So... you shave with CREST?
I've wanted to try the old style razor switchblade shave but never could find a place online or where I live that sold one I could say 'this one will work'.
I get lots of small cuts with the gillete fusion/whatever blades.. so either the old style razor will work better or it will be free plastic surgery ( )
You can buy a decent straight razor (cutthroat, if you prefer) online.
I would recommend starting with a solid wedge (7/8, perhaps) before going to a hollow grind as the wedge is more forgiving. I still use both: wedge for the brute work with the grain and the hollow grind for for a cross-grain and final against-grain pass (and for under the nose and detail work etc)
No crest, I actually make my own soap (sort of)
1 bar of Dove
1 bar of Ivory
1 decent sized aloe leaf (use inside liquid/pulp, discard shell)
2 tsp bentonite clay
2 tbsp castor oil
1 -2 tbsp coconut oil (to make good foam/lather)
clove, rosemary and orange oils (or essential oils of your choosing and add drop by drop til fragrance suits you)
grate soap, melt in pan, add oils (fragrance oils last)
mix well
pour into clean Pringles can
cool and cut into discs
I like the clove oil for its antiseptic properties, some folks add menthol crystals to desensitize the skin
(this can also be made the old fashioned way with lye and olive oil, etc)
Face/skin preparation is the secret to a good shave.
Fast and dirty version(for the sake of brevity):
Wash face to remove all dirt/foreign oils.
Make a washcloth as HOT as you can possibly stand it and soak the whiskers multiple times (the smell of burning flesh means it's hot enough)
Lather and use brush to paint lather on face
strop the razor a good 30 or so times
shave
rinse blade often
strop again, as needed
Rinse face with cold water (closes the pores)
pat (don't rub) dry (rubbing removes the natural oils the come to the surface after scraping your face with sharp steel)
I also make my own after shave:
equal parts glycerin and water
essential oils of choice until smell is acceptable to your taste
lavender, clove, rosemary, orange, lemon all work well, are great for the skin and still smell manly
I make the soap once/year, usually making 2 or 3 batches, cut them into disks and wrap them in waxed paper.
It makes for a great, manly and inexpensive holiday gift.
Whatever is remaining usually lasts me for the rest of the year.
It's not something to try on a rushed morning, but once the proper methods are learned, it will be the best shave you have ever had.
The best thing to do is see if there is an old-school barber shop nearby that does straight razor shaves to understand what I am talking about.
A good website to go to is
http://badgerandblade.com/