Razor: Yaqi Mellon
Blade: Wilkinson Sword
Soap: Like Grandpa Sandalwood
Aftershave: Fine Accoutrements Santal Absolut
Other: Proraso Pre-shave Sandalwood, Thirsty Badger lather bowl
Today felt like a sandalwood kind of day. I figured I’d pull a few different takes on sandalwood scents. I prepped for the shave with the Proraso Sandalwood Pre-shave. I recently won this giveaway and was pretty excited to give it a try. I typically don’t use a pre-shave but I’ve seen this around enough that I thought it would be interesting to give it a try. I’ve used it for a few shaves already and I can say, for me, it makes a difference. This gives me an extra bit of cushion and glide. I can use a more aggressive razor without it feeling as such. For example, I typically use a my Rockwell 6c on 3 or 4 and with the pre-shave, I can step it up to the 5 or 6 and get a similar shave comfort. Usually I find the 5-6 have a bit too much blade feel for me but the Proraso pre-shave makes all the difference. I also find the the pre-shave gives a bit of a coolness during shave prep. The scent on this is fairly mild and the take on Sandalwood is a bit different than your typical variety. I find it a bit softer and sweeter. Quite nice.
For the soap, I used the Like Grandpa Sandalwood. I really like the performance on Like Grandpa soaps. They load very easily and lathering is a breeze with any water type. Good slickness and cushion. The scent on this is very mild, almost unscented off the puck. It does jump up a touch once lathered but is still very subtle. If you like very mild scents or are fragrance intolerant, this could be a bit win for you. The scent on this (what I can pick up) is along the lines of a typical sandalwood. If you want a heavier scent, the Like Grandpa balm is great to finish with. Very hydrating and the scent carries for hours on that one.
But for today’s shave I opted for the Fine Accoutrements Santal Absolut splash. Fine Accouterments make a straight up, no nonsense aftershave. Nothing fancy- Alcohol, Water, Fragrance, Menthol A good alcohol burn, a subtle menthol cool and a strong scent that carries for a while. To me this scent is what a traditional Sandalwood should smell like. Warm, Spicy, Woodsy, wonderful. A great splash to finish this shave.
