Out of my element

[Breeboo]

I'm officially new here, but I don't feel like it. I've been reading your insights for years.

I am by no means new to DE shaving - I've been shaving with these for decades. I have collection of razors (my favorite being my 1958 Gillette Fat Boy), and my soaps, creams, brushes and supplies take up more cabinet space in my bathroom than my wife's self-care products do... and I'm not even embarrassed by that. I didn't have any sons, but I was able to teach some nephews to shave. But I'm out of my element on this one - helping my daughter learn to shave! (Legs... Etc)

She's grown, but in a recent conversation with her, she told me how much she dreads shaving her legs. As she relayed her experiences, I realized she has my sensitive skin, so shaving with those 5-blade razors, with all the wrong products, is what's causing her problems.

I told her I'd teach her how to shave "the right way," but as I'm putting together her starter kit, I've realized that all of the soaps and creams I have tend to be marketed to a masculine palette. Realizing she has her dad's skin was hard enough on her - I don't want her to be further humiliated by *smelling* like her dad! Can any of you recommend good soaps or creams that are either marketed for women, or the scent would at least appeal to one?

Apologies for the long post. Thanks in advance for your help.

-Breeboo

 

[JAHE]

Welcome to the forum!

Stirling Soap Company (excellent shaving soaps brw) offers a couple of shaving soaps dedicated to women.

Here's an overview:

Scent Descriptions

Below is a list of all the scents we make or have made in the past along with their scent descriptions **Please Note: Not all scents are available year-round. Seasonal scents are listed under their respective season but these are subject to change based on demand and availability of raw...

www.stirlingsoap.com

Look out for:

> Duchess
> Sweet stuff
> Witchy woman
> Lavender
> Unscented

Then I'd say predominantly fruity driven scents (oranges, lime, cherry, peach) might work for your purpose, too.

Stirling offers samples (1 oz), so you could add a couple of samples to the starter kit...

Cheers!

 

[Dave himself]

Hi and welcome to B&B. I was also going to suggest scentless soaps as above. Apart from that I haven't a clue. Please keep us informed on how this goes.

 

[musicman1951]

Stirling scentless soap with beeswax is excellent and inexpensive. CSS has no added scent and is a real bargain on Amazon if you're a prime member (no idea what the shipping would be if you're not) - very good longevity. MdC Nature is unscented and is my top soap, but with the new shipping increases is no longer cheap - but it does last me 13 months of daily shaves.

 

[Kristho]

Haslinger Aloe Vera could also be an option. Not entirely scent less, but it's not a masculine scent at all, and not strong by any means.

 

[Silas]

Soaps with floral scents might be a good choice.
I have got the jasmine scent from Mike’s natural soaps. It smells great! Honeysuckle is also nice.
Catie‘s bubbles “gardenia” smells just like the flower. It’s strong though.
I also like Noble Otter’s jasmine green tea scent. It’s quite calming.
Lavender would be a good choice too. Castle Forbes has a very natural smelling Lavender scent.
The performance of the above are all excellent.

You could ask your daughter what scents she prefers and go from there.

 

[spacemonkey42]

Most women I know just use their bath soap on their legs and do one-pass ATG. My wife now uses my Henson mild and likes it, but doesn't need any of the soaps/brushes/etc.

 

[tehnothing]

Another popular soap that supposed be similar to MDC is Canada scent free soap. Should last a good long while too.

 

[Eric_75]

Hello from Nashville, TN.

Welcome to B & B!

 

[brucered]

Ask her what scent she wants and report back. Then we can advise on a soap or cream.

 

[abies]

Kiss My Face I think markets as unisex but by the same token they have lavender and unscented which your daughter might find appealing.

I usually use unscented products which might be a good starting point as others have mentioned.

It's hard to say without knowing anything about your daughter's preferences. My wife really likes tea tree and rosemary products, for example, which I wouldn't think of as "feminine" necessarily. I think for shaving she usually uses unscented body wash.

 

[JimL911]

Shaving Soap

Mystic Water Soap's Tallow Shaving Soaps

www.mystic4men.com

Many floral scents.

 

[lancre]

Check out her perfumes, colognes, etc. What scents does she like? Those would be the scents to choose for soaps. Or unscented. Maybe your wife could point you in the right direction.

Once you figure out the right general neighborhood, give her an assortment of samples from Maggards. Unless of course you're in the NYC area, in which case taking her to Pasteur's for a sniff-fest might be in order.

 

[SalS]

My GF uses Kiehl’s and she won’t ever switch. She has been using it for the last ten years. I have used it too and its a top three product for me. It comes in a tube and is easy to use.

 

[Breeboo]

Thank you, everyone, for these fantastic suggestions! Using her perfume and bath salts as a scent guide, my plan has been to get her a selection of quality soaps/creams from various suppliers, and let her choose her favorites. From there, she can start building a her own "personalized" collection. She'll actually like that! But, the biggest unknown for me was finding products from quality producers, and which would also help with her sensitive skin. All of your answers have nailed it. I'll follow up later with what I went with, and what she preferred! Many Thanks!

-Breeboo

 

[NorthernSoul]

I'll generalize a bit to suggest something with a very mild scent that does not linger after shaving; a product that rinses off clean and leaves the skin feeling soft. There's a lot of surface area in leg shaving, a strong scent will be too much. The ideal is to just smell like you came out of the shower after finishing.

 

[nemo]

I see it for $7.99 at Pasteur Haslinger Woman shaving soap with sandalwood and aloe vera 60g - https://pasteurpharmacy.com/products/haslinger-woman-shaving-soap-with-sandalwood-and-aloe-vera-60g

 

[borwish]

My wife prefers to use the regular Dove bar and loves her Henson razor.

Maybe your daughter would like the Leaf razor. It would be like using a flexing cart, but she can load only one or two blades if she wanted. It has a large head, but would probably do well for legs.

I found Pears glycerin bath soap to be a decent shaving soap. Maybe grab her a bar of that to try. $1.25 at Dollar Tree for a single bar.

 

[GR5233]

I would have her come over and smell some of the stuff you have and have her give you feedback about what she likes and doesn’t like. Florals like lavender or rose might be good choices as well as unscented ones