Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Liquid Peppermint Soap
Lather: Proraso Eucalyptus and Menthol Croap
Brush: Turkish No6
Razors: Merkur 39C and Parker 22R, both with a Wilkinson Sword
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
…showing one of the dangers of using one while driving!
WARNING: The Happy Tree Friends can look cute and cuddly at first glance, but it’s not child-friendly… don’t look unless you got a dark and robust sense of humour.
Pre-shave: Body Shop Coconut Soap
Lather: Mike’s Coconut Soap
Brush: Vie-Long 14033
Razors: Merkur 39C and Parker 22R, both with a Wilkinson Sword
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Not the best presoap, but an overall very coconutty DFS
I am slowly – very slowly – getting to grips with the skill of using OpenSCAD to describe things. So far I’ve managed to come up with a ‘parametric’ file, where I can alter a variable or two to create different versions of the same object. And while the two extremes might be way too mild or way to harsh to shave with, the one in the middle might work reasonable well…
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Liquid Teatree Soap
Lather: RazoRock XXX
Brush: Semogue TSN 2012 LE
Razors: Merkur 39C and Parker 22R, both with a Wilkinson Sword
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Liquid Eucalyptus Soap
Lather: Mike’s Unscented Soap
Brush: Turkish No7 brush
Razors: Merkur 39C and Parker 22R, both with a Wilkinson Sword
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, alum and Thayers Witch Hazel
A major drawback – or benefit, depending on your point of view – of my line of work is that I sometimes gets to be away from home for extended periods of time… sometimes I know in advance, sometimes I don’t.
As mentioned before I keep a GoBag ready at all times, even if the contents vary from time to time. The newest addition now is my travel sized bottle of Thayers Witch Hazel, utilizing the space freed up by switching to a smaller bottle of body wash / shampoo. There is something of a challenge to getting the most comprehensive piece of kit into the smallest possible space; akin to what the participants in the Herioc Age of Antartic Exploration had to deal with – only less glorious and less cold.
Pre-shave:Dr Bronners Liquid Orange Soap
Lather: Mike’s Orange, Sandalwood & Black Pepper Soap
Brush: Vie-Long 14033 horse-badger brush
Razors: Merkur 39C and Parker 22R, both with a Wilkinson Sword
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
I’ve been a fan of Mike’s Natural Soaps for quite a while now – ordered my first soaps from him almost a year ago – but writing up a review is hard simply because it’s near impossible to do the soap justice.
I’ll admit it up front; Mike’s Natural Soap is one of my favorite soaps – if not THE favorite. Part of it is the pure performance – great glide, great cushion, don’t leave me dry… but part of it is also that all of Mike’s soaps performs the same. It don’t matter if it’s his Orange, Cedarwood & Black Pepper or his Barbershop – they are all good. Apart from the scent they might as well be one large soap – it’s just that consistent.
Whipping up some lather with Mike’s soaps is easy as pie for me – soak the brush, swirl over the soap for twenty, thirty seconds before switching to the bowl and building the lather for real. The latherbuilding is also where the scent really gets released; and while some of the samples I ordered from Mike’s isn’t my favorites, he has several really good ones – I think my favorite might be his Orange, Cedarwood and Black Pepper soap, which reminds me of orange soda…
Since I put in my first order, Mike has started selling his soaps in tins as well as twist-up shave sticks. They work as well as the bars, but with the added bonus of not having to provide your own container to keep the puck in.
Mike’s Natural Soaps gives a great shave and wont leave your face dry. It also comes in a great many fragrances, and Mike’s samples are most generous if you want to try several. What’s not to like?
Pre-shave: Pure glycerine soap
Lather: Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood Soap
Brush: TSN 2012 LE horse-badger brush
Razors: Merkur 39C and Parker 22R, both with a fresh Wilkinson Sword
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
A very nice shave, and a great way to start the week.