This morning I took my proprietary shave soap formula #10 (SS#10), and added a post-cook moisturizing ingredient to the lathering bowl (making this shave soap SS#10A). As I suspected, the natural soap was an effective emulsifier, allowing the fatty moisturizer, which is similar to the oils that the skin naturally produces, to readily dissolve in the lather.
I used a straight-bar DE razor, my stock Merkur 33C, with an Astra SP blade that had the better part of a week's shaves on it. I did a full-on three-pass shave and then, to go for a really smooth shave, an extra bit of buffing as a partial fourth pass all around under my jaw line and on my cheeks.
The resulting shave was close and surprisingly comfortable. After the shave, the alum block revealed some, but not significant, skin irritation in the areas where I did the fourth pass and on my lower neck, where the skin is always sensitive. However, the good news is that though the alum indicated minor irritation, there was no transient post-shave burn in those sensitive areas. Basically, this morning's shave was about as comfortable as I have had, and as a result, again needed no after-shave balms, lotions, or anything else. Just a splash of cool water to rinse off the alum, and my skin felt good. On with the day!
I will continue to test and compare SS#10 with the added moisturizer. But so far, and especially with the added moisturizing tweak, this one continues to impress.
[UPDATE: This SS#10A formulation has consistently been good, so I've made a test puck with the moisturizer incorporated so no doctoring is necessary. This #10A formulation is now my go-to shave soap.]
Happy shaving!
I used a straight-bar DE razor, my stock Merkur 33C, with an Astra SP blade that had the better part of a week's shaves on it. I did a full-on three-pass shave and then, to go for a really smooth shave, an extra bit of buffing as a partial fourth pass all around under my jaw line and on my cheeks.
The resulting shave was close and surprisingly comfortable. After the shave, the alum block revealed some, but not significant, skin irritation in the areas where I did the fourth pass and on my lower neck, where the skin is always sensitive. However, the good news is that though the alum indicated minor irritation, there was no transient post-shave burn in those sensitive areas. Basically, this morning's shave was about as comfortable as I have had, and as a result, again needed no after-shave balms, lotions, or anything else. Just a splash of cool water to rinse off the alum, and my skin felt good. On with the day!
I will continue to test and compare SS#10 with the added moisturizer. But so far, and especially with the added moisturizing tweak, this one continues to impress.
[UPDATE: This SS#10A formulation has consistently been good, so I've made a test puck with the moisturizer incorporated so no doctoring is necessary. This #10A formulation is now my go-to shave soap.]
Happy shaving!
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