Northam Saint
Forum GOD!
Simpsons Trafalgar T1 Synthetic Shaving Brush
Simpsons Trafalgar T2 Synthetic Shaving Brush
shavingstation.co.uk
Nice brush at a good price, can’t go wrong with a Simpsons.
Hi, Newbie Here Searching For Advice
- Thread starter Parallaxis
- Start date
shavingstation.co.uk
Nice brush at a good price, can’t go wrong with a Simpsons.
Cheesepiece
Stickler
Fantastic brushes the Trafalgars for the money.
Northam Saint
Forum GOD!
Secret Santa sent me one, lovely brush. I’m thinking of having a clear out of my badgers as I don’t really use any of them, I’m a synthetic convert. Also thinking about seeing if Simpsons will do me a Major (travel) in synthetic.
Last edited:
ewkist
Forum GOD!
For me, brush is the least important part of the shave. It just whips up lather and applies it to your face. The lower priced badgers might not hold together in the long term. A synthetic brush will work out of the box, and does not require soaking. Boar starts out stiff, but will break in and get softer as the hair tips split. Boar and badger must be soaked for a few minutes in water to saturate the bristles.
As for preshave, hydration is the best prep. Shower, face washing to remove dirt and grime. A quality soap or cream will not require any other help. A cheap preshave that I am using in winter is Pears glycerine soap. Rub the bar across the wet face, rub it in just a little to apply evenly, then apply lather. Provides an extra level of glide in dryer conditions. I don't need any preshave in humid summer.
As for preshave, hydration is the best prep. Shower, face washing to remove dirt and grime. A quality soap or cream will not require any other help. A cheap preshave that I am using in winter is Pears glycerine soap. Rub the bar across the wet face, rub it in just a little to apply evenly, then apply lather. Provides an extra level of glide in dryer conditions. I don't need any preshave in humid summer.
Northam Saint
Forum GOD!
I’ve been using a face scrub of late that seems to help as well stand the stubble up. I also occasionally use a shave oil, that helps too.
Parallaxis
Forum GOD!
Thanks again for all the comments and suggestions! Also another thing, especially given that I'm prone to nicks even with just my disposable, would an alum block be a good investment? And if so any recommendations etc.?
Well that might be the case for me then seeing my cans of shaving gel are pretty dire. I don't shower before shaving mind, I did try the hot towel technique but it didn't really do it for me so just getting a bowl of warm/hot water and splashing/rinsing my face in that for a little while is what I tend to do for, so with that in mind perhaps preshave would work for me? But seeing I'll be going from just doing that and bad shaving gel to soap and a brush, it's not like i'll be in dire need of a preshave oil so I may as well just see how everything else works first.
With regards to hydration and preshave routines, just before a shave I do wash my face using a facial soap from Clinique, followed by the aforementioned hot sink of water, is that enough to do the trick or will I need to go further than that? My skin, around where I shave anyway, does tend to be naturally fairly dry, one of the dryer areas of my face.
Ah ok, I'll play it safe and stick with one of those established brands then.
Well that might be the case for me then seeing my cans of shaving gel are pretty dire. I don't shower before shaving mind, I did try the hot towel technique but it didn't really do it for me so just getting a bowl of warm/hot water and splashing/rinsing my face in that for a little while is what I tend to do for, so with that in mind perhaps preshave would work for me? But seeing I'll be going from just doing that and bad shaving gel to soap and a brush, it's not like i'll be in dire need of a preshave oil so I may as well just see how everything else works first.
Sounds like a synthetic brush is probably the best bet for me then, a lot less preparation plus it seems a lot of people have converted to just using those anyway.
With regards to hydration and preshave routines, just before a shave I do wash my face using a facial soap from Clinique, followed by the aforementioned hot sink of water, is that enough to do the trick or will I need to go further than that? My skin, around where I shave anyway, does tend to be naturally fairly dry, one of the dryer areas of my face.
Parallaxis
Forum GOD!
Thanks!
J-B-M
Forum GOD!
A hot shower really is the best preparation to begin with. If you have a couple of days growth and take a shower you will feel how it softens the bristles much more than just wetting the face with water can do. When I was learning to shave with a DE the switch to shaving immediately after showering made a big difference to getting a comfortable shave. Nowadays I can get away without it, but I definitely recommend it when you are learning.
Parallaxis
Forum GOD!
Sadly showering before a shave isn't really practical for me, so if I don't do that perhaps a preshave oil/cream etc. will be more beneficial for me?
Cheesepiece
Stickler
Perhaps. That's something to try down the line.
Parallaxis
Forum GOD!
Well I do have some ok facial soaps so perhaps i'll just moisturize before shaving. For now I'll leave preshave oils, I've just ordered myself a basic omega synthetic brush and an alum block!
Parallaxis
Forum GOD!
Ok so my shaving brush turned up today and @Northam Saint's PIF he very generously sent to me turned up the day before so it's only the alum block I'm waiting on now, but I decided to give a wetshave a try out today.
This honestly went quite better than I thought it was going to, especially the first pass I noted how much easier this was than I had expected and I only got two nicks on the first go, with one basically just resulting from some rash/burn i had left over from my last shave with a cartridge razor, and the others basically resulting from problem areas. The first pass also knocked off quite a bit more than i was expecting, i didn't get absolutely everything off but I still got the bulk off, in terms of closeness with this vs with my three blade disposable there honestly wasn't a huge noticeable difference, some areas were probably better and some less so, but this was only a first pass. I used an Astra blade for this shave on the advice of Northam and from what I can tell this was a good choice, I think any sharper on a first wetshave would have been more than I bargained for potentially, but with time I'm looking forward to levelling up to sharper blades! My worst problem area usually, on my first pass felt actually quite better, even with all three passes on literally my tryout of a DE and I can't say it's particularly worse than with a disposable. I did do two more passes, first across the grain best I could and finally against the grain, which was definitely the most difficult past and by this stage I could tell I was getting more sore whilst applying the lather: with this ATG pass I decided for the meantime as I'm new to this that it would be more my "correction" pass, so in some more difficult areas I'd vary which grain i went, in some I'd go back with or across the grain to get bits I missed out, on the cheeks and some parts of my moustache is where I mostly went against the grain, with my left cheek I felt it was actually easier against than across even.
By the third pass i did have a few cuts at this stage and some bleeding but that's to be expected for a first timer. Prior to that though I was quite astounded at how many cuts I managed to avoid. And even at the first pass I noticed my moustache was tingly whilst usually it isn't. Overall though this has been a great, more of a difference experience than I had assumed too but maybe not quite exactly how I expected, it was unexpectedly very pleasant going along nice and gently with a DE, the first with the grain pass was particularly enjoyable, gradually it got more taxing but still. Applying lather with a brush is also a very nice change of pace from smearing it across your face with your hands out of a can, in future I'll try and get it warmer but given it was a long shave and i didn't want to keep taking more soap, it's to be expected your lather's not going to be boiling hot all the time. Soap smelt subtle but very nice too! It did take a bit of getting used to lathering and then brushing your face but once I got the hang on it, very nice.
I'll definitely keep up with this, this did go better than I expected. It's only really the neck that's been a problem for me, mostly due to just how much the grain on my neck varies especially compared with the average persons, it goes about four to five different directions. Stroking my cheeks, they are baby smooth, at least on the left anyway, still sadly more beard shadow than I'd like left and the moustache I tend to manage to get closer with a disposable as i can go against the grain there without so much worry compared with other areas, but overall I'd say I've managed a closer shave with the DE and an Astra blade than with the 3 blade disposable, just on my first attempt too! My problem areas on my chin were less problematic too which is always a great bonus. I might play around with how I handle passes in future, i might do more "combination" passes where on a second pass, in some places I'll go across the grain, others with for a second time and so on, just kinda get a feel for what works with me. Some people on youtube I have seen just doing against the grain on their cheeks, and with me it's mostly just on my cheeks and moustache I did that, so again I'll experiment and see what yields the best result for me. I'll probably give it a few days before my next attempt to let myself heal up from this shave first, and by then my alum block should be here which should yield a positive result so I'll look forward to the next time!
Also if anyone has any recommendations for (non alcoholic) aftershave balms then my ears are open. I use Nivea sensitive post shave balm at the moment and I have seen lots of positive reviews for this, including on the Gentleman's Gazette but I've heard a couple of people, one here and one on another forum iirc say that Nivea stuff is awful and burns a lot. With me on this shave, initially I noticed a lot LESS stimulation when initially applying it (although that may have to do with the fact i used a bit less than my excessive usual amount) but then soon after it stung more than usual, not necessarily in a bad way mind but I have heard that can lead to irritation. I'll probably pick up another bottle of this mind unless anyone has any good alternatives for sensitive skin that don't cost a fortune and are easy to get hold of.
This honestly went quite better than I thought it was going to, especially the first pass I noted how much easier this was than I had expected and I only got two nicks on the first go, with one basically just resulting from some rash/burn i had left over from my last shave with a cartridge razor, and the others basically resulting from problem areas. The first pass also knocked off quite a bit more than i was expecting, i didn't get absolutely everything off but I still got the bulk off, in terms of closeness with this vs with my three blade disposable there honestly wasn't a huge noticeable difference, some areas were probably better and some less so, but this was only a first pass. I used an Astra blade for this shave on the advice of Northam and from what I can tell this was a good choice, I think any sharper on a first wetshave would have been more than I bargained for potentially, but with time I'm looking forward to levelling up to sharper blades! My worst problem area usually, on my first pass felt actually quite better, even with all three passes on literally my tryout of a DE and I can't say it's particularly worse than with a disposable. I did do two more passes, first across the grain best I could and finally against the grain, which was definitely the most difficult past and by this stage I could tell I was getting more sore whilst applying the lather: with this ATG pass I decided for the meantime as I'm new to this that it would be more my "correction" pass, so in some more difficult areas I'd vary which grain i went, in some I'd go back with or across the grain to get bits I missed out, on the cheeks and some parts of my moustache is where I mostly went against the grain, with my left cheek I felt it was actually easier against than across even.
By the third pass i did have a few cuts at this stage and some bleeding but that's to be expected for a first timer. Prior to that though I was quite astounded at how many cuts I managed to avoid. And even at the first pass I noticed my moustache was tingly whilst usually it isn't. Overall though this has been a great, more of a difference experience than I had assumed too but maybe not quite exactly how I expected, it was unexpectedly very pleasant going along nice and gently with a DE, the first with the grain pass was particularly enjoyable, gradually it got more taxing but still. Applying lather with a brush is also a very nice change of pace from smearing it across your face with your hands out of a can, in future I'll try and get it warmer but given it was a long shave and i didn't want to keep taking more soap, it's to be expected your lather's not going to be boiling hot all the time. Soap smelt subtle but very nice too! It did take a bit of getting used to lathering and then brushing your face but once I got the hang on it, very nice.
I'll definitely keep up with this, this did go better than I expected. It's only really the neck that's been a problem for me, mostly due to just how much the grain on my neck varies especially compared with the average persons, it goes about four to five different directions. Stroking my cheeks, they are baby smooth, at least on the left anyway, still sadly more beard shadow than I'd like left and the moustache I tend to manage to get closer with a disposable as i can go against the grain there without so much worry compared with other areas, but overall I'd say I've managed a closer shave with the DE and an Astra blade than with the 3 blade disposable, just on my first attempt too! My problem areas on my chin were less problematic too which is always a great bonus. I might play around with how I handle passes in future, i might do more "combination" passes where on a second pass, in some places I'll go across the grain, others with for a second time and so on, just kinda get a feel for what works with me. Some people on youtube I have seen just doing against the grain on their cheeks, and with me it's mostly just on my cheeks and moustache I did that, so again I'll experiment and see what yields the best result for me. I'll probably give it a few days before my next attempt to let myself heal up from this shave first, and by then my alum block should be here which should yield a positive result so I'll look forward to the next time!
Also if anyone has any recommendations for (non alcoholic) aftershave balms then my ears are open. I use Nivea sensitive post shave balm at the moment and I have seen lots of positive reviews for this, including on the Gentleman's Gazette but I've heard a couple of people, one here and one on another forum iirc say that Nivea stuff is awful and burns a lot. With me on this shave, initially I noticed a lot LESS stimulation when initially applying it (although that may have to do with the fact i used a bit less than my excessive usual amount) but then soon after it stung more than usual, not necessarily in a bad way mind but I have heard that can lead to irritation. I'll probably pick up another bottle of this mind unless anyone has any good alternatives for sensitive skin that don't cost a fortune and are easy to get hold of.