Sotd - Saturday 10/2/18
Razor - ER 1912 British
blade - ER Corrux (2)
brush - Simpsons P8 best badger LE
soap - De Vergulde Hand
post - witch hazel
a/s - Nivea 2 in 1.
Result - great.
First use of this soap. My best mate's other half is Dutch - they were over there last week to visit the family in Leiden - so I asked him to pick some up for me. He's a proper shaver too, I got him a 1912 and a Maseto two band for his 50th birthday last year - so - he owed me. Ha ha. 'De Vergulde Hand,' translates as the golden or gilded hand I think. Apparently the company has been making soap continuously for over 460 years and claim that they have the oldest registered trade mark in the world. My mate had never heard of the brand but when he asked his in-laws where to source it - it turned out to be like La Toja in Spain or Old Spice to our father's generation - everybody knew about it and was commonly available, dirt cheap. I used the stick version. It comes in a plastic tube - it's vegetarian soap, coconut oil based. So - had they learned anything about soap making in nearly half a millennia? Absolutely - I applied it 'crayon' style to four days growth - it lathered with practically no effort - a fair amount of water was needed though but I notice that kaolin clay is listed in the ingredients - which might account for that. No particular scent - it just smells 'soapy' and clean - maybe a bit of citrus? It's very good - the slickness and glide is way better than I would associate with cheap shave sticks normally. I had read that some found it to dry out their skin but this was not my experience at all. Give it a go if you like hard soaps - I believe that an additional tub of it and some other goodies will be making their way to me soon. What nobody had ever heard of though was Scheermonnik soap - but somebody is looking into it - fingers crossed. It might be made by the same company as the Verguide but I'm not sure about this - I've read conflicting opinions. A healthy splash of the excellent Nivea 2 in 1 - no need for a balm - job done. I really enjoy a good 'economy' shave - using apparently humble everyday products. I'm all for a bit of luxury - as much as the next man - but I have learned that you can't buy a good shave - the better part of a top end result - like this one - is experience. Good prep - good tools - understanding your beard growth and a post shave regime that suits your skin are the most important things. That was great - whatever the Dutch is for 'naked greased otter smooth' - it was that - enjoy your shaves one and all - yours - I.
