shaving creams and aftershaves...I'm done trying

[WalterK]

Well gentlemen after trying perhaps 15-20 soaps and creams and 10-15 aftershaves in the past few years, I believe I'm done trying. Finally decided to simplify and settle.

soaps and creams:

-Tabac stick...good all year round, convenient for travel, goof-proof even for a quick shave, very long-lasting
-Proraso green tub...very refreshing during the summer, completely different from Tabac, available locally, my first love---it's what got me here in the first place​

aftershaves:

-Pinaud Clubman...makes me smile each time I use it, excellent skin-feel, doesn't stick around too long, buying the country club sized bottle is like getting 5 bottles for the price of one (I've got enough 100ml glass bottles to decant into, so freshness is preserved)
-Osage Rub... pairs very well with Proraso green, extremely refreshing during the summer, excellent skin-feel, and again very inexpensive considering the size of the bottle.


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Anyone else considering disembarking from the "trying-train"?

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[xxvaleria]

What would be the fun in that?

 

[John Rose]

Anyone else considering disembarking from the "trying-train"?

Nope.

I still have a bunch of hard soaps to try.
I don't like to buy an aftershave I have not sniffed first, so that's slow going.

 

[Vespasian]

Once I found a few soaps (and creams) that were miles above the usual ones I had been acquiring at a mad pace, I pulled back dramatically. I honestly don't think I'll ever buy another soap or cream. Except replacements. I'm done.

My dream list?

--Martin de Candre Rose
--Le Pere Lucien Rose Pushkar
--Soap Commander Love (Rose)
--St. Charles Neroli
--Tcheon Fung Sing Bergamotto Neroli (hard soap)
--D. R. Harris Arlington Shave Stick
--Cella
--Speick Cream
--TOBS Grapefruit Cream

Bliss.

 

[WalterK]

Choo-choo-choosing gets easier after a while

 

[WalterK]

What would be the fun in that?

I just kinda reached a point where curiosity was satiated, and simplification was more attractive.

 

[WalterK]

Once I found a few soaps (and creams) that were miles above the usual ones...

That's exactly it. Once you find what works for you and you look back at all the "meh" products you tried, you finally decide that the grass is green enough where your standing.

 

[Twelvefret]

If you haven’t tried it how would you be able to conclude?

I’m keeping the options open.

 

[davent]

I bought into the scent hype and tried about as many soaps and creams over the last four years as you have, came to the conclusion and really not anything of a surprise, scent is a non-starter, not something i'm drawn to, quite the opposite. I'll keep trying unscented stuff i haven't experienced but that's a comparatively small pool to fish from.

My wife did give me a bottle of cologne or aftershave, i have no idea which, back when we first married over 30 years ago and i've never bought a bottle of either in my life.

dave

 

[andromeda673]

I got into this a few months ago, and I'm with you guys, I want less, I don't need to be spending money on a pile of soaps and aftershaves. I have a few soaps and then three aftershaves, and I'm good. I can mix and match what I need to get what I want for the day.

I see some people here spending what would be for me an entire paycheck on shaving gear, I thought the idea of this was to do it on the cheap.

 

[SGH]

Anyone else considering disembarking from the "trying-train"?

Im not going to lie. I still get excited over trying new products. Especially soaps. I don’t know why I still get excited about it though. It always ends the same. I buy a new soap and use it a few times and then throw it on the shelf and go back to Tabac or MWF. There are a lot of great soaps out there for sure. But dollar for dollar none of them out perform Tabac and MWF.

With that said, when it comes to aftershave and cologne, I’m kind of an Old Spice diehard. I have been using it for over 4 decades. I don’t see me replacing Old Spice anytime soon.

 

[John Rose]

I think I'll probably settle on 8-ish soaps that I know I like and always want to have in rotation, and 6 others that I'm trying for the first time. They have to all fit in this one basket of soaps that I keep on one of my shave den shelves.

Proraso Red - Like it, it's a keeper.
Proraso Green and White - Once I use them up or PIF them, I'm done with them.

TOBS Mr Taylors and Eton College - Like them, always want to have some. Or maybe I'll alternate between them as I use them up.
TOBS Rose - Nice for shaving with, but disappointed that the scent was so weak, so I won't be replacing it.
TOBS Sandalwood - Gotta try some.

Wilkinson Sword in the blue tub - I really like the appearance of the tub, but I can't decide if I hate or like the scent. I'm not crazy about the lather it makes, so it's on the "finish and forget" list.

First Canadian's "Barbershop Taper Fade" - It's my favourite soap (of all) for scent, but they seem to be "Sold Out" on all of their soaps for quite some time now. Fortunately, I was recently PIFed a sample of Barrister & Mann's "Seville", which smells very similar as far as I can tell, so Seville may become my new favourite.

One thing that affects my soap-buying (and use) is whether of not I can buy it locally. Williams Mug and TBS Maca Root & Aloe (nicer scent than original Maca Root) are two that I like and can get off the shelf. If I have to order something online, then I have this compulsion to get enough to get free shipping. That's $50, from my usual vendor.

Aftershaves - I've learned that I prefer alcohol splashes instead of balms.
Aqua-Valva - All flavours suck, IMO. Fortunately, they are not all sealed up and you can sniff before you buy. Dodged some bullets there.
Old Spice Classic and Brut - I started off liking them, but have changed my mind and will not replace them.
So far I've settled on:
Proraso Red - unless I find a reasonably-priced sandalwood AS that I like better.
Mennen Skin Bracer - Easy to find locally, cheap, SWMBO likes it, and it lasts longer than most aftershaves I have.
Pinaud Clubman - I took a chance on a 370 ml sealed bottle from a local brick & mortar store, the most AS I've bought at once. They said I could return it if I hated it, so why not try it? At first I thought it was too much like Brut, but it has really grown on me, and SWMBO likes it. It's a keeper.

 

[SGH]

Here are a couple of soaps and AS’s that I tried recently and really liked. I’m actually glad that I tried these. All are great performers and the scent is great as well.

 

[SGH]

The more I think about, I still really like TOOBS sandalwood wood soap, cream, preshave oil and AS.

 

[Andy77]

That's exactly it. Once you find what works for you and you look back at all the "meh" products you tried, you finally decide that the grass is green enough where your standing.

But there are so many different brands! If I was going to pass by inexpensive European consumer brands after realizing that Proraso is “good but not great” I would have missed Speick cream which is world class and cheaper that Proraso.

 

[ThomasB98908]

Although I have many soaps/creams, the ones I use the most are Arco, Maggard Barber shop, and TOBS Mr. Taylor.
Also, I have a bunch of razors and do switch off from time to time but mostly use my Maggard MR6, Gillette Red Tip, and of course my 34C. In a way, its kind of nice not having to make so many decisions. But of course as they say YMMV. As long as you enjoy what you have, thats is whats important. ENJOY

 

[Brian C.]

As far as soaps, the 3 Proraso scents, 8 Col. Conk's scents, 2 Henry Cavendish scents and Williams will be the only soaps in my rotation. I will have all of them in a weekly rotation once my handmade bowls are finished and arrive from NC.

Aftershaves, the entire Clubman line except Lime Sec and VIBR, will be my only aftershaves in rotation.

So yeah, I'm done looking and trying unless I end up winning a PIF or something. I will replace soaps and AS as they are used up. So I won't be buying anything else for about 3-4 years.

 

[THall]

Tried a ton of aftershaves and settled on Ogallala Bay Rum about a year ago.

About 2 months ago, I was in the grocery store and saw Aqua Velva there. Was curious because my dad used that and Skin Bracer way back. Thought I’d try it for a classic shave. For the last 2 months, Aqua Velva has been my daily aftershave. I still love the scent of the bay rum and use it like a cologne. I never thought something like Aqua Velva was so great.

Same thing happened while on a recent trip to Atlanta. Saw Williams mug soap in a store there, bought it out of curiosity and got a terrific shave with just a hand lather and a crappy disposable.

Once I go through all of my soaps, creams etc, I will only keep the Aqua Velva, Williams and Ogallala Bay Rum in my bathroom. It’s funny but my other stuff just feels feminine to me now. Nothing wrong with smelling good but it is the same feeling I have towards carts since going to DE 6 years ago. Using carts now feels almost feminine to me.

 

[jackgoldman123]

I tell my wife "this" soap/brush/razor is perfect, I won't buy another.

 

[slybrewguy]

@WalterK We must think alike. All I buy anymore is proraso green, Clubman (I add .75g of menthol crystals per 100ml), and Osage rub. Even the Osage rub is starting to go out the door once I began spiking my Clubman with menthol. I also buy the big long neck bottles because I get them locally at Sally's for $7 and don't have to pay shipping. Sally's also has a rewards program where you get a point for every dollar you spend and eventually you get a $10 gift card. I buy a few bottles then get one free.