Recommended Shaving Goods For Beginners
25 April 2020
The first and most important question to overcome is "Will i be able to do this or will i cut myself?". That is why we wrote this article years ago. Guiding you to safety razor shave, our main concern is not that you may cut yourself, but on the contrary, that you may not be able to shave effectively because of not finding the right angle and not beeing able to put the blade in contact with your whiskers. As these razors are "safety" razors, the blade exposure is limited to the angle which you can only cut your whiskers and not youself. That is why it is important to use the razor in the right angle. We therefore recommend medium aggressive razors with which you can easily find the cutting angle but still can not harm yourself or tire your skin easily. So if we agree on this, lets pass the most important criteria at the beginning of traditional wet shaving:
Since you are not familiar with the products yet, you stay away from the expensive products with hesitation, which is a natural concern. In addition, you are confused among dozens of options. Let's go step by step. First of all, your razor.
What can you use?
From time to time, you ask if you can start with a "shavette". Of course you can. But the process of getting used to it will be more troublesome for you. Ideally you should start traditional shaving with safety razors. These are very suitable for beginners because of their ease of use, practicality, variety and forgiving nature. Among all shaving accessories, they are the most secure tools thanks to their safety bars. Likewise, it is also easy to get clean and close shaves as well. So, which one should you get? Closed comb, Open comb, Adjustable, butterfly?
First of all, we suggest not getting open comb or adjustable razor at the beginning. Medium aggressive razors with straight safety bars will be best for you. After learning adjusting the cutting angle, shaving without pressure, shaving according to your whisker growth directions, you can get adjustable, open comb, or aggressive safety razors, shavettes or straight razors. Some of the most popular safety razors that are recommended all over the world are Edwin Jagger de8x series as well as Merkur 42c, Merkur 34c family. In addition, you can add Yaqi Mellon and Flipside, Fatip Gentile, Feather Der-A to the list. All of these are perfectly suitable razors for beginners with a great price. Most Merkur and Edwin Jagger models use the same head (except the new 3one6), only the handle design is different, so don't be limited to just a few models.
Of course, the variety can be increased, but we suggest to take a look at the ones above first. Wouldn't we recommend Edwin Jagger 3one6 or Feather as-d2? Of course, we can, but we want to make you affordable suggestions which will leave you enough room for shaving brush, bowl and shaving cosmetics as well. In addition, what if you buy an adjustable razor like Parker Variant, Merkur Progress or Futur and be happy with it? Of course, but remember; the learning process and getting used to the razor will take longer. Most of our members, who chose such adjustbale razors to begin, instread of searching the right shaving angle, usually opened up the aggressiveness to higher levels and tired their skins in short time. Also, keep in mind that too heavy or aggressive tools have a higher risk of irritating the skin, and you may have some difficulties to get close shaves with very mild razors (most butterfly-headed machines) due to the little blade feedback and the difficulty in finding the right cutting angle. So first get used to the standard ones and then switch to the razors with any type and aggression you want.
What about the straight razors? The straight razor is the most traditional shaving tool, but it also needs the highest care both in using and in maintenance. Therefore, we do not recommend you to start with a straight razor without spending at least a year in traditional shaving with safety razors. Starting with straight razor right away would be like buying a 1000cc racing bike without knowing how to ride a bike.
What about the shaving brush?
For shaving brush, you have opinions such as boar, horse, synthetic and badger. Yes, we know there tons of options to choose, but let's be clear; first of all, our advice to you beginners will be either getting synthetic brushes or best or finest badger brushes. These would be ideal for you with their solid structure, easy lathering capabilities and affordable prices.
Especially Yaqi and Frank Shaving brands have high price performance ratios. We do not recommend boar hair brushes to users with low experience due to the break-in period and silvertip badger brushes due to their delicate and expensive nature that require care in use. Apart from that, we recommend you to read our blog post containing details about brushes from here and here.
Cream or Soap?
Do not limit yourself in this category. You can get good results on both, but remember it is a little easier to lather with the creams. You can start with an affordable and easy-to-go product like Proraso or Tabac. These are the best known and used shaving cosmetics around, offering really good quality at an affordable price. The f/p ratio is great. Offers a selection of products suitable to everyone, every skin. Of course, you can also start with economical alternatives such as Derby and Arko creams or the legendary Arko soap which is very very affordable. Most shaving enthusiasts in Turkey have probably started with them. They will provide you with sufficient performance as well.
The Razor blades? Can you start with the Feather?
Allright...
As we have mentioned various times, Feather is known as the sharpest blade around. We know that you get excited when you read that it is the sharpest razor blade, Japanese production etc., and you want to buy and try it right away. But it is better to walk up the steps one by one. If you try to go up three, you will miss a lot on your journey. There is not a rule, saying that the sharpest blade will give the best shave. Therefore, start with gentler and moderate sharp blades, and go step by step towards the sharper ones.
Some blades are known for being great for both beginners and regular daily shaving because of their sharpness/comfort ratio. These would be ideal for you, such as Gillette 7 O'clock Sharpedge, Crystal, Personna, Treet King, Croma, Gillette 7 o'clock super stainless and super platinum, Astra, Permasharp, Derby Usta, Zaza platinum, Voskhod, Asco. First, try these, then in time you will find the ones that suit you best by buying and trying every blade you can find. In the blade world, everything is subjective, a razor blade can give different results on each person’s face. So, don’t be so hasty. The biggest mistake you can make at this stage would be putting a Feather blade to an aggressive razor and irritating your face thus being disheartened from traditional shaving. So, keep calm and go step by step. For more info about blades check this article.
What about Alum? Should you use it?
We strongly recommend using alum. We explained the benefits of alum in detail in one of our articles here. If you are going to start traditional shaving, you will immediately see the benefits of using alum regularly.
Pre & After Shave Products?
But what about after shaves? It is a step that we recommend to beginners. Although the use of alum alone will help greatly, supplementing with a moisturizing balm will carry your shaving quality to an upper level especially if you have sensitive or dry skin. We recommend choosing balms rather than lotions until you get to know your skin.
Important; never use colognes and lotions with high alcohol content. These may dry your skin.
So we summarized the topic like this.
May your shaving pleasure ever last.