SHAVE SOAP & SKIN CARE

A key element of the wet shave is a good quality soap or cream. Shave specific soaps and creams are formulated to generate a thick lather that lasts much longer than canned shave foam. This allows the soap or cream to protect and moisturize your skin as you shave. Shave soaps and creams come in a multitude of scents (including unscented) and formulas for people with various skin types. In general we have found that traditional soaps and creams are much gentler and less likely to irritate sensitive skin.

Shave soap commonly comes in puck form that you build lather on top of inside a bowl or mug. Shave creams often come in tubes or tubs and a small amount is lathered in a separate bowl. Soaps and creams have many of the same characteristics, and we do not recommend one over the other. We sell our own all-natural, hand-made soap as well as many brands of traditional soaps, aftershaves and balms.

Our Copper Hat soap has an all-natural base and is complimented with natural butters and essential oils. It comes in a variety of fun and exciting scents that invigorate your skin but wash off cleanly when you’re finished. We love our shaving soap because we’ve tested it over and over to make sure it is moisturizing without being oily and easy to lather without over drying the skin. The traditional soaps and aftershaves we sell are from tried and true shaving companies that have been around for decades. Most of them are not all-natural, but are a treat just the same.

A Quick How To

If you are using a shave puck (a hard bar-type soap), put the puck in your lathering bowl/mug and fill it with warm water for a few minutes. Soak your brush (always pointing down) with warm water either in the stream from the tap or in another bowl/mug (this will fill the bristles with water and help lather the soap). The brush only needs to be soaked for 30 seconds or so. Before lathering, shake most of the water off of the brush and empty the water from the bowl containing the puck. Next, swirl the brush around the puck of soap quickly until lather appears (if you are using a cream from a tub or tube, put a quarter-sized amount into your bowl to lather). A good lather should take about 1 minute to build. If it seems like not much is happening after a few seconds, add a few drops of water. If the lather is very bubbly, there is too much water in the mixture and you should shake the brush out a bit more. The optimal lather will look just like whipped cream, fluffy, thick and white, but few bubbles.

The best way to ensure your skin is ready for an optimal shave is to start with a shower. This fully moisturizes the skin and makes your hair softer and easier to shave. Using an exfoliating wash is also a great way to get your skin ready. If you cannot shower first, try a simple hot towel treatment, soak a barber towel with hot water and place it on your face/skin for a few minutes. At the very least, splash your skin several times with warm water and rub it into your pores. Skin should be damp when you apply lather. After you shave, rinse your skin thoroughly with lukewarm water and splash it once or twice with cold water to close the pores. Some people can go without any after-shave moisturizer, but we do recommend using something. There are many options available, but any cream/lotion/balm that cools your skin and leaves it moisturized is perfectly fine.