Glad to hear you like the Moos. Just keep at it and you'll be whipping up lather with the greatest of ease.
VDH Deluxe Applied to face
- Thread starter s1mp13m4n
- Start date
I think all this learning is paying off. Now, how do I make a VDH shave stick? I can see where the shave stick will help me over loading the brush from a puck (remember eyesight).
Practice always makes perfect!!
VDH being a glycerin based soap, is easily melted, and poured into any container. Cut the VDH up into small chunks, and give them short 10-20 second burst in the microwave until melted. At that point, you can pour the VDH into any appropriate shave stick style container. Chris (82R100) used an empty deodorant container. You will need to do something with the bottom, to prevent leaking until it solidifies.
VDH will once again hold it's shape once solidified.
I like DIY projects.
Here is an idea that might just work. I wonder if you could line (the inside, and bottom) of a spent toilet paper tube with aluminum foil/ wax paper, and then pour the VDH in. Place it in the fridge to quickly cool it. Peal the toilet paper tube off, and remove the aluminum foil/ wax paper, and viola a ready to go shave stick!!
I am sure you could come up with other similar ideas if you give it some thought.
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That sounds just crazy enough to work. I'll have to try something like that sometime. And maybe throw a little scent in there while I'm at it.
So how many of you guys who think VDH is wonderful stuff have ever used a triple milled english soap? If you say you have and there is no or little difference something is really wrong with that picture.
I'm not saying VDH won't work. heck you can use plain water and it will work.
Yea I've seen guys say I won't pay the astronomical sum of say $15 for some soap when I can get one for $1.50 but when you consider how long the soap lasts your talking less than pennies a use.
I'm not saying VDH won't work. heck you can use plain water and it will work.
Yea I've seen guys say I won't pay the astronomical sum of say $15 for some soap when I can get one for $1.50 but when you consider how long the soap lasts your talking less than pennies a use.
We're not saying that there's little or no difference. I am taking issue with your statement "No matter how you fiddle with the stuff you will never get a truly good result. I know, I've used it." That's the statement that I find absurd.
I can load my $5 Burma-Shave brush with the stuff, get a good four passes out of that one loading and walk away with a smooth, soft, irritation free BBS shave. Repeatably. Seven days a week. Better than plain water.
And that puck will last me 6 - 8 weeks, used that way.
- Chris
AND I can pour it into a Hello Kitty-sicle mold if the spirit moves me and the color will even be pretty close.
That's great that you got a stick of Moos--it's a great soap. Don't give up on the VDH either. If you start off with the directions that Michiganlover gave you, I'm sure that you can get a nice lather too. When you're working the almost-dry brush on the softened soap, don't be afraid to swirl it for quite a while. Check the brush every now and then. You should feel that the bristles are thick with soap--they'll be starting to clump together. You can even feel a subtle change in the weight of the bristles. Once you get there, skip the bowl and start face lathering. Do everything that you did with the Moos. I bet you get a good shave with the VDH too.
Have fun!
Have fun!
I also find the statement equally absurd. VDH is one of the easiest to lather soaps available, and I have gotten great results with it.
I have used Tabac, I have used P160, and I have used Prairie Creations which are all tallow based soaps. I am not saying VDH is superior to them, but I can get a great irritation free shave from VDH.
If VDH were all I had, I would still be be experiencing a shave 100 times better than anyone who is using canned goo.
Honestly, if you are an experienced wet shaver, and you can't get VDH to work for you, something is seriously wrong!!
One thing to keep in mind: Irisch Moos is a high quality soap, VDH, while not at all bad and a good value, cannot be put in the same league. Some of your success can undoubtedly be traced to the quality of the soap, not just the stick method of soap application.
The point isn't that you can't get the stuff to lather. You can buy some bar soap in walmart and you can lather it up pretty easily and it works too. The whole point is the quality of the result. I know there are plenty of guys who use VDH and Williams and Surrey and feel its the only soap they ever need no different that there are guys who drive around in a yugo and think its the only car they ever need. Sometimes you just need to expand your horizons a little.
Seriously, you are comparing a product that works quite well for quite a few people (vdh) to common bar soap, which doesn't work at all for shaving, and is likely to give you a very serious case of razor burn? How ridiculously absurd!!
The car analogy is also quite flawed, since any car will take you from point A to point B.....and anything beyond the basics is purely luxury.
In the VDH Parallel Universe, Michaganlover and 82R100 are gods.
Personally, I melt my VDH on a candlewarmer, per Chris' suggestion. I melt it in the VDH bowl that came with my kit, and it works great. If you follow their tips, VDH makes a fantastic lather.
Personally, I melt my VDH on a candlewarmer, per Chris' suggestion. I melt it in the VDH bowl that came with my kit, and it works great. If you follow their tips, VDH makes a fantastic lather.
Well, maybe true believers.
+1
I just don't appreciate a product that actually works, and is value priced being trash talked, and for no good reason.
VDH works well, and it is quite easy to generate an effective lather from it. It is a perfect soap for newbies, since it is easy to lather, and you don't have to worry about wasting it while you perfect your lathering technique, as it is so cheap.
VDH works fine for me though it's all I've used. I don't really feel the need nor have the funds to try lots of different soaps. It took a little time trial and error ect... to learn how to get a good lather but even the early bad lathers worked and I got decent shaves. Now I use much more water and get a great lather in my mug. I as well melt it into the VDH bowl. I don't seem to need very much product on my brush ether. I figure at a later date I can try other stuff but I don't really see the need.
I have a *LOT* of soaps of all kinds, all price ranges. While not a 'luxury' (read 'expensive') soap, the VDH is a good, solid performer. It easily produces a rich, dense, lasting lather, lubes well, and softens whiskers well.
For a guy like Paul that's on a fixed income, I don't think you can do better for $1.50 a puck than VDH. There are several modest cost shave sticks that will give the 'luxury' soaps a run for the money, too. For the price of a high-priced soap cake, he can lay in a supply of VDH and still buy a supply of good blades and be ahead of the game.
-- John Gehman
For a guy like Paul that's on a fixed income, I don't think you can do better for $1.50 a puck than VDH. There are several modest cost shave sticks that will give the 'luxury' soaps a run for the money, too. For the price of a high-priced soap cake, he can lay in a supply of VDH and still buy a supply of good blades and be ahead of the game.
-- John Gehman
