Thread: Pre-post shave accessories essentials

I'm new to straight shaving (have yet to actually straight shave) and although I've done quite a bit of research on straight razors, and strops; I really don't know much at all about shaving oils, soaps, syptic pens, brushes, etc. I've tried to search for a basic package with all accessories included but the only packages I've found include a straight razor, and I'm in the market for a vintage one to start out with, and already have a strop. Anyway, looking for some idea of what's really necessary for shaving and what are reasonable price ranges, as well as quality brands for pre shaving and post shaving products. Thanks in advance.

All you need are a shave ready razor, strop, soap or cream, brush and water. If you do not opt for a shave ready razor, you will also need a hone. All else is luxury. A styptic pencil is useful, but you can get along with out one (you will just bleed longer).

essential is shaving soap, brush and aftershave
And ofcourse the shave ready razor and strop
For AS i would strongly suggest a non alcoholic balm or creme

While it may not be an essential item in the future, I believe as a new shaver, a good astringent and aftershave balm are essential. I recommend an alum block followed by a soothing balm. This will help cure the razor burn that will inevitably follow your first shaves.

Thanks, no idea where to get shaving soaps (besides random internet sites), any advice would be much appreciated

Originally Posted by Fbones24

While it may not be an essential item in the future, I believe as a new shaver, a good astringent and aftershave balm are essential. I recommend an alum block followed by a soothing balm. This will help cure the razor burn that will inevitably follow your first shaves.

Personally, I never experienced any serious razor burn. My original statement stands.

The first thing you need to do is establish your budget. What's reasonable for you vs. whats reasonable for me are probably far apart.

So, how much do you have to spend?

I like using a pre-shave oil, and have some Truefitt & Hill (nice lemon scent) that cost around $15. I also picked up some "Shave Secret" (not much of a scent) for around $3 from WalMart. Other than the scent, I can't tell the difference between the two in the resulting shaves. (And the scent doesn't really matter because after you're done, no trace of the oil is going to remain--at least, I can't smell it, but then, I'm a smoker so maybe that's why).

I tried out the "uber lather" today and really like it (roughly, a 50% mix of soap and cream, with a few drops of glycerin added). Worked really well, IMO, so I'd recommend getting both a soap and a cream, as well as some glycerin, to make the mix.

I find an aftershave balm, followed by some aftershave, works nice to sooth the skin, particularly if you end up with any irritation (somewhat of a newbie curse, I think).

A styptic pencil (maybe under $2 at Walmart) , or alum bloc (around $12) is essential, IMO, for deeper cuts (it happens), unless you plan on bleeding for a while, or spending a period of time with tissue plastered on your face. But, you really don't need it for nicks, as they close up pretty fast.

You'll need a brush to make lather, and all I've used is a silver tip badger, so I can't say about boar, or synthetic. But, you'll need one of them to make the lather.

Grab a large cup out of the cupboard and you'll have your shaving mug.

As you've already indicated, get you're razor from the classifieds. I've bought a number from the guys there, but you really only need something in the $30-$45 range, shave ready. I'd recommend buying at least two, so if you jack up one (perhaps stropping and blow out the edge--take your time so you don't do that!!) you'll have another, or, when it's time to have it touched up, you can send one out at a time to be re-honed.

I've bought razors from the following guys, and have been happy with them all:

Stimpy52
hi_bud_gl
1g6
smythe
HNSB

I'm currently waiting on 2 from Pinklather, but from my correspondence with him, I think they'll will be OK; though, I can't say that definitively as I haven't received them yet. (No offense meant PL).

I've also found that using a piece of cotton cloth folder over twice (so it fits under two fingers) to be useful for skin stretching. I cut an old wash cloth up for this, but you can so so with an old sock, old under wear, or whatever, to do the same thing. The shave oil makes your finger slick so that you fingers slip on you skin as you try to use them to stretch your skin. The cloth gives good adhesion to allow optimal skin stretch, IMO.

Good online vendors (that I've found) include:

Straight Razor Designs, The Finest In Gentlemens Shaving And Grooming Needs

www.thesuperioshave.com (lots of good info on the website, and Jarrod is +1--he spent a lot of time answering my emails, which took him away from his business. Very highly recommendation).

www.classicshaving.com

www.vintageblades.com

I copied opinions from some threads on what some guys thought was the best soap vs. creams were, and this is the list:

Best Creams:

Domenico Caraceni
Xpec
Proraso
TOBS
Musgo Real cream
Castle Forbes

Best Soaps:

Mama Bear
Mitchell's Wool Fat

I don't have any of these, so I can't comment on them. However, I'll probably look into buying some of these in the future when I run out of my current supply of soaps and creams.

Determine what it is you want to buy, and check the prices on each of these websites to see where your dollar will buy the most.

But, first you must determine your budget for what you want. There's stuff that's really pricey, and you'll pay for it. Then there's other stuff that's less expensive, but might suit your purposes just fine. You need to determine how much you want to spend before anyone can answer the question of what is reasonable in price vs. what is quality.

Hope this helps.

Kent

As a fellow newbie, I'm trying to stick to the cheaper stuff at first; I figure once I get my technique down solidly I can start to experiment with different soaps and creams to figure out what really works for me. As for a really solid starter-package, since you already have the razor, strop and brush down, for just a few dollars you could start with:

Soap- Van der Hagen can be found at nearly any CVS, Rite-Aid, Wal-Mart, etc for $3-4

Cream- C.O. Bigelow was the best and easiest to get my hands on. It's basically re-branded Proraso and can be had for $5 (small-ish tube) or $10 (big tube) at Bath & Bodyworks. The menthol is wonderful and it's nice to go out and physically take a look rather than getting genuine Proraso online.

AS- Pinaud, Aqua Velva (the normal cool blue or a very nice musk version), and classic Old Spice can all be had at any of the above pharmacies for just a few bucks and are not only classic staples that belong in every man's medicine cabinet, but some of the best around as far as I've seen.

ASB- I especially like the Nivea ASBs and have used these frequently even back in my dark (Mach 3) ages. They're excellently moisturizing and smell very nice, though if you'll be using them in conjunction with an alcohol-based AS splash (I do, and prefer the AS first for the cooling/tightening effect, and maybe a little on top of the ASB as well just for scent, though as far as I can tell there is no consensus at all on which order to utilize them in), I'd recommend the one with the yellow label (sorry, but I can't think of the official name) as it's basically unscented and won't interfere with the AS; if not, the scent in the regular line is very nice, though mild, all by itself.

All this "software" (as opposed to the "hardware of shave-ready razor, brush and strop) can be had for MAYBE a grand total of $10 at any big-box retailer or pharmacy, and provide really more than you can need to get started in grand style, with PLENTY of room to experiment with all sorts of differentiations once you get nice and comfy with your technique. I've used the King of Shaves oil found at all these places and found it pretty much completely extraneous, but if you insist on using one, that would be the option to go with at first. You can also substitute the Neutrogena or Gillette products that will be right next to the Nivea if you want, and any way you slice it, have all the accessory-type stuff you need for less than the price of a big lunch at McDonalds and still be right up there with the $100/bottle stuff as far as quality and performance. f

Good luck! And remember to worry about technique much more about your technique than the products!