What next - Trumper's Coconut or Taylor's Avocado?

[Drubbing]

Well, i don't buy stuff anymore. Still got a couple years worth of cream and soap, stuff I use all the time, and that's about 4 products.

One or two things at a time. We've all been there - wanting to try anything and everything. But ask Jug, there's stacks of stuff he's bought a couple of years ago and barely made a dent in.

IMO, I'd try one fancy and one cheap, and maybe a soap as well. Soaps will take a bit of practice to get good lather, but you don't have to shave to practice.

 

[stillshunter]

…we'll be back right after a word from our sponsors…

Talking shaving creams, if anyone has any of the above - or its ilk - that they'd consider trading for a lathered-once EJ Sandalwood Soap (here's the trade ad) then please get in touch and we'll arrange a trade.

…and now we return you to your regularly scheduled programming...

 

[stillshunter]

Thanks @Drubbing

IMO, I'd try one fancy and one cheap, and maybe a soap as well.

I really like this suggestion, it sounds infinitely sensible.
In the drawer a fancy, a cheap, and a soap.

Hmm…wonder where Cella fits?

 

[Monsta_AU]

Not a misspell - that's TUBE not TUB? Only a dollar difference in them and both 150mL by the looks. Never used a tube before except my old Faulding Shave Cream (full of Coconut goodness)

Yes, a TUBE. I quite like the Proraso Tubes - never bought a tub. While the Tubs are reusable to grate whatever soap stick you like into them, something about the Proraso tube.

Hmmm…I wonder whether I have enough face to smother all this on in one lifetime.

We aren't saying you need to try them all, just making suggestions. That said, Proraso is so cheap you really should have it.

 

[stillshunter]

@Monsta_AU - sorry mate that was intended TIC - damn the embargo on emoticons to help avoid this confusion. I know everyone's helping and I really do appreciate it…I s'pose it goes to show how YMMV this shaving malarky is.

The more I read the more the Proraso Red sounds as though it might be a good match for my skin, beard and olfactory temperament.

Bad News: a tube 'only' costs $14, so does not qualify for Free Shipping.
Good News: I'll 'need' to up my Shopping Cart a little.

So what to get, as a companion/complement to the Proraso Red and Cella - especially for the winter?

 

[Drubbing]

Lack of smileys makes everything clearer. Everyone knows that.

didn't see you had/wanted Cella. A good soap to start, easy to lather. The hard based ones take a bit of practice.

I'd grab a few blades to nudge over the $20, unless you are interested in trying Aftershaves (not cologne). Brilliant stuff IMO. Proraso or Speick (again).

 

[Monsta_AU]

Maybe throw in the Trumper Sampler - it's well priced and gives you an idea of scent and performance before buying (or making a mistake). I really love the Trumper Limes Skin Food and bought the BIG BOTTLE and it's great. Mensbiz also have the TOBS sampler but they manually make these sets up and it is very expensive in comparison with the Trumpers.

The world is your Oyster when it comes to what is available in the 'cheaper' brands. Speick is great stuff, although I initially didn't like it and it sat in the cupboard for nearly 3 years! It's my current 'use it up' cream so it gets a run most days. It is a Lavender 'Fougere' (fern) scent, lathers really nicely. I like it for Winter. Also Tabac cream is just a few bucks as well.

Proraso Red works well in winter, it's got an earthy note. The Proraso green is the Menthol & Ecalyptus scent, cooling and great for the warmer months. If you find that you like Proraso, between the two you probably don't need anything else really - the Cella fills a hole of wanting something else to change it up. That said, variety is the spice of life.

I just ordered a tube of the Red and Green Proraso from Connaughts as I am not in a hurry for it. Threw in two of his cheapie ($1.50) alum bars in the specials section. Paypal receipt says £18.80 GBP, converted to $35.32 AUD.

 

[Marlow]

Out of the creams that I have, Proraso red is good as has been mentioned by others. I just tried Cade cream and that was really nice though a bit expensive but I walked into a L'occitane shop and couldn't resist, bought the soap too but that is in hiding.

Also if you see a Body Shop around check out the Macca Root cream but be careful as you could be lost for hours in the lather.

I love Tabac soap and also Speick stuff and also Mitchell's Wool Fat soap, but creams are easy for a quickie.

 

[Monsta_AU]

I love Tabac soap and also Speick stuff and also Mitchell's Wool Fat soap, but creams are easy for a quickie.

Just be careful with the MWF - it can be extremely finicky and takes a good week or two for it to absorb moisture and really start becoming useful. Many of the very hard triple-milled soaps are like that. I would also caution people in hard water areas that you may have lathering issues with MWF - Melbourne guys will have no issue because they have the softest & best water of any capital city in the country. If you live in Adelaide however, MWF will likely send you insane.

I was lucky enough to source a few pucks of 'Kent Shaving Soap' in wooden bowls from eBay - Kent Brushes used to sell seconds on eBay. For those that do not know, the Kent Soap is merely rebranded MWF and can be much cheaper if you find it in the right place.

MWF is great stuff for winter - the lanolin in it really helps the skin in the cold & dryness of winter. It's very usable all year round as it only has a very light scent.

 

[stillshunter]

Thanks @Monsta_AU

Yeah I think I need to graduate up to MWF. I don't believe I'll have problems water-wise as I catch and store my own…no choice out here I rely solely on the tanks to keep us all hydrated and clean.

Interesting about lanolin. I was actually just looking at the Musgo Real shaving cream, and it seems their most popular tube comes with lanolin, glycerin and coconut oil. Looks like a direct competitor to the Proraso and yet folks seem quite quiet about it in these parts. Is it the cost - as it seems pricey here, viz., $20 for 100mL of MR vs $14 for 150mL of Proraso?

 

[Drubbing]

I've tried Musgo. Can't remember what I didn't like, maybe it was just meh. Used up a tube and never bought again.

 

[borked]

Lack of smileys makes everything clearer. Everyone knows that.

didn't see you had/wanted Cella. A good soap to start, easy to lather. The hard based ones take a bit of practice.

I'd grab a few blades to nudge over the $20, unless you are interested in trying Aftershaves (not cologne). Brilliant stuff IMO. Proraso or Speick (again).

Not sure if sarcasm or serious due to a lack of emotion via emoticons...

 

[Pjotr]

The list includes:
GFT Coconut
GFT GFT
GFT Limes
GFT Violet, and
L'Occitane Cade
Proraso Red
Speick
Tabac
TOBS Jermyn St
TOBS Shave Shop,
TOBS Sandalwood
TOBS Mr Taylor

Hmmm…I wonder whether I have enough face to smother all this on in one lifetime.

How do you guys do it?

Simple....we don't. And on the very rare occasion that we do we proudly post it in the finished product thread. For your information that particular thread has been going since November 2011 and has a grand total of 41 entries only half of which are actually reporting a finished product. In short, we don't really ever finish anything.

 

[Occams]

Not sure I'd be bothering with a soap what's got olive oil in it, or lots of fatty oils in general. Not a friend of making lather. Some people use OO as a pre shave 'greaser' and then wonder why they can't get their cream to lather up.

Not everything natural is good, or everything good, natural.

I can finally comment!

I agree with the last bit of this - and would expand it to say that not everything 'natural' is natural either, but that's another matter entirely

Olive oil - just on its own as a pre-shave greaser like you've explained - probably isn't good for lather, but when you're making soaps it's a balance of oils you want and each imparts different properties to the lather. Olive oil in soaps makes what's called a 'stable' lather - tiny, creamy, stable bubbles. Some other oils produce a 'fluffy' lather, which means bigger bubbles, which generally don't last as long.

To make a good shaving lather you generally need to balance the two, and need to take a fair few other things into account as well. Olive oil is amazing for your skin (think castille soap) - I certainly wouldn't recommend avoiding creams or soaps based on the presence of olive oil alone.

There seems to be some general scepticism about products that contain olive oil on shave forums... I think this idea's possibly gathered momentum as a result of people picking up so-called shaving soaps and creams on etsy and at markets which really aren't designed with a serious, traditional shaving lather in mind. Totally understandable, but there's no shortage of great soaps and creams with plenty of OO in them!

All that said, I should probably get around to putting a pic or a video of some lather on my site I guess...

 

[Marlow]

I am really glad that you have gone to the trouble of talking about this as it has given me some knowledge from an expert rather than relying purely on hearsay.

I am not saying hearsay is bad as I learn heaps from others but some things get passed along like Chinese whispers with little facts getting dropped here and there, especially on the internet where things move far and fast.

So thanks and always chime in, especially if I start spouting bullshit.

 

[stillshunter]

@Occams - well the proof will be in many a folk's pudding shortly, as @Mark1966 has kindly bought some of your fine wares to share with us all in the latest Travelling Box (see post #30).

Feel free to add anything further to the box….

Stills "subtle-of-the-hint" Hunter

 

[borked]

@Occams - well the proof will be in many a folk's pudding shortly, as @Mark1966 has kindly bought some of your fine wares to share with us all in the latest Travelling Box (see post #30).

Feel free to add anything further to the box….

Stills "subtle-of-the-hint" Hunter

Unless I'm very much mistaken, I believe that Occams has provided a sample of their wares for us to experience their produce, which is mighty kind of them.

 

[Mark1966]

Unless I'm very much mistaken, I believe that Occams has provided a sample of their wares for us to experience their produce, which is mighty kind of them.

Yes indeed!

To be clear - @Occams has been VERY generous with contributions to the box

 

[stillshunter]

D'oh…sorry fellas I didn't realise.
@Occams you're a champion mate. Can"t wait to try.

 

[Monsta_AU]

Might give the Pureman Prototype Opencomb a cleanup and send it down for inclusion in the box.

I definitely want it back, but it is a quite different axe to the average handle. Probably a little milder than the R41 by all accounts. Someone needs to send it to me!