Wet Shaving in Indonesia

dafluff

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Good wet shaving supplies are pretty hard to come by in Indonesia. At best you can find the Gillette foam and blades. By far not the best shaving supplies to have. And once you get used to wet shaving, it is really hard to go back to the old electric shaver or the scratchy Gillette Mach 3s. And I say this as a fairly recent convert to wet shaving.

Some pros for wet shaving with a single razor blade or double blade safety razor:

Wet shaving gives you a much closer shave.
People with sensitive skin may have fewer rashes when compared to electrical shavers or cartridge shavers.
Cheaper in the long run: A 2-years supply of good quality blades costs probably about $30, shipped to Indonesia.
After a short period for adaptation, wet shaving is much more comfortable.

Now as far as supplies go:

The Body Shop has a shaving kit, including a brush (synthetic), shaving cream and aftershave. The brush is nothing special, but the cream and aftershave is pretty good.

Lazada or other online stores also have shaving brushes, safety razor and blades.

If you happen to be in Singapore, swing by Mustafa Center for a large variety of shaving creams, blades and razors, although they are mostly low-mid quality.

You can also order online from these guys in Singapore, and they will mail it to you in Indonesia. If you keep your invoices under US$100 you avoid any import tax as well. They sell high quality stuff.

Finally you can always order at Amazon.com and ship to Indonesia, although this is probably the most expensive option.

Recommendations:

Razor: Get a nice heavy one, and you'll love the feel of it in your hand. Personally I use this one (or very similar). Be cautious of buying ones that are too cheap, because that usually means they use less metal, and results in a light, inferior product.

Brush: Once you go Badger Brush, you really can't go back to using synthetics. Badger Brushes come in several levels of quality, from highest to lowest: Silver Tip, Super, Best, and Pure. The higher quality brushes are softer and make superior lather due to better water retention. I use this one, although any badger brush is usually superior to synthetic.

Cream: I use the Body Shop one mentioned above, and sometimes Arko products. Usually shaving cream feels much sleeker and lighter than the goop that comes out of shaving foam cans.

Blades: There are literally dozens of brands. I didn't realize the competition for double edge safety razors was that fierce considering that it is such a retro product. Retailers in Indonesia will probably stock Gillette Goal blades. They are mediocre. Online you can find Derby, which is high quality, and cheap. (About US$ 10 for 100 blades on Amazon, so shipped to Indonesia probably around US$25). Each of these should be good for 3-4 shaves, so these chould last you almost 2 years. The consensus for the best blades is usually Feather, and they are also available on Amazon, for about $25 for a pack of 100 blades.

Aftershave: Again I use the Body Shop one mentioned above, or sometimes I just use Eau de Cologne.

Blade Disposal: There are merchants who sell specialized blade disposal container, which is nice. Alternatively, I bought a coin bank for Rp 8000, and it should last me forever.
 
A little addendum for Mustafa Center stuff:

Last time I was there they had at least 3 different shaving creams: Omega, SuperMax and Tabac. I used the Omega, and it is pretty nice. The other 2 I haven't used yet.
For blades they had Gillette 7 O'Clock, Super Max and Croma. None of these are really outstanding, especially when compared to the Feather blades.

They also had brushes and razors, but they were of poor quality.

My Mustafa Center haul.

shaving.jpg
 
Derby and feather blade packs act as a safe blade disposal device too.

You can find Astra blades on tokopedia too.
 
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Those Gillette Goal blades really suck; two times and I can throw them away.

And I would never ever have Axe or Tabac products touch this face. Just ordered Williams and Proraso again. Abroad.

I bought a pretty good shaving cream once; forgot the name of the shop, but they are in most shopping malls and they always have an oldtimer motorcycle in the display so it should be quite easy to find.
 
All this is just so fancy. Too fancy for me. I think the last time any shaving cream ever hit my face was in the early 70s. Somehow I won a case of Gillette shaving cream. Kept one can, gave the rest away. Never finished the can I kept. Back to warm water and a blade on the skin. Now I am up to 4 blades at once and cold water but that is OK with me. I never leave any skin chunks in the sink.
 
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Those Gillette Goal blades really suck; two times and I can throw them away.

And I would never ever have Axe or Tabac products touch this face. Just ordered Williams and Proraso again. Abroad.

I bought a pretty good shaving cream once; forgot the name of the shop, but they are in most shopping malls and they always have an oldtimer motorcycle in the display so it should be quite easy to find.

Would this be Kiehl's? They sell this no brush shaving cream that you apply to the face by hand (or by brush, but it doesn't lather), let it sit for a bit and then shave. It's nice and works well when in a rush.


All this is just so fancy. Too fancy for me. I think the last time any shaving cream ever hit my face was in the early 70s. Somehow I won a case of Gillette shaving cream. Kept one can, gave the rest away. Never finished the can I kept. Back to warm water and a blade on the skin. Now I am up to 4 blades at once and cold water but that is OK with me. I never leave any skin chunks in the sink.

You are very lucky. My skin would rash up immediately.
 
You are very lucky. My skin would rash up immediately.
Ha, no problem there. Maybe used to it after so many years since I was a teen. I bet you would scream if you did like me in a big hurry, just dry shave. I still have that soft baby smooth leather skin.
 
I'm lazy, I use Gilette Fusion Power (5 blades). If I'm in a hurry in the morning, I just use water and turn the power on, it does the job without nicking me all over. On Saturday mornings I can use cream / soap and not turn it on, for a closer shave. They market it as a product that lasts a month for each blade head, and it's pretty accurate.
 
Hubby got his shaving soap shipped all the way from NL.

Can't get it anywhere here and didn't bother checking at Bodyshop as it would cost an arm and a leg
 
I'm lazy, I use Gilette Fusion Power (5 blades). If I'm in a hurry in the morning, I just use water and turn the power on, it does the job without nicking me all over. On Saturday mornings I can use cream / soap and not turn it on, for a closer shave. They market it as a product that lasts a month for each blade head, and it's pretty accurate.

I tried it once and it seemed to me the Mach 3 system has sharper blades.
 
Hubby got his shaving soap shipped all the way from NL.

Can't get it anywhere here and didn't bother checking at Bodyshop as it would cost an arm and a leg

True, the real good stuff is (semi)impossible to get here.
 
Schick Quatro here.


Tried these recently*, and they are very gentle on the skin. Compared to Mach 3, I can easily go against the grain without any blood. But cost wise, DE razors still come out on top.


*I tried those when I younger and wasn't paying for it out of my own pocket yet. Back in France, they are called Wilkinson Quatro. Different brand name, same 4 blades and wire guard.
 
I tried it once and it seemed to me the Mach 3 system has sharper blades.
It only seems that way, because the pressure is spread over 5 blades instead of 3, and the 5 are spaced closer.
 
You would think after multiple years of choosing to scrape the hairs on one's face, most men would have selected a method most suitable for their individual preferences and sensibilities. I guess not.
 
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Always open for improvements, Waarmie.

Also, I think a big chunk of the thread covers what is available here, in RI. And what plausible alternatives could be if you can't find what you're used to.
 
For the record I've always shaved in the shower with disposable razors & shaving cream, I keep a mirror on the shower shelf placed at the correct angle so I don't have to hold it or hanging at the right height on the shower wall. During the act I shave down, up & at different sideways angles. I don't like aftershave.


For the above method I find Gillette Blue or G2's are best, I find the Mach 3's don't do as good a job unless you shave twice per day & by far the worst razors I've ever tried are Bic, like using a blunt axe maybe.

When I moved to a Kampung a few years ago I couldn't find shaving cream locally & asked an Australian guy who said “the locals don't use it, they just have a dry shave then throw the razor on the beach & come back for it a couple of weeks later”…. but he gets his shave cream in Denpasar.
 
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Even here I rarely bother with shaving cream, I use Gilette's shaving gel (soap). If that is not available, any old soap works just fine.
 
..... an Australian guy who said “the locals don't use it, they just have a dry shave then throw the razor on the beach & come back for it a couple of weeks later”….

Probably even a month later. But we (I guess) have somewhat more facial hair.

Nowadays I leave a three day beard. But then I need something good; single blade the old fashioned style is perfect.
 
Always open for improvements, Waarmie.

Also, I think a big chunk of the thread covers what is available here, in RI. And what plausible alternatives could be if you can't find what you're used to.

Got a point there, especially if you chose to live in the hinterland. During my years in Jakarta, though, finding suitable blades and cream was not a problem.
 

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