Hi Everyone,
I'm not sure what to say here, so I I'll just ramble for a while...
Begin ramble
I'm in my late thirties. I live and work in Canberra, currently living northside and working in the city.
I'm in IT. The less said on that the better. (yawn)
Anyway, what brought me here? Horrible shaving experiences, mostly.
I've used every supermarket option out there. Been through most department store offerings. Seen specialty clinics and doctors. Yet, none of them were able to stop my skin freaking out every time I shaved.
To make matters worse, I have Scottish and Mediterranean blood... So, NOT shaving is typically not an option.
Then, about two months ago, I stumbled across a DE-shaving starter kit. I decided to give it a whirl (it's only money!) and I have been impressed since day one.
Don't get me wrong, I still *sometimes* have bad shaves. But, it's always for a reason. "Didn't sleep well last night", "In a hurry", "clean-up turned into 4 extra against-the-grain passes"... ie: clear mistakes that I can (and do) learn from.
Long story short, I'm noticing that as my technique and patience improves, my skin is getting noticeably better overall... At least until I open that pack of feathers that I've been so-far too chicken to try.
My current kit
Razor:
- Merkur 34c. Pretty happy with it. It's the first/only DE razor I've ever owned.
- I have a Rockwell 6c on order because I'm a kickstarter floozy and it was pretty.
- I am also trying to find excuses to buy a Charcoal (Vertigo Brass) or a Timeless razor. Maybe even a Blackbird; but that might just be my hormones talking.
Products:
- Geo F. Trumper (soap and skin-juice). Came with the 34c. Very good. Still my lightweight fallback choice.
- Thayer's unscented witch-hazel. Love it.
- Alum block. Came with the 34c. Omg! How have I never heard of these before!? Really helps my skin.
- Crown King and Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (soaps and after-shaves). I like them, especially if I want a scent.
- Razorock soap. This one seems to be jinxed. Every time I've used it, I've had a terrible shave. But, I don't know if it's the soap or me... I'll give it one more chance if I can work up the courage.
- I also have about 10 brands of blades that I'm going through. Current faves are Astra and Gillette... I haven't dared touch the Feathers yet.
What's next?
I really want to try some Australian brands of product. But, they seem quite hard to come by.
Is there some list of Aussie brands somewhere? I seem to just stumble across them.
- My next order will include something from Wolfpac (Silk Road?)
- I tried to get my hands on anything by Shaver Heaven. But it looks like I missed the boat. I'm really pissed about that.
- I liked the idea of Occams. But, their site shows *everything* as sold-out. Have they shut down?
- The only other one I'm aware of is Whispers from the Woods. So, I'll try that too. But I don't know much about it.
Well, that went for way too long considering noone's likely to read it.
Anyhoo, if I ever meet any of you in person, the first round's on me.
Cheers.
Ren
I'm not sure what to say here, so I I'll just ramble for a while...
Begin ramble
I'm in my late thirties. I live and work in Canberra, currently living northside and working in the city.
I'm in IT. The less said on that the better. (yawn)
Anyway, what brought me here? Horrible shaving experiences, mostly.
I've used every supermarket option out there. Been through most department store offerings. Seen specialty clinics and doctors. Yet, none of them were able to stop my skin freaking out every time I shaved.
To make matters worse, I have Scottish and Mediterranean blood... So, NOT shaving is typically not an option.
Then, about two months ago, I stumbled across a DE-shaving starter kit. I decided to give it a whirl (it's only money!) and I have been impressed since day one.
Don't get me wrong, I still *sometimes* have bad shaves. But, it's always for a reason. "Didn't sleep well last night", "In a hurry", "clean-up turned into 4 extra against-the-grain passes"... ie: clear mistakes that I can (and do) learn from.
Long story short, I'm noticing that as my technique and patience improves, my skin is getting noticeably better overall... At least until I open that pack of feathers that I've been so-far too chicken to try.
My current kit
Razor:
- Merkur 34c. Pretty happy with it. It's the first/only DE razor I've ever owned.
- I have a Rockwell 6c on order because I'm a kickstarter floozy and it was pretty.
- I am also trying to find excuses to buy a Charcoal (Vertigo Brass) or a Timeless razor. Maybe even a Blackbird; but that might just be my hormones talking.
Products:
- Geo F. Trumper (soap and skin-juice). Came with the 34c. Very good. Still my lightweight fallback choice.
- Thayer's unscented witch-hazel. Love it.
- Alum block. Came with the 34c. Omg! How have I never heard of these before!? Really helps my skin.
- Crown King and Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (soaps and after-shaves). I like them, especially if I want a scent.
- Razorock soap. This one seems to be jinxed. Every time I've used it, I've had a terrible shave. But, I don't know if it's the soap or me... I'll give it one more chance if I can work up the courage.
- I also have about 10 brands of blades that I'm going through. Current faves are Astra and Gillette... I haven't dared touch the Feathers yet.
What's next?
I really want to try some Australian brands of product. But, they seem quite hard to come by.
Is there some list of Aussie brands somewhere? I seem to just stumble across them.
- My next order will include something from Wolfpac (Silk Road?)
- I tried to get my hands on anything by Shaver Heaven. But it looks like I missed the boat. I'm really pissed about that.
- I liked the idea of Occams. But, their site shows *everything* as sold-out. Have they shut down?
- The only other one I'm aware of is Whispers from the Woods. So, I'll try that too. But I don't know much about it.
Well, that went for way too long considering noone's likely to read it.
Anyhoo, if I ever meet any of you in person, the first round's on me.
Cheers.
Ren
and 
