I was in a Korean market the other day and I noticed that they had a pretty extensive selection of what looked to me like men's aftershaves or colognes. We've had a lot of discussion of Japanese aftershave here--what about South Korea? Anybody know?
Korean Aftershave?
- Thread starter The Nid Hog
- Start date
There is supposedly a good North Korean aftershave that reeducates your face to believe it is not irritated. . .
The only one I ever ran across there was something called Pure Snow
It smelled more like Pure Sweat Socks . . .
- John
Looks like it's still for sale, anyway
http://jungsanbio.manufacturer.glob...-for-Men-Korean-Herbal-Medicine-Cosmetics.htm
It smelled more like Pure Sweat Socks . . .
- John
Looks like it's still for sale, anyway
http://jungsanbio.manufacturer.glob...-for-Men-Korean-Herbal-Medicine-Cosmetics.htm
I've got some Dorco aftershave made in Korea.
They make four different kinds - I've got two. The "Cool" pictured above and also "Aqua." Nice stuff.
They make four different kinds - I've got two. The "Cool" pictured above and also "Aqua." Nice stuff.
I have one of those Dorcos pictured above, either the Aqua or Cool. That's the only Korean fragrance I'm familiar with. I picked up a no-name scent that smelled sort of like a Tommy knockoff in a glass dragon decanter, but I honestly can't remember if it was a Korean or Chinese shop I got it from.
I'll be working on and off in South Korea over the next 8-9 months. I was wondering the same thing.
I have some shaving sticks ordered for use in traveling, but didn't know if traveling with after shave in my checked in bag was a good idea.. most likely not.
I have some shaving sticks ordered for use in traveling, but didn't know if traveling with after shave in my checked in bag was a good idea.. most likely not.
Hey Nid Hog, I'm resurrecting this thread 'cuz my next mission is to raid all the Korean supermarkets in my area and see what types of Korean shaving products I can find. There is one street near me that has four or five large Korean markets.
Looks like you and I have a common interest in asian products
.
I'll update sometime this weekend if I find anything good.
Looks like you and I have a common interest in asian products
.I'll update sometime this weekend if I find anything good.
- Thread starter
- #9
Sounds good. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
- Thread starter
- #11
I have heard lots of colorful stories from older retired military about Korean barbershops and their full service shaves.
They never mentioned it was aftershave that got them tingly
Hmm...I've done my time in Korean barbershops but I've never had anything that extreme happen to me. Maybe it was before even my day. I do have a funny Korean barbershop story, but I don't have time to write it up now. I'll start a thread about strange barbershop experiences later this week.
Not a good idea. I had my stuff confiscated.
Tommy knockoff or not, it's in a dragon decanter, which is just cool. Power Rangers cool.
UPS it and it will be alright.
I have heard lots of colorful stories from older retired military about Korean barbershops and their full service shaves.
They never mentioned it was aftershave that got them tingly
I remember when I was in Korea, at the base barbershop it was all Korean barbers. A full straight razor shave was 15 cents. You got a quick massage, 3 hot towels, a nice lather, and then the best straight razor shave ever. At the age of 19 that shave lasted 3 days, and even on a G.I.'s pay you could spring for the 15 cents.
- Thread starter
- #16
OK, here's my Korean shaving story. I was in the Marines and my company went straight to the field as soon as we got to South Korea. For two weeks, we were going from exercise to exercise and all we had with us was whatever we had in our packs. We were going to be there for a couple of months so we brought seabags too. Unfortunately, they were all on pallets in the rear and nobody knew when they would get to us.
At about the two week point, my utilities were getting raggedy and my hair was growing out. My sad little Atra razor was about out of shaves and I felt kind of grubby. The word came down that we'd be in reserve for at least a morning and everybody sat down to clean their gear. Once everybody had turned to cleaning rifles, etc., my First Sergeant suggested we go get a shave.
Now we were out in the middle of nowhere. No base barbershops, nothing like that around. I asked the First Sergeant what he had in mind and he told me that he saw a barber pole in front of a little house in a town down the road when we passed through the day before. Making sure that nothing else was going on, he and I walked down the trail to find the barber.
The shop was a tiny unpainted wooded shed with a crooked electric pole in the front. Everything was closed up tight. I figured that it was out of business, but the First Sergeant insisted on pounding on the door. After a while, we heard something stirring and then a crashing sound like somebody moving through a furniture filled room in absolute darkness. There was a rattling of locks and the barber opened the door.
He was a little guy in an unbelievably dirty smock. He looked like he hadn't washed or shaved in a long time--not a good sign in a barber. On top of that, he had a fresh-looking black eye and there was blood all over the front of his smock. I suddenly realized that I had seen him before. We had a platoon in the village the night before and, when I went down to see what they were up to, I saw a terrible fight in the town bar. Just like a cowboy movie, a guy got thrown out the door onto the road. He jumped back up and ran straight back in, only to catch a roundhouse kick from the bouncer/owner square in the face. He went sailing into the road again and laid there for a minute before getting up and stumbling away holding his head. The barber.
I tried to tell the First Sergeant, but he was having none of it. He sat down in the chair while the barber got a kettle of water going. Once it was boiling, the guy put a hot towel on the First Sergeant's face and started to lather up some soap in a cup with his brush. And he was shaking like a leaf. He smelled like an old barrel of soju, and I thought that he was on the edge of the DTs. He pulled off the towel, slapped on some of the lather and went to work with what looked like a shavette. He was still trembling like crazy and hacking at the First Sergeant's face like he was carving a totem pole. I have to say that he moved fast for a guy who didn't seem to have any idea what he was doing. By the time my First Sergeant jumped up out of the chair, he was bleeding from a dozen cuts on his face. The barber was terrified and threw his razor up in the air, scuttling back into the corner. Meanwhile, my First Sergeant was out the door, swearing a blue streak. He didn't even bother to leave the towel that the barber had wrapped around his neck to protect the front of his cammies--he just tossed that back at the door as he stomped away.
By the time we got fifty meters or so down the trail, we were both laughing pretty hard. The First Sergeant spent the rest of the morning with little pieces of toilet paper stuck all over the left side of his face. The next time he went back to the rear to pick up stuff, he stopped by the AAFES barbershop that was set up in a trailer and got a decent shave and haircut. And I had a great barbershop story.
At about the two week point, my utilities were getting raggedy and my hair was growing out. My sad little Atra razor was about out of shaves and I felt kind of grubby. The word came down that we'd be in reserve for at least a morning and everybody sat down to clean their gear. Once everybody had turned to cleaning rifles, etc., my First Sergeant suggested we go get a shave.
Now we were out in the middle of nowhere. No base barbershops, nothing like that around. I asked the First Sergeant what he had in mind and he told me that he saw a barber pole in front of a little house in a town down the road when we passed through the day before. Making sure that nothing else was going on, he and I walked down the trail to find the barber.
The shop was a tiny unpainted wooded shed with a crooked electric pole in the front. Everything was closed up tight. I figured that it was out of business, but the First Sergeant insisted on pounding on the door. After a while, we heard something stirring and then a crashing sound like somebody moving through a furniture filled room in absolute darkness. There was a rattling of locks and the barber opened the door.
He was a little guy in an unbelievably dirty smock. He looked like he hadn't washed or shaved in a long time--not a good sign in a barber. On top of that, he had a fresh-looking black eye and there was blood all over the front of his smock. I suddenly realized that I had seen him before. We had a platoon in the village the night before and, when I went down to see what they were up to, I saw a terrible fight in the town bar. Just like a cowboy movie, a guy got thrown out the door onto the road. He jumped back up and ran straight back in, only to catch a roundhouse kick from the bouncer/owner square in the face. He went sailing into the road again and laid there for a minute before getting up and stumbling away holding his head. The barber.
I tried to tell the First Sergeant, but he was having none of it. He sat down in the chair while the barber got a kettle of water going. Once it was boiling, the guy put a hot towel on the First Sergeant's face and started to lather up some soap in a cup with his brush. And he was shaking like a leaf. He smelled like an old barrel of soju, and I thought that he was on the edge of the DTs. He pulled off the towel, slapped on some of the lather and went to work with what looked like a shavette. He was still trembling like crazy and hacking at the First Sergeant's face like he was carving a totem pole. I have to say that he moved fast for a guy who didn't seem to have any idea what he was doing. By the time my First Sergeant jumped up out of the chair, he was bleeding from a dozen cuts on his face. The barber was terrified and threw his razor up in the air, scuttling back into the corner. Meanwhile, my First Sergeant was out the door, swearing a blue streak. He didn't even bother to leave the towel that the barber had wrapped around his neck to protect the front of his cammies--he just tossed that back at the door as he stomped away.
By the time we got fifty meters or so down the trail, we were both laughing pretty hard. The First Sergeant spent the rest of the morning with little pieces of toilet paper stuck all over the left side of his face. The next time he went back to the rear to pick up stuff, he stopped by the AAFES barbershop that was set up in a trailer and got a decent shave and haircut. And I had a great barbershop story.
Last edited:
Well today was my Korean Supermarket adventure and it was a total bust---didn't even find that Dorco after shave that was previously mentioned. I'm not entirely surprised by my lack of findings. It doesn't seem that South Korea has a chaebol that produces health and beauty items---I could be wrong though.
I did see some Japanese items that even the local Japanese markets don't carry. I found Kai Tetra 4 cartridge razors---pretty cool looking. If I was still using a cartridge razor I would get one of these just 'cuz they look cool.
Found some Lucido Mild after shave. Unlike the regular Lucido after shave, this version comes in a transparent light blue bottle.
Also found Success pre-electric shave lotion. I believe it was made by Mandom corp.
Anecdotally, I also found what appeared to be a ginseng toothpaste but wasn't sure as there was no translation sticker posted on the box.
I did see some Japanese items that even the local Japanese markets don't carry. I found Kai Tetra 4 cartridge razors---pretty cool looking. If I was still using a cartridge razor I would get one of these just 'cuz they look cool.
Found some Lucido Mild after shave. Unlike the regular Lucido after shave, this version comes in a transparent light blue bottle.
Also found Success pre-electric shave lotion. I believe it was made by Mandom corp.
Anecdotally, I also found what appeared to be a ginseng toothpaste but wasn't sure as there was no translation sticker posted on the box.
Great story, Nid Hog
one of these days I'm going to swing by Asian town and see what I can find. Houston has a fairly large Vietnamese community, as well as Chinese.
