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Post your shave of the day here
- Thread starter Hot_Sauce
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I'll have to check out "mama bears" and "Van Yulay". I just saw some of their offerings on Maggard's site and noticed a few familiar ones that you posted in previous postings, namely this one:
https://www.maggardrazors.com/product/van-yulay-black-cavendish-shaving-soap-4oz/
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My Semogue 620 Excelsior arrived and I've used it once (as mentioned above with the Lilac Maggard soap). I am looking forward to breaking it in, which should take about 30 shaves (according to many forums lol). It is gonna be perfect for my smaller dimensions on my face and also make a great compact travel companion. I find it kinda slippery though in the hand when it's wet. I guess I finally have that brush rotation now. I hear the dyed-boar hair process softens the hairs a little, which is why I opted out for the natural boar hair look, I also really like how the 620 looks when it's soaking.
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When I say haul I meant it. I also ordered a replacement for my Alum Block. I've been using Alum for about a year now and I am not very satisfied with the performance of it. Firstly, it's un-nerving that if it slips from my hand (because it has to be wet in order to use it) it will shatter in a million pieces. Then there's the taste of it, HAHA I know that sounds odd, but when you apply it to your stash it gets on your lips and tastes strange. Finally there's the burn which is pretty common with most alcohol based aftershaves, except for the fact that there is no alcohol in Alum. I know the burn helps clean the irritation and pores but man does it hurt like a SOB. That is my most dreaded step in the process and I'd imagine what keeps me from shaving as often as I now shave. The reason for that has to do with something @UPTOWNSMOKE recommended to me awhile back. I finally pulled the trigger and couldn't be happier with the results. I even sneak a couple of sprays even when I'm not shaving; it reminds me of the beach for some odd reason. I also picked up a styptic pencil which has saved my skin already from a poorly placed blade.
When I say haul I meant it. I also ordered a replacement for my Alum Block. I've been using Alum for about a year now and I am not very satisfied with the performance of it. Firstly, it's un-nerving that if it slips from my hand (because it has to be wet in order to use it) it will shatter in a million pieces. Then there's the taste of it, HAHA I know that sounds odd, but when you apply it to your stash it gets on your lips and tastes strange. Finally there's the burn which is pretty common with most alcohol based aftershaves, except for the fact that there is no alcohol in Alum. I know the burn helps clean the irritation and pores but man does it hurt like a SOB. That is my most dreaded step in the process and I'd imagine what keeps me from shaving as often as I now shave. The reason for that has to do with something @UPTOWNSMOKE recommended to me awhile back. I finally pulled the trigger and couldn't be happier with the results. I even sneak a couple of sprays even when I'm not shaving; it reminds me of the beach for some odd reason. I also picked up a styptic pencil which has saved my skin already from a poorly placed blade.
Thayers Lemon is is the real deal. I have the old bottle and love it. Good to hear that you're able to shave more often.
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I forgot to mention that I especially love that Catie's Bubbles is a New Jersey based company so in a way I'm supporting a local small business (since I'm only about 30 miles away).
Lastly I picked up a gallon jug of a particular water from my local grocery store ($0.89 cents) and have already implemented its usefulness on one of my soaps that didn't perform well with my hard water. I will say that it worked wonders on my "Latha Limon" and produced a very slick and rich lather...or latha lol. Since it only will cost me an extra $0.05 cents a shave (or w/e it is) I will now only shave with distilled water (even when I travel). I haven't tried it on a lanolin based soap but will be trying it out on one of my remaining Stirling samples from @UPTOWNSMOKE . If I get no post-shave odors or complaints I will be over-joyed, as my troubles will be over. For prep I just microwave a mug of distilled water enough for my brush to soak in, then i use that water to create my lather.
Lastly I picked up a gallon jug of a particular water from my local grocery store ($0.89 cents) and have already implemented its usefulness on one of my soaps that didn't perform well with my hard water. I will say that it worked wonders on my "Latha Limon" and produced a very slick and rich lather...or latha lol. Since it only will cost me an extra $0.05 cents a shave (or w/e it is) I will now only shave with distilled water (even when I travel). I haven't tried it on a lanolin based soap but will be trying it out on one of my remaining Stirling samples from @UPTOWNSMOKE . If I get no post-shave odors or complaints I will be over-joyed, as my troubles will be over. For prep I just microwave a mug of distilled water enough for my brush to soak in, then i use that water to create my lather.
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Very cool variety and design. I love how their croap looks on maggard's site (almost dessert-like).
Very cool variety and design. I love how their croap looks on maggard's site (almost dessert-like).
The samples come the same way.
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Since I was interested in possibly ordering a sample I did a little research on the ingredients (Van Yulay), since for me lately, that has been a make it or break it kind of thing. I read that most of the "Soap of the God's" ingredients contain either Kaolin Clay or Bentonite Clay. These two components make for a very rich lather but with one drawback; it makes the soap very thirsty, like trekking through the Sahara with an empty water bottle kind of thirsty lol. I didn't really chalk this up to anything until I saw one of the key ingredients in a certain soap by another very very thirsty soap company called Mystic Water.
"Welcome to Mystic Water Soap.All of our shaving soap is made with tallow, which contributes to an exceptionally dense, slick lather. Combined with stearic acid, unrefined shea butter, sustainably sourced organic palm oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, bentonite clay, silk protein, allantoin, and extra glycerin, Mystic Water shaving soap offers exceptional protection, glide and post-shave skin care, excellent for even sensitive skin and tough beards. Many of my shaving soaps also include lanolin, and I use both botanical essential oils and high quality fragrances in my soap. See the descriptions of individual soaps below for more details."
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Don't get me wrong here, I didn't read that it was hard to lather, only that it is a very thirsty soap, because of the bentonite clay. Do you find it to be overly thirsty, similar to Mystic Water, which is renowned to be consistently thirsty among their soap line.
I don't find Van Yulay soaps to be thirsty at all. Mystic Waters on the other had yes. I will not order any soaps from Mystic Waters again. This is the only soap that I have a problem getting a decent lather from. It is very thirsty and I have to really work the soap for a few minutes to get a decent lather. Stirling, Van Yulay and my other soaps takes just seconds to to build a lather.
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Good to know, thanks. Yeah the reason I gave up on Mystic Water was that my wrist felt like hell afterwards, like I just competed in a thumb-war tournament HAHA. I guess you could call me lazy, but I love a good soap/croap that has explosive lather in under a minutes time.
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I've seen that brush before but can't put my finger on it. What kind is it?
It's a Nathan Clark Envy Badger. I got in contact with Nathan on FB and told him what I wanted and he came up with this. Great brush, I love it. I think its a piece of art. When the funds become available I will have him do another one.
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I like the base of it, looks very grippy. I'm a boar hair guy but one of these days I'll try out a decent badger. The knot size looks accommodating for me
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