I've been getting presentable one-pass-with-touchup shaves with my R41. I've done two pass + touchup shaves, but I get such a darn close shave, I get razor bumps on my chin.
DE newbie with a muhler r41
- Thread starter Jakebullet
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I've been getting presentable one-pass-with-touchup shaves with my R41. I've done two pass + touchup shaves, but I get such a darn close shave, I get razor bumps on my chin.
Up for tomorrow morning I'm going to run my R41 with a Treet carbon steel blade. This blade is proving to tame razors for me that previously could feel a bit on the rough side (unforgiving) with coated stainless steel blades. Not sure what to expect but looking forward to finding out. 
Thanks.
But I've been at it for awhile. That being said, this morn's shave was no less nick prone than the last, even with taking care & diligence. So I don't think Feather will be a regular choice for this razor. I'm going with either GSB or KAI, next time.
I did learn one thing, though: The R41 likes to be very wet, in order to be smooth. It seems to really like water, for some reason.
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- #284
The postman brought me a couple of nice presents today, a bar of GF Trumper Sandalwood bath soap, a jar of the excellent Proraso Green Preshave, and a block of Tabac hard shaving soap, which I’d read about on the forum and thought it would be a good buy for my first hard soap, having used creams so far and the brilliant but almost hybrid Proraso Green soap.
Keen to try the tabac, I took a nice but quick shower then applied the strong menthol smelling Proraso pre shave. While that was doing its chilly thing I did a quick swirl on the Tabac with a slightly damp badger brush. More water needed so I added a touch more then the lather began to really fill out in the jar. I dipped the tips into a little hot water then went into a face lather. The lather has a great luxurious feel about it on the skin with a pleasant soapy but quite subtle scent.
The blade today was a new Polsilver SI which always performs well for me. After my first pass my girl popped her head around the door to tell me that an appointment I had for the day had been moved forward so I had to get a move on, no real time to think about the soap and lather too much.
I did a nice 3.5 pass shave with that great combination of nice quality soap, densely packed Badger hair, a new razor blade and beautiful hot water. Ah, the simple things in life! and noticed that the lather is very smooth, nice and cushioned whilst not being too thick and pasty and I got a very very nice shave. Not BBS as my face was a little dry under the blade with not much remaining slickness after the pass so I have to experiment more with water content next time. I have areas of stubble right underneath my cheekbones which are hard to get. They’re invisible after shaving but I can feel them almost every morning after an hour or two and it annoys me. I’ve gone over the areas enough times so I think only face stretching can help.
A nice warm splash as I washed the remaining Tabac off my mostly smooth face then a nice cold splash followed by a cold wet face cloth rub. Just a few drops of Floid Vigoroso onto slightly wet hands and I was good to go. I wish I could use more of this stuff as it’s great smelling and very soothing on the face but anything more than 4-5 drops makes my face feel a bit sticky even with wet hands.
An hour later my face still felt slightly gunky so I rinsed with nice cold water and it made a big difference with my face becoming soft and smooth again.
I have one more day I’d say using the TOBS Eton College Bath Soap which smells great and lathers brilliantly then im going to try the GF Trumper Sandalwood Bar, will let you know how it goes.
M
member 119848
The R41 & Tabac make my daily setup. You can´t go wrong with this combination. 
Just like underneath your cheekbones, the area under my chin is harder to shave. What I do is a few extra passes sideways while stretching the skin, followed by a light buffing (slightly riding the cap with the R41 is the way to go).
And you´re right, it´s better too use extra water than too little for slickness.
Just like underneath your cheekbones, the area under my chin is harder to shave. What I do is a few extra passes sideways while stretching the skin, followed by a light buffing (slightly riding the cap with the R41 is the way to go).
And you´re right, it´s better too use extra water than too little for slickness.
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- #286
Thanks for the advice Fabi it’s all appreciated. Im looking forward to using the Tabac again tomorrow as it’s left a fine first impression. I’ll hopefully not be as rushed as today so will experiment more with water content to find the right slickness, it seems such a great soap I’m sure it won’t take long.
Thanks for the stretching advice, I’ve just been mapping my face with my fingers. I have quite high cheekbones and the stubble grows right under them so I don’t think I’ve been cutting quite high enough atg during the shave. I just found it’s going to be really hard to stretch the area in question without squashing my eye shut or risk nibbling my fingers with the blade but I’ll learn some new swear words off the internet and have them on standby for tomorrow’s shave.
Thanks for the stretching advice, I’ve just been mapping my face with my fingers. I have quite high cheekbones and the stubble grows right under them so I don’t think I’ve been cutting quite high enough atg during the shave. I just found it’s going to be really hard to stretch the area in question without squashing my eye shut or risk nibbling my fingers with the blade but I’ll learn some new swear words off the internet and have them on standby for tomorrow’s shave.
Great mail call and first Tabac shave! It’s really a good soap.
At times I have the same problem with stray stubble that doesn’t get caught in any of my passes somehow. I’ll walk away from a shave thinking I’ve nailed the BBS, start facerbating an hour or so later an-...what?! A lone stubble bit poking my fingers?! My shaver’s OCD kicks in and it bugs the heck out of me the rest of the day.
At times I have the same problem with stray stubble that doesn’t get caught in any of my passes somehow. I’ll walk away from a shave thinking I’ve nailed the BBS, start facerbating an hour or so later an-...what?! A lone stubble bit poking my fingers?! My shaver’s OCD kicks in and it bugs the heck out of me the rest of the day.
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- #288
Hah I think I have the same OCD when I’m sure I’ve done a bbs only to be driven mad by a hair or two I’ve impossibly missed with every full complete pass. How is it even possible?
BBS is the general aim for me every day and the absolute aim at weekends when I have more time to devote to it so it’s like a personal failure to suddenly find bits I’ve missed. I’m going to have to keep working hard on my face mapping and learning to stretch the skin in the right way.
I now get a brilliant shave most days but getting a perfect, absolutely true, long lasting bbs on every millimetre of my face, neck, chin and top lip with no cuts or irritation is very rare for me, I’ve maybe done it 5 or 6 times which works out about one or two times a month or 1 in 30 but I’ve only been at it it for 4 months so I’m hoping this will improve.
But on the days when I do achieve true next level bbs it lets me know I’ve used the R41 to its full potential. That I got the lather, balance, technique, pressure and angles all just right all at the same time in the same shave, it’s like like nailing a great lap in a formula one car or getting a hole in one, or serving an ace (not that I race, golf or play tennis) and it’s addictive.
Gear noir, for the last few days I’ve been reading your great thread on learning the straight razor. It’s a brilliant read and I admire your bravery and diligence in your own quest for BBS.
BBS is the general aim for me every day and the absolute aim at weekends when I have more time to devote to it so it’s like a personal failure to suddenly find bits I’ve missed. I’m going to have to keep working hard on my face mapping and learning to stretch the skin in the right way.
I now get a brilliant shave most days but getting a perfect, absolutely true, long lasting bbs on every millimetre of my face, neck, chin and top lip with no cuts or irritation is very rare for me, I’ve maybe done it 5 or 6 times which works out about one or two times a month or 1 in 30 but I’ve only been at it it for 4 months so I’m hoping this will improve.
But on the days when I do achieve true next level bbs it lets me know I’ve used the R41 to its full potential. That I got the lather, balance, technique, pressure and angles all just right all at the same time in the same shave, it’s like like nailing a great lap in a formula one car or getting a hole in one, or serving an ace (not that I race, golf or play tennis) and it’s addictive.
Gear noir, for the last few days I’ve been reading your great thread on learning the straight razor. It’s a brilliant read and I admire your bravery and diligence in your own quest for BBS.
- Thread starter
- #289
Something occurred to me today as some of my shaves have been inconsistent with tiny patches missed so my technique is obviously inconsistent too and on one, two or all of my passes I’m somehow missing bits.
Today I lathered up with Tabac again, great stuff, and as I was swirling the brush on my face, my mind drifted to the problem.
Missing hair on the shave despite 3.5 passes could only leave hair if one or more of the passes were sloppy. My final pass is hardly ever sloppy.
So I think I’ve been unconsciously tending to be careless on pass one and two just thinking about beard reduction rather than closeness and putting all my eggs in the pass 3 basket.
In my mind pass 3 atg was the most important for getting bbs.
So today I took extra care to be accurate on pass one, even stretching the face which I never do on the early passes. Then I did the same on the sideways pass 2, stretching and really taking care to do a thorough job and not to miss any. Pass 2 went really well especially on my chin.
Then I did a good pass 3 atg with stretching as high as I could under my cheekbones and other tricky areas, always taking care to keep my technique smooth. A careful touch up pass and a cold rinse and I’m grinning because I know I’ve done well.
Cold rinse, no alum and a little splash of Floid. Feels good!
After an hour my face felt smooth and clean and soft in all directions. Still not quite perfect but better than the norm.
It’s 5 hours in now and it’s still mostly very smooth. It’s a good lesson for me not to rush the earlier passes, and that it takes 3 good passes for a great shave for me.
Today I lathered up with Tabac again, great stuff, and as I was swirling the brush on my face, my mind drifted to the problem.
Missing hair on the shave despite 3.5 passes could only leave hair if one or more of the passes were sloppy. My final pass is hardly ever sloppy.
So I think I’ve been unconsciously tending to be careless on pass one and two just thinking about beard reduction rather than closeness and putting all my eggs in the pass 3 basket.
In my mind pass 3 atg was the most important for getting bbs.
So today I took extra care to be accurate on pass one, even stretching the face which I never do on the early passes. Then I did the same on the sideways pass 2, stretching and really taking care to do a thorough job and not to miss any. Pass 2 went really well especially on my chin.
Then I did a good pass 3 atg with stretching as high as I could under my cheekbones and other tricky areas, always taking care to keep my technique smooth. A careful touch up pass and a cold rinse and I’m grinning because I know I’ve done well.
Cold rinse, no alum and a little splash of Floid. Feels good!
After an hour my face felt smooth and clean and soft in all directions. Still not quite perfect but better than the norm.
It’s 5 hours in now and it’s still mostly very smooth. It’s a good lesson for me not to rush the earlier passes, and that it takes 3 good passes for a great shave for me.
Excellent. What you have discovered is what I have been doing for quite some time, to the point I get the shave I'm looking for in 2 passes with touch ups. I have to check every area during the touch up because if I miss a spot it will bug me the entire day.
Well done
- Thread starter
- #291
Thanks for the advice highspeed, nice to hear we all have similar problems.
I used the Tabac soap again for the third time today. The first 2 days I lathered with a damp brush then added water by dipping the brush while face lathering but today I thought I’d try adding the water at the start using a much wetter brush and spending longer and wetter lathering on the soap. I got it a little watery at first with quite a lot of sudsy spillage but it quickly thickened and made a great lather which started to unlock some of the Tabac’s fabled slickness and gave me copious amounts of beautiful slick lather for my 3.5 passes.
I was also able to redo several areas without re lathering thanks to the extra slickness.
3rd use of a Polsilver SI today and took plenty of care on each pass and for a nice shave, if a little stingy for half an hour.
I used the alum bar today which tightened up my cheeks, closed one or two blood spots and once it was completely washed off left my face feeling baby soft, toned and generally splendid.
It’s great stuff once my face taught me when to use it, how often to use it, how much to put on, how long to leave it on, how best to get it off again etc.
There’s so many variables to tweak and dial when DE shaving and trying to get every aspect of the shave right is a lot of fun.
Again a lovely splash of Floid vigoroso which I really like as it smells great and leaves my face smooth so long as I don’t use much.
I used the Tabac soap again for the third time today. The first 2 days I lathered with a damp brush then added water by dipping the brush while face lathering but today I thought I’d try adding the water at the start using a much wetter brush and spending longer and wetter lathering on the soap. I got it a little watery at first with quite a lot of sudsy spillage but it quickly thickened and made a great lather which started to unlock some of the Tabac’s fabled slickness and gave me copious amounts of beautiful slick lather for my 3.5 passes.
I was also able to redo several areas without re lathering thanks to the extra slickness.
3rd use of a Polsilver SI today and took plenty of care on each pass and for a nice shave, if a little stingy for half an hour.
I used the alum bar today which tightened up my cheeks, closed one or two blood spots and once it was completely washed off left my face feeling baby soft, toned and generally splendid.
It’s great stuff once my face taught me when to use it, how often to use it, how much to put on, how long to leave it on, how best to get it off again etc.
There’s so many variables to tweak and dial when DE shaving and trying to get every aspect of the shave right is a lot of fun.
Again a lovely splash of Floid vigoroso which I really like as it smells great and leaves my face smooth so long as I don’t use much.
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- #292
Just before bed last night with my stubble mostly back on my face I spent 15 min or so thinking about the areas I’ve been missing, and feeling and mapping my face for the next days shave. I always shave south to north for my atg pass, straight up only. This time while mapping I noticed that atg on my face isn’t really strictly north to south it’s more south east to north west on both sides and so my usual ATG pass hasn’t been quite hitting the growth angle right. Why hadn’t I discovered this earlier? Because the difference is small and subtle and not all that obvious to the fingers, and I’m sure I was following a preconceived bias as to which way atg should be.
So when I woke this morning I showered and rubbed the icy Proraso preshave atg in the slightly off direction which I planned to shave at.
I also wanted to adjust my pass 2 as I was going against the grain on my right side jawbone and neck instead of across it.
This simple direction change was much harder than I thought it would be and illustrated to me just how entrenched my fledgling technique already is.
Anyway onto the third pass. I adjusted the wrist and razor angle and started cutting up southeast to northwest. Straight away I could tell it was different as the razor sang and pinged along the new line of growth leaving nothing in its wake.
I rinsed up and finished with the alum which hardly stung at all. I’ve never had that before, the alum ALWAYS stings so I know I’m on the right track.
It wasn’t bbs as my technical changes on pass 2 left a little behind here and there but my atg pass was a big improvement with no areas needing me to go back over them as the cut had been made in the proper direction. So this was why I was having trouble clearing my whole face, the pass angle needed slightly adjusting to best combat the hair growth, and because I hadn’t been hitting it right, I’d gone over the areas more times than I should and ended up with alum sting and a very slight irritation.
Anyway a nice big splash of Proraso Green AS today for a great cooling feeling on a hot day and maybe not a perfect shave but a very big step in the right direction.
So when I woke this morning I showered and rubbed the icy Proraso preshave atg in the slightly off direction which I planned to shave at.
I also wanted to adjust my pass 2 as I was going against the grain on my right side jawbone and neck instead of across it.
This simple direction change was much harder than I thought it would be and illustrated to me just how entrenched my fledgling technique already is.
Anyway onto the third pass. I adjusted the wrist and razor angle and started cutting up southeast to northwest. Straight away I could tell it was different as the razor sang and pinged along the new line of growth leaving nothing in its wake.
I rinsed up and finished with the alum which hardly stung at all. I’ve never had that before, the alum ALWAYS stings so I know I’m on the right track.
It wasn’t bbs as my technical changes on pass 2 left a little behind here and there but my atg pass was a big improvement with no areas needing me to go back over them as the cut had been made in the proper direction. So this was why I was having trouble clearing my whole face, the pass angle needed slightly adjusting to best combat the hair growth, and because I hadn’t been hitting it right, I’d gone over the areas more times than I should and ended up with alum sting and a very slight irritation.
Anyway a nice big splash of Proraso Green AS today for a great cooling feeling on a hot day and maybe not a perfect shave but a very big step in the right direction.
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Great learning shave! It’s little improvements like this that will have you on your way to less and less irritation and alum sting.
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- #294
I tried the GF Trumper bath soap in the shower this morning. It lathered nice and rich as you’d expect but it didnt really dazzle in the scent department just a nice but faint whiff of Sandalwood similar to the TOBS (though a bit more expensive) but it may be stronger tomorrow let’s see.
Used the Tabac soap again today lathered on my face with my Vulfix pure badger brush which I haven’t used for a while.
It’s a great little brush and a bit more densely packed that the Edwin Jagger best badger i’d been using, and it’s got a chunkier handle which feels better in the hand and fits better on the stand
I got the Tabac to lather really nicely as I get used to it.
The preshave was creamy and icy, the lather was full and thick, the blade was sharp, the angles were right and tight and the star of the show the muhle R41 was on great form just annihilating copper-thick hair with zero pressure like a gentle gleaming breeze over the skin.
Another mild rub of the alum block today with hardly any stinging then the great Proraso green AS splash.
Happy to report a really fine shave.
Used the Tabac soap again today lathered on my face with my Vulfix pure badger brush which I haven’t used for a while.
It’s a great little brush and a bit more densely packed that the Edwin Jagger best badger i’d been using, and it’s got a chunkier handle which feels better in the hand and fits better on the stand
I got the Tabac to lather really nicely as I get used to it.
The preshave was creamy and icy, the lather was full and thick, the blade was sharp, the angles were right and tight and the star of the show the muhle R41 was on great form just annihilating copper-thick hair with zero pressure like a gentle gleaming breeze over the skin.
Another mild rub of the alum block today with hardly any stinging then the great Proraso green AS splash.
Happy to report a really fine shave.
The R41 is my favorite machine as well. Reminds me a bit of a 60's muscle car. Very powerful, but care is needed in the corners.
- Thread starter
- #296
Had a Proraso green day today, pre shave, green soap and green AS. What brilliant stuff they make at Proraso.
A Polsilver on 3rd use in the razor, I preshaved then lathered with the rich, great smelling, slick, face cooling soap. I put all my recent hard fought learning together for which I’d paid in blood and pain over these months and put together 3 great passes resulting in an all over bbs.
When bbs has happened before it had been mostly by chance but today’s bbs was different. I’d dialled it in over the last week or so with lots of thinking and studying and small technical changes in lots of different areas all converging and coming together to make a huge collective difference to the finish. Alum, hardly any sting again, a little splash of the great smelling green AS and what a shave! Can’t find a single hair anywhere and my face feels soft, smooth and toned to perfection. I’m careful not to get too happy with myself as I’ll probably chop my face up tomorrow, but for today it’s a fine job.
A Polsilver on 3rd use in the razor, I preshaved then lathered with the rich, great smelling, slick, face cooling soap. I put all my recent hard fought learning together for which I’d paid in blood and pain over these months and put together 3 great passes resulting in an all over bbs.
When bbs has happened before it had been mostly by chance but today’s bbs was different. I’d dialled it in over the last week or so with lots of thinking and studying and small technical changes in lots of different areas all converging and coming together to make a huge collective difference to the finish. Alum, hardly any sting again, a little splash of the great smelling green AS and what a shave! Can’t find a single hair anywhere and my face feels soft, smooth and toned to perfection. I’m careful not to get too happy with myself as I’ll probably chop my face up tomorrow, but for today it’s a fine job.
- Thread starter
- #297
The R41, it’s so powerful I have to hold it back like a snarling doberman. I barely skim my face with it for 4 passes and it gives a perfect shave.
The Polsilver SI, very sharp and very smooth out of the packet delivers a great close shave with every use, really suits the razor and my technique. I throw them after 3 uses but got a perfect 4th shave when pushed for time last week.
Proraso Green pre shave. Great smell, smooth and creamy, very cooling on the face pushed in with the fingers atg. Do I need it? Probably not, do I love it? Yes.
Tabac soap. I swirl a damp badger brush on it for 30 seconds then lather it on my face. I’m still struggling to unlock the slickness so tomorrow will try adding a lot more water or even try a bowl lather. I don’t hate the scent but it has yet to fully grow on me.
Scent is important I think, yesterday I opened my maca root cream and took a few deep breaths and remembered vividly my first shave.
The concentration, the trepidation, the sound of the pinging blade, the smell of the maca root, the three scary passes and the relief at the end and the surprise at the closeness. The memory of not being comfortable with the thing and constantly repositioning it in my hand. The disappointment on my girlfriends face when I came out of the bathroom unscathed. She thought it was hilarious that I’d bought such a deadly contraption and was looking forward to seeing my foolish face dripping with blood.
Back to today, and all the elements performed admirably. I’d rate my concentration in today’s shave at about 80% which is just barely enough to avoid blood and pain but nowhere near enough for perfection.
Very little sting from the alum which is brilliant stuff then lots and lots of beautiful cold water, before a good hit of the floid which burns then cools like a slap followed by a kiss.
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- #298
Warm day today here in England so I went for a Proraso Green shave.
It’s brilliant that you can buy the preshave, the soap and splash all for about £25 plus postage. It’s all great stuff too in my humble opinion, works and smells really good and each compliments the other. Those Proraso boys know their stuff.
That’s a spectacular deal! Try the Green balm when you get a chance too, it is equally nice!
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- #300
My 2 badger brushes are fine, really nice and a big step up from the body shop brush I was using at the start. They hold hot water and lather really well.
They have a little stiffness but since I started face lathering I’ve found them to be just a little soft and floppy.
I want to feel the bristles scrubbing under the hair as I lather so yesterday at a visit to the barbers I asked the lady there for a stiff boar brush.
She didn’t have many boars but she gave me a vulfix VS/2 to try. I think that’s what it is. She said it was the stiffest boar they had and it did feel extremely stiff on my hand. Much stiffer than my badgers and even stiffer than my body shop brush. Any way for £10 it was worth a try so I bought it.
Today for my Father’s Day shave I went for Proraso pre shave, Proraso Green and a new Polsilver. I soaked the boar for 15 mins in a hot mug while I had a nice long shower, gave it a good shake and started to lather the Proraso. I loaded the tips well then started a face lather. I’d expected it to be quite uncomfortable until the break in period was done but I was surprised that it felt fine right out of the box.
It was quite a lot softer on the face than I’d expected. It was a bit stiffer than my badgers but nowhere near as much as it felt when dry.
I added water and scrubbed up a great lather really enjoying the bit of extra stiffness and scrubbiness though it was always soft with it.
I don’t know if it was the brush or I was just lucky getting the water content right today but I’ve never had such a slick lather from the Proraso it was brilliant. Maybe the extra stiffness in the bristles was allowing me to get the water into the soap better on my face, who knows. I’m going to try it with the Tabac soap tomorrow and see if it makes a difference with that too.
While I was making the first pass with the razor the brush completely swallowed the lather so I reloaded and made a lot more which easily lasted the rest of the shave.
4 passes, cold splash, alum, then Proraso Green AS. A Fine shave today.
The brush was great to use even on this it’s first day, and made a great slick lather and went some way towards giving me that backbone and scrubbiness I’d been needing while still being soft to use. I think I’m a convert. I’m looking forward to using this again tomorrow and for the future. If I had one area for improvement I’d like it stiffer still, but for £10 you can’t go wrong.
They have a little stiffness but since I started face lathering I’ve found them to be just a little soft and floppy.
I want to feel the bristles scrubbing under the hair as I lather so yesterday at a visit to the barbers I asked the lady there for a stiff boar brush.
She didn’t have many boars but she gave me a vulfix VS/2 to try. I think that’s what it is. She said it was the stiffest boar they had and it did feel extremely stiff on my hand. Much stiffer than my badgers and even stiffer than my body shop brush. Any way for £10 it was worth a try so I bought it.
Today for my Father’s Day shave I went for Proraso pre shave, Proraso Green and a new Polsilver. I soaked the boar for 15 mins in a hot mug while I had a nice long shower, gave it a good shake and started to lather the Proraso. I loaded the tips well then started a face lather. I’d expected it to be quite uncomfortable until the break in period was done but I was surprised that it felt fine right out of the box.
It was quite a lot softer on the face than I’d expected. It was a bit stiffer than my badgers but nowhere near as much as it felt when dry.
I added water and scrubbed up a great lather really enjoying the bit of extra stiffness and scrubbiness though it was always soft with it.
I don’t know if it was the brush or I was just lucky getting the water content right today but I’ve never had such a slick lather from the Proraso it was brilliant. Maybe the extra stiffness in the bristles was allowing me to get the water into the soap better on my face, who knows. I’m going to try it with the Tabac soap tomorrow and see if it makes a difference with that too.
While I was making the first pass with the razor the brush completely swallowed the lather so I reloaded and made a lot more which easily lasted the rest of the shave.
4 passes, cold splash, alum, then Proraso Green AS. A Fine shave today.
The brush was great to use even on this it’s first day, and made a great slick lather and went some way towards giving me that backbone and scrubbiness I’d been needing while still being soft to use. I think I’m a convert. I’m looking forward to using this again tomorrow and for the future. If I had one area for improvement I’d like it stiffer still, but for £10 you can’t go wrong.
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