First post here, is that allowed without an introduction as newbie? A brief introduction right here may be annoption? I'm Dutch, wetshaver for over 30 years. If I remember correctly I started with a Gillette sensor, De Vergulde Hand shaving soap and a cheap brush. Basically I used that configuration for about 25 years. Somewhere down the line the Sensor was upgraded to Sensor Excel and I replaced the brush a couple of times. About 5 years ago I "discovered" DE shaving and shaving soaps other than DVH. So now I own 2 techs, a fatboy, a slim, a black handle adjustable, 3 Schick injectors and 2 new razors (a Mühle and a Merkur HD). And an assortment of shaving soaps that smell nicer than DVH (IMO of course). Anyway: about DVH, the reason for this post Perhaps nice to know is that they claim to be the oldest registered trademark in the world. I'm not sure if that's correct, but they have been around for some time, that's for sure. The OP's foto shows an old formula on the left. The new formula reads "De Vergulde Hand, scheerstaaf, ook voor de gevoelige huid" which translates literally in "De Vergulde Hand, shaving stick, also for the sensitive skin". Note the "also". DVH does not market different lines (regular and sensitive), they simply use this sentence with all their products. The shaving soap has it too. I guess it's just a reaction to all the "sensitive" products on the market today. The soap creates a fine lather, although it tends to dry a bit quicker than the soaps I use now. Once in a while I still use it. At the point where I stop face lathering with other soaps I just dip the brush one more time in hot water and keep lathering for an extra 10 seconds or so. Just to make sure everything is really lubricated. When visiting The Netherlands it will be very easy to find DVH products. They are all over the place over here, available in probably all drug stores and super markets. And (since the Dutch are the Scots of mainland Europe...) very cheap, too. So, first post, hope you'll find the information usefull. Cheers, Joop
Wow, thanks for all of the inside information Joop and I'm very glad to have you here as part of 'da Den and that this was your first post is just awesome! I am curious a bit more about the old formulation. Do you know when they changed it? I also think that if I'd used the same soap for 25 years that I, too, would really enjoy some variety and maybe not revisit the original soap as much. That's one thing that makes these brands from different parts of the world so fun.
Welcome to our group, Joop. I'm another Vergulde Hand soap lover, and I am surprised I didn't discover it many, many years ago when I had the pleasure several times of visiting your great country. I've been to Amsterdam, The Hague, Groningen, Maastricht, Nijmegen, as well as other places. I really enjoyed myself in Holland.
I phoned their customer service this morning. The lady on the phone knew right away a question about DVH was coming up. Turns out the company markets a lot of products and DVH is the only one for men haha. Nice lady. She wasn't too sure about when the formulation was changed, but thought 4 or 5 years ago would be most likely. I think she is about right. In my first post I mentioned that DVH does not market different lines of shaving soap for regular and sensitive skin. But..... it turns out they introduced a new line a while ago: shaving soap "extra fris", which means "extra fresh". Or "extra cooling'? Perhaps their is some menthol in? Don't know, but perhaps I'll try it out. Most phone calls to the customer service lady about DVH were by men complaining about the shaving soap smelling different than the soap they are used to. They apparently didn't notice the "extra fris" label when buying their new puck of soap. I agree about the performance of Kruidvat shaving soap. Funny thing is that is turns out the founder and ceo of Kruidvat currently holds a different position: owner and ceo of the company that markets ...... DVH. Glad you had a good time. Groningen was best of course
Welcome to The Shave Den family! Be sure to stop by The Shave Den "Master Sticky" thread to familiarize yourself with the different areas of The Shave Den! And thanks for the information on DVH!
Joop, anything with menthol appeals to me - I'd love to try that new version one day. Another really nice Dutch soap is Sanders. From what I was told, it is even cheaper than De Vergulde Hand.
Okay, a puck of "extra fresh" came home with me from the supermarket. 2,54 euro. It does smell different than the normal formulation. A bit more lemon or lime. I don't think it contains menthol, but the list of ingredients is really printed far to small.... Will do a test run tomorrow morning and will keep you posted.
Sounds great! I look forward to hearing what you think about it. I know the printing is quite small but if there's anyway to post the ingredients I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm very curious as to the difference. Also, any chance you can post a picture of it? Thanks!
Ingredients and some pictures have to wait till tomorrow, I'm afraid, have to leave now for a Kiwanis meeting now. And dinner, lucky me, I'm starving
Excellent, Kiwanis is a great group. Enjoy your dinner. I'll be waiting with bated breath for those pics.... but no hurry!
Okay, here are some pictures "nu met gratis scheerkom" = now with free bowl (plastic of course, remember: only 2,54 euro's) plastic wrap removed and there it is: the extra fresh soap I'll give it a try in 7 hours... good night
Very nice. I greatly appreciate the information and the pictures. I will definitely have to request this when my patients head back home for a visit. I think the bowl, while plastic, is a nice added touch.
Well, my first review, not sure about what you guys expect from such a thing, but let's give it a go. First I did my normal prep routine, which is a hot shower. Then I splashed some more hot water on the old face, picked up the puck of DVH and rubbed the soap over my face, just as you would use a shaving stick. I don't recall when I started doing it like this, but it's a long time ago. It's simple, straightforward and effective. I like simple, straightforward and effective. Next I started lathering with the one brush I purchased some 5 years ago when I started DE shaving: a Vulfix pure badger travel brush. Not as messy as the big boys, but it holds more than enough lather for 3+ passes. I tend to start with a fairly dry brush and every ten seconds or so I dip the brush in hot water until the lather is okay. The DVH "extra fresh" was very easy to lather, provided enough cushion for the first pass and enough slickness for the second and third, which is exactly what I'm looking for in a lather. It smelled good, but that of course is a very personal thing. On the one hand it smelled very DVH familiar (clean & soapy I would say), but on the other hand it's absolutely different. Hints of lemon or lime or something like that, which makes it more, well, "extra fresh'. "Extra" compared to the original formulation, that is, certainly not compared to stuff like Proraso. There is not a trace of menthol in the soap, which isn't surprising since DVH is marketed to The Netherlands. A country that doesn't have a climate that makes people look for the cooling effects of menthol. And that is unfortunate enough, I must say... Finished the whole thing with a good AS splash and that concluded a nice 10 minutes. Oh, hardware was a Merkur HD with a Shark blade (third day). If you like the original formulation there's a big chance you will like this one, too.
i just bought two vergulde hand shave sticks and received them today. tonight i am going to try one out. so far i think the scent is decent. a nice clean type aroma.
I have a puck of the XFris. I love the smell and the performance of DVH. Just put it on the sink for its turn in the rotation tomorrow.
Hi Joop, welcome (I'm from Belgium). Can't say that I'm a vergulde hand lover but I'll try the XFris as I didn't know they had a new version, it's been a long time since I last used VH.
