I was thinking how much 'modern' shaving rips off the public.

That IS my last name. It is also the name of an island in the bay of Naples, Italy. It was seen in the Tom & Jerry cartoon when they went to Italy . Now, they spell it Nisida. On old maps my grandfather had, they spelled it Nisita

 

WHAT A COINCIDENCCE my family is from Italy too from Rome, they came to Mexico in 1906 so im nissim romano, at your service paissano

 

I never recycled my carts or cans. Rather, I'd cut down and chop up a sapling or two, stack it up with my used cart stuff, mix with farm diesel, and light. Saves the evnvironment from all that plastic in the landfill.

 

I've saved a ton of $$ since going the traditional shaving route. At east that is what I keep telling SWMBO

 

While most will spend more on DE and/or straight razor shaving, they will enjoy their shaving experience a lot more than with cartridges,or at least most will. Personally, I will, and have, saved significant money by switching to DE shaving over cartridges. However, I am thrifty by nature and like a quality bargain.

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Actually, I find that when it comes to shaving, old is better than new. You could save money, but what's the point? It's a hobby and an enjoyment.

Yes, older is greener too! Less waste, less packaging and a razor that lasts a lifetime!

 

Modern wet shaving cost me WAY more than $135/yr. I wore out cartridges/disposable razors after a couple of shaves. My cart/razor cost was almost double your estimate. My $ .02( And that's not just what I tell my wife.)

 

I like this thought. I find that it is not the money but the quality of the shaves I enjoy. I agree with @Bama Samurai that there are plenty of store products that give great shaves. They just do not have the HYPE of the more hand made stuff. Williams VDH and a few other that I can not remember the name of work great. I chose to not use can goo but it will work. I think it is a disservice to newer wet shavers to give the ideal that to have great shaves they need to go far away from what they can buy in the store.

@Tim Spencer the research for this post is awesome. Thanks for taking the time to work that up and post it.

 

Well, I don't think modern foam in a can is as good as shave soaps I've tried the past year since starting this hobby. I've had a few poor soaps and one of them was from Geo F Trumpers, which is a bit of an upscale corporate company. The modern razors are *NOT* on the same comfort level as the older razors. I tried every modern razor over the years. Even the gimmicky 4 and 5 blade razors that leave major razor burn on my neck. I was only able to find ONE modern razor, a disposable, that was a comfortable shave. When I started buying vintage razors and shaving with them I got more comfortable shaves and fewer nicks/cuts. However, there are scientifically proven ingredients in modern products that protect and help skin recover faster, which are in artisan aftershaves and not in modern aftershaves. The modern shave balms clog pores and cause risk of infection/acne. Most artisan aftershaves have good components for skin care that are superior to the corner-cutting corporations.

 

For me, only high-end new stuff rivals vintage. For example...I like the timeless razor and Gillette techs and fatboys.
Modern tends to cost wayyyyyy more though.

You can definitely find good "new" items on the cheap. I will absolutely always keep pinaud products in my den, for instance.

I am at the point where I can truly get a good shave with anything, but I prefer to have a luxurious shave...so I will often use higher end items.

 

I really struggle with "superior" and "scientifically proven" when it comes to marketing materials. Many artisan products are completely untested and unregulated in any scientific sense, and people are quick to accept buzzwords like "natural" without ever actually having any evidence of superiority other than marketing hype. We have no idea what's in artisan products. And if we really look into it, the artisans don't actually either. They are buying unregulated and untested stuff too. At least with Williams and VDH and Barbasol, it's all lab tested (even if only in house), clean, and exactly as labeled, every time. No "this batch is way better than last year" or any of that crap shoot.

The bias in favor of expensive products and the subliminal effects of expectation around an exclusive purchase also causes a herd effect and works to inhibit newbie choices. This cannot be positive. This is not a challenge to produce peer reviewed journal published scientific trials of soap and AS and balm, but were we to be honest--basically most who claims "better" can't actually prove it.

To give new converts the idea that a comfortable shave must be had with artisan products is absurd at best, and a disservice to those pragmatically minded at the outset.

 

Without getting into a dissertation on the subject of skin care. Lotions and balms typically only cause breakouts on acne prone skin, while carefully crafted antioxidant-rich moisturizers can protect skin from breakouts and enhance the healing of newly exposed skin from a shave. Vitamin-E is one such antioxidant, proven to help skin. Toners with anti-bacterial properties (witch hazel/alcohol) help prevent infection and close pores. Used in combination, an effective toning/anti-septic aftershave followed by a nutrient-rich moisturizer that doesn't clog pores will be highly effective in keeping skin young, fit and protected. Do you honestly want a peer reviewed scientific paper on whether alcohol kills germs and causes skin to tighten up after application? We all know what toners do for skin already. Next, if you want a scientific paper on the topical benefits of antioxidants like vitamin-E and vitamin-C, they exist. I won't dig them up when they are pretty easy to find online in simple searches.

The next portion about what razor gives a comfortable shave is obviously an opinion. My experience is that modern razors made shaving uncomfortable and I was forced to narrow down to a single disposable razor that I used for years faithfully because it was the ONLY modern razor that was comfortable for me. The others cuts my face all to hell and gave me razor burn. However, when I shaved with DE razors starting last year, I have only ran into a few that cause me any discomfort and those weren't bad. So, I formed my opinion on my personal experience. Someone else may have a different experience.

 

To the original point from the OP I agree that this CAN be a much cheaper way to shave than modern razors or it can lead to a rabbit hole of trying new things. If I was in a position that I had to cut back I could probably go over a year with the soaps and AS I have now. Luckily I don't though I can try new things and enjoy a hobby if it wasn't this it would be sports jerseys or hunting gear or softball equipment. People especially guys find some kind of hobby to blow money on lol.


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Yeah. I obviously got rabbit holed. LOL. This has turned out to be one of the best hobbies I've ever taken up and unlike some others it's rewarding on a daily basis.

 

Also I agree with @Bama Samurai and @wnchu there are a lot of great mass market products that have been tried and tested through the years. I have a fee artisan soaps I like and a few I'm giving away because they didn't do it for me the small batch stuff can be a gamble that's for sure. I'm not saying they're bad at all just a wee bit inconsistent at times. Plus some of the pricing is enough to scare a newbie away fast.


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Me too although I'm probably done for a minute. I have some Caties Bubbles and XXX on the way after that I'm good. That'll leave me with enough soaps and AS to change it up every day of the week because I love variety. Of course nothing new until the end of the month I joined up with the crazy 30 day crew to work on my technique with no variables.


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Why are you not referencing studies on modern artisan shave products, only medical studies about skin care and issues not essentially related, or perhaps totally unrelated, to shaving?

Here is your statement:

"....the newer artisan soaps and aftershaves and skin protection products are better than what's at the typical grocery store."

You haven't proven the above premise. Your result (heavily influenced by constantly changing products and razors over one year of experience) and any product's individual qualities, in any meaningful sense (artisan vs. mass market), is not the same issue or topic.

You can prove artisan stuff is made of "natural" products, maybe. You can prove artisan costs more. You can hold an opinion on what you prefer to use. But artisan being intrinsically better than mass market? Not yet there with any proof.

I agree with the rest of your original post, I stand by statements on mass market products.

 

There are some artisan products I tested and rejected for my shave kits. So, yes there are some 'misses' out there. I typically don't like the modern "balm" as an aftershave. For acne-prone skin I think it's not a good product. For those who aren't acne-prone, it's fine. Whatever enhances your comfort. I have the cursed genes of sensitive, reactive and break-out prone skin. As most people can tell, I only buy vegetal soaps and synthetic brushes to avoid skin reactions. Animal-based stuff tends to increase the odds of a breakout. My post-shave balm is a special moisturizer that is non-greasy and is more like a water-gel that dries and leaves no residue but promotes skin to bring moisture to the surface. That works best for me. Someone else may prefer a lotion-like balm and that's fine.

 

You cannot reference a study that doesn't exist. There are no studies on artisan shaving products or modern ones for that matter. You must find studies on the listed ingredients.

That is the ingredients list of a typical corporate branded post-shave balm.

1. Where is the anti-septic action in this to kill germs? None is there.
2. Most balms have Vitamin-E (Tocopheryl Acetate), which is good for skin, so that's a plus for modern balms.
3. The balm is greasy, pore clogging and will break out acne prone skin. If you aren't acne prone, then you're going to be fine.

For decent results on a post shave, you want three actions performed:
1. Sterilization
2. Close pores
3. Protect the skin/Promote recovery

Most artisan aftershave splashes perform the first two functions. Only a small number of balms do the final one effectively. That's why I use a face serum made by a skin care specialty company that uses ingredients which have been clinically tested to help protect skin from free radical damage.

Artisans like this site's very own TSD store make effective post shave toners that accomplish the important first two steps wonderfully.

 

I thought pores do not open and close. That is one of those barber tale type things. Or that is my understanding.