Tabac Original Shaving Bowl

I take wet shaving pretty seriously – none of this cartridge razor and shaving cream nonsense. Double Edge Safety razor or straight razor with a brush and shaving soap is the only way to go.

Tabac shaving soap is highly regarded within the hardcore shaving community. For a cosmetics manufacturer (Maurer & Wirtz) this is a very high quality soap – it has a lingering scent, the puck lasts forever and it is incredibly slick. It is my favourite soap from a non-artisan soap maker.

As a soap it is also far far more gentle on the skin than a shaving cream/gel which uses propellants and other unnecessary dehydrating chemicals.

As for the scent: Tabac Original can be described as the male Chanel No. 5 – it is powdery and floral without being effeminate. Far more sophisticated and different than the usual (generic) modern scents you’ll find catering for men. Some may say dated but being 50 years old and still going strong it has stood the test of time.

The puck also comes in a lovely ceramic bowl (which you can refill – it might be pricey at first (as with all paraphernalia related to “true” wet shaving) but it will last you many times longer than the cost equivalent of buying cans of shaving cream.