Thread: Got a razor, what else do I need?

So I have a straight razor I got for my birthday Dovo Shavette and I have a brush I was using with some pretty cheap shaving cream.

I'd like to get s nice shaving cream something to soften up my face before and some kind of something for afterwards to prevent itchiness/lumps I got the first time.

May need to stay away from brand names because it's likely I can't get them here in Australia but if you point in the right direction with the type of products I should be looking for that would be great!

You might look into Proraso shave cream in the green tube. It is a quality cream for a reasonable price. Plus, it is very cooling on the face which would be beneficial since you are heading into summer. It is also sold under the C.O. Bigelow name.
Many wet shavers use alum blocks or witch hazel as as a post shave treatment, followed by aftershave lotion or balm. It would help to know if you use aftershave lotion. Aftershave lotion contains alcohol and some people find it irritating.

Hi Sonofeevil,

When you start asking people for shave cream/shave soap sugggestions, know that you have opened the "subjective" can of worms. Many of us have been through a lot of experimentation to find what we like, and it has cost me at least $1,000. These are some things to consider:
1. Fragrance
2. How hard your water is
3. How adept you are at building the lather
4. How much you want to spend
5. How oily/dry your skin is
6. How sensitive your skin is
7. What passes (WTG, XTG, ATG) you make

So I personally have changed preferred products at least 8 times since I began using a straight. I can tell you that for me, the answer to all of the questions above turned out to be Tabac soap. Again I say - for me. This has been the perfect combination of all of the considerations I laid out. So I would suggest you try it. If you don't like it - move on and don't lament over the experiment. Good luck to you.

My 2 cents.


Alembic

If money is no object Truefitt and hill lathers up very easy. Its mid 30s for a tub. Proraso works great also. There's hundreds of soaps and creams.

Holy hell, I got myself a shaving oil and used it under a cream, shortened the blade I was using and wow!

Only nicked myself once and it was an awesome shave, can't wait till next one

Sounds like you found your sweet spot. Enjoy and expect more surprises.