Since I’m using a shave stick today, preshave prep was with MR GLO rather than Grooming Dept Moisturizing Pre-Shave. The shave stick is a Razor Emporium stick, which has oxidized somewhat and also dried out a lot, leaving a surface that is quite hard and scratchy.
My first thought was that D.R. Harris is clever in having a screw-on (air-tight) cap for its shave sticks, which prevents drying out. My second thought was, “Wait a minute, my Arko, Speick, Wilkinson, and Valobra shave sticks have no cap and, despite being exposed to air, don’t dry out, harden, and crack the way this one did.”
This was the first shave stick Razor Emporium brought to market, however, and those other brands have been around for decades. I think what we see is that experience is a good teacher. It may well be that the current RE shave sticks have been reformulated to avoid the problem, especially since those other brands seem to have found a solution.
Nevertheless, I was able to get enough soap scraped off for the Sabini brush to create a workable lather. The process of rubbing the stick against the grain all over my stubble was not, however, the usual pleasant experience. It was actively uncomfortable, and I bid the stick adieu when I finished.
My Feather AS-D1 (one of the good ones) did its usual wonderful job and left my face completely smooth and undamaged for a good splash of Lustray Coachman aftershave. (For the relationship of Lustray, Clubman, and Pinaud, see the previous shaving post.)
And the weekend begins at last.