WetShaving
This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Discord, and IRC.
New subscribers welcome!
Please visit our wiki, which is always and forever a work in progress.
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https://gem.wetshaving.social/ - a nice modern interface
Our sister Mastodon instance is https://wetshaving.social/.
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🪒 Community Rules
Rule 1 - Behaviour and Etiquette
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Be Respectful. Do not bully, flame, or harass others.
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Malicious comments are not allowed but heated discussion and salty banter is okay.
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Low effort replies and complaints about content will be removed.
Rule 2 - Content Guidelines
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Mail Calls, Simple Questions, and SOTD posts belong in the recurring weekly threads.
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Posts must have sufficient content to generate a meaningful discussion.
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Images, links, or videos must include additional text that summarizes the topic.
Rule 3 - Reviews and Disclosure
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Use [First Impressions] in the title if your experience with the product is limited.
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Use the [Review] in the title if you can provide comprehensive details with enough familiarity to answer follow-up questions.
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Disclose how the product being reviewed was acquired (e.g., PIF, loan, or purchase). If the product was provided to you directly by the maker or vendor free of charge or at a discount, you must disclose this fact even if the item will later be returned to the maker or vendor.
Rule 4 - Advertising
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Vendors are to keep marketing within the biweekly Deals/New Products threads.
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Non-vendors may post topics about products if it will foster a compelling discussion.
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Do not solicit donations or share fundraisers without mod approval.
Rule 5 - Inappropriate Content
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All NSFW/L content must request mod approval and be flaired appropriately.
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Non-shaving related NSFW/L content is not allowed.
Rule 10 - Moderator Discretion
- The rules may not apply perfectly to every situation. The mods have final discretion.
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Tal Tab Tue 22 Apr 2025
I got fed up with how much effort I need to put into getting good lather from veg Tabac with badger and boar brushes (load with a super dry brush for way too long, and then add water in microscopic amounts repeatedly forever or see the lalther turn into a bubbly mess. I was missing tallow Tabac and simultaneously wondering whether I was remembering it with rose-coloured glasses.
So in fetched a backup of pre-2022 Tabac, and went to work with my trusty Gelousy. The difference is stark. The tallow base loads more easily, and is super forgiving when adding water. It just stays dense and takes water like a champ.
I had a great shave with the good old Tabac slickness, and I don't see myself going back to veg Tabac anytime soon, at least not without a synth.
This makes me wonder: what is it that make some soaps (particularly more bubbly European vegan bases) so much easier to use with a synth than a badger or boar? Or is it just user error and I'm alone with my negative experience?
Good question about synthetic knots. It's almost like they're worse at making lather, which makes them better for our purposes. If someone didn't know any better, they might say badger is better because it makes "more" lather (aka a big bubbly mess).