What a difference the right cream/soap can make...

When I started shaving with a straight, I was doing one pass WTG with the straight, then switching to a DE for XTG and ATG for a BBS quality shave.

After my face was "broken in", I finally managed to do XTG, then eventually ATG with a professionally sharpened straight. This went on for a couple weeks.

Then it seemed like I was always in a hurry, so I went back to one WTG with the straight, and follow up DE passes.

So last week I attempted to do XTG and ATG with a straight for the first time in quite a while. I was completely unable to. The blade skipped, hopped, pulled, and bit like crazy. I tried using every blade in my arsenal to no avail.

It turns out it was the cream. I wanted to use up my tub of TOBS avocado, so I had been using it every day for several weeks. I finally ran out, and I switched back to Tabac, in spite of the fact that I despise the smell.

I had forgotten just exactly how good this stuff was/is. It allowed me three full passes, as well as clean-up work after the last pass. The blade never skipped, bit, hopped... nada. Just smoooooth sailing. "Velvet squeegee" as someone here so eloquently put it.

Used with a few drops of glycerin, the stuff *really* rocks. I don't get any of the usual soap drying effect, and it seems to prevent the lather from drying out as fast. For lack of a better term, it gives you more "working time".

I thought I'd post this in the Newbie's Corner instead of under soaps/creams, cause there's a newb moral to my whole rambling: TOBS Avocado is a good newb starter cream, and Tabac just flat rocks as a soap, newb or otherwise.

It's amazing what a difference a decent lather makes. I've been struggling with Pecksniffs for the last few days. Still not got it right. It just seems that i can't get the right consistency & as a result there's not much cushion.

Yeah, good stuff makes a huge difference. You might want to try Collen's soaps and creams over at TGQ. Her soaps are the best shaving soaps I have ever used. Plus the scnets are so clean and natural. I don't use any other shave soaps now. I hear her creams rock, too!!

A good lather is indeed a fantastic shaving aid...half the battle, I reckon.

One question...why does everyone around here add glycerin? Tabac is a fantastic latherer on its own...what's the glycerin for?

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Originally Posted by JimR

A good lather is indeed a fantastic shaving aid...half the battle, I reckon.

One question...why does everyone around here add glycerin? Tabac is a fantastic latherer on its own...what's the glycerin for?

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I'm still pretty slow. Just a few weeks ago, I became fast enough on the first WTG pass that I was able to complete my entire face before the cream was too dried out. For my second and third passes, I usually have to stop at half face, rinse and re-lather due to the lather drying out too much.

Adding a few drops of glycerin doesn't really *improve* anything; it just gives slow guys like me more working time. I'm able to do a full face second and third pass using lather that has a few extra drops of glycerin in it, as it doesn't dry out as fast. When you live in a climate where the relative humidity is often single digits, it's appreciated. Stuff dries out *fast* here in the desert.

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Originally Posted by FloorPizza

I'm still pretty slow. Just a few weeks ago, I became fast enough on the first WTG pass that I was able to complete my entire face before the cream was too dried out. For my second and third passes, I usually have to stop at half face, rinse and re-lather due to the lather drying out too much.

Adding a few drops of glycerin doesn't really *improve* anything; it just gives slow guys like me more working time. I'm able to do a full face second and third pass using lather that has a few extra drops of glycerin in it, as it doesn't dry out as fast. When you live in a climate where the relative humidity is often single digits, it's appreciated. Stuff dries out *fast* here in the desert.

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Ahhh, I see that. An interesting challenge...Quite different from Japan! (My brushes take FOREVER to dry!)

You might try only lathering one part of your face at a time--lather, then shave. Lather, then shave. Just an idea...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FloorPizza

It turns out it was the cream. I wanted to use up my tub of TOBS avocado, so I had been using it every day for several weeks. I finally ran out, and I switched back to Tabac, in spite of the fact that I despise the smell.

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I too like the Tabac lather but the smell almost gags me...so lately I've been mixing it with other stuff to try to overpower the smell.

My favorite so far is Proraso.