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Ghetto fabulous shave of the day

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...or ballin' on a budget

I'm quite a novice to wet-shaving but I have been using some expensive products to start off with. To change things up a little I thought I would do a little experiment with some of the less elite items on the market and some after shave that I didn't have to pay for.

I picked up a box of Williams mug soap (manufactured by your friends at Aqua Velva) and a handsome VDH boar brush at the grocery store. As I soaked the brush in hot water -- hoping that it wouldn't disintegrate before my eyes -- I dropped the puck into the shaving bowl. It smelled incredibly cheap and felt really "flaky" as opposed to that smooth glycerin feel. As I whipped heartily with the brush I was surprised to see some foam actually starting to form! It wasn't a particularly wet foam, but it did stick to my face long enough for a quick WTG pass with the Mach 3. I whipped a little more for a second pass. At this point the foam actually seemed a little slimy to me. It could be that all shave soaps are like this... I'm not sure. After an ATG pass and a rinse I splashed on some Acqua di Parma after shave balm that I finagled from the Nordstrom cologne counter.

My shave wasn't particularly smooth and I still have a lingering soap flavor on my lips (yuk!) but I still had fun with my experiment. The $5 brush did lose quite a few of its stiff hairs and looked a little funky after it dried but I might keep it around. The AS was nothing special in my opinion. The scent did nothing for me and it is worthless as a moisturizer or soothing balm.

All in all was the shave luxurious? Not in the slightest. Was it rewarding? Yes. (I certainly appreciate my finer implements and products now.) But was it fun? Absolutely! :biggrin:
 
Certainly there are easier to work with and more luxurious products on the market, but the boar/williams combo is certainly a viable one. Williams is a bit finicky. But once you get the hang of it, it produces a very slick and lubricating lather. That "flaky" feel can be avoided if you let some water soak on top of the puck prior to lathering it. It's a very hard soap. Sometimes the inexpensive stuff just needs a little more finesse to work right. The prior statement in no way refers to Aqua Velva, it works just fine.
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
Don't forget to finish off with ghetto DaVinci water- a mix of Thaye'rs rose and lavender. :tongue_sm
 
M

modern man

Don't forget to finish off with ghetto DaVinci water- a mix of Thaye'rs rose and lavender. :tongue_sm

Why?

Real DaV water cost less.

Unless you are going the Sams Club way and buying in bulk.
 
The other day I forgot my "Dope bag" full of shave goodies when I went to the Shower trailer. All I had with me was a Feather Portable with Derby blade and my Omega Boar Hair Brush. I got an unused an unopened bar of Irish Spring from a friend to shave with (though he probably didn't realize I was going to throw it in the trash when I was done with it, or that I was going to use it as a shave soap).

I opened the box on one side so the box became a sort of shave bowl and then whipped it into a lather. It didn't do too bad. It didn't smell great and it certainly wasn't the best buffer between my face and the razor but in the end I was clean shaven (not BBS) and didn't have any real irritation. When in a pinch...

:001_smile
 
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