Please recommand cost effective shaving products

[guaise]

I am new to safety razors, and still looking for shaving products, including preshave, shaving cream, and after shave. I went to art of shaving local store, and the whole set costs $90 before tax, I am not sure if that's a good deal or not.


I would really appreciate it if anybody could provide some brand names, and where to purchase them.

Thank you.

 

[gadgetgeek]

I'm going to assume you already have a brush, handle and blades, yes?

My prefered stuff at the moment is Taylor's of old Bond Street soap, and Thayers superhazel as an aftershave. I don't use a pre-shave, as I have not found it necessary (I shave after showering) A puck of ToBs and a bottle of thayers will last me long enough to forget when they started, I'm thinking 7-8 months, maybe longer?

Some products go farther than others, and so you need to factor that cost, but some products will work well enough that cost becomes less of a factor. 90 dollars for products you have not used seems excessive. They may not work for you for a lot of reasons, some scents do not agree with some skin, some soaps don't work well in some water. I would suggest looking for sampler packs to start, while you figure out what you want to use. I can't help much with pricing since I'm not in the US, I'll assume you pay half what I would, those two should set you back maybe 30$

A few other general points. Soaps tend to last longer than creams, but are a bit more work to lather.
Glycerin soaps (Col. Conk) lather more easily and some find provide a more slick shave, but do not last as long as milled (triple milled/french) soaps.

Some good places to start, I would also recommend mitchels wool fat soap, Its generally pretty forgiving to the skin, a bit tricky to lather, but just take the time. Lasts a long time, and is reasonably cheap.
If you want to try a cream, I'd get a tube of proraso. the tub stuff is like a really soft soap, which is good too, but try the tube stuff.
Palmolive for men gets good reviews, but I've never used it.

Without knowing your location its hard to say where to buy stuff from, do you shop at the big river? or do you want a local brick and mortar store?

What sort of shaving and products did you use before?
What sort of skin and facial hair do you have (sensitive or not, oily, dry, every other day shave, or gray-face?, strong scents or subtle)
Seems like a lot of silly questions, but the whole point of wet-shaving is a better shave, so the more info the better we can all help.

 

[DaveTheCityDweller]

I reccomend seeing reddit/wicked edge lot of help and info
Edwin Jagger db87 line of safety razor very good and last long long time
omega synthetic brush nice for sensitive skin avoid badger boar if sensitive to harsh bristles
stirling soap high quality low price very very good lather.

 

[A.McPherson]

I use olive oil as a pre-shave, Taylor of Old Bond st (about 25$ shipped from Amazon) and COLD water as an aftershave.
I don't generally like to use all the products everyone else likes to, but then again I don't have particularly sensitive skin either...
Pretty economical though...

 

[DaveTheCityDweller]

I use olive oil as a pre-shave, Taylor of Old Bond st (about 25$ shipped from Amazon) and COLD water as an aftershave.
I don't generally like to use all the products everyone else likes to, but then again I don't have particularly sensitive skin either...
Pretty economical though...

try witch hazel it better than water. good on skin

 

[stargawker]

I am new to safety razors, and still looking for shaving products, including preshave, shaving cream, and after shave. I went to art of shaving local store, and the whole set costs $90 before tax, I am not sure if that's a good deal or not.


I would really appreciate it if anybody could provide some brand names, and where to purchase them.

Thank you.

My favourite shaving cream is La Toja Sensitive. I buy it at ItalianBarber.com for about $6.99 per tube.

A great value for a shaving brush is the Omega 10065 - available on Amazon for about $15.

For blades, I prefer Astra - about $15 for 100 blades on Amazon.

For the safety razor, my favourite shave is the Gillette Aristocrat. Picked up mine for $25 at an antique shop. I have also had good shaves from Gillette razors I have picket up between $5 and $10 at antique shops.

For preshave oil, I make my own. Here is the recipe:

In a 4 oz bottle, combine:
• 2 parts castor oil
• 1 part olive oil
15+ drops*essential oil*of your choice

For aftershave balm, I also make my own. Here is the recipe:

1. Mix equal parts witch hazel and Aloe Vera gel. I use about 2 tbsp each.
2. (Optional) Add a little Lime essential oil (or other scent) for fragrance.


Hope this helps. I love using safety razors and brushed shaving cream - a much closer shave and a fun addition to my morning. Enjoy!

 

[RexRazorX]

My lower cost option for cream and post shave is the Body Shop shave cream and post shave lotion. They are on sale very often - I buy it at 50% - a tub will cost $8.00 for 6.3 oz. It lasts me six months +. Lather and slickness is very good. The lotion is very good if you have sensitive or dry skin.

These aren't the lowest cost. But I think their are a great value for high quality product.

 

[guaise]

sorry for the long delay before I can reply. I went with proraso products on all pre/after shave, and shaving cream, and I am pretty happy with them.

Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions.