Phoenixkh: An Old Man's Continuum....

[thombrogan]

@Cal has used Jack Black Beard Lube and I believe he said Erasmic shave gel does a better job for much less £. Hard to find in the USA, of course.

With VDH Shave Butter, it rinses enough from my razors’ lather slots or combs, but keeping it watery enough is still the same chore @T Bone mentioned. Their “soap” works much better for me.

 

[huck1680]

Best brushless cream I ever used was a Japanese product, a little complimentary tube at a hotel. This was 25 years ago, I have no idea what it was, except that it had aloe in it. I got the best shaves of my life up to that point and better than I had for many years afterwards. Wish I had kept it.

I'd google Japanese shave creams and see what pops up. Gotta be something out there.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I know Jatai makes one that looks promising. I wish Amazon had it.

 

[thombrogan]

My brain does fings. It remembered this thread about the awesomeness of lather products marketed to female consumers. Yes, there’s a reference to a recurring product rich with anaphylactic-inducing eucalyptus, but @amdamsky and @JesseL26 mention stuff.

@Darth Scandalous , Amazon has Jatai Blade Glide. Is it the Feather shave gel they don’t carry?

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I haven't found the gel by itself. I could just order it from Jatai. I suppose I could get a couple hundred more Feathers too to get free shipping but I'm pretty sure I can get better pricing elsewhere.

 

[thombrogan]

Pasteur’s has good prices for Feather DE blades, but sold out of the Feather/Jatai blade gel.

 

[Phoenixkh]

There's a guy who frequently pops up in soap threads to tell us that Jack Black is the best shaving product ever invented. But he also claims that Cremo is almost as good...and I don't really have anything against Cremo, I used it for years. But it's solidly in the middle of the pack for products I've tried. And I don't like the way it doesn't rinse of my skin. So...I'd love to try the Jack Black cream but at 30 bucks I won't. The Beard Lube is a no-go for me as my bride is rather allergic to eucalyptus.

But, for the sake of travel, I can transfer some Proraso red into a sample container and pack a small synthetic brush, it really doesn't take up any space.

I had the same experience with Cremo... it was slick and worked for the shave... but I couldn't get the residue off my hands while shaving... or rinsed off my face at the end of the shave. I ummm threw it away. <eg>

 

[Phoenixkh]

Kim, have you tried Fendrihan unscented soap? I received my order today and plan to use it for tomorrow’s shave. I’ll report back if you’re interested.

Thx, Jay.... I have several very good unscented soaps but I'm always interested in one I haven't tried.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I had the same experience with Cremo... it was slick and worked for the shave... but I couldn't get the residue off my hands while shaving... or rinsed off my face at the end of the shave. I ummm threw it away. <eg>

Yeah, residual sickness is nice and all but not on my fingers...especially with a straight razor.

 

[Jay21]

Thx, Jay.... I have several very good unscented soaps but I'm always interested in one I haven't tried.

Kim, it’s a pretty decent soap, but I guarantee you have fancier and better ones already in your rotation. I say only try this if you’re really curious or if you want to go slumming with the likes of me.

 

[thombrogan]

Use a different soap than the bar by the bathtub is total Fancyville regardless f price.

Heck, collecting slivers of soaps and cramming them in a yogurt container is fancy, too,

#LuxLife

 

[Dodger59]

@Darth Scandalous - I have traveled to Japan quite often. The shave gel I have seen the most in hotels is shown here. Was this it?

 

[Darth Scandalous]

@Darth Scandalous - I have traveled to Japan quite often. The shave gel I have seen the most in hotels is shown here. Was this it?

View attachment 1844569

Possibly. The tube was light green like the one on the right. Thanks!

 

[APBinNCA]

I have the Jatai shaving cream, just pulled it out due to this discussion. The ingredients sound pretty chemical(y) and I have only used it for shaving the back of my neck with a straight razor. I could give it a try tomorrow and/or compare the ingredients with other possible options.

 

[thombrogan]

The universe is made of chemicals, Aaron. Everypony knows that.

 

[APBinNCA]

The universe is made of chemicals, Aaron. Everypony knows that.

If I can't pronounce it, then it's chemical(y).
(now that I think about it, it is actually chemically derived even it's distant ancestor occurs naturally and sometimes the naturally occurring ones causes more problems)

By the way, can you tell me where Quaternium-16 comes from? Just in case I want to make my own cream!

 

[thombrogan]

Quaternium-16 can be synthesized from naturally-occurring compounds such as glycine betaine and carnitine. It is used for fabric softener, surfactants (rinses away dirt), and as an anti-microbial. It can cause contact dermatitis and or respiratory issues in some people, but if you haven’t been welting or drowning in your own fluids after using name brand shampoo, there’s a possibility you might be fine if in limited contact with it.

If I can't pronounce it, then it's chemical(y).

You could keep practicing your pronunciation skills. I believe in you. Do you?

 

[EdHeart]

Quaternium-16:

1. Comes after Quaternium-15 and before Quaternium-17.
2. Is the 16th ring of purgatory.
3. A planet in the star system Soapus Cosmeticus.
4. A little known Star Trek test when a cadet failed the Kobayashi Maru.
5. Will be featured in the next Bond film as the prime villian's plot device.
6. Possibly this https://prose.com/ingredients/silicone-quaternium16-glycidoxy-dimethicone-crosspolymer or this EWG Skin Deep® | What is QUATERNIUM-16 - https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredients/705479-QUATERNIUM16/

 

[Mr. Shavington]

If I can't pronounce it, then it's chemical(y).
(now that I think about it, it is actually chemically derived even it's distant ancestor occurs naturally and sometimes the naturally occurring ones causes more problems)

By the way, can you tell me where Quaternium-16 comes from? Just in case I want to make my own cream!

So few things in the world occur naturally these days. Dogs, cows, flowers, wheat, grass - all man made. We don’t call these things synthetic or chemical, but they are certainly not wild or natural.

Or you could take the view that everything man made - like a skyscraper or a space shuttle - is natural because it is made by humans, just like beehives and honey are manufactured by bees.

 

[APBinNCA]

I love where this went and I know I helped it along, but I only mentioned all the strange (sounding) ingredients because some people have concerns with skin reactions and long term safety. Something like MdC is a lot easier to understand what's in it and some people prefer that simplicity. I am somewhere in between on all this; I know that most ingredients aren't a problem just because I can't pronounce them, but I consistently avoid products that might work better because I don't fully understand these chemicals. Not becase they are chemicals in themselves. I am sure this is why I insist on using fancy shave soap when Gillette has already perfected shave gel no doubt.