Slys tradional shave thread.

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I don't expect his to get much attention but worth a try.
I have 8 brushes now. 6 synthetics, 2 boars and one crsppy badger.
I mainly only use the synthetics.


Arko(turkey) <-ivory soap smell
Barrister and Mann: sandlewood(USA)<- currant/sandlewood/amber
Caties bubbles: Saturday morning(USA) <- smells like Froot Loops
Cella(Italy) <- marispan/almond/cherry
Chiseled face: banana(USA)
Dr Jon's: Aphrodite(USA)
Haslinger: schafmilch{sheep milk}(Austria)
Phoenix: coconut(USA)
Razorock: don marco(Italy) <- citrus
Razorock: p.160(Italy) <- more almond scent then cella
Shaver heaven: sweet almond milk(Australia) <- almond,Carmel,marzipan and cherry
Soap commander: inspiration(USA) <- Japanese grapefruit
Stirling: black cherry(USA)
Stirling: Cocoa forest(USA) <- cocoa plant and pine I think.
Stirling: bergamot labender(USA)
Tabac(Germany) <- depends on person. To me smells like old cologne bottles
Taylor of old bond street: almond cream.
Williams mug soap(USA)
Wsp: barbershop(USA)
Wsp: black amber vanille(USA)
Wsp: Christmas spice(USA)
Wsp: mahogany(USA)


I am waitin on Godrej Shaving Round to ship from India and also looking at getting De Vergulde Hand which is a Netherlands soap. I also may be getting some shave sticks from Spain ^.^ and want to eventually add Pre de Provence which is a classic French soap to my collection. It'll be fun to experieience what's it like for people in other nations to shave. I also might get some Turkish cream tubs.

Let's see so Taylor of old bonds is a cream
Arko,soap commander, and shaver heavenis a soft soap
Tabac and haslinger, and Williams are hard soaps.
The rest are what people call croaps, which is softer then soft soap but harder then a cream.
There's more infor and history too Williams is a classic America soap dating back to 1840
Cella classic itaialan back to 1899
Arko is classic and cheap tirkish soap i don't know how far it goes back , thoug it's used throughout Middle East. But not India since it uses cow fat.

Most of one are modern artesian soaps which is to say they are people like me or you that simply started making soaps for fun and ended up with a business.

They come I. Various sizes from 1oz samples to 4oz average all way to big 8oz tubs.
Generally I by based on a $3/oz or below price. Tabac being the most expensive at a top price of 5.68 an oz. though I got it for $1.25 an oz due to that site I posted about in politics.

I could go on and on.

As for razors I have my merkur 23c(Germany) and some unknown brand copy of a English razor I don't use. I'm looking at getting a colorful mr18c from an American company(made in China >.>)

Razors I mainly use derby(turkey) blades or crown(Egypt) blades, but I'm currently testing 3 Russian brand blades to see if I'll use them besides derby until derby runs out and switch solely to the winner Russian blade

Oh I might as most soaps come in a plastic tub except tabac which came in a ceramic bowl with a loose plastic top. Part of its higher price no doubt, though I prefer the tubs.


I'll try to add pictures though maybe I should wait til the India and Netherlands soaps come^.^ I also might get another bigger shave brush oh I forgot the brushes come in different sizes, handle designs, colors. Irish I had a cabnit to display them all

Last edited by sly279 on 21 Feb 2016, 1:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

Worth noting I don't actively use arko, Stirling lavender, Williams, don Marco shave soaps in my rotation anymore.

I also just got the shaver heaven and B&m soaps today , tabac last week(still in evaluation phase, Haslingerhaslinger week before (awaiting me finding a container for it before it goes through evaluation)

No one ?

Are these razors as in safety razors, or are we talking straight razors?

I find shaving a massive pain. My stubble is thick and stiff like wire wool. it snags an blunt blades instantly. Mys skin gets irritates.

I don't get the multi-blade fashion. If if can't cut with the first blade what is the point? it just snags.

If I did traditional I would hold the blade half way along an do short careful strokes.

This is how I shave:

- Shower
- Trim and electric shave (takes an age and has detail not discussed here)
- Run a sink full of hot water.
- Warm my face and neck (ideally i need steamed towels as hot water + flannel don't keep the heat on the face for long).
- Put some foam in my left hand, use the four finger my right to apply, you can work it quite accurately (I don't get why people put on way too much messily, it is a waste).
- I only use a single disposable once. After that it is useless. Usually Wilkinson Sword with a lubricating strip.
- For the sides I like to do single strokes from top to neck with even pressure.
- As I get toward the sides I only use the end 5m to cut.
- For the chin I find doing from the bottom upward is best, it is much better at avoiding nicks, or skinning myself. it also take less time. I only do very short strokes, and re-wet as I go up.
- Mustache is similar but can start from the the outside in again only using part of the blade. Or also from the top up in either side and middle.
- Wash off face.
- Drain sink and clean up.
- Fill sink with cold water, wash with cold water. Which take care of any nicks, as hot water encourages bleeding.
- Apply some aqueous cream. Pat in with towel.

Done.

Safety razor

Alright then.

I'm thinking of buying something like this:

https://www.gents.se/benjamin-barber-ma ... t?vid=3415

with a head for old-style Safety razors. I currently use Wilkinsons Sword's proprietary razors.

I've been meaning to learn how to use a cut-throat razor for the longest time, but you really don't get much practice out of one shaving session, and after you've been badly shaved with a straigh razor, you're not terribly keen to try again for a while...

Nice looking
There's also this:
https://www.gents.se/merkur-futur-700-r ... rstat-stal
It's adjustable so you can change the razors aggressiveness

The razor you picked out looks good thoug, from my ameture level I'd guess it's s milder razor like my own but I could be wrong. Depends on the handle weight too.ninprefer grip texture on my razor so it won't slip but many razors don't have it and people do fine.

This is my razor http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Long-Handl ... B000NL0T1G

have you used a brush and soap before?
If not the brush will need soaked in warm water.
I'd recommend https://www.gents.se/tabac-raktvaal-i-porslinsskaal
It's the on,y soap from that site I've used, it's preformed pretty good the 3 times I've used it so far. Little bit drying is all.

I haven't used : https://www.gents.se/proraso-shaving-so ... hea-butter
Yet but others say it's good. Shame the site is kinda limited. Interesting to see a Swedish site though I wonder if you can get stuff from other erupt an nation sites . I dont know how that works over there. Italy makes a lot of cheap good stuff. As does French and England. Is there a Swedish soap? I haven't been able to find one

I use a sh***y synthetic shaving brush from the supermarket. My shaving soap is some cheap stuff from Palmolive, but it gets the job done. I mosly consider this set because it looks kinda fancy, so it might encourage me to keep less of a mess around my shaving station.

Shaving? What's that? O_O

I'm both intrigued by, and respect this thread! While I can't imagine myself being clean shaven or let alone shaving in a traditional manner, I do respect someone who takes pride in the act of doing it the old fashioned way!

I use to really hate shaving, probably shaved 3 times in 6 years before last March. Someone here suggested traditional shaving and I brushed it off at first but later I started watching people on YouTube do it because I was trying to find work in security. Security requires clean shaved every day. As mordern shaving ends with cuts all over my face, inflamed face and me crying for hours, I decided I better find a way to do it where it won't hurt.

Up until the id just trim to like s 3 day without shaving look. Now I enjoy shaving it's a relaxing fun part of my day for most part. Had a bad shave yesterday
Today's was fantastic though.

It is nice to feel connected to the past, this form of shaving is making s big come back though and becoming more popular to the anger of some shaving elitists.

I'd never thought over a year ago that I'd like shaving. I planned to just get one soap, one brush and one razor and do it as cheap as possible. Now I have almost 30 soaps, 8 brushes and 2 razors. It's something that can make the difference between a horrible day and Ok day.

I'm skeptical it make it feel much less of a pain but willing to give it a try.

Once I shaved with graphite shaving stick. It it is not all graphite but has graphite lubricant in it, but is not dark in colour. That is semi traditional, pre-foam/gel.

I think I will steam towels in the microwave, or use the kettle method of heating it up.

I think I used a razor blade to shave twice in my entire life. I think I cut myself both times. I'll just stick to an electric shaver, for which I tend to just use the trimmer, so there is no burn, or skin irritation. I don't want to have a shaven face anyway. Without a beard I look like I am 17 maybe 16 years old and I'm almost 30 lol.

I didn't either but then after shaving it did make more sense. On mordern razors there's 5 blades mainly because so petition trying to one up each other. Company a did 2 blades so company b does 3 and company a responds with 4 blades etc

The first blade cuts hair next cuts skin, and then 3,4,5 etc. de has a single blade, so it only cuts hair. Which means more comfortable shave. Now this also means more then one pass but I found even with 5 blade thing I still did more then one pass. I do two passes. One with grain and another cross grain. This gets me mostly baby smooth without the high risk of irritation against the grain.

Against the grain increases chance of ingrown hair also. Others will do a 3 pass against grain or 3rd pass cross grain the other way. I don't have a gf so I could just do two with grain passes and further decrease the little irritation I get. Most of what I get now is from my neck. Chin to half way down my neck grows down, the rest of neck grows up. So trying to stop at that line is quite hard lol.

Mordern razors are about gimicks and speed speed speed at cost of comfort. I take about 30 mins from warming water to cleaned up bathroom.actually shave is probably 10-20 or about 3-5 songs. Though I take my time, relax, listen to music, enjoy the smell. It's an over all experience for me.

Many others use one soap and go faster.
Loading soap is 15-30 seconds, then build lather on my face probably another 30-60 seconds. Shave, dry brush, clean razor, clean up, balm. Is my daily shave. If using a boar or badger I'd soak it for 5 mins before shave or while showering. I mostly use synthetics because their soft, don't need soaked,and dry fast.

Right now is a great time to get into it, there's a lot of good cheap razors, tons of cheap great synthetic brushes, and great soaps of all prices and scents. It's an reexploding industry. You're uk though right? That'll complicate things some doe the brushes, but you should be able to get European soaps cheaper there then I can. Not sure how much shipping over seas is.

What's a graphite shave stick?

Yeah when I started I'd put beauty towels in the microwave and applie to my face when they cooled enough.

my neck is still scarred from being made to rudely blade-shave in the army.

Honestly it doesn't take me much less time with a modern shave and I prep with electric.

I think my skin will react to a lot of these products. I would have to try few out. I hate after shave smell. I don't get the point of it. Disinfectant? I don't want an astringent. I need to put some aqueous cream, or my face will start cracking up later in the day.

My stubble blunts blades, literally. I don't know what else I can do to soften it besides a hot towel.

I think if I used a traditional razor, I would have to consider how I used it, lest it be a peeler.

I want to avoid multiple passes due to irritation and skinning. One of the reasons why I shave from the bottom up is becuase I'm saving a very short strokes, avoiding going over the same areas.

When I said the bottom up, the stroke is actually downwards but I'm moving up a strokes height each time. So the overlap is at most just one stroke. It works a hell of a lot better for me than other techniques. I tend to go across the level then up.

I'm taking advantage of the small distance between blade and guard on a modern razor. Not sure this would work with a traditional safety razor. However I understand the principle of a open razors is not dissimilar, but he skill is in angling the blade especially around the difficult bits like the chin.

I don't really save against the grain except with foil electric. Trimmer always with the grain. I have a Wahl without any guard on, I'm not suicidal.

Traditional razor would be easier to clean, the blade probably would last long if you dried it an oiled it.

I wonder if the blade flex is a factor in modern razors. Less stiff perhaps.

I totally agree about multiple blades. They just snag me to hell and don't cut, as do those fine wire guards that used to be popular with the manufacturers. Much of this "close shave" stuff is a complete con. Unless you have no more than "bum fluff" (brit slang for no/very light facial hair).

I shave with disposable with two blade Wilkinson Sword, used to one blade. However these are more open than those gimmicky razor. If not it would cut, just snag. The second blade is redundant, but the ones without the lube strip really suck. So I have to use what is available and works.