Thread: JS Sloane Shave Soap

I had a good conversation with a senior barber at my local Tommy Gun's and this is the stuff she was endorsing.



Interestingly enough, she was also telling me to ignore the classic shave soaps (like Taylor of Bond Street) they had in store because they tend to dry up quickly.
Given their generous return policy, I decided to give it a shot.

I put some on my skin, and it did feel slick, and slicker than the cream that they use to shave their customers.

I tried a single shave with it so far, using my brush and the white proraso preshave, and oh boy was I feeling a bit of a burn after (even though my alum block didn't sting). The instructions made it sound like it was intended for face lathering.
WRONG. It really doesn't spread in the brush and face like other creams. It is more of a gunk. And it sticks to my razor big time.

So far, not so great. I'm going to try spreading a good layer with my fingers for my next shave.

My experience with a lot of creams is that they are designed as brushless and will not work well in the traditional manner with a brush. I tend to shy away from cream products from places like Tommy Guns as the barbers their are not old style barbers.

Bob

Try adding a dollop, to a bottom tier soap. You might be surprised. I do it with Williams mug and Cremo. Makes for an excellent lather n shave. Just a way to use it up, instead of just throwing it in the trash. Though u said they have a good return policy.

After a few shaves, here's my observations.

First, this is not to be watered down like cremo. Your face needs to be dripping wet and that's it.
Second, more the merrier. Putting it thick makes a big difference. I had a shave where I felt this good greasy feeling afterwards, something Proraso and Van set Haden never did.
Third, hot water is necessary to wash off your razor. This thing won't dissolve much with cold water.

”Interestingly enough, she was also telling me to ignore the classic shave soaps (like Taylor of Bond Street) they had in store because they tend to dry up quickly.”

As someone who - like many of us, I suppose - owns more shaving creams and soaps than absolutely necessary, I have not made this observation with my British (primarily Taylor and D.R. Harris) shaving soaps when I use them from time to time, but of course I cannot tell how many years these Brit shaving soaps have been gracing the shelves of this particular barber shop.

As the “drying up quickly” statement contradicts my own experience, I wonder how accurate the other information from this “senior barber” is.

I have no idea what qualifies one to call oneself a “senior barber”, but I found that statements made by some people who profess to be “in the know” need to be taken with an occasional grain of salt.

Based on your initial experience with this product, and considering that I have not come across many complaints of Brit shaving soaps drying up, I don’t believe I shall give this product a try.


B.

I did not take the time to look up the link, but there is a YouTube video of a professional barber giving a luxury shave to a customer. He uses a standard soap and shave brush to prepare the beard, but he removes that lather. Before the shave, the barber applies a non-lathering cream to the client's face.

I have tried a few brushless creams. Some, like Cremo and Pacific Shaving Caffeinated, are soap based and can be used brushless, but they can also be used with a brush with water added. When I travel, I bring along a tube of Cremo and a brush. When water is added, it is one of the slickest soaps/creams I have ever used, but cushion is lacking, so I use soaps at home.

Others, like Alba Botanica cream, Shea Moisture Shave Butter, and Every Man Jack cream, are not soap based. It is impossible to generate a lather with these soaps. It sounds like JS Sloane is similar. They might work fine with a barber's shavette or straight razor, but they tend to clog up a DE razor. Since they are not soaps, you have to disassemble the DE razor for clean-up. Sometimes I use the Shea Moisture butter in the shower as part of my preshave ritual.

After more tries,I found that this "good greasy" feeling is an artifact of insufficient rinsing. I also agree about the lack of cushion. I did get a few nicks now and then.