Im a long time lurker here first time poster. I just wanted to say hi to everyone! I just wonder if anyone else uses marseille soap to prep their brush for a more lubricating shave? I know the shave block is the normal practice but i got such a deal on a huge block of marseille soap I couldnt pass it up so this is my method: I first start with half boiling water half cold water in a mug and soak my Edwin Jaeger Silver brush in there for 5 minutes. I then take a block of Marsielle Soap and being to lather and scrub the brush so the center of the brush is loaded with lather from the soap. I then add a almond sized amount of my favorite shave cream ( In this instance Cryil R. Salter's Sublime Citrus or TOB's St. James College) to the center of my brush and I begin making a thick lather. I then lather my face a nice thick coat for the first pass. I go WTG the first down, in a downward motion. I then rinse with hot water ( I do this all in the shower btw) and relather for a second WTG pass to pick up any misses. I then lather for a final ATG pass. I use a few of Manti's techniques for this last pass (The J-hook, Giellte slide, and shave buffing)I'm currently using a Merkur Futur with Feather blades. I used to use Merkur blades, but I have a very rough beard ( I get a 3 o'clock shadow. I finish with a rinse of hot water then cold water to close the pores. I finish it all with a little styptic for those occasional boo boo's and some Anthony's sport' lotion. Then I splash on some TOB's St. Jame's College for a finishing scent. I get the closest shave possible with this method. Much closer then just shaving cream or soap alone. Like a baby's bottom well til 3pm lol. cheers Deatdrink004
I've never done that, but I recall reading posts from folks who have used a marseille soap to prep the brush. Can't remember who though.
The marseille soap makes a great primer for the brush. Back when Charles was first developing Method Shaving, even before the Hydrolast brand came to be, his technique was to prime the brush with the cube (which is similar to marseille soap in a lot of ways) and mix it with Trumper cream. This worked very well and was the foundation for developing the shaving pastes he uses now.
I use this technique with heavier creams such as Musgo Real. The directions on the Palmolive Red tube actually say to wash your face with soap, rinse, then wash again leaving the soap on your face before lathering with the cream.
HEY ! Glad to see you over here :eatdrink047 Yeah....the method shaving thang. Hmmmmmm. I have all the stuffs I need but am unable to use them, as directed, so Ill go along with the "pseudo MS" technique you discuss. What IVE done is add KMF unscented cream to the cutting paste and created a SCream of sorts. I prime my S100 (in Mesquite :love055) with the cube and then add some of my Hydrolast Eucalyptus SCream to my shave mug and build a lather. This has given me really nice results.
msandoval858 Hi there! Ahh ok that makes a little bit of sense. I am not sure what the difference between "the cube" and Marseille soap truly is, maybe you can elaborate on it a bit more. I find this really does prep the brush well, and creates a very slick foam. I do need a much better mug to make a better lather. I'm currently in the market for a good big mug or bowl. This morning I shaved with Cryil R. Salter's Sublime Citrus shave cream and preped the brush with Marseille soap, it was the thickest lather I have ever created it looked like heavy whipped cream. I got a baby bottom smooth shave and a good cirtus scent too. I would love to hear other people's results with Marseille Soap too. Rick, ya I agree the method shaving does seem too complex for my taste on an everyday basis. It does seem very effective though I will say that. I wonder if constant use of soap of any kind will ultimately dry my silver tip brush out. I recently cleaned my brush with vinegar, followed by a good cream condtioner and long soak. cheers D
Any suggestions on what to use other that the suggested soap- (and whats a cube) this sounds intriguing. I have very sensitive skin, I'd love to give this technique a whirl. A
Autarkirc, ct Sorry, I completely forgot about this thread I started, but I would suggest buying yourself a nice big block of Marseilles Soap, which I buy for around 14 bucks, and it lasts a month or so between shaving n showering with it. Currently, I have stopped using this pseudo method shaving technique, infact I've stopped making lather in a bowl as well. I've found recently that skipping the shave bowl or mug mixing and mixing directly onto my face brings more of the essence of the cream. I might go back to this method, when I take a trip down to Ocean Grove near me and pick up some marsielle soap. Cheers D
I find that when I do method shave, with either Hydrolast or other products, mixing in the hand, give s better feel for when the mix is right and I get better results than with my scuttle which I use with all my soaps. Brad
