Stop right there, don't buy that! or Shave goods best avoided...

Take all of the anti-recommendations with a grain of salt though, what works or doesn't for one face, may be the opposite for another. And with issues like hard water, skin sensitivity, beard type, etc, there's a wide range of ways products can behave for different people.

In fact, it'd probably be more useful if you said WHY a particular product should be "avoided at all costs" so all of us can make an objective judgement.

Lilac Vegetal seems like the obvious example... lotsa folks hate the scent, but there are plenty who adore it.

 

fair enough. I will repeat what others have said about Herban Cowboy shave soap and add a little story from personal experience.

It does not work for shaving. It's that simple. I had an extremely mild razor at the time (feather popular). I didn't need a lot of slickness or cushion to do a complete shave. If I lathered one cheek, the side by my nose would dry out before I finished shaving by my ears. I shave fast. This soap did not work at all.

Oh, and I'm a big fan of Colgate shave soap and Williams Mug soap. I couldn't make Herban Cowboy work. That's why I would say avoid it at all costs.

 

As Bill said YMMV..
I have had great success with Wilkinson Blue Bowl SS
Lots of creamy lather (Boar Brush) and I like the scent.
More expensive soaps have preformed less (for me).

--------------------

My suggestion is to avoid Supermax Super Stainless Blades.
Just dont feel sharp IMHO.
But...YMMV

 

Lightfoot's Shave Soap

Lightfoot's shave soap.

I tried a puck. Nice smell but couldn't get more than a very thin lather out of it. Relegated it to a hand soap.

 

great idea guys. luckily, I have managed to avoid purchasing anything mentioned in this thread. cheers to you guys as well as other shaving forums I won't mention.

 

I would certainly like to see more products listed. I found a combo that works well for me, but I want to experiment with more creams and soaps. I know I could do better on the soap than Conk's Bay Rum. A friend of mine that I just turned on to wet shaving went out and bought L'Occitane CADE on someone else's recommendation. I suspect the person just named off a fancy designer name he knew. He's that type. My friend didn't seem to be too dissatisfied with it, but I'll ask for more details. The scent sounded nice, so I almost bought some. For that price though, it'd better work heavenly.

I've got a couple blades that I will never touch again, some I didn't even shave more than once with. Although plenty like those blades, so it's not an avoid at all costs case. I just have girly-man skin.

 

I was in there yesterday to get that soap, but they were all out...good to know about the low price though because they wanted $18.00 for the metal bowl sans soap!

 

Bob, I think I agree with you, buddy--Burts Bees Bay Rum smells delicious, but it ends right there! Besides, nobody will buy it now, I heard it was discontinued! :happy102 :happy102

 

You're right. I suppose that's good though. Really, who wants a bunch of REALLY terrible stuff out there?

I may try the soap, $10 really isn't too bad. I got boggled by the $28 tag on their cream! Since it costs about 3 times more than Bigelow, doesn't that mean it should work 3 times as well?

 

Great advice everyone, I really appreciate the heads up on all these products.

 

Dittoes on the Herban Cowboy! I don't know what this stuff is, but it isn't shave soap! A quality bath soap will provide a better shave than Herban Cowboy. Used it on my pitts so I at least wouldn't waste money...

 

Burt's Bee's :
Lip balm - yes
Shave cream - NO

 

Nice to see this thread revived ... .

Found the pattern of disapproval on French creams (L'Occitane Cade, Pre de Provence) interesting. I'll add Institut Karite cream to the mix.

French soaps I've tried (Institut Karite, L'Occitane) are absolutely awesome IMHO! The only cream I've tried is Institut Karite ... can't get a decent, long-lasting lather. Love the scent and moisturizing abilities, but without a decent lather the protection can be somewhat variable. Maybe I'm off here ... does anyone else agree?

In summary ...
Institut Karite and L'Occitane Cade SOAPS = :2thumbs:
Institut Karite cream =

 

7 A.M. razor blades (not the Gillette 7 O'Clock Series). When I tried these blades I quit after just one pass and gave the rest of the pack away.

 

7 A. M. Blades are the one brand of blade that I have never seen anyone say they liked. Besides, what in shaving isn't YMMV?