Shopping list for newbie - many questions!

Ross-kl · Post by **Ross-kl** » Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:57 pm

Hi everyone, I'm a British ex-pat here living in the tropics but going back to the UK next week. I had a shave from the barber for the first time in my life the other week and was impressed by how slick he was and the finish I got.

Well I came home and started googling about to see how I could emulate him myself and lo and behold I found the forum. After some fruitless attempts to register I am now finally in and wish to thank admin (Chris & John) for helping me out. Right I needs me some info/help.....

I want to get a holder and bowl like this Omega:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OMEGA-10049-1 ... 2184wt_772

But minus the shaver, can someone recommend me where I can do this?

Since I will be back in England I need to stock up and have short listed some shaving creams as follows, what would you add to the list?

Truefitt & Hill 1805 Almond £10.50
Proraso Sandlewood £7.95
Proraso Menthol £7.95
Tabac
Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet £23
DR Harris Lavender £8.95
Musgo Real £9.99
Geo F Trumper Eucris £9.00

Soaps:
Tailors old Bond St. Eaton College £7.95

For the brush:
http://www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk/acatal ... ushes.html

I'm mulling over the super badger with bulbous handle for £45.

Razor:
So far Gillette Fusion for me.

I've not decided yet on pre shave oil/cream or aftershave yet. I will need to hoard up a little as shipping to the tropics is a pain and things get stolen/broken in transit.

Kind regards

jww · Post by **jww** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 5:54 am

Welcome to SMF Rkl.

You have a nice list of stash for your initial stock and supply.

The brush is a nice looking one as well. You may want to do a couple of things -- purchase a smaller one as well as a boar to go with it --- I know we all talk about not mixing things up too much initially, but that relates to when one starts out with a DE or straight. With the Fusion, I would think you can mix it up constantly, and three different brushes will give you some fun to work with.

If you go with a boar, my faviourite is my Semogue 1305, but I also have owned an Omega 1066 which is also a very nice boar brush.

Insofar as pre-and post shaving oil - I am a Skin Food man myself -- because it's glycerin based, I find it far superior to oils. Not everyone is a pre-shave guy --- so ymmv on that front.

Also -- I'd get some Trumpers creams in tubes as well while you are "back 'ome". They last a good while (I have 3 which I bought 4 years ago and because of the way I rotate my creams and soaps, I still have a couple of year on them at least. Limes, rose and sandalwood are my personal favourites.

DR Harris lavender is my favourite lavender soap by far. And if you like citrus scents, Arlington hits it out of the ballpark for me. Again, ymmv, as not everyone is a fan of the scent.

Tabac is another standby. I like to get sticks as they store well and travel the best of any lathering product, imo.

Enjoy your trip home -- wish we were there with you ..... nothing like summer months in the UK --- even when it rains.

You gonna be there for the Olympics???

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:45 am

Hello Ross, welcome aboard.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 2:23 pm

don't do the tabac as a cream, do it as a soap (better product).
try arko soap. (tallow and will make you wonder why you paid more for other stuff)

i'm finding out, as a rule of thumb, only soap worth having will have tallow. no vegggie soaps, please.

try castle forbes lavender cream. OMG! it's the best lavender you'll find!

try mitchell's woolfat. most creamy lather you'll ever experience but has a lot of cushion so don't expect a close shave.

try some creams from bulgaria. "mystic men" for one

preshave oils are a waste

this is all my opinion only, on the stuff i like.

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 3:36 pm

I agree on the preshave oils being a waste, but if you have it you aren't forced to use it. If you need it and don't have it, well, you can make your own, it's not magic. I find a good face prep worth far more than the PSO. 3 minutes face lathering does it. Simple, and lather needs to be made anyway. Kill 2 birds with one stone. Of course YMMV.

Gil, I don't want to hijack this gents thread, but have you ever tried Provence Sante or Martin deCandre? Not tallow and pretty fantastic, esp' the MdC. But of course they are French and he won't find MdC in England, only on their website or at the abbey or whatever it is.

Ross, if you see Provence Sante it might be worth a try, as I wrote, you won't find MdC; unless it's used.

If you have soft water you can lather anything and suggestions fly out the window. You know if you do, but we don't have that information.

Just brainstorming here...
How long will you be in England? If you know where you'll be staying is it possible to get things sent to the hotel or whatever? Have them hold it for you until you take delivery of the items? Just a thought. If that's possible MdC is a really good soap; quite expensive, but in a class all it's own. The possibility of mail order opens up a great many options. But I have no idea how hard customs will hit you. You'll need to do some legwork maybe.

Ross-kl · Post by **Ross-kl** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 11:42 pm

Hi fellas, many many thanks for your replies. I shall be spending a few hours now to look into all your recommendations and to edit my list.

So am I right in thinking that soaps are a better option than creams? I'm into health and I would rather put on the least amount of chemicals on my face as possible.

@jww, Yes I shall be there over the Olympics. I'm not too hip on the cold weather but in the summer, England is very very nice. The heat in the tropics gets unbearable at times.

@shadowdad, I'll be going back home to the family house in England after a hiatus of a year in the tropics, I have no problems with mail ordering, in fact all of my shopping will be done mail order. Really looking forward to it.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 4:42 am

for creams you may try Queen Charlotte Soaps. a family run business with a quality product and great fragrances

jww · Post by **jww** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:45 am

RKL - the soap vs cream discussion is one that has been going on for eons. It's not that creams or soaps are better, just different. From an implementation perspective, soaps will last longer, but will take more time and arguably more effort to produce lather, whereas creams will generally formulate a lather much more quickly.

Personally, I prefer some creams and some soaps. MWF is by far and away my favourite soaps -- but many will disagree with this because of its reputation of being hard to work with - which is a myth, imo, but ymmv.

My favourite creams are Trumpers -- although I admit that I still have yet to buy DR. Harris or Castle Forbes -- the latter being legendary for scent. Lavender is my favourite scent by a mile. Love anything lavender.

Enjoy the Olympics, but more importantly, enjoy "Jolly Ole....". My wife's family is from The North, and we try to go frequently, although it's been about 5 years since our last trip. I've been trying to angle a work trip the past couple of years, and it keeps being on-again-off-again. At the moment it's off-again. My favourite city in the UK has to be Edinburgh - love the smaller feel, but all the amenities. My favourite county is Derbyshire, with Yorkshire and Lancashire very close behind and tied for 2nd. The Lakes and North Wales are 3rd in line. We plan to get to Cornwall and Devon next trip --- sorry -- didn't mean to hijack the thread ......

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 9:40 am

Ross in my view the primary difference between soap and cream is the creams have stronger and more varied scents.

alcx77 · Post by **alcx77** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 4:33 pm

Your in the right place Ross for great information.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 1:38 am

Ross-kl wrote:Since I will be back in England I need to stock up and have short listed some shaving creams as follows, what would you add to the list?

Truefitt & Hill 1805 Almond £10.50
Proraso Sandlewood £7.95
Proraso Menthol £7.95
Tabac
Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet £23
DR Harris Lavender £8.95
Musgo Real £9.99
Geo F Trumper Eucris £9.00

Soaps:
Tailors old Bond St. Eaton College £7.95

Nothing. You'll be set for 3-5 years! All are good.

For the brush:
http://www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk/acatal ... ushes.html

I'm mulling over the super badger with bulbous handle for £45.

A classic. Soft and effective at the same time. I enjoy brushes that are stiffer and more "scrubby", but for making a good shaving lather you are not likely to beat the brush you've chosen.

Razor:
So far Gillette Fusion for me.

I've not decided yet on pre shave oil/cream or aftershave yet. I will need to hoard up a little as shipping to the tropics is a pain and things get stolen/broken in transit.

My personal bias: pre-shave product is unnecessary and a total waste of time & money. Aftershave is nice if you like it but also not necessary. Aftershave is in my opinion mainly a way for men to have an excuse to wear perfume. Not a bad thing at all - just not required for a top-quality shave.

jww · Post by **jww** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 9:39 am

notthesharpest wrote:
Ross-kl wrote:Since I will be back in England I need to stock up and have short listed some shaving creams as follows, what would you add to the list?

Truefitt & Hill 1805 Almond £10.50
Proraso Sandlewood £7.95
Proraso Menthol £7.95
Tabac
Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet £23
DR Harris Lavender £8.95
Musgo Real £9.99
Geo F Trumper Eucris £9.00

Soaps:
Tailors old Bond St. Eaton College £7.95
Nothing. You'll be set for 3-5 years! All are good.

Unless, of course, you wish to succumb to AD -- in which case, just keep buying -- anything you don't like or want can be readily flogged on the selling and trading forum!

SMF

Shopping list for newbie - many questions!

Shopping list for newbie - many questions!

Re: Shopping list for newbie - many questions!

Re: Shopping list for newbie - many questions!