Scary brought up DE shaving the other day in IRC. I gave him some good starting points, but figured I'd post here in case any of you were interested.
Most people our age have probably never picked up a double edged safety razor, much less used one. Our generation was brought up on the "Mach 3" standard and the thought that more blades = better. If you're like me, you probably kept blade cartridges way beyond their intended usefulness solely because they were so expensive. They are also uncomfortable, oftentimes creating skin conditions due to the harshness of scraping 8 blades against your face at once "Traditional" wet shaving solves problems you didn't even realize you had.
Years ago I bought a boar shaving brush and some mug soap to shave with as a novelty. Fast forward to roughly 2007 when my mother found an old Gillette fat boy razor at a yard sale. I cleaned/refurbished it into something useful and decided to give DE shaving a try. I've been doing it ever since. Here's a handful of reasons why:
1) It's very economical, especially compared to buying cartridges. I purchased a 100 pack of Astra blades back in 2008 for 11 dollars and I am still working on them. There can be some significant up-front cost, especially if you like it enough to want to buy "good" equipment.
2) It's a more comfortable shave. Once you get some basic techniques down you'll find that the shave is much more pleasurable than whatever Gillette is trying to peddle this week.
3) It sort of makes shaving fun. There's a process, a ritual even, to doing it.
I'm going to lay out sort of a beginners guide to accumulating equipment and technique.
I am reluctant to recommend that you get great equipment up front. On one hand, buying cheaper equipment means you won't have as much invested if you decide you don't like DE shaving. On the other hand, going into it with inferior equipment may sour you on the process. Obtaining a DE razor should be relatively simple. You can find them at garage sales, thrift stores, tucked away somewhere in your father's things, etc etc. There were a ton of these things made in all sorts of different designs and models. In fact they were about as common then as the Mach 3 variety is now. My mother found my Gillette fat boy at a yard sale for a dollar. Just make sure that mechanically it functions correctly. Make sure both sides of the shaving edge are even. I had a razor with a bent head one time and kept wondering why I got awful razor burn while using it. You can also resort to places like eBay to purchase a vintage razor, but you will likely pay a premium. If you're going to do that, you might as well run to Amazon or a supply store and purchase a brand new Merkur razor.
The art of manliness has a guide to refurbishing razors that is somewhat useful, but I'd add a few steps: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/08/19/how-to-buy-and-restore-vintage-shaving-gear/
They cover cleaning it up pretty well. I'd add that if there's a bunch of calcification/corrosion that a bath in CLR helps to remove most all of it. After cleaning, a complete soak in mineral oil for half an hour or so would be very beneficial to lubricate any moving parts. you can use a tumbler filled with mineral oil. I used some old crystal light containers and kept CLR and mineral oil in them at all times, just in case I came across any new treasures to refurbish. If your razor is all metal, and not gold plated, you can boil it to sterilize rather than invest in barber disinfectant. You could also soak in alcohol before the mineral oil bath.
You have two options with shaving brushes. You can go "cheap" and buy a boar hair brush until you determine you like wet shaving or not. They can be found most anywhere for 5-8 dollars. On the other hand, you can invest a little more into a badger brush and have a much better experience. This seems to be a consensus good "starter" badger brush: http://www.amazon.com/Tweezerman-2801-h-Mens-Shaving-Brush/dp/B000G647Y8 . If you're going to get a boar brush just go to the local pharmacy and pick up their brand. most of the cheap ones are all the same.
Once you decide to stick with it, you can invest a little more into a very nice badger brush. I spent 100 dollars on a Rooney silver tip badger brush. The difference in it and the boar brush I was using was night and day. Lather exploded out of the badger brush. If you invest any significant money into a brush, do yourself a favor and get a stand for it. The brush needs to be stored with the bristles facing down to avoid breakage, mold, etc etc. You will also need a bowl to lather up in. I have a smaller pottery bowl that I use for soap or cream.
The next thing you'll need is either cream or soap. You can find Williams mug soap at any pharmacy or places like Wal Mart. Last time I bought a cake it was maybe a dollar. This soap is OK, and I still shave with it occasionally. Cream is a bit harder to find as it is not something generally carried in stores any more. Bath and Body Works stocks rebranded Proraso cream under the CO Bigelow name. It is in a green tube and retails for 9.99. Sometimes you can get in on 3 for 2 deals to lower the price. It is probably the most obtainable cream in a B&M right now, especially for those of us who don't live in a city environment where the choice is bountiful. Cream/soap is mainly a personal preference. And really the only way to determine what works for you is to try it.
Technique is important. Two of the most helpful things when I started out was Mantic's youtube channel and Leisureguy's "Guide to Gourmet Shaving"
Free pdf of Leisureguy's book available here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/112156469/Leisureguy-s-Guide-to-Gourmet-Shaving-Ham-Michael
http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59 is Mantic's youtube channel.
There are a few good forums dedicated to wet shaving and other gentlemanly stuff. www.shavemyface.com and
www.badgerandblade.com . Both are a great resource and full of very helpful people. But these guys take it to 11. I'm talking owning hundreds of razors/brushes and doing full bathroom remodels to make a "shave den".
Also I bought my "good" supplies from this guy
www.vintagebladesllc.com . He even included a hand-written "thank you" letter with my purchase, which is unheard of in this day and age.
Watch Mantic's intro videos first. They are extremely informative and will get you off on the right foot.
That's all I can think of for now. I'll add to the original post as I think of more useful things to add. I also welcome questions.
Edit #1: Something I forgot to mention. BUY A BLADE SAMPLER. Blades react differently to different faces. A blade that works for someone doesn't necessarily work for someone else. get a sampler of 10-15 and pick the one that works for you. This is imperative.
