A fews days ago I had the idea of a great barbershop-type shave, using the best wet shaving tools at my disposal. Of course I wanted to use only trusted products that are actually used in true barber salons. Hence, I opted for a reliable boar brush, a traditional shaving cream, a classic straight razor and a bold, masculine aftershave lotion. I also wanted to make things a bit international and decided to select some the finest tools in my den from different countries. The brush was the mighty 1800 from Semogue, a small Portuguese family-owned company that has been producing excellent and reasonably priced brushes since 1955. All beautiful looking and all lather-making machines. The 1800, in particular, has extremely soft tips with a lot of backbone and behaves equally well with both soaps and creams, either face and bowl lathering. This is certainly one my favourite boars, always first rate in performance. As about the shaving cream I was proud to use the Italian Proraso Green. This is unquestionably our most traditional, most popular and most loved shaving cream of them all, both among Master Barbers and experienced wet shavers. In my opinion the 2012 reformulation has represented a great improvement for the entire Proraso line and the ever Green now really shines: easy to use, slick, moisturizing, protective and, finally, without all those parabens that seemed to shadow its reliable name and illustrious history. In other words an all-round winner for me. Regarding the choice of the razor I was in doubt if using a shavette, which is what barbers use nowadays, or a real straight, as barbers used to do in the past. I ended up with opting for a true straight, as this is what I really love. Being a huge fan of German blades, my choice fell on my latest purchase: the Wacker 6/8 Old Sheffield. I got this razor last month, directly from Mr. H. Wacker, who provided a wonderful customer service suggesting exactly the straight I wanted: a Full Hollow Ground 6/8 Silver Steel blade, with Barbers Notch Point and stunning Black Buffalo Horn scales. A genuine Masterpiece Made in Solingen, that after some work on the hones has developed a very sharp, smooth edge. The final touch to complete my barbershop-type shave was a good splash of Pinaud Clubman Original. This superb, superb centuries old American product has quickly become my #1 aftershave lotion. A truly powerful fragrance and gentlemanly scent to finish a great shave. And it actually was a great shave.
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