Traditional Shaving Kit: The Essentials to Get Started (and How to Build One)

Shaving kit · Ippos Beard

A complete traditional shaving kit comes down to six pieces: a safety razor or a straight razor, blades, a shaving brush, a shaving soap with its bowl, a pre shave and after shave care, and something to keep the sink clean. Everything else is comfort, not a must.

Traditional wet shaving is making a real comeback, and for good reason: it is cheaper over time, gentler on the skin and a lot more enjoyable than a disposable cartridge. The problem is that ready made shaving sets often mix good tools with filler. In this guide we go through what really matters in a traditional shaving kit, piece by piece, so you can build your own or give one as a gift without getting it wrong.

01The razor: safety razor or straight razor

This is the heart of the kit, the one piece you should not skimp on. Two options. The safety razor, with its double edge blade protected by a guard, is the right choice for beginners: it forgives mistakes and the technique takes about a week to learn. The straight razor asks for more patience but gives the closest shave there is, and it lasts a lifetime. At Ippos Beard, the olive wood safety razor is 89.99 € and the straight razor is 49.99 €. Both are hand engraved in our workshop in France with a first name, a date or a few words. For a first kit, go for the safety razor. For someone who likes to take his time, the straight razor.

02The blades: the cheapest part

This is where traditional shaving wins on budget. A double edge blade costs a few cents and gets changed every five to seven shaves. Plan a box of ten blades in a starter kit, and if possible two different brands, because every skin reacts differently: some blades are very sharp, others are milder. For a straight razor there are no blades to buy, but you need a leather strop. You run the blade over it before every shave to realign the edge. It is a simple move that takes thirty seconds and changes everything.

03The shaving brush

The brush is not decoration. It builds the lather, works it under the hairs and lifts them before the blade passes. The result is a cleaner shave and less irritation. For a kit, three materials are possible. Synthetic fibre dries fast, holds no smell and is perfect for beginners. Boar bristle is firmer, ideal for a light exfoliation. Real badger hair is softer and holds water better, but it costs more. A good synthetic brush at 15 to 20 € does the job very well for years. Hang it head down so it dries properly.

04The shaving soap and the bowl

Forget the aerosol foam. A hard shaving soap or a shaving cream, built up with a brush, gives a dense lather that truly protects the skin. A puck of soap lasts four to six months with daily use, which makes it one of the best value pieces in the kit. The bowl is where you work the lather: a simple ceramic or stainless steel bowl is enough, and a kitchen bowl will do at first. One tip when choosing: avoid a strong scent if it is a gift, since you do not always know the person's taste. Almond oil or shea butter versions are safe bets for sensitive skin.

05Before and after: the care that prevents razor burn

A traditional shaving kit is only complete if it looks after the skin before and after the blade. Before: a pre shave oil, a few drops are enough, to soften the hair and help the blade glide. During: a towel soaked in hot water and laid on the face for a minute opens the pores, which is the barber's secret. After: an alum block, wet and passed over the skin, closes micro cuts and disinfects. Then an alcohol free after shave balm to soothe. These three products cost little and make the difference between a shave that pulls and a shave you look forward to.

06Keeping the sink clean

This is the piece everyone forgets in a kit, and yet it is the one that avoids the morning arguments. Traditional shave or not, the hair ends up in the sink. The Clean sink pack at 29.99 € brings together the Beard Sponge, a sponge that picks up the hair in a single pass and rinses clean, the beard bib with suction cups that attaches to the sink to catch hair while trimming, and a pouch to store it all. The Beard Sponge alone is 9.99 €. To build a complete set, also have a look at our packs. It is the kind of detail that makes people say "they thought of everything".

07Storage and the personal touch

A kit left lying around gets damaged: the brush stays damp, the razor oxidises, the blades go dull. Plan a toiletry bag or a small dedicated tray in the bathroom, and a case for the razor if the kit travels. And if the kit is a gift, personalisation changes everything: a razor engraved with his name never ends up at the back of a drawer. You can build it with our personalised beard accessories, hand engraved in our workshop in France, razor, brush or toiletry bag, and complete it with generic products from any drugstore. We go into more detail in our article on engraved gifts for men.

08Building your kit by budget

For a starter kit around 60 €, take an entry level safety razor, ten blades, a synthetic brush, a shaving soap and an alum block. Around 120 €, add a better made engraved razor, a pre shave oil, a balm and the Clean sink pack. Beyond that, a straight razor with its strop and a natural hair brush turn shaving into a real ritual. In every case, start simple: a good razor and a good soap are worth more than a twelve piece set of which you will only use three. And for the first shave, follow our step by step guide on how to use a safety razor.