Shaving: Merkur Safety Razors

[BeeRye]

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I wetshave with a Merkur Hefty Classic, love it! I use Old Bond Almond shaving cream which is awesome and a badger hair brush. I have some Old Bond aftershave which feels pretty good but I don't like the smell of it, and I have some Proraso after shave which feels fantastic and smells great! Dirt cheap too compared to the expensive Old Bonds. I still use my Mach3 on days when I just have to shave ASAP and don't have time to do a proper job, it's a nice little reminder of how much Mach3s suck compared to wetshaving.

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The Slant is my fave, HD a very close second. I prefer the Japanese Feather blades in both. Derby's are good too, and cheap.

I've heard rumours that the Proraso splash was being discontinued. I like it a lot too.

[SBR]

I'm curious how long it takes you guys to shave. I take about 1 - 2 minutes every morning, seems like you guys would be spending significantly more time.

[jzpiano]

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I'm curious how long it takes you guys to shave. I take about 1 - 2 minutes every morning, seems like you guys would be spending significantly more time.

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I spend more than that now. Maybe ten minutes tops but that's just a guess. Best part is though, if I make a second or third pass I won't have to shave for another 35-40 hours and it still looks good.

[inishowen]

Often days, shaving is about the only time I have alone all day. I take a few extra steps than the norm but it never takes more than 4-5 minutes. The extra steps I take are to use a face wash like cetaphil, not soap, and to put hair conditioner on my beard in the shower for 15-20 seconds before rinsing it off. I fill the sink with very hot water, drop the whole razor in, and use a facecloth and hold it to my beard for as long as I can stand it, and then repeat a couple more times. I never use foam because it dries the [censored] out of my face, only gel. Every couple of days I add a drop or two of jojoba oil to the gel and mix it in real good. Shave regularly, making sure to use short stokes and rinse the blade often. Rinse with warm then cold water. I use a toner instead of aftershave because it feels awesome. I then use an oil-free moistureizer because I'm getting old. The best trick I ever learned was from my father. After shaving put your blade or cartridge, or disposable, in mineral oil. It extends the sharpness of the steel about 10x. Before using the blade the next day, swish it around in a little bit of rubbing alcohol to clean off the mineral oil and sterilize the blade. Eliminates razor bumps and for me, irritations.

[BeeRye]

About 15 minutes here. Closer to 20-25 with the straight. Cartridge shaves used to be about 3-5 minutes for me but not enjoyable.

[wadea]

Is there a physical store where I can buy a Merkur DE? Or straight-edge for that matter?

[skunkworks]

There's a store at my local mall called The Art of Shaving. They carried the Merkur DE and some straight edge razors as well.

[anduril]

Can anyone explain the difference between shaving cream and shaving soap? For the soap, do you just use your brush to lather and then spread over your beard or do you use it as if it were regular face soap? I should be getting my merkur safety razor today, have some GF Trumper shaving cream to use with it but it's crazy expensive. Is soap better?

[shinigami]

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Can anyone explain the difference between shaving cream and shaving soap? For the soap, do you just use your brush to lather and then spread over your beard or do you use it as if it were regular face soap? I should be getting my merkur safety razor today, have some GF Trumper shaving cream to use with it but it's crazy expensive. Is soap better?

[/ QUOTE ]well a tube should last you 4+ months, you only use an almond sized qty at a time; making it less expensive. as for the soap, best is to make lather in a bowl with you badger brush and then apply lather on your face. building lather on your face is doable but really messy. I personally stick with cream; leather is a bit thicker with cream vs soap.

[shinigami]

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wetshaving

those videos should basically answer all your questions on traditional shaving [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]