Here’s a little problem with most of the “cheap” brushes available, they are mostly made with Boar’s Hair. As in, from a pig. Pretty sure that’s haram for those in Singapore who are Muslim and want to get into Wet Shaving. So what choices do you have? Buy one of these?
Hopefully not, but if in an emergency, its at least something you can use in the interim.
Thankfully, both Lazada and Amazon Prime Singapore-US has got pretty good deals, the brush from Lazada’s is from China by a company called Baosity, they actually mentioned that their brushes were synthetic (which was the truth, so I chose to buy from them) instead of claiming to be “Badger hair” brushes that some others tried to claim for the same price (highly doubt it) and it took about a week to arrive.
The other from Amazon Prime Singapore-US is from a known Company, Rockwell Razors. They are also synthetic so there should be no issue with using this.
To my surprise the one from China was actually almost comparable in quality and the did go a good job with the handle.
To be fair, the one from Rockwell is built and crafted better, you can see that the brush is more uniform, and even when lying on the side, still keeps its shape, it also seems to be a little thicker then its China’s counterpart. However having used both for several shaves, they both performed comparatively similar that I’d consider them both to be identical, at least for the moment. In the long term, after months of use that might change. But considering one cost $8 and the other $20, there’s not much to complain about.
There is also another advantage with the synthetic brushes. They don’t stink out of the box and with a cleaning rinse with soap, its ready to go. I am not sure if our Muslim friends can use Badger hair brushes, I pretty sure you can, but you might want to check or ask a scholar and see if its alright, if so, then at least you have more options.
Home made Vetiver Pre-shave.
Proraso Red.
Thayers Witch Hazel
Parker 22R
I love good strong scents and Proraso Red’s sandalwood fits the bill for today.
Unlike the other lines, Red’s sandalwood is not muted or light.
Open a puck and you will immediately get a full whiff, bloom it with hot water and your entire bathroom smells of sandalwood.
Be warned though, if you don’t like heavy scents, or if you have a very sensitive nose, go easy on the red line. Buy just the puck or tube of cream and use either the Pre-shave/ post shaves from the other lines or do what I did and layer your routine with different but aligned scented theme products.
Went down to Mustafa’s to check on what the prices are now, compared to a few years ago. And boy, prices have sort of changed since I was last there. If you are out to get cheap affordable supplies for wet shaving, or starting out and don’t want to break your bank, with the exception of buying the Razor itself. This is the place to go.
SHAVING CREAM
Goorej (Cotrej) creams are $2.20 .. Didn’t buy this but its the cheapest of the bunch, Prices range are +/-$2 so most stuff you can buy with less than what it cost to buy a packet of chicken rice.
I got the Pamolive to test and its $2.90 for a 100ml tube. We’ll get to this later.
BRUSHES I am pretty sure this isn’t the Omega of Italy I know (nor are the other Omega branded shaving creams) but for $6.50 and below they are affordable. Buy the $6.50 version, the rest gets smaller with a smaller and sparser knots.
To be honest the “Original made in Italy” is probably telling you the truth, that is, that this is a fake, and the Original is made in Italy.
Then my eye saw this little thing. For the love of god, don’t buy this or any of the “Gillette” branded brush that looks like this. I know its only $2.90 and comes with some blades! … I have used Super Max blades but not the yellow boxes. Really not sure if these are any good. Was tempted to buy to try but didn’t want to waste money this.
Before you use the brush, you’ll need to treat it. Its a boar’s hair brush which normally has a light yellow tint to the bristles, but in this case, I am pretty sure they colored it to make it look more “expansive” then it really is. It’s a little hard to see due to lighting, but after soaking the brush in hot water, the water turned yellow I’ll say this again, DO NOT USE THIS BRUSH BEFORE TREATING IT. Soak it at least 3 times, every time using hot water, let it sit for half an hour, throw the water out and soak in hot water again.
In my test run I only soaked it 2 times and I got this when I made a lather. Notice the cream color…
now look at when I use my Percy Nobleman’s brush, which is also a boar’s hair brush…
This lather is white.
I’ll need to set that new brush aside laden with soap and let the soap soak into it. Oh I forgot to mention, the brush stank of boar’s piss or something. The “wet pig” smell was rather strong. So at least I know its made from real boar’s hair. So that, at least is a plus.
Now, it is normal for all animal hair brushes, even US$200++ Badger Silver Tip hair brushes to stink a little when its out of the box, which is why you need to treat it first. I am not going to use this brush till at least 2 overnight treatments soaking the brush in soap lather.
PALMOLIVE LATHER QUALITY Its actually not too bad. Not as smooth as I’d like it to be, and you can see that even though it is thick, the lather looks evenly at first but starts to clump up a little leaving some areas more visible with skin showing.
In contrast here’s the one with Proraso Pro when I shaved with the straight razor
Less skin seen, a much more even lather.
But for $2.90, it does the job and compared to a $30 tube of cream, yeah, I’d expect the Proraso to do much better.
The Palmolive’s scent is best described as leafy soap? Heavy on the soap smell, with a tint of cut grass. And no, I shaved with a safety razor with that lather. Not using a straight razor, nope!
RAZOR BLADES
50x Gillette 7 O’clocks go for $12.00 100 Derby Extras go for $9.00 And they had other assorted blades … most not branded or stuff I have never seen / heard of. Not touching those. The 7 O’clocks are good but if you want to avoid Gillette and don’t want to get Derby’s, Amazon Prime Singapore (US item ordering) is the best place to get other brand blades, or look for the few local stores that sell blades relatively cheaply online. Just be careful on Q0010 and Lazada. I have seen some fuck trying to sell 2 x 5s or 1 x 10s box of blades (10 blades total) for $34+/- That’s retarded, you can buy a box of 100 Feathers for that price.
Some prefer the Astra Greens, you’ll have to get those from Amazon Singapore-US for S$31.12 for a box of 100s (comes with free Arko shaving soap) and I have seen Super Max (Yellow box) in some of the smaller provision stores around Tekka but didn’t ask for the price since I had no intention to buy. Mustafa also had some Russian blades but they were not the brands I am familiar with. Buy at your own risk.
This is my box of razors, about 140+ Feathers (box comes in 10os S$35 /200s S$62 from Amazon Singapore) , 170+ Personna’s (box comes in 200s $32.47 Amazon Singapore-US) about 140+ Derby’s (box of 100s for S$11.27 Amazon Singapore-US) and about 60+ Astra Blues (usually sold in packs of 50s for $9.90 from SGPomades.com), which is about 3 years worth of blades.
Derby’s are for my straight razor mostly or for shaves when I am in a rush, its a relatively safe blade to use once you are experienced, it’s almost impossible to cut yourself. Having said that, these are STILL RAZOR BLADES. If you are a beginner, you can and most likely will cut yourself no matter what blade you use unless you learn really quickly or have good innate skill with the shaver.
The astra blues are also another mid range performer, probably only slightly sharper then the Derbys and as smooth.
The Personna are sharper then both previous ones while still very smooth and of course, Feathers. Every shaver will get a bunch of feathers sooner or later especially when you have the skill and want to murder thick hair growth in as little passes as possible. Or use in a very mild or gentle graded shaver and still get really close shaves with less risk (not no risk) of cutting yourself.
ALUM BLOCKS
Another “Omega” brand that I am sure meant for the market in India, its quality is subjective. But for $5.90, this is cheap as fuck. It also looks cheap as fuck. Side by side with my Edwin Jagger Alum Block.
At first glance the Jaggers’ block looks very much more refined, its like translucent glass, while the Omega is very opaque, however this is more or less the same as my spare Proraso Alum block. So the real test is to use it. Glad to say that it seems fine. I’ll use it more but from the first use, it does what it needs to do, that is, give your fingers the ability to grip and pull on even soapy skin (touch the block then touch and pull on your skin to stretch it) I cannot however confirm if it’ll work on nicks or cuts (since I didn’t have any, nor any razor burns) so I cannot confirm how well it works but initial impression is good. And for $5.90, I can’t really complain.
The Proraso cost S$13.70 from Amazon Singapore-US
Or get from Lazada “Bloc Osma” Alum Block for about $20, they also have do have a no brand Alum Block that comes in a plastic container $16.00, quality unknown. I think, if that is the case, just buy the $5.90 one from Mustafa. In any case I’ll be using this cheap one for the next week or so, and will update if anything pops up.
Going with it, are the Proraso Pro Cypress and Vetyver Pre-Shave and Cream. I didn’t get the beard balm since I don’t have one, but will be using my own homemade balm made from witch hazel and aloe gel. Finishing up with Guerlain’s Vetiver (but of course!) to set the mood.
PRE-SHAVE Proraso Pro line is also known as the Singleblade or Straight Razor line, meant to give better protection and slickness to both pre-shaves and cream to give that blade more glide when it comes into contact with your skin. Applying the pre-shave you can tell and feel that this version goes onto the skin a little heavier then the regular pre-shaves.
SHAVING CREAM The cream looks and feel a little different as well. Lathering up is a little too easy if you made the mistake of adding too much water. The foam looks thick but on application, thins out showing more skin then I like. Go easy on the water to cream ratio and it should be fine. Once you do get a good lather (able to give you the “Santa Look” without drying out on you) it goes on easy to the face and it does feel a little more slick then compared to the regular stuff.
What disappoints with both pre-shave and cream is that the Proraso kept the scent low key. You can smell both wood and grass but its toned down, muted. Compared to Fine Accoutrements’ Green Vetiver or Taylor of Old Bond Street’s Cedar and Vetiver, Proraso’s scent could be best described as “good just not great”. Considering that the Preshave cost $25 and the Cream, $30, you’d expect both to smell great, not just ok. To be fair, both did their job so that my once a week Straight Razor use does not end up with me donating blood to the sink, so I really can’t complain too much.
Bottom line, stick with the regular Proraso stuff, even if you are using the straight edge, pretty sure even my home made pre-shaves could have done the same job. Just not as “atas” (Malay slang for being “high” or posh) as if you used a brand name.
Proraso white is probably the most interesting of Proraso’s “normal” line. Made from thyme flowers and leaves, oatmeal, tea leaves extracts, and menthol, got to have that menthol, you’d think that it’ll have a more earthy scent but it’s actually probably the most floral and pleasing among the color line, the mix of thyme leaves and flowers, with the milky scent of oats and tang of tea worked really well. Compared to Proraso Green, Proraso White is much more subtle, marketed towards shavers with sensitive skins, Proraso White with its more gentle and consistent quality, hit all the right notes, making this a joy to use.
PRE-SHAVE If you have used the Green Pre-Shave, you’d know that the moment it hits your face, it is immediate atomic ground zero. Feels damn good for some, for others, its “HOLY CRAP!! MY FACE’S MELTING!!!”
While Proraso White still has that menthol-ly feel, it is very much toned down. What you also notice right away, is the scent. Unlike Proraso Blue where the best I can describe its scent is, “fresh soap scent”, Proraso White has that something ginger-ish, tea and oats smell. It’s hard to describe oats but take a whiff from a can with at least still half filled with oatmeal mix and you’ll have a rough idea, add tea and thyme flowers and leaves … the mix somehow, just smells great. Smell is of course, subjective, so take that with a grain of salt.
THE SHAVING CREAM Quality is just as you would have expected it to be, lathers easily, only takes a little, about 2cm – 3cm of cream for a 3-4 pass run with most faces. Experiment to find out how much you need. Remember, you don’t want thick paint that dries up on your skin, neither do you want thin soap suds that will barely protect your face and let that blade slide. Thick whipped cream is what you want. The cream and foam from it does feel great on the skin, if the green line is the one that is wakes you up and gets you going, the White line is the one that you use when you want to finishing your shave feeling like you just came out of a spa.
POST SHAVE Finishing with Proraso White’s post shave is a nice finishing touch. Goes on cool, has that nice ginger-ish, soft tea and oats scent, it’s a great way to start the day.
For anyone who can’t or don’t want to use Proraso Green, go for Proraso White. It has definitely kept to what made the green such a favorite but toned it down such that those who can’t or don’t want to deal with Green’s eucalyptus and menthol nuke to the face, can still get that nice fresh cool feel without feeling like you just walked out of ground zero.
Proraso Blue is the answer for those who want a refreshing shave, but not the face smashing that Proraso Green gives. Advertised as Aloe and Vitamin E, it still feels a little cool and fresh when it goes onto the face. Proraso Blue also has a matching fresh scent that is toned down considerably, so it doesn’t fill the room as you lather up as it would with the Green line, I couldn’t tell what’s in the scent but it is not unpleasant.
The same goes for the post shave balm. The scent is muted, and you will feel that light cool refreshing sensation on the face, there’s definitely some menthol in it. It is light and feels refreshing as it dries off.
Proraso Blue is for those who still want a mild refreshing feel on the face, similar to, but not the massive Eucalyptus bomb that Proraso green is.
Proraso Blue lathers well, though not as slick as some of the more expansive artisan soaps or like the Proraso Pro line. Feels great going on, leaves you feeling fresh without being overpowering.
A LITTLE BACK GROUND FIRST Proraso is probably one of the better known brand of shaving soaps and creams the world over, and for most part, Proraso is the gateway drug to going down the path of using Artisan soaps and creams and wanting that good wet shaving preparation and experience.
Over the next few days I’ll go over some of Proraso’s stuff since its the brand that I own the most. Getting it at the local stores in Singapore is difficult, given that shaving in Singapore, in general, is a Gillette monopoly. Literally nothing but Gillette products on the shelves. Soaps and foams are all the “in a can” variety and lets face it, its rubbish.
However, there is a store in Balestier (King’s Barber) and one in Geylang (The Panic Room) that do carry Proraso to sell to the general public but if you don’t want to run around to look for the brick and mortar stores, you can order online via several options.
My advice is to be careful especially with Lazada and Qoo10 if those are your preferred online stores as some of the vendors overcharge for Prorasos They should cost around $17 for a tub of shaving soap / tube of shaving cream, $16 – $18 for the pre-shaves (Proraso only has Green line,White line, and the very hard to find, Pro Line ($30) pre-shaves), $22 for the aftershaves ( Green / white / blue lines)
My goto online store for the moment to get Proraso in Singapore is SGPomades https://sgpomades.com/collections/proraso they might not be the “best” price overall, but they are actually cheaper then most and they are very fast with delivery usually on the 2nd – 3rd day. I have found them to be reliable. The cheapest price for Proraso though, is from Amazon SG prime USA ordering (min $60 spending to get free delivery) but it can sometimes take two weeks or more for stuff from the US to arrive.
The only downside is that they don’t carry the more recent Proraso Pro line, for example, the Cypress and Vetyver scented cream, which are not only made for Straight blade razor shaving in mind (shavettes and old school straight razors) but also has some of the best scents you’ll smell from a soap.
Now that’s enough about me going on about Proraso stuff, lets get to today’s shave. Proraso’s Green line.
PRORASO GREEN Proraso green line is the Gorilla in the room. There are as many shavers who swear by it as there are who hate or just can’t use it. Part of the reason is because of the really strong Eucalyptus and menthol formula. It goes onto your face like a truck without brakes and for some the green line is too harsh especially if they have both sensitive eyes and skin.
For others, that icy cool shock and heavy minty smell and feel to the skin is just the thing you want, to wake you up in the morning. My advice is just buy a single tube of cream or a tub of soap to start, see if you like it, if you do, great! if not, it’s only $17.
PRE-SHAVE
Proraso’s Green pre-shave is like a slicker “mopiko” that you use to prep your face with before the lather goes on. This is an important step especially if you have very heavy growth or are using a straight razor or shavette. That extra layer of slickness, softened hair and toned skin helps prevent nicks or cuts by giving your razor’s blade that extra glide.
You don’t need to do this, but if you love the green line or are using “thems badass razors”, you would want to.
For the uninitiated, using this the first time will be a shock. You will immediately feel the icy burn and for many this is a deal breaker. For others like myself, prepping your face with this when you are still bleary eyed even after a shower, that shock will wake you right up and is step one to eucalyptus bombing your face.
SHAVING CREAM
You can choose to go with cream in a tube, or soap in a tub. I have both, though for the moment I am going to use the cream as it is easier to show just how much you need to make a good lather that can last at least 3-4 pass applications.
Just a little goes a long way. Sometimes you will see on YouTube, shavers who squeeze a 5cm-8cm length of cream, you really don’t need that much. About 2cm+ is more then enough if you have light hair growth, a little more if your have heavier growth. While you don’t want to be wasteful, you don’t want a lather that’s only air bubbles. It should be thick and slick that when you apply to your face should give you that “Santa Claus” look. At the same time you don’t want it so thick that it’ll dry out on your face and form a sticky layer instead of a layer of cushion for your blade to glide over.
The cream is rich and smells great, very minty and fresh. The lather you get is a beautiful whipped cream texture that you’d expect from a quality product. And yes, as you would expect, that ice cool feeling, is strong in this one.
And once you are done with the shave, finish up with either the lotion or balm. I chose to use the lotion, which while harsher then the balm because it is alcohol based, has more “oooommph!”.
If you prefer non alcohol based aftershave, or just a milder feel, go with the balm. Either way it is another layer of the eucalyptus bomb in your morning shave. Needless to say, the entire bathroom smells of mint, your face (and you) are shocked awake with the icy cool feel and for me at least, feels damn shiiiooooooik!
Finally, today we get to use something that you don’t have to order online and can be easily found all over Singapore. As far as I know most Bodyshop’s outlets carry them, usually on the men’s shelve (small little section compared to the rest of the store) or you might need to ask the store assistant.
Cost for the shaving cream is $24.00 and Post shave gel goes for $25.00. They are a little more on the pricey side, so there is that.
SHAVING CREAM
Its scent is mild, soapy and reminds me of Hazeline Snow, slightly pleasant but nothing you would boast about, its pretty much neutral.
On the plus side it doesn’t take much to lather up and you will easily get lots of very rich good foam.
The lather goes on easy and as you lather in to build it up on your face you don’t feel the tightness you do from some of the stuff you find in cans, it feels slick and paints on easily. It’s definitely much more gentle than even other quality soaps say, Proraso Green.
As long as you don’t go crazy using huge amounts at a go, a tub should last you a few months easy. While it is better to have more foam than you need, you don’t have to make more than 4 applications worth.
Experiment a bit, there is no harm having more on your brush when you start, having more foam is not a bad thing. With experience, you can scale down the amount you use to what you actually need + a little more “just in case”.
POST SHAVE GEL
The post shave gel has almost the same scent but there’s also a hint of eucalyptus or menthol so it smells fresh.
Again you don’t need too much of it, just small amount will be enough to go over your neck and face.
Going onto your skin once you are done with your shave routine, this post shave works really well together with the properties of the shaving cream. The gel has a cooling sensation and dries off fast. There’s little to no scent, and it fades off fast.
It’s very gentle on the skin and is a nice finishing touch.
For wetshavers in Singapore, this is probably the only easily available cream and post shave.
Heath is another UK company that makes creams with Tasmanian Pepper and Tea Tree extracts.
You can buy this again off Amazon Singapore, though finding it in Local stores can be a pain. I bought this on a whim but am pleased with it. The shaving cream cost $20, the post shave repair cream cost $24.
SHAVING CREAM
The first thing you notice is the scent. The pepper and tea tree blend worked really well and as you lather, especially if your brush is warm and using a little warm or hot water, it’ll fill the room with a warm and soothing scent.
You don’t need much to form a good lather.
I got a full bowl of really great lather. It goes on great onto the face.
POST SHAVING REPAIR CREAM
Initially, I was concerned that it came with a rather small bottle and the pump mechanism wants to pump out a huge dollop. Don’t do it. A full pump gives you way too much cream and your face will feel both greasy and heavy if you put that much cream on your face.
Pic shows about the right amount, maybe halve a full pump. Again you will notice the scent, the pepper notes are a little stronger and last a long time, I could get a whiff of it several hours later.
Once it dries off, it feels really good. The soothing feeling holds for a long time as well.
All in all, this was a great shave and is part of why wet shaving is as addictive as it is. Women have their spas, we have this.
Bluebeard’s Revenge is a company from the UK, its products is one of the few you can find locally in stores as well as purchasable online with fast delivery, Tangs for example has it in its perfume and cosmetics area, look for the Men’s Grooming display area to find it.
Each item, the pre-shave, shaving cream and post-shave balm are about $21.00 – $25.00 +/- each, if you are lucky and you can find the “gift box” that cost about $59.00 and comes with additional shaving brush (pretty sure its a boar hair brush, it is just slightly lower in quality that I am used to) and a deodorant. The brush is a little on the small side and the bristles are a little rough, though with use I believe they will soften but hey, its more or less free and considering the price the gift box is a steal
THE PRE-SHAVE
One thing you’ll find about this product if you read the labels and instructions, is that the people who did them, have a sense of humor. Very British, very tongue in cheek.
You need very little of this in application, I had this for a while and barely used it. (I actually prefer my Proraso pre-shave but that’s another story) You essentially rub a little to areas where you will be shaving, this will help the blade to slide and glide without nicking. It won’t help you if you use your razor like a hammer and smash the thing into your face, or if your technique is bad, like pressing with the same force as you would a Gillette shaver, or if you have a badly made Chinese shaver that has the damn blade sticking pass the safety bar or set the blade at such an aggressive angle that even at holding the shaver at 30 degrees or less it’ll still stab you in the face.
It has a very very mild smell, kind of nutty. Hardly noticeable, and while it’ll make your face slick to the blade, its not heavy, and does not leave your face feeling like you just had motor oil on it. It’ll be taken off after a few passes and washes off easily.
THE SHAVING CREAM
The label recommends using a brush and adding a dollop (how much is a dollop… damn Brits…) to the brush, and that doing so this 100gm will last you about 50 shaves (1 and 1/2 month give or take) You don’t really need that much Just stir in your wet brush a little (not dripping wet, just flick water off the brush while its wet and you are good), you don’t need to put much pressure, just enough that your brush’s bristles get coated to about this much.
Then, add about a half a teaspoon to a teaspoon or so of water into your bowl (use less water to start, you can add more if your lather is still very thick and looks thick paint, what you want is whipped cream) and start lathering by whisking the brush.
The cream lathers very well as you can see. I actually had too much cream on the brush and by the time I was done, I had almost a full bowl of lather. My bowl isn’t the a small thing, it’s actually a mid-size Japanese soup bowl (much bigger then the dinky ones you see at Yoshinoya’s, maybe two or three times the capacity of those) I had enough lather for at least 5+ passes. (you usually only need 3)
The smell isn’t very strong, kind of like coconut and almond or something similar. Very very mild scent, not very noticeable. The lather was good though, you can easily get the Santa Claus look for the first pass and depending on the amount of hair growth you have, still have enough left over for at least 3-4 more passes. The lather itself feels slick and cushiony which I like. For us Asians with little or light growth if you are shaving daily, you might not need the pre-shave oil with this quality of lather. I still make a habit of using pre-shave since I use a shavette to shave sometimes. (More baddass!)
All in all, that tin of cream is going to last me months if not a year at least since I rotate it in an out with my other shaving soaps. If I am using it exclusively, it’ll definitely last me 2 to 3 months.
THE POST SHAVE BALM
Bluebeard’s post shave is a little disappointing. Many skip this part if you are using Gillette cartridges, or people who find shaving a chore, not as a ritual in the Art of Manliness. So for the most part the post shave is when you want your product to shine, to give you that “Fuck yeah, that felt good!” as you put the finishing touch to your face, much like a baker placing that last cherry, that last bit of icing on the cake.
The balm itself has the same nutty mild smell, very very light, very unnoticeable. Its very soft, like watery aloe gel (which is what it’s made of amongst other things) goes on light and easy. Just dab a little to areas you have shaved and lightly massage it in or put about a small almond size bit on your palm, rub your palms together to spread and activate and apply to face.
What is good about it, is that it doesn’t leave your face feeling sticky, oily or tight *cough* Gillette post shave *cough* and your face do feel fresh after use. As far as post shaves go, its not bad at all, but as I have said at the beginning, it lacked that last “omph!” you want from a post shave. This though, is just me, I am sure other users might feel differently.
Just drop in chat if you want to know where to get this online or other shops I have found that have it.
Steve's Wet Shaving in Singapore 