Why did you start wet shaving?

Looking at the 'First Equipment' thread and seeing how fondly some of you remember the first pieces of gear that you had, made me curious. What made you decide to start wet shaving?

As for myself, the idea had been floating around in my head for a few years before I finally took the plunge. I would occasionally scroll through a forum or two and look on amazon for razors. What held me back was that it seemed like every forum said that you needed some expensive this or that to have a close shave. I didn't want to spend a lot of money to find out that it didn't give me a good shave. Not that I truly knew what an actual close shave was before recently.

Well this last year was the final straw for me with cartridges and electric razors. I have a pretty intense beard that I never could quite get rid of with a cartridge razor. I shaved with a Mach 3 Turbo both WTG and ATG and would then go over it with an electric. My face is pretty tough and it never caused me any irritation, and I had been known to dry shave on occasion.

Well cue to me being in a place where I didn't have any shaving stuff at all and I had to go re-buy some cartridge razors and an electric. That cost alone would have paid for the DE setup I have now, only the setup I have works wonders and what I had shelled out 65 bucks for back then certainly did not.

Honestly it seemed ridiculous to pay so much for a miserable experience. That's what made wet shaving seem so appealing, the idea that it was an experience. I figured it couldn't be any worse that what I had just done, and heck it just may be a good time.

So I made up my mind and purchased a DE setup online while I was still away from home and had it waiting for me the day I got back. Luckily I saw the light and am now prepared to happily spend my days shaving for the foreseeable future.

I can't wait to hear some of your stories!

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The last straw for me after 30+ years of hating to shave came when my wife and I were out of town for a funeral.  I grabbed one razor out of a bag disposables and a can of gel to put in the suite case.  Well, that next morning's shave (before a funeral no less), was brutal!  Nicks and cuts. Blood everywhere.  I looked at the razor in my hand and it appeared as though it was a cheese grater.  5-6 blades.  Just a giant, rectangular, flat surface of multiple edges!  Why, yes, then I remembered the package of twin disposables saying it included a BONUS multi-bladed monstrosity.  ENOUGH!  

I ordered my first round of traditional wet shaving stuff the day we got back home. I've never looked back!

I haven't shaved my face in many years, but when I started shaving my head a few months ago, the irritation and ingrown hairs from multi-blade carts drove me crazy, so I went to Amazon, ordered an inexpensive starter razor, a brush, bowl and soap kit, and a blade sampler.

My first DE shave was a bloodbath, cutting clean through all the ingrown hairs and razor bumps, making my entire scalp look like a minefield of weepers, but I haven't had a single ingrown hair since. Irritation has been virtually nil since about December...

I started wet shaving with razors that have more than one blade, and that was about only nine years ago.

Then I went to a forum on the internet where the double edge razor was used. They loved that razor.

So I tried it because I hadn't conquered that razor ever. I tried it back in 1966, but I was not successful.

It took me about twenty shaves, but I conquered the DE razor, and that is the razor which I am using now.

I love these stories,

I suffered hugely with ingrown hairs and razor rash to the point where I put off shaving for as long as possible.

I was watching SKYFALL and that famous straight razor scene between James Bond and Money Penny. I thought that it looked cool and I started to do some research. I came across a few of the forums and began to read them. To begin with I thought everyone was mad and that the old could never be better than the new. Anyway curiosity got the better of me and I brought my first set up. I loved it and never looked back.

I learned to shave with a safety razor.  Switched to disposables for some reason and hated it.  Then migrated to an electric for years, which sucked, but at least got the job done fast.  Fed up with the ingrowns and irritation from dry shaving, I revisited my dad's '75 black beauty (though I had no clue the date could be known at the time).  The first few were terrible until I got decent blade.  From there I discovered TOBS, which led me down the soap rabbit hole and I've since been elated with shaving!

I started wet shaving after boot camp, in 1990. I was 17, barely had hair on my face, but had to shave daily in boot camp, with canned foam and disposable razors. THAT tore my face up, and yes, I did know how to shave, but until I left for boot camp, I only had to shave once a week. The required daily shaving was making it rough... I continued to shave this way for another few months and then discovered wet shaving and haven't looked back!

Like a lot of folks I had a huge problem with ingrown hairs and terrible irritation. I have a very thick corse beard and grows in every direction. Never really thought much about it just wore a beard mostly until my 30th birthday when I received a shave from AoS. After feeling how smooth my face was and absolutely no irritation I definitely saw the light. The barber explained to me about mapping my beard, making multiple passes and took time to help me get set up. I look forward to my shaves now and even better I've met some incredible people and made some really great friends through this hobby of ours.

. I shaved with a Mach 3 Turbo both WTG and ATG and would then go over it with an electric. My face is pretty tough and it never caused me any irritation, and I had been known to dry shave on occasion.

Huh? Are you saying you dry shaved with a multibladed cartridge? Your face was dry (i.e., no water, no gel, no shaving cream)?

Do you really mean "traditional wet shaving"? (i.e., safety razor with brush and soap)?

. I shaved with a Mach 3 Turbo both WTG and ATG and would then go over it with an electric. My face is pretty tough and it never caused me any irritation, and I had been known to dry shave on occasion.

Huh? Are you saying you dry shaved with a multibladed cartridge? Your face was dry (i.e., no water, no gel, no shaving cream)?

Do you really mean "traditional wet shaving"? (i.e., safety razor with brush and soap)?

Yes I mean both of those things. Dry shaving with a cartridge razor is no fun but I can do it. It certainly wasn't a regular occurrence, probably only a handful of times. I currently shave using a safety razor with brush and soap.

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