Official SBAF facial grooming thread

Our old we shaving thread got 403'ed, so let's begin again..

I've began wet shaving with a (double edge) safety razor for around ten years. I never got deep into it enough to where I went buck collecting razors, filling up cabinets with soaps and aftershave. I started with a Parker butterfly.. then moved onto a Parker Variant 4 years ago. Today, I got the Razorock "GameChanger" (0.68 BG). My Den's always been quite modest (a couple of soaps, Pol Silver blades, and a synthetic brush). I love the wetshaving experience and am taking more interest in soaps and balms as of late..



The Pre de Provence was pretty eye opening for me.. just a wonderfully rich, smooth later with a gorgeous scent. I've got some A&E & Blackship Grooming soaps coming in next week. I find the Polsilver to offer a great balance of sharpness, smoothness, and consistent shave quality over the life of the blade. Later this year, I want to dip into the straight razor game.. perhaps a Kamisori is in my future? So gents (and gals), what's stocked in your shave den?

 

Since I was born with the werewolf gene, I have non-stop hair growth and thick and corase beards. So bad that I must shave about every 1-2 days before the beard gets unbearable.

I get my stuff locally from https://thesuperiorshave.com/. The owner is nuts but really knows his stuff. I'm using the Merkur 39C Slant Sledgehammer since the slant of the razor will kill just any about facial hair with a sharp blade like Feathers. I'm using an Astra pack since I got a bunch of different blades recently. This is due to I wanted to see if I want to find something better than a Feather. Feather blades are super sharp to the point I get so much razor burn on my neck.

I use the Osma Pre Shave Oil and Blam, and they work wonders. If I shave before bedtime I just use the Nivea stuff and it works just as well as the Osma (but the smell is better on the Osma). Shaving soap is this: https://thesuperiorshave.com/product/theophile-berthon-french-shaving-soap/

Brush is one of the store's brand ones. This one works well for coarse beads like mines. I use a water kennel to have hot water, then put the razor and the brush in the hot cup. After the shower it works wonders and nice and warm.

 

In my new place and I got more stuff from https://thesuperiorshave.com/.

*Lord Super Stainless Chromium Coated Double Edge DE Razor Blades | Made in Turkey
I got a 100 Pack for about $9.00. Keep in mind these are slightly different from the more common Lord blades from Egypt. With my Merkur Razor and these blades it gives a medium closeness experience with no drag. Good when I think shaving with a Feather is too much.

*Osma Aftershave Splash Lotion 50ml Made in France - ~50ml
I always been a balm guy but I wanted to try out their Splash Lotion. Good stuff, maybe I prefer this more than a balm (but Osma makes a really good after shave balm).

*Alles Seife Globetrotter 3-in-1 Austrian Shaving Bathing Shampoo Soap Made in Austria You can only get this from the Superior Shave, it's just a bar of soap. Really easy to lather, easy to travel with you, very good aroma, but while it is easy to lather, the soap does goes away on your face a little faster than I would like. Use a big head brush.

*Golddachs Shaving Soap 60g Puck (Sandalwood) Made in Germany
Goldachs is good stuff. Not the more unique stuff out there (at times I consider it to be basic), but this puck of soap is easy to lather and it just flat out works as a good shaving soap.

And I also got this from Amazon as another Shaving Oil: Taconic Shave Premium All Natural Pre-Shave Oil

Only has a really faint lime smell, but it works great for the price as a good preshave oil.

 

Nice - a shaving thread! I picked up my first DE razor back in 2009 (a vintage 1962 Gillette adjustable slim). I managed to maul my face (lots of nicks and weepers) and put that thing in a drawer for a good while. I was still interested though, so after a lot of reading and youtube videos, I picked up a Merkur 34C - a razor warmly recommended for beginners. Then a sampler pack of razor blades, a brush, some shaving soap and after shave. Since around May 2016, I have only used a cartridge razor once. And it sucked!

I've also picked up a few more razors since then. Merkur 37C slant bar on the left, Rockwell 6S stainless steel in the middle and a Muehle R41 open comb on the right. The R41 is super aggressive so I save that for when I'm feeling adventurous.



I just had myself a shave, so here's my SOTD (shave of the day).



Stirling Executive man shaving soap - tricky to get in Europe, but so worth it. Smells great and makes amazing lather.
Simpsons Wee Scot shaving brush - it's tiny. I face lather and I keep a bit of a beard so this is the perfect size for me.
Merkur 37C slant razor with a feather blade for the first pass. I had about a week of growth and this thing just mows it down.
Rockwell 6S, also with a feather blade, for the second and third pass. I wanted that super close shave. The 6S is a heavy and solid razor. It has multiple plates so you can choose how aggressive it is.
Fine Snake Bite and Hey Joe acid melon after shave - the acid melon smells great, but I love a bit of menthol, so I mix in a little snake bite. Ice cold and feels amazing.

Enjoy your shaves!

 

I just got a Vikings Blade Chieftain. I’ve never shaved with a blade more than 3 times my whole life before this because

• It’s always a bloody mess
• I like having a beard and have basically had a beard since I could grow one

But my scalp isn’t super happy right now so I’m going to keep my whole head and face shaved for a while. I tried using a triple rotary electric shaver but it just took sooo long.

so I did a bit of research online (maybe not enough) and bought the Chieftain.

my first attempt was less bloody than before but still bloody. I’ve evidently got 3 tiny bumps in the skin on my head and the razor literally just cut them off and they bled for a half hour or so. Still scabbed 24 hours later.

I’m curious if anyone has advice about what to do about this. Is the razor to blame? Is there a technique for dealing with such little bumps? I’m sure everyone’s got them. They’re not big, very small like mini moles just big enough to catch the blade. Not even visible to the eye.

I’m not using shaving cream I’d rather stick to natural, simple products. Especially unscented. I just used soap and water. Maybe that’s what is to blame.

I’ve got some Dr Brohnners shaving soap gel coming in the mail.

 

My rig has been going strong for a while, about a decade or so. I use a Feather AS-D2 razor, Feather Hi Stainless razor blades, an Art of Shaving badger, and Taylor of Bond St. Sandalwood soap for my face. I switch over to a Gillette multi blade razor to shave my head. This combination works pretty well for me. Across, then against the grain keeps the sandpaper away for a day or so. Get a great seal with the cans too...

 

hello,
for the noggin: https://www.headblade.com.
i suggest trying the ATX with the HB-6 blades.
if it works for you, next try the Moto.
the former feels like it has more control, the latter follows the contours better.
the all metals are even better, but pricey.
daily, in the shower for, i think, 8 years so far.
cheers!

 

I could never get the hang of it, always took dime sized divots out of my head! Love the concept though.

 

dime sized????? Ow

 

Yep. I’ve got my mojo going with the 37 blade wonders (or however many they stuff in razors these days) so I’ll stick with it. Really wanted the headblade to work though, love the idea. But divots are divots and ain’t nobody got time for that!

 

I've been using DE safety razor for about 10 years as well. I started out using soaps and oils for the first couple years but got lazy and I've been using Barbasol for the last 8 or so. Stuff lasts me for years and it's dirt cheap so I never went back to the soaps. I'm on my third can in those 8 years and I suspect I'll get another year out of the current one so it seems they last me about 3 years. I just shave my neck twice a week so I guess it's easy to make it last. I use astra platinum blades and I'm on my third 100 pack of them.

Anyway, the main reason for my using a DE razor was to cut costs and I think I've gotten my shaving down to about as cheap as possible so I'll probably stick with what I've been using. I do think about getting an adjustable DE razor to see if I wouldn't like a more relaxed (or aggressive) shave.

 

I also have a Viking's Blade handle, but found my beard reacts differently between summer (moist, warm air) and winter (dry, cold air). So I use the KAI blades in winter and Feather in summer.

I like warm lathers and didn't want to buy a $200 specialty foaming shave warmer, I was able to find a hammered copper wide-mouthed cup, perfect size and all for lathering. I just put it in the warm water as the sink is filling, and twirl the soap in it, and by the time there's enough water in the sink I also have a warm lather.

I like the Viking's Blade lathering cream too.

I went to this system a few years back because I thought paying $30/pack for disposable blades was ridiculous.

 

For clarity, you are talking only about bumps on your scalp and not your neck or beard area, right?
I usually shave my head but I stick to clippers because it is easier for me because I don’t want to shave my scalp daily.

 

Yeah. I’m hoping I’ll learn to use the safety razor better so these 3 little bumps don’t get chopped off. They’re really small bumps like I said - not visible but enough to catch the razor.

 

This is what I was driving at with my question to @rhythmdevils but his bumps are on his scalp and not on his beard area.

You are referring to a condition called
Pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) or more easily called razor bumps.
I saw this and treated it while working as a General Practice doctor in the Navy because everyone needed to shave their face (even the ladies ).

 

Yes, or if you want to stick with manual razors, you can try an adjustable razor so you can change how aggressive your shave will be.

I use a Merkur Futur, which goes from 0 to 6. I bounce back and forth between a 1.5 and 2 on mine depending on what blades I'm using and what part of my face I'm shaving. I have a bump under my nose I have to be careful with, and this feature has helped a ton.

It may or may not be helpful in your case, but maybe worth a shot:

https://www.westcoastshaving.com/products/merkur-futur-safety-razor-matte-chrome

 

I finally found the combo that works great for me!

I have a coarser beard so I ended up with the following combination:

Merkur 25-C open comb
Feather blade
Art of Shaving trio pre-shave oil/shaving cream/post-shave lotion

I bought a sampler pack of blades to try. I was previously using Dorco blades which are great quality but not sharp enough for me. I still need to try Astra and Derby Extra.

I need to explore cheaper alternatives of pre-shave oil and the rest.

 

I should probably try some proper shaving soap/etc before giving up on it. This was the first time and i was using nothing but water and a bit of dr bronners soap. I got some dr bronners shaving soap gel coming maybe that will help.

the second time I shaved my head I used an electric razor on the 3 bumps (which still had scabs so easy to see) and shaved the rest with a razor and didn’t bleed at all.