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Shaving

Tried the shave butter again this morning. It works, but now that I have used an actual lathering shave soap and brush (as opposed to foam-in-a-can) I prefer the soap over the butter. I'll eventually finish up the tube, and will likely not buy any more.
 
So this morning I did another safety razor shave (this was the fourth shave using the same blade, which I disposed of after the shave). This time I tried the green top Proraso Pre Shave Cream, along with the green top Proraso Shaving Soap, and (of course) my badger hair brush. As I said a couple of posts ago, I have decided that, while the shave butter is a workable product, I prefer the lather of a shave soap and don't plan to buy any more shave butter.

The Proraso pre shave cream has a nice menthol smell. I wet my face with hot water, let that soak a bit, then applied a portion of the pre shave cream, which felt quite invigorating, and I love the smell. This was another four day beard (I don't shave often when I'm off work). Went ahead and applied the shave soap as usual. One thing I'm learning......getting the right lather is something that improves with experience. It's easy to get it too watery and thin. I did a two pass shave with no problems or cuts. If I had done a three pass, I would have achieved Baby Bottom Smooth, but I didn't bother.

As far as the pre shave cream....I like the smell, but I'm not sure it really adds anything to the actual mechanics of the shave, assuming you wet your face and use a good soap. I think it might be more useful as an aftershave. It sure smells good and makes your skin tingle.

Here is the product, though this guy uses way too much of it, IMO:

 
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Yeah, you will get a system down once you get used to it. I shave in the shower so my system is get the brush wet and shake it out once real hard. Then get it wet again then shake it out medium, that seems to keep just enough water for a good lather without being too watery. Shaving in the shower is the best as your beard is about as soft as it can get. (Shaving is the last thing I do) I brush my teeth in the shower as well, need to be as efficient as possible....I live in a cold climate so standing in front of a mirror shaving/brushing teeth in the mornings is bullshit in my book.
Just sayin
 
Tried an Omega #10066 Boar Hair Shaving Brush (made in Italy) today, with Proraso (green) shaving soap.

After a good soak in warm water, blooming the Proraso, and vigorous agitation, the Omega boar hair brush managed to produce a superior lather to my Perfecto Badger Hair brush.

Not sure what else to say. You get what you pay for.

For the record, I'm using a Merkur safety razor with Wilkenson "Sword" blades. I have found that four shaves is about the limit on those blades, after which they can be discarded, which makes them still far less expensive than the disposable razors I was using (though perhaps not with all the shaving "accessories" I have been purchasing lately).
 
So this morning I tried Williams Mug Shaving Soap, which I purchased for the grand total of $2 from my local grocery store. It came in the form of a white hockey puck and smelled like.....soap (meaning I could detect no added scents).

williams shaving soap.jpg

So....it's cheap.

I watched a YT video on this stuff before I purchased it, so I knew to soak it in hot water for five minutes before trying to lather it, which I did, along with soaking my new Omega boar hair brush in the same mug.

After that, it lathered well, with a bit of effort. I was able to do a three pass shave with my Merkur safety razor on a four day beard, which was my fourth shave with that same Wilkenson Sword blade, with no nicks or cuts. I then disposed of the blade in a sharps container, which will probably take the rest of my life to fill at the rate I am currently going.

As for the Williams soap....meh. The lather was mediocre, but functional. I prefer the lather the green tub Proraso produces, and the Proraso has a nicer fragrance.

But, the Williams soap is very inexpensive, so if that is your main concern, it should do quite well.

I'm new on this journey, so I plan to try many different soaps, blades, and brushes. :)
 
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What do you do when you cut yourself while shaving (or any other minor cut)? Apply some tissue paper to the cut and wear it for half an hour? No. Use a styptic pencil. Some of you older gentlemen may remember these. I've experienced a couple of shaving cuts in the past month (believe it or not, both cuts were on work mornings when I was trying to shave quickly with a disposable). Having read about a styptic pencil in shaving forums, I decided to give it a try. They work, and they are far better than trying to stop the flow with tissue paper. They are also very inexpensive. I imagine a single styptic pencil, which costs a couple of $, lasting for years. Would recommend, 10/10.

 
So I feel like I would be remiss in my duty if I didn't mention Gillette's faux pas. Gillette, a company that manufactures razors and shaving products, sold to (mostly) men, recently released this ad:


Yea.

This may go down in business history as being the most poorly thought out advertising campaign.......ever.

The only Gillette product I used before this ad was released was Gillette shaving foam, which I actually preferred over the Barbasol product for when I needed a quick shave and didn't have time for a proper lathering shaving soap. Well, guess what? Back to Barbasol for me.

Here is the best response I've seen to Gillette's ad, by another manufacturer, Egard Watches.


A brilliant move on their part. I predict their sales will skyrocket. I think I will buy one.

And here is the funniest YT response I've seen. :)

 
Both very well done commercials. Never heard of that watch company (I'm not a big fancy watch guy) but hey I'll keep them in mind. The Gillette ads are pretty good too. Maybe a bit simplistic but if I ever did buy a razor again I'll make sure it is one of theirs.

That response was just silly. Really an add is wroth all that time? Go burns some Nike shoes or sledge hammer a Keurig machine at least that's faster. :D
 
CC, the Gillette ad has caused a tremendous amount of backlash on the internet. Many people find it in very poor taste and reeking of misandry. I stand by my opinion that, whether or not you agree with whatever message the ad was supposed to convey, it was a bad business choice to release it, and I suspect that it will cost them a significant amount of sales.

The video with "Mr. Smashy" was just funny.
 
Pffft. I vote with my $$. If Gillette is.....brave...... enough to hire a feminist to produce virtue signaling videos that try to give the impression that most men are somehow "bad" and need to change their brutish behavior, for a brand that is mostly marketed to men, then they deserve what they get. :) Check out the upvotes VS downvotes on the original Gillette video. BTW, Gillette is just a brand for the mega corporation Proctor & Gamble, who themselves have a rather checkered history. Fascinating stuff to dig into, if you are interested.

Having said all that, I definitely don't want this to turn into any sort of political or current social issues discussion, and I'm certain the forum admins don't either, so I've said all I am going to on this subject as of this post (at least here on FGM, outside of PMs). The only reason I even brought it up in this thread is because it was shaving related.
 
So, back to shaving. I'm still using my Merkur safety razor and Wilkenson Sword blades. I've tried two different types of shaving soap so far, Prorasso (comes in a green bowl and has a menthol odor) and Williams Mug Shaving Soap.

prorasso green.jpgwilliams shaving soap.jpg

Of the two, I prefer the Proraso. It has a nice smell and it lathers better. The Williams just smells like soap and doesn't lather as well, but it is functional.....and cheap. $1.50 buys you a puck that should last for dozens of shaves. The Proraso is a bit more pricey at around $8-10, but should also last for dozens of shaves.

I've found I can get about four or five shaves out of a safety razor blade, and you can buy a hundred of them on Amazon for $21 so they are far, far, cheaper than any disposable, and much more environmentally friendly.

I have two brushes, a badger hair and a boar hair. So far, I prefer the boar hair with the soaps I've used. It has stiffer bristles and seems to work up a lather faster. No offence to @Badger73 .

I also tried some Shave Butter a couple of times, but didn't really like it. It doesn't lather at all and seems to clog up the razor with hairs quickly. I gave up and threw it away. Not for me.
 
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