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Hello guys,
Just wondering what are your favourite soaps and creams you can buy walking into a store?
Not that Williams was great but I do miss seeing it at the local Walmart. However they still have the tubs of Wilkinson Sword there for $4 which I really like!
Then the local drug stores carry proraso! That's about it near me.
What's available near you?
Proraso which I don't use
Creama which I don't use
Canned goo which I don't use
None of my favourite soaps/creams are available at a local brick and mortar store. Winners might rarely have something.
Bob
Well obviously we aren’t getting our favourite soaps and creams walking into a random Walmart or Rexall but what’s your choice if you had to use one of them.
You can get William's at Walgreens.com and it ships free to your local Walgreens.
I still like Van Der Hagen. Inexpensive but works great.
Actually on second thought, a favourite cream of mine, Maca Root, is available at The Body Shop locally. The other three commonly available are Proraso, Wilkinsons tub and AOS creams. The last three will do but not if I can get the Maca Root cream. The local Shoppers Drug Mart also started carrying Hawkins and Brimble but haven't used it enough to see if it is going to be a favourite or also ran.Quote:
Originally Posted by s0litarys0ldier
Bob
Kiss My Face brushless cream can be fairly readily found. Nonetheless, I don't use it as there are much better options that you can order on-line.
One of my local chemists (drug store) sells a good range of Tabac products. Shave soap pucks and sticks plus some of the Tabac after shave products.
People bash Van der Hagen but I find it to be quite passable. It may not be artisan soap but its... passable. It just needs to soak a little longer.
One thing I know for sure. I'd rather pay $5.00 for it than $30 for that ...stuff AOS sells. Biggest waste of money I've spent since Windows 8
Reading all posts above leads me to one conclusion: we are a bunch of spoiled brats.
Although I like Proraso Green a lot I must confess that I am thinking of buying a better soap or cream on line when I have finished the current tube.
The easiest to get anywhere I lived was - by far - Nivea shaving cream, but I do know that in some other countries Nivea does not sell their shaving creams.
We are in the process of relocating to Portugal and there I can easily find Lavanda, Nivea and Palmolive shaving creams, Musgo Real is available in dedicated Lisbon and Porto Claus Porto stores, plus some drugstores (perfumarias) and department stores, where I also find O Melhor and my current favourite, Antiga Barbearia de Bairro.
You can get Lavanda, which BTW makes a good substitute for pricey Musgo Real, Palmolive and Nivea pretty much everywhere.
Together with Mediterranean countries and Germany/Austria, Portugal is bliss for this sort of thing.
B.
Only things available in my area is.
Williams mug
Pinaud Clubman
VDH
Creamo
I enjoy the clubman, soap/ croap, nice cushion and glide.
As for the other three, I combine/ grate, the Williams mug and VDH in a mug. Build a lather, then add a dollop of cremo for an impressive uber lather, on the cheap.
The only creams we get is Qatar are Nivea and Denim. The Denim strangely enough is a quality cream, made in Italy.
A large part of travelling for me is going into supermarkets and chemist stores in other countries to see what is on offer. I have a enough soaps creams and for that matter aftershaves for a few years.
Yep, having flown for 34 years for an airline based next door in Dubai, this is pretty much what I did on my trips.Quote:
Originally Posted by easyace
The stash that I accumulated over the years was astounding, but before I retired and we moved house it was high time to do some serious pruning.
B.
In Dubai, I remember getting adp in one of the fancy big dept stores. Also body shop maca root at the malls which was my first, similarly my first brush. Going back 12 - 13 years though.
About the only soap or cream available at local stores in the Chicago area that I will use is Cremo. Although its performance is not nearly as good as the products I use routinely, it is my product of choice for travel. I carry a synthetic brush and can whip up a lather in a coffee cup from the hotel room. Although Cremo is designed to be used without a brush, I prefer lathering it with a brush.
It does produce a very slick lather. Unfortunately, the cushion and post shave feel are just average. Overall, it gets the job done, so it is a convenient product for travel.
If only Pasteur Pharmacy was my local pharmacy!
Looks like this place in Chicago has a lot of excellent shaving brands.Quote:
Originally Posted by RayClem
https://www.merzapothecary.com/
Bob
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
Mertz Apothecary is also known as Smallflower or Q Shaves. I have purchased from them. Although I live in the Chicago area, Mertz is hardly local for me They have two locations. One is downtown. One is in Lincoln Park. I live about 45 miles northwest of downtown. However, with the normal Chicago traffic, it is a two hour drive each way.
I only make the trip downtown once every 2-3 years.
I have purchased from Smallflower, but only online. I can order and get it delivered in 1-2 days. That is a lot less hassle than trying to visit in person.
You know I think I would make the drive at least once just to be able to walk into a place like that with all those shaving goods on display. As you say though ordering online is easier.Quote:
Originally Posted by RayClem
Bob
fortunately i'm only a hour away from Maggards in MI. Don't get there a lot, but They have definitely got a awesome selection. Of the two brick and mortars i've been to it's definitely the best.
Lucky - I’d love a visit to the Maggards physical store
There was no internet when I got started in this. Williams was my first and it never worked well for me. Of course, I knew very little in those days and I'm willing to believe it was my technique. An old barber advised that I add a little Noxema cold cream to the lather and I remember that helping. (I have no desire to revisit Williams.)
Then one day I found Poraso at the local Target and that was, to coin a phrase, a great leap forward. When Target stopped stocking Poraso, I turned to Van Der Hagen and that was a decent performer. It's easy to look down one's nose at VDH but it is a solid 'good' soap and it amazes me how many more expensive soaps don't work any better for me.
For perspective, my current go-to soap is Stirling which to my frugal mind offers performance that is worth the extra cost over VDH.
Semper circa,
LG Roy
I have the VDH luxury unscented soap and have to agree with you on how good it is. I just wish they sold it up here in stores. Good bang for the buck.Quote:
Originally Posted by Library Guy
Bob
Barber up the road aways has a small selection of Fine beand soaps and aftershaves+ a beauty supply place my wife will frequent sells tubes of Green Bugelow Cream.. Could live and be content with those for a while if needed..