Mumblings of a once 20-year-old shaver (2025)

JoWolf said:

Actually it’s a great place to be starting out.

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I agree, Hopefully the holidays will bring lots of new shave goodies (as that's about all I told my folks I wanted).

I tend to always check the shaving section of my campus store when I'm there. Picked up a new aftershave because for $5.25 why not. But I also found generic store brand blades, I am scared to even try one but if there is interest I will buy em for $2 and try em. I also don't know what classic scent means so I'll give it a go tonight.

Letsgoalready said:

I tend to always check the shaving section of my campus store when I'm there. Picked up a new aftershave because for $5.25 why not. But I also found generic store brand blades, I am scared to even try one but if there is interest I will buy em for $2 and try em. I also don't know what classic scent means so I'll give it a go tonight.

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Does the blades have a country of origin in the back of the package? Might be manufactured by one of the big ones. Always fun to try those unknown items.

Letsgoalready said:

Today’s shave 12/2/24:

Pre-Shave: Wash with CeraVe
Soap: Cella Aloe Vera Shaving Cream
Brush: Omega 48 Boar
Razor: Gillette Tech
Blade: Astra SP (1)
After-Shave: Nivea Sensitive Soothing Balm

Song of the Shave: Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys

Rating: 8.5 DFS

Wow... First and foremost I need to thank @blethenstrom and @Guido75 for recommending and helping with the bowl lather. I usually post in the morning after I wake up but I couldn't wait. World of difference to put it lightly. I thought I had a good face lather but that was blown out of the water on my first bowl lather attempt. My lather was dense, soft, and silky smooth. Maybe needed a bit more water so it is a little slicker, but the splash of water on my face before lathering helped. I told myself I was only going to do one pass cus my face was still a bit irritated but I did 2. I got a weeper on my jawline on that second pass XTG so I guess I got what I deserve. I took about 3-5 minutes to wip up my lather and went back to the water every 30 seconds or so but wasn't really keeping track. I've attached before and after's of my lather. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Got another weeper on my chin where I have some acne so I gotta keep an eye on it. Smooth shave overall. Reapply lather between passes for the first time was a pleasurable experience too. Giving another go at bowl lather tomorrow (and likely every day after that to be honest). Getting some lotion tomorrow to use on my face in the mornings to keep from drying out. I'm sticking to one pass tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

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You are killing it with this kit! I wish I started out with these smart of choices. That CeraVe is a fantastic pre-shave wash, as is the Nivea, it's so soothing and smells great.

I spent 25 years shaving with a disposable lady's leg razor (that was usually a few months old) and a little bar soap in the shower. No wonder I hated shaving so much . These guys saved me from all that!

How to make flask28’s word terrifying:

flask28 said:

I spent 25 years shaving with a disposable lady's leg

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thombrogan said:

How to make flask28’s word terrifying:

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It puts the lotion in the basket!

blethenstrom said:

Does the blades have a country of origin in the back of the package? Might be manufactured by one of the big ones. Always fun to try those unknown items.

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I'll look tomorrow and circle back. Probably made in America. Found a thread here that had some ideas.

bk200006 said:

Rather than buying full tubs of soap, it may be worth sending her a list of samples you'd like to try. Maggards razors has tons of samples available on their website. A few bucks per sample and you get ~5 shaves out of each. Not a huge investment and you're not stuck with a $20 tub of soap you won't use.

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The down side to this approach is what happened to me. You end up with a freezer bag full of soap and after shave samples that you will never use, you can't move on, or even PIF. On the other hand I have 7 or 8 medium U-Haul moving boxes full of soft and hard ware of shaving goods. Mostly matching soap and after shave sets with some times a matching EdT, cologne, or EdP.

flask28 said:

I wish I started out with these smart of choices.

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Me too, there were the dark ages of December 2023 - April 2024 where I was just winging it with this kit. A vague idea of what I was doing but I had no brush soaking, was underloading my brush, too much water, too impatient, terrible lather, always nicking myself, and just being frustrated. Dove in on reddit this fall, researched good technique, then I got better gear, but still kept it simple. And I'm still learning! I did my first bowl lather yesterday which was magic. I've been trying not to change too much between shaves. Recently I've been adding more things like washing my face before shave and moisturizing in the mornings just to take care of my skin. Once I found B&B almost 2 months ago, I've fallen in love with not only shaving but, the amazing community here and the wealth of knowledge. Setting aside 20 minutes a night to shower and shave has been so refreshing. I can't imagine shaving with a bar of soap and an old razor but I'm glad you have moved past that!

tehnothing said:

On the other hand I have 7 or 8 medium U-Haul moving boxes full

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I did a double take reading this, I aspire to amass this many options

Goblin said:

Honestly, pretty much everything - materials, design, ergonomics, weight, efficiency, etc. The Henson is a very good design, but I feel that the marketing overstates the benefits compared to traditional razors. As someone who was already using conventional DE razor for >10 years I didn't get on with it all. Their huge popularity seems mostly driven by their success marketing to young folks who are transitioning from cartridges.

Of course, the ideal solution is to try both and decide for yourself!

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The nightmare stories of snapped blades are what kept me away from Henson's.

tehnothing said:

The nightmare stories of snapped blades

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Like snapping in the razor while shaving?

Letsgoalready said:

I did a double take reading this, I aspire to amass this many options

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That was collected over 8 years. Most of the space is the after shaves and cologne in bubble wrap.

tehnothing said:

That was collected over 8 years. Most of the space is the after shaves and cologne in bubble wrap.

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Still super impressive

Letsgoalready said:

Like snapping in the razor while shaving?

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The razor blade along the clamp point. There were a few posts with pictures of snapped blades in the last two weeks, but, I am not finding any with a simple search. This is a photo I saved to send a friend who has asked me about henson's on multiple occasions due to their marketing.

tehnothing said:

The razor blade along the clamp point

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I haven’t been using a DE very long, and I’m no expert. But I don’t think that supposed to happen.

Letsgoalready said:

I’m trying to plan for Christmas as my mom keeps bugging me for a list even as an adult, please drop any recommendations for soaps, aftershaves, and blades! I’m looking at a Henson Razor for the list but I’m in between the AL13 and the AL13M so if you have a strong opinion one way or another let me know! I’m also possibly looking at a new badger brush too. Thank you in advance!

List of what I already own:
Omega Boar Brush
Starter Set Badger Brush
Astra SP Blades
Gentleman Jon DE
Gillette Tech Made in Canada
Cella Aloe Vera Cream
Nivea Sensitive shave balm
Nivea Vanilla Bourbon

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I really ought to try the Cella extra extra bio, but, I have so much soft ware I can't justify it. I tried the Cella red early in my days of this hobby and had to get back in the shower to wash it off my face. Whatever gives it the almond scent gave me such a reaction. I put it on the BST and never tried it again.

Letsgoalready said:

I haven’t been using a DE very long, and I’m no expert. But I don’t think that supposed to happen.

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No it really is not, and, while I had a hard time searching for it I have read several times over the years on B&B of this happening. Not as much as all the love it gets maybe, but, still often enough that I would rather not chance it.

tehnothing said:

I would rather not chance it.

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I tend to agree, I don't really need a new razor either tbh.