Shaving soap, mug, brush. Anybody?

[maxvintage]

Ok so I'm thnking of going to the shaving mug and brush dealio. I currently use Cremo in the plastic tube. I realize this might be annoying and have no desire to get into a political debate but we switched to shampoo in bar form partly to reduce the amount of single-use plastic we generate. So I'm thinking shaving mug instead of plastic tube. I shave in the shower.

I can remember my grandfather and father shaving this way, with a mug and brush, when I was very small. Also the safety razors and the used blades put into a slot in the medicine cabinet.

Shaving mug--pros? cons?

One con of the Cremo is I think it may contribute to drain clogging

 

[jkingma]

I use a mug/brush.
IMO the cost is pretty cheap per shave over the spray foam stuff - which is pretty miniscule either way.
Pros & cons...? None that I can think of. It's just what I use.

 

[LGOberean]

Sounds pretty old school. Are you going to use a straight razor? Get a razor strop?

Me, I go even more old school, as in not committing the unnatural act of shaving in the first place.

 

[The Angle]

I've been using the brush and soap combo since the mid '90s, mostly because I hate shaving and doing it with a little bit of style makes it almost tolerable. I have a friend who took the final step to a straight razor, but that's not in my future.

 

[ChicknPickn]

I used an Old Spice cake for years. Got into the whole safety razor thing. Merkur handle, Feather blades, the whole deal. Did that for a few years, ended up with Panasonic electric.

 

[drmordo]

I used a mug and brush for many years. Works fine.

Recently I got a GEM 1914 razor, which uses traditional single edged razor blades. You may want to look into that as well.

 

[TheOtherNeill]

I went that route for a while. The main advantage is that getting hot lather is bit easier which, along with a good badger brush, absolutely will make for a better experience. But the shaving cakes left me a little prone to razor burn (somewhat sensitive skin), and I went with a tub of good cream instead. I suppose I could have experimented a bit more, but I found a cream I fell in love with. I also switched to a double-edged razor, and that helped, as well: even decent double-edged blades tend to be better than cartridges, and require less pressure.

 

[Chester P Squier]

Also the safety razors and the used blades put into a slot in the medicine cabinet.

How does that work, putting the blades in the slot in the medicine cabinet? Where do the blades go? Down in the wall? Or is there a removable compartment in the medicine cabinet? I always thought the blades went down inside the wall.

I grew up in a house in north Louisiana. It had a slot in the medicine cabinet for blades. The family moved away over 50 years ago, just before I left the nest. When I got married to a local girl her in SE Louisiana, I took her to the town I grew up.

The house had been moved away. It was only about 5 or 6 years ago that my younger brother located where the house had been moved to. Neither of us has worked up the nerve to ask the current residents of the house for a tour, to see what they have done with the place.

But I wonder about the wall behind the medicine cabinet. Does it still have a pile of 50-60-70 plus year-old rusted blades stacked up in the wall?

Seems like my dad used a mug and a brush, but by the time I reached shaving age, it was shaving cream.

 

[Torz Johnson]

I don't use a mug, I just face-lather and float a small bowl in hot water to keep the lathered brush warm. The quality of shave you get with a proper cream or soap is so superior to canned shaving cream it's unbelievable. Plus my Feather blades cost 25 cents each and are so sharp it feels like you're just wiping whiskers off of your face.

 

[Esquire Jones]

Sandalwood soap puck sits in a small bowl. Brush to whip up the suds. Transfer to second bowl to create super thick cream. Apply liberally to face. Merkur safety razor with Personna or Feather blades.

Shaving perfection. And actually super cost effective. My wife bought me the set about five years ago and I rolled my eyes. I thought it was a little foo-foo, over the top.

Really good system.

 

[3fngrs]

Sandalwood soap puck sits in a small bowl. Brush to whip up the suds. Transfer to second bowl to create super thick cream. Apply liberally to face. Merkur safety razor with Personna or Feather blades.

Shaving perfection. And actually super cost effective. My wife bought me the set about five years ago and I rolled my eyes. I thought it was a little foo-foo, over the top.

Really good system.

I used that same combination but these days I just do a little light trimming for marryins and buryins. I haven't actually shaved in years.

 

[cometazzi]

I'm a somewhat recent convert to a safety razor. I tried the soap puck/mug/brush thing for awhile but could never get it to work to my satisfaction.

For all the dabbing and swirling and heating and everything, I still ended up with way better results using plain ole Barbasol shaving cream in the can.

I realize this means I'll never be a Real Man(tm).

 

[Esquire Jones]

I should add that my most favorite feature of the puck, brush, safety razor system is cost. Super inexpensive.

But I find it gives a great shave, too.

 

[HoodieMcFoodie]

My wife bought me a safety razor for Christmas 2 years ago. I was a bit confused about it (I thought it was a strange gift) but eventually I gave it a try and found I really liked it. So I invested in a badger bristle brush and some Proraso green tea and oatmeal shave soap in a tub. I lather up straight from the tub and find I really like the whole ritual of it. I'm moving to Feather brand blades as the Astra ones I use at the moment come from Russia. Feather blades are made in Japan.

 

[JL_LI]

I used to travel a lot. A whole lot. Inevitably something gets left home. I want to reception at a Courtyard and asked for a razor and shaving gel. The young lady behind the counter gave me a razor and offered her personal secret. She said, "The razor isn't the greatest and the gel is worse. I use the conditioner in the shower. Rub it in and you won't get a nick, even with a disposable razor." How'd she know that? Thinking about it was my fantasy for the night.

And she was right. I've never left a hotel since without taking the conditioner with me.

 

[Recce]

Sounds pretty old school. Are you going to use a straight razor? Get a razor strop?

Me, I go even more old school, as in not committing the unnatural act of shaving in the first place.

View attachment 968282

Where are the rest of the characters in Duck Dynasty? LOL

 

[Kandinskyesque]

Puck, bowl, brush and safety razor for me.
Twice per week during a long soak in the bath.
Every couple of months, I get the open razor at the barbers and the sideburns trimmed.
The only time I'll have an extra shave, is for funerals (a rule my father insisted on when I was younger and I'm still happy to respect).
I love the ritual of a slow shave, even the rinsing and clearing up afterwards.

 

[Recce]

I use a threye blade razor and gel cream from a can. Y’all might convince me to try something else. I do shave in the shower.

 

[985plowboy]

I shave by feel in the shower using the conditioner that’s in my hair.
When I was in college my roommate bought a straight razor and mug and soap cake and brush.
It looked soooooo cool.
He stuck with it for a while, then went back to regular.

He described it as all the pain, discomfort and aggravation of regular shaving but without actually removing the facial hair.
But, he didn’t cut himself too badly so no harm done.
I assume a better razor would have helped.

 

[Ron R]

Mug and brush here, with a safety razor. I use either soap or a product from Art of Shaving that's similar to Cremo. Mug and brush reduces the amount of it I use.