Thread: L'occitan Shave Gel- Not For The Straight Razor Enthusiast.

I love the L'occitan Shave gel range and have 3 stocked from when I used a mach3 as my daily driver. After not using it for 6 months I gave it a try today, use 2x the amount I normally used. Gave my razor 60 laps and continued to shave. While the first pass was quite good, the ATG and the following XTG pass were horrible. The straight just wouldnt plough through, like it used to and even gave me a nice cut on my chin(Probably my bad for forcing it). So I stopped mid 3rd XTG pass, took my shower(Yes, I shower after I shave) finished off with my trusty old spice cream.
I'd give the fragrance a 10/10, it even left my face feeling slick, but I doubt if it was slickness vs artificial lubrication. While this is fine for my DE, it just does not work for my straight.

Anyone having any better results?

Not having used the product i can't say for sure but maybe it just needs to be wetter, if this is the case doubling the quantity would exacerbate the problem.

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Not having used the product i can't say for sure but maybe it just needs to be wetter, if this is the case doubling the quantity would exacerbate the problem.

+1 to this, I've had some nice creams perform poorly when being overzealous with the size of dollop. Said creams will dry out and glide diminishes to nothing.

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Not having used the product i can't say for sure but maybe it just needs to be wetter, if this is the case doubling the quantity would exacerbate the problem.

That's a very convincing point, I'd love to continue using this product, if it works.

So perhaps I need to use a brush instead of my hands to apply the gel/foam?

Not if it is something that doesn't lather up. Then you're just coating a brush, not aerating the gel into a lather. Try using a normal amount with wet hands and face then work it into the stubble with your hands.

I think you will just need to experiment to find what works. Different ratios, application methods etc. Do what you used to do but try adding more water.

As mentioned experiment with different ratios but with shave gels you shouldn't need to add water or even use a brush.

Your straight may not be up to par, you should not need to put any pressure so this could be the problem. If you can use it fine with your DE it will be fine with your straight, if not you know your edge needs looking at.

I use traditional soaps or creams for my straight (or double edge razor) shaves, as I do not believe that gels and foams from pressurized cans are optimized for a traditional shave that tends to take longer and where the outcome is more dependent on the proper moisturization of the beard.

I can't even remember when I last bought a can of shaving foam or gel, and you experience appears to prove me right.

B.


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