What is the status concerning "Shaveapocalypse"?

Hello, i am newbie, but i have been reading a LOT in the past few days, googling randomly and i encountered the term "Shaveapocalypse", which i am sure you know better than me.

Since i am a hoarder by nature, and after seeing alarming signs in my local supermarkets, i started taking the term seriously and thinking about it. The issue is this. In 2 local supermarkets (granted, i live in the outskirts of a big city, so maybe trying downtown supermarkets would be differest, but still, it's worrying), there was only 1 last brush (they have now 0 left), only the green proraso soap, 0 double edge razors (not even a plastic wilkinson classic) and 6 dusty tubes of proraso blu (only type). Oh, and 0 DE blades. ZERO. And i live in a big italian city, so i am a bit shocked. I ordered my blades from Amazon. Same for more shaving cream (Palmolive).

So, i wanted to ask.
1) What's the current opinion about shaveapocalypse? Is the end nigh? Are there any known data about whether wet shaving is gaining or losing market share? Because i think this is what will ultimatley determine shaveapocalypse.
2) I noticed that proraso cream and soap don't have any expiration date on. Do they actually expire, should one hoard some? Are there some creams that are known to last "eternally", contrary to others that go bad?
3) Is there a trick or something to store soaps avoiding going rancid over time? (Because soaps are supposed to have fat and fat goes rancid at some point).
4) I read that blades can last for decades, so i suppose this should be the least of my worries, should i hoard some.

Thank you.

 

I'm surprised to read that Proraso is not plentiful in your area of Italy. I was under the impression that Proraso was "it" as far as Italian soaps & creams. Kind of a standard brand if you will.

I wouldn't worry about a blade shortage anytime soon. If you check wet shaving supplier's websites you'll see 100 count blades for sale from a myraid number of brands. If you had 300 blades in your stash and say you got 7 shaves per blade, that's well over 5 years of daily shaves. And that number would probably set you back between $30.00 or $40.00 depending on the brand for that many. I stock up when I see them on sale, not out of fear of a shortage.

You may want to get a sample pack of blades, try them out, settle on one or two brands that agree with your face & razor and stock up. More economical to buy in bulk too.

I've been using Proraso creams in my rotation for a few years. They haven't gone bad yet. As far as soaps, I keep them in the tubs they come in. Let the soap dry post shave and put the lid back on. I don't have that many soaps so I tend to use them up anyway.

 

I would guess that the answer to your question may be different depending on where you are in the world.

In the USA I think, rather than declining in availability, wet shaving supplies have expanded to meet the increased demand.
I see parallels in this to the expansion of the craft beer industry. The demand for unique brews has resulted in many new beers that were rare or unavailable in years past.

In terms of wet shaving products, I think the market will continue to expand, and products will likewise become more available.
However, because the shave boutique shop around the corner may disappear, some will predict a decline in the availability of shaving products.
I believe that this is more related to a distribution change rather than an actual decline in the market.
It is hard for a "brick and mortar" store to compete, especially if they don't have a web presence.
Relying on walk-in business limits your customer base. And the increasing diversity of products puts stress in the local retailer.
They just can't afford to stock everything shave related.

Products that remain popular will continue to be available either locally, or via the internet.
Prices, however, are a different factor, and some things may become more expensive - especially if you factor in the cost of shipping.

DON'T PANIC!
Shaving will continue to be a popular activity - so long as facial hair (or other body hair) continues to need regular attention.

YMMV

 

1) By all accounts that I can find, wet shaving is actually growing by leaps and bounds. I do not think we are near the end, but near the beginning.
2) You can certainly stock up, but I would recommend starting with hardware, not software. Software does last for a while however...That's why there are people out there still using vintage old spice and Williams. Soap will DEFINITELY lose its scent, however.
3) store soap in a tightly closed container and in a dark place (such as a cabinet).
4) blades can and do last decades. You don't need to hoard them, but when you find great prices (and they are cheap already), why not get a few extras? Most wet shavers do this, especially when they find their blade "preferences."

 

I was more surprised than you. In deed Proraso here is like "the gold standard", that every newbie must pass as initiation rite. However, in my area, only the green proraso soap in bowl is universally present. It's probably the most used, i guess... The big problem is i guess, that most people use cartridges. So if you want cartridges, both supermarkets were full of them. Same for canned foam. I even found a mini Proraso canned foam, that i hadn't noticed before. Like, tiny can, good for travel i guess. For me, that went to find something for wetshaving, i had to search in the bottom, corner shelves to find the little stuff i did.

Good to hear about the soaps... Well, blades i will surely hoard some, just for worst case scenario... Like you said, they come in big packs for cheap. And from what i searched, they don't go bad for decades.

So in USA it's expanding? That's wonderful news! I wasn't really paying attention to DE supplies, since i was always using cartridges. I had to google to find what a "shaving cream" is, so it was always invisible to me in any shop, if they had any. Same with blades. I know my father was using Gilette blades, but that's all i ever knew about such things. So when i walked in the supermarket and struggled to find something, i thought "oh my God, the shaveapocalypse i read about in the american forums googling, is true! It's already here!"

Another confirmation that wet shaving is expanding! It's a relief! Oh, i am stocking up in everything. Today i had my first shave . By next week, i will have 2 razors, 2 boar brushes (Omega of course) and 200 blades. Also 3 creams between Proraso and Palmolive.

 

Somebody must have been smoking weed when they coined the term "shavepocalypse". Either that or they just wanted to whip up a little hysteria and watch a few people bounce off the walls. There never was even the slightest likelihood of a wetshaving products shortage, especially after online stores started popping up.

Lee's Safety Razors from 2001
http://web.archive.org/web/20010811145115/http://www.leesrazors.com/

Lee's Safety Razors from 2017:
http://www.leesrazors.com/

It is the difference between night and day, and the polar opposite of a shavepocalypse. We now have a vast and growing selection of shaving products available, and zero need to worry. Hoarding is therefore pointless and a waste of space. Sure, shaving products might be disappearing from brick and mortar stores in some areas, but brick and mortar stores are disappearing in a lot of areas. Retail product sales are increasingly moving online. Amazon is our friend!

 

i think de blades are like currency.i buy gsb blades by the hundred when the are a deal,and can always sell when my buddies are out of them.i don t buy them purposely to sell though.food,water,shelter,shaving ;basic necessity.drugstores and grocery stores in vancouver stock wilkinson de blades now as well as brushes and some soaps,though not the good items like we have all become accustomed to.

 

if i had to drive to get shaving supplies now;gas,parking, checkouts, time spent,way more than shipping costs. especially the cool stuff from other countries. when the postman drops by its christmas.lost or damaged in the mail,refunded or replaced.dropped in the parking lot ...gone.i love online shopping for shaving supplies.

 

Wow! It IS like night and day! I had no idea! I guess wet shavers are in deed multiplying in USA! Good news! Yeah, Amazon is pretty much obbligatory for me, although through Amazon i also discovered a website belonging to a "united barbers" association here, which has many products at better prices than Amazon. Although much to my surprise, they had no EJ DE89 razor! But, i will likely order from them sooner or later. They might turn out better than Amazon for soaps and creams. For example, i saw Derby cream for 1.50 with many different scents, while at Amazon the cream alone isn't available. It's available only in 1 scent, together with an arko soap for 9 EUR. I haven't really compared everything, but it had better prices almost everywhere, including blades.

 

Blades are the least of my worry. I have a straight that's 200 years old, and will surely outlast me

 

I now have three straights: one from the 1800s, one from the 1900s, and one from 2000s.

 

Those and a case of Arko and you'll be set.

 

We maybe multiplying here in the USA but I have no doubt the razor manufacturers are pushing their cartridges across the globe. Most people worldwide still use double edge razors but the companies are doing their best to change that. The real profit for them is in cartridges. As for soaps - even those with tallow - freezing will keep them just fine for many years.

As the saying goes: "Paranoia makes good sense when people are out to get you". So just in case I bought a few extra blades.

 

A FEW??? I 'd say you are all too ready for shaveapocalypse!

 

This is an older photo - since then I bought a few more.

 

I strongly belive that the idea and term or shaveapocalypse was invented by some guy trying to explain to his wife why he had 700 blades, 35 soaps, and 23 razors. Its not true, its just too funny not to keep going with it now.

 

My God! You must have blades for a lifetime! I like it!

This is a really funny explanation!

 

Or someone trying to sell large lots of shave product.

 

Did you get "the look" when you tried that?

 

We will just have to have guards protect us from the zombies while shaving. No problem.