTE41JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

A good shaving cup to get a nice lather
https://www.amazon.com/VIKINGS-Chairman-Shaving-Stainless-Standard/dp/B07GF6ZKTP/ref=pd_bxgy_194_3/143-9531827-5381065?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B072PRBWXR&pd_rd_r=4c94e9c8-bddd-4e03-bdd9-5bfe1d171d33&pd_rd_w=WFwmN&pd_rd_wg=yvSPW&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=YR6K9GZT62D1RRN31AB3&refRID=YR6K9GZT62D1RRN31AB3&th=1

Then grab some Tabac or Taylor of Old Bond Street shaving pucks. (I prefer Tabac since it reminds me of my father and grandfather. Traditions die hard I guess)
https://www.amazon.com/Tabac-Original-Maurer-Shaving-Ounces/dp/B000GHYXG4/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=tabac&qid=1565340634&s=beauty&sr=1-2

Taylor of Old Bond Street
https://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Old-Bond-Street-Sandalwood/dp/B0007MW2ZW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=OHNKVBMKBAAT&keywords=taylor+of+old+bond+street+shaving+cream&qid=1565340657&s=beauty&sprefix=taylor+of+old%2Cbeauty%2C191&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&smid=AMAE8K0LRQPCN&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUzlaRTNXNjZUS1c4JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDY4ODE3MU00RVdWVzg1UlFPWiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjA4ODg2NEE1UFZJQ1pTMllXJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

I shave my boyfriend's head when the opportunity arises, and I've also gotten into wet shaving. There's a really great, if long, video about wet shaving one's head with a DE razor here. He recommends using a shaving cream product and instead of lathering with brush and bowl, just mixing it with water and making a slick and thick slurry on the head. I've been following that advice and have been using this, since I had it for my own use. It has worked beautifully and my boyfriend loves how it feels. It gets a little drippy if you don't get the water content just right, but if he's doing it in the shower it shouldn't matter anyway. It comes in manlier scents, too.

You can make your own shave oil pretty easy. I take Vitamin E caps and empty them out into a bottle of olive oil. Some people cut their olive oil with castor oil to varying proportions. Tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil are two popular choices too.

I've been using Taylor of Old Bond Street sandal wood shaving cream for the last few months. There's a lot of it, and I only need to brush a little bit on for a full shave, so it will last me. The container is its own shaving bowl, and it's premade mix so you can pop the lid off and go for it. It smells nice.

For after shave, I do a half and half mix of witch hazel and aloe vera gel. If he has oily skin, do 3/4ths witch hazel to a 1/4th aloe vera gel. You can let aromatics steep in the witch hazel if you'd like to add a scent to it. Pick something good though, because it will last a long time.

Wow, that's one loaded response :)
What do you think of this soap? I haven't checked the ingredients, it's highest rated soap on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Old-Bond-Street-Sandalwood/dp/B0007MW2ZW/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1422463907&sr=1-1

Magic Shave

Trust me.

Test a patch of on your inner thigh first to make sure it doesn't irritate your skin.

I normally clean things up a bit with a trimmer and then mix equal parts Magic Shave with water in a small Tupperware container. Then I slather it all over my shaft/ balls/ taint/ all the way up my butt crack. Let it sit for 4 1/2 minutes and then jump in the shower with a wash cloth. The hairs will wipe right off.

Viola. Smooth as silk.

You also want to get some actual shaving cream, a brush, and a mug to mix it in. There are a multitude of brushes. I have a mid-grade badger brush. Maybe 20 bucks. This tube of proraso is pretty good, and lasted me about one year. I shave every other to every third day. You can use any old mug, but I prefer the ones that are wider at the top than the bottom. You can find a shave mug for $10.

As with everything, you can find much more expensive items.

With shaving cream, you can also use the soap pucks, though I don't really care for them. I really like this shaving cream though, as I have dry skin and it doesn't dry out my skin like the canned stuff does. A decent aftershave is also nice, and you can find them cheap and they go a long way. A block of alum is cheap and helps with big nicks, but I would personally skip it.

I spent about $150 total on my startup. If you're an every day shaver, you may break even in about a year. For me, I won't break even for a year and a half to two years. But seriously, you would already have the expensive stuff. The consumables are really damn cheap.

OP, I made you a list. I am a reformed shaver (head and face). I miss shaving with this stuff, but I love my beard more.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LYAQ9E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001KBP9E/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0022R947O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00158S4S6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002V40IS2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VZPTAC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Look into using a safety razor. It's a little old-fashioned, but...

• You buy a $30 razor that you never need to replace - Link
  
• Blades cost about $0.17/week - Link
  
• Shaving cream lasts you at least 6 months - Link
  
• You need to apply using a shaving brush, but they're cheap, too - Link
  
  All in all, you spend most of your money up front, and then you're looking at about $3.20 or less per month for an amazing shave, depending on how little cream you use.

Yes! I absolutely love Proraso Shaving Cream. I used it for a while. I recently switched to Mitchell's Wool Fat for a soap.

I started out with Art of Shaving stuff as well. Quickly realized that they're a rip off price wise, even if the guys in there seem to know their stuff. I use Amazon for most of my supplies. As for your request a lot of people seem to like what Dubaya mentioned, in addition to Proraso
Edit: Formatting.

If you use a cream, don't forget to do a spot test to make sure you are not allergic to it or have some sort of other bad reaction. Other than that, follow the instructions, but if you start to feel burning, then it has been on your skin too lon.

My favorite hair removal cream is Magic Shave Cream. I have used it on literally every inch of my body below the neck safely. Pro tip: don't put it on your areola.

They are great! I have a sampler on the way. Amazon screwed my order so I had to re-order; only got the razor so far but should get the blades in today. I am also expecting this cream , this brush, and this nick relief. I am moving to another country so I wanted to have a complete set lasts me for a while.

I am looking forward to getting better at this whole thing!

Well I chose a cream because I read that the soaps take longer to lather/prepare, and I really don't want to spend several minutes prepping soap/cream. I would want it to take at most 2 minutes, like regular shaving does.

I actually switched the Proraso cream for one that another user here recommended, Speick Shave Cream.

Is this the brush you recommended?

Anything stirling soap sells is a bargain. Currently I'm using Electric Sheep, and I really like it. Also TOB is a popular option. If you have a bit more money to throw at it, dapper dragon, How to Grow a Moustache, and LA Shave are excellent starts to an artisan shave as well.

For an inexpensive aftershave, I'd recommend [anything by Fine] (http://www.maggardrazors.com/product-tag/fine-accoutrements/), but they are currently out of stock, so you could give Folsom a try as I hear that is has very similar performance.

Hm, I'm thinking that it might be because you're using a liquid foundation that goes on thick so that it can't get into your pores easily (but don't quote me on that), have you ever tried a compact or a liquid/powder (it's noth, not liquid OR powder)?

This doesn't really have to do with makeup, but another thing that I'd suggest is that if you're using something like this that you stop. Immediately. Can shaving foams tend to be bad for your skin due to the amount of irritants in them and the fact that they can be really hard to wash off completely (if you're not doing that either, you should definitely start). I'd recommend something like this or something that comes in a jar format. If you really want to get into shaving head on over to /r/wicked_edge, they're really good with all that stuff.

You may like Taylor of Old Bond St. I have the Lavender scent and it's great.

1. I'm proud of my clean shaven face. I'd brag about my shave. Heck I was bragging about my shave all last night and this morning on Skype RAOA.
   
   myself
   
   Sandalwood shaving cream It'll be sub 10 on amazon marketplace.

Here you go. I ordered some yesterday and it showed up today. This stuff is incredible.

http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Old-Bond-Street-Sandalwood/dp/B0007MW2ZW

I was using Proraso Red before it and there's simply no comparison. You will get a fantastic shave with this cream, and it smells amazing!

Does your bathroom have adequate lighting for shaving? Can you see what your are doing? Do you drink water? Would you say you are hydrated?

If so, get these supplies from whichever supplier you prefer. You don't need to get them from Amazon, they just tend to have the most product information. You also don't need them all at once, money doesn't grow on trees, but the list below probably costs less than 3 months of Mach 3 blades and it will last you a year or more. You need the first 3 links first. The others are helpful, but you will be able to asses your needs as you go.

http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Long-Handled-Safety-Razor/dp/B000NL0T1G

http://www.amazon.com/Personna-Double-Razor-Blades-Count/dp/B0077LAJT2/ref=pd_sim_hpc_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=08JRYPA1QWJZSDZ4XGS7

http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Eucalyptus-Menthol-Formulation/dp/B00837ZOI0/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1412213585&sr=1-2&keywords=shave+cream

http://www.amazon.com/SimplyBeautiful-Deluxe-Razor-Brush-Chrome/dp/B00BFCV5JM/ref=pd_sim_hpc_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=08JRYPA1QWJZSDZ4XGS7

http://www.amazon.com/Parker-Safety-Razor-Bristle-Shaving/dp/B002RJC1HC/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1412213550&sr=1-1&keywords=badger+brush

I really enjoy the proraso pre-shave and the product lasts a long time, is easy to apply. I recall Whole Foods having a very affordable (I know, whole foods+affordable? go figure) shaving oil, but forgot the name. I think the WF was like $6.

Some support groups are better than others. Some users in those support groups are better than others. I have had encountered a few useless Redditors, too.

Have you seen that Magic shaving powder? It's actually a depilatory, but it's not as irritating as Nair and Veet. You have to mix the powder formula with water, and it can be tricky to get the amounts just right. But it works. There is also a cream formula that may be worth a try.

I know I've said it before on this sub, but I'll say it again: Magic Shave. It's a frigging miracle, and far better than any other depilatory I've tried. It works on the arms, legs, face, and even the crotch (although I'd be careful the first time). No more shaving, no more tweezing, just smooth as silk.

Magic Razorless Cream Shave Regular Strength Light Fresh Scent 6oz Tube https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000142TKO/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_WM36wbX21C5S0
Doesn't have to be from Amazon. Your local grocery store or pharmacy should carry it in the men's shaving section.

https://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Old-Bond-Street-Sensitive/dp/B003VZPTAC

That is the one I got and it works and smells great. Also check out /r/shaving


https://www.amazon.com/Escali-100-Badger-Shaving-Brush/dp/B003WR3QSG/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1487946562&sr=1-1&keywords=badger+hair+brush


That's the brush as well if he needed one. Just a little nickle sized dab will be enough lather if you lather the brush and the cream in a bowl for three passes.

Magic Shave cream and a scraper is what I use to remove hair. It doesn't burn or irritate my skin and because it is made for facial hair it hasn't bothered my boi-pussy. It leaves my hole and taint area totally hairless and smooth.

I have also done some anal bleaching which has lightened my hole and I think made it a lot cuter.

Anal Bleach Creams I have used:

Amaira

Bleach my Butt

Nadinola

I recently visited Merz Apothecary while in Chicago and picked up, among other items, Tabac Original and Proraso Vitamin E and Aloe. I like each quite well thus far, especially the Tabac--I can see why so many swear by it.

This is all great stuff to try if you haven't already.

Geo F Trumper Coconut shave cream

Geo F Trumper Coral skin food

D.R. Harris lavender shave stick

Arko Shave Stick

Speick Shave Stick

Musgo Real Soap on a Rope

Shaving powder! I saw it in /r/skincareaddiction a few weeks back, and seeing that I always suffer from razor burns and ingrown hairs, and hair removal creams never worked, I decided to give it a go. You mix it with some water, apply to hairy skin, leave for 8 min and rub off with a damp towel, then rinse.

IT'S AMAZING. IT'S LIKE I NEVER HAD PUBES TO BEGIN WITH. It's really cheap too! And it works even better than the olive oil - witch hazel - deodorant stick method that I see here so often.

So I ordered all the stuff you recommended, except for these different things:

Cream


Razor


Bowl


Again, thank you so much for your help in ordering these

sample pack of what exactly? creams? you are better of buying a single cream. If I were starting again, I would go with this one. Or you can get samples from stirling soaps as well.

Do you have a brush? I would say get maggard(ebay or maggard razors website) synthetic or fendrihan (amazon) synthetic to begin with. get a blade sampler from tryablade.com.