Tulsa, OK

Hey all you Tulsans should drive down to OKC and check out the cigar and tobacco company store on North May Avenue and the Essentials store in Casady Square, or even the Northpark mall store (haven't check this one out yet myself). But the cigar store and essentials are both pretty nice.

X

PS - Check the OKC thread for info on them.

First post on the forum. I started reading a couple of days ago but hadn't made it far enough down to see this post. I went by the Sterling and Company a few days ago. They are phasing out their "art of shaving" stuff; I got my first brush there. It was the one AOS lists for $110, I paid $70. Kind of expensive, but I didn't realize there were so many resources in Tulsa. They had about 4 brushes left and everything else fit in a box the size of a boot box (mostly preshaving oils). I also went by the C&E that was going out of business but all I could find was really strong, woody smelling stuff. Thanks for all the posts now I can find a proper razor!

Follow up thought: Since Akins and Whole Foods are similar, does anyone know if they sell KMF stuff as well?

SWMBO told me that the Whole Foods at 41st and Peoria carries the KMF line, but of course what we need to know is precisely what man stuff they carry, in precisely what sizes . . . so we can descend like a swarm of locusts and buy everything regardless.

BTW -- @TulsaLhorn -- the loss of Sterling & co is not devastating, since Ed Beshara's at 36th and Harvard still carries the line (see p. 1).

Also, someone should note for the sake of completeness that we have a Body Shop at Woodland Hills Mall (71st and, um, Memorial?) Never been there, but I will eventually.

The answer is yes: Whole Foods (northeast corner of 41st and Peoria) has almost the exact same things as Akins, with a slightly wider selection: KMF vanilla, peaches & cream, key lime, lavender and shea, patchouli, mint, and fragrance free. They also carry (in a different aisle -- labeled "cleansing") Thayer's Witch Hazel -- original, lemon, rose petal, and astringent pads.

Both stores also carry a wide selection of brushless shaving creams (WF carries Aubrey Organics, Avalon, Alba, Dr. Bronner's, Organic grooming, Jason, EO, Earthscience, chin music), which don't interest me.

For those of you who live on the south end and don't want to drive into town to reload on lather. Akins has opened a new store on south memorial (around the 15700 block). Bought pump container of KMF lime there for $6+.

OK, I am getting obsessed with this. But here's what else I have discovered:

Ted's Pipe Shop -- There are two. One is at Utica Square, the other is at The Farm (51st and Sheridan). Both carry the four flavors of Col. Conks, and a variety of cartridge razors and badger brushes. Their distributor is Concord.

Ulta -- several locations. They carry Dermalogica (brushless) and Jack Black, which has recently been reformulated and works great IMO. They have samples behind the counter if you ask.

You can also get Jack Black at The Apothecary Shoppe (51st and Sheridan only, not St. Johns location).

Food Pyramid -- yes, the grocery store -- carries burma shave brushes (boar), Williams soap, SE blades, DE blades (own brand Personnas), Schick injectable blades, and styptic pens.

Med-X/May's/Drug Warehouse -- Von der Hagen deluxe and glycerin. VHD natural brushes (green handle -- boar). Williams. Clubman products, incl. styptic pen and moustache wax (yes, really). They also have some blades, but they keep them behind the counter at the register.

Walgreen's -- Surrey brushes. VDH deluxe only. SE blades; DE blades (Personnas, own brand). Styptic pens.

State Beauty Supply (3rd and Utica) is feeling increasingly depressing inside, but they still have a lot of VDH (deluxe and glycerin) on clearance at 50 cents a puck. Also a variety of inexpensive shaving mugs, boar brushes, and still some extra-cheap Dorco blades. They used to carry Merkur razors and Mason-Pearson brushes; we'll see if those come back.

And I just found out that The Gadget Shop -- 15th and Boston, downtown -- is an Orvis retailer, which means straight razors and EJ brushes and soaps. More to follow . . .

Wow...never realized we had that many options...good to know!

A few more:

Sephora (at Woodland Hills Mall, upper level) has Art of Shaving and Jack Black. They carry a somewhat wider selection of Jack Black than does Ulta, but it's mostly eye creams, etc. Still just the one kind of shave cream. They also carry an implausibly expensive ($85) synthetic brush. Their AOS selection is similar to what you can get at Ed Beshara's, except that they have more gift sets (anyone want a $100 gift set with a Fusion in it?) and they don't carry lemon, just lavender, sandalwood, and unscented.

The Body Shop (at WHM) also carries a far cheaper synthetic brush, as well as tubes and tubs of their Maca Root cream.

There are also TWO Bath & Bodyworks stores at WHM, but of course right now they're completely out of Proraso.

At 15th and Boston, The Gadget Company has precisely one DE razor, two German straight razors (one Henckels, I forget the other) three badger brushes (silvertip, best, and a cool travel brush) and two boxes of Edwin Jagger soaps -- aloe and sandalwood. They also service knives and I bet they'd hone your straight if you needed it.

It is worth mentioning that The Gadget Company is a generally manly place, and sells almost everything B&Bish that isn't sold at Ted's Pipe Shoppe -- knives, lanterns, hats, fly fishing gear, globes that display the constellations at night, whatever. It's basically 500 square feet of gifts for guys who have everything.

hdhaskell said:

At 15th and Boston, The Gadget Company has precisely one DE razor, two German straight razors (one Henckels, I forget the other) three badger brushes (silvertip, best, and a cool travel brush) and two boxes of Edwin Jagger soaps -- aloe and sandalwood. They also service knives and I bet they'd hone your straight if you needed it.

Click to expand...

Cool! I work downtown, this place might be worth a quick walk over during lunch!!

Hi B & B, I am new to DE shaving. I am posting here because I am here in Tulsa.

I just started DE shaving Tuesday. My first shave was the worse I have ever had! I decided to try DE shaving after watching some YouTube videos and I could no longer pay $12.95 for 5 Mach-3 razors any longer. I figured that my very poor experience was due to using can shaving cream. After doing a google seach for shaving products in Tulsa I found you guys.

So this afternoon I went to Ace and bought new blades and some really cheep shaving soups. blades are dorco, 10 for $.99. I spent a total of $2.12. I almost bought a brush but figure I should just order a badger from west coast shaving.

Well I just got done shaving with my DE tonight and what a night and day difference. I am still using can cream but the new Dorco razor blade was great! I was using a Quality razor blade before. I made 3 passes and I now am smoother than the day I was born. Only cut myself 4 times.

I need some help on getting started with what cream, soap, brush ect I should buy. I would prefer to keep cost as low as possible. I saw that you guys talked of KMF, Co Biglow and Porores(sp?) but I'm not sure what these are. I have average skin and beard.

By the way I am using a 1940's or 50's Gillette tech to shave with.

Thanks for any help you might be able to give a fellow Tulsan,
Kurtis
[email protected]

Proraso and CO Bigelow are the same thing -- a eucalyptus/methol scented shaving cream that is very popular around here. I think they still have some in stock at the Utica Square Bath & Body Works.

As far as brushes . . . well, there's an entire debate about that, which you'll find out about. My advice would be to buy whatever you can afford that is made of badger. Around town, I think that's basically Ted's at this point. Crabtree & Evelyn is closed. You can also get boar brushes just about anywhere.

Ace -- is that the same as Tulsa Barber and Beauty supply/State Barber and Beauty Supply? 3rd st S and Utica Ave?

Don't forget to check out the forum entitled "Shave Clinic and Newbie Check-In"

Oh, and KMF = Kiss My Face. If you go to the Wiki, there's a list of abbreviations that will save you a lot of confusion (IMO -- YMMV.) TTFN.

hdhaskell,

Good information, bro. I work downtown as well and will definitely be checking out the Gadget Company. Do you, by chance, remember what the prices were on those straights you found there? Thanks again for all the info.

Joe

Everything at The Gadget Co. is pricey . . . maybe around $100 for a straight? I'm a DE man myself.

Thank you for the info. I will post up on the newbie board and check out the other boards.

I think Ace is the same as Tulsa Beauty supply on 3rd and Utica.

Kurtis
4 days into DE shaving and everyday is better then the last!

Went by there yesterday, and they had very little, but possibly worth noting:

1. American Personnas -- same as the discontinued Wal-Mart blades and Walgreen's blades, but much cheaper than Walgreen's (maybe $2.50 per 10).

2. Disposable blades for straights.

3. Straight razor for use with disposable blades.

A few Pinaud products that are also available at any drug store.

There are other Sally Beauty supply stores elsewhere in town; their products might vary.

Pinaud seems to be getting scarce. None in the Walgreens or Drug Warehouse on 81st in BA. They both carried it in the past......sucks.

Has anyone been to a CVS? There are now several in the area -- including one in BA. They might carry Pinaud. Ace also carried it in the past.

Ted's is out of Col. Concs shave soaps as of yesterday FYI