My new strategy for picking my daily shaving soap.....

Merkurologist

Merkurologist

LeJog 2022 Finisher
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Up until this week I've been shaving with the soap that was in my rota, with a couple of exceptions a week. The problem with that is that sometimes I don't feel like shaving with barbershop.... but it's barbershop turn.

So from this week, my soap is picked on what I have been reading the previous day.... something that gets me in the mood for shaving. I just read something about PAA Dapper Doc and since I have it..... that is what I'll use tomorrow :)

What's your strategy?
 
As I've only got 5 soaps, 2 of which I rarely use (Wilkinson Sword stick and Palmolive stick) and 5 creams, 3 of which I've never used and have 2 more soaps on their way to me so the choice is fairly limited.

I tend to go on an 'eenie-meenie-miney-mo'-type of approach, though sometimes I'll plan ahead depending on which aftershave or edt I fancy wearing that day and see which soap that points towards.

E.g. if I plan on using Fine Snakebite A/s, I'll tend towards the Williams Mentholated cream for that chilly hit. I recently coupled Star Noir with L'orange Noir, based more on their names than scent profiles, though they went well together. Yesterday I had a more floral, soft, powdery shave with Cyril R Salter Wild Rose cream and Myrsol Blue to chase it.

I think it'll get tougher as my collection expands.
 
JohnnyO said:
Usually just start a soap, keep going until it's used up. I do sometimes fancy something different, so that's what I'll use. Choosing a shaving soap in this household isn't really worthy of being termed a strategy I fear.

JohnnyO. o/
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I wish I could do what you do, it would save me lots of money. I've got enough soaps to shave till I'm a 100 lol
 
I usually shave four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday mornings and again on Saturday night) so I'm trying to limit myself to one soap per week rather than chopping and changing for every shave.
 
I find more often than not I plan a day or two in advance, at least I plan for my SoTD pictures and get them all done in one hit, just use whichever combination I fancy that day. Unless there is a new arrival, I tend to use them the next day (or that day if they arrive early enough). I did plan to rotate a cream I was nearing the end of every other day but that fell by the wayside.

For March I am planning to stick to one soap for Monday-Friday and change it up at the weekend and then back to the first soap, or something along those lines. We shall see though!
 
I use my soap on weekly basis except Sundays when I use Icoloniali Mango.
Week 1: Arko
2: Saponoficino Varesino Dolomiti
3: D.R Harris Windsor
4: MFW
 
JohnnyO said:
Usually just start a soap, keep going until it's used up. I do sometimes fancy something different, so that's what I'll use. Choosing a shaving soap in this household isn't really worthy of being termed a strategy I fear.

JohnnyO. o/
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The thing is that I discovered I like changing soaps and I don't like shaving consecutive days with the same soap. There are two or 3 soaps that are my favourites and I try to use one or two of them more than once a week.... as long as I don't use it on consecutive days I still enjoy the soap scent.

There was a time when my idea of wet shaving was to use only one razor and one soap :)
 
I have something like 15-18 soaps and creams.

I have no set policy on rotation. I rarely use the same soap on consecutive days, but may use it more than once in a given week. Why have so many soaps? Some drink to forget, some shave and forget. I have only been DE shaving for 10 months, so I still have a process of rediscovery going on. Soaps that disappointed are rediscovered and turn out to be better than I thought at the time. Some "winners" start to disappoint as my range of experience broadens. New brushes start to impact selection (boar brush for hard soaps, synth for creams).

There are a range of soaps I would have thrown out a few months back (Proraso, Palmolive stick), but having "got over myself" in terms of wanting to own edgier, more artisan soaps, I have found that cheapness and widespread availability are poor reasons to pass judgement. Conversely, there are some artisan soaps I have that are such high quality in terms of performance and scent that I would never let a week pass without visting them upon my face.

Here's the thing. If I was landed on a desert island with just my Gillette tech, supplies of Lea stick and Sputnik and a cheap brush, I know I could cultivate an excellent daily shave for the rest of my days. In fact, I'd probably get better and better shaves through familiarity. But none of those objects are my favourites in category.

What does this all mean? It means I select each day on the basis of whim. It's perhaps the only part of my day where I have complete, unfettered control over my choices. There's an interesting contradiction in play - shaving is a deeply repetitive single routine for each day in which I exercise control over something like 1,000 combinations of razor, blade, brush and soap/cream.
 
riverrun said:
My strategy:
1. I use what I used yesterday.
2. If I don't fancy that, I go to my stash and see if any soap looks tempting.
3. If I can't think of anything else, I use Tabac.
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Well that's what I call playing with a safety net :) you can't go wrong with Tabac.

I just watched a video and I think tomorrow's shave will be Cavendish and Cella.... and maybe something else..... I'll have Tabac standing by just in case ;)
 
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