What is Reddit's opinion of Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving the Double-Edge Way?

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Be sure to read /u/Leisureguy's book Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving the Double-Edge Way, easily found on amazon Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving the Double-Edge Way https://www.amazon.com/dp/151151583X/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_CXBKvbSSHQJ63

Helped me out big time.

boa noite, I pretty much had the same routine (electric shaver most the time with a fusion razor when I wanted to be cleaner) and I hated shaving, usually I would have a scruffy beard my wife hated.

I gave DE a shot and love it, the ritual, the feeling of clean skin, the nice smells from the soaps and after-shaves.

You just got to be patient while learning and no go overboard on soaps (oops failing there) and supplies.

Hopefully someone international (i'm in US) can chip in with things to get from amazon or places to buy where you are at, I picked up Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving and enjoy reading it.

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most people jump into the shaving part ignoring the prep. hot wet towel or showers with light soap wash, hot water , add shaving oil ( shave secret) then add a GOOD shaving cream ( if it's in a can, it's not good) then shave with your SHARP razor, ( if you left it in the shower or near water it's no longer sharp)

make sure you shaving with the grain. not against it repeat. then shave against the grain when you're face is ready. then cold water

read Gourmet Shaving

you'll thank me later.

https://www.amazon.com/Leisureguys-Guide-Gourmet-Shaving-Double-Edge/dp/151151583X

Once you get really experienced with wet shaving you can do touch ups without lather (I do it all the time), but as others have said you should be re-applying soap or creme with every pass.

If you’re just getting started, I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

You might be interested in a Guide I wrote, which of course contains much more information. Take a look at the reader reviews and you can decide from those whether the book would be helpful to you. You can also read the beginning of the book using Amazon's "Look Inside" feature.

I am pleased my comments were helpful. Check in after a month or two and let us know how it's going.

In the preface to my guide I write at some length about how it's important to base decisions on experience rather than expectations, since our expectations are often contradicted by our experience. You may be surprised to find that you in enjoy the lather's fragrance a lot. (The fragrance of lather departs with the lather—its purpose is simply to enhance the pleasure of the shave.) You can use Amazon's "Look Inside" feature to read that: go to the Table of Contents and click "Preface to the Seventh Edition."

Happy to be of help. I wrote a guide for novices. You might take a look at the reader reviews and decide from those whether you think it would be helpful.

I have read an occasional comment regarding my Guide that "you can just ask when you have a question," but I wrote the book specifically to answer those questions that novice do not know to ask. You can take a look at the reviews and decide from those whether you think the book would be helpful to you.

The soap dedicated to shaving is a shaving soap, which you would use in any case to make lather. I found that using a glycerin soap (after trying the 3-week test) helped my shave. I think the reason is that the glycerin adds lubricity. As I point out in my <em>Guide</em>, liquid glycerin can also be used as a pre-shave, though I find the high-glycerin soap to work better.

It's easier to cut yourself, but don't be intimidated. Cartridge razors are built to be foolproof. They set the angle for you and you can use as much pressure as you want without doing too much harm. The irony is that's exactly what gives you a sub-par shave. With a DE, you need to set the angle yourself and always be mindful of the amount of pressure you're using. Very light, let the weight of the razor do the work. It might sound complicated, but like I said, don't be intimidated. Anything worth doing is worth taking a bit of time to learn. I've honestly never cut myself with a DE razor. You should check out Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving it's a really great book with all the info you could ever need.

Yeah, no. I'm sorry, but this is a bad guide. I'm AMAB and live my life as male. I shave almost daily, and I have to say, this is not the way to shave, because there is no one way to shave.

Shaving is an extremely individual experience. It is different for everyone.

Everyone's beard hair grows differently. The best way to figure out the grain of your beard is to draw a little diagram of your face (it doesn't need to be accurate) or take a straight-on photo of your face.

Then, take some time to let your beard grow out, and feel your face. Move your fingers in all directions. The direction that has the most resistance is against the grain. Take your diagram or photo and draw markers/arrows indicating which direction your hair grows with the grain in each spot on your face.

Now that you have a little diagram of your face, you can use that as a reference for the future (though you should compare it against your actual face now and then in case you initially got something wrong, or missed a feature) until you've memorized the grain yourself.

Okay, next dealio is to throw away (or preferrably recycle) your cartridge and canned foam and get into wetshaving (you can get started here, here, and here).

After that, I would suggest as a good way to start out shaving your face, do a with-the-grain pass, then an across-the-grain pass (meaning at a 90-degree angle to the direction of your grain), then an against-the-grain pass. Don't be too worried about getting a baby's-butt-smooth result at first, because you'll just end up giving yourself razor burn and nicking yourself.

Be patient, be careful, practice often, and rock on dudes! You've got this!

And the book I am referring to is the below: Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving the Double-Edge Way https://www.amazon.in/dp/151151583X/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_PE4MGDQ653VHQKDV8FG7

Indeed: https://www.amazon.com/dp/151151583X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabt1_iWMSFbMRY3WYJ

Copy/paste of a previous comment I made when someone asked a similar question. Disclaimer: prices have probably changed.

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I put together the following kit for my groomsmen when I got married, which I felt got me exactly what I wanted.

• Maggard Razors MR1 with V3 head - $17.95
• Maggard Razors 22mm Black/Bronze Synthetic Brush - $11.95
• 5 brand blade sampler - $5.25
• Full-size soap - about $15.00 (I picked my favorite soaps and put a different one in each)
• Styptic Pencil - $2.95
• Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm - $5.49
• Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving the Double Edge Way - $11.95

The total comes out to $70.54. You could sub the Maggard basic starter kit or the Stirling budget starter kit for the first 4 items, you just get a few less blades and a little less soap. (If you go the Stirling route, you can order a <em>humongous</em> styptic pencil from them and shave on shipping)

I'm also fairly new to this, but I'll try to give you some guidance.

1. I could be worng about this, having never shaved with a straight razor, but my understanding is that straight razor shaving is very difficult to learn without previous single-blade shaving experience. As such it is generally not recommended for those new to wetshaving. The safety bar design of a double-edged (DE) razor makes it possible to learn proper technique and blade angle with minimal risk of cutting yourself. For far less than $100, you can get a good DE razor and a few 5- or 10-blade sample packs. By the time you run out of samples and maybe buy a bulk order of one or two brands of blades, you're still saving significant money over cartridge shaving.
2. I can't answer this without experience in straight razor shaving, but I'll re-emphasize that DE blades are very inexpensive and don't require learning an additional skill to be able to use. I imagine that many find the artistry of learning to hone a blade appealing, much like one would enjoy learning to craft other fine goods as a hobby. I think this is a fine goal, but does not seem to be the most efficient way of achieving your immediate goal, which I interpret to be getting a better shave for less money. If I'm reading you right, DE is the way to go at first.
3. High-quality boar, horsehair, and synthetic brushes are all available at reasonable prices. Usable-quality badger hair brushes are generally more expensive. All of the above will have their proponents, but the best price-to-performance seems to be the newest synthetics, such as the Omega S-Brush series and the RazoRock Plissoft series. It is important to note that the modern synthetics are generally considered to offer equal performance to the natural hair options. Which of the four is the "best" is, like everything else in the world of wetshaving, up to individual preference.
4. Soap: There are a ton of options. It's often recommended to get samples of a few different soaps so you don't break the bank trying to find what you like. Look for something with glycerin high up in the ingredient list. There are other recommendations about ingredients, but I'm not as familiar with them.
5. Bowl: Considered unnecessary by some, essential by others. As you're learning how to build lather, try both lathering directly on your face, lathering in your palm, and lathering in a regular old cereal bowl. If you find you like lathering in the cereal bowl, then you can decide whether you would like to invest in a bowl specifically for shaving. It's important to note that a specialized shaving bowl is not necessary - just about any shallow bowl will work. The point of the bowl is to provide a surface that, when rubbed with the brush, causes the bristles to bend and rub against each other, building the lather. Really, any solid surface will do this, including your face, hand, mirror or toilet seat, but obviously there are some surfaces you wouldn't want to use for reasons entirely unrelated to whether they will help your brush build a lather. (The bowl, u/leisureguy points out in his book, is not to hold lather, it's to build it. The lather is held in the brush.)
6. Other products: You don't need anything other than razor, blades (if applicable), brush, and soap or cream. However, many consider a high-glycerin pre-shave soap essential and various after-shave treatments as well. What you decide is essential will depend on your own experience.

You are absolutely correct that there's a lot to think about. Take it just a few steps at a time. Many recommend starting with just a brush and soap, and really learning how to build and apply lather. That means only having to decide on two products to buy at first.

I will also pitch u/leisureguy's book, Gourmet Shaving: The Double Edge Way, from which I learned just about everything I wrote you. It's an extraordinary resource for new wetshavers, walking you through both process and products. Even if your ultimate goal is to get to straight razor shaving, all of the pre-shave and post-shave information is equally applicable, and in fact takes up much more of the book than the information specific to DE razors. You can find the book on Amazon for just over $10.

Good luck!

Q Brothers is good. You might also take a look at the reader reviews for my guide and also use "Look Inside" to decide from those whether it would be helpful. You are more or less the reader I had in mind.

In the meantime, read this post on blades, which are often a surprise. And when you start, watch out for the four most common mistakes new DE shavers make.

Welcome.

Darn. I guess you didn't see the Bad Gear List in the FAQ. Too bad, we could have helped you get a MUCH better brush for around the same price as that Escali. You definitely got a good soap. Good on you!

Yep, do a few shaves on each blade. Figure out which ones pull and tug less and stick with them. If hairs are catching that could be two things: bad lather or going against the grain far too soon.

Remember, no pressure is needed when using a safety razor. Let the weight of the head apply its own pressure. No pressure, really.

Take a look at this PDF, I think it's very informative for newbies: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3Vscw_XOQpZNVppYmw4dWJfUVE/edit?pli=1

Also, you'd do well to purchase this book from fellow Wicked_Edge member /u/Leisureguy: http://www.amazon.com/Leisureguys-Guide-Gourmet-Shaving-Double-Edge/dp/151151583X/

In my experience, all the Wet Shaving Products silvertip brushes are extremely good. I have that brush (along with their Monarch, Prince, and Stubby), and I do like it a lot. I think I'll use it tomorrow now that you've reminded me.

If you should want to give him a DE razor to test the waters (as it were), I highly recommend this razor. Although it's only $20, it has an Edwin Jagger head (and Edwin Jagger razors cost substantially more) and a solid stainless steel handle, which has a great hefty feel and can be used with other three-piece razors. (E.g., he could later buy an iKon or Above the Tie head and use the handle with that.)

If you do get him a razor as well (and I frankly would recommend that: he has to start someplace, and this razor is a reasonably priced good starting point), also buy a blade sampler pack of about 5 or so brands. Read this post for why that is necessary.

I would also recommend an alum block, which is both a skin treatment and (more important for novices) an excellent styptic if used correctly.

Since you're buying a brush, I recommend you also get him a good soap or shaving cream. You have many excellent choices there, including Barrister & Mann, Catie’s Bubbles, Chiseled Face, Dapper Dragon, Dr. Jon’s, The Holy Black, LA Shaving Soap Company, Maggard Razors, Mama Bear, Mickey Lee Soapworks, Mike’s Natural, Mystic Water, Phoenix Artisan, RazoRock, Soap Commander, Stirling Soap Company, Strop Shoppe, WhollyKaw, and more. MaggardRazors.com sells samples of soaps, and one approach is to get him a few samples to try and see what he likes.

You can take a look at the reader reviews of the introductory guide I wrote and decide from those whether you think it would be helpful to him.

Hope this helps.

The list is probably not complete, but is, I think, a good sample:

Badger Shaving Co.
The Copper Hat
Classic Edge
Fendrihan.com
ItalianBarber.com
Kent of Inglewood
Mark of a Gentleman
MenEssentials.ca
ShavingStyle.com

Today's shave used only products from Canadian vendors.

Thanks for mentioning the Guide. It is indeed available from Amazon.ca.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/151151583X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687582&amp;pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&amp;pf_rd_t=201&amp;pf_rd_i=1477436804&amp;pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_r=1XA5GJ7VTXJVNP4CHDWQ

4.9 stars on Amazon.com, but only 7 have rated it so far. Perhaps look at the reviews for the previous edition: 177 rating, 4.7 stars. (The new edition is, in my opinion, at least 0.2 stars better: more material, more up to date, improved explanations, etc.)

Just curious: do you have a link to the 3.5-star rating?

I recommend the items in this starter kit, since I picked each as the best bang for the buck.

When you do start, try to avoid the four most common mistakes cartridge shavers make when switching to a DE razor.

And in particular, read this post on blades, which are generally a surprise to novices: they differ more than most think.

You can take a look at the reader reviews of my guide and decide from those whether it would be helpful to you.

Welcome.