TOBS + Shave Secret = Win

[WittyAg]

Shave Secret (~$4 from Walmart) works alright for cartridge or DE shaving, but I found by itself I didn't get such awesome shaves from a straight. One day I got the idea to try adding 5-6 drops of it to my TOBS Sandalwood lather because it smelled like their scents wouldn't clash and I was amazed at what happened.

My lather got much much slicker and felt like it held up much better than before. The quality of my shave felt very nice and I've since tried this 3 other times with the same results each time. If you have some shaving cream lying around that wouldn't smell too funky by adding the scent of cloves, I suggest you give it a go and see what you think.

 

[LinuxMintyFresh]

Interesting. I just bought some Shave Secret tonight, and was thinking of adding it to my VDH. How does it effect latherability?

 

[Dpflaum]

That is tempting since I have to go to walmart anyway...

Gotta pick up another bowl to mill my Irisch Moos into

 

[akokandy]

Wow, never thought to go to wal-mart for wet shaving supplies...but I guess they do have a bit of everything.

 

[WittyAg]

It seems like adding the shave secret makes the lather denser if anything. Its definitely slicker than it was before.

 

[jdeville]

Is this specific to Shave Secret? Or would something like Pacific Shaving Co Preshave Oil work? (I might be misunderstanding what Shave Secret is)

 

[Sid Vicious]

I'll have to try it like this, because it didn't really seem to do much when used as directed.

 

[Haber Dashing]

I hate the way Shave Secret smells of cloves. That said, I like the way it works. I can actually shave with just the oil and get a good shave. The smell is gone after the shave and with the use of actually shaving cream it is that much more effective. I sometimes use it for touch up passes, and find that it is a bite free endeavor. I just got my first TOBS cream in the mail yesterday (sandalwood), so I will try face lathering with the two of them tonight.

 

[texbilly]

Alone, what is Shave Secret advertised to do? Pre-shave?
Sorry, didn't search myself.

 

[ajkimmins]

I found that Jojoba oil is essentially the same. It's oil, if you want a ceretain scent you can add your own to it. The bottle of oil I got cost me $10. The lavender EO cost me about $10, and the oil is about 6 times bigger.

 

[LinuxMintyFresh]

Alone, what is Shave Secret advertised to do? Pre-shave?
Sorry, didn't search myself.

It's a replacement for shaving creams and soaps. Just put 4 drops in your hand (comes in a bottle like eye drops) and massage onto wet skin. It's good for about 3 passes. It is actually pretty great stuff. I have, so far, gotten 2 BBS shaves with zero irritation out of a Personna TracII cart, and I wasn't being particularly careful. Those things aren't usually very kind to my skin.

 

[WittyAg]

As fas ar I can tell its mostly clove oil with a few extras added in. You can use it in place of soap/cream or just as a pre-shave oil if you really wanted to. I've only had good success using it as directed with my Merkur HD. I didn't like how it worked with my straights by itself, hence why I tried adding it to my TOBS sandalwood.

 

[Shave Cat]

I must be doing something wrong. I've tried numerous times to use Shave Secret as directed and failed to get any slickness. I've tried 3-5 drops massaged into my wet face and neck, and my razor drags. Each time it was almost like shaving with just water. I've tried applying more water, but that didn't seem to help. The oil seems to protect from nicks and razor burn ok. I can't seem to get it slippery. I've also tried it as a pre-shave and as a last pass with the same results. I shave after I shower, so my face is oil free. Could it be that the Shave Secret is being absorbed and I need to use more?

 

[LinuxMintyFresh]

I must be doing something wrong. I've tried numerous times to use Shave Secret as directed and failed to get any slickness. I've tried 3-5 drops massaged into my wet face and neck, and my razor drags. Each time it was almost like shaving with just water. I've tried applying more water, but that didn't seem to help. The oil seems to protect from nicks and razor burn ok. I can't seem to get it slippery. I've also tried it as a pre-shave and as a last pass with the same results. I shave after I shower, so my face is oil free. Could it be that the Shave Secret is being absorbed and I need to use more?

It won't feel slippery in the same sense as a shaving cream/soap. It is basically a concoction of oils, so it's rather heavy and thick. It'll feel as though it is dragging, but if you take nice, slow strokes it works very well.

 

[Sid Vicious]

Ok, I added a few drops to my TOBS to shave my face and head and I'll admit, it did feel smoother. I have to wonder if vegetable oil would do the same thing.