So- when I took up wet shaving about 11 years ago or so, I figured shave soap was shave soap. Then I learn all kinds of words such as glycerine based, tallow, triple milled, etc. words that weren’t organic to my vocabulary are now part of the repertoire.
When I began the DE shave, I had fun trying all kinds of different soaps, creams, etc- I confess half the time I enjoyed it because it smelled good but it made me smell like products the average Joe doesn’t smell like because the average Joe doesn’t wet shave. That made me different in a way & besides, my wife loves it.
Over the past decade, DE/SE razors being used, it didn’t reeeeeeeeally matter which cream or soap I used. Soaps / creams were different in their own ways, but heck, it’s just shave cream....& once you become a Jedi master on safety razors, you can shave with any soap under the sun more or less.
Then you join the dark side like I did and suddenly you aren’t content with Jedi tricks with a brush, soap, scuttle, DE / SE razors....lightsaber.....nope. Now I had to join the dark side and enter a new understanding. The desire to use the double-bladed lightsaber ie: the straight razor was appealing. It still is- but all of a sudden, soap isn’t just soap- cream isn’t just cream. I am suddenly finding myself not wanting to use Arko for my straight shaves because it dries and I get pulling, and I bleed.....today was a big one. That’s gonna leave a mark....I had been feeling that Arko proooooooobably wasn’t going to be the best idea with a straight- ESPECIALLY since I’ve only been juuuuuust getting the hang of it for about 2 weeks.
I have -as of today- decided which soaps are for safety razor shaves and which are better suited for straight razor shaves. Arko- until my dark side mastery skills improve- will have to wait for later- but for now, I will be using glycerine based soaps and slick cushiony creams. I put some Colonel Conk Amber in my old spice mug and I’m now running on what I’m referring to the safety razor mug & the straight razor mug.
I’m certain that if I were an expert on a straight Arko being something that dries on ya rather quick would be trivial. I’ve seen people not liking Williams, Arko, etc- and I never understood it. I STILL LOVE BOTH- but not with a straight- not yet anyway- when I’m hungry for a challenge, maybe some day. But now I get it. Suddenly, it matters which soap a straight razor novice uses.
In the world of pipe smoking, to learn to smoke a pipe, all you need is good tobacco & a steady cadence. To become a Jedi master, you learn wet shaving with safety razors.....master the brush, bowl, scuttle, face lather...
In straight razor shaving, your force skills get a little more complex- now you have to identify what dries quicker despite adding a little more water- honing, lapping, basswood strop construction, substrate selection, paste application, stropping technique, shave technique, post-shave strop, alcohol, mineral oil post-care, etc
it’s not for everyone, and I understand “the why”. People just wanna shave, feel refreshed, feel human again after a hard day- I get it. Then there’s people like us that are open to learning new skills, even if it hurts because we’re the sort, despite the blood we may shed whom stand in front of the mirror as the pleasant fragrant soap adorns our face and the warm crimson drips down our cheek and all we can say about it is either I quit- or.......
When I began the DE shave, I had fun trying all kinds of different soaps, creams, etc- I confess half the time I enjoyed it because it smelled good but it made me smell like products the average Joe doesn’t smell like because the average Joe doesn’t wet shave. That made me different in a way & besides, my wife loves it.
Over the past decade, DE/SE razors being used, it didn’t reeeeeeeeally matter which cream or soap I used. Soaps / creams were different in their own ways, but heck, it’s just shave cream....& once you become a Jedi master on safety razors, you can shave with any soap under the sun more or less.
Then you join the dark side like I did and suddenly you aren’t content with Jedi tricks with a brush, soap, scuttle, DE / SE razors....lightsaber.....nope. Now I had to join the dark side and enter a new understanding. The desire to use the double-bladed lightsaber ie: the straight razor was appealing. It still is- but all of a sudden, soap isn’t just soap- cream isn’t just cream. I am suddenly finding myself not wanting to use Arko for my straight shaves because it dries and I get pulling, and I bleed.....today was a big one. That’s gonna leave a mark....I had been feeling that Arko proooooooobably wasn’t going to be the best idea with a straight- ESPECIALLY since I’ve only been juuuuuust getting the hang of it for about 2 weeks.
I have -as of today- decided which soaps are for safety razor shaves and which are better suited for straight razor shaves. Arko- until my dark side mastery skills improve- will have to wait for later- but for now, I will be using glycerine based soaps and slick cushiony creams. I put some Colonel Conk Amber in my old spice mug and I’m now running on what I’m referring to the safety razor mug & the straight razor mug.
I’m certain that if I were an expert on a straight Arko being something that dries on ya rather quick would be trivial. I’ve seen people not liking Williams, Arko, etc- and I never understood it. I STILL LOVE BOTH- but not with a straight- not yet anyway- when I’m hungry for a challenge, maybe some day. But now I get it. Suddenly, it matters which soap a straight razor novice uses.
In the world of pipe smoking, to learn to smoke a pipe, all you need is good tobacco & a steady cadence. To become a Jedi master, you learn wet shaving with safety razors.....master the brush, bowl, scuttle, face lather...
In straight razor shaving, your force skills get a little more complex- now you have to identify what dries quicker despite adding a little more water- honing, lapping, basswood strop construction, substrate selection, paste application, stropping technique, shave technique, post-shave strop, alcohol, mineral oil post-care, etc
it’s not for everyone, and I understand “the why”. People just wanna shave, feel refreshed, feel human again after a hard day- I get it. Then there’s people like us that are open to learning new skills, even if it hurts because we’re the sort, despite the blood we may shed whom stand in front of the mirror as the pleasant fragrant soap adorns our face and the warm crimson drips down our cheek and all we can say about it is either I quit- or.......
