Later On

I used my New Forest brush this morning because it was being discussed at The Wicked_Edge. As Mantic59 observes at the second link, it’s densely packed and yet is also soft. My worked up an extremely nice lather.

But let’s begin at the beginning. I’ve never been much of a pre-shave balm/oil/gel sort of guy: they just don’t seem to do anything for me. Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil soap (MR GLO) does a great job—a pre-shave soap—but that’s the only pre-shave to date that’s made much of a difference.

However, I got a sample of The Shave Den’s Pre-Shave Balm and tried that, partly because the ingredients were so good:

Shea Butter, Lanolin, Jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Vitamin E, and fragrance.

The balm’s effects were noticeable throughout the shave and even provided a sort of “Oil Pass” feeling for the final pass, with my skin still lubricated. It’s a solid paste, so it’s not like a pre-shave oil, but obviously it does contain a lot of oil.

I ordered a full jar, but when that arrived it was a liquid rather than a paste. It  turned out that the supplier’s most recent batch of shea butter had a lower melting point than the previous batch. I let Joanna know, and she immediately replaced the jar (and no harm done), and this new jar is indeed the same paste as the original sample.

I’m still working out how/when to use it. This morning I did my usual shower, then washed my beard at the sink with MR GLO and rinsed sketchily with just a splash (as usual). Then I took a small amount of the balm and rubbed it well into my beard.

The Scodoli shaving soap can be ordered in round pucks should your bowls and cups happen to be round, though obviously the square shape works better for those who have square bowls and cups. The ingredients list for the shaving soap:

Contains saponified oils of coconut, palm and safflower, shea butter, glycerin (kosher), sorbitol, sorbitan oleate, soy bean protein, wheat protein, thassoul clay, iron oxide, and fragrant oils.

The vendor notes:

A very intoxicating masculine fragrance with dominant notes of pipe tobacco and black tea, and hints of fruit and spice. This scent reminds the Madame of sitting in the parlor of the troupe’s stygian Horned Devil Man.

Caveat emptor: The fragrance oils in this soap tend to be particularly harsh.  ***Not for sensitive skin.***

It did fine for me, and the lather was excellent. I’m always nervous about artisanal soaps that I’ve not previously tried, but this one worked fine, and I have a couple more to try from the same vendor.

I used my Mühle three-piece razor this morning: although Merkur prefers the (ostensibly) two-piece razor (cap and handle/baseplate), the Merkurs are actually four-piece razors (cap, handle/baseplate, tightening knob/shaft, and friction ring to hold the shaft inside the hollow handle) that do not lie flat. The Mühle is a true three-piece razor that, when disassembled, lies flat. This one carries a previously used Astra Keramik Platinum blade.

Three smooth passes, and the pre-shave balm did a fine job with apparently no adverse effect on the lather. I’ll keep using it, off and on, to get a better feel for exactly what it’s doing, but I think this one is worth a try.

Finally, a splash of Gabels bay rum, which I read about on the Wicked_Edge. It is indeed a pleasant bay rum, though not so rich a fragrance as Captain’s Choice. Still, not bad, and I’m tempted to try Gabels Drops of Lime aftershave: only $3, though of course the $10 shipping charge changes the picture. Probably best purchased at the store.