The New Hydrolast Pastes

So this is a bit overdue now. This keeps creeping up on various threads both here and other forums that discuss Method Shaving. I've been very fortunate to get a chance to test many of the new creations that Charles puts together in his neverending quest to better his Hydrolast products. The latest development efforts have been in the pastes. What began as "super paste" a highly buffered variant of the original paste using clay agents paved the way to a multi tiered system of pastes that are designed to meet the specific needs of what the shaver wants in his wet mix.

Why? We all use different razors and different blades... straights, DE's, Feathers, Derby, etc. Making a one size fits all cutting formula is never going to be realistic. When you look at reviews of traditional soaps and creams you see a huge variation... one soap works well for me, but not for someone else, and vice versa. The same goes for Method Shaving as well. Charles has devoted a tremendous amount of time and effort in to achieving the truly "customized shave" experience for his clients.

This will without a doubt continue to be an ongoing process. Those of you who have spent any amount of time talking with Charles knows that he is always trying new things.

These are what I consider the three basic varients of pastes that I have been personally cutting for the past two months. I have standarized to one primer and am sticking to what I learned to Method Shave with, the cube. Many have used these with some of the rounds and had outstanding results. My samples have all been pure unscented however, I'm sure EO can be added to any of them just like any other paste Charles has offered in the past. I personally like my pastes unscented and leave all the aromatic qualities to my tonic and conditioner.

#1 White:

The main characteristic of this paste is I find it to be richer in density and much "slower" than the other two pastes. It is buffered with a white clay agent that makes the mix building process very easy on the brush. I've actually been able to build good quality mixes using brushes not normally considered optimal for Method. By "slower" I am talking about it's slickness and stability. The mix forms nice and thick, very much more cream like than the runny product most are used to with the paste/cube combo. Because it is stable and doesn't fall off your face so fast, it is ideal for cutting with a straight razor in my opinion. A local barber here in Austin has started doing all her client shaves using this paste and has had tremendous success with its performance. For those super close finishes using the blade buff, j-hook, etc. I find that a finish product like cutting balm is still needed.

#2 Pink:

This one is without a doubt the most well rounded paste for majority of DE shavers. Those who are very proficient with the straight and are comfortable cutting on something super slick would also benefit greatly. This paste more demanding on the water capacity of the brush so we're back to where we have been before, large fan shape brushes such as the Shavemasters are best suited. With the DE/Feather combo, the blade glides beautifully and the skin is well protected.

#3 Red:

This one is an entirely different animal. Charles often uses it as a blender for adjusting the prior to pastes to meet a certain persons preference. When using this one straight, the properties of the clay component will absorb water very rapidly. It is extremely demanding the brush to get a good wet mix created otherwise the mix will gum up and the brush will look like it's running dry. I found that I had to use this a few times to get the hang of it. Keep in mind I only use the cube, so I'm not sure what would be different with another primer. When you do get the mix right, you get the most hyper slick cutting mix I've ever used. Using a straight with this would be a bit difficult because the slickness is abnormally high both on your face and hands if you are not careful, and the mix is not as stable as the white produces. I think that most people would have too much difficulty getting the mix correct in the brush. I have the large V200 Shavemaster which holds an insane amount of water and I wouldn't consider using anything else.

So what is the "tiering" thing all about? Basicly what Charles calls a tiered paste is a combination of the above blended to give you the result you are looking for. I have been using a two tiered white/pink mix for my straight shaves that has been outstanding. To me this is a great find as I can keep a couple of different pastes around for those mornings I'm in a hurry and want to blast away my beard with a Feather or when I want to enjoy a long luxurious straight shave.

Hopefully some of the other Method guys who have had a chance to try some of these new pastes will chime in with their experiences.

 

Thanks for the great info Mike!

 

Very nice.......

Once they are underway will they come in the scents he offers?

 

The scents are just EO additives... very high quality pure EO's at that. All you have to do is tell him which one you want. As far as I know, he is blending all that stuff to order these days.

 

Mike:

Does the cube/tiered (#1 and #2 blend) paste combo you are using to build mix alleviate the need for activator? Also, I have seen you refer to someone's "3 tier paste" post as what you are using. I belive you referenced it as the "crap" you are currently using. So which do you prefer as a more general purpose (non str8) paste?

Thanks,
Chris

 

Let me say this I have never heard Mike refer to Hydrolast products as "crap". I know he never will.

The use of the activator is not a "need". It is not needed for any of the mixes. It enhances the mix but it has never been a requirement. I use it because I happen to enjoy what it does for my shaves but if I don't use I still get excellent shaves.

I believe the pink paste would be a general purpose use paste.

I also have been using the tier system. I can not say enough great things about it. I use the #2 Pink w/the cube since I use a straight but when time is of the essence I use the white paste with a DE. Great shaves every time.

Raf

 

I've said "crap" jokingly in the past... I would never call it by that literally.

Anyhow, the Activator to me is a seperate component. Really it's effective use it to allow the mix to build density quicker and helps tremendously when you have a smaller brush that doesn't work well with the Method. It will also add a level of performance to anything you put it in to, I've used it with regular shave soaps too.

Just gives it that little something extra.

 

Mike et al:

Yes, I didn't mean to imply that the paste was "crap" in the literal sense. Quite the contrary. I meant to refer to a previous thread wherein Mike jokingly referred to the current paste "blend" as the "crap he was currently using."

So Mike are you currently using a blend of #1 and #2 or a three tier blend of all three?

Chris

 

Hey, newb here. The last paste I got from Charles said 3T Comp on it. So I am guess it is is a blend of all three??

 

I doubt it is blend of all 3. What color is the paste?

and Welcome.

Raf

 

Thanks for the welcome. It is a little lighter pink than that #2 that Mike posted.

 

Thanks Queen. I entered.

 

yep that would be the #2 Pink with a little less clay in it.


Raf

 

Great post Mike. It motivated me to call Charles and see what I have been using that worked so well. Turned out to be three tier. I have samples of pink and red. Tried the pink this morning and it is very promising. Need to work with that and then try the red as an addition.

Jim

 

I think I accidentally started some of the buzz about this on another board after my visit with Charles last week and discovering the mix factor available with the new line. I really like the options these represent and will need to play with them a while to see what mix fits my shave best. So far they get a big thumbs up.

My first version of this a few months back was grey and nowhere near as stable as the white for straights. Has that gone by the wayside? It was really slick for DE shaves.

Brad

 

Just got me a smaple of #1 to try. Will report back shortly.

 

Tried the #1 by itself with the cube and a fresh Feather this morning. Mine looks whiter than what was posted above. This stuff is just as Mike described. I did not use much of it as its been pretty dry for Texas these days but I did notice that it is much creamier than the other hydrolast pastes I have tried. The lather built up very fast. It is still very slick and I took my time and had a great shave. I did use finishing balm/slag at the end to touch up though. This seemed to give more protection/buffer for my neck, which is one of my trouble spots.

 

That sounds pretty consistent with what I found. The white has that nice density to it and really provides a solid buffer in the trouble spots. This is why it has been working so well for the straight shaves as well.

The trade off of all this is you end up needing to use something else for finishing. If you like to buff off that last bit of stubble for the real BBS shave like I do, the #1 just is not thin and slick enough to do it with properly.

As for the color, that's always going to vary. Because Charles hand blends all this stuff in small batches sometimes it's a little different. Also keep in mind that the sample picture I posted above came out of the very first batch of white that he made several months ago.