***The Official Manly Shaving Thread***

Bickaxe said:
I don't rate the ProRaso shave cream that highly either. Found ToBS and T&F to be much better.
ToBS coconut arrived yesterday. It's not overly heavy on the scent and works well.
Click to expand...

I have the menthol Proraso and it's superb. No skin dryness at all. No egg sucking intended but you are rinsing well after, using alum then post shave like Bluebeard?
 
Tbh I just kinda stumbled upon them and thought I'd try something different. Will have a look in that shop though, walk pretty much straight past it every day on my way to work.
 
The Palmolive stick is fine. There is also a Palmolive cream in a green tube from Boots and many supermarkets.

Blade sample packs here

http://connaughtshaving.com/samplepack.html

If you are ordering there try the Taylor cream. Its one of the cheaper specialist creams and will give you better protection when shaving.

http://connaughtshaving.com/tayscb.html

I use the Sandalwood, as many do. You use less than the Palmolive so it's no more expensive.
 
Order made. Bought some of it from shaving shack and chose the straight razor as my free gift... Thought it may be worth a try at some point!

I didn't get an alum block, maybe would have been a good idea as I am an ACNE sufferer (currently on antibiotics and cream to wear overnight). My plan when all my new shaving kit arrives is to continue shaving just every other day. Next dermatology appointment is a month from now so will be good to see a difference and ask his advice with where I should go with my skin care routine from here.
 
I would get an alum block. You can pick them up for peanuts from Ebay.

I tend to get spots around my mouth if I don't use one, so - whilst not exactly a scientific revelation - I would recommend one to everybody.

And as already mentioned, alum lets you know where you've been applying a little too much pressure when shaving. Handy when you're just starting out in the world of DE shaving.
 
Some find a shorter lighter handle makes for a more maneuverable razor; others prefer a longer heavier handle, and allow the weight of the handle to do the work.

I am in the long and heavy handle camp! You won't know till you try!

See my post here

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=29058094&postcount=1161

Neither the R41 nor the Merkur Slant are for beginners, but you could buy an R89 head (Connaught sell them separately for about £15) and add you own choice of handle - search "Windrose Handle" on the Bay UK.
 
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All my bits arrived today minus my alum block. I had a go at lathering with the new cream/brush. After one attempt at lathering a lot of the hair came out (which i half expected) but more concerningly the brush already looks pretty dishevelled is this normal? (Photo in spoiler above - sorry for the lighting the hair strands were difficult to catch on camera.)
 
That looks pretty normal to me.

Leave the brush soaking in clean water overnight so the bristles hydrate - and always do that if you do not use a brush for a while.

You a have a stand. That is good. Use it so the water and sediment drains out of the brush after each use.
 
Ok well first DE shave this morning (actually my first shave wig anything but electric).
Managed to go without cutting myself :D

So my routine was:
Leave brush soaking in hot water whilst I went for a shower (10 minutes)
Get out shower, dry self and shake excess water off brush.
Put a finger tip full of shaving cream inside my brush and a splash of water in my mixing pot (it's a large yoghurt cup for now as I don't have a proper mug/bowl)
Mix to lather (looked about right to me, sort of like wippy cream in the pot but looked a bit thin on my face) brush feels a bit scratchy but dunno if that's normal.
Picked all the hairs off my face that came out my brush (5 or 6)
One shave with the grain - need to work on my technique here, I'm used to electric shaving so I actually made two or three "scrapes" per pass, the fact I hadn't shaved in over 48 hours didn't help maybe.
Second pass I did some with grain and some across but didn't redo my neck as it was already slightly sore.
Wash and dry face. Run cold water on alum block and applied all over my face, now this didn't give me anything like what I expected in terms of sensation and I wasn't sure I even did it right as I couldn't see it leaving anything on my face or give my skin any sensation.
Then applied my aftershave balm (Taylor's luxury) which dos give me that slight tingling/stinging sensation that I used to get with my old Nivea Sensitive balm.
Went had breakfast etc. Then came back and applied Nivea sensitive moisturiser around my nose, eyes and mouth.
Wash everything up. Leave brush on stand to drip dry.

Hopefully someone can make sense of my poor grammar/ramblings and offer me any advice.

My plan tomorrow is to do a two pass shave and try and make the first pass a proper single pass and not multiple hacks, then the second pass also with the grain apart from my chin and top lip which I will do against the grain (moving razor across the direction from my ear to centre of face)

Finally I quite enjoyed my first shave! It's weird how it moved from being a nuisance to a enjoyable task/skill. Hopefully the feeling lasts.
 
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