With more ladies joining the forum recently, I figured a thread dedicated to products specifically used and preferred by us gals may be helpful to any new ladies. I'll go first. I've been at this for quite awhile now, and while I haven't tried everything, I've certainly found what I like. I've tried lots of razors, but I prefer; Gillette Ladies Blue/Pink/various colors Star Long Handled Super Adjustable set at 3 For blades; my go to is Sharps also, I like Feathers Couldn't live without my brushes! Kent BLK4 Custom Knotty Badger in Best (a The Golden Nib knot) My preference is towards creams, and the one I think every lady should try is; Taylors of Old Bond Street Avocado (doesn't smell like avocados, btw.) It provides extra moisturizing when shaving legs, which have few sebaceous glands, these are responsible for our bodies natural moisturizing ability. I certainly enjoy many others, but I won't bother listing them because if it lathers, I'll shave with it, pretty much. If it doesn't smell good, I won't. But Taylors Avocado deserves mentioning. Aftershaves; Anherb Conditioner Alum block Witch Hazel Aftershave Milk Club Mend And that's it. My top products list. Hope this helps some of the ladies. Let's here what your list consists of, ladies!
I would like to try something new but alot of times I'm just trying to hurry in the shower. I really only use body soap and a quattro razor. You would think Dridecker would help me.
I am new here so I have yet to try using anything but disposable razors. I am doing my homework in the hopes of becoming brave enough to say goodbye to things like the Venus. But I am a sucker for things like shave soaps and creams. I just moved recently so I haven't been doing a lot but before I did; I liked to make my own shave soaps as I could really add extra butters and up the moisturizing content since I find most commercially bought ones don't do the trick. Especially living in a drying climate - following up with a moisturizer afterwards - still leaves me with scaly legs which no one wants I do like creams since they are instantly moisturizing. And I have to agree if it smells good I am in! As I learn and try different things, I hope to contribute on a more appropriate level.
I have the ladies Gillette in pretty blue with feather blades. I prefer shave creams and I'm working on perfecting a formula. I have a nice batch sitting in the fridge curing as we speak. One brush is an older badger that I found online. My other brush is cobalt blue from an antique store. It came with a cobalt blue mug. It says Royal something Gentlemen's Gifts, but the brush is a little stiff. My third brush is a badger with soft bristles. It has a label on the front that says Gold Original Shaving Brush Co. Handmade in England. I use witch hazel as an after shave or either lavender or rose hydrosol that I put in a spritz bottle. On hot days, cool aloe vera feels pretty good. If I find that my legs need extra moisture, I grab a piece or chunk of mango or cocobutter and gently rub on the skin.
Hi JoAnna, What do you see as the difference in performance between the Gillette Ladies Blue/Pink/various colors Star and the Long Handled Super Adjustable set at 3 ?
I'm not a technical kind of person, so that's a bit hard for me to answer. The Gillette Long Handled Super Adjustable first attracted me with it's looks. So, I tried it. I found the shave comparable, if not better, than the Gillette Ladies razors. So, I got rid of my Ladies.
I am a recent convert to DE shaving. My razor is a Parker 29L. Nice, ridged grip and long handle, with a butterfly opening.
Well as this is a sticky I guess I should put in my two cents. I've tried maaaany razors, products etc... Out of my huge man-cave my favourite razors are my G-Bar SE razor, my injector and my Gillette black handled adjustable (though my gold LadyG is so pretty!). When it comes to my straight razor collect my gorgeous Red Imp is my baby (even though I call them all my babies ) Blade-wise I like the blue medical prep Personna DE blades. SE wise and injector there isn't much choice ... Brush wise I LOVE my penworks pine wood badger hair brush but the handle isn't sealed perfectly so I can't use it all the time. As a synthetic alternative (for vegan etc. users) I love the Men-U brush as it acts almost like a badger brush and lathers really well. So I like a soft soap but picking a favourite is hard. Almon Loos Knock-Out Shaving Soap is in my constant rotation. I've never met anything that just lathers so well so easily. Scent-wise though my Rice Flower and Shea custom soap from Queen Charlotte Soaps is brilliant and their Key Lime is YUMMY! I only really use one cream having tried A LOT and liked very few, and Nancy Boy cream is the only way to go IMHO. I use a paddle strop but also have a hanging one I can't mention as I'm not sure I'm meant to have it in this country (though it was sent as a gift from someone who could). *phew* so there you go!
I use my blue Ladies Gillette with Astra blades. Perfect combination for me. Still on the hunt for a better brush though. For soaps I love to use either RazoRock cumba cheech or The Shave Den's raspberry
I'm trying to get the wife into the scene, too. I shaved her leg a bit with my cheapo DE (which is pretty good) with feather blade, and some nice tingly Proraso. She loved it, but she's not sure she can do it. So, I need to get her a ladies' razor here soon.
I was very intimidated before trying DE shaving but it's really not difficult. I love my Lady Gillette, it gives a smooth shave but isn't too aggressive to skim over knees. I found it much easier to shave just with soap to learn--you can see what you're doing! I'm just starting to lather and it's a whole new skillset just to visualize my leg's topography under all that foam. Good luck to your wife
Well, the Lady Gillette which you quoted. And Pre de Provence bath soap. I've tried Persona and Derby blades, didn't notice a difference in them.
Thank you. I also use have used the Lord L6, the EG 89LBL. Although the Lord L6 is by far my favorite. I have my own opinions of SC ... Is Pre De Provence all you have used?
My wife has since shaved 2x with her Lady Gillette, and is astounded with the results (as am I). She bought some Coochy Creme (not being nasty, It's really the name, lmao) and she loved it.
The other day I tried The Body Shop's Maca Root Shave Cream and I loved it. I didn't have to add lotion afterwards like I have to do with other products. It kept my legs smooth and my skin didn't dry out. So far my favorite cream.
Thanks JoAnna for starting this thread. This will give me ideas where I can start my wife out She has expressed an interest in trying DE shaving but has some reservations. She lost her sight 8 years ago to Glaucoma and as there is a visual element to shaving (finding the proper end of the razor, changing blades and the actual shaving) she is hesitant. I have gotten her into using a shaving brush and some of the soaps. She really has gotten into them and says that the shaves she gets are more comfortable than just smearing Ivory on her legs. I figure that at some point the itch will just get her to give the razor a test. If I know her like I think I do, she will wait until I am out at work so she can play in peace. I will be following this to pick up any tips to help her along. Once again thank you!
I was going to stay out of this thread, but the Maca root SC was mentioned. If you don't mind the scent, The Real Shaving Company's Shave2Cream (double concentrated, moisturizing) is basically the same formula, just scented differently and priced for far less. It's made in England by Creightons and is a house brand. Creightons makes most of the English shaving creams and it's a pretty good bet that they make the Maca Root SC for The Body Shop. I'm not sure who would sell it in Canada, but it's sold by Rite-Aid here in the States. JoAnna has been known to say she likes it, so it's a "ladies approved" product.