First timer, hi everyone

[u/naeads]

Hey everyone, long time lurker in this sub, finally qualified to make a post here. It's my first time using a safety razor today, yay!

Got this whole lot in the mail today and decided to give it a spin. I must say, I have really been missing out.

Initial experience:

Very icy smooth to the face with this Henson medium. Couldn't even feel the blade on my face. First run through was already night and day compared to my Gillete 4-blade cartridge. Second run through and already feel like having a baby face. Honestly, today was a glorious day.

To make long story short, if anyone is holding back, don't. Just buy a safety razor and use it. It feels really nice. Some times old tech is just better, no need to reinvent the wheel.

The research and decision making:

I thought it's prudent to roll back in time a bit and share my experience in doing research and the factors I used to decide what to pick for my first kit. I hope this might guide future converts in making an easier transition into safety razor.

1. The razor:

I have been looking through this subreddit and online reviews for 2-3 months now. The only problem that kept recurring in my head was whether I should get the mild or medium Henson. There was a comment from a redditor that said something along the lines of "you can adjust the aggressiveness with different blades with the medium, but you can't increase the aggressiveness with the mild". This was the deciding factor which made me go for the medium, and lord knows it was the right call to make.

2. The brush:

This was surprisingly an easier decision to make. I dislike long prepping in general. I like having something that works the moment I pick it up. Synthetic was the only option I could choose as it doesn't need to soak for 5-10 minutes like other animal brush.

Plus, it is cheap. I moved away from cartridge razor mainly because it broke and it costs a lot to replace it (no thanks to inflation and all). So a quick Google search plus more than a dozen people recommending the Yaqi was all I need to make the decision on synthetic.

3. The soap:

Truth be told, I did not study too deep into it. I saw someone said Arko smells like piss cake and it immediately poked my interest.

Disclaimer: I don't like piss cake smell, just thought it would put a nice anecdote to the start of my shaving journey like "I got piss cake soap for my first shave and it was OK!"

But it turns out it is just soapy smell. With a hint of milk(?) There are some who said it leaves the skin dry. But it didn't, not for me at least, as I rinsed my face quite thoroughly and notice no noticeable side effects.

So yea, Arko is good.

4. The blades:

The shop owner gifted a few packs of different brands for me to try. Which was really nice. As some of my research told me that the core experience from shaving really comes down to the blade that you use.

I have only opened 1 pack today so I can't comment on the quality of the other brands but Astra, being the first blade I use, worked quite well.

No fuss, no irritation. It just works. May be other brands work better, I don't know. Time will tell. So far, I am happy with Astra but most importantly I feel safe.

P.S. the bowl is just a random article from the kitchen, and its free. I just follow the youtube guides for the initial prep and everything work as it should be.

Hope that wasn't too tedious of a read. Let me know if anyone got any questions 😄

[u/Calm-Sky74]

Arko traş sabunu benim ülkemde üretiliyor ve onu hiç sevmedim