Working through my shaves and technique. Current soaps, Mikes and Col Conk don't feel slippery enough for my Dovo. Recommendations for a slippery shave? Many thanks B&B brothers. Sunday night shave after the game......mmmmmm. Oh yea.
Wanted: Slick cream recommendations for straight shaving.
- Thread starter AcesOverEights
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Haven't used Mikes, but Col.Conk soaps provided plenty of slickness for me. Perhaps you just need more soap and water in your lather to get the volume and glide you need.
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- #3
Very well could be. My newbie lather is a work in progress for sure. If the Col. works for you then my issue is probably not the product and I need to keep working on my prep. Many thanks, RockV. The razor came homed by Lynn Abrams and has been carefully stropped after each use. Appears to my untrained eyes to be sharp as all get out. Just feels like the edge gets "stuck" in the product when I start a stroke. I'll keep at it. No major cuts either, very light on the touch (no pressure.) I am loving it in any event.
"edge getting stuck" sounds more like an angle problem to me. Try doing a WTG pass with a DE first and then trying a WTG with the straight to see if you get the glide you're looking for.
Williams beats out my entire stock for slickness. It's my go-to soap for straights.
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- #6
RockV, have to buy a DE to that! (Not a bad idea though!..hehe.. any suggestions?) CF, many thanks. I suspect that RockV is accurate and that it is my technique rather than product. (Practice, practice,patience, practice.) That said, I should be able to pick up some William's at CVS and I will just to try it out. I appreciate it, gents.
re DE: If you're buying new, I would recommend an EJDE89
but...and there's always a but.... you could do far worse than picking up just about anything from the BST.
PM me your address and, while I don't have a DE to send you (only have the 1), I'll send you 20-30 Shark SS blades in prep for when you get one. If you just use them as a single pass, you should easily get a week out of a blade, as most of us get 3 days from a 3-pass DE shave.
but...and there's always a but.... you could do far worse than picking up just about anything from the BST.
PM me your address and, while I don't have a DE to send you (only have the 1), I'll send you 20-30 Shark SS blades in prep for when you get one. If you just use them as a single pass, you should easily get a week out of a blade, as most of us get 3 days from a 3-pass DE shave.
Nivea is the only cream remaining in my rotation, IMO none of the 3Ts surpasses it for slickness, protection and other shave beneficial properties. Apart from that the Fitjar creams are also top-notch.
Proraso is a great cream, its very slick. Arko is a good slick lather too, if you don't mind the scent.
+1 on Proraso. I use the white proraso sensitive. Very nice slick lather, mild menthol. It's the proraso in the tub, not the tube. It's like a very soft soap.
I love my Mikes', and all tallows. I say try more product, and more water. I hear guys say they have problems with tallows, but I never have. lots of cushion and plenty of glide for me. maybe not the most slick, but plenty slick enough for me.
I'd say Bald Frog has been the slickest for me.
I'd say Bald Frog has been the slickest for me.
All the soaps listed here should be slick enough for you. It would help to see a pic of the lather. My guess, based on the mistakes I made, is that you're not loading enough product and water and the lather tends to be full of bubbles. You want it to have a creamier, yogurty like consistency. Don't wait to practice making it until it's time to shave. Do some palm lathering and experiment with more soap and water and different lathering times and you'll soon see the variety of lathers you can get. Your palm will also be very clean.
Enjoy.
Edit: Just noticed you have some Mike's. First rate soap that should provide anything you need.
Enjoy.
Edit: Just noticed you have some Mike's. First rate soap that should provide anything you need.
For me Tabac is my go to soap. Getting stuck means you are likely coming in too shallow, lift the spine just a tad.
When using a straight razor La Toja stick is my current favourite soap choice. Very slick and thick lather.
I think Mike's Naturals soaps are just fine for lathering. For creams, I love two Portuguese numbers, Veleiro and Top Secret, both of which have lanolin.
For me, I haven't really found a soap that doesn't work. I prefer some over others, but all will get the job done. This is more likely either your technique or the razor. Have you tried to see if it passes a HHT? I know it's a subjective test, but might not be a bad idea just to rule out as many variables as possible so you know where to focus your efforts.
Just my .02
Just my .02
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- #17
Gustav, Which specific Nivea product are you using? Many thanks in advance.
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- #18
I'll be shaving up tomorrow evening. I'll take a pic of the newbie lather that I'm getting from Col Conk and post for diagnosis! Many thanks.
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- #19
Obi, I did the HHT and the thing is sharp as all get out. It was prepped by Lynn Abrams. After my lurkdom there was no way that I was going to purchase anything but a professionally honed razor. I think lather and my shaving angle need improvement. I also am working through just how to hold the razor for the various angles. Just time and practice I'm, thinking...
Aces/8s, I had the same problem until very recently. The past week and a half or so, my shaves were sub-par; the first pass (WTG) was OK but the lather seemed to dry up before I could finish that pass; the second and third pass I could have done better shaving with Elmer's glue. I went back to the basics - reviewed the face lathering tutorial on the ShaveWiki (http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Category:Lathering), and now my razor glides on all 3 passes 
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
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