Gillette (the all things Shaving Thread)

[ajaxlepinski]

Ryan - you now have an excellent razor and what most will say, just about the best soap and aftershave you can get: Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime.

When I first started DE shaving, I spent a lot on different razors, soaps, blades, brushes and aftershaves, hoping to find something better.
You don't have to go through that process because, you have the good stuff.
Congratulations!!! :

Nevertheless, moar is ALWAYS better!!!!

If your brush is too soft, get an Omega 20102. It's not only my favorite boar brush, it's my favorite desert island brush of all time.
https://maggardrazors.com/products/omeg ... brush-28mm

This is the moment, Brian. You know what's the best. I've did zero experimentation and suffered no product regret. I really love this smell and today was my best shave, yet. I'm sticking with it!

Honestly, I figured out the angle and stroke length. It was very satisfying to cut through about 2+ days of growth with minimal passes. Skin feels great.

I know what's best? Ha! Tell that to my g/f!!!

[RyanDistortion]

I've gone full re re and bought the sea spice lime EDT. I'm borderline obsessed with the scent. Didn't even know they made an actually fragrance until I went back a few pages for inspiration. There's 182 pages to look at and you boys have done a fine job of bringing the products to light.

I need a better lather cup. I have a bowl that's wider on the bottom than on top and it's not as easy to continuously whip the lather.

I look forward to shaving, now. Never thought I'd say that.

[ajaxlepinski]

First 11/10 day in a while!!!
The Black Cherry soap has so much chill, I couldn't feel my face!
Fucking awesome!

[BroSlinger]

Osprey is pretty sweet. Re adjustables: I think i like it better than the muramasa.

Tried pinaud canned foam today. It was awesome.

Got some vintage skin bracer moss! It’s awesome.

[RyanDistortion]

Did my Seaforth sea spice lime everything shave. That satisfaction I get from effortlessly removing hair from my neck makes me want to shave my beard for more shaving fun lol. I've finally got my lathering skills up to snuff. Turns out my lather bowl and brush are totally fine.

[Tortuga]

I bought 100 RK blades that were an option to add with the Hensen. Hope they're ok. Got the Seaforth lime spice soap, a boar brush, and a lather bowl from West Coast. Bought an after shave lotion from Amazon that had the right smell, I want. We'll see!

You'll be fine. This is a good start. Initial thoughts:
1. The Henson is a fine razor, but it will be very mild. It's okay if your face doesn't end up baby smooth. You will have satisfying shaves. Eventually, you will buy a more efficient razor. (Blackbird, Rocca, Lupo .95, etc.) (FWIW, I have a Henson Medium, and it works great)
2. The Seaforth lime is as good as shaving soap gets. If it doesn't lather right, the problem isn't the soap. If it doesn't shave right, the problem isn't the soap. The scent was developed by known perfumer Shawn Maher. All of the Seaforth stuff rules. The Fleur de France is my favorite. Smells like Brut.
3. RK blades aren't the sharpest ever, but they are smooth, and of good quality. They only last 2 shaves, but that's ok. Buy some Personna Lab Blue or Gillette Blue Platinum.
4. Which boar brush did you get? Omega? It will be good, but give it a day or two to break in. At first, it may cause lather issues. Watch some videos about how to lather a soap. Boar brushes are my favorite BTW. I am in the minority, but they've worked for Italian barbers for hundreds of years.

The rabbit hole is DEEP on soft goods (soap, splash, balms, pre shaves, etc.) You don't need to buy everything. I have thrown away a LOT of stuff. It becomes so overwhelming.

A few more things:
pre shave oil sucks.

Most scents are duplicates or homages to well-known scents. If you think you like something, chances are, it's just another fake Creed Aventus, Terre D'Hermes, Acqua Di Parma, Acqua Di Gio, etc. I wish I would have known about this website ten years ago. https://www.thirstybadger.ca/shaving-fragrance-homage/

Proraso Green pre shave cream rules.
Proraso Green splash rules.
Saponificio Varesino soap RULES. It's worth the money. Consult with me on scents. I've used them all.
Anything from Razorock is usually a safe bet, quality and value wise.
Anything from Barrister and Mann is of high quality.

Heya, dudes

Decided to wade into this rabbit hole, once again. Been using a Harry's cartridge razor for the past few years, and have found it to be decent (at least as far as I know) for both my face and head (I've been shaving my head completely since 2018 or so), but I hate buying expensive cartridges and tend to keep using them far longer than the manufacturer recommends. I'd much rather change frequently with inexpensive and good quality blades.

Saw an ad or the Henson razor that caught my attention and can see there's some positive feelings here about their products. Considering one of them, but not sure about fine vs medium. I'm sure it's been discussed over and over in these pages (182 now??? ), but any help getting started would be much appreciated.

Should I start with Gene's recommendations above for razors? What else do I really need to get started as far as soap/brush/etc go? I've been using Proraso creme (green tube) for a while now and pretty happy with those, but definitely interested in getting into the soap/brush thing. Anything else I need?

TIA!

[ajaxlepinski]

Welcome to the fold brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It takes about two months for most people to become skilled enough to DE shave without getting an knicks or razor burn.
Do NOT use a DE on your head until you get skilled at using one on your face. Even with lots of practice, the head is going to be tricky because, you really need to be able to see what you're doing.

I'll be shaving my dome pretty soon... the bald spot is getting tougher and tougher to cover!
At the current rate of hair loss, I'd say I less than a year to go.
I've decided to get an electric Skull Shaver: https://skullshaver.com/collections/men ... gKxGvD_BwE

The Henson is a excellent first razor - it has a flat surface that makes it easy to find the right angle.
I really like the RazoRock Lupo; it's a inexpensive clone of a $500 Wolfman and only costs $40. https://www.italianbarber.com/products/ ... fety-razor

This vid is worth a look... it talks about the best angle to hold a DE razor and other valuable tips...

[VTM]

Welcome to the fold brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It takes about two months for most people to become skilled enough to DE shave without getting an knicks or razor burn.
Do NOT use a DE on your head until you get skilled at using one on your face. Even with lots of practice, the head is going to be tricky because, you really need to be able to see what you're doing.

I'll be shaving my dome pretty soon... the bald spot is getting tougher and tougher to cover!
At the current rate of hair loss, I'd say I less than a year to go.
I've decided to get an electric Skull Shaver: https://skullshaver.com/collections/men ... gKxGvD_BwE

The Henson is a excellent first razor - it has a flat surface that makes it easy to find the right angle.
I really like the RazoRock Lupo; it's a inexpensive clone of a $500 Wolfman and only costs $40. https://www.italianbarber.com/products/ ... fety-razor

This vid is worth a look... it talks about the best angle to hold a DE razor and other valuable tips...

Great post Ajax! Been shaving my head for about 9 months. Got one of those infomercial head shavers, and they work great. If you use them every 3 days, lol. So, I just use a disposable razor and finish off with the head shaver. I wish I would've done this years ago.

[andvari7]

I’ve been a fan of the DE blades for a number of years, and I’ve been using an imitation silvertip badger hair brush, which I like, but I have been wondering if a boar bristle brush would be better for me. To that end, I ordered one last night. It should arrive by Thursday.

[ajaxlepinski]

Welcome to the fold brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It takes about two months for most people to become skilled enough to DE shave without getting an knicks or razor burn.
Do NOT use a DE on your head until you get skilled at using one on your face. Even with lots of practice, the head is going to be tricky because, you really need to be able to see what you're doing.

I'll be shaving my dome pretty soon... the bald spot is getting tougher and tougher to cover!
At the current rate of hair loss, I'd say I less than a year to go.
I've decided to get an electric Skull Shaver: https://skullshaver.com/collections/men ... gKxGvD_BwE

The Henson is a excellent first razor - it has a flat surface that makes it easy to find the right angle.
I really like the RazoRock Lupo; it's a inexpensive clone of a $500 Wolfman and only costs $40. https://www.italianbarber.com/products/ ... fety-razor

Great post Ajax! Been shaving my head for about 9 months. Got one of those infomercial head shavers, and they work great. If you use them every 3 days, lol. So, I just use a disposable razor and finish off with the head shaver. I wish I would've done this years ago.

I just hope the dents on my noggin look cool.

[ajaxlepinski]

I’ve been a fan of the DE blades for a number of years, and I’ve been using an imitation silvertip badger hair brush, which I like, but I have been wondering if a boar bristle brush would be better for me. To that end, I ordered one last night. It should arrive by Thursday.

Which boar did you order? Enquiring minds need to know!!!

[andvari7]

I’ve been a fan of the DE blades for a number of years, and I’ve been using an imitation silvertip badger hair brush, which I like, but I have been wondering if a boar bristle brush would be better for me. To that end, I ordered one last night. It should arrive by Thursday.

Which boar did you order? Enquiring minds need to know!!!

Omega 10098, from Italian Barber.

[ajaxlepinski]

I’ve been a fan of the DE blades for a number of years, and I’ve been using an imitation silvertip badger hair brush, which I like, but I have been wondering if a boar bristle brush would be better for me. To that end, I ordered one last night. It should arrive by Thursday.

Which boar did you order? Enquiring minds need to know!!!

Omega 10098, from Italian Barber.

Nice! Curious to know how you like it. I really dig my Omega boar.

[RyanDistortion]

I know Gene is in to colognes and such. Did some researching the other night after being inspired to get a new "scent". My wife loves what I use but I've been using it since 2007. Went to the mall and tried a bunch of shit that is expensive. The reason being that I'm being bombarded with these fragrance companies that sell copies of the Uber expensive shit (creed adventus, Tom Ford oud wood, Versace eros, Bleu de chanel).

Anyone have experience with clones? There is a decent reddit thread but I figured I'd ask you trusted gentlemen.

[BroSlinger]

I know Gene is in to colognes and such. Did some researching the other night after being inspired to get a new "scent". My wife loves what I use but I've been using it since 2007. Went to the mall and tried a bunch of shit that is expensive. The reason being that I'm being bombarded with these fragrance companies that sell copies of the Uber expensive shit (creed adventus, Tom Ford oud wood, Versace eros, Bleu de chanel).

Anyone have experience with clones? There is a decent reddit thread but I figured I'd ask you trusted gentlemen.

Very high quality Good clones:

Cremo spice and black vanilla- spice bomb
Cremo silver water and birch - creed silver mtn water
Fine l’orange noir - terre d’hermes
Fine platinum- creed aventus
Fine American blend - ysl rive gauche
Ach brito atlantico - acqua di gio
Marmara #4 - paco 1 million
Marmara #6 - jpg le male
Marmara #7 - adp blu Mediterraneo fico di amalfi
Razorock- mudder focker - boelis panama 1924

Those are clones worth using that are very close to what they are copying.

Fwiw, I won’t use Acqua di Parma colonia clones. None come close to the real thing.

[Murdoch]

Just ordered the Fine Platinum as I’m a big fan of Aventus, and the clone on Amazon isn’t as nearly ethically produced as this seems to be. Hopefully it smells as good. Thanks Broslinger.

[BroSlinger]

Just ordered the Fine Platinum as I’m a big fan of Aventus, and the clone on Amazon isn’t as nearly ethically produced as this seems to be. Hopefully it smells as good. Thanks Broslinger.

You will like it. I have the real deal, and FP is much closer than many others.

[Murdoch]

Just ordered the Fine Platinum as I’m a big fan of Aventus, and the clone on Amazon isn’t as nearly ethically produced as this seems to be. Hopefully it smells as good. Thanks Broslinger.

You will like it. I have the real deal, and FP is much closer than many others.

Awesome. I just can’t justify spending $400 on a bottle of cologne. lol

[BroSlinger]

Just ordered the Fine Platinum as I’m a big fan of Aventus, and the clone on Amazon isn’t as nearly ethically produced as this seems to be. Hopefully it smells as good. Thanks Broslinger.

You will like it. I have the real deal, and FP is much closer than many others.

Awesome. I just can’t justify spending $400 on a bottle of cologne. lol

Gotta know where to look. I had a 36% coupon for Fragrancenet. I actually got the Aventus "cologne". I thought it smelled better than the normal EDT. Paid $270 for a 3.3oz.

[RyanDistortion]

I might not like aventus. I smelled the mont Blanc explorer and wasn't in love. Explorer platinum, however, was kind of nice. I have a sampler pack of the real shit coming. I'll try all those and narrow my field. I'm using real Burberry for Men right now and it's doing a good job. Woody and a little sweet.

[Murdoch]

I might not like aventus. I smelled the mont Blanc explorer and wasn't in love. Explorer platinum, however, was kind of nice. I have a sampler pack of the real shit coming. I'll try all those and narrow my field. I'm using real Burberry for Men right now and it's doing a good job. Woody and a little sweet.

I currently use Amraf Club Nuit Intense Man (god I hate the fucking name of it) which you can get on Amazon. It’s sort of an Aventus clone but not as close as it used to be. It’s not as ethically produced as the stuff Broslinger posted, but I get complimented on it quite a bit. The Platinum is inexpensive enough that it’s worth a comparison, plus it isn’t tested on animals, so if it smells just as good or better, that’s a win-win.

[RyanDistortion]

West Coast shaving has a 31% sale today for halloween. No code needed

Edit: 31% off West Coast shaving PRODUCTS. Grr.

[Dave]

I might not like aventus. I smelled the mont Blanc explorer and wasn't in love. Explorer platinum, however, was kind of nice. I have a sampler pack of the real shit coming. I'll try all those and narrow my field. I'm using real Burberry for Men right now and it's doing a good job. Woody and a little sweet.

Burberry is a polarizing fragrance. I bought a bottle and it just didn't work with me at all. I guess it doesn't mix well with alcohol from the pores I gave it to one of my friends and he loves it.



Dior Sauvage is my go to.

[andvari7]

The Omega boar is a spectacular brush. Coarse enough to get a good, creamy lather, yet fine enough not to tear my face to shreds. Every soap I use seems to work better than it did with the imitation badger.

[ajaxlepinski]

The Omega boar is a spectacular brush. Coarse enough to get a good, creamy lather, yet fine enough not to tear my face to shreds. Every soap I use seems to work better than it did with the imitation badger.

right on, Right On, RIGHT ON!!! Boar ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!