Sharing Wet Shaving With A Younger Generation, Selecting A Kit

Thanks for the kind words, gents!

Followup: The older boy went away to college in the Fall, and is still wet shaving, and all his friends think he's very cool, very 'retro', and most importantly the outbreaks on his face have disappeared! I gave him a Rockwell for his graduation present, and that's all he shaves with.

The younger one has just started to shave, but makes a lather like someone who's been doing this for years. And he has zero fear of the razor.

I hope they keep with it, and hopefully, I've done my part in keeping the wet shaving flame alit for another generation!

Oh, I'd say you succeeded handsomely.

Well done!!!!

I don't know how I missed this original post last spring but better late than never as they say! What a wonderful thing you've done for those boys. I managed to get my son started as well as one of my brothers and he got his three boys going with wet shaving as well. I can see why proselytizing has been so popular over the years - its fun!! Thats funny what you say about teenager's attitudes - tell them that its super sharp and thats the way they're going to go. Caution comes later. Maybe

I don't know how I missed this original post last spring but better late than never as they say!  What a wonderful thing you've done for those boys.  I managed to get my son started as well as one of my brothers and he got his three boys going with wet shaving as well.  I can see why proselytizing has been so popular over the years - its fun!!  Thats funny what you say about teenager's attitudes - tell them that its super sharp and thats the way they're going to go.  Caution comes later.  Maybe

Your lucky. All the males in my family are much to lazy. None of them will even try a brush and soap. Much less a real razor.

I don't know how I missed this original post last spring but better late than never as they say!  What a wonderful thing you've done for those boys.  I managed to get my son started as well as one of my brothers and he got his three boys going with wet shaving as well.  I can see why proselytizing has been so popular over the years - its fun!!  Thats funny what you say about teenager's attitudes - tell them that its super sharp and thats the way they're going to go.  Caution comes later.  Maybe

Your lucky. All the males in my family are much to lazy. None of them will even try a brush and soap. Much less a real razor.

I know what you mean. There is a fair amount of resistance out there for many males to step outside their comfort zone. A common attitude is that shaving is such an odious chore, why would I want to spend any more time and money on the process than I already am. Thats why gifting is such a good strategy. The first one is free, then....

The situation with my brother was kind of funny. He was already using a drugstore brush and the Williams puck with a cartridge razor - and there is nothing wrong with that. Plenty of guys start that way or even stay that way. In any case I told him he ought to try something better. At the time I was using Ogalalla soap and toners. He wouldn't budge so I bought him the Bonanza pack of aftershaves and a soap samplers. That did it - so he went along with that for a while and I told him about Barrister and Mann - humbug, not interested. And he didn't like tallow soaps either. Soo, I bought him a tub of the B&M Bay Rum (white label). So he found that it was really great, seriously, he's like Mikey from the Life Cereal commercials. So now its several years later and he has cursed me once or twice, good naturedly I think, about how much money he has spent on shaving supplies. Maybe so, but he is enjoying the experience and I couldn't be the only one blowing through cash on this stuff could I? Somebody ought to start a multi-level marketing scheme focussed on shaving supplies. Some of us would be rich by now. Or at least covered (partially) our shaving costs!

I don't know how I missed this original post last spring but better late than never as they say!  What a wonderful thing you've done for those boys.  I managed to get my son started as well as one of my brothers and he got his three boys going with wet shaving as well.  I can see why proselytizing has been so popular over the years - its fun!!  Thats funny what you say about teenager's attitudes - tell them that its super sharp and thats the way they're going to go.  Caution comes later.  Maybe

Your lucky. All the males in my family are much to lazy. None of them will even try a brush and soap. Much less a real razor.

I know what you mean.  There is a fair amount of resistance out there for many males to step outside their comfort zone.  A common attitude is that shaving is such an odious chore, why would I want to spend any more time and money on the process than I already am.  Thats why gifting is such a good strategy.  The first one is free, then....

The situation with my brother was kind of funny.  He was already using a drugstore brush and the Williams puck with a cartridge razor - and there is nothing wrong with that.  Plenty of guys start that way or even stay that way.  In any case I told him he ought to try something better.  At the time I was using Ogalalla soap and toners.  He wouldn't budge so I bought him the Bonanza pack of aftershaves and a soap samplers.  That did it - so he went along with that for a while and I told him about Barrister and Mann - humbug, not interested.  And he didn't like tallow soaps either.  Soo, I bought him a tub of the B&M Bay Rum (white label).  So he found that it was really great, seriously, he's like Mikey from the Life Cereal commercials.  So now its several years later and he has cursed me once or twice, good naturedly I think, about how much money he has spent on shaving supplies.  Maybe so, but he is enjoying the experience and I couldn't be the only one blowing through cash on this stuff could I?   Somebody ought to start a multi-level marketing scheme focussed on shaving supplies.  Some of us would be rich by now.  Or at least covered (partially) our shaving costs!

I often say shaving is like crack. I hope he still uses the Williams too. My brother in law does use a soap and brush atleast. He might use a real razorcbut my sister says no. Just making real lather makes shaving so much better.

Your lucky. All the males in my family are much to lazy. None of them will even try a brush and soap. Much less a real razor.

I know what you mean.  There is a fair amount of resistance out there for many males to step outside their comfort zone.  A common attitude is that shaving is such an odious chore, why would I want to spend any more time and money on the process than I already am.  Thats why gifting is such a good strategy.  The first one is free, then....

The situation with my brother was kind of funny.  He was already using a drugstore brush and the Williams puck with a cartridge razor - and there is nothing wrong with that.  Plenty of guys start that way or even stay that way.  In any case I told him he ought to try something better.  At the time I was using Ogalalla soap and toners.  He wouldn't budge so I bought him the Bonanza pack of aftershaves and a soap samplers.  That did it - so he went along with that for a while and I told him about Barrister and Mann - humbug, not interested.  And he didn't like tallow soaps either.  Soo, I bought him a tub of the B&M Bay Rum (white label).  So he found that it was really great, seriously, he's like Mikey from the Life Cereal commercials.  So now its several years later and he has cursed me once or twice, good naturedly I think, about how much money he has spent on shaving supplies.  Maybe so, but he is enjoying the experience and I couldn't be the only one blowing through cash on this stuff could I?   Somebody ought to start a multi-level marketing scheme focussed on shaving supplies.  Some of us would be rich by now.  Or at least covered (partially) our shaving costs!

I often say shaving is like crack. I hope he still uses the Williams too. My brother in law does use a soap and brush atleast. He might use a real razorcbut my sister says no.  Just making real lather makes shaving so much better.

I got started using brush and lather with my cartridge razor too. I said that I got my son started with wet shaving and technically thats true, however, he got me going too. I'll explain - I did try the DE shaving eventually but I had a merkur (don't remember which one) razor that was fairly aggressive and a blade sampler that wasn't great. I wasn't aware of forums at the time although I did fins some help from youtube. Anyway, the shaves were really harsh and I was suffering so after a week or so I put the de razor aside and continued with the brush / lather and cartridge. Well, my son being a teenager and, as noted by OP, liking sharp things asked if he could give it a go so off he went. He had a sparse beard at the time and only shaved once or twice a week but he really liked it. I figured I couldn't be shown up by my son shaving wise so I researched a good beginner razor and ended getting an EJ DE89 and went through a blade trial process and away I went. I got my son an EJ DE89 as well because it was just better at the time than the chopper he was using. So thats how my son and I got each other started with wet shaving. He hasn't been bitten by any acquisition disorders (yet) because first of all, he's a poor student and secondly, he uses my stuff as if it were his own. The nerve.

I know what you mean.  There is a fair amount of resistance out there for many males to step outside their comfort zone.  A common attitude is that shaving is such an odious chore, why would I want to spend any more time and money on the process than I already am.  Thats why gifting is such a good strategy.  The first one is free, then....

The situation with my brother was kind of funny.  He was already using a drugstore brush and the Williams puck with a cartridge razor - and there is nothing wrong with that.  Plenty of guys start that way or even stay that way.  In any case I told him he ought to try something better.  At the time I was using Ogalalla soap and toners.  He wouldn't budge so I bought him the Bonanza pack of aftershaves and a soap samplers.  That did it - so he went along with that for a while and I told him about Barrister and Mann - humbug, not interested.  And he didn't like tallow soaps either.  Soo, I bought him a tub of the B&M Bay Rum (white label).  So he found that it was really great, seriously, he's like Mikey from the Life Cereal commercials.  So now its several years later and he has cursed me once or twice, good naturedly I think, about how much money he has spent on shaving supplies.  Maybe so, but he is enjoying the experience and I couldn't be the only one blowing through cash on this stuff could I?   Somebody ought to start a multi-level marketing scheme focussed on shaving supplies.  Some of us would be rich by now.  Or at least covered (partially) our shaving costs!

I often say shaving is like crack. I hope he still uses the Williams too. My brother in law does use a soap and brush atleast. He might use a real razorcbut my sister says no.  Just making real lather makes shaving so much better.

I got started using brush and lather with my cartridge razor too.  I said that I got my son started with wet shaving and technically thats true, however, he got me going too.  I'll explain - I did try the DE shaving eventually but I had a merkur (don't remember which one) razor that was fairly aggressive and a blade sampler that wasn't great.  I wasn't aware of forums at the time although I did fins some help from youtube.  Anyway, the shaves were really harsh and I was suffering so after a week or so I put the de razor aside and continued with the brush / lather and cartridge.  Well, my son being a teenager and, as noted by OP, liking sharp things asked if he could give it a go so off he went.  He had a sparse beard at the time and only shaved once or twice a week but he really liked it.  I figured I couldn't be shown up by my son shaving wise so I researched a good beginner razor and ended getting an EJ DE89 and went through a blade trial process and away I went.  I got my son an EJ DE89 as well because it was just better at the time than the chopper he was using.  So thats how my son and I got each other started with wet shaving.  He hasn't been bitten by any acquisition disorders (yet) because first of all, he's a poor student and secondly, he uses my stuff as if it were his own.  The nerve.

Great story!! Thanks.