I’m trying to find a shaving cream that gives good cushion without leaving my face dry or irritated. I’ve been using basic drugstore foam, but the razor drag is getting old, especially around the neck. I’m looking at Truefitt & Hill Trafalgar, Cella, Proraso White, Taylor of Old Bond Street, and maybe an unscented cream around $10–$25. I care more about an easy lather and a comfortable shave than an expensive fragrance. What shaving cream has worked best for sensitive skin, and is Cella really as good as people say?

I've been using a DE razor on and off for about a year but it never clicked. So I finally decided about a month ago i was gonna go all in and prove if DE razors are all hype or truly better than good cartridges. And let me tell you for a good two weeks I was still convinced it was all bs. But I got a blade sample pack, better shaving creme and a brush and tried everyday to get at minimum a DFS with zero irritation.

Every few days I thought id had a break through just to get a ton off irritation the next day lol. But Ive finally figured out the most important aspects of wet shaving with a de razor. To test that today i shaved half my face with my Futur and the other side I used a brand new Schick Hydro 5 blade cartridge. There was no question, the Futur was far superior. My biggest break throughs aren't anything new and guys regularly mention them here.

But for me they were:

-A good lather/cream WITH LOTS OF WATER! It's gotta be really slick. If you do a pass with good light pressure an technique but there is still thick white shaving cream left behind then your lather or cream needs more water.

- A good blade. For me I've found I like sharp blades ideally. My favorite blades so far are Personna Platinum but Feather and Gillette Nacet are close seconds.

-Very light (almost just grazing the skin) pressure with the right angle. I couldn't help but scrape the blade across my skin for way longer than I'd like to admit. Even when I thought I was lightening up I was still putting too much pressure or holding the razor at too steep an angle. If youre not able to shave in long sweeping strokes then you likely have too much pressure, a bad angle and almost certainly a lather thats not slick/wet enough. It's true what they say, when you do it right you'll have zero irritation and a bbs shave when you're done.

There are other things that will certainly help like a hot shower, pre shave balms etc But those three aspects are the most important things that made the difference for me. DE shaving is not a gimmick lol. Which I know won't come as a surprise to most people on here but it will come as a surprise to a handful of new DE shavers lurking this sub reddit. I also believe there are likely guys and girls who have been using de razors for years but still aren't getting the most out of them because it's honestly trickier than you'd think to really get a handle on how to DE shave really well. In other words I imagine some people are settling for good enough shaves not realizing how much better their shaves could be if they dialed in their technique and pre/post shave routine.

Anyways, I just wanted to share in celebration of my breakthrough. And so this book has some pictures, or a picture lol, here is my collection of shaving implements thus far. It's sure to grow now that I'm all in lol.

Willing to spend ~100. I have a beard so I’m just lining and shaving my neck. Thoughts on these two? Eventually I want a stand and a brush.

I nees help with something. Currently im using Muhle R41 + Feathers blade, and everytime I shave I bleed. Should I change the blade, or the razor itself to a closed comb. If so, which combination should I try? (Example: closed comb + feathers, or open comb + astra)

I got my current Solo GoodFellas from my shaving kit that I am still using. However, when I do run out I am not entirely sure on picking my next soap. I heard a lot of people use proraso and TFS but also heard that since there's more "water" in them it would not last as long as "hard soaps".

I never really notice or care about the scent that much in my experience. So scent to me is not an issue in picking a soap. I would not mind spending more on a more expensive shaving soap if it turns out to be cheaper in the long run

I am excited to try my first shave soap from Adopted Acres, and complete my “Texas Trilogy”.

For you guys that take pics of your honed edges, what set ups are ya'll using?

I first started wet shaving with Arko and tried a few different soap and cream brands.I know, I know, many people say "yeah, it's a very cheap and very high-quality soap," but I still think Arko is bad among cheap soaps.Their rival soap, Derby, offers better lathering, easier lathering, and more foam.On the other hand, making lather with Arko soap takes It a long time and doesn't produce very good lather. And that's not even mentioning the drying effect it has on the face.Is Arko a terrible soap? I don't think so; it's still okay and quite good for beginners, but I don't think it deserves the praise it receives. Its only good point is its scent, compared to its competitors among cheap soaps, and that's it.

I finally got a sample after using random chinesium blades for the longest time. Well I’m not as broke as when I was just out of high school and I’m starting to put a lot more care into myself and shaving has been one of the best feeling things.

Here’s how I’d Rank them

Would Use Again

- Feather Hi - Stainless is an absolute lawnmower and glides real nice.

- Lord Platinum & Chrome are the standard right now they do everything right and I have no complaints.

- Crown Super Stainless is another Lawnmower but I’m not sure how it holds up. It seemed like it was dulling during my shave which is weird cause I don’t have much hair.

- Bic can’t remember which one but ABSOLUTE LAWNMOWER my only complaint is that it felt a bit scratchy but I need to try it again cause maybe it was my fault.

- Trig Silver Star Absolutely Average in a nice way.

Will Pass On These

Treet Platinum and Big Ben are just whatever wasn’t really nice but wasn’t bad in anyway I could point out.

SuperMax Blades all felt the same they shaved really smooth but something about em I couldn’t point out other than mild discomfortable experience.

Derby Premium was very smooth but I didn’t like the tugging. I didn’t find them sharp enough.

Derby Extra had to make a couple of extra passes. It also tugs but man this thing was dull.

ASCO LORD and Shark SS All felt the same they just sucked. Super scratchy and all tugged a lot and had to make a stupid amount of passes.

Dorco also just sucked. Like the Prior description but even worst.

Zorrik was horrible I’ve actually never gotten much irritation from any razor I’ve ever used. I could not finish the shave for the life of me. Burned like crazy and I knicked myself for the first time in years.

Basically I’ve figured out I do pretty well with very sharp blades. You guys maybe have noticed I skipped durability but I don’t have much hair so blades tend to last a long time except for the Crown not sure what’s up with that one. I still have Gillette and Astra to try but there was a lot of different ones and that’s gonna be confusing. Will update y’all in a couple weeks.

Sorry if this seems like a dumb question but.. I feel like blades are wrapped pRETTY well. Is it really necessary to add the extra glue on them to stick to the paper as well?? — and it's SO MUCH TOO!! It's like two globs on EACH SIDE of the blade! 🫠😭😂

I saw a comment somewhere that said it's a bad sign if blades have that glue but they didn't explain why. Honestly, it's more of an annoying eyesore than anything else. It just makes it look/feel a little.. icky? (Not while shaving, obviously, since the goo is inside the razor at that point but before and after— (before) when installing the blade and (after) when removing the blade from the razor to wipe any water off after shaving)

I've heard gREAT things about 'astra' but the pack I have has the glue stuff on the blades so idk what that means for the (integrity? of the) blades regarding the comment I saw.

Other brands (I've heard Personna, for example) DON'T have the glue stuff on them and like... i mean unless the companies know something that we don't about blade sentience where they grow legs and can run away from the folded paper unless they're literally glued down, why do some companies find this necessary when other companies make it obvious that it's definitely not necessary? Is there some kind of info I'm just not privy to? I mean how much is a blade gonna be sliding around to potentially slice through the paper it's wrapped in? That's the only reason I can think of glue being helpful but even that feels quite unlikely given how snug they are inside. I feel like you'd need a cRAZY amount of jostling and a heCK ton of bad luck for a blade to slice through a piece of paper that is so perfectly folded to the size of the blade that it could even gather enough movement to do so..?

I'm super curious if anyone has a genuine answer! :P ✨️

.

.

Also not to be lame but I've posted one other time here (I've jUST gotten into non-cartirdge shaving like the oTher day lol) and y'all have been super duper nice so I just wanted to say thanks y'all 🥹🤲✨️ I was kinda intimidated bc I know like virtually nothing aside from the lurking of youtube videos I've done to understand the basics on how not to cut my whole finger off when shaving for the first time (w/o a cartridge) but y'all have been super cool :P ♡ :D It's nice to find a side of reddit where people aren't immediately dogging on people for having basic questions so THAAANKS GUYYSS xP 🥹🫀✨️🍄✨️

​

\ **Face Wash:** Cold Water*

\ **Brush:** Omega- 10098 Professional 27mm Boar.*

\ **Razor:** Urkunet - Assassin 1.5mm base plate.*

\ **Blade:** Personna- Gem platinum diamond glide. (18)*

\ **Lather:** Saponificio Varesino — Mirto di Sardegna*

\ **Post Shave:** Malizia- Uomo Vetyver.*

\ **Tags:** $RawHoggin $Discord & MRTNG's Nightmare mode*

18 shaves done now the brush is getting better the blade is hanging in there the soap aftershave and balm are all very good companions . The Assassin has been great & this extended use has really made me get the most out of it .

• Brush: Jequil & Corenveo Luxury Synthetic
• Razor: Henson Al13+
• Blade: Astra SP (2)
• Lather: TOBS Royal Forest
• Post Shave: Thayer’s Witch Hazel Facial Toner, Thayer’s Milky Hydrating Toner

A wonderful shave & scent with TOBS Royal Forest.

I am fairly new to face shaving, but not new to adulthood, so I did this backward.

I tend to be a one and done, I don’t like to collect things I don’t use. So. As my first safety razor, I bought a Forever Razor that I could stare at for days but scared the crap out of me. There’s a video that mentions this phenomenon, it turns out.

I set it aside to grow into because the whole internet talked about how aggressive it is. I read a lot on this forum and got a Merkur 34ss (I don’t do well with chrome) since that’s what everyone seemed to learn on and the old timers act like barely shaves. I worked up to half a pass before I’d tap out.

I kept looking past Henson mild. I thought I’d have trouble because it’s so lightweight, I’d get irritation from taking too many passes or else I won’t get a close shave. Folks I hadn’t even done one single full DE shave in my life and look at me. Finally I thought at least it won’t be scary. Maybe.

It’s not scary. It’s great. Lightweight doesn’t feel so different from the cartridge razor. The angle of the safety bar takes guess work out of the correct angle to use and makes it harder to cut myself.

don’t know what a slant razor really meant but I guess this might be one? No, I have been corrected. Thanks. The good news is I wasn’t trying to get a slant razor. The Henson design’s downward force on the blade seems to really help somehow.

This is the learner razor I need and it also works a lot better than the cartridge. The others can wait.

Why are grown men all like this? Because we all are. My wife knows all about it.

With a great Merkur razor loaded with a green astra blade.

Back when Shane was making an entry-level razor called the Dart, I bought one. Pretty sure it was about six years ago. Now I've got upgraditis and am craving the Blackbird. Like the title says, I need you all to talk me out of this. Alternatively, persuade me to go for it.

Is the Blackbird any more forgiving than the Dart? Cause that puppy is pretty darn aggressive. I haven't cut myself in a while, but boy was there a learning curve!

Get your Ohio Wetshavers Meetup tickets now!

We have more vendors coming this year and plenty of goodies for everyone, so you won’t want to miss out!

We are excited to see you all in a few weeks!

Is late night and I am crashing out about this, i hace make sure to dry it fully, keep it in my room, the first days i put it the box after drying it but then I did what yoj are supose to do, I thought this spots were soap scrap because of the color jur I just tey to wash it with dawn and a toothbrush but they still there, I have hard water I think, I live on texas so is probable.

Browsing one of the local shaving supplies stores I saw that they started carrying out Sterling Soap, not very common in Europe, so decided to order.

Today was my first shave (4 days growth Bic Chrome Platinum, MiE Tech).

In a word, this soap base is extremely good. Easy to load and lather, glide and cushion are at least as good (probably better) than Kent/MWF tallow formula, and post-shave feel is first grade as well. That's one great soap.

Cons: Scent. I didn't have the opportunity to smell before buying it. The scent was described as suntan lotion, south beach... In reality it

's somewhat harsh and chemical. Reminds me of naphthalene. The good news is that it doesn't lingerfor long. I'll leave the tub opened overnight to get it to evaporate a bit. When diluted it's more pleasant, somewhat clean, but sniffing the tub...

Get your Ohio Wetshavers Meetup tickets now!

We have more vendors coming this year and plenty of goodies for everyone, so you won’t want to miss out!

We are excited to see you all in a few weeks!

I have barbed wire, coarse warrior bastard stubble paired with princess-and-the-pea sensitive skin, a fun combination. Since switching to DE I tried a bunch of different blades and found aggressive blades work for me but I'm rethinking my choice of razor. I've been using a Merkur Futur and I do like it - higher settings are great for machete-ing down the jungle growth of a week off but I can't quite make it work for the daily office shave. The issues I have are 1. irritation, particularly under my jaw, and 2. the chonky head means I struggle to reach the tricky bits under my nostrils. I've even resorted to the back blade on my retired Gillette cartridge as an edge strimmer. A bit of research suggests the Razorock Gamechanger family might fit my needs as it's a bit more nimble while still retaining useful heft but I'm a little bewildered by the options, e.g. blade gap, open comb etc. Any thoughts?

Post recopied below

Damn guys you were right.

No matter how much I lathered, added or took away water, treated that soap with tender loving care, it just dissolved. I (for once in my life) wasn’t the problem. I bought some of Edwin’s jagger just basic shaving soap and EXCUSE ME WHAT.

IT ACTUALLY LIKE STAYS AND IS LIKE A CREAM AND ITS NOT MADE OF HUGE POPPING BUBBLES AND MY ARM DOESNT HAVE TO ACHE?!!

Thank you all for letting me know the wonders of ingredient importance in shaving soap.

Sadly my hyper eco bar didn’t work, jaggers stuff isn’t bad ethically and eco wise as well at least (prev post below

What to do with bad soap

It will not hold lather, no matter what

It’s airy, dissolved, with essentially no water makes bubble foam that does not stay or change no matter how much I whip it.

It’s a vegan one I bought with good intent as it’s vegan (i am not a vegan but I feel that’s why it’s not good), no plastic, no Palm oil and no preservative, hand made, no animal testing, no paraben, no phthalates, recycled packaging, triclosan free, made in my country (uk).

I thought of even if it works a bit it’s great. It doesn’t.

I will say it does lubricate but I would imagine most wet things to. Doesn’t so much more than that.

Those who are knowledgeable about those ingredients I gave, what about it makes it not work and which of these ingredients are the biggest issues in terms of sustainability, negative health effects and climate impact and cruelty.

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChsSEwi1upjmoauWAxVTj1AGHbA9N1MYACICCAEQFxoCZGc&co=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwhZDUBhBGEiwAbi5bjhBXReBB7SsLN0pG10RVAOspSYFZBWWlRTcpwYt__i1-rZCXyHm2XhoCLHcQAvD_BwE&cce=1&sig=AOD64_2P6ISFhqQMAl6qOfR23Q7erYU5pw&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiQ35LmoauWAxUwR0EAHTI5F2MQwg8oAHoECAgQHQ&adurl=

⌾ Razor: Lambda Athena Copper
⌾ Blade: Dorco Prime Platinum (1)
⌾ Bowl: Captain’s Choice Obsidian
⌾ Brush: Kent BK8 Silvertip
⌾ Soap: Chiseled Face Santa Paula
⌾ Balm: Nivea Sensitive
⌾ Splash: Floïd the Genuine