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Old School Shaving
June 17, 2008
Proraso Products at Bath and Body Works Under the C.O. Bigelow Name
Proraso is an old-school Italian shaving brand which wasn't seen much in the States until Target started carrying it. Then one day their shelves went empty, never to be refilled. Perhaps Proraso didn't have the same mass market appeal as a 250 count box of Hefty Cinch Sacks. Whatever.
Eagle-eye Shaving Stuff reader Scott recently wrote in with this tip:
Bath and Body Works is selling Proraso shave cream under the name "C.O. Bigelow". If you look closely under the Bigelow banner on the box it says "made by Proraso for C.O. Bigelow"
I haven't made it to my local Bath and Body Works shop to verify this, but aside from the item being listed as "Domestic" on their website, I have no reason to doubt this information. If someone out there in shaving land can corroborate, we'd all appreciate.
In the meantime, if you're desperate to get your Proraso on, head on over to Details for Men for a little taste of the Italian import.
Here's a cute idea from instructables.com on how to make your own razor and shaving brush stand. Required materials: a wire hanger. Required tools: pliers. Required skills: patience. And the ability to follow directions.
Actually the directions are pretty easy, and there are plenty of pictures to guide you through each step. And while you may not end up with a nickel/chrome-plated stand worthy of Trump, you will have the satisfaction of having done it yourself.
We're doing things a little backwards here. Yesterday we wrote about Musgo Real Glycerine Lime Oil Soap and today we're going to talk about Musgo Real Pre Shave Oil. When you shave you'll use the oil first and then the soap. Mixing things up! Making sure everyone is still awake.
Musgo Real Pre Shave Oil comes in a glass bottle with a design reminiscent of the early part of the last century. Kind of reminds me of a flask you might stash in your overcoat for a cold night. The oil comes out easily (perhaps a little too easily). A small amount is all that is needed to cover your entire shaving area. I must say, after using products from Gentlemen's Refinery I've become a fan of the layer of pre-shave oil followed by a layer of cream.
Once you're lubed up it's time for the Glycerine Lime Oil Soap which we talked about yesterday. One thing I didn't mention yesterday was that when I was spreading a lathered up Glycerine Lime Oil Soap with my shaving brush, I'd invariably get some in my ears. The lather, made up of tiny soap bubbles, would start popping, and for the next 60 seconds I'd listen to a loud snap-crackle-pop of Rice Krispies. Funny the first time. Kind of annoying after that.
The overall shave was decent. Not the best I'd had, but not the worst. Very little irritation or cuts, but just not the closest. I imagine old-school jedi-shave masters might do the second pass against the grain, but in the morning I often need to shave and then move on. I'm curious to know what other people's experience with these shaving products is. I think I may be a little too amateur to appreciate them, and I wouldn't be surprised that some straight-razor shavers swear by this stuff. For me, I'll probably stick with something a little more modern.
Been shaving with products from Musgo Real courtesy of our friends at Details for Men. A quick refresher - these are Portuguese shaving products based on a 1920s cologne. These are also a more old-school shaving style than I've been used to - bar of shaving soap to be applied with a brush.
The large rustic bar is made especially for cleaning the face before shaving. Glyce contains lime oil to refresh the face, castor oil to soak and soften whiskers before shaving, and a trace of alcohol to remove the dirt which restricts razor glide.
Now I know some of you readers are masters of the blade and brush, but the rest of us are happy for the modern day convenience of cream and cartridge. Here's my first question - what do I do with this bar of soap? I could put it in a mug. I could put it in a bowl. In fact I've done both of these. But from my research, you want to put your soap in a container with a lot of drainage.
Next question - what if the bar of soap doesn't fit? More research suggests you can melt the soap by applying gentle heat (like on a stove) and then pour it into your container of choice. Really? Look, my time is valuable. I barely have time to heat up a bowl of soup at night. Last thing I want to do is prep my shaving cream.
Whatever method you go with, the next step is to wet your brush and swirl it around to work a little soap into it. This may take longer than expected, especially if it's the first few times you've used the soap. I will say this - in the end you use a surprisingly small amount of soap to cover your face. This bar is going to last a long, long time.
Tomorrow we'll talk about Musgo Real's shaving oil in conjunction with the soap, and the shave itself.
For those of you who aren't master shavers (myself included) you may be interested in the different types of badger hair used in high-end shaving brushes. In fact, you might be interested in knowing why badger hair is the preferred medium of choice.
Badger hair is different to many types of fur - like human hair it absorbs water and it is this characteristic that makes badger hair perfect for shaving brushes. [...] Water is the key element in a good shave and the more a brush can hold, the better the lather and shave will be.
Don't even think about using human hair for shaving, unless of course it's your own. OK, now on to the three gradations of badger hair:
Silver Tip - this is the highest quality of all. The finely graded and sorted pure badger hair is the softest, rarest and most expensive badger hair; with natural untrimmed silver tips, it is the highest quality available in shaving brushes worldwide.
Super Badger - this is the finer hair from the back of the badger, it is longer and softer than 'best' badger and, because it is finer, requires more hairs to fill a brush.
Best Badger - this is an excellent quality of pure badger hair. [...] The hair is harvested from the majority of the pelt, including the belly. It is generally darker in colour although the colours of individual hairs vary from grey and brown to black.
Isn't it silly that the "best badger" is considered the lowest quality in this ranking system? FYI - "best badger" is still great. "Best badger" badger-hair brushes may run you $60, but they'll last forever if you treat them right. Of course you could pay hundreds for Silver Tip, and if you've got the money, go for it.
Here's a great introductory kit for those interested in old-school shaving. The ironically named Herban Cowboy Old Fashioned Shave Kit. "Ironically," because "punily" isn't a word. The kit contains
Ceramic Shave Mug - Cadmium & lead free, non-toxic glaze
Shave Soap - A rich, long lasting lather in an organic base. Skin conditioning carrot root and clean essential oil fragrance notes.
Boar bristle isn't the same as badger, but for $23.99, it won't break the bank. Plus, the kit is "70% Organic - 100% Vegan." What's with this 100% vegan designation? Back in April we posted a reader review about the Personna Matrix3 Razor which also lists itself as 100% vegan. Does that mean no animal parts were used in making these products? Seems like an odd thing to emphasize when a products might contain ceramics or metal. Kind of like saying a product is 100% earthen because it was made on Earth.
ShavingSupplies.com - Shave Center of the Internet
Came across this site recently in our world wide web travels - ShavingSupplies.com - which should be interesting to all you old-school straight-razor shavers.
We hope you enjoy the extensive selection of shaving products all of which are top quality and reasonably priced. We are the exclusive retailer of "Eagle Brand" straight razors from Thiers Issard in France and also feature many razors from DOVO and MERKUR of Solingen, Germany.
Not only do they bill themselves as the "Shave Center of the Internet", but they also claim to be "The KnifeCenter of the InterNet". And if you're in need of a little extra defense, click on over to their SecurityCenter section and stock up on Tactical Flashlights, Hand Cuffs, and Pepper Spray.
ShavingStuff reader Daniil sent in a link to this vintage 1967 commercial for Noxzema medicated shave. Does it stand the test of time? Er... well... it's still around, so I guess yes.
As for the man shaving, it's painfully clear that he's clean-shaven under all that Noxzema. Otherwise he'd be in serious pain given the way he shaves.
And in case you're wondering, Noxzema Medicated Shave is still around today. $3.75 for a 11oz bottle. Guess it really does stand the test of time.
A couple month ago I received the Dad's Old Time Razor Set from the Nashville Knife Shop. At first I was psyched to try this set, which includes a badger brush, brush and razor stand, Muehle-Pinsel Shaving Soap with Aloe, and a safety razor and razor blade. As time went by I realized this set was going to expose me as a fraud. I have no experience shaving with a real razor. My life has been confined to cartridges and electronics. And any straight razor which has touched my face has been in the able hands of a trained professional.
Alas, I have not used the safety razor. But I have used everything else.
First off - badgers rule. Do yourself a favor and get a badger-hair brush. The one included in the set is awesome. The Nashville Knife Shop has several individual shaving brushes for you to choose from, ranging in price from $29.99 to $395.00. The low-end badger hair ones will work just fine for you.
Second, you're going to need a stand. Don't skimp out here and ignore this. You want your brush to dry upside down so that the water can fall out. The Nashville Knife Shop has brush stands from $3.95 to $24.95. Personal preference as to what you want. The $3.95 one looks, well, like it costs $3.95. I like the simplicity of this $19.95 one or this (pictured) $24.95 one which also has a slot for your razor.
Now, if you're a Gillette/Schick razor man, you can stop right here. But if you're old-school straight or "safety" razor, click on over the Nashville Knife Shop's razor selection and feast you eyes on these beauties. My advice if you're looking for a recommendation on a straight-razor or shaving soap is to head on over to LeisureGuy's guide to the gourmet shaving experience and see what he has to say. The man is a review machine. He puts me to shame.
On top of all of this, the Nashville Knife Shop also has knives. Who knew? Cutlery, sporting, hunting, even Swiss Army knives. If it needs cutting, you're sure to find a blade for the job.
Our newest friends over at the Nashville Knife Shop just sent over Dad's Old Time Razor Set. That's "dad's" as in "old-school" shaving. The set comes with everything you see here -
pure badger shaving brush along with a cake of Muehle-Pinsel Shaving Soap with Aloe (in it's own convenient plastic storage case). Includes metal stand, sample razor blade.
Not too shabby, dad. I've already broken into the shaving brush, and I can tell you - badger makes a difference. Much better than the synthetic I'd been using before.
We'll be trying this set out over the next couple weeks. Expect a full report soon. In the meantime, click over to the Nashville Knife Shop and see what other shaving products (and knives!) they've got. The Dad's Old Time Razor Set is $79.99.
Hand-Crafted Straight Razors from Knife Maker Frank Warner
Knife Maker Frank Warner recently started making straight razors, and they are a thing of beauty. "... spring steel, anodized titanium and presentation grade gold lip mother of pearl handles." Check out this page of straight razors to see what I'm talking about. They aren't cheap. The Gold Lip Straight Razor, which is the only one currently available, is $400. But here's why:
Frank performs nearly all production phases of his knives himself, from design to profiling, drilling, shaping, heat-treating, polishing and final sharpening. Occasionally he will engage the services of a jeweler or another knifemaker for assistance with tasks for which he lacks the proper tools or confident expertise. All of his knives come with a certificate of authenticity guaranteeing that they are one-of-a-kind custom handcrafted knives and a full 90-day warrantee against defects in materials and workmanship.
Every so often it's good to get put in your place. And today that's happening to me. I recently was emailed by the author of LeisureGuy's blog about a specific post he had written entitled A guide to the gourmet shaving experience. As I clicked over and watched my browser's scroll-bar start to shrivel, I felt that twinge of embarrassment set in. Here was a true shaving master.
LeisureGuy's post a guide to the gourmet shaving experience is easily the most broad and informative piece I've ever read on shaving with safety razors. He gently guides you through shaving creams, soaps, razor types, lather bowls, shaving brushes, how to hold a razor, how to clean a razor... - the list goes on. There's also personal experience, reader comments, PDFs, video, links, and more. "How's his punctuation," you ask? "Exemplary."
Here's an example of this style:
Using a safety razor puts you in charge, and going from a multi-blade cartridge to a safety razor is akin to going from an automatic transmission to a manual: you can get better performance by being more in control, but you must learn how to use it and practice your technique and pay attention to what’s going on.
LeisureGuy keeps this post up to date with the latest news, anecdotes, and advice. It's a living document. He's also recently published a list of recommended products for safety razor beginners. I have no doubt that page will grow to rival the other. Check back every so often and find out what's new.
Shaving. It's everywhere now. Even on YouTube. Mantic59 has started regular broadcasts on old-school shaving. So far he's got three videos on traditional wet-shaving, a quickie on Internet resources, and part one of an introduction to single-blade shaving (which is the one above).
This stuff isn't Mentos in Diet Coke, or high-school cheerleaders imitating OK Go, but it's not the driest stuff I've seen either. Plenty of 50s cartoons and black and white home-ec films interspliced with razors, blades, and demonstrations. View Mantic59's entire playlist here.
Reminder: The 3rd International Shaving Collectibles Meeting
As we mentioned back in July, the third annual International Shaving Collectibles Meeting is coming up - October 21-22 - in West Chester, Ohio. Whether you're a collector, vendor, or just a casual shaving enthusiast, there's something for everyone.
A few of the highlights of this year’s meeting on October 21-22 are presentations on Straight Razors, the Resurgence of the Vintage Schick Safety Razors, and a new Patent-Finding Feature on the International Organization for Shaving Memorabilia’s Web site. And, of course, there will be beautiful displays, buying and selling, a great deal of “Shaving Collectibles” talk, and more.
All the information you need, including links to the 2004 and 2005 meetings, is at this page. Registration is $75. Bring your wife for an additional $20. "Coffee and sweet rolls will be available in the morning." Mmm... sweet rolls. That's reason enough to go.
Proraso Products at Bath and Body Works Under the C.O. Bigelow Name
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