Hard Mode: shaving in Indonesia

[elbschwartz]

Hi everyone. Long time shaver, first time poster. I am an American who has been living in Java, Indonesia for the past 1.5 years. This upcoming summer will be my first return trip back to the good ol' US of A. I have a rather heavy beard and oscillate between a full beard, circle beard, or only mustache. The problem is that decent shaving products are hard, if not impossible, to come by here. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that most Javanese men have little facial hair, and often dry-shave or even pluck. I have with me a shavette-style tool and Derby blades. There is no hot water, unless I want to heat it up on the stove which is not always convenient. The only shaving cream I've found for sale is the traditional foam-in-a-can and some Neutrogena for Men goop which I have never liked. I currently use rubbing alcohol as an astringent, for lack of anything else. Shipping liquids or cremes from the US is dubious due to customs inspection, not to mention REALLY expensive.

I'm sure there are people on this board who have been in similar situations, "roughing it" as far as shaving goes. Any tricks/hacks to get a better shave? Thanks.

 

[seattleshaver]

If you can take a shower without hot water I suppose shaving without hot water is that much of a problem. In that circumstance I would problem just use a DE razor, a bar of soup and call it a day.

 

[adamchur]

Hi, welcome to B&B
I never made a habit of it, but.....
When I was developing my technique, I was like a kid in a candy store and wanted to try out everything in sight
I bought a 50ml bottle of Floid Pre-Shave oil for €7,50 and used it as an extra layer of slickness before a DE shave - I then bought a 100ml bottle of Sweet Almond Oil for about €2,50 and found that it did exactly the same job as the Floid !!
I no longer use oil of any description, mainly because I wear glasses and I just know that allowing anything greasy near my face would be asking to get smeared lenses, but I learned a trick that could be useful to you.......

After watching Vin Diesel in "Pitch Black" on TV one night, I decided that Richard B. Riddick looked badass and kind of cool shaving his head with grease and a blade

So I tried splashing water on my face, worked some oil into the wet stubble and just used the oil/water to shave with the Shavette - and it worked !! It gunked up the Shavette, but apart from that - no ill effects !!

If it worked with Sweet Almond Oil, I see no reason why Olive or Coconut Oil shouldn't work too

 

[BSAGuy]

Hello and welcome. Great to have you here on B&B. Wander on over to the Hall of Fame and introduce yourself.

 

[matwho]

Welcome to B&B. If you can get Noxema I've heard some people shave with that. I have used it and it gets slick when it gets wet.

 

[alex2363]

If you can take a shower without hot water I suppose shaving without hot water is that much of a problem. In that circumstance I would problem just use a DE razor, a bar of soup and call it a day.

Too hot me

 

[Lightcs1776]

Welcome to B&B. I must admit that I would hate to go without hot water. However, some folks use cold water. I know some missionaries who are in areas that don't have hot water and I believe that is what they do. If you pick up a few pucks of a triple milled soap when you come to the states, it should last you quite some time.

Sent via mobile - Chris

 

[Zipslack]

Vegetable glycerin...very slick when it contacts water and doesn't gunk up like oil. Should be able to find it in drug stores or general merchandise stores. Could also add a few drops to regular soap for brush lather.

 

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B. Cold water shaving works for me.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome! Some prefer cold water shaving! Must admit that I am not in that camp, but it is certainly possible.

 

[sidpost]

Welcome! How hard and expensive is it to import shave soap pucks/bars? There is some good stuff in Europe that should be relatively easy to import if customs duties aren't excessive. A 1Kg block of Cella from TVBShaving (use the forum discount) might be an option. Arko and similar are very cheap to purchase.

 

[elbschwartz]

Here's what I tried yesterday:

Cold water
Local coconut oil
Shave
Wash with vegetable-based soap
Alum block

That last item I was able to find yesterday in rough/unlabelled form, sold as 'mineral salt deodorant.' What I found with the coconut oil is that it performs very well, but is quickly absorbed by the skin. It took multiple applications, especially when it came time for the neck area. I wiped off my razor on a tissue rather than trying to rinse it. Well, 24h after the shave, I have no major irritation or dryness. So it works, it is just way slower and messier than I would prefer. I think the alum helps a lot, this is my first time using it (in the past, it was always witch hazel).

 

[elbschwartz]

Welcome! How hard and expensive is it to import shave soap pucks/bars? There is some good stuff in Europe that should be relatively easy to import if customs duties aren't excessive. A 1Kg block of Cella from TVBShaving (use the forum discount) might be an option. Arko and similar are very cheap to purchase.

There are a lot of variables...Many businesses simply do not ship to Indonesia. It was only this last year that Amazon started doing business here. Everything shipped into the country is opened and examined. Although I can't imagine why someone would feel the need to steal/confiscate soap, you never really know. In any case the rates are ridiculous. I had a few books sent from the US recently...$90 shipping, and that was as a "gift" (no value declared).

 

[MakerLing81]

I am not sure about it

 

[mata_66]

Hi everyone. Long time shaver, first time poster. I am an American who has been living in Java, Indonesia for the past 1.5 years. This upcoming summer will be my first return trip back to the good ol' US of A. I have a rather heavy beard and oscillate between a full beard, circle beard, or only mustache. The problem is that decent shaving products are hard, if not impossible, to come by here. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that most Javanese men have little facial hair, and often dry-shave or even pluck. I have with me a shavette-style tool and Derby blades. There is no hot water, unless I want to heat it up on the stove which is not always convenient. The only shaving cream I've found for sale is the traditional foam-in-a-can and some Neutrogena for Men goop which I have never liked. I currently use rubbing alcohol as an astringent, for lack of anything else. Shipping liquids or cremes from the US is dubious due to customs inspection, not to mention REALLY expensive.

I'm sure there are people on this board who have been in similar situations, "roughing it" as far as shaving goes. Any tricks/hacks to get a better shave? Thanks.

Dear elbschwartz, I'm living pretty much the same situation here where i currently live (Venezuela). No hot water (except in the shower where i installed a weird electric heater), no wet-shaving products, extremely slow and expensive shipping. Yet i can find some cheap razor blades, mainly Dorco and Brasilian Schick, because hairdressers use them in their ugly chinese $1 shavettes for hair shaping.

When in the states, you should get a $30 kit (DE razor, brush and soap) either from Maggard or Italian Barber and a couple hundred of good blades. Three milled soaps is a great idea, they last ages, a couple of MWF pucks would serve you well for a long time. Otherwise a 1kg. brick of Cella or Vito soaps (both from TVB Shaving for around $10 each) will last you three years at last. Arko sticks are cheap and they work great but they smell so bad i wouldn't suggest them to anybody .

PS:When i first arrived here from Europe I wasn't prepared. I had to grate half a bar of Dove and half a bar of regular soap mixed together with some glicerine and a teaspoon each of almond, coconut and castor oil. That kept me going for some time.

 

[sidpost]

There are a lot of variables...Many businesses simply do not ship to Indonesia. It was only this last year that Amazon started doing business here. Everything shipped into the country is opened and examined. Although I can't imagine why someone would feel the need to steal/confiscate soap, you never really know. In any case the rates are ridiculous. I had a few books sent from the US recently...$90 shipping, and that was as a "gift" (no value declared).

Is it a "war on drugs" issue or a communist bourgeoisie issue? I remember my father once had four cases of Colombian coffee he brought back from a trip 'inspected' (each one was 'punched' to break the vacuum seal even though it wasn't tested) in Miami. Really, all 96 kilo bags? I guess the customs guy was jealous of his coffee.