I don't know about y'all but my journey down the path of wet shaving has exposed me to several new personal care items.
Early on it made sense to grab some Brylcreem and Groom n Clean. Now I have found a few artisan crafted pomades (The Holy Black and Nostalgic in GTB scent) which seem to agree more with my hair and scalp.
Before I went wild with shave soaps I was buying artisan made body soaps, some better than others but all of them fun to smell. Other than Williams Mug soap I have not used a commercial made soap on my body for a few years. Yes, I use Williams as a shower soap from time to time, it is a good way to rotate partially used pucks out of the den. Artisans like Stirling and Chiseled Face have been my body soap goto of late ...mostly CFG. I also have a seemingly endless stash of my own homemade soaps which end up in the shower, few have disappointed but even fewer really impressed.
Shampoo bars? Yup, I first got one of these as a Christmas present from my Bingle Buddy and I loved it. I want to say it was made by taconic and was in BayRum scent but I may be wrong. I have also tried WSP's shampoo bar (when it was in development), I thought it was great but never came back for more. Just recently I purchased a couple shampoo bars from Lisa (LNHC), the name is near impossible for me to say but you'll know it when you see it. I tried it last night and this morning and found it to be incredible, WAAAAY beyond just good.
While we are on the topic of hair and scalp...How 'bout that Jeris, or maybe clubman hair tonic. I actually have enjoyed a variety of hair tonics on this journey, all of which worth repeating. ...of course I add a pinch or ten of menthol to mine because menthol is a gift from the gods.
Aftershave and balm? Mustache Wax? SOLID cologne? Done it all. If you have never seen solid cologne it is an interesting beast worth trying (although it is a bit expensive to do a blind buy).
Witch Hazel, never touched the stuff before I set off down the road to shave nervana. I find the stuff excessively stinky so I add menthol, glycerin, castor oil and essential oils to make it a pseudo aftershave. I've not been able to bring myself to buy the more expensive brands/scents but will admit a bottle will likely last a long time.
Speaking of long lasting... most of these artisan products have a fairly long life in the den. Bath/Shower soap being the quickest to be consumed (1-2 weeks per bar). My recent experience with Lisa's shampoo bar has me thinking my 2 bar purchase will last me until AT LEAST Christmas if not longer. Solid Colognes seem like they would be impossible to ever use up completely ...unless you live alone and have no visitors. Other than bath soaps, I am struggling to come up with an artisan product that is consumed so quickly you be concerned about running out. Compared to the $.99 cent store soap an artisan soap costing $3-$6 per bar may seem expensive...compared to a small juice it up pina coolada or a frapadapa from starbucks a bar of artisan soap isn't so intimidating. The killer is shipping (face it, the PO makes a ton of cashola from us soap freaks...and it aint getting cheaper) but when you stock up or add a bar to a shaving soap order it aint so bad. Being the thrifty guy that I am, I swing by The Groomatorium and pick up a half dozen IMPERFECT bars (at a discount) now and then.
I guess another fair question is whether all these artisan products actually end up costing us more than our old habits. If you bought everything at the $.99 cent only store, yes it does. If you purchased at Target or Walmart maybe not. I am fortunate enough to have skin that doesn't care what kind of scum I wash with. Unfortunately, my hair and scalp DO care. I used to buy shampoo and hair gel from the dollar store and suffer the worst dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. I tried Clubman hair gel, like the smell and feel but it set my head ablaze the same as the dollar store stuff. Artisan soap (or shampoo) combined with a basic artisan pomade seems to have been a life saver.
So, what say you? Have you found and enjoyed new grooming care products you may never have considered had you not gone down this road? Do you find these new products offer a good value and/or offer a benefit you deem priceless?
Early on it made sense to grab some Brylcreem and Groom n Clean. Now I have found a few artisan crafted pomades (The Holy Black and Nostalgic in GTB scent) which seem to agree more with my hair and scalp.
Before I went wild with shave soaps I was buying artisan made body soaps, some better than others but all of them fun to smell. Other than Williams Mug soap I have not used a commercial made soap on my body for a few years. Yes, I use Williams as a shower soap from time to time, it is a good way to rotate partially used pucks out of the den. Artisans like Stirling and Chiseled Face have been my body soap goto of late ...mostly CFG. I also have a seemingly endless stash of my own homemade soaps which end up in the shower, few have disappointed but even fewer really impressed.
Shampoo bars? Yup, I first got one of these as a Christmas present from my Bingle Buddy and I loved it. I want to say it was made by taconic and was in BayRum scent but I may be wrong. I have also tried WSP's shampoo bar (when it was in development), I thought it was great but never came back for more. Just recently I purchased a couple shampoo bars from Lisa (LNHC), the name is near impossible for me to say but you'll know it when you see it. I tried it last night and this morning and found it to be incredible, WAAAAY beyond just good.
While we are on the topic of hair and scalp...How 'bout that Jeris, or maybe clubman hair tonic. I actually have enjoyed a variety of hair tonics on this journey, all of which worth repeating. ...of course I add a pinch or ten of menthol to mine because menthol is a gift from the gods.
Aftershave and balm? Mustache Wax? SOLID cologne? Done it all. If you have never seen solid cologne it is an interesting beast worth trying (although it is a bit expensive to do a blind buy).
Witch Hazel, never touched the stuff before I set off down the road to shave nervana. I find the stuff excessively stinky so I add menthol, glycerin, castor oil and essential oils to make it a pseudo aftershave. I've not been able to bring myself to buy the more expensive brands/scents but will admit a bottle will likely last a long time.
Speaking of long lasting... most of these artisan products have a fairly long life in the den. Bath/Shower soap being the quickest to be consumed (1-2 weeks per bar). My recent experience with Lisa's shampoo bar has me thinking my 2 bar purchase will last me until AT LEAST Christmas if not longer. Solid Colognes seem like they would be impossible to ever use up completely ...unless you live alone and have no visitors. Other than bath soaps, I am struggling to come up with an artisan product that is consumed so quickly you be concerned about running out. Compared to the $.99 cent store soap an artisan soap costing $3-$6 per bar may seem expensive...compared to a small juice it up pina coolada or a frapadapa from starbucks a bar of artisan soap isn't so intimidating. The killer is shipping (face it, the PO makes a ton of cashola from us soap freaks...and it aint getting cheaper) but when you stock up or add a bar to a shaving soap order it aint so bad. Being the thrifty guy that I am, I swing by The Groomatorium and pick up a half dozen IMPERFECT bars (at a discount) now and then.
I guess another fair question is whether all these artisan products actually end up costing us more than our old habits. If you bought everything at the $.99 cent only store, yes it does. If you purchased at Target or Walmart maybe not. I am fortunate enough to have skin that doesn't care what kind of scum I wash with. Unfortunately, my hair and scalp DO care. I used to buy shampoo and hair gel from the dollar store and suffer the worst dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. I tried Clubman hair gel, like the smell and feel but it set my head ablaze the same as the dollar store stuff. Artisan soap (or shampoo) combined with a basic artisan pomade seems to have been a life saver.
So, what say you? Have you found and enjoyed new grooming care products you may never have considered had you not gone down this road? Do you find these new products offer a good value and/or offer a benefit you deem priceless?
