Wet Shaving for dummies | How to get started
What is Wet Shaving?
Wetshaving is simply the process of taking a shaving soap and by utilizing water and a shaving brush to agitate the soap to create a protective lather. Today it has become an umbrella term that most people associate with the community of people that use DE razors, shaving brushes, and shaving soap.
It took way too long for me to learn about this stuff, so don’t be ashamed. My normal routine consisted of some canned gel and a razor that wasn’t sharp enough to cut butter. I hated shaving and would go days if not weeks between shaves just to avoid the process.
Then one day I came across something called wet shaving and my world was turned upside down. The idea of traditional shaving with a safety razor, shaving soap, and brush was intriguing.
I started finding entire communities filled with people that talked about this stuff all the time. They would take photos and called it shave of the day or SOTD. It was like this secret society that anyone could join and be part of.
Benefits
- Cost – You’ll save a ton by not buying replacement heads for your cartridge razor
- Smooth Shave – It’s truly a night and day difference when you compare the quality of the shave
- Experience – There is something very nostalgic about wet shaving and once you experience it you will understand what I’m talking about
Supplies
In order to get started you’ll need some basic gear. Don’t overthink any of it because you’ll find a million different opinions that will prevent you from making a decision. Just search and find a few products within your price range and buy something to get started. Once you learn more you’ll be able to branch out and get fancier with your purchasing.
- Kit
- Many retailers will have a package of all the stuff you need to get started. They range in price from about $40 on up and usually include a brush, razor, soap, and some blades to get started.
- Shaving Brush
- There are several different types of brushes including badger hair, boar hair, synthetic, and others. Each has their pros and cons, but expect to spend about $15 to $20 for a starter brush.
- Safety Razor
- You can search and compare for a lifetime. There are too many different options, manufacturers, handles, weights, colors, lengths. Not to mention the different terms such as DE, SE, Slant, Open or Close Comb. I’m telling you it goes crazy deep and that’s not even touching the surface. Spend in the ballpark of $20 and you’ll be good. Don’t forget the blades.
- Shaving Soap
- Similar to the razors the soap options are really unlimited. You’ll find soap as cheap as a few bucks on up, however the best shaving soaps usually run in $15 price range.
Summary
If you haven’t hear about wetshaving before it’s time you read a bit about the topic and do yourself a favor and get started. The experience is top notch and you’ll never go back to the old way of shaving.
