Category — Soaps

When shaving your sacred beard to save your cowardly ass from the Pakistani Army, what product do you use?

News reports out of the Swat Valley in Pakistan have Taliban members shaving their trademark beards in an attempt to get the hell out of Dodge before the Pakistani military moves in.

Possibly they don’t expect nice treatment if captured. You think?

So, if you’re going to shave your beard and incur the wrath of Allah anyway, you might as well do it right.

You’re probably going to need a straight (or cutthroat) razor to get that bushy thing off.

I recommend the SIMCO brand. They’re made in Pakistan so you should be able to find one laying around someplace.

Lather up with an Arko shave stick from Turkey. Or, better yet, since the Swat Valley used to be a tourist paradise, see if there are any Valobra or Tabac sticks around in stashes your pals put together while ransacking hotels and tourist cottages.

Don’t forget a thorough hot-towel prep first!

You’re going to Hell for shaving that beard. Might as well treat yourself right while you do it.

Shaving scuttles have been around as long as men have been shaving themselves. There are some cool vintage ones on Ebay at any given time.

The idea is to keep your lather warm by keeping hot water in the bottom portion of a ceramic dish, while your soap/brush rests up above.

Some entrepreneurial potters out there are making very cool scuttles aimed at the modern wet shaver market. I like them, but at an average price tag of 45 bucks American, I can’t justify a purchase with three mouths to feed and an uncertain employment future.

I do like warm lather, though. What to do?

Fill a ceramic dog bowl with hot water. Set a free promotional latte mug in water, let brush stay warm in there.

Total cost of scuttle: about two Fusion cartridges worth.

Poor wet shaver's scuttle.

It’s nearing Christmas time, which means lots of TV advertising for electric shavers.

When I was a kid, I used to like the commercial for Norelco featuring Santa riding one of their razors down a slope as though it were a sled. The brand name at the end would morph into the spelling “Noel co”. Fun.

This year, we have the Braun Series 7 with ‘pulse-a-riffic’ technology. This thing sends out some kind of pulse that makes the skin ripple, thus providing a closer shave. Somehow.

I checked this little number out on Amazon. While it lists for $269.95, you can get it now for a mere $225, though that price is so low they aren’t allowed to show it unless you click a special link.

Two Hundred Twenty-Five Dollars for an electric shaver. Just wow.

Ladies, Wet Shavers Blog would like to provide you a service if shaving is your goal for your man’s gift this year.

On the right sidebar, you’ll see selections pulled out of Amazon and gathered in one handy stop, all related to old-style wet shaving.

Nip in there and pick out:

• Razor. I’d go Merkur brand. The HD (Heavy Duty) is probably the best choice for a beginner.
• Blades. The razor will likely come with a couple of Merkur blades. Grab another pack just in case.
• Brush. Go wild here. A wet shaver’s first brush is a starting point. You needn’t put too much thought into this. Somewhere between $50 and $100 would secure a high-quality shaving brush that will last a lifetime.
• Cream or soap. For the $225 that Braun is going for, we have enough room left in our budget for a top-shelf shaving cream. Check out the George F Trumper’s or Taylor of Old Bond Street classic English shaving creams and see what scent you’d like, or think he’d like. These are among the finest shaving creams in the world.

If you like, grab some cologne or maybe a nice thick stoneware bowl or mug that he can make lather in. The bullet points alone will get enough gear to allow your man to have a shave Christmas morning; and start him down the path to a lifetime of enjoyment.

I’m sure ’sonic-pulsing-gizmonics’ electric shavers are nifty items. I’m not sure guys love them the way they do wet shaving.

Take a chance and be a little different this year. I’m virtually certain you and he will be glad you did.