Traditional Italian soft soaps have been popular among wet shavers for many years.  They blur the line between shaving soaps and shaving creams because they contain soap ingredients, but most are soft and putty-like in texture similar to thick creams.  Recently I tried Cella Crema da Barba All’Olio Di Mandorla, which is another well-regarded example of these classic Italian products.  Having had good experiences with similar soaps, such as P.160 and Volobra, I was looking forward to seeing how Cella’s soap performed.

The double edge razor blade is a simple piece of steel with two cutting edges, one on each side of the blade. It mounts into a traditional safety razor and provides a close shave. Despite this straight-forward concept, there remains a lot of confusion about blades in general. How long do they last? How do you choose the right one? What is the safest way to store them? This article discusses double edge blades and answers some of the most frequently asked questions about them.

The rose fragrance is one of the staples in traditional British wet shaving.  Well-known brands, such as the famous "3 Ts" (Trumper’s, Truefitt & Hill, and Taylor of Old Bond Street), have included rose in their lineup of soaps and creams for many years.  Interestingly rose was not part of the D.R. Harris & Co. catalog until only a year or so ago.  I was curious to see how the D.R. Harris Rose Shaving Cream stacked up to the competition.

Semogue shaving brushes from Portugal have earned a loyal following among wet shavers around the world.  All Semogues are handmade with high standards of craftsmanship and handle designs that set them apart from brushes produced in other parts of the world.  Over the past few years, Semogue has offered several Owners Club model brushes that feature the finest materials and finest workmanship the brand has to offer.  I was excited to see how Semogue’s new two-band badger brush stacked up against other two-band brushes that are filled with this sought-after grade of hair.

Wet shavers are familiar with toner and astringent because they are similar to a good aftershave. They are an excellent follow-up to a good face wash, and they simultaneously try to soothe, close pores, disinfect, nourish, control oil, and mildly exfoliate dead skin cells. While you use a toner or aftershave every time you cleanse your skin, you can use an exfoliant or mask from time to time when you need the heavy-duty tools in your skin care arsenal. These are the products that are used less frequently, but yield fantastic results when used consistently.

Millions of people around the world watched today as Prince William and Kate Middleton were married in a ceremony steeped in British tradition. The guests in Westminster Abbey were all dressed impeccably in their formal attire. Perhaps the groom used D.R. Harris or Truefitt & Hill in order to look his best? In order to go along with the mass media coverage of the day, this article takes a look at British traditions, but also how the Royal Family has influenced shaving history in the United Kingdom.

Cleansing is the most overlooked aspect of a man’s skin care routine. Cleansers are the bread and butter of the cleansing routine.  Its cornerstone. Its foundation. Its bedrock.  Coupled with a moisturizer, they are the one-two punch of the whole skin care routine.  If cleansing in general is the most overlooked aspect of a man’s skin care routine, than a cleanser is the most overlooked product. This article goes into detail about the different products make up the cleansing phase. 

The adjustable safety razor is an innovation that allows a wet shaver to adjust the blade gap of his razor to provide the right aggressiveness for his beard density and skin type. The design was patented on March 19, 1956, by inventors Meyer J. Shnitzler and Michael Douglas Benedict, Jr., but the first razor brought to the market was Gillette’s Fat Boy in 1958. Over the next 25-ish years, Gillette produced approximately 14 models of adjustable safety razors. By contrast, Merkur produced only 3 models -- but unlike those from Gillette, the Merkur razors are still manufactured today. This article takes a closer look at one of these models, the Merkur Futur Adjustable Safety Razor.

Most of the Shavemac brushes I have seen in the past featured the distinctive European bulb-shaped bristle loft. While many wetshavers like this shape because of its compact nature, I personally prefer fan-shaped brushes because I enjoy the feeling they provide on my face during my shaves.  While exchanging e-mails with Bernd Blos at Shavemac, I learned that the company also produces fan-shaped brushes and I was immediately interested in giving one a try.  This article takes a closer look at the Shavemac Series 167 D01 Silvertip Badger Shaving Brush.