Ah, thanks for that. My wife had a little bottle of tea tree oil in the laundry room, I added a dropper full of it to my Thayer’s lemon witch hazel. I don’t have the lavender or peppermint, but it seems the tea tree oil is the stuff that helps with preventing burns and bumps, so that oughta be good enough.

I’ve neglected to mention I’ve been using Ranger Grooming company beard oil as a pre-shave for when I use a straight. Definitely seems to help. I have it on hand as a gift from a few years back and no beard, so I figured I’d use it up. I’ve read that you can use just straight olive oil and get similar results, so since this bottle is running out, I guess I’ll look into making my own pre-shave oil before too long. Sounds fru-fru to the uninitiated, but it makes a difference once you try it.

My sister took up pottery last year and has supposedly been working on a custom scuttle for me, but it’s been six months now and I haven’t heard anything about it, so I’m thinking I may just pick up a factory second from Georgetown Pottery soon. Also trying to decide on a brush upgrade. Pretty sure I want either badger or a good synthetic.

Not really a hobbiest. But I use grape seed oil as a pre-shave oil. I buy it at the grocery store and fill a little pump spray bottle. I think it helps reduce nicks.

Grape seed oil is the primary ingredient in the pre-shave oils I used in the past. I just can’t see paying $7 or &8 for some tiny bottle.

After that I use Dollar Shave Club razors and shaving cream.

I’m perusing DIY pre shave mixes on censortube. Seems like grape seed oil, and olive oil are a good base, add castor oil and whatever other essential oils you think you want is where you go from there.

Today’s <10 minute quick shave:
Cremo Cooling formula with cold water.
1955 Gillette SuperSpeed red tip (heavy) loaded with a Feather blade (4th use).
Alum block.
Thayer’s Lemon with tea tree oil added.
Clubman styptic pencil because I got myself a few times.

Had to be somewhere and didn’t have a lot of time, decided to go for it and see how decent a shave I could get in a short time frame. Hey, lotsa people do it, might as well try it with the updated method, right? Skipped the pre-shave and lather, went for the brushless cream and started at it. Only three minor nicks with an aggressive razor and aggressive blade in my goatee area that hasn’t hardly seen a razor in close to a decade. First actual time shaving under my nose with that SuperSpeed head, an adventure! Two passes, didn’t go for BBS, but pleased with the results.

My wife told me she isn’t wild about the Florida Water smell when it’s fresh on me, so I resorted to just using the Thayer’s with tea tree. It definitely cuts down on irritation, so even if you’re reading this and don’t care about wet shaving or vintage razors but get razor burn, this is worth a try.

Traveling to California to see my mother so I checked my bag. Shaved today with Jagger DE89, Astra blade and TOB Sandalwood. Can’t remember the name of the brush.

My shave yesterday was goop in a can (Gillette Edge for sensitive skin) and a Merkur Futur DE safety razor with a Feather blade.

Today’s shave was great. A few weeks ago, I saw that Stirling Soap company had a bunch of their summer scents on clearance, so I ordered Spearmint and Wintergreen, both mentholated. They chill your face once you lather. The Wintergreen smells exactly like a Wint-O-Green Lifesaver, and the Spearmint smells exactly like a stick of Wrigley’s Spearmint. I have used the Wintergreen a few times and decided to try out the Spearmint today. Both of them are amazingly good.

No pre-shave.
1955 Gillette Superspeed Red Tip.
New Feather blade.
Stirling Spearmint.
Cold water face lather with the cheap Amazon brush.
Alum bar.
Thayer’s Lemon witch hazel with added tea tree oil.


I realize now I need to get some sort of minty or mentholated aftershave to work with these. The Florida Water is a good go-to, but it kinda overtakes the nice after scent these shave soaps leave. Once I’m smelling mint and enjoying it, it’s kind of a bummer to douse it down with something else.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: P220 Smudge,

^^^
If you can't find a mentholated aftershave, there's always this:
https://www.stirlingsoap.com/c...ops-menthol-additive
It requires the AS to have alcohol, but I love the burn(alcohol) and chill(menthol) aftershaves. I've not used it but I can see the appeal.

Nice to see this thread pop up occasionally.

Today’s shave for me:

Merkur 20C razor, PolSilver blade
Captain’s Choice Lime Shave Soap
Touch of Cremo Cooling shave cream (adds menthol “zing”)
Semogue 620 Boar brush
Georgetown Pottery G20 Shaving scuttle
Alum block
Thayer’s witch hazel with aloe
Captain’s Choice Lime Aftershave

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
Today’s shave was great. A few weeks ago, I saw that Stirling Soap company had a bunch of their summer scents on clearance, so I ordered Spearmint and Wintergreen, both mentholated. They chill your face once you lather...

I keep Creamo Cooling Shave Cream on hand. Add an almond size dab to the scuttle and it gives any soap I use that menthol “zing”.

Can be used alone as well, any of the Creamo creams will whip into a good lather.

Parker Variant
Shark Super Chrome
Tabac shave stick
Floid AS

This was my second shave w/ the Shark in the Variant and the second time I got a couple small nicks from the Shark on my head. The face shave was fine.
The burn from the Floid AS was tops.
Gotta take the good w/ the bad. I think part of my problem is the speed in which I shave w/ my more mild razors compared to the dialed up Variant. That and maybe the Shark SC doesn't play nice the Variant.

Fatip Piccolo. Gentle plate
Astra SP
D.R. Harris Arlington
Omega Boar Brush
Witch Hazel
Proraso Green AS

A very comfortable three pass.

No father figure, so when I was 16, my classmate showed me how to shave. I was also given a DE safety razor at H.S. graduation. For those early years, I'd cut myself up badly trying to shave.

I was so glad to get into the cartridge type shavers, that I tossed the DE.

Fast forward to last month. Tired of the clogged cartridges and the high price, I bought two DE safety razors at a flea market. Prices were so good I bought two. Since then, I found that one is the 1948-1950 undated Gilette Super Speed that I found to be very mild shaver. My daughter claimed the older one as her own. She loves it. The other is a 1972 super speed with black handle.

After watching youtube videos before starting, I was very happy with the best shave I ever had to date and no cuts!

Now I'm sold on DE.
No more overpriced cartridges for me ever again.

Now I have to figure out how to best shave my neck area. The stubble shreds shirt collars.

Congrats and enjoy! Those were some good finds. My first DE razor was also a 1948-1950 undated SuperSpeed I found at an antique shop this spring, just like you. Using that, and a Derby blade, the first pass made my jaw drop. No dragging, no tugging, super smooth and the hair was just gone. I've since dialed it in with a 1955 red tip SuperSpeed and Feather blades.

Neck area is tricky. I find if I try to get it as smooth as my face, I have all kinds of problems, so now I kinda just "shoot for par." If it looks shaved enough, it is.


I tried doing the "Novembeard" thing this year and just got sick of it and shaved it down to a goatee the other night. Tried using my favorite DE and it wasn't taking it all off cleanly, and I thought "what are you doing? A month of growth? You have straight razors for this!" So I gave my most aggressive wedge type a quick strop and it took it all down clean in one pass. Did a second pass with the DE and felt great. No cuts, no irritation, no problem. There's nothing quite as satisfying in the same way as pulling off a perfect straight razor lineup, sculpting a goatee out of a beard. You can do it with the clippers, yes, but it just isn't the same thing.

Watching with interest. I’ve shaved with a mug and brush my entire adult life. I have posted this elsewhere, but my mug is an old Victor porcelain cafe mug. I use Williams mug shaving soap. I’ve tried lots of fancier shaving soaps, but I like this the best. I’m on my second badger hair brush from eShave. It has a long handle, which works best with the depth of a mug.

A new razor and blades is what I’m exploring here. Over the years I’ve used DE razors, but settled on a Gillette Mach 3 and WAS happy with it. I bought a large pack of Mach 3 cartridges before the whole Gillette anti-masculinity campaign, now I need something else as those cartridges are about gone. BTW, I hope this post isn’t viewed as injecting politics into this thread; that’s not my intention. I’m just looking for a new razor and thought I’d mention why.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
Congrats and enjoy! Those were some good finds. My first DE razor was also a 1948-1950 undated SuperSpeed I found at an antique shop this spring, just like you. Using that, and a Derby blade, the first pass made my jaw drop. No dragging, no tugging, super smooth and the hair was just gone. I've since dialed it in with a 1955 red tip SuperSpeed and Feather blades.

Good thinking of the straight razor for the thick growth. Is it true that the red super speed is more aggressive than the blue and silver versions?

Thanks for the blade suggestions, I am picking up Feather blades that I special requested at a barber supply shop.

Since my daughter liked hers so much, now my wife asked me to get her the same. Scored another good find on craigslist. Picking up more razors on Saturday.
Yes, plural. Again, so cheap that I bought the three that the seller had in ad.

Yes, I think it was 1953 or so that they introduced the three versions with different blade gaps and exposure levels to cater to different needs. Blue tip was the mildest, silver (later black tip) was middle of the road, and the red tip is the most aggressive and also a little weightier. This lasted through the 50’s before they started experimenting with adjustable designs. First was a toggle type, then one with an adjustment dial at the end of the handle instead of up by the head (these are earlier market-test prototypes that are collectible), then what is now referred to as the “Fat Boy,” followed by the Slim adujstable. The user could simply dial in a blade gap exposure level 1-9. I want a Slim adjustable next.

Go slow and use very little or no pressure when you try out those Feathers. The first time or two I tried them, I had just switched off from stuff like Derby Extra and Shark Super stainless and was bleeding in about three dozen places. Now they’re all I use in my red tip. Super light touch, two passes and done with no irritation or problems. FYI, I got a 200 pack of them on Amazon a few months ago for $39. If you have Prime, that’s a good deal.

Congrats on your finds! You know you’re gonna have to post some pics, right?
Oh, and pro tip: Scrubbing Bubbles works great for cleaning up the old grungies! Eats all the soap scum without hurting the plating. About once a month, I’ll lay the ones I’ve been using out in the sink and hit the whole thing with the foam. Quick and easy. If they need more than that, you can get in there with an old toothbrush or soak in vinegar and baking soda.

Also, westcoastshaving.com is running deals on all kinds of stuff today. Worth a look!

Well fellas… I did not want to clog up bigdeal’s threads ( Bigdeal Recommendation Thread & Bigdeal Digging It Thread), so I thought I would post here.

I decided to purchase a Parker Variant as my first ever DE razor. I am committed to adjustable varieties for now with my next probably being a Rex Supply Co. Ambassador.

So, I got the Parker today, along with an alum block and a sample pack of blades. I had about 4 days of growth, so I decided to shave right away (and I needed a shower).

So, my setup was as follows:

• Jumped in a hot shower and washed the face with a washcloth (this is what I normally due before a shave)
  
• Lathered up with some Barbasol for Sensitive Skin (this is all I had, but it worked well)
  
• Did a 2 pass shave with the mildest blade in the sample pack (Supermax - Super Stainless)
  
• Washed face again
  
• Used the alum block

I do not normally wear or use aftershave, but I have some on order (Proraso After Shave Lotion, Refreshing and Toning).

I also have some Proaso Pre-Shave Cream and Cremo Unscented Shave Cream With Skin Clearing Formula on the way.

I do not intend to use a shaving mug, shave soap and brush for now as I like to shave in the shower and these would be a pain I think.

For being a cartridge razor user all of my life (currently 47), I am surprised at how close the shave was and ZERO visible nicks/bleeders. I need some practice on the more difficult areas of my face, but I am happy with the first try. I am trying to enjoy more things in life and I think this is one daily chore I am really going to enjoy taking time with.

After all was said and done, I disassembled the razor, rinsed it and dried it.

I guess my only real question I have for you fellas is how do I store a singular blade between uses (blade case???) and how do I store the razor handle to avoid damage? I have looked around and all I see are leather headcovers (unless I am using a bad search term). I can't leave the razor handle on the counter on a hanging holder you may traditionally see.

Anywho… I will get the other supplies in and let you know how that works out.

Any suggestions on products for before, during or after would be great.

Thanks for reading…

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bozman,

Merkur 34C, Feather blade, Proraso shaving cream.

For Christmas, I got a short handle badger brush, and a medium handle fine hair badger brush. I also got a Georgetown Pottery 20 oz scuttle, and a custom scuttle made by my sister based off the Georgetown design, but with a pour lip instead of a stopper type, and probably 20% bigger. Nearly a year ago, I took measurements of the bowl I was using to build a lather with and gave her all the specs. I thought she forgot about it. No, sir.

First time using either a scuttle (my sister's custom version, of course), or an actual badger brush, and it was amazing. Gentlemen, get yourself a scuttle, some good soap, and a damn good brush and experience the magic. I kid you not, it's like a whole other world. Lathering up with hot, whipped foam with a soft brush when it's cold outside is a downright luxury. I can't wait to try it on a hot summer day with ice water and a mentholated shave soap.

Just... just do it. Get a scuttle, and make the thing happen. If you've come this far, you need to cross the finish line and get on board with the scuttle & brush and get yourself educated on the straight razor.

The straight will be next for me. It was so late after all the family stuff that I didn't want to risk it, so I went with the Gillette 1903 with the open comb and a Feather and three very gentle passes. Zero problems. Smooth as silk.

On a bit of a bummer, I've got to reconsider my storage choices and ventilation issues in the bathroom. The whole thing needs a re-work. The fan isn't drawing enough humidity out and my straights are starting to rust on the fine edge, and that's... that's a killer. I want to use and display them without them turning to garbage, I'm just not sure of the best options yet. Plus, I've got two gigantic scuttles to find space for on limited bathroom counter space.

Stirling lime shave soap, West Coast Shaving Co. Fine badger 20mm knot brush, 1903 Gillette with a Feather blade, alum bar, witch hazel, then Nivea Soothing Shave balm for aftercare. What a shave!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: P220 Smudge,

I am still fairly new to this forum but this is a thread I can at least hold my own with.
I made the switch to the "way my Dad shaved" when I was a little" about 3 years ago when I was living in England.(Highly influenced my choice of products) I am not a serious hobbyist although I have experimented with quite a few soaps. I seldom use a pre shave as it doesn't seem to add much to the quality of the shave except time. Whether I do use a pre shave or don't the rest of routine is the same.
1. Proraso pre shave cream (Green Jar)
2. Merkur short handle double edge
4. Silver tip badger brush..just upgraded from badger brush this week at Christmas)
3. Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandle wood shaving soap
4. Taylor of Old Bond street after shave gel.