I have been using the ETHOS soap/skin food for several weeks and recently realized an additional benefit of this already excellent shave soap which, I do not think, one may not realize. When using a soap there are several features that are important and may enable one soap to outperform another. These features are subjective as there are no readily available ways to quantity them (other than price per gram used) as there are no reported gap measures, angles or weights traditionally used in commenting on razors. Nevertheless many agree that a soap’s cushioning, slickness, ease of use, scent, skin hydration and lack of adverse skin reaction are all useful attributes to consider.
Personally I prefer smooth shaves with little to no blade feel that result in efficient 2 pass shaves. For that reason I like a solid bar over an open comb in a DE shave. Nevertheless I own several vintage (Gillette) open combs and some modern (Charcoal Goods, Fendrihan, Pearl, Timeless, Wolfman) open/dual combs. Although there are a few open combs that are smooth I don’t usually use them due to the extra blade feel – I can get a DFS/BBS result with most of my solid bars so why bother with the extra blade feel of an open comb.
Here is where ETHOS can make a difference. When I decided to use a modern dual comb razor my passes using the open comb were much smoother and comfortable than I had recalled. For me the ETHOS soap has allowed me to use a (subjectively) harsher open comb razor (vintage or modern). So even though I prefer a solid bar and find a SB shave with ETHOS to be extremely smooth, I am able to use some of (my preferred) open combs with an overall smoother experience. Perhaps this just reflects a soap’s cushioning and slickness but it has allowed this user to comfortably use an open comb, something I have never experienced with any other soap. As always YMMV but it has been an extra bonus feature using the ETHOS soaps.
Personally I prefer smooth shaves with little to no blade feel that result in efficient 2 pass shaves. For that reason I like a solid bar over an open comb in a DE shave. Nevertheless I own several vintage (Gillette) open combs and some modern (Charcoal Goods, Fendrihan, Pearl, Timeless, Wolfman) open/dual combs. Although there are a few open combs that are smooth I don’t usually use them due to the extra blade feel – I can get a DFS/BBS result with most of my solid bars so why bother with the extra blade feel of an open comb.
Here is where ETHOS can make a difference. When I decided to use a modern dual comb razor my passes using the open comb were much smoother and comfortable than I had recalled. For me the ETHOS soap has allowed me to use a (subjectively) harsher open comb razor (vintage or modern). So even though I prefer a solid bar and find a SB shave with ETHOS to be extremely smooth, I am able to use some of (my preferred) open combs with an overall smoother experience. Perhaps this just reflects a soap’s cushioning and slickness but it has allowed this user to comfortably use an open comb, something I have never experienced with any other soap. As always YMMV but it has been an extra bonus feature using the ETHOS soaps.