Thread: A shot in the dark

Originally Posted by Glock27

WhizBang. Is Proraso something which can be bought locally, or is it a special order on line. I like your strategy. For nigh on 40 years I have, at first, used barbasol shaving cream then other squirt cans. In time I graduated to soap and mug. I am currently using menthol "Creamo" and "Pacific", each from a local grocery. I have searched locally for pre-shave and "Somerset Oil" is all I can find and it is not worth a poop! There are a lot of exotics on line, but I have held to local stuff as it tends to fit my pocket better and I don't have to worry about re-ordering.

In Canada we have a national chain of drugstores called Shoppers Drug Mart and they carry the Proraso products. You may just have to shop around. Alternatively, you can use Noxema Classic face cream. Dirt cheap, available just about everywhere and it works exactly the same as Proraso preshave cream. The only difference for me is the scent. Noxema is okay...I take it with me when I travel, but I prefer the lovely scent of Proraso products...especially the green...even though it is a bit more expensive than Noxema.

Whizbang: Thanks for the feedback. I have looked at Noxema but never made the attempt. If I can find a small jar, as all I have noted have been large jars, I shall give it a go. What grade of a towel do you use and how hot do you get it. I remember the towels at the barber shop. I have used a wash cloth and put it on my face, holding it there for 30 seconds before the cloth goes cold. I guess the wrapping of the towel into a big puddle on ones face the heat is contained. Also I shave at convenient moments. Don't know that I have ever shaved after a shower. My beard grows slow. I can go for about 4 days before I absolutely have to shave. When my beard gets longer it seems to cause me comfort disability so I catch it usually on the third day. Again thanks for the reply.

I have used Noxzema for years, but a couple years ago, my wife brought home a tube of Trader Joe’s Honey Mango shave cream with aloe, and I have been using it as a pre-shave ever since.

She saw a guy putting 4 tubes in his cart, so she asked him about it. He said he was buying 2 for himself and 2 for his wife, and they hate to run out.

I use a dime size dollop on a wet face, as I am getting my gear out and stropping a razor, then just later over it. The aloe makes it very slick and lasts the whole 3 pass shave. A large tube is about $5-6 in the store and last me about 6 months. It does not have a strong sent and does not interfere with regular shaving soaps or creams.

My bride uses it on her legs.

Euclid440. Thanks for that. The last time I noted a Trader Joes was in Florida a whole bunch of years back. Guess the only option is to order on-line.

Originally Posted by Glock27

Whizbang: Thanks for the feedback. I have looked at Noxema but never made the attempt. If I can find a small jar, as all I have noted have been large jars, I shall give it a go. What grade of a towel do you use and how hot do you get it. I remember the towels at the barber shop. I have used a wash cloth and put it on my face, holding it there for 30 seconds before the cloth goes cold. I guess the wrapping of the towel into a big puddle on ones face the heat is contained. Also I shave at convenient moments. Don't know that I have ever shaved after a shower. My beard grows slow. I can go for about 4 days before I absolutely have to shave. When my beard gets longer it seems to cause me comfort disability so I catch it usually on the third day. Again thanks for the reply.

I bought a small jar of Noxema at Walmart...then when i realized how much I liked it, I bought a larger tub.

You call it a washcloth we call it a face cloth...same thing. I get hot water out of the tap and soak the face cloth and hold that up to my stubble (not over my whole face) and warm up the preshave cream and enjoy the scent and the warmness of the cloth, then I wipe it off and start face lathering. I suppose you could do an initial lather with soap, then do the face cloth routine and then face lather. I just enjoy the Proraso scent!

I've had good luck with Proraso, Castle Forbes and Kiehl's. All water soluble. I do lots of hot wet towel prepping with them and follow with same hot wet towel over lather for final prep before lathering & shaving. For me the better the prep the more enjoyable the shave becomes.

I like what Taylor Of Old Bond, Acqua Di Parma and Saponificio Varesino oils did to shave and my dry sensitive skin but found brush acquiring an oily build up especially with face lathering. Had to wash brush in dish soap to get it out. I have one brush that became the oil brush but I'm finding myself using those oils less and less.

I can't seem to get the hot towel thing down. I used a kitchen drying linin and it was no better than my wash cloth.

I used a terry cloth style hand towel for a long time and then last year I found some ribbed bar towels I like better.

I tried various towel preps but ended up with leaning over sink with a dripping hot wet towel using sink filled with 140F tap water. A bit on the messy side but only way I've been able to get results. When I've done it right there is almost no plinking sound as blade cuts hair.

I can't find it now but somewhere back there I read it takes about 4 minutes to fully hydrate whiskers. After a shower it's about 2 or so minutes for me. Sound and razor tug are my indicators.

Originally Posted by jmercer

I used a terry cloth style hand towel for a long time and then last year I found some ribbed bar towels I like better.

I tried various towel preps but ended up with leaning over sink with a dripping hot wet towel using sink filled with 140F tap water. A bit on the messy side but only way I've been able to get results. When I've done it right there is almost no plinking sound as blade cuts hair.

I can't find it now but somewhere back there I read it takes about 4 minutes to fully hydrate whiskers. After a shower it's about 2 or so minutes for me. Sound and razor tug are my indicators.

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. You can imagine what I have been through all these years. Mostly all I did was use a can of Barbersol foam. Only recently have I been engaged in a more sophisticated approach. Guess I will go a hand towel. Will Google Barber supplies to see what I come up with.