Closed Village Barber Oil & Balm

fly3k said:
Ok no bother if there isnt any left. Let me know once you have tried them out.
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Oil and balm arrived this morning, I will use it and pass it to Ben in the next cople of days..

There is plenty (of the oil at least, can't see balm) so you will, at the very least, get the oil to try Steve.

Cheers,

Cyril
 
Used a new blade today, so used oil as a pre shave under Arko.

Village Barber oil
Arko soap, face lathered
Rudy Vey custom 2 band brush
Weber classic handle with Murker head
Supermax Blue Diamond (1)
4711 aftershave
Village Barber balm.

Easy BBS shave, lovely smell and balm left me smooth and soft. Like this product already. Tonight oil only shave with same setup..
 
Glad to hear you're enjoying it. I haven't used it when face lathering before - does it affect it at all? I would have imagined it would make it a bit harder to build a lather on the face.
 
I used Arko, no problem really. I did heavily load the brush and was surprised I had to reload for the 3rd pass.

I will give it a go with the same setup and oil only. It will be difficult as I took delivery of 3 new razors today that deserve a try :)

I am now happy with my razor collection, a couple need a visit to Dave Glyn, but apart from that....

Attention turns to brushes :)

mulligano said:
Glad to hear you're enjoying it. I haven't used it when face lathering before - does it affect it at all? I would have imagined it would make it a bit harder to build a lather on the face.
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Hairsuite said:
fly3k said:
Ok no bother if there isnt any left. Let me know once you have tried them out.
Click to expand...

Oil and balm arrived this morning, I will use it and pass it to Ben in the next cople of days..

There is plenty (of the oil at least, can't see balm) so you will, at the very least, get the oil to try Steve.

Cheers,

Cyril
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Thanks Cyril, at least I can try the oil.
 
Looking with a light, there is plenty of both, you will get loads to try Steve.

I tried the oil alone tonight. It was fine, though a little off putting for me. I like the lather to show me where I have been.

I confess to a final pass with Trumpers Eucris soap.

I have been on shift all week. My shaves get progressively worse along the way. Best shaves are usually on 3 + days growth.

Today was shave 8 in a row, I usually hate these shaves, but the oil smoothed out the run. I like the fragrance, it has a nice herb smell and the balm is really nice.

Having tested both in less than ideal circumstances, I think I could use the oil as a pre shave on occasion, but not instead of soaps and creams.

The balm, I will definitely be buying after May (self imposed buying ban, after first 5 months of hobby has resulted n 20+ razors, 8 brushes, 25+ soaps/creams, too many blades to dare count, and a small overdrauht n my hobby/ spending money account (along with being in debt to SWMBO)

Will text Benthespaniel and arrange the pass on.

Cyril
 
I'm intrigued by Cyril and Steve's response to the oil - both are saying that they would only be prepared to use it as a pre-shave oil rather than as a lather replacement, but, other than the valid point that you can't clearly see where you've shaved as you can with lather (which I've been able to work my way around by paying more attention to where I've shaved), neither can explain why. I certainly don't want anyone to think that I'm being critical, as I'm not, but I haven't had that reaction personally, and I'm intrigued by where it comes from.
 
I enjoyed using it both by itself and with lather. By itself it was a quick, no hassle preparation and allowed really easy "navigation" around my sideburns and lips - where the lather makes it harder to see the lines (if that makes sense). I've tried the king of shaves oil and another cheap one that was on offer in "home bargains" that I can't remember the name of and found the village barber oil simply worked! The others tended to snag a bit and left my skin feeling raw afterwards and I got none of that with VB.

But as a pre-shave, with lather over the top, I found it mainly left my skin feeling a lot less dried out (effectively not dried out at all) and allowed me to do some touch ups and "buffing" without reapplying more lather where needed. The physical action of rubbing it in as well seemed to make the shave easier I think, although that's probably mental more than anything.

Overall, I prefer using it with the lather but I think that may be a lot to do with preferring the process of making it and trying out different soaps and the like.
 
I've not used it with a cream or soap. I use the oil so I can see/style my facial hair as I shave. Well, until recently. I'm now hairless, but still using the oil, as for my money, it offers more protection than any cream or soap I've tried yet on the market. And leaves my skin moisturised too.
To be honest, and it's all about opinions, I don't see the need or point for using it as a pre shave, and that's not what it's designed for. Seems kinda pointless, TO ME.
But obviously if it works better for you with cream, then that's great. I'll defo give it a go. Sounds like I've missed out.

Has anyone NOT liked the balm?
 
Hi Chris, I am a dinosaur for who change is difficult :) unless it is a natural regression (pocket watches and vintage razors) for example.

Secondly, I hit the pass around right at the end of my shaving cycle, I work 6 on and 4 off. With meetings I ended up shaving 8 days in a row which meant using the oil on shave 7 and 8 (not my fave)

I think both products are nice to use (I applied oil then washed hands with soap) it leaves the sink a bit messy, I just didn't enjoy my shave as much (irrespective of them being 7/8) with the oil only.

As Michael says, it may be that the oil only shave detracts from the whole ritualistic experience. I confess that this does not make for an objective appraisal of the product itself, but it is my thoughts.

I will definitely buy the balm, it leaves my skin soft and smooth and smells great.

I am not saying that the oil is not good, just saying that oil only shaving is not my thing and this product has proved that to me. I had tried King of Shaves in the past, didn't like it. This oil is far superior in terms of feel and smell, it just hasn't swung me to use this regularly....

Luckily we are all different (just survey who likes what blade) I am sure there are lots of oil shaving devotees and good luck to them!

It is good to try things to find out..... A big thanks to Perished for giving me the chance, Michael for passing it on, and to Ian the Barber for supplying a fresh bottle to keep this going.

It is great to see good customer service, and has resulted in me planning an order for the balm.....

Just have to wait until June!
 
I see what you chaps mean - I don't find it as enjoyable or rewarding as using soaps and creams, and therefore wouldn't replace them with the oil. My reason for using it in oil-only shaves is that, due to personal circumstances, there are days when I haven't got the time or opportunity to perform a "full works" shave with brush and soap or cream, so the oil is ideal for those occasions (replaces using a cheap battery shaver, which is a huge improvement!) I can complete the entire process from getting stuff out to putting it away again in half the time for a "full works" shave, and, for me, the performance of the oil is good enough that the results are around 90% as good as a lather shave in terms of closeness, and as good in terms of comfort, for only around 50% of the time taken.
 
chrisbell said:
My reason for using it in oil-only shaves is that, due to personal circumstances, there are days when I haven't got the time or opportunity to perform a "full works" shave.................... the performance of the oil is good enough that the results are around 90% as good as a lather shave in terms of closeness, and as good in terms of comfort, for only around 50% of the time taken.
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This is exactly what I like about it. Other oils just don't work well, whereas this was great. I would say almost half my shaving time is faffing about with the lather - which I often enjoy - and I find I'm just as quick, if not quicker, using my DE and oil than I used to be with my Fusion and canned foam.

As an aside, I came across this description of the balm scent in another thread (credit to Savvy Paul) that I think just about nails it, although I don't detect the almond:

"......... on my skin I get 'top notes' of almond and lavender (not dissimilar to the SPECK [sic] shaving cream) settling down to 'base notes' of predominately sandalwood. Smells very natural rather than 'obvious'........."
 
chrisbell said:
I'm intrigued by Cyril and Steve's response to the oil - both are saying that they would only be prepared to use it as a pre-shave oil rather than as a lather replacement, but, other than the valid point that you can't clearly see where you've shaved as you can with lather (which I've been able to work my way around by paying more attention to where I've shaved), neither can explain why. I certainly don't want anyone to think that I'm being critical, as I'm not, but I haven't had that reaction personally, and I'm intrigued by where it comes from.
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My comment is purely based on the sheer amount of soaps and creams I have and the enjoyment of using them. I have used various shaving oils in the past and seeing where you have shaved wasnt too much of an issue but I was using a multi bladed cartridge.

I may give the oil a try on its own as I have seen the video of the maker using it. I have yet to find an oil that doesnt clog the razor up or clump up hairs, but then I havent tried this one so the jury is out. As the maker had DE in mind when making this oil I have high hopes.

As you say Chris it could be good when you are looking for a quick shave although I tend to shave in the evening so am rarely in a hurry.
 
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