Combinations.... Mild to Sex Panther

Hey Guys,

Its the newbie again, few question regarding soaps/creams/aftershaves. I have always used barbasol with the mainstream gillette razors, but since recently I've obtained my first straight razor and changed products. I have only used the generic shave-set soap from amazon for the straight razor: Van Der Hagen Shave Set . To me, the soap has no scent and I have yet to obtain a the perfect lather with it (maybe just straight razor inexperience?)..... Maybe I should try a cream? I would be willing to try a soap again .

Prior to straight razor, I used Mens Dove Aftershave Lotion and felt as if it had the right amount of 'smell' for a common work day. If I wanted to smell like a sex panther, then I would use Curve after shave (weddings, parties, ect). Any products that compare in power of scent levels?

I dont have sensitive skin, but I would still like to moisturize post shave. I do not know if I am searching for a balm or lotion.
My wants:

Mildy scented combination recommendations (soap/cream +aftershave)

Sexy-Time combination recommendations (soap/cream +aftershave)

Least amount of chemically processed as possible (i.e. natural)..... Im not too hippy'ish, so it isnt the first desire but being natural is def a perk.

All natural according to EU regulations (which are, for unknown reasons, much stricter than FDA ones): Meißner Tremonia or Esbjerg. Esbjerg are mildly scented. Meißner Tremonia range from mild (Pots of Milk, Exotic Elemi) to not very mild (Strong and Scottish, Natural Bay Rum). Both seem to be expensive, but make up for their seemingly high price with incredible efficiency. Personally, I would go for the Esbjerg cream, and the Meißner Tremonia soap. Personal preference as far as scents are concerned: Esbjerg "Verbena" (citric, slightly floral), and Meißner Tremonia "Dark Limes" (Noomi Basra, ie dried limes), or "Gentle Menthol" (menthol, eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary). Since it's winter, Esbjerg aftershave milk, and Meißner Tremonia aftershave balm. The latter should hit your shores very shortly, and they are every bit as good as Baume.be (the best aftershave balm in the market in my opinion). For the record, Baume.be cream and ASB would also be nice. As would be Alvarez Gomez.

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Originally Posted by RobinK

Personally, I would go for the Esbjerg cream, and the Meißner Tremonia soap.

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I thought you would use either or, not both a soap and a cream? :thinking:

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Originally Posted by dghardyjr

I thought you would use either or, not both a soap and a cream? :thinking:

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The Esbjerg soap is OK, but a moving target. Depending on the batch, you get a good, or a very good soap. The Meißner Tremonia pastes are nice, but I am, at heart, a soap kind of person. And the soaps work like a charm. It is actually the only product I have been using on a regular basis for almost a year. I do throw in the odd Castle Forbes, Baume.be, or Green Mountain Soap, but only because I want to test whether they degrade in performance over time. They do not, so far.

Scent is subjective so you might want to try ordering some samples. It might also help to share your preferences. Some pople don't like citrus or floral scents, for example.

I think a couple of sure bets would be the Castle Forbes line of creams and aftershave balms. Also, Martin de Candre is known for being a top performer and smelling nice. I'm not sure if they sell a balm or lotion. Both of these products are pricey so my final recommendation is D.R. Harris. They have a range of scents in soap and creams plus aftershave lotions and balms.

I work at a hospital, with numerous asthmatics & copd patients. I dont want to have the patients room smelling like a barber shop, many times smells can exacerbate a persons respiratory status. But it would be nice to have a very mild smell. Ill check out some of the recommendations. The barber shop smell does intrigue me when it comes to weddings & parties. Any other must-haves?

Don't give up on the Van Der Hagen soap yet. Inexpensive, yes, but with the proper water/soap combination it produces a satisfying lather. As you look at various sites many of them offer small samples for sale of the soaps/creams they carry. That would be an less costly way to find the ones you will enjoy the most. If you know other straight razor users in your area see if they will give you a small sample of the ones they use.

On the left of the main page there is a Helpful Links box. Click on Local Help and check for South Carolina. Contact the person listed and see if he can get you some samples as well as answer any shaving question(s) you may have and possibly even arrange a face to face meeting.

Whelp i went with tabac soap & the aftershave lotion. I think they may be too overpowering for my profession, but I'll try it! I won't be using the cologne. There were mixed reviews on the strong-factor of the smell. I hope its on the milder side

Well...I'm going by the name of this one... Mickey Lee Soapworks - Pantiedropper.
Supposedly the ladies find the scent irresistible.
Might be worth a try!
I use Mickey Lee - The Kraken in my rotation, and it's fantastic soap.
Good luck!

Pete <:-}

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Originally Posted by dghardyjr

Whelp i went with tabac soap & the aftershave lotion. I think they may be too overpowering for my profession, but I'll try it! I won't be using the cologne. There were mixed reviews on the strong-factor of the smell. I hope its on the milder side

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I love Tabac soap and aftershave but would not have recommended it because because of the scent strength and your occupation.

Then there is also the possibility that you will smell like a child molester according to RobinK in post #6 here http://straightrazorpalace.com/soaps...ggesstion.html .

Bob

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Originally Posted by petercp4e

Well...I'm going by the name of this one... Mickey Lee Soapworks - Pantiedropper.

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This intrigues me :) Think I'll have to get this one in the rotation now too! Now I can see why you all get hooked, all these products looks irresistible! I want like 10 shave soaps already, and I haven't even gotten my second shave soap. I just got my first official straight razor like a week ago

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Originally Posted by BobH

Then there is also the possibility that you will smell like a child molester...

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I have read that before purchasing, but I say the Beatles wore it so yeah -screw the haters. Im still all ears for other suggestions

For No Scent I use Williams Mug Soap ($1.50 just about anywhere). It takes some work to learn how to get a good lather out of it, but in the end the lather smells like ivory soap and the scent washes away with the final rinse. For low scent aftershave I use a witch hazel, alcohol, and glycerin mixture. Nivea post shave balm also works well and has very little scent.

For sexy soaps and aftershaves, my wife prefers me to use captain's choice bay rum and aftershave followed by Safari cologne.

Soap samples are the way to go. Some you will like, some you will hate. Even if you hate them you can still use them to wash your hands with or give them away to other people.

I've been hooked on Le Pere Lucien lately. It has been really easy to get good results and leaves my face feeling moisturized. The fragrance they use is mild in strength and I don't notice any smell after about half an hour.

For something different you could try out a shave stick like Palmolive. It has a classic old time scent and produces a good lather.

Bob