What do you use to shave?

[F. J.]

Shaving . . .

I shave with a 1930's three-piece Gillette safety razor.
The blades I find at Kroger are marked that they are made in the U.S.A. and seem to resemble the old Gillette Blue Blades as far as my research goes, so for extra "time-travel" points, you can do what I do and wrap them in period wrappers.

I use a fine German badger-hair brush with a wooden handle. I keep my soap, marvelous stuff hand-made by some folks I know, in a small tin and use a blue enamelware cup for the shaving water.

For those of you unfamiliar with safety razors, should you decide to start using one, you also need to keep a styptic pencil with your razor. Run it under the faucet for a second or two and it will instantly stop the bleeding when [not if] you cut yourself.:tape:

I start the shave by letting the brush soak in the cup for a few minutes in cold water. It used to be hot, but I've found I actually prefer cold. While it's doing that, I run wet fingers through my hair until it is sufficiently damp and then apply some good ol' Brycreem and comb it. This way it has longer time to dry and also so I don't have to keep looking at unkempt hair in the mirror for the whole time I'm shaving.
Then, I take the brush, shake off the excess, and swirl it in the tin to apply the soap. I then proceed to lather on my face and commence shaving. I rinse the razor off in the cup and I change out the water in it after the with-the-grain and before the across-the-grain pass. I usually only do those two, with a quick against-the-grain in tough spots like on the neck below the chin and by my ears.

I use witch hazel as an aftershave and then apply some Pinaud Clubman for that unmistakeable ol' time barbershop smell. I keep both in glass bottles.
(I actually get my hair cut in a good ol' time barbershop.)

After each shave I take apart and clean my razor by wiping everything off on a towel. I also flip the blade over to the other side when I replace it.


While I shave, I also like to listen to period music on my old Emerson tabletop. I quite agree with

[...] To me it is a very pleasant part of the day, helps me relaxing, especially because most days I can do it in no hurry, listening to nice jazz music. It actually takes me back in time. [...]

There's nothing quite like getting ready in the morning and listening to Fred Astaire sing "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails." Of course, it's also the perfect song for when you're putting on your dinner or dress suit for a nice evening out.

[video=youtube;wv-S9taMFeI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-S9taMFeI[/video]



So that's what I do and some accompanying thoughts.

 

[stevew443]

I use a very heavy Edwin Jagger double edge razor with an Edwin Jagger best badger brush. My shaving bowl is just a small round bowl that came with some inexpensive shaving soap. My soap is usually Van Der Hagen Luxury. To keep my pencil mustache I rely on an old Schick Dial injector from 1964 (this was the same type of razor my father gave me when I turned 13 and had to begin shaving.) My blades for the double edge are Astra Platinum and for the injector I can still find Schick blades. My aftershaves are usually Ed. Pinaud scents, usually Clubman Special Reserve or Virgin Island Bay Rum (although tonight I am wearing Citrus Musk). My shaving time is a time of luxury when I can feel the soft brush working a lather onto my face and then shaving carefully to obtain a baby bottom smooth finish. I have yet to have so much as a nick using the equipment that I now have. When I used more modern shaving implements I would frequently have to reach for the styptic pencil to stop the flow of blood. Many years ago I used to use an old cut throat straight razor until one day I let my concentration slip and I ended up with a rather nasty cut on my throat. I miss that old straight, but I am quite happy with my current razors and I know that they will last a lot longer than I ever will.

 

[Shangas]

I have a small collection of razors. I typically use a no-name German Solingen razor which I bought at the flea-market for $5. It's an old straight-razor and despite the fact that it cost me almost nothing, it's consistently given me the best shaves I've ever had.

 

[robrinay]

When I feel like taking the time, I use my gold Gillette Toggle - I was lucky enough to find it in a local charity shop for £10. My brush is a badger hair I found in the shaving section of the Waitrose supermarket along with the blades which are wax paper wrapped by Wilkinson Sword. My wifes Grandfather supplied my Wade shaving mug (posthumously) - her aunt was selling it at a car boot (yard sale) until I spotted it. I use L'Occitane shaving soap - it comes in an aluminium tin and is exactly the correct shape to fit the mug. I lather the brush in the palm of my hand and apply the soap using the mirror I've attached to the wall in the walk in shower - while showering. My technique us the same as F.J.s above except I need a new styptic pencil as I've lost the old one - so until I find one its back to old fashioned bits of tissue stuck to any cuts I make. I use a variety of aftershaves including Acqua di Parma Colonia and Pour un Homme de Caron both of which I read about in TFL. The ritual takes me back to my youth when I used my first razor, a silver 'Fat Boy' my dad bought me when I was 14. It brings back old memories - good ones and some less good but now at 61 I can work through the less good and 'put them in a box' - much cheaper than a therapist

 

[Stearman]

Vintage Razors (and current blades)

Currently using a Gillette Super Speed manufactured in the 1948-1950 range. I'll switch that off with a 1954 Gillette Flare Tip. Then there's the 1947 Aristocrat for when I'm feeling, well, aristocratic. Best available blades, in my opinion, are coming out of St. Petersburg, Russia.

 

[2jakes]

In the past I used these Gems. But lately I mostly use the disposable...

 

[1mach1]

Wow. You guys are hardcore. My beard is so thick that the best thing I have found is the Schick Quattro. It will shave for almost 45 days without a blade change. Please note that I have a thick beard hair, and have a five o'clock shadow at 9 AM. Disposables and vintage razors don't last long on me.

 

[DesertDan]

A while back I picked up a 5 pack each of Astra Platinum and Personna Red blades.
I will definitely be ordering a 100ct box of the Astras, excellent blades! The Personna Reds on the other hand have been the exact opposite, the most disappointing blade I've ever tried. This surprised me because I had used Personna Blue in the past and really liked them so I decided to give the Reds a try but the fact is I'm getting a better shave from my wifes Mach3!

 

[Duper]

Just ordered an Edwin Jagger DE safety razor and a sampler pack of blades today. I am very anxious for the parcel to arrive. Just a few more days with my Gillette Fusion. I like the Fusion but I am tired of the price of new cartridges.

 

[Shangas]

Wow. You guys are hardcore. My beard is so thick that the best thing I have found is the Schick Quattro. It will shave for almost 45 days without a blade change. Please note that I have a thick beard hair, and have a five o'clock shadow at 9 AM. Disposables and vintage razors don't last long on me.

Your body clock sounds like it's a few hours fast. Better go to the doctor for a checkup.

 

[tomtom42]

A while back I picked up a 5 pack each of Astra Platinum and Personna Red blades.
I will definitely be ordering a 100ct box of the Astras, excellent blades! :

Hi Dan,

while I can wholeheartely understand your positive experience with the Astras (their Superior Stainless feel just as good IMHO) I'd like to add that the razor plays an important role too:

My go-to setup is a 40s Gillette Tech with Astras and I just can't stand the same razor with Derby or Shark blades (which I bought in bulk when I started with this DE thing...). However, those blades I can't stand in the Tech do give me acceptable shaves in a 50s Gillette Fat Boy - still not as good as Tech + Astra but acceptable...

And always remember - it's a YMWV (your mileage WILL vary) thing

br,
T°M

 

[HudsonHawk]

Wow. You guys are hardcore. My beard is so thick that the best thing I have found is the Schick Quattro. It will shave for almost 45 days without a blade change. Please note that I have a thick beard hair, and have a five o'clock shadow at 9 AM. Disposables and vintage razors don't last long on me.

45 days? Good grief. I can't get 3 decent shaves out of one without it feeling like I'm shaving with a spatula.

 

[KLF]

45 days? Good grief. I can't get 3 decent shaves out of one without it feeling like I'm shaving with a spatula.

Try an Edwin Jagger DE89 double edge razor and decent Personna blades, together with a badger brush and shaving cream/soap

 

[HudsonHawk]

Try an Edwin Jagger DE89 double edge razor and decent Personna blades, together with a badger brush and shaving cream/soap

That's what I've been using for years now. Except I use Astra blades.

 

[Bad Co]

I purchased 2 safety razors when I was 16 years old from the corner drug store and still use those same razors today.
Not sure what brand they are anymore . The blades got hard to come by a few years back but they are gaining in popularity now , any shaving cream that I happen to grab works fine for me . After 41 years I believe I got my money's worth

 

[Duper]

My new Edwin Jagger arrived today. I have a couple of days of beard that will be the test tonight. I bought a sampler pack of razor blades with my purchase. Derby, Feather, Astra, Precision. Very anxious to give it a go.

 

[Duper]

Wow, very interesting this wet shaving, but boy do I need to work on technique. This is my second night and my lower neck looks like a mess. At least 7 or 8 nicks. I tried to let the razor's weight do the work but I must have been too vigourous. I guess I need to youtube an instructional video.

 

[1930artdeco]

That is where I learned.

 

[Shangas]

There are several very good youtube videos out there on shaving with a D.E. and straight-razor. I learned how to shave with a straight-razor watching a coupe of 10 minute videos a few years ago and never looked back.

 

[Mr Oldschool]

A very important step when you satart wet shaving is to "map" your beard growth pattern. Using your fingers to stroke your beard in all directions, determine what direction it grows in. Most people have a kind of swirl to their growth, so you have to learn to shave different areas in different directions. Always shave first with the grain (ie in the direction the beard grows). Then you can shave accross the grain. Don't shave against the grain until you can do the other two without irritation consistantly. In order to follow the grain you gotta first see which way it grows. My neck has growth from the bottom going up to the middle to meet with growth coming down from my jaw. In the middle they head due east across my neck to the other side where they all head diagonally downward. I've met a number of other guys who have a similar pattern.