http://badgerandblade.com/vb/ This section is dedicated to shaving soaps of all varieties. en Fri, 24 May 2013 22:49:09 GMT vBulletin 60 http://badgerandblade.com/vb/images/styles/RoyalFlush/misc/rss.png http://badgerandblade.com/vb/ http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347832-May-26th-June-1st-SPEICK-WEEK?goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 19:30:03 GMT :a23:
Mmmmm Baaaaaacon...

Where was I?

Oh yeah! Anybody else want to join in for a week of Speicktastic awesomeness? I'll be using both the stick and the puck I grated all by myself :tongue_sm

This stuff is ubergreat :thumbup1: ]]> Shaving Soaps Greg1911 http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347832-May-26th-June-1st-SPEICK-WEEK http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347794-Boots-Shave-Stick-a-Sleeper?goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 15:22:32 GMT Just got back from Scotland where I stumbled upon some rather nice gear. Among the goods acquired were some Perma-Sharp blades (which I am told were once made in Scotland), a tub of Scottish Heather soap from The Gentlemen's Groom Room in Dundee (a rather nice soap; seems to be a melt and pour item with a unique scent..fine performer too), and the big surprise-a couple sticks of Boot's. I have never heard of this product before (although I was aware of the store's presence in the UK). For about $2 and change US I bought a couple and found them to be an excellent stick; every bit as competent as Arko and Palmolive. How come these don't get any recognition? ]]> Shaving Soaps Acmemfg http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347794-Boots-Shave-Stick-a-Sleeper http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347791-Panna-Crema?goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 15:10:37 GMT Wow went to the website to try and get some this time around, and are they sold out again? I know I was 10 min late, but does this stuff go that fast? Wow went to the website to try and get some this time around, and are they sold out again? I know I was 10 min late, but does this stuff go that fast? ]]> Shaving Soaps Monchoon http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347791-Panna-Crema http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347782-Loading-Time-Loading-Amount?goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 13:31:40 GMT I know this is obvious, but I think it is often overlooked. How many times do you see someone saying to "load for __ seconds"? But there are so many variables that go into how much soap is getting loaded including the type of brush, pressure on the brush, the speed it is moving, the moisture content of the brush, etc, that saying to load for __ seconds can be pretty meaningless...one man's 60 seconds is another man's 15 seconds. I had this obvious fact hit me in the face this morning when I used a very soft 3 band brush that I hadn't used in a long time. A big adjustment from the dense 2 bands I have been using. ]]> Shaving Soaps TallyShave http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347782-Loading-Time-Loading-Amount http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347770-Hit-and-miss-My-first-experiences-with-shave-sticks?goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 12:00:15 GMT Inspired by Luc's fantastic shave stick review project thread I recently tried two shave sticks.
The first is a 40 year old stick of Chicman, kindly provided by Eric of barbieridifigaro, and the second was a modern stick of Erasmic with tallow bought at a Sainsbury during an trip to the UK.

Both sticks surpised me.
The Chicman is a piece of art to look at, in a beautiful container.




I found the Chicman to smell pretty good. I get a strong soapy scent, lots of green and floral notes and some wood. Not a bad scent.
But the performance was what striked me most. It was easy to build a rich and creamy lather with excellent lubrication and skin protection.
The texture is dense and creamier than many soaps I've come across, and it seems almost bubble-less.
The after shave feel is second to none.
Quite remarkable for such an old product, and a pleasurable discovery.

The Erasmic stick on the other hand was a miss for me.



I bought it when I saw Sodium tallowate listed as the first ingredient.
The scent is a nice old school soapy one and I must say I like that a lot.
And as the Erasmic brand has quite a rich history, i expected this to be the better shave stick.

I have been struggling to make a good lather though.
Possibly this is my inexperience with shave sticks, but I fail to produce a good, thick and stable lather.

At 69p not exactly a big loss, but it I might give it a few other attempts. ]]> Shaving Soaps wimbouman http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347770-Hit-and-miss-My-first-experiences-with-shave-sticks http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347733-MWF-vs-Mike-s?goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 02:00:26 GMT Until recently, I had not tried the fat, but I have been an avid Mike's user since I first tried it several months ago. Because Mike's is so often compared to Mike's I thought it was time to give it a try. These are my thoughts as to how it compares to Mike's:

1. Scent: I find Mike's scents very pleasant, but was very happily surprised by the smell of MWF. There is certainly nothing EO-like about it, just a fresh clean scent that was very pleasant in the morning. I would rate it as pleasant as most of Mike's scents, except his Pine and Cedarwood which is my absolute favorite soap scent. All-in-all, I would consider the two soaps to be a dead tie in the scent department.

2. Latherability: I find both Mike's and MWF to produce initially a rich thick yogurty lather (that is how I like my lather to be). Oddly, I didn't have any difficulty lathering either. However, in subsequent passes, MWF definitely takes the lead. I found it amazing how a little splash of water brought the fat to life all again even after my typical 4 pass shave plus clean up. Normally, Mike's will last the whole shave, but I am really pushing it to get lather at the end. However, with the fat I felt I could have lathered up for ten passes with plenty to spare. I would have to say that I have never used a soap that produces such a stable rich and copious lather as MWF.

3. Slickness/Cushion: I found both soaps to be very slick and provide an exceedingly comfortable shave. Let's call this area a tie.

4. Face feel: The last category I will comment on is face feel. Both produce that great lanolin feel, but IMHO Mike's takes the cake. I actually like the way Mike's feels on my face even before the razor touches it. Post shave, both soaps are solid performers, but Mike's leaves my skin feeling in a way that simply is unequalled by anything I have tried thus far.

Conclusion: I must say that between these two phenomenal soaps, Mike's is my favorite and will still get the most love in my cabinet. I must quickly add, that if I am ever in a situation in which I can no longer get Mike's, the fat will undoubtedly be my go to soap.

I hope these ramblings will be helpful to someone out there. ]]> Shaving Soaps mwhitcraft http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347733-MWF-vs-Mike-s http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347732-Art-of-Shaving-change?goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 01:45:14 GMT Ive been out of the loop for a bit but did AOS change their soaps? I picked a puck of AOS Lavender soap at Nordstroms and it was a lighter color than I remember and it actually lathers up a little easier than it did before. Ive been out of the loop for a bit but did AOS change their soaps? I picked a puck of AOS Lavender soap at Nordstroms and it was a lighter color than I remember and it actually lathers up a little easier than it did before. ]]> Shaving Soaps DaveNJ74 http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347732-Art-of-Shaving-change http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347730-Let-s-Turn-It-Up-A-Notch-We-Have-a-Winner!!?goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 01:35:41 GMT It appears that the pace of entries for our 2013 Fundraiser and Saving Swag Giveaway (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/346967-2013-Fundraiser-and-Shaving-Swag-Giveaway) has tapered off a bit. So to generate renewed interest... I will choose a lucky winner from the next 15 new or... It appears that the pace of entries for our 2013 Fundraiser and Saving Swag Giveaway has tapered off a bit.

So to generate renewed interest...

I will choose a lucky winner from the next 15 new or renewing contributors who post their entries to the contest to receive this special prize...



D.R. Harris Arlington and Marlborough Shave Sticks :w00t::w00t:


Contributions to B&B can be made here

Contest entries must be posted here


The clock starts now!! ]]> Shaving Soaps Mr. Scruffy http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347730-Let-s-Turn-It-Up-A-Notch-We-Have-a-Winner!! http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347679-Irisch-Moos?goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 20:02:49 GMT I have seen and heard about Irisch Moos soaps. I looked into it and it is German for Irish Moss. Still I have no idea what does moss soap smell like? Does it smell musty like a humid forest? Does it smell like Irish Spring body soap? Also how does it lather? I have seen and heard about Irisch Moos soaps. I looked into it and it is German for Irish Moss. Still I have no idea what does moss soap smell like? Does it smell musty like a humid forest? Does it smell like Irish Spring body soap? Also how does it lather? ]]> Shaving Soaps martiniduck http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347679-Irisch-Moos http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347668-Question-about-Saint-Charles-Soaps?goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 18:42:24 GMT Are the SCS soaps basically a glycerine melt-and-pour soap, a la Mama Bear?

They get great reviews but not much "noise." I guess the BB-sphere is on a tallow-tear. ]]> Shaving Soaps Teddyboy http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347668-Question-about-Saint-Charles-Soaps http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347657-A-funny-thing-happened-while-I-was-on-the-puter?goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 17:33:39 GMT Greetings! The funniest thing happened last night. It was late, I had just finished taking a shower, and I was checking out the various shaving tutorials. Then inspiration hit me. I just bought my very first piece of quality shaving equipment several days ago, a Col. Conk Amber Soap, and have... Greetings!

The funniest thing happened last night. It was late, I had just finished taking a shower, and I was checking out the various shaving tutorials. Then inspiration hit me. I just bought my very first piece of quality shaving equipment several days ago, a Col. Conk Amber Soap, and have been trying to get a thick lather without much success. But after reading the many tutorials, I felt more confidence in my newbie abilities. So off the the bathroom I went.

There I was, in front of the sink, at two in the morning, practicing lathering. And this time it worked even better. Lather this time was much thicker than before, but I suspect I can get an even thicker lather with a quality brush. I'm looking at the boar bristle offerings by Omega, Semogue and EJ. That's going to my next incremental step on my road to DE Nirvana. After that an even higher quality soap and/or cream. Since I have sensitive skin I was looking at Proraso's, TOBS and EJ's offerings.

Well, since I have all this lather I may as well apply it to my face (using my Body Shop synthetic brush). It went on smoothly and more evenly than before. I did notice very dry skin on my cheeks and under my nose before I applied the lather. And you know what? Dry skin, and the itch that came with it, were gone when I rinsed off the lather! Instead it was replaced with a subtle tingling and cooling sensation. I've tried store bought brands of after shave balms, lotions and splashes but none worked its magic like Col. Conk's Amber soap. Of course it would be ludicrous of me to use it as an aftershave, but at the very least I did find out the interesting side effect of calming dry skin and itch.

Life is funny sometimes.

Happy Shaving, everyone!

-Ross

:thumbup1: ]]> Shaving Soaps hawaiianstubble77 http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347657-A-funny-thing-happened-while-I-was-on-the-puter http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347649-Castle-Forbes-Lavender-What-s-it-smell-like?goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 16:57:52 GMT I suppose a better question would be: Does it smell more like MdC or More like DR Harris, so is it pungent like MdC or Subdued like DR Harris? :confused1 Any help is appreciated as I get ready to buy a tub...:001_tt1: Thanks! Matt I suppose a better question would be: Does it smell more like MdC or More like DR Harris, so is it pungent like MdC or Subdued like DR Harris? :confused1

Any help is appreciated as I get ready to buy a tub...:001_tt1:

Thanks!

Matt ]]> Shaving Soaps Crag http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347649-Castle-Forbes-Lavender-What-s-it-smell-like http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347634-Hard-Lavender-Soaps-Who-Has-The-Most-Intense-Scent?goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 14:58:27 GMT I seem to get my best results from hard, triple-milled soaps. I am looking for a hard soap with the most intense lavender scent available. I know there are other soaps out there like Mike's that have received great reviews for their lavender, but I am looking for a lavender in a triple-milled soap.

Thanks. ]]> Shaving Soaps flutewhistler http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347634-Hard-Lavender-Soaps-Who-Has-The-Most-Intense-Scent http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347624-Mike-s-Shaving-Soaps-and-my-potential-acts?goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 13:44:01 GMT Gents of B&B,

My fear:
Perhaps I am thinking into this too much, but given that Mike of Mike's Shaving Soaps is nearing the end of his doctoral campaign, I fear we will not be able to purchase his incredible soaps for much longer. Note that I do not base this assumption on anything other than my own thoughts, meaning that I have not heard from him or anywhere else that this will be truly the case. It is just my presumption that his hobby of making soaps for additional income while in school will dissipate once he gets his degree and obtains a full-time position elsewhere.

My question: Is there a long shelf life on these soaps? I don't NEED to buy any shave soaps right now...but if he is still selling the soaps now and won't be for much longer, I may want to stock up. But, let's just say I don't get to using these soaps for 1-2 years, given how many soaps and creams I already have and are in my normal rotation...do you think they will dry up or lose efficacy in any way? Has anyone experienced shelf life issues like this in the past?

Thank you for your advice, gents!
Mike ]]> Shaving Soaps Mbuckwash http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347624-Mike-s-Shaving-Soaps-and-my-potential-acts http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347611-Mike-s-Soaps-Are-Terrible!?goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 09:27:57 GMT Did my title grab your attention?? :001_tt2: Actually, the real title for this post is Mike's Soaps - Yes, They Really Are That Great!

I've posted before that I'm a bit of a soap whore. Currently, my den has somewhere in the range of 60-70 soaps. These include some of the big names that get a lot of action here on the boards: MdC, MWF, Tabac, AoS, QCS, RR, MW just to name a few. I find myself reaching for Mike's 2-4 times a week.

I've gone through a sample of the Orange & Peppercorn and own a full tin of the Pine & Cedarwood. For me, the scents I've tried are top shelf, it's easy to lather no matter what type of brush I use, great cushion and glide, and results in consistent great shaves. The website was very easy to use in ordering and my product arrived (with the sample of Orange thrown in) within a week. With this soap in the $10-12 (US) price point, it is a great value IMO. If you've not tried it yet, do yourself a favor and at least order some of the samples. Or take the plunge and get some full tins. With the love this soap gets on the boards, if it does not work for you there will be no problem getting rid of it on B/S/T. Enjoy! ]]> Shaving Soaps FonGu http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347611-Mike-s-Soaps-Are-Terrible!