Tuesday 31 July 2012

Nanny’s Silly Soap Company – Forest of Norway


First things first there is nothing silly about these soaps at all. I like to try many different soaps and creams for my shave everything from major high street brands to luxurious and expensive names. I especially like to try soaps and creams made by small local companies that are set up by someone who has an interest in the area because you get the sense that they are proud of their creation. This normally shows in the end product. The flip side of the coin is that you normally have to get in there quickly as they make a limited supply.

I like woody warm scents in my shaving soaps so I chose the Forest of Norway sample bag from Nanny’s Silly Soap, as well as one other. When I opened the bag I was hit by the wonderful smell of Cedar wood and Pine, which reminded me of walks in spring and autumn in forests and stacking logs for winter fires. The scent from this soap was very warming and is great for the colder or wetter months (or even this summer!).

The consistency of the soap borders on a cream being quite loose and easy to scoop from the bag the sample came in and deposit in the bowel. This really works well for me being a fan of both cream and soap. It lathers up really well but not quite as easily as some of the well known brands; this is due to the natural ingredients. I use a bowel and badger hair brush which seems to work well for this soap. Given its consistency I would expect face lathering to be possible if you deposit the soap in the centre of the brush.

The lather is stable and creamy giving good cushioning for the shave and a hydrating feel. I found that an almond sized scoop gave enough lather for two passes and if you squeezed the lather from the brush you could easily get a third pass with a lovely luxurious feel you normally get from doing this.

With “the better half test” (asking my wife to smell it) the scent of the soap did not do so well but I think the scent of the Forest of Norway is quite masculine and would appeal to men (and women) who like a woody warming scent – like me!

Scent
Lather
Hydration
Overall
5/5
4/5
4½/5
13½/15

Friday 27 July 2012

New Forest Brushes Tubby 2


When I first got this brush out of the package I thoughtWOW! This is a big brush with a beautifully turned handle. The maker of thesebrushes is Peter Hyde (Fido on The Shaving Room forum) and he does an amazingjob.

The hair is super badger two band quality. It is quite softbut with a good firm backbone to it. The tips of this brush are soft allowingfor a comfortable lather. The Tubby 2 has a 26mm knot size and is available intwo loft lengths 54mm and 51mm. I opted for the longer 54mm length.

The handle is reminiscent of the Simpsons’ Chubby brushes. Itis a nice size to hold without being too big and cumbersome. There is a goodamount of weight in the handle and a nicely turned ridge to aid grip. A combinationof size, weight, and grip mean this is great brush for a man’s hand!

So how did Tubby 2 perform? I lather in a bowl for bothcreams and soap and I was not disappointed.

Cream – with an almond size splodge of cream in the heart ofthe brush I was able to build a nice smooth and creamy lather very easily. Thehair used in this brush really allows for a great lather with minimal effort. Thiswill also depend on the cream you use of course but I have very little doubtthat I could get a great lather from any cream with this brush.

Soap – the shape this brush has been cut into allows for aneasy swirling motion in the soap and the combination of a firm backbone andsoft tips makes getting a good coating on the brush easy. From there it made,again a beautiful lather in the bowl and I would have no doubt it would do thesame if you chose to face lather with it.

Given the softness of the tips I did not expect to feel a particularlyexfoliating effect that I have felt with other brushes but the ease in whichthe brush applied the lather more than made up for this. The Tubby 2 also holdsheat and moisture well, which helps both with making the lather and applyingit.

Overall I would 100% recommend this brush to anyone beginnersand experts alike. Peter Hyde makes an amazing brush in the Tubby 2 he doesmake others but I have not tried these yet!

Appearance
Hair quality
Lather production
Ease of use
Overall
4/5
4½/5
5/5
5/5
18½/20

Feather Hi-Stainless Double Edged Razor Blades


These platinum coated blades are reputed to being the sharpest in the world. At the time of writing this review they are my first choice blade.

Feather blades are undoubtedly very sharp and I would not really recommend them to a beginner until they develop their method and their face/beard adapts.

I can get 4 shaves from one blade before needing a new one but I have quite a strong beard. I would expect 5-6 shaves on average. The shave is always smooth leaving a nice clean shave. A word of warning it is easy to cut/nic the skin given how sharp these blades are. I have not had a bad blade in any of the packs I have used.

Overall 5/5

Thursday 26 July 2012

Merkur 34C Heavy Duty



This has been in my rotation of double edged (DE) razors since I started traditional shaving.

The Merkur 34C HD is an attractive short razor. The plating is flawless and mirror smooth. The handle has a deep diamond groove grip, which makes handling it even with wet hands easy. The guide bars are slightly grooved.

This is a two piece razor, which is opened by twisting the base of the handle that releases the head. The blade is placed over the long centre pillar and drops over the two smaller holding pins. When the blade is in-situ everything fits together as you would expect a German razor to. The blade sits equal and symmetrical.

The shave was very smooth and not too aggressive. With my normal method a three pass shave; with the grain, across the grain, and against the grain I can get a near baby smooth shave (BSS). This of course might be due to my technique or other variables but I get a BSS with other DE razors.

Overall the Merkur 34C HD is a great razor for beginners due to the easy of use and forgiving shave, also for the more experienced shaver as it is a great all round DE razor.

Appearance
Ease of use
The shave
Overall
4½/5
4/5
3½/5
12/15