Reddit mentions of Tabac Original By Maurer & Wirtz For Men. Shaving Soap Bowl 4.4 Ounces

Oh yes: https://www.amazon.com/Original-Maurer-Wirtz-Shaving-Ounces/dp/B000GHYXG4/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1499362721&sr=8-3&keywords=tabac

TABAC!

I'm going to go against what has now become the conventional wisdom in this thread. My water is only moderately hard but whatever the mineral content is or the additives from the water company it makes a difference in my ability to create shaving lather vs. the distilled water I am buying. If I only used one soap which is what I did for a year or more and that happens to be Tabac then it didn't matter to me. I always got a great, slick lather with my tap water. Then I joined all of you guys in the wet shaving hobby and I found that distilled water eliminated one important factor in my daily lather making. BTW, Tabac is supposed to contain something that neutralizes hard water at least to some extent which doesn't surprise me since it is such a Central European favorite.

When I travel I can readily settle into using tap water, certainly by my second shave but then I use a Speick shave stick, another of those buy it at the pharmacy or grocery Teutonic soaps from the people who aren't given to palavering around with much of anything let alone shaving soap.

I just noticed that the price of a Ceramic Bowl of Tabac from Amazon is $16.75 with free shipping for anyone interested. Glad I could contribute to the SAD of the eight possible purchasers!:-)

Tabac soap in the glass bowl is available on Amazon for $16.75 with free shipping. That's pretty decent savings over the usual ~$30 price.

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Maurer-Wirtz-Shaving-Ounces/dp/B000GHYXG4/ref=cm_rdp_product

You might want to check out some Mama Bear soaps. I can attest to their quality but I've never actually used or tried the scents I'm going to suggest: Black Leather Jacket, Oak Moss & Lavender, or maybe Cedarwood.

Personally I'm quite fond of Tabac and the scent of vetiver (Straight Razor Designs makes a great vetiver soap). They don't smell like leather or oak but I'd say that both are in the 'masculine scent' category.

To be honest I have had a hard time getting good quality stuff from Amazon. I prefer them, but the smaller shops just don't have their products there. Scent is almost as important to me as the lather and the feel, so you may not enjoy what I do in that aspect.


I prefer soaps over creams I think. With a soap I can lather right from the tub rather than having to put it into a separate bowl.

My suggestions:

• Proraso Sandalwood - Not the best quality but a cheap good starter soap. Lathers in a bowl very easily.
  
  
  
• TOBS Sandalwood - Some people dont like this cream, but I feel like it had a good scent and a decent lather.
  
  
  
• Tabac - Probably more spendy here than you can get elsewhere. I really enjoy this soap. Good lather and will last forever. Has a clean powdery smell.
  
  
• Through the fire soaps - I absolutely love the soap I have from them. My favorite on all fronts. I have the Forged scent.
  
  
• Chiseled Face Sherlock - My second favorite. Very solid soap.
  
  
  
  
  I would suggest avoiding Col. Conk. I did not like any of their soaps.
  
  

LOVE it

This guy lasts FOREVER , its $22 for your first buy and comes with this awesome ceramic shave bowl, and then $14 for refills

Im still on my first, im about ~1/2 done with the soap and I bought it in June...so..it LASTS

and it smells great , easy to lather, and great shave!

Derby's are known for their smoothness, but there are a lot of complaints from the course bearded crowd about their lack of sharpness. You might want to move on to an astra ss or astra sp, maybe move down to a derby if you have a course beard. Feathers are the sharpest, but they do not seem to last long (maybe a 3 pass shave or two), and you do not have your technique yet so don't bother. Also, you seem to be missing an alum block, I recommend this one as it is cheap and roll on. Wet your face and just rub it on after shaving, leave it to air dry for a bit (2-3 minutes max) and rinse off. It will leave a white residue if left on so make sure you rinse it off. It also stings a lot, but it can be used to stop nicks and weepers (use the stypic first though), and is a great astringent. Witch hazel is another favorite to use after alum, I like it, but I have pretty sensitive skin and you probably don't need it.

At the start I recommend you just look for a comfortable, nick free shaving blade first and stick with it for a month. Try with the grain only (yes you'll have stubble, but will be presentable) for two weeks, and then add across the grain for another two weeks and then against last. If you get to many nicks, have razor burn (as in any) or even weepers, you know what is causing it. Check your lather and technique and try adding the new element in later.

I'm sure it sounds lame, but you need to keep all variables fixed for a while to determine which blade/soap/cream/brush or whatever you like. Don't just buy a bunch of razors or blades because they are recommended, and certainly not because they are cheap (sharks might be 6.25 for 100 blades on bestshave.net, but you need 2 to know if you like them), wait until you are comfortable and confident in your shaves to try experimenting. Otherwise you will spend a lot of time, money and blood trying to figure out why every blade gives you razor burn, only to find out you are putting way too much pressure on the blade.

Another tip, do not run through an entire pack. Write notes on the first 4 blades, and leave the last or rest for later. Move on to other blades and try again to confirm before buying a bulk pack. You might find out as your technique improves, or your soap changes that a sharper blade works better for you.

Btw, I have found that Tabac soap produce a thick and slick lather, and the soap last for the better part of a year, I highly recommend it if the cream's menthol is too obnoxious for you.

*tldr Leasureguy explains it better, check out the rest of his blog

Everyone is touting safety razors for a reason. Here is what you want...

Pick up a Merkur Classic safety razor.
https://www.amazon.com/MERKUR-Classic-MK-34C-2-Piece-Double/dp/B002A8JO1Q/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=merkur&qid=1565340143&s=gateway&sr=8-4&th=1

Then buy some Feather refill blades (they are the sharpest I have found without dragging)
https://www.amazon.com/Feather-Double-Blades-30-Ct/dp/B002OCANQI/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3F44F5VGGF2N1&keywords=feather+razor+blades&qid=1565340348&s=gateway&sprefix=feather+%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-7

Get a nice silver tip badger shaving brush
https://www.amazon.com/Parker-Safety-Razor-Silvertip-Bristle/dp/B00LEU3PJS/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=badger+shaving+brush&qid=1565340426&s=gateway&sr=8-4

A decent quality razor and brush stand
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0725X6TNH/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B0725X6TNH&pd_rd_w=vS9lk&pf_rd_p=8dbd62ec-d8d3-48e5-b85d-16f701719d81&pd_rd_wg=MJlWF&pf_rd_r=AWB84ARTRPN3QVS12KKD&pd_rd_r=e316a787-1b5c-4984-8255-71ebf10c06f0&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyT0pTWlZPSTkwRTk1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODY4ODA2Mzk3VjNBV1hDUUhIWCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTk1NTY5U0xYWkpYODJXTE41JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

A good shaving cup to get a nice lather
https://www.amazon.com/VIKINGS-Chairman-Shaving-Stainless-Standard/dp/B07GF6ZKTP/ref=pd_bxgy_194_3/143-9531827-5381065?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B072PRBWXR&pd_rd_r=4c94e9c8-bddd-4e03-bdd9-5bfe1d171d33&pd_rd_w=WFwmN&pd_rd_wg=yvSPW&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=YR6K9GZT62D1RRN31AB3&refRID=YR6K9GZT62D1RRN31AB3&th=1

Then grab some Tabac or Taylor of Old Bond Street shaving pucks. (I prefer Tabac since it reminds me of my father and grandfather. Traditions die hard I guess)
https://www.amazon.com/Tabac-Original-Maurer-Shaving-Ounces/dp/B000GHYXG4/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=tabac&qid=1565340634&s=beauty&sr=1-2

Taylor of Old Bond Street
https://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Old-Bond-Street-Sandalwood/dp/B0007MW2ZW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=OHNKVBMKBAAT&keywords=taylor+of+old+bond+street+shaving+cream&qid=1565340657&s=beauty&sprefix=taylor+of+old%2Cbeauty%2C191&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&smid=AMAE8K0LRQPCN&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUzlaRTNXNjZUS1c4JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDY4ODE3MU00RVdWVzg1UlFPWiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjA4ODg2NEE1UFZJQ1pTMllXJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

I prefer pretty much any decent soap to Trumper's hard soap. Trumper's Cream falls into the good-but-not-great category; there are hundreds of soaps that perform better.

If you just want a few suggestions, my favorite easy-to-get commercially produced soaps are probably Pre de Provence and DR Harris, although Tabac and Mitchell's Wool Fat are right up there. For artisan offerings, the list is incredibly long, but would be incomplete without at least mentioning Barrister & Mann (the Latha line is an economical place to start), Haslinger, LA Shaving Soap Co., Mickey Lee Soapworks, and Tallow + Steel. Check out Maggard Razors for the mother lode of artisan soaps.

I recently visited Merz Apothecary while in Chicago and picked up, among other items, Tabac Original and Proraso Vitamin E and Aloe. I like each quite well thus far, especially the Tabac--I can see why so many swear by it.

So I have a short beard for the past 3 years and I feel like when I'm cleaning it up it's about time I did it right. So I've bought a heap of recommended stuff over the past couple weeks I've seen people on here recommend. It's not all here yet but once it is...

Edwin Jagger Short Handle, Chrome Lined Safety Razor

Semogue 620 Shaving Brush

Tabac Original Shaving Soap

Razor and Brush stand

Nivea Men Sensitive Cooling Aftershave Balm

Also restocked on my usual face treatments for my skin which include:

Eucerin Dermatoclean Mild Cleansing Milk

Simple Rich Moisturiser

Avene Cleanance Mask Scrub


I think this is everything I should need.