Source
r/wicked_edge•
workrate

TOBS help, I am having problems.

So I finished off my tube of proraso shaving cream and wanted to try something new. I saw that TOBS cream, sandalwood, was recommend a lot here so I picked some up.

I like the sent and I am not having any skin problems with it, but I am having a different problem.

On my first pass, WTG, I can't get a smooth shave. The razor won't glide, it skips and bounces. XTG is fine, and I am afraid to try a ATG pass. After the shave the alum block tells me I fucked up.

I know it is the cream since I spent several shaves trying to figure out what the problem was. I went back to the proraso and had no problems, I changed to a new blade (I actually tried 3 different brands that I knew gave a good shave), I cleaned my razor, I washed my face with different soaps.

Then I spent a while trying to change my lather, making a very wet lather or a dry one. Having it thin or thick. Nothing helped.

For reference I am using a synthetic brush, a Merkur 180 and astra, blue bird and treet blades. I have somewhat hard water which I am afraid might be the cause.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Posted Dec 3, 2012, 3:20 PM UTC

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PalpzSoap Mogul•

I suppose it could be the water, although that should be less of an issue with creams than with soaps. You should be able to get a jug of distilled water at the grocery or drug store for relatively cheap, might I suggest giving that a shot to eliminate that variable?

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nooneimportan7•

I've had this exact problem, with this exact cream. I couldn't really narrow it down much, but here's what I've noticed- The TOBS cream has a very small butter zone for good lather. It's easily too wet or to dry (of course your water can effect this). For me to get good results with it, I like to mix it up too dry on purpose, then add a little bit of water at a time until it's where I think it needs to be.

I think I was having this problem when it was too wet, but again it's a very fine line for me.

I also found it takes longer than I expected to actually lather up the cream in the mug I use, and that a little extra time goes a long way.

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dunstbinE4 Gillette Fatboy•

Are you lathering in a bowl or on your face? Have hard water here too and the TOBS creams have always worked great for me, but I always face lather. The stubble seems to help build the lather more quickly than in a bowl, and you can start off a little dry and slowly add water til you get the perfect mix.

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workrateOP•

I generally lather on my hand. But I have tried bowl and face to see if that helped and it did not.

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LeisureguyGourmet Shaver•

What brush do you have? (I doubt that's the problem, but still... )

Try washing your beard by hand with a high-glycerin soap before applying lather---Whole Foods 365 glycerin soap ($2/bar), Dr. Bronner's bar soap, or some other high-glycerin soap. Wash beard using your hands, rinse partially with a splash, and apply lather. This should provide more lubricity, though if your water is hard enough it may not help.

It's mysterious. If you're up for it, try a sampler of other shaving creams (Garry's Sample Shop or AlsShaving.com) and see if it happens with other creams.

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workrateOP•

this brush is what I am currently using.

I also used Musgo Real Glycerine Lime Oil Soap (from about 1 year ago, I think the formula changed since then?)

I will probably pick up a soap sampler so thanks for the advice. I am also going to try a distilled water shave. I have a badger brush I can try as well, just in case.

I probably just need to do more experimentation. Perhaps my blade angle for WTG is wrong. I have tried varying it but with no success, guess I can try more.

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LeisureguyGourmet Shaver•

I have that brush with the clear handle. It's a good brush, but absolutely enormous knot: it requires a LOT of shaving cream to be fully loaded. Make sure you're using enough cream.

As noted above, you'll always feel stubble after the WTG pass. That's perfectly normal. The XTG will take away most.

I hadn't heard that MR GLO had changed formulation, but that happens a lot, so it's quite possible. Try the shaving cream samples, and again: be sure to use enough for that brush.

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workrateOP•

I love the brush, I am just a bit allergic to the boar and badger hair brushes (and the itchyness was making me want to put extra pressure on the blade to relieve the itch.), but the knot is very large. Is there any advantage to the brush being fully loaded, I figured I just needed to make sure there would be enough lather for each pass. Though in my testing I did a few runs with a lot of extra cream to make sure the brush was fully loaded.

Maybe saying smooth was the wrong way to go about it. The problem is that the blade will not glide along my skin but rather bounces and skips.

My wife watched me shave yesterday and winced when I did the WTG pass.

Maybe MR GLO has not changed, I just remember there being a lot of posts about it a while back.

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LeisureguyKindle Guide to Gourmet Shaving•

Yeah, the brush should be fully loaded for adequate lathering (sufficient quantity of actual lather). Let me recommend Ecotools Bamboo Finishing Kabuki brush just as an experiment. You get two brushes, so you can give one to the wife. It's also a synthetic, so it won't cause irritation. If that works better, you can continue with it (it really is a good shaving brush) or the the HJM black synthetic from ConnaughtShaving.com ($25 including shipping to US).

The bouncing really should not happen.

Whole Foods 365 glycerin soap ($2/bar) is a good alternative to MR GLO, but I'm still using MR GLO mostly.

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anti09RELEASE THE KRAKEN•

I'd like to point out that I too have sensitive skin. Dial makes a great glycerin soap that's hypoallergenic, you can get 3 bars at target for about $3.

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