Reddit mentions: The best shaving products

God I hope someone appreciates what I'm about to write.. which is from a combination of sources and personal knowledge. Honestly, shaving your significant other can be a really interesting and personal experience. I applaud you for reaching out to the community, even if it was using a throwaway account. This is a somewhat time consuming and laborious process, but it can be enjoyable if properly planned out in advance and approached as a pampering activity.

Ideally you'll want: a bathtub, scissors, 2 soft towels (small), a bowl of warm water, a loofah, a small dish with baking powder, new tweezers, a new female razor with 3-5 blades and 2 lotion strips on the top and bottom, Bikini Zone gel, Bikini Zone aftershave, baby powder, and a CD of Kenny G (kidding. but some music and a candle can't hurt). In total, you'll probably spend $20 - $30 as a first time cost (hey, it's your wife who you love doing something for you because you love it. come on).

Use a pair of scissors to trim the hair to a more manageable level, preferably down to 1/4 inch, by grabbing patches of the hair and simply cutting. Don't go native on me and start yanking at everything, be gentle. You want to do this before the bath, ideally, since afterwards it might be too soft to cut easily.

Have her take a nice warm bath for at least 15 minutes (or shower if need be, but I think bath is preferred to help her relax and enjoy the experience more). While in the bath, have her use a loofah to exfoliate the skin in the area (being careful to not use any abrasive soaps or getting anything inside of her). This removes dead skin letting the razor do it's job better while also aligning the hairs in the same direction to help you when you're shaving her. Ask her to use Dove or something soft and nonirritating (you don't want to stress the skin before you've even brought the razor into the picture).

The other comments recommending oil/nair/veet are on the right track, but if you want the absolute best product on the market for this.. it's called Bikini Zone. Tend Skin is a reasonably close second. They also have an after shave. You will want an aftershave that acts as a moisturizer; again, I recommend this brand. Let me re-emphasize: you will want the gel and the aftershave. These two products directly addresses her concerns about ingrown hairs and rashing.

You want a NEW razor with multiple blades and a soft lubricant strip on both top and bottom (the more blades the better), a bowl with warm water (warm, not hot), and a soft towel on hand.

Have her dry off as she usually does but have her lie down on your bed (facing up) with a towel under her and one on her head. Pamper her with some soft music and a scented candle too, I mean you're going to have your head and hands buried between her legs.. might as well make an evening out of it.

Wet the towel in the water and apply it to the area with hair to help get it wet and to soften it again.

Follow the directions on the packaging for the lotion/gel and apply it first, then briefly have the razor in the water to help it get wet/warm. Why use a razor with many blades? More surface area decreases the pressure per blade, making it hopefully less likely that any soft skin gets cut.

Place one hand on her pubic mound to help even out her hair (like tugging on your cheek when you shave, just a lot more gentle). Shave with long, slow strokes in the direction of the hair. I'd suggest working outside in so as to gain comfort and courage with the process. Avoid strong downward pressure on the skin, let the blades do the work for you. Rinse the blade with every stroke in the bowl of water.

If you have to get "close" to anything delicate for whatever reason, just be sure to use a bit more lotion/oil and don't lather it so that you can't see the skin below.

When getting the hinge where the thigh meets the pubic area, have her open her legs and bend her knees to help. Shave from the knee to the groin in long, smooth strokes, ensuring that her skin is taut.

Gently pat her off with the soft, dry towel you haven't used yet. You'll want to exfoliate her a second time (gets rid of more dead skin, aligns the hairs so as to prevent ingrown hairs, and it'll allow the aftershave to penetrate her skin better meaning it'll feel softer). You can make a paste out of baking soda and warm water to exfoliate using the soft and warm towel to help you (try not to use the loofah again, the fibers might irritate the skin). Don't work it for more than a minute.

Pat the bikini area off with the soft, dry towel again. If you see any stray hairs, now is the best time to get them. Use a new pair of tweezers (preferably a decent pair with an accurate tip) and take them out while the skin is still soft.

Use the aftershave on the area, again following instructions. Avoid anything with perfumes and colors. If you didn't take my advice earlier and skipped the Bikini Zone aftershave, you can lightly use some aloe vera (the real stuff).

Give it a minute or two to sit uninterrupted on the skin. Now, you'll want to give a very light dusting of baby powder on the area (too much will not let the skin breathe, leading to pimples), lightly spread it over the skin to help reduce the chance of any rashes. Don't use Gold Bond or anything, baby powder is the best for this. Avoid letting any powder into the vagina!

... ta da! You're done for today! It might take a little getting used to, convince her to try it for at least a week to give it a shot (this means you'll have to shave again in 3 days or so) If she wears anything lacy, it may take some time getting used to the stubble catching the fibers. Have her stick to cotton for her first day; after that, she should be fine (rashes/pimples generally only happen the first time or any time an old razor is used).

Feel free to mess around as well, she shouldn't be sore and you two will probably be worked up after spending so much time down unda'h. Be sure to compliment her on how it looks/feels etc, and address it the following day and day after that so she knows you appreciate it.

Indians, along with people of Mediterranean, African & Middle eastern descent have extraordinarily tough beards. Cartridge razors designed in countries with populations which shave daily & have lighter facial growth are not always adequate for those of heavier growth. In addition, Indians often have oily skin. Indians can therefore be very prone to pseudofolliculitis barbae, & multiblade razors can do damage to the skin of those with this condition.

It is therefore advisable for Indians to use a single blade razor & pay greater attention to pre-shave prep. Always have a shower or bath before your shave & soap up the area to be shaved. You may have noticed that barbers often use a hot wet towel on their clients to soften it before shaving.

Unfortunately, there are no decent DE starter sets available in India. Sets like that of Bombay Shave Co, & others rely on rebranded imported razors & there does seem to be greater importance placed on their looks than on their performance. These sets are best avoided. Starter sets can be imported, but the combination of our import duties, transportation costs etc can make them quite expensive. They are also not necessary, as it is possible to get decent equipment at a reasonable cost if bought separately. But if you do wish to, Shave Lounge UK & Maggards have good starter sets.

As far as individually available equipment is concerned, it can be broken down into shaving products like creams & soaps, shaving brushes, razors and their blades or cartridges, & aftershave treatments.

• Shaving products. There is absolutely no need to import anything here. India is a shaving cream powerhouse, & makes some of the best shaving creams available as far as performance goes. There are some Indian shaving creams which could improve a little on scent, but since the scent is washed off along with the lather, I do not consider it of great concern. https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/indian-shaving-creams-reviews.408456/Two of the best known Indian brands for shaving products are Godrej & Dettol, but there is such a wide variety available that almost all creams perform extremely well. There are not too many Indian made soaps. Godrej soap is available in most parts of the country. It is very cheap & is made of pure potassium lye, so it is capable of performing in the hardest of water, & breaking down the oil layer on the oiliest of skin,but will not have great protection in soft water. It makes an excellent superlather soap base, though. T&H, Trigodon, & the weirdly named Pink Woolf etc also sell soaps. I personally found that T&H soap has a somewhat average performance. Their creams are said to have stellar performance & scent, & T&H now has shops in most Indian cities. Trigodon & Pink Woolf soaps have good reputations. I have tried some imported products, but have been more often disappointed than not as far as the overall performance is concerned, though their scent is great.
  
• Shaving brushes. Some of the companies that sell starter sets & soaps also sell brushes. Parker, Pearl, Trigodon, Pink Woolf etc all have brushes available. I feel that they provide an average product as compared to their price , because genuine imported Omega boar brushes are available on Flipkart at a very reasonable cost. For some reason, Amazon India is overpriced for the very same brushes. https://www.flipkart.com/search?q=omega+brush&sort=relevanceOne Indian brush manufacturer has good brushes (Bilabrush) but their website sells their brushes at prices greater than genuine Omegas. Their Gio brush is sometimes available around ₹ 200 in Mumbai shops & is very good at that price.
  
• Razors. If you do wish to import shaving equipment, import razors. There are almost no decent manufacturers of DE razors in India. The best manufacturer is Parker, who exports razors in quantity, but most DE shavers who have bought a Parker razor in India have had to replace it due to quality issues. I have read of Indians who have had to replace theirs several times due to issues like unequal blade exposure, faulty construction, misalignment etc. It has been alleged that Indian manufacturers reserve their best products for export while sloughing off their rejects to locals. On the other hand, I've chatted on B&B with one Indian who has had no issues with his Variant. In general, though, Indian made razors are rather aggressive & not suitable for beginners. If you wish to buy locally, though, it is sometimes possible to source imported razors in imported goods shops or customs notified shops. I can personally recommend the Japanese Feather Popular TTO as being great for newbie & expert alike. It's also available on Flipkart/Amazon/Shopclues for about ₹ 900 onwards. https://www.amazon.in/Feather-Double-Razor-Popular-Blades/dp/B00VEICPZUSome Chinese Rimei, Baili & Weishi razors are also available. It is possible to get Yaqi's double open comb Mellon head from Aliexpress & mate it to an Indian razor handle.
  
• Blades. There are excellent DE blades available in the country, with considerable variety. There is absolutely no real need to import. If you use a cartridge razor, almost all cartridges are also available.
  
• Aftershave treatments: - Alum is easily available in pharmacists at almost throwaway rates. Witch hazel is not easily available, but I do not feel the lack. A wide variety of local & international aftershave splashes are available, as are balms, but these are not necessarily the same brands discussed on international shaving forums.
  
  ​
  
  ​
  
  Here is a shaving set under 2K.
  
  ​
  
  I strongly recommend buying the brush, shaving cream, alum & aftershave first. Start using them with your current razor. Get your new safety razor & blades later, once you have learned to build a good lather on your face with brush & shaving cream, & have started using the alum & aftershave regularly .
  
  If you have children in the house, be sure to keep blades & razor away from them.
  
  A) Feather Popular razor - Amazon ₹ 920
  
  https://www.amazon.in/Feather-Brand-Double-Shaving-Razor/dp/B003YJ70NY/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=Feather+Brand&qid=1555049493&s=gateway&sr=8-6
  
  B) Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum razor blades at your Local pharmacy ₹ 55/-
  
  Omega 10218 or other at Flipkart ₹ 400/-
  
  C) Godrej/Dettol shaving cream - Local pharmacy about ₹80/-
  
  D) Alum block Local pharmacy ₹20/-
  
  E) Nivea aftershave or balm at your Local pharmacy ₹250/-
  
  Total -₹1725/-
  
  Please note that you could very easily spend much more. And, as time goes by, & you add more products, razors & other stuff, you'll wonder how that original outlay more than quadrupled...
  
  Technique: - the first part is the most difficult - Keep your new DE razor aside while you learn to use the rest of your equipment.
  
  Start by learning the hair growth pattern of your face - the direction of the grain. Print this out.
  
  https://imgur.com/EPymE
  
  ​
  
  Draw the main direction of growth in each section & stick it near your mirror.
  
  Once you've done that, start breaking in your new brush. Wash it a few times with liquid hand soap. Use it with your shaving cream to lather up. Continue using your current razor during this time.
  
  After a week or so, the lather produced will be better than that you got from your can of foam/gel. This is the time to break out your new DE.
  
  Watch the videos to learn how to shave.
  
  http://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/wiki/videos/
  
  Initially, shave one WTG pass, & do your XTG pass with your current cartridge razor. As time goes by & your technique improves, you can increase the DE passes & reduce the M3 passes.

Greetings!

If you are fortunate enough to have a significant other who indulges you in your enjoyment of wet shaving, you may be greeted on cake day with an upgrade or two. I was fortunate enough to be the receiver of a new Dovo Silver Steel SE razor and strop set from Straight Razor Designs. I'm only 3 shaves into the SE routine, and it's definitely taking some getting used to.

Anyhow, here's my current gear going clockwise, starting at the top left:

• I lied. Let's start with the shelf. It's an Ikea Sävern
  
  
• Arko Shave Stick - Smells a bit like Ivory soap with a hint of citronella. The rich lather this thing creates after you wipe it around your face is astonishing.
  
  
• Desert Essence Jojoba Oil - A few drops as a pre-shave between washing my face and applying the lather seems to soften up the rough stubble.
  
  
• Custom brush from Redditor AceByTerror. I can't say enough good things about this guy. I was initially interested in a brush from WhippedDog, but I couldn't find a handle to get me to make the jump. I stumbled across Ace's listing of brush handles for sale and was blown away by his craftsmanship. I contacted him and let him know I was having a hard time choosing between two of his amazing pieces, and settled on one. He had good things to say about knots from The Golden Nib, so I trusted his judgment and he glued the knot in, let it set, and shipped it shortly after. What I didn't anticipate was that he threw in the other handle I was interested in... YES, HE GAVE ME THE OTHER HANDLE, as a token of appreciation for being his first Reddit customer!!! I may as well die now because I don't expect that I'll ever have an experience with another vendor that will come close to being this unexpectedly awesome. Oh, and the brush... It's beautiful and functions as well as its form, as it whipped up a frothy lather that was a joy to shave with when I broke it in today. If you're interested in a custom brush handle, definitely check out his wares.
  
  
• Copper shaving cup from The Best Shave - This thing seemed like a bargain at $5.60; however, it's lightweight and pretty thin, and does feel cheaper than it looks. The Best Shave is located in Turkey, so if you order from them and you happen to live in the US, expect your package to sit in customs for 3-4 weeks. I ordered a few blades, Arko, and an alum block from them along with this bowl. They shipped my order quickly, but US customs sat on it for a long time.
  
  
• Edwin Jagger De89lbl DE ordered from Amazon. Actually, the threads on the first one I had broke, and EJ sent me a free replacement along with some samples. Amazing customer service! The razor consistently delivers a smooth, irritation-free shave. My current blades of choice are the Astra Superior Platinums in the green box. These are a steal at $.10 a blade, and I've been getting 4 shaves out of them.
  
  
• Dovo Silver Steel from Straight Razor Designs - Beautiful. I wasn't ready to have something this nice. I've given myself a few nicks, but I'm only 3 days in, so I guess it's to be expected. I'm alternating between this and the DE as my skin adjusts.
  
  Bottom shelf from right to left.
  
  
• Hair product and brush... next.
  
  
• bareVitamins skin rev-er upper - Ok, so it's marketed to the lady types. Laugh all you want, but my skin seems to agree with this stuff. It's a lightweight moisturizer with vitamins for healthy, even skin and acids to exfoliate. I use a pump of this stuff after applying aftershave.
  
  
• Royall Bay Rhum - An aftershave that is very heavy on the cloves. Provides a nice warm tingle like a heat lamp hovering around my face all morning. The smell starts a bit strong, but dissipates quickly.
  
  
• Repurposed antique witch hazel bottle with the original label. I dumped out the contents that must've been several decades old, and filled it with Thayers Witch Hazel.
  
  
• Ashtray filled with alum rocks from an Asian market. I got a whole bag of these things for a couple bucks. They seem to do the job!
  
  
• Bonus handle from AceByTerror. I'll probably buy a badger knot from WhippedDog to use in this handle. Speaking of, Ace's generosity inspired me, so I've been mulling over ways to return the favor to /r/wicked_edge. I'll post a follow up when the time comes.

Magic Fragrant Shaving Powder

Review on this product had great insight on how to use it...


That's not to say it doesn't work at all. Just that it doesn't work nearly as well on coarse hairs that it does on fine hairs. In other words, if you're wanting this for your back, legs, arms...you'll be largely amazed at how well it takes off hair. You're unlikely to be impressed with groin, face, etc. where the hairs may be more coarse.


For my case, I bought it for my face. There, it took three treatments before I saw even the slightest hint of smooth, hairless skin. Even then, it still left stubble on the neck and under my jaw. Comparing this with a safety razor where I could get these hairs quite easily, this was a bit depressing. What it did do a good job of was minimizing razor bumps and ingrown hairs.

A lot has been made of the mixing strategy. Yes, it's pain. But that's because the instructions are faulty. If you mix the way it tells you on the can, not only will you be stirring forever, you'll end up with a very slimy, very inefficient solution that will make you think you got scammed. I'm going to help you.

You need:

• A mixing cup. You can use any cup, or you can get official and get something like Edwin Jagger Porcelain Shaving Soap Bowl With Handle, Black
  
  
• A spoon. Or something else to stir with. I prefer a spoon but it's up to you.
  
  
• A shaving brush. You can use your hand, but I strongly recommend against it. Just get a shaving brush. Like Escali 100% Pure Badger Shaving Brush
  
  
• A large towel - you'll use both ends. Or if you're not into messing towels up, consider something like Kleenex Hand Towels Everyday, 60 Count where you can throw them away when done.
  
  
• A preshave balm or lotion, or oil. You want something that is NOT alcohol based. Something like John Allan's Slick Water Lotion, 2 Ounce
  
  
• Something to tame the skin afterwards. Something like Proraso Aftershave Lotion, Refresh, 100 ml
  
  Mind you, the above are just recommendations. Choose whatever products you want, just make sure they are comparable to the above. Or don't use them, but be prepared to be frustrated with your results.
  
  First, to give you a sense of scale and scope. A heaping teaspoon is enough for a grown man's entire face. If you're doing legs, arms, chest, etc, bump it up to two teaspoons. This is just to have enough when you're done mixing. Next, your water ratio should be just enough to end up with a consistency between pancake mix and cake batter; not runny, but not overly thick. You'll know it when you see it. Imagine perfectly made oatmeal "stick to the ribs" style. That's what you want. So if you have a heaping teaspoon of powder, put maybe a barely full teaspoon of cool water in. Then stir slowly using the spoon (or whatever). It will look like it's not mixing; it is. It just takes a while.
  
  Here's the hint: you'll know when you're almost done because you'll get hit in the face with a smell that I can't describe, but you'll know it for what it is. If you've ever used NAIR, or any similar depilatory, it's the exact same smell. Once that smell hits you, you'll notice the mixture getting thicker and it'll all make sense (finally). Usually takes me about 2 minutes end-to-end. If you end up with a consistency that seems watery, use a flat edge (i.e. a knife or something) and add a bit more powder, then continue to stir. Conversely if it feels way too thick (like paste), add a half teaspoon of water and continue stirring. After you do it once, you'll get the hang of it.
  
  Second, DO NOT do this after a shower or after washing your skin. It should probably be the first thing you do after getting up on the days you do it (which is every other day, NOT once a day). Why? You want your skin to be oily, to have some coating to protect it, in addition to the preshave. This is how you can get the best result without burning sensation. So don't wait until after showering to do this.
  
  Now, prep your location. By prep, I mean use the preshave, something that is designed to protect your skin from burn and irritation. DO not use regular lotion, it won't do anything.
  
  Now, it's important to note that this, when mixed, is essentially a plaster. It will go on wet and then dry, just like a cast. That's okay. But be prepared for it to "flake" everywhere. Try not to move too much. You don't want to make a mess.
  
  Apply using the shave brush as if you were applying shaving cream or foam. But go in strokes against the grain. The goal is to lift the follicles and help the mixture do its thing. Make sure you get good coverage. You'll notice that the bottom of the mixture looks dry; that's okay. It'll still apply like a plaster. But feel free to drip a bit of water in there if you're not sure.
  
  You'll need to wait between 7 and 10 minutes (depending on skin sensitivity) for the mix to work. During this time, clean out your mug and shave brush. The mixture should rinse rather cleanly in cold water, but the brush will take some hands-on help (it's safe). Depending on how long it stays on you may or may not feel a tingle. That's a good sign. It should not burn.
  
  After the time has passed, this is where people get confused. You can use a dull pseudo razor (like Pseudo Shaver), if you want, but I found much better results just using a warm, damp towel. You can warm up the water while waiting for the mixture to dry, and if you use the disposables, have one that is your warm water towel and one that is your dry towel. Or you can use a single towel that serves both functions. Wipe the mixture off in firm, slow strokes against the grain. Then clean the towel off and go back over the area vigorously to get the remainder. Dry off with the other towel. Finish up with the aftershave.
  
  If you did everything I noted above, you should see amazing results, with certain exceptions (I could never get the mixture to work at all above my mustache, it did 97% of the job in the groin area, and 99% of the work under my jaw). Figure 15 minutes total time to do. But again, you only need to do this once every other day minimum. My arms have been smooth for three days.

For acne, I recommend:

a. Whole Foods 365 glycerin soap with vitamin E (that's one of the glycerin soaps they offer), $2/bar, as a pre-shave beard wash. Wash beard at the sink using your hands, then rinse partially with a splash and apply lather.

b. Rinse razor head in high-proof rubbing alcohol before and after each shave.

c. After the final rinse ending the shave, glide a dry alum block over your wet skin, then set block aside and clean up around the sink, put stuff away, etc., with the alum on your beard. After a minute or two, rinse the alum off, dry, and do your usual aftershave. This step is particularly helpful: alum is a mild antiseptic.

d. Use a fresh towel for every shave. You can buy thin, 100% cotton, lint-free towels called "barber towels" or "bar towels" for under $20/dozen. They're easy to launder and a fresh one for each shave helps a lot. Here's an example. A wet towel is a microbe incubator.

e. Buy a bunch of pillowcases from a hotel supply house and use a fresh pillowcase every night.

These are some basic tactics. I have a whole section on acne in my introductory guide to DE shaving---look at the reader reviews to decide whether it would be helpful for you.

Avoid shaving against the grain in areas in which you get ingrowns, though you can shave XTG in both directions for smoothness.

Look at this sub-$50 beginner kit for some ideas. A good start up:

Razor: either the Sodial razor ($2.30 including shipping) or one of the Maggard Razors ($16) or one of the Edwin Jagger DE8x series---the DE86bl (faux-ebony handle) is about $30; prices vary by handle, the heads are all the same. In general, quality increases as price increases, but the Sodial is a good razor and I continue using mine.

For a pre-shave soap, I recommend a high-glycerin soap: wash your beard at the sink, using your hands, rinse partially with a splash, and then apply lather. Here are some good ones: Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil soap (MR GLO), $6.50/bar, or Whole Foods 365 brand glycerin soap, $2/bar, or Dr. Bronner's liquid or bar soap, or Clearly Natural glycerin soap.

Jlocke98 came up with the idea of adding 2 tsp of lanolin oil (liquid) to 1/4 c Dr. Bronner's liquid soap and using some of that as a pre-shave beard wash. It works quite well.

Try samples of shaving creams and shaving soaps: Garry's Sample Shop or Wet Shaving Sample Shop or All Lathered Up all offer samples of mainline products, and the artisanal soapmakers sell excellent products at modest prices.

Here are some brush possibilities, in ascending order by price:

The Ecotools Bamboo Finishing Kabuki brush, which makes a terrific shaving brush; you can pick it up for $7.50 in the cosmetics section of (e.g.) Walgreens.

In the $8-$14 range, any of the Omega boar brushes would do a good job, and those are available from many sources. I prefer the brushes without the dyed band---the plain white brushes---but both work well. Read this beginner's guide to boar brushes on proper use. These are soaked before each use: just wet well with hot water and leave it sitting while you shower. I really like the Pro 48 (10048); it's large, but I still find it comfortable for face lathering.

The Omega 11047 boar/badger brush, which you soak for boar content, but then acts like a badger---and makes a good travel brush as well as an everyday brush. $17 plus shipping, but you can buy something in addition for little or no extra shipping charge.

One of the HJM black synthetic brushes from ConnaughtShaving.com for $25, including shipping. (US residents do not pay VAT.) This is a supeb brush, as gentle as any silvertip and quite efficient at lather creation.

The Whipped Dog silvertip badger: $26 including shipping with your choice of resin handle. The 22mm size is the best all-round size.

For afterhave, try samples from Saint Charles Shave aftershaves and The Shave Den Shop: pick those that look interesting, then get a full bottle of the one(s) you like.

You didn't ask about blades, but that's probably because you think they make sense. They don't. Read this post for more info. Use the first brand that works for you for at least two months. By keeping the brand of blade constant, variation from shave to shave is (probably) due to prep and technique, so you can focus more on perfecting those by not changing the razor or brand of blade. Also, after two months, you'll really know what that brand of blade feels like so when you try a new brand the differences are highlighted.

Here are artisanal soapmakers whose products I've found to be good (by buying and using them):

• Al's Shaving
• Barrister & Mann
• Bathhouse Soap
• Em’s Shave Place
• Ginger’s Garden
• Green Mountain Soap
• The Holy Black
• Honeybee Soaps
• Kell’s Original
• Mama Bear (also at Amazon)
• Mike's Natural (lather requires more water than you expect)
• Mystic Water
• Nanny’s Silly Soap Company (in the UK)
• Prairie Creations
• QED
• Queen Charlotte Soaps
• Saint Charles Shave
• Scodioli
• The Shave Den
• The Strop Shoppe

I have been wet shaving with a DE since OCT 2013. It was the best decision I have made when it comes to shaving. I will answer your questions from the things that have worked for me. Just know that everything is different for everyone. Once you find something that works stick with it for a while and change little at a time.

1a: Brush/Stand. I purchased this set just to get my feet wet with DE shaving. I liked it, but it was cheap and lacked the adjustability that I wanted. I did keep the brush and stand. I always get a great lather with the brush and it is really soft. It is just as good as when I bought it. I shave everyday that I work.

1b: Handle. I started with the cheap handle that I listed above...it was not adjustable. I wanted an adjustable and bought a Merkur Futur. I love it.

1c: Blades. This is hard to recommend to someone. Get yourself one of many sample packs. Everyone likes different blades. Just try them all out. They are cheap. I chose based on the one that I cut my self with the least while giving be the best shave. Your probably going to cut yourself. It will go away with experience. I settled on the Astra Platinum blades. They are cheap on amazon with prime shipping.

1d: Soap. I am a huge fan of Proraso Shaving Cream. I have tried them all! But they are all I have tried. A tube last me a long time. My routine is to fill up an over sized coffee cup with hot water twice from my Keurig (No hot hot water in the morning due to my apartment) and poor it into the sink. Dunk my brush in the water and shake it off lightly. Put a dime sized blob of cream on the brush and make a lather in the over sized coffee cup.

1e: Pre/After Shave. I do not use any pre shave products. I just use the lather that i make and message it onto my face. Its really hot and frothy. I have tried all of Proraso's after shave products. The only one that I liked was the blue after shave balm. It didn't dry out my face like the others. Since then I have settled on Gillette Series Sensitive Skin After Shave Gel because it leaves my face feeling great, its cheap, and the better half loves the way it smells.

2: In my experience the razor (handle) makes a huge difference. I got to the point where I was not cutting myself at all with my first handle. Then I switched. I can shave quickly and comfortably because I found the setting that I really like (number 3 on the Futur). I also really like the way the blade is put into the handle. The top of the Futur pops off rather than having to unscrew the handle to change blades.

3: I answered this in section 1c.

4: I don't have too much info on this topic. I do know not to store your brush with the bristles in the air when it is wet (a stand will prevent this). Dry your razor off the best you can after use. Rinse a brush out thoroughly after use. I use a new blade each shave.

5: When I first started with a DE I watched a couple of Michael Freedberg's to get me started. Then I just did what was best for me.

The best thing that I can recommend for you is this. Figure out why you want to change to DE shaving. We already know its a better shave than using a cartridge. For me it was to be able to use a new razor blade for every shave and not spending a lot of money for those blades. I try to do this as cheaply as possibly. I had a big initial investment on the handle but it has since paid for itself by not buying cartridges. I found what works for me early on and stuck with it. I can have the same consistent shave everyday in 10 minutes because I have had the same routine for a while now.

Top shelf:
Van Der Hagen shaving brush.
It actually works pretty well, and is my most commonly used one.
Art of Shaving sampler pack brush brush.
I like it, but it seems to take me a lot longer to build lather.
Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue.
Not much to say about it, the wife likes it!
Adidas Aftershave
I like the smell of this one, and it pairs pretty well with the D&G
Coates Lime Shaving Cream!
I love the smell of this stuff! I have Sandalwood too, but it mostly sits in my small chest of things I have for "Another day"
Feather blade bank
Keeps my trash bags from getting ripped open. I have been using it for over a year, and it isn't even half way full yet.

Middle Shelf:
Lady Gillette Safety Razor
This one is the Wife's she loves it and uses it exclusively after she realised how much better it was over cartridges! It did take a while for her to stop thinking that she was going to Sweeny Todd her legs with one.
Gillette Knack Safety Razor
I use this one pretty much every shave. It is fairly mild, but paired with some Sharks it really works well for me!
No Name razor I picked up at an Indian Bazaar for $3.
It has about a 2 inch gap(exaggerating here, but it is huge!) between the blade and the head, so I haven't used it and probably won't! But it is pretty on the shelf!
Styptic Pencil
It works! And gets used!

Bottom Shelf:
Gillette Travel Tech
It has a small mirror inside and an old pack of Gillette blades. Nothing real special but I like it! I haven't shaved with it yet, the handle seems too short.
The rest of TAoS Starter Kit
I haven't used any of these yet, I still have my own soaps, so these kinda just sit around... I should try em though!
Gillette 40s Style Super Speed
I got this off an ebay auction, I haven't tried it out yet either. It came in great shape though! And I plan on giving it a test run tonight!
Gillette Milord
Apparently, it is the same razor as the Super Speed, but with gold plating. Also came in great shape, and I haven't tried it out either!
Shark DE Blades
These are my go to blades! I love em!
Wilkinson Sword Classics
I was buying these guys at Walmart, and I loved em! But then I got Sharks and I haven't had to buy anything else because of how many Sharks I still have left over!
Merkur Blades
I haven't tried these, I honestly have no idea how they came into my possession. They look nice though!
Alum Block
It works great!

There really is no "best" razor, what qualifies as best varies from person to person. The Edwin Jagger DE89 series is widely recommended. Personally I don't like the EJ DE89, and I find that the Parker 99R gives me much more comfortable shaves. I also find the Parker to be much more forgiving when you are just starting to learn to use a safety razor as well. Either razor wouldn't be a bad place to start looking, though.

In terms of soap, I would personally recommend you start out with one of these kits: Van Der Hagen Deluxe Shave Kit. You get a decent bowl, brush & soap for about $10. None of the stuff in the kit is the best of anything, but it is all fairly middle of the road and a great value for the price. Once you have gotten the hang of DE shaving you can upgrade your brush and soap as needed.

The Strop Shoppe also makes great soaps, and they have an incredibly reasonably priced sampler that is worth picking up. I also like Queen Charlotte Soaps quite a bit, and they also have a reasonably priced sampler.

You will need a pack of blades, right now I am enjoying Wilkinson Sword (which you might be able to get locally) but there are various blade samplers that are worth checking out.

• [West Coast Shaving](http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Sample-Packs_c_1.html}
  
• Shoebox Shave Shop
  
• Amazon
  
• BestShave.net
  
  There are tons of places that offer blade samplers if you look around. You will want to try a good number of blades so you can figure out which work best for you.
  
  Preshave treatments vary. Many people just wash their face in warm water and whatever soap they have on hand. Some people use a canned shave cream like Barbasol as a pre-shave soap (I have tried this and it works pretty good). MrGlo is a well respected preshave soap, but it can be hard to find and it is getting pricey due to its increasing rarity. If you are just starting out, you might wanna keep things simple and just use whatever soap you have on hand. You just want to make sure that you use a soap that won't dry your skin and you want your face slightly soap and wet before you apply your shave lather.
  
  After shaving you could follow up with Witch Hazel. Thayers is highly regarded, but you could use normal drug-store stuff as well, just look for low alcohol content. You might also want a styptic pencil which you should be able to get locally for $1-2. You might also consider an Alum Block instead of Witch Hazel.
  
  In terms of aftershave, there is a lot of variation bases on skin types and personal preference. I prefer Nivea for Men Post Shave Balm in the white bottle (not squeezable) as my skin tends to run a little dry and this has a nice gentle moisturizer. It also soothes razor burn quite well. However I know guys that swear by Every Man Jack products (they hurt me) so you will have to try things out to find what works for you. There are hundreds of specialty aftershaves people like, as well as all the common drugstore brands like Old Spice and Aqua Velva. If you have an aftershave that you are currently using, you might as well stick with it for now unless it really no longer meets your needs.
  
  I have a goatee and I have no problems whatsoever shaving around it. I don't know what to say beyond that, using a DE with a goatee is no more challenging than using a Mach3 in the same situation especially once you get your technique down.
  
  TL/DR
  
  My advice in everything is to start simple.
  
  
• Pick a good razor (The EJ & Parker I linked above are a good place to start)
  
• Buy the VDH kit I mention above. It is a good value and you should be able to find locally (Walmart, Target, CVS, most Grocery Stores all carry it).
  
• Buy a blade sampler.
  
• Buy a styptic (its better than toilette paper).
  
• Use whatever aftershave you were using before.
  
  Wait on everything else until you know if you really want to continue with DE shaving. This short list will get you started for about $40, and you can always pick up more stuff as you go along.

Ok i'm back now,

I treated myself to this for being a good girl ;)
https://www.edwinjagger.co.uk/edwin-jagger-pearl-effect-pink-de-razor.html

&
https://www.edwinjagger.co.uk/edwin-jagger-lady-s-shaving-brush-pink.html

&
https://www.edwinjagger.co.uk/edwin-jagger-aloe-vera-shaving-soap-65g.html

Went a little fancy here but you can get the same results with a similar setup.
These work wonders if you need to do the face.

The thing i like about this is i can through blades and it won't cost me much, as in i bought 100 blades for $10USD off amazon* which is cheap compared to conventional cartridge razors. This means that since i will be going through them quite quickly if i do large things like legs kinda frequently, i can use a new blade each time if i like. However i try to use them a few times to truly get my moneys worth.

The shaving soap will last forever like years, well a very long time and so will the Brush as well as the DE razor itself. The soap is nice and natural but can be a little tricky to lather up into a big heap quickly so that's why there is shaving cream. E.g https://www.edwinjagger.co.uk/edwin-jagger-aloe-vera-shaving-cream-100ml.html
I might get one like this in the future but will try out my free testpot of the stuff that i got with the rest of the items before i lash out and buy the tub.

I use a rectangular bowl to swish out the razor once i have passed it a couple of times over the area being shaved. I also have a nice 900ml baking bowl to create the lather in.

I just now did my first waxing of my underarms because shaving was not doing a very good job as in i could still see the follicles under the skin. I can tell you that waxing my underarms may have just been the most satisfying thing i have ever done and the sharp then warm pain was.... nice too ah the squealing ;) not like the horrible epilator, omg.
I just used some disposable wax strips that i got on sale like 1/3 the price of all the stuff in the grocery stores work pretty good might have to use them on some other areas that epilating is out of the question atm. I plan on stocking up on these as well. Don't use them on the face tho.

My first shaver like a year ago was one of the Schick Hydro ones and i didn't really know what i was doing and obviously didn't know that they get blunt (silly me) it was snagging on the hair and hurt like hell but i thought that this was how it was. lol

I always recommend shaving in the shower. You can even use hair conditioner as a substitute for creams or soaps or even as a pre shave to soften up the hairs just apply wait rinse then apply what ever cream or soap then shave. I would recommend using a bath glove/exfoliating glove to cleanse the skin before shaving. You may also want to look at some form of antiseptic like tea tree oil or aloe vera as well as a good moisturiser to apply right after shaving.

• https://smile.amazon.com/Astra-Platinum-Double-Safety-Blades/dp/B001QY8QXM/ref=pd_bxgy_194_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=6B59GHGZS4Q9NA8HP53M&th=1
  
  
  
  
  Omg i need to make a post about this, i might compile a whole bunch of my comments that i have done in the last couple of days (check comment history) on shaving and do a series of posts to help out peps using the search bar on this sub.
  
  Any other questions please just ask, hope there isn't too many errors in there :)
  
  
  

MOST stuff can be picked up locally. For instance, my post on the recent $50 kit thread is mostly do-able "in-person." I'll re-post it below:

Mine involves some leg-work, but I think it's quite do-able.

$9 "Shea Moisture Shave" Brush from Target - No link to the actual thing, but most regional Targets stock it. It's Pure Badger, generally has a relatively light funk, and is quite soft. Lathers decent.

$1.50 - Plain witch hazel from Walmart. About 15% alcohol, not too much sting, and noticeably cheaper than an alum block from online

$1.50 - Styptic pencil from Walmart or a drugstore.

$5.50 - Nivea Soothing Aftershave Balm for Sensitive Skin from Walmart; cool and refreshing on the skin; moisturizes well.

$10 - C.O. Bigelow's Eucalpytus and Menthol Shave Cream from Bath & Bodyworks - Lathers well with a little work, feels cool and tingly, provides good lubrication for an entry-level product.

$13 - Lord L6 Safety Razor from Amazon - Cheap, decent Merkur-alike that's supposed to be relatively mild and a good introduction to double edged razors in general.

$8 - 18-blade sampler from Amazon - 9 different styles with two apiece, wrapped up nice and safe and sold cheap. Missing Feathers, but it's still a good 2 months' worth of daily shaves for 8 bucks, ya know?

-------

$48.50 - Grand total, assuming you're willing to hit Target, Bath & Bodyworks and Walmart along with your online shopping. Heck, if you want to get Free Super Saver Shipping on it, skip the B&BW Bigelows cream and get Proraso on Amazon instead for $11. You'll bring your total up to $49.50, but the Amazon portion will account for $32, which is more than enough to pass the $25 barrier; still leaves about $17.50 worth of "in-town" shopping to do.

----------

The real issue is in finding a razor in-town for a reasonable price. If you live near an Art of Shaving Store, you can usually find some decent razors there, but they will be massively marked up. If you live near good antique or thrift stores, it's very common to find old school Gillette razors from the 30s-70s. Some are falling apart and covered with rust, but most just need a good scrubbing with a toothbrush and Scrubbing Bubbles (plus a long soak in boiling vinegar water to help disinfect 'em). These razors can be ludicrously cheap, given that they are collector's items online, but you may have to hit several places in town to find one. Heck, I've been to two antique stores and three thrift stores in downtown Raleigh, NC and haven't found anything yet!

Otherwise, you really might have to order a razor online. The LordL6 I linked from Amazon, as well as a large selection of other great razors (like the Edwin Jagger De89 and the Merkur 34C) are also there, and most qualify for free 2-day shipping if you have Amazon Prime. . . or the $4 one-day shipping upgrade ;)

Otherwise, your best bet is to hit a shaving forum like Badger and Blade and see if they have any posts about your local area for other ideas. Some areas do have shaving specialty stores (like if you live in the same town as one of the people running an online shop like West Coast Shaving, you can sometimes get into an "actual" storefront).

-------

To recap: you can find shaving cream or soap (Bath & Bodyworks, Harris Teeter, many organic grocery stores), a brush (Target, Walmart, Walgreens, or The Body Shop), aftershave (any supermarket or drugstore) and even blades (ditto: supermarkets and drugstores sell medium-quality, overpriced blades) in-person very easily. Actual razors (the "body") are harder to find unless you live near a specialty shop or an antique store that has some oldies in stock.

BUY A SAFETY RAZOR

Seriously. You'll save boatloads of money and you'll give yourself the best shave of your life. The initial start-up is a bit of an investment (~$50), but after that you'll only pay about $20-30 per year.

Buy a safety razor. This is a perfectly good one for $20 on Amazon. They can last your lifetime.

Next, buy these 100-count razor blades for $10 on Amazon. You can get 3-6 excellent shaves out of a blade before needing to change it. If you're not picky about a super close shave, you can get 10+. That's 300-600 excellent shaves for $10. Or 1,000+ okay shaves for $10.

Now of course, if you go the safety razor route, you'll also want to buy a brush and shaving soap. First the brush. Brushes come with either boar hair or badger hair. Badger hair is superior quality, but's naturally more expensive. Boar hair is perfectly sufficient, it's just not quite as smooth or durable. If your want to try this whole straight razor thing out for a while first before investing any more money than necessary, go with a boar hair brush. You can find them pretty easily at Wal-Mart and Target these days for $5-10, but here's one on Amazon for $11. You may be able to find one for cheaper -- I only spent a few seconds searching.

Next we have the soap. Personally, I'm a big fan of Proraso Shaving Soap for $10 on Amazon -- it comes with its own bowl, so no need to buy one. Naturally it depends on how often you shave, but these last quite a while. I shave 2-3 times per week and I probably go through maybe three a year. There are of course many options - you can also consider buying the solid soap bars that go in a little bowl. I feel like these last even longer. I think I once bought a 3-pack for $15. It lasted me almost 2 years.

Alternatively, many vendors and stores sell combo packs that will include all or most of these components. I know I've seen them at Target and Wal-Mart. I can't attest to the quality, but I'm sure they're perfectly acceptable for a newbie that wants to try it out and see if he likes it. If you decide any of the individual components aren't meeting your standards, you can easily buy an upgrade on Amazon.

Switch to a safety razor. I implore you. It's the best and closest shave you'll ever give yourself - and it costs a fraction of what the stupid Gillette, etc., razors cost.

Watches (Seiko & Omega, net spent is only like $500)

Fountain Pens (although, so far, I've just been browsing -- saving for a Faber Castell to get started, haha). Mostly because I try (and fail) to draw a lot (also I have a douchier, even worse version of that pic here. Don't ask why.). But I need a refill on pencils first.

Photography - Nikon D5200 w/ a couple of lenses - want but can't afford a Sony A7 (I find myself shooting in the dark a lot), and might end up getting a prime lens soon.

Computers (Used to be for gaming, now it's mainly for photography.) For the heck of it, I'll detail my build - I have an EVGA GeForce GTX 780Ti Superclocked, 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600mhz RAM, an Intel core i7-4771 (runs base 3.5GHZ, no overclocking needed), and an Asus Sabertooth Z87 mobo. All displayed on a rather mediocre Samsung S27C750P 27" 1080P monitor, but it's done well for being a 'cheap' monitor. This has been my most expensive hobby, thus far, but also probably the most beneficial. In the future, though, I'd rather put the $2k spent building towards getting a 'real' watch.

Headphones (AudioTechnica has my heart, but there are better brands / headphones out there -- I have the M50 model, but the M50x has a detachable cord, and the same audio quality, and is currently on sale for $100. They use regular 3.5mm jacks, with a gold-plated .25" that can screw on over it to use other audio systems. I don't go all out in this area, and don't use any sort of sound-card or box). Plus with soundcloud there's an abundance of free music.

Coffee (Start doing it right, and all the other hobbies will benefit! Except you'll have no more money. Buy fresh, preferably local-roasted beans. Buy a french press if you're on a budget, or a $5000 espresso-handjob machine if you aren't. Or just go support your local coffee shops.).

Someone else mentioned mechanical keyboards, down below, and I got a Das 4 (w/ cherry mx blue's) recently, so I suppose I can list that as well. I do a lot of random writing - that is, I'll have an idea, start writing something, get about 2,500 words in, and then abandon it forever. About like how I draw.

But I really suggest drawing and music. Very therapeutic, and they don't have to be expensive to be enjoyable. Also, I loveCars because of local car-meets - they're great places go and get some pretty neat photos. Look up "[your nearest city] cars and coffee]" and you should be able to find a nice monthly or weekly meet up. There was a great one in Charlotte that I went to pretty often, and the stuff where I am now isn't too bad either. The people are usually pretty cool too.


All that said, can you recommend me any pens?

Edit: Also, just because of your fondness for fountain pens, you might find DE razors to be the preferable way to shave - pick up one of these, a few of these (platinum coated is razor sharp - but that means no cuts, because you use hardly any pressure). And then, of course, a pure/best/super badger brush, depending on your budget, and some proper English shaving product (I use Taylor of Old Bond Street, because of prices, and they do perfectly fine). It's not really a 'hobby', but there's ample room to get into it and it's definitely a more enjoyable way to start your morning.

Start with this.

It is a copy of the most mild DE razor ever invented (Gillette Tech), it is cheap yet well made, surprisingly. Practice with this and then branch out into high dollar (even then very cheap) razors. An EJ89 is a great place to start, as is a Merkur Classic (I use a Futur but they are $75 and require a bit of finesse).

Also get this

Seems expensive, but you get lots of different blades and you can try them and see which works best before you drop money. Feathers are known as sharpest, Derbys as the least. That does not mean one is better than the other--blade choice is the ultimate Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV). Try as many as you can to see what works for you.

Get a boar brush. Get this one and then branch out. Brushes are one of the coolest things about wet shaving. Once you get the hang of lather, you'll start collecting brushes. It's awesome. But that Omega is all you'll ever have to buy if you want.

Is there a Bath and Body works near you? If so, great! Proraso, one of the oldest and most respected shaving companies rebrands under CO Bigelow and it is dirt cheap. Their shampoo/body wash is great, and the shaving cream is fantastic. Very easy to lather. You can also get a tub of Taylor of Bond Street (TOBS) in any "flavor" and get great stuff. It lasts forever. I like the Avocado--it's very slick--and the Eton college--it smells amazing.

Go to your local drug store and buy Pinaud Clubman aftershave. It is cheap, and smells like an old barber shop--which is to say AMAZING. Apply this after you shave. It puts a bounce in your step like nothing else. While you are there get a styptic pencil, as you may nick yourself early on. Don't worry, nicking is painless but it can bleed a little and the styptic will halt it quick. Once you get the hang of tings you wont nick yourself at all.

And then you're set---but also FUCKED. Jade East aftershave rocks, as does Bay Rum (Pinaud or Captain's Choice), as does Old Spice...Merkur and Edwin Jagger make amazing razors, plus thrift stores and flea markets have old Gillettes...if the hobby bites you there is never enough!

Join us at /r/wicked_edge for more tips! We are a friendly bunch and can guide you through the early stages of enjoying a great hobby.

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.

Razor: I started with this Merkur razor (and I'm still using it after two years). Edwin Jagger is probably equally popular, but I haven't tried them.

Brush/bowl: I was given this bowl/soap/brush/holder kit as a gift and still use it, but the brush broke after about a year (I could probably fix it with some good glue but haven't bothered yet. The holder is nice, but you might be able to find just a brush and bowl separately slightly cheaper if you're on a budget. I didn't use the soap in the kit because:

Soap: Proraso soap was suggested and I ended up liking it a lot. Some people like to buy sampler packs of soap/cream as well, but this was good enough for me, and it would take me forever to get through samples. This Proraso got me through 15 months with an average of one shave per week.

Blades: I started out with a sampler pack of blades from Maggard Razors, and Gillette Silver Blue and Gillette 7 O'Clock (both yellow and green were the same to me) ended up being the easiest on my face. I tried Feather, but they were way too harsh at first, I think because I hadn't really gotten the technique down yet. Gillette was more forgiving, but once I got better at shaving, I was able to use Feathers.

Other: Lastly, I really like using an alum stick after shaving to help close up pores/tiny nicks (weepers), but they're not necessary. I also now use Shave Secret as a first layer when I start my second pass (against the grain). Again, not necessary, but I think it helps me personally a little to have that extra layer of protection to prevent razor burn. It does gunk up your razor a little, though, so just be sure to keep it clean.

--------------------------

I still only shave once a week, and I have a 3 day minimum in between shaves, otherwise I'll still get razor burn. Read up on some info in /r/wicked_edge. /u/Leisureguy has a ton of great comments in that sub. Sort his comment history by top, and you'll get plenty of good advice right off the bat. He also has a blog. My best tips: Make sure you use a shallow angle (as opposed to the perpendicular/90-degree shave you're used to with cartridge razors), and don't let your lather be too dry. Also, if your area has hard water, consider using distilled water to make your lather. Maggard Razors has been really great at shipping fast and having good prices for me and carries everything I mentioned, but there several reputable online shops. I know lots of people prefer to use Amazon, so I linked everything on Amazon except the blade sampler pack.

There was a really good post by /u/LieutenantJesus about this a few months ago. Here it is... the second method has worked REALLY well for me.

"I've shaved my mashers and bang/taint/funhole for years and years, so let me contribute.

So let's assume you've never blessed yourself with a shorn scrotum: There are two methods you can use to rid yourself of hair. I'll go over both, since I've done both extensively.

---

>Shaving:

USE A NEW RAZOR FOR THIS. Old razors deteriorate and the blades get bent/dulled. You don't want dull blades tugging at hairs and nicking you up down there.

1. Trim up. Get a body-hair trimmer like a Norelco Bodygroom or just a regular hair-trimmer and take care most of the bush. Go with the shortest guard it'll allow-- Not using a guard is a good way to get a few nicks, not something you want down in your dangly bits. You want to get yourself short enough where a razor won't get caught and cut you up in masses of hair.
   
   
2. Get in the shower, and get that bitch nice and hot. You don't want to try shaving dry, hell no. Wash your hair, brush your teeth, do all of your regular shower things to give your pubes a bit to get wet and soften up. This'll make it so much easier, trust me.
   
   
3. Start shaving WITH the grain. Make a few passes. Don't press down on the razor, just let it do its job. You won't get it all in one go, and that's fine.
   
   
4. Go across the grain. If your hair looks like this: |||||, shave in this ---> direction, or this <--- direction. The best would be doing a pass of each.
   
   
5. Go against the grain. Now, at this point, if you feel smooth enough, feel free to stop. Going against the grain may cause irritation and ingrown hairs, so know your body and know how your hair responds. The biggest lesson is DO NOT PRESS DOWN ON THE RAZOR. You will only irritate your skin and nick yourself. Be patient and take your damn time.
   
   
6. Finish the job. If you shave your dick, you must also shave your balls, otherwise you might as well just not even do it. It may be scary the first time taking a razor to your jumblies, but it's simple and quite safe, if you're careful (For the record, I've never nicked myself shaving down below, yet I can butcher my face when I'm not careful). Just take the sack in one hand and GENTLY pull it to stretch the skin, and run the razor lightly over it, front and back, starting the stroke from the underside of your dick and dragging down towards your feet. Don't bother too much with grain direction here, it won't matter that much.
   
   
7. The Gooch/Ass/Asshole: You should also run over these areas with a hair trimmer/bodygroom before you go at it with a razor. The secret here is the same as the rest of your sensitive bits: Go slow, don't press down with the razor, and relax. The taint is tricky, but you can navigate it by feel pretty well. The ass/asshole is simple, except for the hole. If you're shaving your ass, you aren't gonna leave the hole hairy, so when you shave it, shave starting from the pucker and stroke AWAY. Do not shave ACROSS the sphincter, else you're just asking for a rough ride. Remember: DO NOT PUSH DOWN ON THE RAZOR.
   
   For your balls, you might want to make a run over them later when you're dry. Helps get those stray hairs.
   
   >Post-Shave Care:
   
   Once you get out, pat-dry the areas you've shaved. If you get razor burn, get some Vitamin E cream or moisturizer and spread a little down there. This will help the skin heal, and probably cool things off. I like to pat a little Gold Bond down there, because if I'm going to be fancy enough to shave my balls, I'm going to powder them like an English Nobleman.
   
   Itching: This is normal if this is your first time shaving/it's been a while since you've shaved. You shouldn't itch as bad or even at all the second time around, so just tough it out.
   
   Farts: You'd better be ready, because you can no longer sneak these fuckers. The bare skin will amplify your ass air to trumpet-like levels. Be prepared to use your flesh-valve a lot more efficiently after this.
   
   Sweat: You might feel like your ass/gooch is a lot sweatier than usual. It's not, you just lack friction from your now-missing hair down there. Invest in some boxer-briefs if it bothers you. You get used to this as well.
   
   ---
   >Depilatory Creams
   
   Alright, so now that we've covered shaving, let's discuss using chemical hair removers. I wouldn't use Nair on your private parts, you will burn yourself. You have to find something for sensitive skin (Which I'm sure Nair has now). I am a fan of Magic Shave. It's a powder you mix with water, then slather all over your crotch, wait a while, then rub off gently with a washcloth. You can get if off Amazon, or find it at most any drugstore in the shaving/hair removal aisle. Takes the hair right off and leaves you SMOOTH AS FUCK. It's messier and takes a little more time, but it's worth it in the end.
   
   They do sell it as a pre-mixed cream, but ever time I've used it it's been very lackluster, even after leaving it on for several minutes past the recommended time.
   
   
8. Test it somewhere like your inner thigh. Mix a small bit, put it on for the prescribed amount of time (7 or so minutes, in my case), and wash it off. Wait a day to see if there are any adverse effects. Skipping this step is not recommended, seeing as a small allergic reaction on your thigh is a lot easier to handle than one all over your fucking dick.
   
   
9. Mix. I use a mason jar, put in equal parts of the power and water, and shake it up. The I use something like a rubber spatula to scoop it out and slather it from dick (Try to limit getting any on the glans. It won't kill you, but you don't generally want depilatory cream on sensitive membranes like that) to asshole. The more you use, the better. Be sure to place a towel under you/do this in the tub to catch any that might drip.
   
   
10. Wait. Set a timer and just stand around a bit. Brush your teeth. Floss. I don't care, just wait out the 5-7 minutes.
    
    
11. Hop in the shower. Lukewarm water is the best for this stuff, I'd avoid going really hot though. Grab a washcloth and slowly rub the stuff off in a circular motion while under the stream. You might have to give some hairs a gentle tug to get them out, but it shouldn't take you any real effort. You may miss spots, and that's okay, you can get them next time. You should probably have a set washcloth just for this, because Magic Shave does have a tendency to stain.
    
    
12. Pat dry. If you left it on a little too long, it might feel somewhat like razor burn. Use some Vitamin E/Moisturizing cream on it and dial the time back a little next time.
    
    
    
    All in all, I much prefer using Magic Shave to rid myself of hair, because it leaves me MUCH smoother and isn't as expensive as wearing razor cartridges out. Enjoy shaving, and know that your girlfriend/boyfriend will REALLY appreciate it."

I've shaved my mashers and bang/taint/funhole for years and years, so let me contribute.

So let's assume you've never blessed yourself with a shorn scrotum: There are two methods you can use to rid yourself of hair. I'll go over both, since I've done both extensively.

---

>Shaving:

USE A NEW RAZOR FOR THIS. Old razors deteriorate and the blades get bent/dulled. You don't want dull blades tugging at hairs and nicking you up down there.

1. Trim up. Get a body-hair trimmer like a Norelco Bodygroom or just a regular hair-trimmer and take care most of the bush. Go with the shortest guard it'll allow-- Not using a guard is a good way to get a few nicks, not something you want down in your dangly bits. You want to get yourself short enough where a razor won't get caught and cut you up in masses of hair.
   
   
2. Get in the shower, and get that bitch nice and hot. You don't want to try shaving dry, hell no. Wash your hair, brush your teeth, do all of your regular shower things to give your pubes a bit to get wet and soften up. This'll make it so much easier, trust me.
   
   
3. Start shaving WITH the grain. Make a few passes. Don't press down on the razor, just let it do its job. You won't get it all in one go, and that's fine.
   
   
4. Go across the grain. If your hair looks like this: |||||, shave in this ---> direction, or this <--- direction. The best would be doing a pass of each.
   
   
5. Go against the grain. Now, at this point, if you feel smooth enough, feel free to stop. Going against the grain may cause irritation and ingrown hairs, so know your body and know how your hair responds. The biggest lesson is DO NOT PRESS DOWN ON THE RAZOR. You will only irritate your skin and nick yourself. Be patient and take your damn time.
   
   
6. Finish the job. If you shave your dick, you must also shave your balls, otherwise you might as well just not even do it. It may be scary the first time taking a razor to your jumblies, but it's simple and quite safe, if you're careful (For the record, I've never nicked myself shaving down below, yet I can butcher my face when I'm not careful). Just take the sack in one hand and GENTLY pull it to stretch the skin, and run the razor lightly over it, front and back, starting the stroke from the underside of your dick and dragging down towards your feet. Don't bother too much with grain direction here, it won't matter that much.
   
   
7. The Gooch/Ass/Asshole: You should also run over these areas with a hair trimmer/bodygroom before you go at it with a razor. The secret here is the same as the rest of your sensitive bits: Go slow, don't press down with the razor, and relax. The taint is tricky, but you can navigate it by feel pretty well. The ass/asshole is simple, except for the hole. If you're shaving your ass, you aren't gonna leave the hole hairy, so when you shave it, shave starting from the pucker and stroke AWAY. Do not shave ACROSS the sphincter, else you're just asking for a rough ride. Remember: DO NOT PUSH DOWN ON THE RAZOR.
   
   For your balls, you might want to make a run over them later when you're dry. Helps get those stray hairs.
   
   >Post-Shave Care:
   
   Once you get out, pat-dry the areas you've shaved. If you get razor burn, get some Vitamin E cream or moisturizer and spread a little down there. This will help the skin heal, and probably cool things off. I like to pat a little Gold Bond down there, because if I'm going to be fancy enough to shave my balls, I'm going to powder them like an English Nobleman.
   
   Itching: This is normal if this is your first time shaving/it's been a while since you've shaved. You shouldn't itch as bad or even at all the second time around, so just tough it out.
   
   Farts: You'd better be ready, because you can no longer sneak these fuckers. The bare skin will amplify your ass air to trumpet-like levels. Be prepared to use your flesh-valve a lot more efficiently after this.
   
   Sweat: You might feel like your ass/gooch is a lot sweatier than usual. It's not, you just lack friction from your now-missing hair down there. Invest in some boxer-briefs if it bothers you. You get used to this as well.
   
   ---
   >Depilatory Creams
   
   Alright, so now that we've covered shaving, let's discuss using chemical hair removers. I wouldn't use Nair on your private parts, you will burn yourself. You have to find something for sensitive skin (Which I'm sure Nair has now). I am a fan of Magic Shave. It's a powder you mix with water, then slather all over your crotch, wait a while, then rub off gently with a washcloth. You can get if off Amazon, or find it at most any drugstore in the shaving/hair removal aisle. Takes the hair right off and leaves you SMOOTH AS FUCK. It's messier and takes a little more time, but it's worth it in the end.
   
   They do sell it as a pre-mixed cream, but ever time I've used it it's been very lackluster, even after leaving it on for several minutes past the recommended time.
   
   
8. Test it somewhere like your inner thigh. Mix a small bit, put it on for the prescribed amount of time (7 or so minutes, in my case), and wash it off. Wait a day to see if there are any adverse effects. Skipping this step is not recommended, seeing as a small allergic reaction on your thigh is a lot easier to handle than one all over your fucking dick.
   
   
9. Mix. I use a mason jar, put in equal parts of the power and water, and shake it up. The I use something like a rubber spatula to scoop it out and slather it from dick (Try to limit getting any on the glans. It won't kill you, but you don't generally want depilatory cream on sensitive membranes like that) to asshole. The more you use, the better. Be sure to place a towel under you/do this in the tub to catch any that might drip.
   
   
10. Wait. Set a timer and just stand around a bit. Brush your teeth. Floss. I don't care, just wait out the 5-7 minutes.
    
    
11. Hop in the shower. Lukewarm water is the best for this stuff, I'd avoid going really hot though. Grab a washcloth and slowly rub the stuff off in a circular motion while under the stream. You might have to give some hairs a gentle tug to get them out, but it shouldn't take you any real effort. You may miss spots, and that's okay, you can get them next time. You should probably have a set washcloth just for this, because Magic Shave does have a tendency to stain.
    
    
12. Pat dry. If you left it on a little too long, it might feel somewhat like razor burn. Use some Vitamin E/Moisturizing cream on it and dial the time back a little next time.
    
    
    
    All in all, I much prefer using Magic Shave to rid myself of hair, because it leaves me MUCH smoother and isn't as expensive as wearing razor cartridges out. Enjoy shaving, and know that your girlfriend/boyfriend will REALLY appreciate it.
    
    EDIT: Thank you for the gold, kind soul! May your balls be eternally smooth and velvety.

I switched to a Merkur safty razor about 3 months ago (I used the same vibrating nonsense Fusion razor previously). I've been very happy with it. Shaving takes longer, but I get a better shave, and it's more enjoyable. I think I've nicked my face twice since I started. If you go slow you'll be fine.

I'd recommend checking out some of the forums like Badger and Blade and some youtube videos like mantic59's

Keep in mind, especially on the forums, there are some self righteous nuts who take themselves and their shaving method a little too seriously. It's not a big problem, but be aware so you don't get put off by it.

I got all my stuff on amazon (because I have a prime membership), But west coast shaving is a favorite of many. A usual recommendation is to get one of their blade samplers, so you can see what works for you. I like Derby extras, but blades are a personal preference thing. Most people will tell you to stay away from feather blades when you're first starting. I haven't had a problem with them, but my razor isn't super aggressive and my face isn't overly sensitive.

You have to get your technique down before you'll get good shaves, and that takes a while. The most helpful advice I got was to lock your wrist and make all the movement with your upper arm. This helps you to keep a consistent angle, and was really helpful for me.

Is it more economical? It can be, blades are much cheaper than modern cartridges. Especially once you figure out what type of blades you like, you can buy in larger quantities and get a better discount. The initial outlay is higher though, you'll need shaving soap or cream, a razor, blades, and a decent brush.

On the subject of shaving brushes, most people will recommend you get a badger hair brush. I have both a moderate quality badger brush and a cheap boar brush, and really, I like both. One of the good things about using a shave brush is that it scrubs your face, and a boar brush will do this far more aggressively. feels good man. The badger brushes are softer, and hold more water for a nicer lather. So it's something you'll have to try for yourself.

So if you have $100 to spend, I'd probably go:

razor
brush
blades
cream (if you're not opposed to menthol, proraso if very nice)

So it's not super cheap to get into, but the razor will last forever unless you take an angle grinder to it, the brush will last pretty much forever if you treat it right. You get 40 blades for $16 (compare to 4 blades for the same price for a cartridge) and the proraso is a big ass tube that will last you a long time.

Hopefully that was all coherent enough to be useful.

*edit
Also, Buying shaving stuff can be addicting. Looking around at this stuff makes me want to spend at least $400,000 on razors and brushes and shaving creams. beware.

Hi, I see some people have given you some advice but I thought I would give you some links and maybe a little more explanation. Firstly here are links to the Maggard and the Stirling starter kits. People like to recommend these because they're very reasonably priced and you can't go wrong with pretty much anything they come with. You can make a nice shaving kit on amazon but overall you're probably going to pay more and you're going to have to be much more careful because it's really easy to get something fairly cheap that is just totally awful.

Just for fun I'll toss up some decent stuff from amazon too if you really want to use up your gift cards. This razor is a good starting razor for a pretty good price, this soap is pretty good and cheap, this brush is solid although it doesn't have amazon prime. After that all you need is a blade sampler and you'd be good to go. So after all that you're looking at about 43.74 for the stuff that comes in the starter kits at the top with minor differences. The brush isn't quite as nice as the ones in the starter kits and most people here would say proraso soap isn't nearly as good as the stirling or maggard's soaps but you would have five ounces of soap instead of two or three.

I know some people who get nice shaves with a cartridge style razor, but I don't know anyone who gets nice shaves with an electric razor. I would pretty much guarantee you'll have a better time with double edge once you get technique down and you figure out what blades you like to use. Just be aware that there is going to be a learning curve, you're working with a single very sharp blade and you have to get used to using it.

>I want to eventually use a straight razor, but i am terrified of cutting my neck open What are the actual chances of doing this?

Now that's not really risk, unless you are a complete retard. The idea with shaving with a Straight Razor is to not apply pressure or apply extremely light pressure. If you can hold your hand steady and don't do sudden movement, you won't cut your throat. Also while a Straight Razor is sharp, it's not sharp enough to slive your throat unless you actually try to do it.

You will most likely get small nicks and cuts while learning to shave with a straight though. So get ready for a lot of those.

>Also, I found this safety razor on amazon. Is it good for a beginner?

Yup it's perfectly fine for a beginner. Almost any razor is perfectly fine for a beginner, though I would stay away from adjustables for now.

>What kind of razor blades should I use with that safety razor as a beginner?

The type of blade you use depends a lot on your face and what your face agrees with. For example my face does not agree with feathers, I just end up with horrible results. This is why when you look at the kit suggestions on the sidebar, people recommend buying a blade sampler pack. So you can try out several different blades to figure out what works for you. So get a sampler pack and try things out.

>Are Feather blades too sharp?

Nope, just remember to take your time and be careful.

>On a side note, should I bother getting a shavette or just go straight to the straight razor?

A good brand new straight will generally run you for at least 70$, then another 20-40$ for a strop, and you need to send it for honing a few times a year. Now you can get cheaper razors like Sight Unseen razors from WhippedDog so 41$ for a straight is pretty damn cheap, if you're fine with some cosmetic flaws you can also consider the Sight Unseen Flawed razors. They're both pretty much around the same pricerange as a Dovo Shavette and some blades. You can get cheaper shavettes like the Parker SR1 or several other Parker models.

Now if you want to eventually use a straight razor, you might as well start now. When switching from a DE to a Straight, you will need to relearn all shaving techniques anyways. So you can start off with a cheap razor like that whipped dog deal, then if you can find a leather belt somewhere you'll have a strop, or get the poor mans strop kit from Whipped Dog. You can then use that set to figure out if you like a straight razor or not, if you don't then it wasn't a massive investment and you can give it to someone as a gift.

And if you do end up liking it, you can then invest a bit more in a good quality brand new razor from something like Straight Razor Designs or just stick with what you have if it works for you.

> Im looking to get a razor on Amazon due to convenience, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Honestly, I understand where you're coming from. I think a lot of us coming in have the same thought, you're in unfamiliar territory trying to order from an unknown source and amazon is a safe, known place to pick things up. However, if you choose to upgrade, I strongly recommend going to somewhere like Maggard Razors. The owners run an excellent customer focused business, that out does amazon by a mile on a lot of things. There are some commercial items you can do better on through amazon if you know what you're looking for, but in general, they are just the best place to go. You can check out safely through Pay Pal, and they ship very quickly. I think if you look around you'll see and endless amount of recommendations for using them here, and for very good reason. In the world of wet shaving, it just doesn't get more convenient than Maggards.

Specifically if I were in your position, I would order an MR-1 or an MR-5 and select the V3A head. It will run you about $26 + shipping. You won't get a more efficient razor than that from amazon for that price. It is considered to be on the more aggressive side for razors, but you've been at it for six months, so it shouldn't be an issue. I find it to be very comfortable to use, and it's currently one of my favorite razors.

 

All that being said, if you want some options from amazon, here are a few. The one you linked above was my first DE, and I would not recommend it. It was inefficient (very mild), and I don't care for the thin hollow handle.

• Edwin Jagger DE89 — Decent razor, will be more efficient than the one you have, but is still comfortable.
  
• Mühle R89 — Same head design as the Edwin Jagger, but manufactured by Mühle. Generally has a better fit and finish than the EJ
  
• Merkur Progress — Modern adjustable that will allow you to change the settings to find the balance of comfort and efficiency that works best for you. Downside is the plastic adjustment knob.
  
  Most of the results that come up if you search amazon for safety razors, are just overpriced weishi or baili clones, which is same thing you have right now. The rest are EJ clones that may be coming out of Pakistan and have serious QC issue. A prime example of something to avoid is that Viking Blade razor near the top of the results, which is a $9 baili razor selling for nearly $40. Be careful to avoid stuff like that, which is one more reason why places like Maggards are held in high regard. They are very transparent about all the things they sell, and you don't have to worry about getting scammed.

>Note: I did not write this:

I've shaved my mashers and bang/taint/funhole for years and years, so let me contribute.

So let's assume you've never blessed yourself with a shorn scrotum: There are two methods you can use to rid yourself of hair. I'll go over both, since I've done both extensively.

---

>Shaving:

USE A NEW RAZOR FOR THIS. Old razors deteriorate and the blades get bent/dulled. You don't want dull blades tugging at hairs and nicking you up down there.

1. Trim up. Get a body-hair trimmer like a Norelco Bodygroom or just a regular hair-trimmer and take care most of the bush. Go with the shortest guard it'll allow-- Not using a guard is a good way to get a few nicks, not something you want down in your dangly bits. You want to get yourself short enough where a razor won't get caught and cut you up in masses of hair.
   
   
2. Get in the shower, and get that bitch nice and hot. You don't want to try shaving dry, hell no. Wash your hair, brush your teeth, do all of your regular shower things to give your pubes a bit to get wet and soften up. This'll make it so much easier, trust me.
   
   
3. Start shaving WITH the grain. Make a few passes. Don't press down on the razor, just let it do its job. You won't get it all in one go, and that's fine.
   
   
4. Go across the grain. If your hair looks like this: |||||, shave in this ---> direction, or this <--- direction. The best would be doing a pass of each.
   
   
5. Go against the grain. Now, at this point, if you feel smooth enough, feel free to stop. Going against the grain may cause irritation and ingrown hairs, so know your body and know how your hair responds. The biggest lesson is DO NOT PRESS DOWN ON THE RAZOR. You will only irritate your skin and nick yourself. Be patient and take your damn time.
   
   
6. Finish the job. If you shave your dick, you must also shave your balls, otherwise you might as well just not even do it. It may be scary the first time taking a razor to your jumblies, but it's simple and quite safe, if you're careful (For the record, I've never nicked myself shaving down below, yet I can butcher my face when I'm not careful). Just take the sack in one hand and GENTLY pull it to stretch the skin, and run the razor lightly over it, front and back, starting the stroke from the underside of your dick and dragging down towards your feet. Don't bother too much with grain direction here, it won't matter that much.
   
   
7. The Gooch/Ass/Asshole: You should also run over these areas with a hair trimmer/bodygroom before you go at it with a razor. The secret here is the same as the rest of your sensitive bits: Go slow, don't press down with the razor, and relax. The taint is tricky, but you can navigate it by feel pretty well. The ass/asshole is simple, except for the hole. If you're shaving your ass, you aren't gonna leave the hole hairy, so when you shave it, shave starting from the pucker and stroke AWAY. Do not shave ACROSS the sphincter, else you're just asking for a rough ride. Remember: DO NOT PUSH DOWN ON THE RAZOR.
   
   For your balls, you might want to make a run over them later when you're dry. Helps get those stray hairs.
   
   >Post-Shave Care:
   
   Once you get out, pat-dry the areas you've shaved. If you get razor burn, get some Vitamin E cream or moisturizer and spread a little down there. This will help the skin heal, and probably cool things off. I like to pat a little Gold Bond down there, because if I'm going to be fancy enough to shave my balls, I'm going to powder them like an English Nobleman.
   
   Itching: This is normal if this is your first time shaving/it's been a while since you've shaved. You shouldn't itch as bad or even at all the second time around, so just tough it out.
   
   Farts: You'd better be ready, because you can no longer sneak these fuckers. The bare skin will amplify your ass air to trumpet-like levels. Be prepared to use your flesh-valve a lot more efficiently after this.
   
   Sweat: You might feel like your ass/gooch is a lot sweatier than usual. It's not, you just lack friction from your now-missing hair down there. Invest in some boxer-briefs if it bothers you. You get used to this as well.
   
   ---
   >Depilatory Creams
   
   Alright, so now that we've covered shaving, let's discuss using chemical hair removers. I wouldn't use Nair on your private parts, you will burn yourself. You have to find something for sensitive skin (Which I'm sure Nair has now). I am a fan of Magic Shave. It's a powder you mix with water, then slather all over your crotch, wait a while, then rub off gently with a washcloth. You can get if off Amazon, or find it at most any drugstore in the shaving/hair removal aisle. Takes the hair right off and leaves you SMOOTH AS FUCK. It's messier and takes a little more time, but it's worth it in the end.
   
   They do sell it as a pre-mixed cream, but ever time I've used it it's been very lackluster, even after leaving it on for several minutes past the recommended time.
   
   
8. Test it somewhere like your inner thigh. Mix a small bit, put it on for the prescribed amount of time (7 or so minutes, in my case), and wash it off. Wait a day to see if there are any adverse effects. Skipping this step is not recommended, seeing as a small allergic reaction on your thigh is a lot easier to handle than one all over your fucking dick.
   
   
9. Mix. I use a mason jar, put in equal parts of the power and water, and shake it up. The I use something like a rubber spatula to scoop it out and slather it from dick (Try to limit getting any on the glans. It won't kill you, but you don't generally want depilatory cream on sensitive membranes like that) to asshole. The more you use, the better. Be sure to place a towel under you/do this in the tub to catch any that might drip.
   
   
10. Wait. Set a timer and just stand around a bit. Brush your teeth. Floss. I don't care, just wait out the 5-7 minutes.
    
    
11. Hop in the shower. Lukewarm water is the best for this stuff, I'd avoid going really hot though. Grab a washcloth and slowly rub the stuff off in a circular motion while under the stream. You might have to give some hairs a gentle tug to get them out, but it shouldn't take you any real effort. You may miss spots, and that's okay, you can get them next time. You should probably have a set washcloth just for this, because Magic Shave does have a tendency to stain.
    
    
12. Pat dry. If you left it on a little too long, it might feel somewhat like razor burn. Use some Vitamin E/Moisturizing cream on it and dial the time back a little next time.
    
    
    
    All in all, I much prefer using Magic Shave to rid myself of hair, because it leaves me MUCH smoother and isn't as expensive as wearing razor cartridges out. Enjoy shaving, and know that your girlfriend/boyfriend will REALLY appreciate it.
    
    Note: i did not write this

I've been shaving with a very similar one (the "hefty classic", it has a shorter, thicker handle but is otherwise the same) for the last 10 years, having learned about them from a youtube video about why they're better.

After that initial investment, I get blades for like 20 bucks for a lot of 100 on ebay or amazon which last me the whole year...with a mach3 or whatever, it's 14 dollars for 4 cartridges, if I'm lucky.

I also have a badger hair brush that I got for pretty cheap...there are super super expensive ones, but this one and a couple similar ones are great if you don't have the disposable income for a 200 dollar vintage restored brush with an ivory handle or something like that.

The shaving soaps and creams smell tons of times better than the aerosol goops you find, and last way way longer.

There is a learning curve, and you will cut yourself at first a little. I highly recommend watching a bunch of videos, and heading over to Badger & Blade and joining the forums. They will answer any and all questions you have, and most of the time won't even tell you to search first...they'll just reanswer them or direct you to the right post without a single complaint.

I've recently bought a straight razor and I'm still working on the technique. When I shave with my DE (double edge, or safety razor) like the one in the link, I can get a baby butt smooth face that I don't have to reshave for two days or so, because the second morning it feels like I just shaved with a regular gillette. With the straight, I can get a pretty good, very close shave...but I still razor burn the crap out of my goatee area cause my technique sucks. Still, drinking a dram of scotch and then shaving with a bare blade against your face makes me feel so goddamn manly.

Edit: the B&B forums are your best bet for questions, but I"m happy to answer anything here if you've got a couple.

Avid wet shaver here. So if you are considering wet shaving, allow me to indulge you for a second. There's a lot of perks when it comes to wet shaving.

• It's relaxing
  
• It's cheaper/less maintenance
  
• There's lots o' smells and combinations
  
  Sure there's a lot of razors out there, but it's mostly about finding one that you like or find appealing. Does it feel better when the razor is heavy? When it's light? Do you want it to made from plated gold or just chrome? It's about finding one that suits you.
  
  I've been using this bad boy for the last 3 years and it's given me remarkable shaves. Theres a knob on the bottom that allows you to adjust how much of the blade is exposed, so on sensitive areas (like my neck) I can adjust the blade to glide smoothly without worrying about nicks or razor burn.
  
  Now, after you find one of your liking, it's time to look for is a brush.
  
  There's typically 3 types.
  
  
• Badger
  
• Boar
  
• Synthetic
  
  Badger is the most common, as it's softer and holds a generous amount of water. Boar is a harder type hair and requires some getting used to (of which I have little experience with).
  
  Brushes can range from $10-$300. A lot of the price comes down to quality of the hair and material of the handle. Remember, you get what you pay for. One thing to consider is that wet shaving was designed to last forever. Brushes and razors from the 60's, as long as they were well taken care of, can be used today.
  
  Heck if you don't want to get too fancy, don't get a brush. A simple dallop of shaving cream on the hand and massaged on the face would suffice.
  
  Next are razor blades. There's a ton of different manufacturers. Gillete, Astra, Feather; to name a few. Every brand works for different people. I find Astra to be the ideal blade for my face, but Feather blades are too rough on me. When starting out, I'd suggest trying a "Blade Sampler Pack" from some online retailer. And when you find a brand that works, see if you could buy their blades in bulk. I get the 100 pack. So if I use 1 blade for 2 shaves, the cost of blades drop down to mere pennies compared to the cartridge razor blades they sell at the drug store.
  
  SO, now that you have the essentials, keep in mind of the three basic things you use for pre/mid/post shave.
  
  
• Preshave oil (Optional although I highly reccomend it)
  
• Shaving cream
  
• Aftershave (Optional)
  
  Here is where the fun starts. There's just so many choices! You can buy special pre shave oil (preshave oil helps lubricate the blade as it glides over your face. Shaving cream does too) or you can use a glycerine soap bar like this one however, Whole Foods sells a store brand soap bar for $1 that I love.
  
  Try out different shaving soaps or creams until you find one you like. There's so many different online retailers that it aint funny. And they're pretty cheap too. I personally love the Eucalyptus Shave cream from Bath & Body Works and i'm still using the same tube that I've had since last year.
  
  Soak the brush in water, shake excess water out, put a pea size amount of cream on the brush, rub on face, make lather, shave! It feels really good too!
  
  They say to shave for three rounds per shaving session. With the grain, across the grain, and against the grain. So pay attention to which direction the hair grows all over your face and neck.
  
  With your razor, razor blades, pre shave, and shaving cream, you'll have amazing shaves and more money in your pocket.
  
  I haven't used electric shavers, but I can assure you that there's no closer shave you'll get than from a razor.
  
  P.S. Don't buy anything from The Art of Shaving. They are way overpriced for not that great of quality.

Congrats on getting out of that bad foster situation man. I might have a few tips and tricks I haven't seen getting put out yet for you.

1. I second what some people are saying, take as many showers as you want. Something I did find, however, is that if I only shampooed my hair every other day, eventually my hair wouldn't get oily. I've found that something like a Head and Shoulders shampoo/conditioner all in one cleans and keeps the white flakies off.
   
   
2. Those razor burn bumps were the bane of my existence, 'till I discovered the old-school double bladed safety razors (like this one and learned how to use one. For the shaving cream I alternate between Shave Secret (you can find it at Wal-Mart for a couple bucks) and a Gillette sensitive skin gel. No more bumps.
   
   
3. I am one hairy dude. I even have hair on the backs of my fingers. Mostly what I do is keep my pubes trimmed up (helps keep down body odor), and every once in a while use a trimmer with a guard to trim up my eyebrows and get rid of the uni-brow. They would look like caterpillars having sex on my face otherwise. I wouldn't recommend the eyebrow trimming unless it noticeably gets out of hand, but definitely take care of the uni-brow, if you're cursed with that. Otherwise, lots and lots of chicks dig a hairy-chested (fit) dude.
   
   
4. T-shirts get one use from me. Button downs, one to three uses, depending on if I've sweated. Jeans... if it looks or smells dirty, wash them. Otherwise, just hang them up at the end of the day and you're good to go. If it looks dirty or smells like anything other than your deodorant/cologne, wash it. I just use liquid detergent and about 2 cups of vinegar in the wash. The vinegar actually helps get rid of odors and stains. Also, use unscented fabric softener sheets. It helps keep your clothes looking nice, and there won't be any scent to clash with whatever you're wearing.
   
   Also, I highly recommend sticking with something like an Old Spice deodorant and no cologne, unless you can ask a girl that you trust what cologne would smell good on you. And then only use a spray or two under your shirt for the day.
   
   Biotene mouthwash (from Wal-Mart again) dissolves the gunk that is left on your teeth after eating, makes brushing your teeth much more effective. It's a bit more expensive than Listerine, but I've only had a couple cavities in my entire life.
   
   A good, comfortable pair of shoes will make you feel and look better. If your feet hurt, then you will hurt all over. My personal favorite for everyday wear is Macbeths (you can find them at Journeys in the mall). Good foot support, they look great, and they're (relatively) inexpensive. I was without a vehicle in California for about 6 months, wore a pair out walking everywhere in them without a single problem.
   
   I know I'm late to the party, but I hope these help!

After some careful deliberation and lots of research here on w_e, I bit the bullet and made a $100 purchase (more than I would have liked, but I think I can justify it):

Merkur 180 razor $31 for my large sized hands. Good reviews all around and price seemed comparable to the Edwin Jagger that was recommended.

VDH Men's Luxury Shave Set $32 I went with this set basically because I wanted a shaving mug. Also, I'm not convinced I could purchase each component separately and save more than a few dollars while retaining quality. The soap has great reviews, the brush seems decent (good for a starter brush) and the stand is bonus. If I purchased each component separately I might have been able to save a few dollars, but it's easier to start out with the kit, I think.

[This blade sampler] (http://www.amazon.com/FEATHER-Oclock-BLUEBIRD-Blade-Sampler/dp/B004UIZFQW/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1331009882&sr=1-2) $16 This was a recommended sampler on one of mpperry's links, I went with it because it's a good variety of brands I recognize from research and gives me more than one or two blades of each brand.

[This alum block] (http://www.amazon.com/Tulumba-Barber-Alum/dp/B000VXELII/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1331010211&sr=1-3) $8 incl shipping Again, found this through research. Alum block was said to be a non-essential, but I have sensitive skin and it sounds like alum will help me with razor burn and dryness. Plus, I figure, if I'm making the change, might as well go whole-ish hog.

Finally, This nick stick $8 because I know I'll screw up a few times, and I can't be bleeding all over the ladies all the time.

I skipped an aftershave, mostly because I didn't want to pay for shipping. I can probably find a decent one at Walgreens or something.

Although I didn't buy many of the things mpperry recommended in his awesome comment, I plan to use those things in the future when I'm no longer a beginner. Better soaps, better blades and better brushes are in my future, when I'm getting better shaves!

Shipment should arrive over spring break, I figure that's a good time to learn. Can't wait!

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.

This tends to upset people, but if you're interested in a straight razor but feeling uncertain about it, I recommend starting with a shavette:

http://www.amazon.com/Parker-SR1-Stainless-Straight-Razor/dp/B002PQZEHQ

At just $20 it's a lot cheaper than a real straight razor, it's much easier since you don't have to worry about doing any sharpening yourself, and you get a feel for how a straight razor differs from a DE.

The reason many people disagree with this is because they believe the shavette is fundamentally different from the straight razor. "Shavettes are not entry-level straight razors" they say. "The optimal blade angle is different." "You can't hone and strop your shavette to your liking." "They don't weigh the same as a real straight razor." "They aren't as forgiving as a real straight razor."

Honestly I think these arguments are misguided. Shavettes make excellent entry-level straight razors because they teach you the most important things about shaving with a straight razor as opposed to a cartridge or DE: blade angle, and stroke direction. Blade angle is something that most DEs don't give you much flexibility on, while both straights and shavettes do. By stroke direction I mean that unlike a DE, which is like a straight extension of your hand, the straight razor or shavette sticks out of your hand at a 90 degree angle. It's a different feeling and different physical movement. If you can't master either of these with a shavette, then you won't be able to do it with a real straight. So why not start with a $20 shavette instead of a $100 straight (+extra for strop, etc.)?

The rest is completely irrelevant to a beginner:

1. It doesn't matter that the blade angle is different. Using a shavette doesn't train you to use a specific angle. It teaches you how to find the right angle for a given blade and situation. This is an important point because the "best" angle with a real straight--and a shavette--differs depending on whether you are going with the grain, across the grain, or against the grain. The important thing is to gain a feel for how the angle of the blade affects your results, and to be able to alter the angle as needed.
   
   
2. When you first start out you won't have a clue how to hone and strop. It's much better to have a perfectly sharp blade every time so you learn proper shaving technique. Once you have that down, then you can learn proper honing and stropping technique and you will have the shaving experience to know when you are doing it right.
   
   
3. The weight of the blade is largely irrelevant. Different straight razors have different weights too, and in any case this is very easy to adapt to. In my opinion this is literally a non-issue.
   
   
4. There is no such thing as a "forgiving" blade. If you have bad technique, are clumsy, careless, or drunk, you will cut yourself. It's just a matter of time. Shavettes aren't out to get you, and real straight razors will not save you from your own bad behavior.
   
   
   Ok fellas, bring it on. Just remember that I'm trying to save this guy $80+ and the nightmare of having a bad shave and trying to figure out if it's his shaving technique, honing technique, or stropping technique (or some combination) that's to blame.
   
   TLDR: If you are interested in a straight my advice is to start with a Parker SR1 first.

Sure. I will offer up this as a super cheap example of a decent way to start. It will provide a decent shave at a very reasonable price and you can always upgrade later if you decide that you want to.

Razor. It is cheap as hell, but works surprisingly well.

Blades. Buying a sample pack is a great way to decide on a blade that suits you. Every blade is different for everyone. A blade that works wonders for me may leave you with razorburn or stubble and vice versa. Unlike most things cost is not indicitive of how good a blade is.

Brush. Some people prefer badger hair brushes, some people prefer boar bristle. I like both and I use both. This is a decent boar bristle brush for someone starting out. The more that boar is used, the softer it gets.

Soap. Believe it or not you can easily spend hundreds a year on soaps and creams alone if you decide you want to try everything out there. Proraso soap is a great one for a beginner though, easy to lather, slick, and protective. It gives a nice tingle to your face due to the menthol so that is something to be aware of though.

For under $45 you can get started with a full kit. For under $25 if you just want the razor and some blades.

Now here is my favorite setup

Razor. The Merkur 39c has a head that holds the blade at a slant, enabling it to cut more like a guillotine. This is good for someone like me that has very tough and wiry beard hair.

Blades. Astra Superior Platinum razor blades are my favorite. Each one will last me for 3-4 days of shaving. Remember, a blade that works for me may not work for you. Blades are a trial and error thing.

Brush. I have more expensive brushes, but this brush is my favorite. Very soft, yet has enough stiffness to easily whip up a lather and it holds tons of water.

Soap. This is a shave stick. You rub the soap on your face and then use your brush to build a lather. This listing is for 15 shave sticks. A single stick can easily last 6-9 months.

For about 130 bucks you can make a big jump in quality. The majority of costs involved are in the razor itself and a more expensive brush. If I wanted I could spend upwards of 200 dollars on a stainless steel razor and over 500 dollars on high end silvertip badger hair brush. As I have mentioned before, this hobby is as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.

I hope this helps.

If you HAVE to buy from Amazon.ca, the Parker 24C and the Edwin Jagger DE89 are available as /u/ketchuegrast mentioned. I'll put the links at the end of this post.

Italian Barber is in Canada and has some awesome choices for brushes, razors, and soaps, but they charge in US dollars. The products are for sure shipped from Canada however.

The Badger Shaving Co is based in Vancouver and payment is in Canadian dollars. I would say if your mom is hesitant, that could be your best chance to convince her to buy from a smaller merchant with better products. They have the Sterling synthetic brushes, a wide selection of artisan soaps, and some really good starter kits that include razors.

Mens Essentials is in Canada and payment is in Canadian dollars too... and they have a store if you live in that area, but it's a big country, so I'm guessing that's not going to be an option. ;)

If she still says Amazon or nothing you can always get your razor from Amazon and then pick up some Proraso soap from a Shopper's Drug Mart. Most malls also have House of Knives, and they sell Taylor of Old Bond St shaving cream for a good price. That might be easier for you to learn to lather with hard water too.

Feel free to PM me if your mom wants to email me about Badger Shaving and I'd be happy to answer any questions. A guy named Travis owns the company and he is awesome, so he would of course answer any questions as well.

Here are links to what I would say are the 2 best starter razors on Amazon.ca

http://www.amazon.ca/Edwin-Jagger-De89lbl-Double-Safety/dp/B002RBF1PO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452910352&sr=8-1&keywords=DE89

http://www.amazon.ca/Parker--Three-Double-Safety-Razor/dp/B00IDDW4Y6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452909274&sr=8-1&keywords=parker+24C

Copy paste with some useful information to you.

---------

What is your budget? You can get pretty nice kit for $60, but you can get started for about $25 as well.

You only need; razor, brush, cream/soap, and blade sampler pack. For aftershave you can use whatever you currently have, but if you don't have anything you can pick up Nivea sensitive aftershave balm from your local supermarket for $5.

There are preshave creams, oils, and soaps. These are not necessary, but some users do find them helpful. A cheap glycerin soap like the "clearly natural" or "whole foods 365" can be had for about 2-3 dollars. You use these soaps to wash your face before you start lathering.

For post shave there is; alum block, afershave splash, aftershave balm, moisturizing cream, moisturizing oil like jojoba oil, unrefined shea butter, and witch hazel. You pretty much have to try which works for you, but I'd start with a cheap aftershave balm like the Nivea sensitive that I mentioned (if you get satisfactory results with it you don't have to explore the other options unless you want to).

For bowl lathering you can use any small sized bowl you have in your house. Approximately 2-3 inches deep and 4-6 inches in diameter would be a good size for the bowl. You can also purchase one from your local supermarket for cheap. Alternatively you can face lather which removes the need for a bowl.

----------------

Take a look at the sidebar, it has good information and kit suggestions. HERE is what I recommend for DE kit. Check out all the information links in that post. It has many lathering videos, but beginners usually have trouble with making the lather, so I thought they should be there.

• Razor: Any of the Edwin Jagger DE8x razors. $35
  
• Brush: Omega 10065, or Omega 10049. $10
  
• Shaving cream/soap: RazoRock La Famiglia $7
  
• Blade sampler: Build your own 5 brand sampler $6.50
  
• Astra Superior Platinum
  
• Feather
  
• Shark Super Stainless
  
• Lord Platinum
  
• Gillette 7 o'clock SharpEdge
  
  Total: $58
  
  
• Optional: Alum block, and pre-shave oil
  
  If you are on lower budget you can...
  
  
• change the razor to Sodial which brings the total to about $25
  
• switch the razor to MR13 then the total would be $39.
  
• stick with the Edwin Jagger DE8x, total $58
  
  Read these two threads as well.
  
  
• Some information about alum block and how to use it.
  
• Recent thread about Maggard Razors razors.
  
  I hope I didn't drown you with information (I probably did). If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, people here will happily help you.

I believe the term you are seeking is "Zero Waste" living, or something close to.

Researching a bit of "zero waste" living products may help you get started with some ideas! I find a lot of material on youtube about zero waste living and am dabbling into the reality of the lifestyle myself. I am not sure if you are a man or woman, or what kinds of products you do use in your bathroom (toiletries, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, etc.) But I figured I would offer a few of my favorite alternatives to common items that you may look into.

Safety razors. Disposable razors/plastic handles with replaceable heads are convenient, yet highly wasteful and overall expensive to maintain. There are lots of stainless steel safety razors on the market with the feature of removable blades (of which you replace and recycle once your current blade has fulfilled it's purpose). Safety razors range from about $25- $50 and can last up to a lifetime. The replaceable razor blades can be found for very cheap (their lifetime lasts according to your usage). Here are amazon links to exemplary items:

Safety Razor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NL0T1G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_boeIybWZE9JXX

Safety Razor Blade Replacements: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001QY8QXM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_WoeIybSASAFBK

Homemade deodorant and/or natural sustainable deodorants: These can be tricky to get started with. Most commercial deodorants use aluminum to block your sweaty glands and completely block the process of perspiration. So, I urge you to take on natural deodorants with patience and give different methods a chance to work for themselves.

You can make your own, in a glass jar with ingredients that are less harmful to your body and this may be the best method to find something that aligns with your own body chemistry. A typical recipe for homemade deodorant would be 1 part coconut oil to 1 part bicarbonate soda (baking soda). BICARBONATE SODA MAY IRRITATE YOUR UNDERARMS. For the first couple weeks of usage, you may experience irritation of your glands purging the aluminum blockage and other toxins built up over time. Baking soda may also cause irritation to those who shave quite frequently, however I have found that applying this mixture at least 30 minutes after I shaved armpits in the shower, that I am less likely to get slight itchiness, if any at all. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY IF THIS METHOD IS NOT TOLERABLE FOR YOU.

If you are not keen on the idea of slathering on some good old homemade, Hippie salve, then Piperwai AND Schmidt's are popular brands with minimal packaging that seem to work for majority of people. These two products still contain bicarbonate soda, but will save you the convenience of not making your own. There are plenty of zero waste options that do not contain bicarbonate soda, but I have found luck with this formula and haven't looked beyond to seek anything else. Again, youtube is a good resource for finding such.

Piperwai Deodorant: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011SM7IGM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FweIyb6Z2E2RM

Schmidt's Deodorant: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018K3HD62/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fxeIybH035978

As for soaps, there are many wonderful body, face, and hair soaps available on the market today. Investing in simple bars with paper packaging or reusable storage may be the best option for avoiding excess packaging. There are lots of options available either on Etsy, at your city Whole Foods, or there are usually natural soap options that can be found quite locally at farmers markets and such hopefully in your hometown. Personal preference will go into certain decision making with soaps but bars are usually the best way to avoid said packaging.

Hopefully this offered a small bit of help and information to help you get started in your journey towards minimalism and green-thumb consciousness! Good luck!

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------
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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Check out a Merkur safety razor (https://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Long-Handled-Safety-Razor/dp/B000NL0T1G) and a sample blade pack from amazon.

Get an inexpensive shaving brush to start with to see how you like it, but eventually drop more money on a nice brush. Spend $10-$15 to start then expect to drop $50+ on a nice pure badger hair brush in a few months. The badger brush that I bought for like $70 I still have with me 4-5 years later (although admittedly I don't shave terribly often). Once you get that pricey brush, get a cheap plastic holder for it as well - keep the bristles pointing down instead of up - after using it leaving them facing upwards allows the water to settle around the base and weaken the glue holding in the bristles, ultimately destroying your expensive brush. Not good.

Check out Proraso soaps in a bowl - more convenient than paste or anything else, I've found. They have multiple types, here's my favorite as it makes my face a little tingly: https://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Soap-Refreshing-Toning/dp/B00837YY18

If you prefer your own bowl, Proraso makes a paste and you can get a mug or bowl to mix it in - I found I preferred the ready-to-go stuff as it's faster and makes it more likely I'll shave regularly. :)

Then, after you've done all that and realized it's the best shave you've ever done and it's actually way more fun to shave than you ever thought it'd be, go for a straight razor. Don't do an actual blade, strop, and all that stuff right away. Instead, just go get a disposable straight razor blade holder and some blades: https://www.amazon.com/Equinox-Professional-Straight-Single-Blades/dp/B0118BJ0PA and learn how to use that thing. Then if you're like me and shave once every week or two (super lazy!) you can literally take weeks of beard off in a single pass with a straight razor and a fresh blade. I stopped here, personally, didn't go on to a full straight razor as they're pricey and you need to maintain it (oil, strop, etc) - likely something I'd let slide and ultimately wish I hadn't spent the money on...

Also, get a styptic pencil: https://www.amazon.com/Woltra-Styptic-Pencil-Small-0-25/dp/B000EGIEOE - it stings a bit when you cut yourself but almost immediately stops the bleeding. Unlike cuts/nicks with a multiblade razor, cuts with a safety razor or straight razor are actual "cuts" - and they bleed like cuts. Like, "blood trickling down your face" type cuts. They look worse than they are because you have water on your face and it thins the blood and it runs more, but it bleeds. This will stop that bleeding really fast at the expense of a little more pain right up front. I keep one handy.

I've turned several friends on to at least the safety razor. It's way more fun to shave that way, less expensive, and is better for your skin to boot. If you like a really close shave, too, you can get a better shave overall with a 3-pass technique (I don't do that, personally) as you get better. All sorts of options...

edit: mentioned the brush holder
edit2: styptic pencil

For me, blades last about 4 uses. And it was just using them and paying attention. Occasionally I'll shave 5-6 times, or only 2-3, if I forget how many times I've used them. To me it was pretty obvious when they were no longer sufficient for the job, and you'll learn as you go. The nice thing about that though, is that they're dirt cheap. I ordered a sampler pack, and tried probably 10-15 different blades before I settled on Astra Superior Platinum, and for me, and the razor I have, it's all I need.

This pack of 100 blades is 11 dollars.

That's about .11 cents per blade. For me that's around 400 shaves, give or take. And considering I shave at most every 2nd-4th day, at worst, that's ~30 blades per year. That's a three and a half years worth of blades almost.

I used to shave with a Mach3, and I liked the turbo blades. A 5 pack is 17.97 at walmart right now, or 3.59/blade. At best I could get 4 shaves, so lets do that math. I can get about 20 shaves out of a pack, and ~120 shaves a year. 6pks/year for 3.5 years is 377.37

Now I paid about 30 dollars for my razor, and I buy cheap van der hagen soap at walgreens, which is about 2 bucks, and 2 pucks I can fit in my bowl, lasts me about 4-6 months, depending on how crazy I get making lather. Plus after shave, I use Nivea sensitive skin, and use it as a pre-shave oil, and a post shave. I subscribe to amazon, and get 4 bottles every 6 mos for 18 bucks.

I've also bought 2 brushes, a boar brush(which was fantastic to learn on), and a nice badger brush from The Art of Shaving(great sale). Oh, and a large Alum block(which you may or may not want, but I love)

There's misc crap here and there, but my initial investment, over the course of just 1 year is not even 200 dollars, and now the only thing I need to spend money on in the next 2-3 years is shave soap. Which is 8-12 bucks a year, and aftershave, which is 36.

50 bucks a year for a shave that is something I now look forward too, it's a pleasure. I grab a frosty cold beer, take a wonderfully hot and relaxing shower, do all my pre-save prep(I prefer pampering), and then shave, post-shave pamper, and then relax. The whole process takes about 30-45 minutes, because I like to take my time and make sure I'm doing the best I can. It's marvelous. Compared to probably 400/year for canned cream and a shitty plastic razor, the choice to me is an obvious one.

Now it's easy to go overboard, and I made sure I felt comfortable, but I'm going to get another razor(if Joe at RR/IB can get that slant figured out), and different bowls, and mugs for lathering etc, and I'm determined to start trying different soaps, and scents, but even still, I'm satisfied immensely with my shaves now, and even going overboard, I'll never reach the cost of cartridge razors.

Awesome! All right, here we go.

Razors:

The difference between men and women's razors is that women's have longer handles and a smaller aperture for the blade. Men's usually have a wavy little comb bit that lifts up their thicker beard hair to cut.

The one I personally recommend is the Weishi. It's $17 bucks, and the metal is really light, but I ended up getting used to that fairly quickly. Not a big initial investment and perfectly adequate for my needs.

I see Murker recommended fairly often. I hear they are okay, if overpriced. I personally hated it, lol. They are definitely geared towards beards and did not play nice with my pale little legs.

You could also go for the vintage Lady Gillette. I paid $30 for mine on ebay and it's got a nice long handle, good grip, and nice weighty metal. This was actually my first purchase and I'm still really happy with it. Considering I'm happy with the Weishi, though, I'd probably just repurchase that one if I ever lose mine.

Blades:

Now this one might take some trial and error. Everyone has different hair and different skin and every razor brand shaves a little differently.

A lot of people start off with a multipack to get a feel for the different blades and then narrow it down to brands they like. I think it's a great idea and probably your best bet. I'll still mention my experiences though.

STAY AWAY FROM DORCO. They are bullshit. I'm not a fan of Gillette brand blades either except for the Wilkinson Sword and they're kind of expensive at $20 for 100. Derby is also just okay.

Feather: give the sharpest, closest shave ever. So sharp that you can cut yourself and you won't even notice until the trail of blood starts going down the drain. Great blades, and a ton of people like them, but I found that they dull too quickly for leg real-estate and are too scary sharp for sensitive bits.

Voskhod: Sharp, reliable, lasts through a few shavings. I quite like this one and have repurchased it. They are good, solid razors that gave a decent shave. Good for all-over.

Shark: My favorite at the moment. Comparable to Voskhod except I feel they might give a slightly closer shave and dull a little bit faster. If I had both in the bathroom I would probably choose Shark for the legs and Voskhod for everywhere else.

Astra: Worked adequately. Shave isn't bad or great, just reliable. Worked on the legs but not as good in other places. Wasn't worth a repurchase.

Lord: I think these actually lasted the most shaves out of all of them, at about 4 uses per blade. I think I had the least incidence of cuts with these but the shave wasn't as close as I wanted. My shaves usually last two or three days with the other razors but with this one I was feeling it lasted only 1-2. I think these are literally the opposite of the Feathers in terms of their qualities.

​

M'kay, that's all I can think of for now. I hope this helps!

Any particular reason you want to order from amazon? Ordering from other vendors focused on wetshaving could give you a better deal...

Feedback on the items:

• Merkur razors are good, but DE89 is generally regarded around here as a better starting razor. Cheaper at Maggardrazors or West coast shaving. Or rather, any of the DE89/86/83/8x, since they're basically the same razor and head, just small differences in the handle. But I personally started out with a Merkur 34C, same head as the 180, just a shorter handle. So the 180 would probably work fine if you fancy it for some reason.
  
  
  
• Personally I understand that you want to stick to one blade while learning, but I'm not sure about the use of a sampler pack then. Generally advice is to start shaving and try each blade twice until you find one that suits you, and then stick with that brand during your "trial" period. While learning that is. Bulk blades are cheaply avaliable from ebay (trusted sellers with many sales is a recommendation) or Turkish Bestshave
  
  
  
• I really dislike Pure badger brushes and will always recommend Boar brushes or a better badger brush instead. I'd recommend something along these lines: Omega boar brush, or a good value badger brush, Frank Shaving, Ian Tang on ebay, Silvertip, Frank Shaving, Ian Tang on ebay, Finest, or any Whipped Dog Silvertip
  
  
• I personally find proraso to be a solid shaving soap/cream, but there's plenty of other good ones out there :).
  
  
• I also really like the proraso aftershave balm, good stuff.
  
  
• Sample pack, see the above comment.
  
  
• Some form of styptic pencil or alum block is a good idea. Haven't tried that brand though, but /u/Leisureguy (?) recommends it, which I'd say is enough for me to believe it's a good product (I think it's Leisureguy that recommends it, if I'm wrong I apologies)
  
  
• Glycerine soap works as a preshave, just as any other preshave oil/cream.
  
  You could also check out this recent comment I made about starting kit, probably applies here as well :).
  
  When it comes to shaving stuff /u/Leisureguy is a pretty solid guy who knows his stuff, if he says something is bad, you probably should trust him ;). Avoid that VDH stuff, there's better value alternatives out there. The sites I've linked is just examples, there's plenty of good sites out there and depending on where you're based, different retailers and deals might be better for you. If you wonder about anything in particular, just ask :).

/r/wicked_edge has lots of great advice. I'll boil a lot of it down for you though..

1. Stop using the 17-bladed nuclear-powered vibrating cartridge monsters with extra lubricating strip and kung-fu grip. Similarly, no electric shavers. They're really electric hair-ripper-outers. Not kidding. Kick it old school, like your grandfather. Look at a double-edge safety razor, or if you're really looking to go all-in, consider a straight razor.
   
   
2. Think about your shaving cream. Does it come out of a can using aerosol? Maybe rethink that too then. Plenty of options out there that don't involve chemical-laden aerosol-propelled goo. You can even really turn the clock back with a cup/bowl/mug and brush setup to whip up a nice lather. I'm a fan of Taylor of Old Bond Street. But, I've also used DR Harris products, and they're quite nice as well. One of the side benefits of my former job was all the trips to London, so I could just stop into the ToBS shop on Jermyn Street. Sadly, those days are past, so I rely on the kindness of co-workers that still go over. :) It's easy enough to get their products in the US, it just costs a bit more.
   
   
3. If you go the DE route, get a sample pack of different blades. Different blades work differently on different guys. For me, Derby blades are death. For others, they're amazing. For me, I work well with Astra, or can manage Feathers if I'm really careful (they're super sharp). My best blade though, has been a Personna medical prep blade.
   
   
4. Shave in passes. Do a with-the-grain pass, followed by an across-the-grain pass. If you're really not there yet, you can add an against-the-grain pass, but that's a pretty advanced move. Remember - you're doing multiple passes. You don't need to remove every bit of hair the first pass. You don't press the razor into your face (as you're probably used to!). This razor has heft, and a blade that's really sharp. You're accustomed to a lightweight razor that has blades that are as dull as a hunk of cardboard compared to your garden variety DE blade.
   
   
5. Use a quality aftershave. Try to avoid ones that contain alcohol, as it dries out the skin. I love the Nivea sensitive skin stuff. I can get it for way cheaper than that link shows at Walgreens, Target or Wegmans though.
   
   Many folks will try to sell you on the economics here, and how much money you'll save by shaving this way. While possible, it's not necessarily so. One can go bonkers and spend hundreds on the best gear if they wish. BUT, you don't have to.
   
   For me, I use a $30 brush from whippeddog.com with a $5 mug from Target. My cream (ToBS Jermyn St) runs about $15 a tub, which lasts me probably 6-9 months. My daily shaver is a $30 Edwin Jagger, and my blades run about $30 for a 100-pack. I get 2-3 shaves from each blade.
   
   If you run the numbers, you'll likely come out ahead by going to DE, get better shaves, and have better skin as well. It sure was cheaper for me. I used to go through a cartridge a week. So, that's 4 carts a month. I was spending $30-ish every other month on 8-packs of cartridges, or about $3.75 per week. Nowadays, that's 2 blades a week, at ~$0.30/blade, that's $0.60/week in blades. That's a massive savings alone.
   
   You can do the ROI analysis for yourself. Take into account what you'd spend on shaving supplies, and calculate at which points the cost lines cross (ie break-even).

Well a brush isn't necessary to build the lather, but it certainly makes it much easier to whip it up into stiff peaks like a meringue. If your lather now provides enough lift on the whiskers and moisture on the skin then that's the most important part.

For me, using the brush to make and apply the lather is quite enjoyable, and there are subtle but practical benefits; natural bristles retain water for moisturizing, they also help lift whiskers and massage the lather into them to soften, and having a brush with a nice soap/cream looks kinda neat by the sink (people always ask about my shave gear the first time they visit the house).

So it's perfectly fine to hand-lather, but I don't think you'd go back if you ever tried a brush. I got sticker shock when I first looked at brushes as they can get quite pricey. I wasn't even thrilled with paying like $45 for my first one (which was worth it in retrospect), and I've made two of my own since that one (details here). If you're just looking to try, then the Tweezerman badger is both adequate and affordable at less than $15 on Amazon.

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!

My girlfriend and I have identical body-hair rituals so, I speak for two women here:

​

Armpit hair - We both remove it all the time, I mean it takes 2 seconds.

Leg hair - Also consistently shave, but if we're wearing pants a lot (winter) we aren't weird about some leg stubble. We are a hairy leg democracy and vote on when we will shave so nobody werewolves alone.

Pube hair - Trim neatly. We both shave the bikini line and the top to keep a nice triangle , and use an electric razor to trim the rest of it down to a neat length, but we don't remove it all ever.

​

​

Side note: I highly recommend safety razors, specifically The Lady Gillette - you will save mountains of money. It costs $20-$30 (can be found on eBay), and then the blades cost actual pennies. Example, less than $10 for 100 blades - you could easily use less than 1 blade per week, making this last 2+ years. TEN DOLLARS EVERY TWO YEARS. You can stop buying those overpriced cartridges that were only invented to make you spend more money,

Plus, the shave is superior anyway, and it's convenient. It's so nice being able to take the razor out mid-shave (say, if I let things get a little bad) and hit the blade and the head with water and go back with a perfectly unclogged blade. I've been using mine for over a year, and made my girlfriend buy one immediately and she has never looked back either. Seriously my friends, worth it - happy to answer any questions.

​

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.

Ordering from the Sodial shop on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7239EK/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1) in May I got what you here are showing as the Sodial razor, which came in a blue and clear plastic case. In July I ordered six more from the same shop, and received what you're showing as the RiMei, which arrived in the same packaging shown in your photo. My observations are consistent: the RiMei's handle is significantly heavier and is solid. The Sodial's handle is hollow, and the end cap constantly unscrews and falls off, which is annoying. The fluting on the Sodial handle, though, felt machined and sharper, providing a better grip than the softer edged RiMei. Nonetheless, the RiMei feels like a much more solid, weighty, and satisfying substantial razor, and I much prefer it. The only improvement I'd recommend is for them to bring back the sharper edged surface finish of the Sodial, which provides a slightly better grip. I consider the RiMei to be the best value in DE shaving: for $2.22 (to the USA), shipping included, you get a shave almost as good as from a Gillette Tech, which are running these days around $20-30. This is an ideal discount razor for gym-travel-shower (where the possibility of drops, damage, and loss is significantly higher) as well as an ideal razor for budget DE shaving explorations and gifts. I was buying the six for my own experiment in introducing friends to DE shaving, the Super Cost Effective DE Shaving Gift Kit, which costs me about $25/kit, and includes: razor, brush, bowl, blades, soap, cream, witchhazel, and alum. http://i.imgur.com/HvKE8C7.jpg

The picture gallery is empty, how long have you been growing for and how old are you? If you've been growing for less than a month the answer is to just keep growing. If you're past the month and your beard is a faster growing one you can cut your cheek and neck line. If your hair doesn't grow that fast give it longer, personally I think you should wait until your face is obscured but your hair is not yet too think for a pass or two of a DE razor to cut.

If you're past the two month mark and your hair grows thick you may want to start thinking about grooming. Personally I like to start my shower by putting a good conditioner in my beard and letting it sit as I shower. I wash it out last and then after the shower put some leave in conditioner on it that will stay in my beard the rest of the day. This keeps my beard shiny and soft, and makes it easier to work with while combing.

If you're past three months and your hair grows thick you can then start thinking about trimming. This is not something we can help you with, it really depends on your personal style. I can almost guarantee that everyone here is just going to tell you to let the beast grow. It's not a bad idea either, it's easier to cut beard off than to grow it back so why not let it grow for a while. Personally, I'm almost at three months now and my expectations of what I wanted have completely changed. At first I just wanted a nice flat bit of hair on my face, a very neat and tidy full beard. Unfortunately my hair doesn't grow that way and it had to get pretty thick before it covered my face well. Now that I have grown it thick I find I like the size of the beard and want to keep growing it. Does that mean I'll have a yeard? Couldn't tell you until I get there. I plan to keep growing it until I don't like how it looks anymore, then and only then will I trim it back to the point where I do like it. This is my recommendation to you. That and get your pictures working, everyone wants to see that beast of a beard!

Guide to budget-buying for your first safety razor? Yes. As a matter of fact, this is the biggest advantage of shaving the old way: Supplies are quite cheap (though enthusiasts can quickly spend quite a lot of money on fancy brushes and hand-made razors). Go to Amazon, and look at these:

Silver Tone DE Razor -- For the money, you can't really beat this razor. I have one, and it works as it ought to. You might pick up an antique for no more than a couple bucks at a yard sale or antique shop; but give this a try if you can't be arsed.

Williams Mug Shaving Soap -- Works well enough; best when lathered on the puck. Cheapest you can buy.

Luxor Pro Badger Brush -- It's cheap. But it works. It will probably start losing bristles and thus wear out after a year or two; YMMV. If you want to get something a little nicer that will last a good long while, plan to spend at least $25 on a shaving brush; boar are better for the cheaper brushes but badger are the best if they are quality.

Most recommend getting one of the blade sampler packs on Amazon if you don't know what you like shaving with. These cost $12-30 or so, depending on how many blades are in them. If you're looking to go really cheap, get a 100 pack of Derby blades for $8. You can get a five pack of cheap blades for as little as $1, but I can't vouch for the effectiveness of those.

All told, this combo will cost you around $18.92, and you'll have adequate shaving supplies to last you for a couple years (depending on how much soap you use).

In time you'll want to upgrade things, of course; but this will do you well.

> Sure, it'll cost more for the initial investment, but that'll pay itself off. Am I right in this assumption?

Sort of. Traditional wet shaving will definitely pay for itself over time, but it doesn't have to cost that much up front. You can get a very good DE starter kit for less than a multi-pack of cartridge refills.

> Is there any practical difference between DE and straight razor shaving as far as cost involved, difficulty in shaving, or maintenance?

Yes, yes, and yes. Straight razors are much more expensive than safety razors. New straights start near $100; you can get a decent DE razor for about $2 and a very good one for $16.

If you've been using cartridges, it'll be easier to learn to use a DE razor. Although there is a learning cuve, the motions are similar. Using a straight razor is significantly different. It's a skill that you can master (and you'll master it more quickly if you're co-ordinated and ambidextrous), but it will be more difficult than learning to use a DE.

As far as maintenance goes, you need to strop a straight razor before each use (the strop will set you back $25+). A few times a year you'll need to hone the blade; you can send it out for honing (~$25) or get a set of stones ($75+) and learn to do it yourself. With a DE razor, you just scrub it with a toothbrush whenever you change the blade.

> What kind of recurring costs am I going to deal with, as compared to disposable razors?

As mentioned, you'll need to have a straight razor honed periodically. If you do that yourself, you will have no recurring costs. With a DE razor, you'll need to buy blades. Depending on which blades work best for you and how long they last against your beard, the cost will be anywhere between $0.01 and $0.10 per shave.

> The key thing for me is cost.

Get a DE razor, a good boar brush, some high-quality cream or soap, and a blade sampler. You'll be saving money from day one.

I am a sweaty person. I have tried all the name brand antiperspirants/deodorants. After years of crusted yellow/white stained shirts, I realized that my body seemed to compensate with more sweat, plugged up under the arms, it surfaced on my back and head. Clinical/prescription strength antiperspirants only added to the problem, and my white tees took the damage. Later I found out people, myself included, actually use too much, you only need a super thin amount applied to your underarms, don't go about it like frosting a cake.

Also thinking about the potential harm of aluminum based antiperspirants (you absorb everything through your skin), I moved on to some natural deodorants (brands like Toms) but they just didn't seem to work so well, but i did notice when I applied less deodorant, or didn't altogether, my sweat began to lessen in severity. Anytime I actually smelled (like after yardwork or a any long day in the sun), it was time for a shower anyways. After I was properly applying a thin coat, I settled on Arm & Hammers Essential Deodorant that began to alleviate my problems, notably with my clothing. No more yellow crusty shirts!

But how about some deodorant that will last you several years? Try a Thai Deodorant Stone, I've had this baby for a year now and I can attest that it works great. Nowadays I apply this to my underarms from time to time and lightly powder my feet and groin with a mix of cornstarch and talc. Life is much better now.

TLDR: Use less antiperspirant and try a deodorant stick without aluminum, like Arm & Hammer Natural Essentials, or try a Thai Deodorant Stone cause it rules. Also try applying talc/cornstarch to areas you get moist

And while we're on the topic of saving money on everyday hygienic activities, consider a safety razor (refill blades are $10 for 100 compared to $20 for 8) some nice sandalwood shave soap (I've had this bowl for a year and it doesn't really look like any is gone) and a nice aftershave (I get lots of compliments on the particular scent of this one from those who get close enough to smell it) I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging...

Before I started shaving like this, I had a bit of an acne problem and some parts of my face where I would get spots of dry skin, it's gone now. My skin is mostly clear. You're gonna get a much better shave that doesn't irritate your skin and save a ton of money when you think about the cost of Gillete Quadruple edged razors, plus how much more badass is it to shave like this? This is how your grandpa shaved. The upfront investment is a badger brush, which I called an investment because a good one will last you a lifetime.

That's my hygiene ramble.

Honestly I think you'd see a lot more success with a cheap badger hair brush and some shave soap (Proraso Shaving Soap In A Bowl - Refresh, 5.2 Oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00837YY18/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Eb6qDbAN1EM1M)

I switched about 8 years ago and I'd estimate I've saved at least $400 in shave supplies. (Let's say minimum 2 cartridge packs a year at $25 each). For that alone I'd keep doing it but I also have a significantly better shave.

Another item that might improve your success is the actual razor. I've tried a bunch and these work best (Astra Platinum Double Edge Safety Razor Blades ,100 Blades (20 x 5) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001QY8QXM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Bi6qDbR9FZ5HN)

Anywho...be glad to help further if you need...good luck!!

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 recently ordered, received, and tested this razor.

The razor arrived in my mailbox eleven days after I placed my order. It showed up in a very plain bubble-envelope mailer, with just this inside:

http://i.imgur.com/LzgJLFh.jpg


The razor, and a single blade. At first blush, the razor was light but not flimsy. It's definitely less substantial than my Merkur 34C, but it's acceptable. The fit and finish seem to be of decent quality. It comes apart easily, and actually breaks into four pieces: the curved top piece that goes over the blade, the "comb" portion that goes under the blade, the shaft, and the knob at the bottom of the shaft.

http://i.imgur.com/StkkZCQ.jpg

I decided to test the razor using a blue-box Gillette 7 O'Clock, which is a common blade and friendly to my face. I usually favor Feathers, but I'm not about to put a Feather into a razor with which I am not familiar. The blade that came with this razor was a weird Chinese brand I've never used before, and I wanted to make sure that I'm evaluating the razor, not the blade.

http://i.imgur.com/dJhnWSN.jpg

The razor goes together easily. The threads are not as nice as the Merkur 34C, but everything screws down tight and stays there. Balance is decent, nothing special. The razor feels a little light, but I like heavy razors.

http://i.imgur.com/k5DxcAk.jpg

I chose to test using a Gillette 7 O'Clock (blue box), Ecotools Bamboo brush, and a mixture of Arko and Proraso soap from a mug. This is what I've been using daily in my other DE razors.

I lathered up, and did one pass with the grain, re-lathered, then made a second pass across the grain. This is how I usually shave daily. Immediately, I noticed that the razor is a slightly mild shaver; I had to use a more aggressive angle than with the 34C. It does shave well, but I had to apply some hand pressure, as this razor is not as heavy as some that I am used to. I did prefer it to the Weishi butterfly DE. Overall, I was happy with the quality of the shave after my across the grain pass; it was decent.


In sum, for $2.25 shipped, this razor is a good deal. It works decently, looks alright, and comes in a package that includes some amusingly translated instructions. I'll likely get a few more to keep at vacation homes and such. I would still recommend a 34C as a first DE over this, but this is good for the DE fan that just wants something else in the stable, or wants a razor to leave at the lake house or mistress's apartment. For $2.25, if it gets messed up-- no big deal.

I'd like to suggest an alternative list. I don't have a lot of experience with a ton of different safety razors, but I did have a cheapo safety razor I inherited from my grandpa (RIP), and after 3yrs I spent under $40 on an Edwin Jagger and the difference was staggering. I'm not one to suggest unloading a ton of money on anything, but I'd suggest your priorities are a bit skewed when you're spending less on your safety razor than you are on your alum block (which is hardly a necessity, comparatively. Some people don't even like them, although I do)...

Here's my alternative suggestion that adds up to roughly the same amount of upfront $$ (~$50 - 60), but sets your priorities toward getting a fantastic, albeit affordable safety razor that will last you your whole life:

Edwin Jagger ($40)
http://www.amazon.com/Edwin-Jagger-De89bl-Double-Safety/dp/B003LW4L2W/

There are others in this price range that are good as well. I can't speak to those, but I doubt anyone here will argue that the Edwin Jagger is not a top contender for its price point. It's very popular.

I'd hold off on buying blades today (unless you really want to) since the above safety razor comes with 5 which should get you buy for your first 20 shaves or so if you want them to.. but when you do, buying them 100x at a time for ~$10 seems to be the right price point (and it'll last you 5yrs if you're like me), unless you like fancy feather blades or something. I've never noticed a difference between vendors, but others have. YMMV. Here's what I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Derby-Extra-Double-Razor-Blades/dp/B004SGKMA0/

That brush seems like a good price point. over $10 but under $20 seems to be a good price point for a decent quality brush unless you know what you're looking for. Mine has lasted me 3yrs so far and has no visible signs of wear or hairs falling out. I'd expect it to last another 3 at the very least, but probably many more.

Alum block? Skip it if you want for the time being, but I'd get it if I were you since it's just $6. It's the same one I have and it does its job of closing up nicks very well.

Styptic pencil is like $1 (maybe $2) at CVS / Walgreens, IIRC, no need to get on amazon if you don't want. Definitely get one of these, just don't lose the damn thing. Sure beats little bits of toilet paper on your face for hours and hours.

You can also get a puck of William's shave soap at CVS for $2 link which will last you a long time. If you want to spend a few bucks extra on that Palmolive stuff because you know it'll be better for your individual skin, then go for it.

In short: Spend the money on the safety razor, which should last forever. Skimp on everything else, which will not last forever. That's my advice. I spent 3yrs shaving with a razor that I had no idea was as comparatively awful as a good one. I wish I had known better at the time, but unfortunately I did not, and had pretty shitty shaves and got lots of nasty cuts for 3yrs that could have been avoided.

I just got my shavette the other day. I've had 2 shaves with it and am a big fan so far. From what I've noticed, your preshave prep and technique are critical! A good preshave lotion/oil, a nice hot towel to the face, and a good quality soap are important so you're not fighting over poor prep AND the learning curve. Since you're using 1/2 of DE blades, you're pretty much using a brand new blade everytime, plus it has sharp corners so technique is a must. Accurate angles and no slips of the hand. As long as you take your time it can be a very relaxing shave just like DEs or SRs. Plus, obtaining a nice BBS shave with something that requires skill to achieve is very rewarding. I'm a fan.

I think they get a lot of hate from DE shavers because they require a lot more skill, and from the SR shavers because you're not honing, stropping, and caring for the steel yourself. Too hard for one group, too easy for the other. Personally, I just like to enjoy the act of shaving and have a nice smooth face all day.

First time poster here but there will be plenty more to come.

Duke Cannon Shave Cream: This is some pretty good stuff. I mainly got it because of the ingredients you get for the price. It's 6 oz for $13 which is pretty decent. I smell manly as all shit after I shave too but that's half the reason we're in this right?


It's ranked above Art of Shaving on an About.com review which sells at lower quantaties and higher prices. ($16 for 2.5 oz)


70s Gillette Super adjustable: Butterfly open, long handle, awesome. Do they even make anything better than this?

My grandpa gave me his collection of saftey razors. I also have a 40's Gold Tech, some 1920s comb guard ones, and some SE ones I don't remember the name/brand of. They're a bit burried now but I can get pics later.

Rooney Brush + Vintage Old Spice Shaving Mug: Two more hand me downs.


The mug is a shave mug, has the slots to hold the soap in place etc.


The rooney brush is an English made badger brush. I'd been using those crappy Van Der Hagen brushes from the drug store and the hairs would come out in chunks no matter how I hung it to dry. This vintage thing hasn't lost more than 2-3 hairs and I've been using it for over a year.

Astra Superior Platinum Blades: $10 for 100x blades that cut like lasers.

Alright the elephant in the room: weird packaging. These things are made in St. Petersburg, Russia, distrubuted by proctor and gamble czech republic, have arabic all over them, and somehow hungary is involved.

Honestly I don't know what to say other than these blades are the sharpest for the price you can possibly get. I've tried vintage gillete super blues, 40s gillette thins, modern wilkinsons, and they all pulled. With these I could shave my whole beard without trimming it (I did for a speech class).

A lot of people are going to recommend a lot of different razors, I just started wet shaving a couple weeks ago and I bought a Merkur 34c. I'm really happy with it, some people don't like the length of the handle but it only took me a couple shaves to get used to it. I wear a XL glove for reference and I have no problems with it. I also like how much heft that the razor has, it allows for no pressure and lets the weight of the razor do the work for you. I was really surprised with the weight when I first got it, for as small as it is I was not expecting so much heft when I first picked it up. Regardless of which razor you choose I think you'll make a good decision.

As for brushes I recommend this Omega brush. It's a great brush for the price, can't go wrong with it. It's a boar brush so there is a breaking in period. With any brush you're bound to lose some hairs the first couple shaves so don't freak out, it should stop in a couple weeks and you still may loose a hair here and there every once in a while. If you're still loosing a lot of hairs after about a month I'd contact the seller and get a replacement as it could be a faulty knot.

As for creams and soaps there's so much. It's helps to know what scents you like the most and choose from there. Proasso, Taylor of Old Bond Street and Stirling Soaps are I few I'd personally recommended. But like I said there's a whole great big world of soaps and creams to choose from.

My knowledge is limited to the items I've referenced above and there are a lot more shavers here that can point you in a better direction, but for the money you can't go wrong with these. I hope this helps you on your journey to wet shaving and if you have any more questions I'd be glad to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

EDIT: I forgot to mention to pick up a blade sample pack. Regardless of the razor you choose, a blade that works for you can go a long way.

I am a bit amatur as well but got some good advice from others. I have had a rough time getting some of my beard curls on one side of my face to stay down. I have had the best luck using beard oil and combing it a couple to 3 times a day real quick to tame it.
I know your pain on a good barber close by. I had to drive an hour to get mine trimmed. Not a big deal I just make an afternoon out of it. Just make sure you go somewhere they know what they are doing and they can help you out quite a bit since they will actually see you in person and hopefully suggest things specifically for you.

Here is my bit of advice and what I use.

First get a couple good combs, some beard oil and possibly some wax for your moustache.

This is what I have:

I use Kent Combs:
http://www.amazon.com/Kent-Hand-Made-General-Grooming/dp/B000YB5NRA/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1421265415&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Kent+Hand+Made+General+Grooming+Comb+4T

http://www.amazon.com/Kent-Hand-Beard-Moustache-81T/dp/B004K3J6H6/ref=sr_1_6?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1421265374&sr=1-6&keywords=kent+comb

Honest Amish beard oil:
http://www.amazon.com/Honest-Amish-Beard-Balm-Conditioner/dp/B009NNFB0O/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1421265484&sr=1-1&keywords=honest+amish

Firehouse Moustache Wax Dark. I have a dark beard so I use the dark wax. Its really tacky, and when I make my curls they stay well, but if you dont plan on handlebars then I might use something else that isnt so tacky:
http://www.amazon.com/Firehouse-Moustache-Wax-Dark/dp/B004W4PRAI/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1421265579&sr=1-1&keywords=firehouse+mustache+wax

It can be or it can't be. I started a couple of years ago (maybe 3?) and when I did, I spent about $120 for everything. Since then, I've spent a total of about $50. That includes blades and soap.

Really, to get started all you need is a razor and blades, then you can buy the soaps or creams piecemeal as you go. A lot of manufacturers will give you free (or cheap) samples of their products, so you can try before you buy.

My recommendations for starting out are:
razor
blades

You can get a cheaper razor, but I recommend a longer handle. You can also find nice older ones at antique shops for really cheap if you're willing to clean them up before using them. I'm not that patient, but maybe you are. The blades are a variety pack, so you can get an idea of what you like because they're all a little bit different. The last time I replaced my blades I bought these because they're really cheap (less than 10¢ per blade) and I like them a lot.

Eventually you might want to get a brush and some fancy soap, but I've seen brushes at Walmart for $5 or less.

There's a lot of fancy lingo that goes into wet shaving, but it's really not a whole lot different than using disposables. The only real differences are that you have to take better care of your skin (shucks), you don't have to press as hard with the razor, and you control the angle of the blade (a blessing and a curse.)

If you have any questions, please ask! There's also always the sidebars at /r/ladyshavers and /r/wicked_edge!

With regards to shaving: You can get a fantastic shave without relying on the overpriced multi-blade cartridge razors so popular these days. I'd recommend the following as you can acquire them:

1. A reasonably priced stainless steel old fashioned double-edged razor handle. Here is one example on Amazon that is cheap with good reviews
   
   
2. A brush for lather, especially badger hair. I use this one by Tweezerman, also on Amazon
   
   
3. A decent shaving soap/cream. I use the Bigelowe brand from Bath and Body works, which is often on a Buy 2, Get 1 sale and a $10 tube of this stuff will last you a LONG time. As a matter of fact, I have an extra tube of the stuff at the moment. If you think you're going to spring for the razor and brush, PM me with your address and if you're in the US I'll send it to you. You only need a toothpaste-sided dab of this stuff to work into a lather, and it had an excellent minty feeling against your face.
   
   
4. Double-edged razor-blades, and you can get sampler packs in order to try different ones and see what you like best. Check in at /r/wicked_edge for opinions of different brands. Most are very economical on a per-blade basis compared to the multi-blade cartridges so many people use these days.
   
   
   A few additional helpful hints:
   
   

• Shave right after a hot shower, it wets the hair, opens up the hair follicles and removes dirt and debris from your face that otherwise might detract from your shave.
  
  
• The red "bumps" on your face may well be shaving bumps. Quick question: do you have curly, kinky or "nappy" hair? Many seem to be of the opinion that double(or more)-bladed razors exacerbate this, because when you pull the cartridge across your face, the first blade snags many hairs, pulling them out slightly from the follicle, and the next blade cuts the hair, which then drops below the surface of the skin. This results in a seemingly very clean smooth shave.... for the first day. If your hair is tightly curled as it grows out though, some of the hairs will grow into the skin instead of smoothly out the follicle, resulting in shaving bumps during the days after your shave. Using razors with single blades, and shaving right after a hot shower should reduce this.
  
  
• If you're using an old-fashioned shave with lather that you work up with a brush instead of from a can, you don't need a shaving bowl. If you're right handed, use your left hand as a paddle surface to work up a lather on, kind of like Bob Ross and his paint palette.
  
  Best of luck!

Parker and Merkur make good razors. They're more expensive than something like you could get from Maggard but if you have free gift cards, what the hell.

Razor - Long handled Merkur

I have this Parker brush and I love it. It is pricy and doesn't really fall under "starter" or "budget" labels but it is a nice, soft brush. If you don't want to spent that much or you want boar there are plenty of other options out there.

Tons of blade samplers out there. Pick the one that fits your budget.

I recommend a cream to start with as opposed to a soap. Creams are super simple to build lather with. TOBS is always a good choice. My favorite from them is Eaton College. but they have SEVERAL scents in their lineup.

That's all you really need and it can all be purchased from Amazon. Happy shaving.

-DW

Ditch the plastic razor and generic shaving cream. You can get an amazing, stubble free, longer lasting shave for way (WAY) cheaper by switching to a double edge razor.

Here is what I recommend:

DE razor: Merkur 37C Slant HD Safety Razor $40

Razor blades: Persona Israeli, Derby, Kai, Shark (100 Pk. $18) or Feathers. $20-$50 100 Pk.

Brush: Any brush from a local pharmacy. $5-$15

Soap: Wilkinson Sword, Proraso, or Williams. $3-$10

Mug: Any coffee mug is fine.

The razor will last you at least two life times, a 100 pack of razor blades should last you a couple of years, ditto for the brush, and the shaving soap will probably last a couple of months. The shave will be godly once you get the hang of it. Make sure to get a good lather and to shave at a slow pace.

I recommend lurking the Badger & Blade forum and watching the videos by mantic59. B&B is the best shaving resource in the Internet and mantic is a shaving god (and also a redditor!)

Once you are more experienced, I recommend getting a good badger shaving brushing and stepping up to the Feather razor blades. These blades can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Treat it with respect.

Watch this video to get started

Hey man in the grand scheme of things, I'm pretty new to wet shaving in general. I went out and bought a Merkur Long Handle on a whim because I wanted to mix it up, and try something new. Plus, I thought it would be manly. Anyway, I discovered three things:

1. Wet shaving is a FAR BETTER SHAVE than ANYTHING I've tried before. I've tried all the various cartriage razors like Mach 3 etc etc. Not only is it far smoother (ladies love) but it's also a more comfortable shave. Less tugging and pulling
   
   
2. Far more manly. I've gotten compliments from women and men alike on the quality of my shave. Impressive I think.
   
   
3. It feels amazing. Like a man-spa-day for your face. The soaps and everything that go with it also smell really good.
   
   Ultimately you just gotta try it for yourself! It does take some technique to get it down well. However I will say I was shaving well enough to avoid bumps/cuts within a week or two!

Let me start off by saying welcome, and that you're damn lucky there is such a thing as Wicked_Edge for you to rely on at 17 in your formative years of shaving. It sounds like a stupid hobby, but it's for something you're going to have to do nearly every single day if you don't want to look like some indie hipster, so you might as well enjoy it.

I would suggest starting with proper soap and brush first to get the hang of a good prep for your face. This is one of my favorite "starter" packs because you'll be able to get it all in one swing for actually a very good price. Give your electric razor to a homeless shelter or something. Put it in the closet. You can start with the cartridge razors for now; beard prep and technique is far more important than expensive equipment at this point.

After a few days of getting you're routine down with the shower, hot towel, lathering etc. then come see us about a double edge razor and blades, and I'm positive after reading through the comments you'll be ordering an Edwin Jagger DE89. Let us know if you need anything else friend.

I really don't know why people are shitting on Amazon. I like supporting artisans and small companies as much as anyone else, but if OP wants to go with Amazon because it's cheaper (and it is cheaper), then let them do it.

To answer your question, the Edwin Jagger DE89bl is a great razor, Proraso Green is a great soap, and the Omega 48 is a good brush. You can also pick up all sorts of blades in bulk.

If you get the Astra blades, the kit is about $60 on Amazon and about $75 on a small site that is popular in this sub.

Let me just reiterate. I like artisans and small vendors, especially for the wider variety of scents and razors. There are better options for less at small vendors, but those are on items that only those vendors sell. for mass-produced products Amazon is often the cheaper option

To get a really close "baby butt smooth" shave then you will usually have to finish with an against the grain pass when using a DE safety razor. Getting the Muhle R41 (which I do not own and have never used) won't really help you with getting the same smoothness from only a with the grain or across the grain pass. I think you'd just be more likely to get razor burn. Using a mild razor while you are still perfecting your technique will just help keep you from getting razor burn and make your shaves more enjoyable. If and when you do want to upgrade to a better razor and retire the old plastic WS then look at the Edwin Jagger DE89. It is on the mild side but reasonably priced and the usual recommendation around here for a first razor. The slightly different model numbers just denote differences in the handle, if it has crosshatching or not. Or if you really want to try an aggressive, get the Muhle. As we say here, your milage may vary so whatever works best for you, just do it.

You should definitely try a blade sampler pack. While most razor blades will do the job some brands will just be better (less tugging, less burn, smoother shave, etc) for you. For me, my favorites are Gillette Super Platinums in the blue packaging and Bolzano Superinox. I can only find one blade sampler pack on Amazon UK and it really sucks. Instead maybe get this one from Shaving.ie. I haven't ordered from them myself but they have a good reputation here and I've seen them recommended a lot. Maybe add a pack of Bolzano, Astra Platinum, and/or Shark blades.

Something that's important to keep in mind with this safety razor stuff is there is very little (arguably no) difference in quality between something like a $30 Merkur from Amazon and a $100 razor from The Art of Shaving or any other boutique store. Similarly, a $30 Parker badger hair brush does the exact same thing as a $200 brush.

Historically, safety razors started out as a cheap shaving solution to save money from getting shaves from barbers and save time from doing it yourself via straight razors. Like anything vintage/retro, this sort of thing has been fetishized by the internet and there are loads of guides out there singing the praises of all sorts of "premium" safety razor gear which seriously just epitomizes the mindset of "Well I paid more for this so of course it's better."

You don't even really need to go nuts on shave soaps, I've been using this for a decade now- http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Eucalyptus-Menthol-Formulation/dp/B00837YY18/

The only thing I really recommend if you're getting started with this is getting a variety pack of blades before deciding on what you want to buy in bulk- http://www.amazon.com/FEATHER-NACET-BLUEBIRD-Blade-Sampler/dp/B002Z85VJK/ Allegedly, certain blades are better for certain beard or skin types. I just buy Feather blades as they're supposed to be the sharpest.

Seriously though, if anyone is looking to get involved in this, don't over-spend. It's real easy to get up-sold on this junk for no reason other than more money = better than. It's a design from the late 1800's built from the ground up to be cheap. Don't get suckered by boutiques and men's blogs.

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!

• Edwin Jagger DE89
  
• Omega 10049
  
• Proraso Sensitive
  
  You pay a premium for certain things on Amazon, but those are good options. The price of blades is quite high on Amazon, so get a couple of packs of Astras (or a sampler pack) on Maggards before sampling a larger selection from tryablade.com.
  
  Maggards also has build-your-own DE starter kits which you may find to be better value. Also they sell excellent artisan soaps which are better quality than massed produced soap like Proraso, (and much nicer on the skin). Their own soap is very good quality and affordable.
  
  Brands to avoid on Amazon are Escali brushes and Van der Hagen.

Ok, here is what I recommend to start with. This is basically what I started with to. None of these items are the best quality, but you can get a feel for the shave technique and you'll know if you want to spend more money on better stuff quickly.

Razor

Blades note you'll want to try other brands eventually, but these are not harsh, they're inexpensive, and thus a good first purchase.

Bowl & brush note toss this puck of soap, it's shit.

Shave soap



This will get you going for gear. You can sub out stuff for better quality if you want, but I'd keep it cheap to start. You'll also want to learn how to use all this stuff. This is what I used to learn how to shave the first time. You'll find there are many techniques and schools of thought, but this is the best basic guid to learn and develop muscle memory.



Good luck, and if you need help pm me or check us out at /r/Wicked_edge/

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.

My husband uses a safety razor and is SUPER into it. It's a "thing". We got his handle off Amazon... same one he saw at Art of Shaving but significantly cheaper. The blades are SUPER cheap.

He loves the brush and the soap in the bowl rather than the traditional shave cream because combined with the razor it gives him less ingrown hairs, but that's just preference. He uses Clinique for Men Post Shave Soother and swears by it as well. One little bottle lasts him a good 6 months. I think the combo of his products, liking his handle, and just changing the blade out way more often gives him a better shave and less ingrown hair problems. He's jewish with that super course hair that they tend to have and a LOT of it.

As someone who just switched from cartridge razors about a month ago:

>The first is it takes a lot more skill and effort to use the safety razor.

I couldn't disagree more. I was terrified at first, and was almost shocked at how easy it was to pick up. I nicked myself once, the very first time - and haven't seriously since. And really, that's why god invented styptic pencils.

>With the safety I might be able to shave the time down to 15 but it's still with much greater effort.

...I don't know how you're shaving that it takes you 15 minutes. I mean, if you're using a brush and everything - yeah, probably - but I don't currently have the money to invest in one, so I've been using regular old shaving cream from a can (I know, blasphemy. I'm sure I'll switch eventually - but seriously, it works just fine.)
You have to make shorter strokes than you would with a cartridge razor, but that's it. It takes maybe a minute longer - but not significantly so, or I wouldn't do it. ~5-7 minutes, max.

>Third thing is cutting yourself is more common but it's not just easier to do, you can also actually leave a scar if you haphazardly use it on your face or rush.

Again, I was terrified of this, and find this to be incredibly misleading. You can nick yourself, but you honestly would have to try pretty damn hard to cut yourself any worse than you could with a cartridge razor. Maybe if you, like, sliced it horizontally across your cheek or something, but why would you do that?

In addition, while it does have a higher intro price - from that point on, your blades are dirt cheap. I mean, seriously cheap. Like, 100 blades for ~$15 cheap, though when first starting, you should spend a little more and get a variety pack to see what blades work best for you. Even still, it pays for itself inside a month or two.

For anyone looking to switch - this is the one /r/wicked_edge recommended me, and I've loved it so far. I'd never switch back, because I honestly haven't found a single downside. Blades are cheap, shaving is quick and close, and most importantly to me - my face doesn't constantly hurt anymore. If you're prone to razor burn, a safety razor will change your life.

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?

From top to bottom:


Beardology Beard Balm


Swissco Mustache Comb


Beardology Beard oil. (same link as above)


Honest Amish Beard Balm/leave in conditioner Also available on Amazon and eligible for Prime(save on shipping)


Bass Boars Hair Brush


Accessories:


Coasters hand made by a friend out of reclaimed woods.


Fox Pelt Which it looks like they are out of at the moment.


I like the Honest Amish Beard balm much more than the Beardology. Its softer and easier to work with. I got the Beardology balm as part of a package thing with the oil. Beardology is closed until after the holidays. In my search for "the perfect beard oil" I found that you can't really go wrong with whatever you pick. There are so many companies, small and large, that make the stuff. You can make it yourself if you're so inclined. Most have jojoba or argan oil as the main oil and then other oils to add scent so it's preference really.


All I can say is read up on what you like or what you think your brothers will like and go from there. You really can't go wrong with most of these beard products.

For my beard I have been using this great beard conditioner. Smells a little like black licorice, with a woodsy undertone maybe a hint of leather. I love it my wife loves it my beard loves it. Win win win.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NNFB0O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


For shaping my stache I use this mustache wax. Works Geary has a little sweeter smile like coconut. Great for the rakish look with your mustache twirled at the end.

http://www.amazon.com/Fisticuffs-Mustache-Wax-15g-Tin/dp/B00DCI7V0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410450905&sr=8-1&keywords=Mustache+wax

I think I'm one of the few people that switched to safety razors for the financial savings and actually got that savings, because I didn't get sucked into all of the accessories.

Honestly, I use my relatively generic safety razor ($35) and got bulk double-edged blades ($10). I did that....three years ago? And I'm maybe halfway through.

I don't shave every day, but honestly, I'm good shaving a surprisingly many number of times on the same blade. If I had been going through my old standby of Mach 3 (turbo (express (vibrating))) or whatever it is now, God only knows how much money I'd be in for.

The single biggest improvement in my shaving life was when I went to an old school barber and told him that I kept getting massive razor burn under my neck with a safety razor, and he was like, "that's because you're doing it backwards". I was shaving down, from my chin toward my chest. My hair doesn't grow that way - I need to shave from the bottom of my neck up toward my chin. (you may be different).

After I figured that out? Never going back. Also, I use conditioner instead of frothy mugs of soap. It just works better for me.

This is doable for much less than $600. When I started shaving w a SR I figured it would take about 2 years of shaving to pay off the initial cost. Although if I am being honest I probably spend more now on razors than I did before.

For the most basic of kits you will need a:

• Razor Not really shave ready (used $40 or new $150-200)
  
  
• Sharpening stones $100 (I use DMT, but you can also use japanese water stones. I like dmt because they are always flat and in my experience last longer. You probably need a fine/extra fine (600/1200 grit) and an extra extra fine (8000 grit))
  
  
• Strop ($20 -amazon)
  
  
• Strop compound ( a $5 bar of cromium oxide goes a long way)
  
  
• Brush ($12-35 amazon)
  
  
• Soap ($2-10 depending on what you want)
  
  That's the basics really. You can spend more on aftershave, preshave, synthetic brushes, creams whatever. If you know how to sharpen/strop I would definitely recommend a used razor off ebay ( a nice one you don't have to restore). If you don't know how to sharpen I recommend you get some stones and learn anyway it isn't very hard. Though you may want a cheap $10 razor to practice on just in case. The hardest part is choosing a brand (or buying just one razor). For used razors you have some things to consider:
  
  
• Handle/scales - not broken, pins are ok
  
  
• Blade- no rust, no chips, no excessive spine wear, no weird angles from sharpening, you can polish some imperfections out but not too many and you probably don't want to restore a razor before you learn to use one.
  
  
• Brand- Wade/butcher are good. Dubl duck are good (but probably overpriced/hyped), E A Berg are good, Boker is good, CV Heljestrand- good those are all I have presently but basically anything made in sheffield, solingen, or eskilstuna should be ok to shave with after they are sharpened.
  
  You may also want to try a double edge (DE) razor but then you still need blades (although they are very very cheap) I am not sure if that is a requirement here or not.

Buy a DE Razor! I wouldn't do anything less until you get permanent hair removal. Wax is a pain (really it hurts), Don't want to use chemical removal down there (ouch!) and besides permanent hair removal, I think you are stuck with shaving.

I can tell you the shaving cream and razors make a big big difference.

• Get off the dead skin off your body (take a shower and wash up)
  
• Use a shaving soap with a brush instead of the Spray Can c**p (I don't know why people use that stuff?)
  
• Use a Double Edge Safety Razor (Once you use this then you won't go back to the store brand stuff, Only thing that beats it would be a straight edge razor but DE razor is good enough)
  
• Then use antibacterial cream in sensitive places so you don't get any bumps but you shouldn't too much with a clean razor
  
  The shaving soap last for ages and DE razors are like 10-20 cent each which is a major shavings. (pun)
  
  
  I use Van Der Hagen Scented Luxury Shave Soap with a horse hair brush. I own two brushes ... one for the face and another for the body.
  
  Soap Kit: http://www.amazon.com/Van-Hagen-Mens-Luxury-Shave/dp/B004L4EING/
  
  An ok starting Safety Razor: http://www.amazon.com/Shaving-Factory-Double-Safety-Silver/dp/B003A722RE/
  
  If you have the money then buy a better Safety Razor like Merkur
  
  You can go as far and buy two Safety Razors, one for the face and one for body but I find cleaning and replacing the blade is easy enough.
  
  

I've tried a few different things, and I epilate now. It definitely hurts more the first few times, but it gets a lot easier as time goes on. (Hair grows in a little thinner, doesn't hurt as much, etc.). Just look at skincare tips for exfoliating, moisturizing, etc., which people recommend whether you shave or epilate. I feel, in terms of pain, if you can wax, then you can epilate. One caveat with epilating - it's not the cleanest method, and you'll want to epilate more than you thought when you start, due to the hair regrowth cycle (they all don't come in at the same time).

I wanted to mention another option since you tried hair removal cream. I liked it, but ended up going with epilation because mixing this stuff up and using it while on a business trip is a little annoying.
Soft-sheen Carson magic shaving powder This is gentle hair removal. You mix some powder in a bowl with water to form a paste, put it on your legs, then wait a while and wash it away. It's never hurt, and it worked really well. I just had a couple friends who would ask me why I had a bowl and a spoon sitting in the bathroom. One friend started contemplating eating ice cream while in the bathroom, but that's off-topic.
Anyway, depending on how sensitive to pain you are, you may want to try this stuff. I just looked it up on Amazon and it was like $2 ($5 with shipping). I can't remember why, but back when I researched this one, everyone said the yellow can of powder worked better than the white one; that's the one I used, and I thought it was great.
http://www.amazon.com/health-personal-care/dp/B0048ZIFA0

I wanted to add one last thing. I still have a back-up razor that I have used very rarely (maybe once in the past couple years), because I wanted every last hair gone. The epilator takes longer, and does not work as cleanly. Also, the epilator I got was shower friendly, which is when I typically use mine. But it doesn't have a travel-safety switch, which basically makes sure you can't turn it on when it's in your suitcase. I've found that annoying, because I'll pack it for a trip, and get to a destination, and then need to plug it in to charge right away, because it accidentally turned on at some point.

I did some research myself and concluded that a good boar brush was well-regarded and even recommended for lathering with hard shaving soaps, and a high-quality boar brush (e.g. by Omega) would still be about half the price of a decent badger brush, which itself would be better suited to lathering with softer shaving creams.

For a double-edge safety razor handle, you can often find perfectly good, old Gillettes for a song at antiques shops and eBay, but for new models I can recommend the recent Muhle or Edwin Jagger models, which both use the same, gentle but effective head design (if you have a really coarse, dense beard, get the open-comb design).

For a cheaper alternative to dip your toes into safety razors at lower cost and risk, the Feather Popular seems well-regarded as a gentle, quality razor handle for the price, and if you decide to upgrade to a nicer handle later, you can always keep this around as the travel razor you could stand to lose with trivial concern.

After researching blades, I splurged on a 100-ct carton of Astra Superior Platinums and couldn't be more satisfied; smooth and sharp (but not quite as dangerously sharp as the more expensive Feather brand), they seem to last about twice as long as the 10-pack for $1.50 on sale Kroger store-brand blades I'd started with.

FWIW, most of my pre-purchase research was done at the Badger & Blade forum's reviews section, just take care they don't tempt you into making this an expensive hobby!

You're welcome. The Omega line of boar brushes are pretty fantastic. Cheap badger brushes aren't worth it. If you're looking on Amazon, I would suggest the Omega 98 for $15.00 on Prime. Any of the Proraso soaps in the jars for $9-10 on Prime, http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Safety-Razor-Model-LP1822L/dp/B004N77JVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417932223&sr=8-1&keywords=lord+l6 Also on Prime and uber cheap. Pretty much the same head as the DE89. For Blades, I would suggest the TryaBlade path and get him a sampler of well-known and popular blades. I can make you a good list if you want.

I'm not a fan of normal aftershave splashes because they're just alcohol and fragrance. I would rather use something on my face that's going to benefit with medical and health properties. I love witch hazel mixed with pure aloe. You can even add some essential oils to it to give it some fragrance.
For Pre-Shave Oil, you can literally just slather extra virgin olive oil on your face, or use Noxzema in the 12oz tub for pre-shave cream.

Believe me, I would rather study about traditional wetshaving than what I'm actually studying in college.

If you're confident that your Dad will stick to DE shaving and fall in love with it. I would suggest getting him the EJ DE89. They're insanely cheap on Amazon Prime right now.
http://www.amazon.com/Edwin-Jagger-DE89bl-Chrome-Plated/dp/B003LW4L2W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417932514&sr=8-2&keywords=Edwin+Jagger+de89
The quality is way above that Lord with basically the same head. Same geometry, same aggressiveness(unbelievably mild).

My bad! DE is short for double edge, as in a double edged safety razor (like this). It uses a disposable blade. A straight razor is like this and has a blade that requires care and maintenance to keep it sharp. A shavette is like a straight razor, but it uses a disposable blade.

I got my straight razor from WhippedDog.com. Larry Andreassen, who runs the sight, offers good deals on restored vintage straight razors. There are a few brick-and-mortar stores that will sell them, but new razors are fairly expensive and aren't necessarily better than old ones that have been properly cared for. You can get safety razors and straight razors from online stores, Amazon, or even garage sales and such (but it's best to know what to look for).

I think the selections are great but, do have a few suggestions.
You may want to avoid an adjustable razor to start with. If you think you'll want one down the road don't want to have two DEs in your arsenal, then by all means get it now. But a lot of beginners blame their bad shaves on not being able to find the "right setting" on their adjustable. I like the EJ89 as a good starter. But if you do go with the Progress, don't play with the settings, play with your technique.

I also think you should get a blade sampler with a little more variety (read includes astras). This is a pretty good one, but I think the bigger the better.

Good Luck, and congrats on deciding to change your shave.

I think this would be a far better way to start.

• Starter Kit
  
• Razor: SODIAL/Ri,Mei - $2.25 to U.S., (Ri,Mei - $4.50 with case Canada/Worldwide), excellent starter/travel razor, shaves like a Gillette Tech. I just bought one as a travel razor, it’s great.
  
• Brush: Bestshave.net No:6 Horse Hair - $2.45, I have two, one in my travel kit, nice brush.
  
• Soap: Bestshave.net has a large selection, Arko Stick at $1.95 9 or Arko Tub $4.40 are popular.
  
• Blades: Bestshave.net
  
• Polsilver Super Iridium (5) - $2.30
  
• Astra Superior Platinum (10) - $1.04
  
• Rapira (10) - $.80
  
• Bic Chrome Platinum (10) - $1.95
  
• Shark (10) - $.85
  
• Derby (10) - $1.00
  
• Racer (10) - $.76
  
• Sixty-five blades for $8.70, $.13 per blade, most blade sampler packs cost $.25 to $.60 a blade. They have other blades, these are ones I’ve tried, I don’t like some, other people do.
  
• Total Cost: $15.35 U.S. ($17.55 Canada/Worldwide)
  
  
• Reviews: Blade Reviews - Photos of Kit - YouTube Razor Review - YouTube Razor Demo - No:6 Horsehair brush review, the brush quality has improved since this was written.

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.

Awesome! You seem to know your stuff, could you please recommend me some products? It would mean the world to me since I know nothing about this and I'm looking to order it as soon as possible. I have a lot of questions about this stuff and I have no one to ask.

I think I've already found a great safety razor on amazon though I'd love to get your advice on a good one. Also what type of blade is the best? Gilette, something else?

What shaving soap should I get? I use shaving cream in a can right now.

An aftershave that use alcohol as a base and add other moisturizers sound great. Any recommendations there?

What's the difference between boar and badger?

What type of shampoo should I get

And what type of oil? And why oil over conditioner?

As for my budget, sky's the limit, I want the best right now since I've been dealing with cheap stuff for a while.

Waxing is a good way to rid yourself hair and all but personally it's just really awkward to do without a helping hand!

I'd recommend using Magic hair removal powder; you just mix it with water, slap it on yo butt (or anywhere you want to use it), wait 5 minutes, and wash it off.

It's super good if you're like me and have sensitive skin, it's like hair removal cream but I find that it's much gentler on your skin (plus you can adjust the water to powder ratio to how you want it). The only problem I've had with it is when I've let my ass get too hairy and used it there's like a few hairs here and there that weren't removed but when that happens you can just shave it off without getting shaving rashes.

Definitely recommend giving it a try if you want a nice smooth buttox.

Razor: Rimei/Sodial is perfectly fine for a start. Much more important is to get a hang of the technique, so don't change Razors (or even blade brand) for the first 5-10 tries. Edit: If they sell the black plastic Wilkinson Classic near you, that one would be a good starter kit, too, if you ditch the blade that comes with it.

Blades: Get a sampler pack, make sure it contains Feather, Derby and (if possible, don't know if they're sold where you live) Personna and Astra Superior Platinum. There is no best blade, it depends on razor, skin and beard type, and personal preference. Find the one that works best for you.

Brush: Pretty much any cheap badger brush will do for the start, I got mine for about $10 at a local drugstore.

Soap: Arko is highly praised and rather cheap.

After Shave: Depending on your skin type and scent preference, get an alcoholic one (eg. Old Spice) and/or a Balm. Expensive does not equal better here, my current second favourite is a german supermarket house brand for $3 a bottle, first place goes to Myrsol from Spain. Again, as with blades, this is highly subjective.
Edit: If you put on a little bit of balm after wetting your skin and before putting on the lather, you might get a more gentle shave.

1. Safety Razor or Straight Edge barber's blade
   
   -I got mine on Amazon for only ~5 bucks. One person in that subreddit linked it though and I don't think I'd be able to find it. It was so cheap because the shipper was from China and it took 15 days to get here but it has lasted me quite some time. But I would recommend looking at the reviews and getting one in the 15-20 dollar range. With replacement blades (which are cheap...I bought a sample pack which came with like 50 total and I'm probably not even half way through them yet). you can just pop one right in and go...they also will last you about 5 shaves each.
   
   
2. Shaving Soap
   Look into Poraso. I have the green kind. I was sensitive to the menthols in other Shaving Creams but this shaving soap does everything I need it to and doesn't irritate my skin or eyes.
   http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Eucalyptus-Menthol-Formulation/dp/B00837YY18/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1413959827&sr=1-2&keywords=poraso
   
   -It says I actually purchased this item on Jan 7 2014. I will need a new one in prob 2 months but still!
   
   
3. Boar/Badger shave brush
   You can get these for cheap some places, but since I showed you stuff on amazon here's what you'd be looking at:
   http://www.amazon.com/Perfecto-100%25-Badger-Shaving-Brush/dp/B00LDYFGFQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1413959958&sr=1-4&keywords=shaving+brush
   
   
4. If you want to get pre shave lotion go ahead. I don't use pre shave lotion so i can't recommend anything. wicked_edge would know though.
   
   
5. For after shave I just use Cetaphil moisturizer and it works perfect for me, but look at wicked_edge again for after shaves.
   
   That covers pretty much all of the basics I think. Some of the stuff seems expensive but it's a very worthwhile investment and will save you money in the long run. I remember going through 3-5 blade gillette razors every month which at 10 bucks a pop adds up, plus they irritated my skin and the shaving cream sucked. So i definitely recommend making an investment in these certain products, they've helped me quite a bit.
   
   In the preview my numbering is screwed up, so idk what to do about that, but yeah.

There was a post in /r/bestof today from /r/everymanshouldknow about how to shave your nether regions. I can't remember the name of it but there's paste that he uses that's like Nair but much, much more gentle that I believe grabs the hair out by the roots. I will see if I can find it for you and edit this later. He said it lasts for a few days/up to a week I think. I have no idea if it will help, but if so it'd be rad to help you out.

Edit: Wow that was easier than I thought, hahaha. Magic Gold Shaving Powder now, you should really read his original comment here on how to use it. Skip down to the section labeled Depilatory Creams in his comment. Step by step on how to and what to expect.

I would try it first with lower end...just in case you dont like it....

The Tweezerman brush is pretty good for $9 on Amazon, pick up some Bigelow shave cream from Bath and Body Works for $10 (just rebranded Proraso), a sampler of blades, an espresso mug for working lather and some Nivea Sensitive shave balm.

For a razor, this was my first DE and it is a great, cheap, all metal DE that will let you know if DE is right for you. Mantic actually had a review on one of his videos and really liked it as well. It is heavy-ish, even and very forgiving.

http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Double-Shaver-Nonslip-Handle/dp/B0050HO9MI/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1347028678&sr=8-9&keywords=de+razor

Plus at under $10 you wont feel bad moving up to something more advanced as you get better.

Wal Mart even carries a Clubman Styptic for about 75 cents...If you are feeling you want a shave soap instead of cream, try Van Der Hagen from Wal Mart for about $1.50.



There is no need to go over $50 if you havent even tried it yet. Then you can replace parts as you find what works best and send these items to the travel bag.

#######Didnt notice your name...Hot Black approves of this name. IMHO Restaurant at the End of the Universe is a much stronger book than HGTTG#########

Use magic shave, trust me. Look it up on Amazon. I use the one in the yellow canister. It is by far the best hair removal product I have ever used for body hair (esp. pubic region).

I've recommended to friends, family, exes, everyone who has used it maintains it to this day.

It's made for "black person" facial hair but it works so effectively at body hair I would never use anything else. Note: am white guy.

Here is a link:

https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Fragrant-Shaving-Powder-Gold/dp/B0048ZIFA0/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1480553404&sr=8-3&keywords=magic+shave

One canister will last you a good while, and it's only like $5.00

Also worth noting that you will stay smooth for a couple weeks before needing another use, generally.

Just make sure you follow the directions carefully. I keep it applied for about 7 minutes and then take a shower and rub everything off with a wash cloth. Never had a problem, never burns anything, smells like a barber shop, zero complaints. Biggest problem is having something to mix it in, I just use a small tupperware container with a lid and shake it up with water now, seems to work best for me. A mason jar would work but it would be hard to get the residue off the sides if you're being stingy with the product.

Good luck. And you're welcome.

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.
  
  
  
  

This is an EXCELLENT beginner's set. Razor, Brush, Stand. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but the brush is fantastic (I have entirely switched to this brush, over some other more "fancy" brushes) and the razor is a good weight with a good medium length. Plus, having a tidy stand is bonus points.

This is one type of soap/mug set.

And this is another soap/mug set. I personally prefer this type of bowl. It's also much heavier than it looks (I think it's ceramic). The brush is crap, though.

This is a cheap, good-smelling aftershave. But it's alcohol based, so he might not like it (stings slightly).

This gets you nearly everything for under your budget. The two items I'd say are missing are available at Wal-Mart for less than three dollars combined. You need the pre-shave oil (Shave Secret, $1.50 at my local WalMart) and a styptic pencil ($1.15 at my local WalMart).

Even after these, we're still around the $90 mark, and these items will last for literally years (except the consumables, of course).

There's your complete set, minus blades. The purchase of blades is a rather personal affair, though, and I'd recommend a sampler pack. There are literally dozens of sampler packs available. Here's one. Bear in mind, however, that most people can do three to six full shaves (i.e., the entire face) using ONE blade.

One piece of advice: If you want him to enjoy it, don't skimp on the brush. In my opinion, probably seconded by a majority of wet-shavers, the brush is going to be the single most important deciding factor for a noobie who isn't purchasing these things for himself in determining whether he likes the process or not. There's virtually no doubt that he'll like the results.

Does this help?

Moderately related.
Guys, do yourself a favor and get one of these straight razors. You'll be scared as shit when you first use it, but after three or so shaves, it becomes really easy and you'll appreciate that you're spending less than $.25 per razor, you get an awesome shave when you do it right, and you get that cool factor. Bonus points if you graduate to a normal, high quality razor that you strope to keep sharp. Not recommended for a first timer.

Not feeling so bold? Then try a safety razor. Personally I've never used one and they are more expensive for the razors than a straight razor (but a lot cheaper than common razors), but you don't have to be quite as careful.
Your ol' gel/foam will work all the same or you can get shaving soap with a quick search which is a nice addition to the experience of shaving.

This next one is more for your husband. There is no reason to spend lots of money on shaving. If your husband is currently shaving with disposable razors or with a cartridge based system then he is probably wasting money.

For shaving get a double edged safety razor. I use a Merkur Long Handled Safety Razor. The razor blades are sold separately and this is where you save a lot of money. Getting both together is a really nice Christmas present.

The Shark Super Chrome razor blades cost $0.12 per blade. I go through maximum two blades per week. So that is less than a quarter each week for a really good razor.

Be forewarned. Safety razors are not for everyone. Some people don't like shaving with them.

Now the next part. Shaving foam. Shaving foam is expensive. If you use shaving soap and a badger brush instead you will save money. It takes a bit longer time to lather up the soap but the savings are worth it.

You don't have to get the safety razor and the shaving soap at the same time. I would get the razor first and see how your husband likes it.

There is also a subreddit for old school shaving called /r/wicked_edge that is really good. People there will be happy to answer any questions you have.

That's awesome! Where are you doing your training?

This is the razor: http://www.amazon.com/Feather-Double-Edge-Shaving-Razor/dp/B003YJ70NY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1413687866&sr=8-4&keywords=feather+razor

The Arko soap is hit and miss with people. I'm new to it so my lather skills aren't the best but I was able to get a great lather with a basic pure badger brush (http://www.amazon.com/SimplyBeautiful-Basic-Badger-Shaving-Brush/dp/B00B1TKY8C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413688692&sr=8-2&keywords=badger+brush).
For $1 per stick though, can't really go wrong.
Here's a video of a review on the Arko soap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r5A259cDqE
Don't mind his somewhat heavy breathing at times.
The soap really does smell like industrial cleaner but I kind of like it! And it doesn't stick around for long.
If you're unsure, to start I woud definitely recommend some form of shaving cream. They are easiest to lather and work with. Just cracked open my Nivea today and it was a decent shave! Not too much of a scent, nice and slick and $3/tube. http://www.amazon.com/Nivea-Men-Sensitive-Shave-Cream/dp/B00GXZSAE4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413688904&sr=8-2&keywords=nivea+shaving+cream

I went on amazon bought a brush for 10.00, a relatively cheap DE razor for about 27.00 a stand for 10 and a soap for 10.00, I would recommend trying a soap sampler to find one you like. You can find starter packs as well, and I would do that. I was trying to be somewhat frugal but ended up needing more than I thought. Most razors come with a free pack of blades, usually at least 5, and that should last you approximately 15 shaves, so at least two weeks. After that I recommend going with some kind of blade sampler since a lot of packs come with a hundred blades and if you buy the wrong blade you might be out the 10 or 15 that it cost.

It takes longer than a cartridge razor to shave, and requires more skill and attention, but the whole process is much more enjoyable with better results.
I recommend going the cheap route until you're sure you like it, and as you wear out the items you buy (bristles comes out of my brush almost every shave, a couple at a time) then buy the next level up. It can be extremely expensive, but like anything there's also regular people versions of all the expensive stuff too.

For your reference:
Razor
Soap
Brush
Stand
Blades

I have coarse hair. If I shave with cheap disposable razors the same thing happens to me. Look into a safety razor. You can replace the razor itself for like 8$ for 100 razors, it's much easier, cheaper, and more comfortable for me.

My routine- shave in the shower. I bring in a clean cloth that I heat up with hot water, wring it out, and apply to my neck. This softens up your hair a little bit and makes shaving easier. I use some over the counter shaving cream, but Tend Skin Air Shave Gel works amazing, but it is a little pricey. I recommend that you only shave along with the grain of your hair for now, you'll see less irritation that way. Once your irritation has calmed down you can shave against the grain. At the end of my shave I'll shave once against the grain to get a closer shave. Rinse with cool water when you're done shaving.

You need to moisturize after shaving, get an after shave cream to help your skin out. I've been using Marlowe post shave lotion that I got at Target.

I hope this helps. You can try with your current supplies what I recommended and see if it helps. Biggest tips think would be to change your razors frequently, put a hot damp cloth on your neck before shaving, and shaving along the grain. Oh and get an after shave.

PM me if you have any questions. :)