My Experience with a Skeptic.

[friendo977]

So I kind of felt like I was in a cult the other day (if wet shaving was a cult, Mantic would be our leader for sure). I was at Crabtree and Evelyn to purchase their $35 Badger to take with me for travel (an earlier thread I started asked about brushless creams and after my trip last week I have come to realize that taking a small brush will just be a lot better). Anyways, while I was checking out, a lady walked in with her husband, and as they were browsing, she called over to her husband with a loud exclamation of "Hey Honey, come look at this."

She grabbed one of the brushes and couldn't believe they cost $35. I immediately thought "If she only knew." Then she started going on and on about who would still use one of these things and how dumb it was, and what a waste it was. She actually shrieked when she saw the price of the cream, and asked why anyone would pay that much when you can get it for $3 at Walmart. I literally had to keep from turning to the lady, and saying...you mam, have no idea what you are talking about. This is real men shaving, and beyond that, it is better shaving too! Stop being so ignorant. Lol, I have never felt like I was in a cult before, but I guess up until that moment I didn't realize how much I appreciate wet shaving. It really is something that has gone from painful drudgery to something that is both challenging and rewarding.

As an aside for those who do travel. I will not use a shave stick, as I worry about it drying my skin. So for those that use creams on the road, do you have a travel bowl, or do you simply hand or face lather? I am figuring I will hand lather (I will have to practice it before I travel next), though I have a trip out of the country for about a month coming up, and I am wondering if there is a bowl, that can take being in checked baggage and tossed around over several continents.

 

[fivespdcat]

I travel a lot and do use a Palmolive shave stick. No need to be concerned about drying, the shave is very moisturizing, but it's your choice. As for the bowls, I just face lather on the road, or you could pack a plastic or small metal one.

 

[friendo977]

Do you have dry skin? If the stick isn't drying and strong enough to take a tough thick beard, I may give it a try. I just have always associated anything with a soap as being drying, and that has been my experience. I would rather use canned goo, than a soap, but if a stick is different, then I am willing to give it a shot. Your assertion that it is actually moisturizing isn't something I have heard before, so I am intrigued. I guess for the price it is worth a shot.

 

[fivespdcat]

I have dry spots of exhema during the winter and the stick works great. My face is actually better after shaving than before. I also have a thick dense hairs and shave my head at the same time. Interesting enough, I find some shave soaps/sticks to moisturizer instead of drying. It really is up to the brand you choice. For my travels I always pack Palmolive, for 1 euro or $2 you can't go wrong.

 

[BigNickel]

I bet the same woman wouldn't think twice about her makeup and hair product prices.. and lets not even get into shoes..

 

[dcobranchi]

A cream is pretty much just very wet soap. Same basic ingredients. (There's no real difference between the potassium and sodium salts)

Spieck cream: Aqua, Potassium Stearate, Potassium Palmitate, Potassium Cocoate, Glycerin,Sodium Stearate, Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Cocoate, Cera Alba, Potassium Myristate, Cetyl Palmitate,Sodium Myristate, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Valeriana Celtica Extract, Parfum, Potassium Laurate, Sodium Silicate, Sodium Thiosulfate, CI 15985, Limonene, Linalool

Spieck stick: Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Tallowate, Aqua, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Cocoate, Parfum, Glycerin, Valeriana Celtica Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, CI 77891, CI 15985, CI 16255, Benzyl Salicylate, Eugenol, Limonene, Linalool

 

[SamF]

Yeah, don't let the whole soap thing put you off, as the guy above says, cream is just wet soap. It's still made by saponifying fats and oils against acids. No reason why one should dry more than the other. In fact, I find that my soaps generally moisturise me better than my creams.

 

[ThePatrician]

In the AOS store in Tysons, Northern Virginia, I got involved before one of the employees could. I figure the girl and her boyfriend wandered in, curious about what it was, and the girl flipped out when she saw the prices of some of their stuff. She said basically the same bologna as your girl; "Who still uses one of these?! Fifty-five dollars for a wooden bowl and a bar of soap, are they kidding?! Who would pay that much?" (Ummm, me.....) I asked her how much she payed for her make-up, and her DG shoes. I asked her why it was okay for her to pay so much money for make-up, that actually damages her skin, when she expects her boyfriend to pay rock-bottom prices for shaving foam that dries out his skin, and why he's not allowed to use a quality soap, brush, and aftershave, that would be great for his skin (he needed it badly), and would last four times as long as a can of dry irritating foam. I grabbed the open refill puck of Sandalwood and asked the boyfriend if he wanted to smell like that, instead of like AXE, and he was intrigued.

She stopped dead in her tracks and started to turn fire-engine red, while I turned her now-intrigued boyfriend over to the clerk. I felt like a gosh-darned hero as I walked out.

I bet the same woman wouldn't think twice about her makeup and hair product prices.. and lets not even get into shoes..

HA! Women be shoppin', women be shoppin'.......

 

[Shave_Rat]

Do you have dry skin? If the stick isn't drying and strong enough to take a tough thick beard, I may give it a try. I just have always associated anything with a soap as being drying, and that has been my experience. I would rather use canned goo, than a soap, but if a stick is different, then I am willing to give it a shot. Your assertion that it is actually moisturizing isn't something I have heard before, so I am intrigued. I guess for the price it is worth a shot.

As has been stated, do not worry on the soaps being drying to the skin. Some bath/body/shower soaps can be that way, but I've never tried a shaving soap yet that was, due to the formulation differences between those kinds of soap. Skin prep for shaving needs the skin to be well hydrated, not just the stubble, so it has good pliancy and such. The lather also needs to have a good slickness quality. Quality shaving soaps and creams both work to accomplish both those goals, which are in direct opposition of drying skin out.

Step into the wonderful expanded world of quality soaps along with your creams, they are all a joy to use.

 

[dcobranchi]

As an aside for those who do travel. I will not use a shave stick, as I worry about it drying my skin.

One other thought... Sticks are TSA-friendly. They don't even need to go in the little 1 quart baggie. A tube of cream larger than 100 mL will be seized.

 

[Ducati Scotty]

Wet shaving will never be a cult. To be a cult you need secrets and a leader with a beard. Nobody here keeps anything a secret and I think the irony of us having a leader with a beard is self evident.

Scott

 

[Shave_Rat]

Wet shaving will never be a cult.

Someone needs to inform the Arkolytes of this, I think... lol

 

[chrisf8657]

I'm going to play devils advocate here and say yes, alot of wet shaving products are overpriced.
They cater to people who want "luxury", but the ingredients are nothing special - a little bit of shea butter, etc. - otherwise it's just like any other soap.

The most I'm willing to pay is $12 for some Cella. I'm not going to pay $25+ for AoS creams or soaps, plus another $20 for some pre-shave oil, etc. - it all adds up quick and for what? To shave some whiskers off your face. There are products that cost half that and do just as good of a job with the qualities those products have.

The brushes being expensive I can understand as badgers are not exactly prevalent, but $150+ for a brush that has the same hair as a $60 brush, and is still plastic handled? Thats outrageous.
And I'm sorry, but I really don't get some of you who purchase 30 brushes. I could understand 2 or 3...but all that money tied up in HAIR that does 1 thing....

But, it's your face, your money. Do as you wish, right?

My .02...

 

[LabGuy]

You're my hero!

 

[ateace]

In the AOS store in Tysons, Northern Virginia, I got involved before one of the employees could. I figure the girl and her boyfriend wandered in, curious about what it was, and the girl flipped out when she saw the prices of some of their stuff. She said basically the same bologna as your girl; "Who still uses one of these?! Fifty-five dollars for a wooden bowl and a bar of soap, are they kidding?! Who would pay that much?" (Ummm, me.....) I asked her how much she payed for her make-up, and her DG shoes. I asked her why it was okay for her to pay so much money for make-up, that actually damages her skin, when she expects her boyfriend to pay rock-bottom prices for shaving foam that dries out his skin, and why he's not allowed to use a quality soap, brush, and aftershave, that would be great for his skin (he needed it badly), and would last four times as long as a can of dry irritating foam. I grabbed the open refill puck of Sandalwood and asked the boyfriend if he wanted to smell like that, instead of like AXE, and he was intrigued.

She stopped dead in her tracks and started to turn fire-engine red, while I turned her now-intrigued boyfriend over to the clerk. I felt like a gosh-darned hero as I walked out.
*******************

Well done, sir!

 

[ButtermilkJones]

If I liked AoS, I would probably be willing to pay for it, but for some reason I've never cared much for their products. I usually justify the costs of the soaps and creams by looking at how much longer they last vs. an aerosol can. As for traveling, I generally face lather, and either carry a stick or (for short trips) a small sample-size tub of cream.

 

[Quintar]

Do you have dry skin? If the stick isn't drying and strong enough to take a tough thick beard, I may give it a try. I just have always associated anything with a soap as being drying, and that has been my experience. I would rather use canned goo, than a soap, but if a stick is different, then I am willing to give it a shot. Your assertion that it is actually moisturizing isn't something I have heard before, so I am intrigued. I guess for the price it is worth a shot.

Since most creams are just shaving soaps premixed with water...you're already using soap. And worse is that many creams add SLS and such which are far more irritating to skin than regular old soap.

 

[Kevan]

Since most creams are just shaving soaps premixed with water...you're already using soap. And worse is that many creams add SLS and such which are far more irritating to skin than regular old soap.

SLS is irritating to SOME people's skin. Not all. It's derived from coconut oil anyway; it's not like it's some evil synthetic bogeyman. As for shave sticks....some guys (myself included) can't take having the concentrated soap rubbed into the skin. Palmolive stick makes my entire face turn red, as did the Tabac stick and La Toja. To combat that problem I lather directly on the sticks with the brush, usually.

 

[fivespdcat]

SLS is irritating to SOME people's skin. Not all. It's derived from coconut oil anyway; it's not like it's some evil synthetic bogeyman. As for shave sticks....some guys (myself included) can't take having the concentrated soap rubbed into the skin. Palmolive stick makes my entire face turn red, as did the Tabac stick and La Toja. To combat that problem I lather directly on the sticks with the brush, usually.

You can also palm lather, I've done that in a pinch and seems to work well. On my last trip to the UK, I had to just use bath soap and it worked, but it definitely was not one of my best experiences.

 

[gus1942]

Do you have dry skin? If the stick isn't drying and strong enough to take a tough thick beard, I may give it a try. I just have always associated anything with a soap as being drying, and that has been my experience. I would rather use canned goo, than a soap, but if a stick is different, then I am willing to give it a shot. Your assertion that it is actually moisturizing isn't something I have heard before, so I am intrigued. I guess for the price it is worth a shot.

I face lather with sticks, usually Tabac, Arko, and La Toja. There should never be a problem with drying. Perfect lather consistency can always be achieved by simply adding water or product.