This morning’s shave: good and bad

I love to shave with a safety razor from the first half of the last century, when double-edged blades were the norm. There’s something about picking up an inexpensive old safety razor from eBay and bringing it back to life. This morning’s shave was with an ancient (from the 20’s?) German brass open-comb razor, obtained for $0.99 plus shipping. A little work with Brasso, and the shine returned.

I imagine that the razor never expected to shine again, much less feel a good double-edged blade in its grip, or feel itself sliding through lather across a stubbled face.

Withal, it gave a shave that was too harsh, at least with the blade that I use, so I expect it to head back to eBay for anothe round and perhaps a try with a more forgiving blade. No nicks, but some razor burn.

OTOH, the lather was exceptional, from a wonderful soft soap from Genoa: Virgilio Valobra crema di sapone purissima. It’s white, with a distinct smell of bitter almonds, and has the consistency of clay: too solid to be a cream, too soft to be a soap. I squished the bar into a little Rubbermaid cup, and lathered up. A wonderful rich lather, which tomorrow I’ll use with another razor—probably the Vision, just to recover. This comment from an Australian site that sells the soap:

Over a century ago Virgilio Valobra established in Genoa his plant for the manufacture of fine soap. He was determined to adhere strictly to the formulae and methods of the master soap makers of the 18th Century. To this day Gughi Valobra continues to insist on the exclusive use of pure and selected ingredients. To achieve a super rich lather, virgin coconut oil is used in all of the soaps. Lecithin, vitamins, vegetable oils and natural fragrances are added to produce a truly deluxe range of soaps.

Finished with alum bar and Pinaud’s Lilac Vegetal. A smooth shave, and looking forward already to the shave tomorrow. 🙂 YMMV