My ultimate minimalist shave is the result of almost four years of continuous experimentation correlating shave and bath soap ingredients to skin compatibility and double edge razor shave closeness and comfort. A severe winter dry skin itch also motivated my ongoing soap comparisons. My preference is to shave with soap with straightforward ingredients and my standard of comparison for all products used for shaving is a Tabac Shave Stick. I learned some years back how to get a nice shave using Williams Mug Shaving soap which helped me better appreciate the distinctive and outstanding shave qualities of Tabac lather. Say what you will about the scent, Tabac shave soap is a classic experience. My ultimate minimalist shave uses the following items:
1. Merkur Heavy Duty Straight Bar Razor (commonly called the HD originally purchased at Classic Shaving online)
2. US Personna Double Edge Blades (Walmart purchase about $0.20 each at Walmart)
3. Burma Shave Boar Hair Shaving Brush (originally purchased at Walmart)
4. Basis Sensitive Skin Bar Soap (both shower and shave tallow base - Walmart purchase - $1.97 for either a 4.0 or 5.3 ounce bar no dyes, perfumes, or preservatives)
5. Thayers Lemon Witch Hazel (adds a nice scent and disinfects the skin Whole Foods Market purchase)
The list above is currently my daily shave regimen with which I have shaved many, many times. I wont claim that the Basis is as good as a Tabac shave, but the shave using the Basis bar is good enough so that I will not be quickly replacing the Tabac. I shave with, across, and against the grain using the Basis soap without irritation achieving a baby butt smooth (BBS) shave if I use 3 to 4 passes. The Basis soap is more moisturizing than most soap, including both Williams and Tabac, which detracts slightly from its shave qualities, and Basis is also effective at alleviating dry skin itch during dry winter months. I first read about Basis soap at the Mayo Clinic website relative to dry skin remedies. Washing my face in the evening with drying soaps results in an oily sheen on my forehead the next morning as the body tries to replace lost moisture. Washing my face with the Basis bar in the evenings does not result in an oily forehead the next morning. I face lather the Basis bar until I get to the last little sliver after which I lather in a bowl until the sliver is gone. I thoroughly rinse all soap off when I am done shaving or showering. Unfortunately, the Basis Sensitive Skin bar scent is not pleasing but the scent is mild enough so that the scent did not eliminate my use of the product. I find the Basis scent to be more agreeable than Dove Sensitive Skin bar soap. I keep using the Basis Sensitive Skin bar because it is very skin compatible, non-drying, and also because it is the only bath/shower soap that shaves almost as well as many dedicated shaving soaps. The Basis Sensitive Skin bar soap ingredients are listed at www.drugstore.com. The best part of this whole experience is that I get a more enjoyable, close, very comfortable, and less expensive shave than most American men using only these simple items.
JimT
1. Merkur Heavy Duty Straight Bar Razor (commonly called the HD originally purchased at Classic Shaving online)
2. US Personna Double Edge Blades (Walmart purchase about $0.20 each at Walmart)
3. Burma Shave Boar Hair Shaving Brush (originally purchased at Walmart)
4. Basis Sensitive Skin Bar Soap (both shower and shave tallow base - Walmart purchase - $1.97 for either a 4.0 or 5.3 ounce bar no dyes, perfumes, or preservatives)
5. Thayers Lemon Witch Hazel (adds a nice scent and disinfects the skin Whole Foods Market purchase)
The list above is currently my daily shave regimen with which I have shaved many, many times. I wont claim that the Basis is as good as a Tabac shave, but the shave using the Basis bar is good enough so that I will not be quickly replacing the Tabac. I shave with, across, and against the grain using the Basis soap without irritation achieving a baby butt smooth (BBS) shave if I use 3 to 4 passes. The Basis soap is more moisturizing than most soap, including both Williams and Tabac, which detracts slightly from its shave qualities, and Basis is also effective at alleviating dry skin itch during dry winter months. I first read about Basis soap at the Mayo Clinic website relative to dry skin remedies. Washing my face in the evening with drying soaps results in an oily sheen on my forehead the next morning as the body tries to replace lost moisture. Washing my face with the Basis bar in the evenings does not result in an oily forehead the next morning. I face lather the Basis bar until I get to the last little sliver after which I lather in a bowl until the sliver is gone. I thoroughly rinse all soap off when I am done shaving or showering. Unfortunately, the Basis Sensitive Skin bar scent is not pleasing but the scent is mild enough so that the scent did not eliminate my use of the product. I find the Basis scent to be more agreeable than Dove Sensitive Skin bar soap. I keep using the Basis Sensitive Skin bar because it is very skin compatible, non-drying, and also because it is the only bath/shower soap that shaves almost as well as many dedicated shaving soaps. The Basis Sensitive Skin bar soap ingredients are listed at www.drugstore.com. The best part of this whole experience is that I get a more enjoyable, close, very comfortable, and less expensive shave than most American men using only these simple items.
JimT
! I was beginning to think that I might be a minimalist since I have decreased my den to 6 soaps / creams and 6 brushes (never you mind the AS and EDC) That is one setup less than there are days in the week!
