I have wondered, since I sort of dove in to this full bore with the Hydrolast stuff, what was I missing? I had used a paste before getting my soap, balm and paste, and it was fine, but not great. I had gotten a normal badger brush the day my bride wanted to take me to Enchante, and have been wondering if the Hydrolast stuff was really as good as it felt.
The night before last I shaved with some Musgo Real paste I got from Bob O. I could see using the paste for traveling. It was decent, but not great. If I need to slam down a shave and dash out the door, it would suffice. I like the shiny iridescence. It made me feel... well... like I was getting ready for... um... Cirque de Shave... But it wasn't as comfortable as my usual Hydrolast shave.
Last night, it was time to really go traditional. I got the cup, brush and puck out, and soaked the badger bristles in superhot water, and proceeded to whip me up some cream. The puck of traditional glycerin soap and the brush created a very rich, elastic and nice, silky smooth lather. I got excited at its silky feel when I put it up. The brush applied it nicely. It was soft... I was getting excited... I let it sit for a minute to soak in a bit and soften my whiskers up, and went to work, doing a typical first form.
Relathered and did form 1 again... relathered and did a 2nd/3rd form, and then some spot work...
My face still hurt this morning. I took skin off of the hard places like never before, and was really trying to be generous with the lather to avoid that. My AS was some Hydrolast Eucalyptus Aromatic Tonic... I knew I was in trouble when even it burned... I had to go for the Nivea, and quick. That even burned a bit! I had done nothing I don't do with my normal shave sequence...
What I realized is that the Hyrdolast "system" of soap, paste and cutting balm works really well for me. Sure, the lather isn't as silky, but it works so much better for the cutting... I'm totally re-sold on it. With that stuff on my face I can whack away at the rough trouble areas like I'm harvesting wheat and my skin is none the wiser, but all the smoother. No bloody patches that have been ground off... Call me crazy, but I relathered three or four times with the puck, when if I were using my normal Hydrolast mix I could have just scooped a little water from the sink to re-wet and moved on to keep shaving.
So the badger brush will sit in the shelf looking nicely retro classy while I use my shaving cloth. The pucks of soap will be paid forward to people who think that the Method is too complex, expensive or just to sell Charles' stuff... Poor souls...
The night before last I shaved with some Musgo Real paste I got from Bob O. I could see using the paste for traveling. It was decent, but not great. If I need to slam down a shave and dash out the door, it would suffice. I like the shiny iridescence. It made me feel... well... like I was getting ready for... um... Cirque de Shave... But it wasn't as comfortable as my usual Hydrolast shave.
Last night, it was time to really go traditional. I got the cup, brush and puck out, and soaked the badger bristles in superhot water, and proceeded to whip me up some cream. The puck of traditional glycerin soap and the brush created a very rich, elastic and nice, silky smooth lather. I got excited at its silky feel when I put it up. The brush applied it nicely. It was soft... I was getting excited... I let it sit for a minute to soak in a bit and soften my whiskers up, and went to work, doing a typical first form.
Relathered and did form 1 again... relathered and did a 2nd/3rd form, and then some spot work...
My face still hurt this morning. I took skin off of the hard places like never before, and was really trying to be generous with the lather to avoid that. My AS was some Hydrolast Eucalyptus Aromatic Tonic... I knew I was in trouble when even it burned... I had to go for the Nivea, and quick. That even burned a bit! I had done nothing I don't do with my normal shave sequence...
What I realized is that the Hyrdolast "system" of soap, paste and cutting balm works really well for me. Sure, the lather isn't as silky, but it works so much better for the cutting... I'm totally re-sold on it. With that stuff on my face I can whack away at the rough trouble areas like I'm harvesting wheat and my skin is none the wiser, but all the smoother. No bloody patches that have been ground off... Call me crazy, but I relathered three or four times with the puck, when if I were using my normal Hydrolast mix I could have just scooped a little water from the sink to re-wet and moved on to keep shaving.
So the badger brush will sit in the shelf looking nicely retro classy while I use my shaving cloth. The pucks of soap will be paid forward to people who think that the Method is too complex, expensive or just to sell Charles' stuff... Poor souls...
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