Josh's 3017 Journey

[nelsonic21]

June 15. I'm reaching the end of the tube of Heath shaving cream. The lather consistency and slickness is the same. However the scent has changed a bit. I'm detecting more wood notes and pepper with less sweetness. This cream has lasted almost 3 months which is a great value for a cream with a luxury feel. The next product in my journey will be a soap with a scent more appropriate for summer.

 

[nelsonic21]

June 16. The Heath shaving cream is gone. It lasted 91 days which is a lot longer than I expected. The cream retails for $15 for 150ml making it a great value.

 

[nelsonic21]

June 17. I started a tub of Maggard's limes and bergamot shaving soap. This is a 2 oz tub made by Through the Fire Fine Craft.

The initial scent before lathering is a sweet and sour lime, I couldn't detect any orange peel or floral notes. Loading my boar brush seemed difficult at first, but a little water and face lathering resulted in a good yogurt consistency.

The shave went well as usual with the soap protecting well and slickness on par with most other soaps. The scent was gone after a final rinse. Afterwards I smelled the soap again and detected an Ivory Soap scent along with the lime. Overall the soap didn't have any wow factor, but did its job. Maybe I've been spoiled by the lack of subpar soaps/creams.

 

[nelsonic21]

June 30. I've been using the Maggard's soap with a couple boar and badger brushes. The results have been similar with all of them. The soap needs a little more water to get a good lather than with other soft soaps. The scent is fairly muted with lime and soap notes that dissipate quickly. The performance is good though and a 20-30 second load is enough for a 3 pass shave.

Today's shave was with my Schick injector clone, Duke 2 best badger and Clubman whiskey woods. It was an average shave which isn't a bad thing. I think the soap's value is going to depend on its longevity.

 

[nelsonic21]

July 6. Today's shave was with my Schick clone, Duke 2 and Clubman aftershave again. I've been using this combination for a week and it's been a consistently reliable shave. Riding the cap on the injector seems to be the way to go and the Maggard's soap has continued to work fine. A little more water when loading has lead to a quicker lather and a more whipped cream consistency.

The slickness and protection has remained the same though the lime scent has continued to get weaker. However after 20 days I'm not seeing the bottom on the tub. So the soap is looking more like a good value.

 

[nelsonic21]

August 4. Over a month in and I'm finally seeing the bottom of the tub. The scent, consistency and protection has remained the same since last month. The longevity of this 2oz soap has proven to be a good value. Today's shave went well with a Schick type I injector, Omega boar and Clubman aftershave.

 

[nelsonic21]

August 16. The tub of Maggard's limes and bergamot is gone!

It lasted 61 days which is a lot longer than I expected. Since this wasn't a hard soap I figured 2 oz would have lasted maybe 40. My routine was always the same, load directly from the soap with a wet brush for 20-30 seconds leaving the container open during the shave and closing it after without rinsing except for the one photo.

Overall the performance and scent was always decent, but not spectacular. Just a good soap at a a good price. The longevity is really what makes this a great value.

 

[nelsonic21]

August 17. Started a tub of Henri et Victoria today.

This is a 4 oz tub of Cognac and Cuban Cigars. It's a soap that's as soft as silly putty. The scent is mainly a very nice tobacco with just a hint of liquor. Loading with a wet brush was easy and face lathering resulted in a whipped cream consistency.

I used my Rudy Vey brush, Schick injector and Clubman aftershave.

The shave went well with the soap providing good protection. I didn't have to reload during the 3 passes and there was enough residual slickness for a touch up on my neck. The scent stuck around a little after rinsing. Overall it was a good first impression.

 

[nelsonic21]

September 6.

Continuing to use the Henri et Victoria with the same setup except for a Schick adjustable injector this past week. My lathering technique has become a 15-20 second load with wet brush, add a little water and face lather for 30-45 seconds. Performance and scent have remained the same though my aftershave does overpower it. There's plenty of soap left so we'll see how long it lasts.

 

[nelsonic21]

October 25.

I'm continuing to use the Henri et Victoria soap with the Rudy Vey brush. This month I've been shaving with my Gillette New LC and Karve OC-C for OCtober. The performance and scent have remained the same. Loading has stayed pretty easy and the bottom of the tub is visible. There might be a couple more weeks left with this one.

 

[nelsonic21]

October 29.

I definitely guessed wrong about how much longer this soap would last.



The brush picked up the last little bit left in the tub. It was enough for 3 passes and a quick rinse after the shave cleaned the residue out of the tub. The soap lasted for 74 shaves which I think is good for 4 oz of a soft soap (a tub of Stirling lasted me 72 shaves and that had 5.8 oz). At $4 an ounce it was at the high end of my price range, but the performance, scent and longevity were rather impressive. So I would say Henri et Victoria is a soap that is worth another purchase.

 

[nelsonic21]

November 1.

I started a new tub of Wet Shaving Products Formula T Ol' Kentucky soap on October 30 and have been using it since.



This is a 4.7 oz tin that uses a tallow base which is described as: It’s rich, creamy, & subtle scent crafted with bourbon at its core. We started the blend with top notes of bourbon and base notes of oak, sandalwood, & a hint of patchouli and powder. The official drink of the Kentucky Derby; this fragrance epitomizes the spirit of Ol’ Kentucky.fragrance epitomizes the spirit of Ol’ Kentucky.

Before using I transferred the soap into a plastic tub to make it easier to load. The consistency is a thick putty that I had get out in pieces and heat in the microwave for 10 seconds to smooth it out a bit. Loading with a boar brush took 25-30 seconds to get a good amount. Adding a few drops of water helped create a lather that was a bit thicker than whipped cream.



The shaves have been good with the soap protecting well. The scent I would describe as warm, woodsy and masculine though I can't any bourbon notes. It's going to be interesting to see how long this soap will last considering the extra loading time needed.

 

[nelsonic21]

November 15.

Been using the WSP for a couple of weeks. I've notiiced the loading time has decreased as a little moisture has worked its way into the soap. The scent has gotten a bit weaker though it's still noticable. I'm still not detecting any bourbon notes which is disappointing considering how much I like whiskey. Performance and protection has remained good.

Today's shave was with my Merkur progress loaded with an Astra SP, Rudy Vey badger and Proraso preshave. The preshave helped create a bit richer lather with a 10-15 second load creating plenty for 3 passes. Overall it was another easy shave.

 

[nelsonic21]

Decmeber 13.

A few days ago I added a little Noxzema to the mix. Started by applying some to my face and face lathering the WSP soap after a 15-20 second load. The Noxzema helped enhance the lather more than other soaps I've tried and it didn't get thinner on the 2nd and 3rd pass.

I loaded my Merkur Progress with a Gillette Nacet for a nice shave and finished with Cremo aftershave balm. I'm not seeing the bottom of the tub yet and am not noticing any changes in the scent.

 

[nelsonic21]

February 7.



As you can see the soap is getting towards the end. Left over moisture has softened it up a lot causing the soap to move around the bowl while I try to load. The scent has has remained noticable though I have never gotten any bourbon notes which is a bit of a disppointment. Performance and protection have been the same. It's lasted over 3 months so i would consider it a good value.

 

[nelsonic21]

February 13.

The WSP soap is gone. There were a couple slivers left that I put in my Frankensoap mug. It lasted 105 days which was a bit more than I expected. The soap performed well up to the end. I paid $15 at Maggard's making it a really good value. I'm not sure how long that price will last considering it's $20 on the WSP website.

 

[nelsonic21]

February 14.

Started a puck of Van der Hagen scented luxury shave soap.



This is a 3.5 oz puck in simple packaging that I put in my plastic tub. This is a budget soap which is described as Our hypoallergenic shave soaps are produced one small batch at a time using our unique kettle process. Each shave soap contains over 10% Glycerin, as well as emollient Shea, Mango and Cocoa Butters to help soften facial hair and improve razor glide. Enjoy a close comfortable shave that leaves skin feeling soft and smooth. It can also be used as a bath soap according to the packaging.

This is a hard soap which has a scent of mainly mango with a bit of bar soap. Loading the soap with my Rudy Vey brush took 30 seconds which is probably due to it being the first use. There was some residual suds left in the tub which I left since I never rinse soaps. Hopefully it'll help soften it a bit. Face lathering created a nice lather and brought out a perfume scent.



I shaved with my brass Karve C loaded with a Personna blade. The soap protected fine, but I didn't notice any extra glide. Rinsing afterwards left my face squeaky clean which must by why it's recommended as a bath soap. Overall this is a soap that I hope improve with future shaves. Not dissapointing, but not really impressive though it is priced very low.

 

[nelsonic21]

February 20.

Been shaving with the Van der Hagen for a week. It still takes at least 20 seconds to get a decent load. I switched to using a custom brush with an Omega boar knot which keeps me from having to add more water to the mix. The lather isn't that thick, but it still protects well.



Today's shave with a Schick injector went well. Using an alum stick after a final rinse resulted in little stinging.

 

[nelsonic21]

March 13.

Still using the Van der Hagen soap. Over the past week I've noticed it's softened up a bit and doesn't need as wet of a brush or as much loading time. The scent has gotten a little weaker though performance remains the same. Today's shave included a little Noxzema as a pre shave which helped give it a slightly thicker lather.

 

[nelsonic21]

April 2

The Van der Hagen soap is going strong. The puck still hasn't developed a hole though it is a little lopsided. Today's shave I used a Simpsons Berkeley brush (which really gets a good load quickly), Noxzema pre shave, Merkur Progress set at 5 and and Drakar Noir ASB. This was the first time using my Progress at that setting and I was a bit nervous. It did go pretty well with a couple nicks that closed up quickly. The soap's lather, scent and protection has stayed the same.