Cheap Stuff that Really Works

[JCee]

I'm a big fan of the Wal-Mart US Personnas at 1.76 a pack.

[OldSaw]

Instead of using an expensive Balm to moisturize after your splash or witchhazel (on days when your face is dry) use a dab of Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion. I recently compared the ingredients of this lotion ($3.50 for 10oz.) to T&H balm (around $30 for 3.4 oz.) and I felt more comfortable with the lotion ingredient list....works better for me too!

Good job kicking things off.

Aqua Velva.

Family Dollar "Old Spice" Aftershave

I'll have to try that one.

Clubman aftershave.

I think this one needs a little defense to support this claim.

My list of cheap stuff that works very well:

VDH soaps
Aqua Velva
English Leather
I often use budget skin lotions in lieu of spendier ASBs it seems to work just fine
Also Ocean Lotion (marketed as an aloe based sunburn remedy) immediate cooling effect. I like the ice blue on this one
Dickinson's WH, available everywhere under $3 and works like a charm

One at a time please. That will will force you to make your best pick first and be able to give a good testimonial without getting too long winded.

Quality Triple Milled Bar Soap

It costs around $3 at Whole Foods and one bar lasts for about 2 months. In addition to showering with it, it does an excellent job cleaning/gently exfoliating your face prior to the shave. I therefore view it as 2 products in one. When comparing the ingredients to a Nivea facial scrub type product, I feel better about the bar soap. It's also better for the environment than shower gels and/or facial scrubs and it lathers like a quality shaving soap The ingredients of my favorite one are:

Saponified Palm and Palm Kernel Oils, Vegetable Glycerin, Essential Oils, Lavender Petals, Shea Butter, Dead Sea Salt, Citric Acid, Salt, Vitamin E, and Plant and Mineral Pigments

Nice testimonial.

VDH-$1.48
Delon Witchhazel -16oz .90 cents
Nivea Creme as a Preshave-13.5oz -$7
Manoj Indian Alum bar-.50 cents
Gillette Series A/S Gel-$1.97

One at a time please. See above.

Arko....love or hate the smell, the best shaving soap for well under $2.00

Another one that could use a little defense as this is a fairly polarizing product.

I keep a tube of Arko cream in my travel kit.

Does my $4 Tech count?

Of course it counts.

[VR6ofpain]

Tabac shave soap. You can sometimes pick up a refill puck for $7 @ FragranceX.com. Simply the best soap ever made...at an amazing deal. The white glass bowl is pretty sweet, but unnecessary.

[soapbox]

I'll go to bat for the Arko shave stick. I prefer Speick and Valobra for my shave sticks, but the Arko performs well and despite what some folks say, I don't mind the scent. I do prefer several other scents to Arko. And frankly, I'd really like an unscented small-sized shave stick. I travel with a cut-down stick of Speick, which, for $6.00, is a nice bargain I think, but still three times the cost of an Arko stick.

[OldSaw]

I'll go to bat for the Arko shave stick. I prefer Speick and Valobra for my shave sticks, but the Arko performs well and despite what some folks say, I don't mind the scent. I do prefer several other scents to Arko. And frankly, I'd really like an unscented small-sized shave stick. I travel with a cut-down stick of Speick, which, for $6.00, is a nice bargain I think, but still three times the cost of an Arko stick.

Nicely done. I think that will hold off the "Arko smells urinal pucks" crowd from derailing the thread. I also don't mind the scent, but I have not replaced mine either.

[talibeard]

Dirt cheap and great razor; the new Lord LP 1822 with the merkur-like head.
I pay less than 9 euro's for them and I have yet to discover a better performing safety bar razor (and I do have a few, most of them better looking too).

[BatNastard]

Speick bar soap. $3.50. I use it in the shower, it makes an excellent pre-shave face wash.

The triple-milled soaps the TJ's sells are another favorite.

+1 on the TJ's. I love the Green Tea. I have a sample of the Speick bar; it's ok.

Does the original post count as a vote for Conk? If not, I'll throw it out there. I realize it's just rebranded VDH, but Conk Amber will always be one of my faves and hard to beat at $3.50.

[ZZTop]

I'd like to throw Nivea shaving cream out there. I recently found it for $3 for a tube and it works as well as anything I've tried so far.

[RayH]

Dorco st300 blades. Just bought 400 hundred on ebay for $33 including shipping and handling. Comes out to about 8 cents a blade and just over a penny a shave.

[OldSaw]

Dirt cheap and great razor; the new Lord LP 1822 with the merkur-like head.
I pay less than 9 euro's for them and I have yet to discover a better performing safety bar razor (and I do have a few, most of them better looking too).

Thanks for that one. I'm going to have to check this out.

[Sam Harmon]

+1 on the TJ soaps. I have the Trader Jacques plain Shea Butter soap, and it's every bit the equal of L'Occitaine--triple milled, French made, shea butter listed among top 3 ingredients.

Whole Foods, despite their Whole Paycheck rep, has some very good French triple milled, scented soaps. I paid $3.79 on sale for 8 ounce bars of Lemon-Verbena and Cedar-Vetiver, which are the equals of the $10 bars at L'Occitaine. A little more than Irish Spring perhaps, but they're not full of synthetics and won't disappear in seven days.

[Bristlingbeardofodin]

Dorco st300 blades. Just bought 400 hundred on ebay for $33 including shipping and handling. Comes out to about 8 cents a blade and just over a penny a shave.

+ 1
I continue to be surprized and amazed at all how well these blades work for me. I keep trying more expensive blades and keep coming back to these.

[OldSaw]

I'd like to throw Nivea shaving cream out there. I recently found it for $3 for a tube and it works as well as anything I've tried so far.

I have a tube of this stuff that has been sitting in my drawer since I bought it in Italy two years ago. I tried it a few times and it never really rocked my boat. I'll have to try it again some day and see if I change my mind.

Since I got my new Omega boar brush last week, I have noticed that some of my stuff performs differently with it. Maybe that will be the key to unlocking the goodness of this item for me.

[netsurfr]

Olive oil as a preshave prep.

[dpm802]

Witch Hazel

+1 ... I use plain old generic Witch Hazel a lot.

For less than a dollar, you can't beat the price, and it works just as well as my name brand ASLs like Tabac and Musgo Real.

[Gogo]

I think I paid about $2 for an alum block about three years ago. It's not even close to wearing out either. For me, it's a great antiseptic and helps close the pores and ease irritation. It takes some of the sting out of an alcohol splash as well. I'm a firm believer in it.

[beaker]

Arko Soap sticks - £1.50
Palmolive soap sticks - £0.79 (that's 50 cents!)

The huge Alum rock I bought in Morocco a couple of years ago for one Euro. It was the size of a goose egg, and I figure that it will probably last me another five years at least!

[M. McCord]

+ 1
I continue to be surprized and amazed at all how well these blades work for me. I keep trying more expensive blades and keep coming back to these.

I bought a pack of 300s and a pack of 301s. The 300s are the best blade I've tried, next to an Indian Gillette 7 O'Clock (black package). I get then for $1/10 pack local, with no shipping charges. I'm happy.

[M. McCord]

My other cheap stuff that works entry:

VDH or Burma Shave Boar Brushes

These can be had for under $5 each at Wal Mart (although, WM seems to be phasing out the BS for the VDH). They both can build a good lather with the soaps I've tried (Williams and VDH). They also can build a good lather with my cream of choice (Proraso). And for me the purpose of a brush is to get the lather to my face. They both do this well enough for me.

[psiber5]

100 Derby Extra blades for $10 shipped on the net.