Shaving, gents - Page 49

Found this book for all you noobs:

 

SHAVING MADE EASY

So no love for Mystic Waters Soap?

Never tried it...

 

I'm barely trying MWF after relying solely on Proraso Green. I also ordered some other creams and soaps to try out and I have a few DIY ones to try as well.

 

That said, I'm so happy with Proraso Green and MWF that I haven't tried much else out in 7 years. Aside from PG and MWF, I have tried Arko Shave Sticks, VdH and Williams. VdH and Williams were gifted shortly thereafter.  I also hate opening things and having them sit. Most of these products last MONTHS if not YEARS.

 

I can totally see why people start building up huge shave dens just to try stuff. I have accumulated over 20 razors too...most in pristine condition. A reduction may be necessary soon.

MWF is awesome but I switch it up a lot. I originally just started buying shaving soap from her at Mystic Waters but now I use her shampoo bar and her bath soaps. They are pretty awesome. If you were to try one I would try Sandalwood Rose, I pretty much have tried all of her shaving soaps and Sandalwood Rose is be favorite and it lathers the best.

Also, I didn't read through any of the thread but Phil from http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/ is the man and has great deals and customer service

 

Hum... yea, I ended up with about 50 razors even after giving a whole bunch away, about 2 dozen aftershaves, roughly same number of soaps and creams, 100 full size bottles of cologne... and the samples, bags and bag of samples. OCD is a dangerous thing.

 

KP

 

Phil is awesome. I just ordered some stuff from him the other day. He is my go-to guy for supplies.

 

I heartily recommend him as a vendor.

 

Wow...

 

Would you happen to have any spare clubman glass bottles you don't want?

Alas, no but I did get a 50ml split of 2009 Windsor.

 

KP

Same he's the man

I used to hate MWF when I shaved with straights. Could not understand why so many people liked the over-hyped stuff. When I switched to DE's I thought I'd give it one more chance and ended up using it all last winter. Great stuff ... but I think it doesn't provide enough glide for straights.

Williams is joyless, anemic, pointless soap. We once did a week of Williams on B&B. That was a horrid week for shaving. I believe the instructions were:

1) Buy it.
2) Lather it.
3) Curse the thin, underwhelming lather.
4) Try harder
5) Repeat steps 2-5 as needed!

I went whole hog and picked up some Pinaud to go with it that week - yikes that's a strong smelling concoction. In my opinion you can give both a miss.


My theory is that it is worth getting a good quality soap right off the bat. Sure, you may pay $20-30 instead of $8-12 - but the difference in performance is worth it, espcially when you are learning. And the high end soaps usually last far longer than the glycerine stuff so the price difference isn't that much anyway.

I like MWF, Pre de Provence, Harris (also didn't like it that much with straights though), and Penhaligon (though I think they dropped the tallow from their line after I stocked up). There's a guy who started making tallow based soap last year I think - Mike's Natural Soaps - and it works very well and is a great price. Of the glycerine/vegetable soaps the only one I really like is Honey Bee because Sue is wonderful and she makes a terrific jasmine soap. I bought a puck of Tabac years ago but it smelled so horrid it was given or binned before I ever used it. Proraso doesn't work for me - average shave but I find it kind of drying and think it smells like old dude with arthritis. My favourite scent is Ogallala Limes and Peppercorns - sounds funny, but I love the smell for some reason, and John is a fantastic guy to order from- highly recommended.
Edited by Pudu - 2/2/13 at 3:38am

LMAO!

Just had a go with the Feather razor + blades (71-S).

 

Wow. The best shave I've had in months (if not years). The blade glides without effort, and the same smoothness with lesser strokes. 

I'll see how it goes for another one or two shaves.

I've given the cold water shave a try now, with mixed results.  Need to try it again, with a fresh blade.  I am trying to work my way through a blade sampler pack I bought, and most of them have been mediocre.  Loved the Feather blades, and will be ordering them in the future.  It may be all I use, because they were so nice.

 

I started out trying a ton of creams, and discovered they dry out, and threw a bunch out.  I don't keep too many around now.  I like the Geo. F. Trumper's, particularly the lavender.  I do like the Proraso in the green tube, too.  I may have to order some more of it.

 

I wish I liked the Nancy Boy Signature Shave Cream better.  It has the best scent ever.  If you didn't want to shave with a brush, it might work better; it is designed to just be rubbed on with your fingers, but it is too heavy for the brush.  I prefer the brush, so don't use it.  (I use their deodorant, though, and sometimes their cologne, and/or body wash.)

 

Anyway, I'll give the cold water shave another try on New Blade Day.  =)

Did you try the Shark Yellow Stainless?

I think those are fantastic blades...similar to Feathers and much, much cheaper!