Tabac Original Shaving Soap

After having tried wet shaving with a Dual Edge razor for about 4 months now, I feel that a large part of the shaving experience comes from the preparation. It is a slow, manual procedure that adds up to the enjoyment of shaving.

The preparation starts right from taking a shower. Having prolonged exposure to moisture softens hairs, making them softer and easier to cut than dry hairs. Also, the skin stays moist longer, allowing your shaving foam/gel/cream/soap to stay slippery for the razor to glide smoothly across your skin. This contributes to a consistent blade pressure on your skin.

My first shaving soap is a Tabac. It comes in a "stick" form - similar to a deodorant stick. The stick design eliminates the need to lather with a shaving bowl. You splash some water on your face and roll the stick in circular motion around the areas you want to shave, next, use a shaving brush to swirl up the soapy foam. For best results, first prepare the brush beforehand by soaking it in a small cup of water to soften the bristles.

The result should be a rich foamy lather that covers the lower half of your face. Having a slippery lather makes a big difference in the shaving experience to both traditional and modern cartridge razor compared to not having any. Moreover, being a soap, it does double duty in protecting and cleaning your face at the same time.

The only downside about the soap is it's traditional scent, which is very different from what we encounter in this day and age. Probably not everyone can appreciate its smell.

 The soap after several uses.

The Tabac shaving soap is well reviewed by many users for its ease of lathering and richness of the soap. Although it is slightly higher priced average shaving soaps, it is still only $10 for a 100g stick. The scent is not too bad, but it is different. If you are able to live with the scent, you'll enjoy a rather premium shave with the convenience of a stick.

Edit: I missed out an important point about this shaving soap. It is important to add a generous amount of soap on your face to achieve a long lasting slick lather on your skin. The lather dissipate when too much water is added, but your skin can definitely tell as a single stroke would remove all the slickness away, leaving a dry clean surface that will make it hard to glide on.