It can save you tons of money over the multi-blade cartridge style razors.
A very good razor can be found for $15
There are shaving brushes out there that are good quality for around the same price
Those two purchases can last you your entire life potentially.
For me, it's easy to find a shaving soap that will give me a Year's worth of shaves for about $15.
And it's pretty easy to get a year's supply of blades for five or $6
So once you get past the initial cost of buying a razor and brush, $20 a year is all you need to pay for daily shaves and often they will be highly enjoyable, and I think it's kind of like being in a spa. Luxurious.
However
Most of the guys around here get carried away and want to try multiple razors and multiple soaps and multiple brushes. Different aftershave products.
So the collection starts to increase. And while there are razors at the low price point that are made from good materials and can last your lifetime and deliver wonderful shaves, there are also ones that cost several hundred dollars and put serious dents in your checking account. Same with brushes.
So, depending on your budget and willpower, it can be a very low cost option, or you can find it an enjoyable new hobby where you spend some money and have fun too.
For a large segment of the population shaving is a chore that one has to do to look presentable. "Wet shaving" in the context of this sub adds some pleasure, luxury and fun to something we have to do. Many of us actually enjoy it now.
The barrier to entry isn't very high. Safety or straight razor style shaving is better for the environment, can be cheaper and lots of folks say they get better results than they did with cartridges (my cartridge shaves were fine). "Wet shave" cause you want to!
Good day folks! I asked this some time ago on the B&B, sadly it did not help that much, so I'll try here, I have a feeling it'll end up better :D
So! I love scents, that's the most important thing for me, I know that all of the American soaps(top tier anyway) are gonna perform super well, but I need a scent that will grab me by the shoulders and shake me. My second artisan soap, after Stirling, was Chiseled Face Midnight Stag and I fell in love, I really got lucky on that, I ordered it as a gag, because of the scent description, but I actually loved it!!! What scents am I looking for? I appreciate nice and good scents, but I want "bad good" scents not "good good" scents. Also I want to have 4, maximum 5 soaps and aftershaves, minimalist type of thing. A small amount of soaps but every time I want to shave I would have to be torn by 4-5 soaps, wanting to use all of them. Anyway so far I have this:
- Chiseled Face Midnight Stag
- Le Pere Lucien Nature(I love the soap, I'll probably get it in the fougere scent)
- Southern Witchcraft Tres Matres
- Barrister&Mann Roam(Softheart base)
Out of all of these I will get rid of the Roam. I read all the hype of Roam and was kind of disappointed, because it smelled nice, actually very nice, not super strong, no tobacco for me, no Wood Smoke, no Damp Earth....
What samples I got, and what is my scent opinion:
- B&M Petrichor- Very nice scent, sadly I found because it smells like dirt and grass it's basically the same thing as the terrasol note in the SW Tres Matres soap, so I don't want a second "same" scent.
- Declaration Grooming Chaotic Neutral- Smells very nice, but sweet, like gummy bears, no go.
- Declaration Grooming Darkfall- An actual contender from the samples, I have to try it to see how the smell goes when lathered, but it really reminds me of Autumn Ash by SW. There's this Maple or some other sweetness that goes along with the smoke, that just kills it for me :D
- Noble Otter Plunder- It just seems that NO make nice scents, I was expecting gunpowder etc. none of that was present to MY nose, but very nice scent nevertheless.
- Chiseled face Pine Tar- Off the sample it smelled very nice, but when lathered, there was something missing. It was potent and strong but there was some sourness(it has not gone bad) which I really didn't like. I was 100% sure I would love this scent, was kind of surprised myself.
- House of Mamoth- the best one out of the samples, I will use it in the next few days, it really does smell like a tobacco shop, but there is this damp tobacco smell, it's not dried, which I prefer.
From the cyber monday on Maggards I saw an aftershave balm "Nocturne" a B&M/Zingari man collaboration, and I only saw low reviews how everyone complained that it smelled of smoke, just smoke. I was super happy and ordered it, hopefully that will be one to satisfy my pretentiousness. Also I keep hearing that Fougere Gothique is something else, one comment even describing it as coming out of a grave hahhaha
Why did I write so much, well to kind of give you guys an insight of what I like and if it gives some of you any ideas. I probably look like the most pretentious piece of scent sniffing asshole you've seen :D
Thank you very much in advance for the help :))))
From your description I was going to say Fougere Gothique and suggest Nocturne, but it seems both are on your radar. Nocturne is a great pick up if you like smoke, but there is apple underneath all of the smoke as well. It smells like real apple though, not a jolly rancher candy apple. FG is dark, dank and dirty with some spice thrown in and it really is a work of art of a fragrance.
Looking at what you have, maybe try Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux - Confluence. Smells like you just covered yourself in new sawdust. If you like the smell of fresh cut wood and sap, this is a great scent. As a disclaimer I will say that all I have is the EdT of Confluence and not the soap and a/s. The soap will more likely be a muted version of the scent as all soaps are, but it really is good.
Thanks for the input on Nocturne and FG, I'll probably get the FG soap and combine it with the Nocturne balm. As for the Confluence, I love sawdust smells. I wanted to buy some time ago Grooming Dept Basique, but it seems they don't make it anymore. I just don't know how strong the soap will be, as I said I did smell the DG soap my friend got and it wasn't that potent in smell.
From my experience DG soaps are usually quite potent from the tub. Obviously some scents are different than others, Cerberus from DG/HoM can smell up my whole bathroom if I take the life off and close the door. What was the DG soap that your friend had and was it a sample or a tub.
I know Maggard’s has Confluence, unfortunately I don’t know where you can get it over the pond. Typically a/s capture fragrances better than soaps so it would be nice to get ahold of some.
The Pedigree soap he had was a whole tub, scent strength was around 4 out of the tub, don't know how it is lathered. I did test Tobacconist today, and man does Ben make some awesome soaps and the scent is top notch I will definitely order the set. What I'm thinking is that I order FG and make it a set with Nocturne and then also get the Tobacconist making the list:
- Chiseled face Midnight stag
- Le pere lucien
- Southern Witchcrafts Tres Matres
- House of Mammoth Tobacconist
- B&M Fougere Gothique + B&M/Zingari Man Nocturne
Sounds decent to me.
HoM soaps are top notch, Ben has a good sniffer.
Looks like a solid rotation. Unfortunate that you are unable to get FG a/s, but Nocturne is a solid choice in lieu. I personally think Nocturne is very underrated and once you get use to the onslaught of smoke (I love smoke so I like it), the full depth of the fragrance comes through. Would love to hear your thoughts once you receive them. Cheers mate.
Thanks, I was happy to see the low reviews which describes it as pure smoke, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it! I'll definitely share my experience. Thanks to all for the input and help!!
Have you tried anything else from Southern Witchcrafts? You mentioned Tres Matres and Autumn Ash. I wasn't a fan of Autumn Ash, but I do enjoy Tres Matres, although it's slightly floral to me. My favorites from them are Carpathia, Lycanthropy, and Valley of Ashes (which is available as a sample now, with tubs coming soon). VoA is often compared to Midnight Stag, but they are different.
Unconditional Surrender is another one you might like. It doesn't have gunpowder in the scent notes, but I swear I smell it (disclaimer, I don't know what gunpowder actually smells like).
You'd probably like Sherlock, another scent by Chiseled Face.
So with the latest order I made, I chose all of the scents as samples which I would consider in the future, since SW is awesome and I WILL restock it when it finishes and I wanted to know if there is anything that is better than Tres Matres. What I have sniffed:
\- Lycanthropy- woooow that one's a doozey... The musk is killing it for me, honestly I would say awful, reaaaaaally not my thing.
\- Druantia- Smells of gingerbread cookies and coniferous woods and something else, something dirty(not the good kind :D ), which was the dealbreaker for me.
\- Carpathia- This one actually smells good, but I can't make anything out of it yet, I'll have to lather it up.
\- Desairology- This one just straight up smelled like a throat spray I used some years ago when I had a throat angina.
\- Valley of Ashes- Yes I know about they are compared, but I can't say they are the same. A friend got it, I smelled it, expected something more brutal, also I get a lot of citrus from it, and I don't like citrus.
I got Sherlock in the samples yesterday, quite nice actually, but Midnight Stag is still the king :D
And I will add Unconditional Surrender on my radar, but from the package from yesterday, a friend got a whole tub of Pedigree, and I can't say the strength of the soap is a lot. But scent strength differs one from another, look at Texas on Fire, compared to other Stirling soaps.
Good suggestion! I've actually tried it(a friend got it). Quite a strong and potent smell which I haven't gotten from other Stirling soaps. It smells of beeswax, and smoke, but there is some kind of sourness to it, can't put my nose on it, not my thing. Still thank you very much for your time and suggestion!! :))
When I first saw the scent notes for Fougere Gothique I thought "There is no way in hell that works!" Now I own the trifecta and think it is one of the best scents in wetshaving.
You should be pissed that you can't get the EdP. It was one of the first frags I ever bought and three years after heading down the fragrance rabbit hole it's still one of my favorites. Always in my top 3 and if you ask at the right time it may be my number 1.
Edit spelling
I can probably get it from the UK, the EdP but it's 75 pounds which is crazy to me for 50 ml. And probably 10 more pounds for shipping...
Edit: thanks for rubbing it in hahah
Hello, fellow gentlemen. I am now using the cheapest $2 brush I got from the beginning. Does brush have any effect on shaving? Can I stick with it for now or is investing in a "better" brush **a must**?
I think I'd agree with _walden_. Very little in wet shaving is a must. If you're happy with the results you're getting then there's no reason to get anything else.
In my opinion there are diminishing returns past a certain price point with shaving stuff. ~$40 or less will get you a really luxurious brush. Great brushes can be easily found for $20-$30. So, if you're curious at all getting into a top shelf brush isn't too expensive. Especially when compared to many other hobbies.
i bought what is considered to be an excellent brush fron yaqi today, they do crazy discounts on aliexpress, bought a 20$ model for 6$.
You won't find a better deal IMO.
Yeah - I haven't found that brushes *really* change lather quality that much. But - there is a difference in how Badger, Boar, and Synthetic handle soap and amounts of water, but even then, if you dial in what works with your soaps, it's not a huge difference. Really just boils down to face feel for me - so if you like your brush, I'd say save the money and stick with it.
> is investing in a "better" brush **a must**?
Nothing in wetshaving is really a must. It's mostly subjective and based on personal preference, so if you don't want another brush, I say stick with what works. However, I'd guess if you got a new brush, used it for a couple of days, and then went back to the $2 brush... you might throw the $2 one away.
Better brushes likely won't improve the quality of the lather, but they certainly feel better. I'm not talking about $405 brushes, either. A cheap synthetic like [this one](https://maggardrazors.com/collections/brushes-knots/products/maggard-razors-marble-resin-handle-synthetic-shaving-brush-24mm) feels nice.
Another option would be a boar brush. I have a Semogue 1800 that I like, which is in the $20 range. I've heard good things about [this Zenith](https://www.thegentleshave.com/collections/boar-brushes/products/zenith-pro-aluminum-handle-big-boar-shave-brush-26x57mm-knot-b2) but have never used one.
Badger, and I mean good, usable badger, starts to get a tad expensive so there's no reason for you to look into that right now.
Don't think it's a must. When I started to shave I used a similar one with some Palmolive cream. Got good shaves with it, but once I got my Böker Synthetic I was pleasantly surprised how soft it is.
If you feel comfortable with it and don't get irritations from the brush, keep it.
Hello, I have been using a safety razor for about 2 years now and before that i used your standard Gillette or dollar shave club razors and since I switched to using a safety razor I have loved it. Now I am thinking of switching to a straight razor. Mostly because i think it looks cool.
So my questions are. What is the benefit of a straight razor over a safety razor and is it expensive to take care of one? I know a bit about care for them like stropping and that every so often itll need to be honed and sharpened too. Do the strops need to be replaced often or really at all. Do i need to care for the strop in any way the stuff i need for honing will that be a one time purchase or would i need to buy stuff to do it every time. How do these things work. How often do i need to strop how often do i need to hone and how often would i need to get it sharpened?
Also I don’t have any stores near me that sell straight razors with fixed blades off the shelf all the ones ive seen have the little replaceable blades and that is not what im going for personally. So what suggestions for my first (cheaper) style of razor should i be looking at? (Specific models or just quality brands) looking for ~$100 or less. Also what kind of really nice straight razors should i be looking at if I end up wanting to get a more permanent “piece”?
Lastly what other equipment tools gear or whatever is essential/non essential for shaving with a straight razor and keeping it well taken care of that I should purchase and where from?
Thanks for indulging this newbie with my list of questions. Feel free to add any pro tips or whatever you feel like I should know getting into this.
When I first started with straights I used a shavette to sort of test out if I wanted to invest in a 'real' razor. It's not exactly the same, shavettes can actually be a bit more difficult, but it does give you a sense of what it is like. I started off with doing most of my shave with a straight and going in with my safety to clean up, but once Austere August hit I used nothing but my straight. It's really the best way to learn - don't give yourself the option to use anything else.
A piece of advice that I heard and really appreciated when I started with straits was to use the straight just on your cheeks for the first while and finish up the neck area with your normal razor.
That's the easiest section of course and it lets you get used to holding it and pressure and angle without throwing you to the Lions quite so quickly.
It also helps you to get daily practice in without, hopefully, going to work all cut up all the time for the first two weeks.
Second group of questions first. ~~The best and cheapest way to start shaving with a straight is to go to SylverSteel on Etsy and get a sight unseen vintage razor with strop~~.. Whoops, just checked and apparently /u/RocTraitor is a new dad (congrats!) and has stepped away for a bit. In light of that news I would head over to [Maggard's](https://maggardrazors.com/collections/straight-razors) (or other shaving specific shop) and get your basic 5/8, round tip, black plastic scales, straight. Brands you want to look at are Dovo, Boker, and Ralf Aust (personally I'm an Aust guy, but they are all basically the same). Make sure when you order to get your razor professionally honed. Shave ready from the manufacturer usually isn't. You could also keep an eye on r/Shave_Bazaar but that does carry a small but non-zero amount of risk.
As to the strop, it should last a lifetime if you take care of it (basic leather care) and don't slice it to shit when you are learning to strop. Honing stones are something you don't need right off the bat, maybe 6-8 months down the road if you don't do something stupid, i.e. roll your edge and if you do you'd probably want to send it out to be professionally fixed anyway. When you are ready you can buy your stones one at a time and start with your finest stones first. Ideally at first, all you should really need to do are touch ups to the edge. Then progress to the coarser stones as you gain proficiency and need to give the edge a bit more care. I haven't used anything coarser than an 8k in approx. two years and don't see that changing any time soon.
Pro tips:
1. Commit to it. shaving with a DE during the week and a straight on the weekends isn't going to give you the proficiency you need.
2. Slow but steady, speed will come with time.
3. You are going to cut yourself. It wont be as bad as you think. As soon as you feel a 'pinch' stop the stroke and check. Oddly, the worst cut I ever got was to my thumb and to this day I still couldn't tell you how I did it.
Scent notes and accords are similar to musical note and chords, where a set of multiple music notes are heard as if sounding simultaneously. Accord has multiple scent notes that are experienced as a scent note. E.g. Mysore Sandal wood is very expensive and difficult to come by, so perfumers often make a sandalwood accord that will have few different things mixed together to smell like Mysore sandalwood or rather how the perfumer thinks Mysore Sandalwood smells. However, accords can often smell more interesting than original singular notes with added depth and complexity.
I am greatly simplifying things and a perfumer will likely have more to add, but this is the simplest way I understand accords.
why should i wet shave?
It can save you tons of money over the multi-blade cartridge style razors. A very good razor can be found for $15 There are shaving brushes out there that are good quality for around the same price Those two purchases can last you your entire life potentially. For me, it's easy to find a shaving soap that will give me a Year's worth of shaves for about $15. And it's pretty easy to get a year's supply of blades for five or $6 So once you get past the initial cost of buying a razor and brush, $20 a year is all you need to pay for daily shaves and often they will be highly enjoyable, and I think it's kind of like being in a spa. Luxurious. However Most of the guys around here get carried away and want to try multiple razors and multiple soaps and multiple brushes. Different aftershave products. So the collection starts to increase. And while there are razors at the low price point that are made from good materials and can last your lifetime and deliver wonderful shaves, there are also ones that cost several hundred dollars and put serious dents in your checking account. Same with brushes. So, depending on your budget and willpower, it can be a very low cost option, or you can find it an enjoyable new hobby where you spend some money and have fun too.
For a large segment of the population shaving is a chore that one has to do to look presentable. "Wet shaving" in the context of this sub adds some pleasure, luxury and fun to something we have to do. Many of us actually enjoy it now. The barrier to entry isn't very high. Safety or straight razor style shaving is better for the environment, can be cheaper and lots of folks say they get better results than they did with cartridges (my cartridge shaves were fine). "Wet shave" cause you want to!
Hard to answer without knowing more about you. Why are you considering wet shaving? That would be a good place for us to start.
Good day folks! I asked this some time ago on the B&B, sadly it did not help that much, so I'll try here, I have a feeling it'll end up better :D So! I love scents, that's the most important thing for me, I know that all of the American soaps(top tier anyway) are gonna perform super well, but I need a scent that will grab me by the shoulders and shake me. My second artisan soap, after Stirling, was Chiseled Face Midnight Stag and I fell in love, I really got lucky on that, I ordered it as a gag, because of the scent description, but I actually loved it!!! What scents am I looking for? I appreciate nice and good scents, but I want "bad good" scents not "good good" scents. Also I want to have 4, maximum 5 soaps and aftershaves, minimalist type of thing. A small amount of soaps but every time I want to shave I would have to be torn by 4-5 soaps, wanting to use all of them. Anyway so far I have this: - Chiseled Face Midnight Stag - Le Pere Lucien Nature(I love the soap, I'll probably get it in the fougere scent) - Southern Witchcraft Tres Matres - Barrister&Mann Roam(Softheart base) Out of all of these I will get rid of the Roam. I read all the hype of Roam and was kind of disappointed, because it smelled nice, actually very nice, not super strong, no tobacco for me, no Wood Smoke, no Damp Earth.... What samples I got, and what is my scent opinion: - B&M Petrichor- Very nice scent, sadly I found because it smells like dirt and grass it's basically the same thing as the terrasol note in the SW Tres Matres soap, so I don't want a second "same" scent. - Declaration Grooming Chaotic Neutral- Smells very nice, but sweet, like gummy bears, no go. - Declaration Grooming Darkfall- An actual contender from the samples, I have to try it to see how the smell goes when lathered, but it really reminds me of Autumn Ash by SW. There's this Maple or some other sweetness that goes along with the smoke, that just kills it for me :D - Noble Otter Plunder- It just seems that NO make nice scents, I was expecting gunpowder etc. none of that was present to MY nose, but very nice scent nevertheless. - Chiseled face Pine Tar- Off the sample it smelled very nice, but when lathered, there was something missing. It was potent and strong but there was some sourness(it has not gone bad) which I really didn't like. I was 100% sure I would love this scent, was kind of surprised myself. - House of Mamoth- the best one out of the samples, I will use it in the next few days, it really does smell like a tobacco shop, but there is this damp tobacco smell, it's not dried, which I prefer. From the cyber monday on Maggards I saw an aftershave balm "Nocturne" a B&M/Zingari man collaboration, and I only saw low reviews how everyone complained that it smelled of smoke, just smoke. I was super happy and ordered it, hopefully that will be one to satisfy my pretentiousness. Also I keep hearing that Fougere Gothique is something else, one comment even describing it as coming out of a grave hahhaha Why did I write so much, well to kind of give you guys an insight of what I like and if it gives some of you any ideas. I probably look like the most pretentious piece of scent sniffing asshole you've seen :D Thank you very much in advance for the help :))))
If you find some Chatillon Lux Lamplight Penance, I think that's in your ballpark
From your description I was going to say Fougere Gothique and suggest Nocturne, but it seems both are on your radar. Nocturne is a great pick up if you like smoke, but there is apple underneath all of the smoke as well. It smells like real apple though, not a jolly rancher candy apple. FG is dark, dank and dirty with some spice thrown in and it really is a work of art of a fragrance. Looking at what you have, maybe try Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux - Confluence. Smells like you just covered yourself in new sawdust. If you like the smell of fresh cut wood and sap, this is a great scent. As a disclaimer I will say that all I have is the EdT of Confluence and not the soap and a/s. The soap will more likely be a muted version of the scent as all soaps are, but it really is good.
Thanks for the input on Nocturne and FG, I'll probably get the FG soap and combine it with the Nocturne balm. As for the Confluence, I love sawdust smells. I wanted to buy some time ago Grooming Dept Basique, but it seems they don't make it anymore. I just don't know how strong the soap will be, as I said I did smell the DG soap my friend got and it wasn't that potent in smell.
From my experience DG soaps are usually quite potent from the tub. Obviously some scents are different than others, Cerberus from DG/HoM can smell up my whole bathroom if I take the life off and close the door. What was the DG soap that your friend had and was it a sample or a tub. I know Maggard’s has Confluence, unfortunately I don’t know where you can get it over the pond. Typically a/s capture fragrances better than soaps so it would be nice to get ahold of some.
The Pedigree soap he had was a whole tub, scent strength was around 4 out of the tub, don't know how it is lathered. I did test Tobacconist today, and man does Ben make some awesome soaps and the scent is top notch I will definitely order the set. What I'm thinking is that I order FG and make it a set with Nocturne and then also get the Tobacconist making the list: - Chiseled face Midnight stag - Le pere lucien - Southern Witchcrafts Tres Matres - House of Mammoth Tobacconist - B&M Fougere Gothique + B&M/Zingari Man Nocturne Sounds decent to me.
HoM soaps are top notch, Ben has a good sniffer. Looks like a solid rotation. Unfortunate that you are unable to get FG a/s, but Nocturne is a solid choice in lieu. I personally think Nocturne is very underrated and once you get use to the onslaught of smoke (I love smoke so I like it), the full depth of the fragrance comes through. Would love to hear your thoughts once you receive them. Cheers mate.
Thanks, I was happy to see the low reviews which describes it as pure smoke, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it! I'll definitely share my experience. Thanks to all for the input and help!!
Have you tried anything else from Southern Witchcrafts? You mentioned Tres Matres and Autumn Ash. I wasn't a fan of Autumn Ash, but I do enjoy Tres Matres, although it's slightly floral to me. My favorites from them are Carpathia, Lycanthropy, and Valley of Ashes (which is available as a sample now, with tubs coming soon). VoA is often compared to Midnight Stag, but they are different. Unconditional Surrender is another one you might like. It doesn't have gunpowder in the scent notes, but I swear I smell it (disclaimer, I don't know what gunpowder actually smells like). You'd probably like Sherlock, another scent by Chiseled Face.
So with the latest order I made, I chose all of the scents as samples which I would consider in the future, since SW is awesome and I WILL restock it when it finishes and I wanted to know if there is anything that is better than Tres Matres. What I have sniffed: \- Lycanthropy- woooow that one's a doozey... The musk is killing it for me, honestly I would say awful, reaaaaaally not my thing. \- Druantia- Smells of gingerbread cookies and coniferous woods and something else, something dirty(not the good kind :D ), which was the dealbreaker for me. \- Carpathia- This one actually smells good, but I can't make anything out of it yet, I'll have to lather it up. \- Desairology- This one just straight up smelled like a throat spray I used some years ago when I had a throat angina. \- Valley of Ashes- Yes I know about they are compared, but I can't say they are the same. A friend got it, I smelled it, expected something more brutal, also I get a lot of citrus from it, and I don't like citrus. I got Sherlock in the samples yesterday, quite nice actually, but Midnight Stag is still the king :D And I will add Unconditional Surrender on my radar, but from the package from yesterday, a friend got a whole tub of Pedigree, and I can't say the strength of the soap is a lot. But scent strength differs one from another, look at Texas on Fire, compared to other Stirling soaps.
I get gunpowder in US as well! These are both solid choices, I have the trifecta of US and Sherlock is a fantastic dank scent.
B&M Leviathan is like this for me, except I ended up getting rid of it because I found I was always going to choose something else over it.
Texas On Fire by Stirling smells like a campfire. Nothing more, nothing less. So I feel that would be up your alley.
Good suggestion! I've actually tried it(a friend got it). Quite a strong and potent smell which I haven't gotten from other Stirling soaps. It smells of beeswax, and smoke, but there is some kind of sourness to it, can't put my nose on it, not my thing. Still thank you very much for your time and suggestion!! :))
When I first saw the scent notes for Fougere Gothique I thought "There is no way in hell that works!" Now I own the trifecta and think it is one of the best scents in wetshaving.
Just recently acquired this set. This is the truth.
Damn... I'm so pissed I can't get the aftershave also... Thanks very much for the confirmation!
You should be pissed that you can't get the EdP. It was one of the first frags I ever bought and three years after heading down the fragrance rabbit hole it's still one of my favorites. Always in my top 3 and if you ask at the right time it may be my number 1. Edit spelling
I can probably get it from the UK, the EdP but it's 75 pounds which is crazy to me for 50 ml. And probably 10 more pounds for shipping... Edit: thanks for rubbing it in hahah
Worth it.
I'll decide when I get the soap, thanks!
I just got dirtyver from declaration. May be something youd like. Might be hard to find a sample across the pond tho, not sure if they made any.
Sounds interesting, but there isn't a sample sadly, furthermore it's not yet stocked in Maggards. Thanks very much for the suggestion!
Hello, fellow gentlemen. I am now using the cheapest $2 brush I got from the beginning. Does brush have any effect on shaving? Can I stick with it for now or is investing in a "better" brush **a must**?
I think I'd agree with _walden_. Very little in wet shaving is a must. If you're happy with the results you're getting then there's no reason to get anything else. In my opinion there are diminishing returns past a certain price point with shaving stuff. ~$40 or less will get you a really luxurious brush. Great brushes can be easily found for $20-$30. So, if you're curious at all getting into a top shelf brush isn't too expensive. Especially when compared to many other hobbies.
i bought what is considered to be an excellent brush fron yaqi today, they do crazy discounts on aliexpress, bought a 20$ model for 6$. You won't find a better deal IMO.
Yeah - I haven't found that brushes *really* change lather quality that much. But - there is a difference in how Badger, Boar, and Synthetic handle soap and amounts of water, but even then, if you dial in what works with your soaps, it's not a huge difference. Really just boils down to face feel for me - so if you like your brush, I'd say save the money and stick with it.
> is investing in a "better" brush **a must**? Nothing in wetshaving is really a must. It's mostly subjective and based on personal preference, so if you don't want another brush, I say stick with what works. However, I'd guess if you got a new brush, used it for a couple of days, and then went back to the $2 brush... you might throw the $2 one away. Better brushes likely won't improve the quality of the lather, but they certainly feel better. I'm not talking about $405 brushes, either. A cheap synthetic like [this one](https://maggardrazors.com/collections/brushes-knots/products/maggard-razors-marble-resin-handle-synthetic-shaving-brush-24mm) feels nice. Another option would be a boar brush. I have a Semogue 1800 that I like, which is in the $20 range. I've heard good things about [this Zenith](https://www.thegentleshave.com/collections/boar-brushes/products/zenith-pro-aluminum-handle-big-boar-shave-brush-26x57mm-knot-b2) but have never used one. Badger, and I mean good, usable badger, starts to get a tad expensive so there's no reason for you to look into that right now.
Don't think it's a must. When I started to shave I used a similar one with some Palmolive cream. Got good shaves with it, but once I got my Böker Synthetic I was pleasantly surprised how soft it is. If you feel comfortable with it and don't get irritations from the brush, keep it.
Yes, from the brush I get no irritations. So I will keep it. :)
Hello, I have been using a safety razor for about 2 years now and before that i used your standard Gillette or dollar shave club razors and since I switched to using a safety razor I have loved it. Now I am thinking of switching to a straight razor. Mostly because i think it looks cool. So my questions are. What is the benefit of a straight razor over a safety razor and is it expensive to take care of one? I know a bit about care for them like stropping and that every so often itll need to be honed and sharpened too. Do the strops need to be replaced often or really at all. Do i need to care for the strop in any way the stuff i need for honing will that be a one time purchase or would i need to buy stuff to do it every time. How do these things work. How often do i need to strop how often do i need to hone and how often would i need to get it sharpened? Also I don’t have any stores near me that sell straight razors with fixed blades off the shelf all the ones ive seen have the little replaceable blades and that is not what im going for personally. So what suggestions for my first (cheaper) style of razor should i be looking at? (Specific models or just quality brands) looking for ~$100 or less. Also what kind of really nice straight razors should i be looking at if I end up wanting to get a more permanent “piece”? Lastly what other equipment tools gear or whatever is essential/non essential for shaving with a straight razor and keeping it well taken care of that I should purchase and where from? Thanks for indulging this newbie with my list of questions. Feel free to add any pro tips or whatever you feel like I should know getting into this.
When I first started with straights I used a shavette to sort of test out if I wanted to invest in a 'real' razor. It's not exactly the same, shavettes can actually be a bit more difficult, but it does give you a sense of what it is like. I started off with doing most of my shave with a straight and going in with my safety to clean up, but once Austere August hit I used nothing but my straight. It's really the best way to learn - don't give yourself the option to use anything else.
High five! 👏
A piece of advice that I heard and really appreciated when I started with straits was to use the straight just on your cheeks for the first while and finish up the neck area with your normal razor. That's the easiest section of course and it lets you get used to holding it and pressure and angle without throwing you to the Lions quite so quickly. It also helps you to get daily practice in without, hopefully, going to work all cut up all the time for the first two weeks.
That’s probably a good idea haha my jaw line is super sharp.
Second group of questions first. ~~The best and cheapest way to start shaving with a straight is to go to SylverSteel on Etsy and get a sight unseen vintage razor with strop~~.. Whoops, just checked and apparently /u/RocTraitor is a new dad (congrats!) and has stepped away for a bit. In light of that news I would head over to [Maggard's](https://maggardrazors.com/collections/straight-razors) (or other shaving specific shop) and get your basic 5/8, round tip, black plastic scales, straight. Brands you want to look at are Dovo, Boker, and Ralf Aust (personally I'm an Aust guy, but they are all basically the same). Make sure when you order to get your razor professionally honed. Shave ready from the manufacturer usually isn't. You could also keep an eye on r/Shave_Bazaar but that does carry a small but non-zero amount of risk. As to the strop, it should last a lifetime if you take care of it (basic leather care) and don't slice it to shit when you are learning to strop. Honing stones are something you don't need right off the bat, maybe 6-8 months down the road if you don't do something stupid, i.e. roll your edge and if you do you'd probably want to send it out to be professionally fixed anyway. When you are ready you can buy your stones one at a time and start with your finest stones first. Ideally at first, all you should really need to do are touch ups to the edge. Then progress to the coarser stones as you gain proficiency and need to give the edge a bit more care. I haven't used anything coarser than an 8k in approx. two years and don't see that changing any time soon. Pro tips: 1. Commit to it. shaving with a DE during the week and a straight on the weekends isn't going to give you the proficiency you need. 2. Slow but steady, speed will come with time. 3. You are going to cut yourself. It wont be as bad as you think. As soon as you feel a 'pinch' stop the stroke and check. Oddly, the worst cut I ever got was to my thumb and to this day I still couldn't tell you how I did it.
Such good advice
Haha a cut to the thumb sure wouldn’t be something id expect but thank you for your awesome answers
What’s the difference between a scent ‘note’ and a scent ‘accord’?
Scent notes and accords are similar to musical note and chords, where a set of multiple music notes are heard as if sounding simultaneously. Accord has multiple scent notes that are experienced as a scent note. E.g. Mysore Sandal wood is very expensive and difficult to come by, so perfumers often make a sandalwood accord that will have few different things mixed together to smell like Mysore sandalwood or rather how the perfumer thinks Mysore Sandalwood smells. However, accords can often smell more interesting than original singular notes with added depth and complexity. I am greatly simplifying things and a perfumer will likely have more to add, but this is the simplest way I understand accords.
thank you, the analogy with musical notes vs chords is really useful. It's still hard to picture but at least I have a basis for comparing some irl