Thread: Try this for prep: Stephen Stay Smooth

It's made in Florida, has a pleasant, "coconutty" fragrance, light blue cream, and very inexpensive. You get a huge 16 ounce tub for somewhere south of $4 bucks. It is sold as a brushless shaving cream, and claims to be the "world's smoothest shave". I have shaved with it, and it does provide a good shave. But I've got all these other goodies to shave with, right!

So here's what I do. In my opinion, it works very well to soften up and condition the beard for shaving. Cost per shave is very cheap, considering that the big tub lasts me a good solid 3 months used every day.

Stephens has lanolin, and I know that some guys don't like lanolin. Fortunately, I don't have any problems with the lanolin, and I think it helps condition the beard. I wet my beard and hold a very hot wet washcloth over the beard for a few seconds or so, then I rub the Stephen into the whiskers and leave it while I get the other stuff ready, strop the razor, or whatever, then I again apply the hot wet washcloth to the area, and then I lather up with my shaving cream of choice for the day. I get a very good shave every day.

Another thing I have learned is that distilled water used in soaking the brush and preparing the lather, whether soap or cream, has dramatically changed the quality and quantity of lather, for the better.

I buy mine at Williamsport Barber Supply online for $3.25 a tub, and they have a special - buy three get one free. Shipping's around $10 or so for the 4 big one pound tubs.

In the year before I started using this stuff as a prep, I had used 4 of the little $16 tubs of Prep Pre-shave, and no doubt, it is excellent, but now I've got enough of this Stephen's stuff to last another year before I have to order another 4 tubs of it. Plus, I really look forward to the good fragrance it has. The fragrance goes away as soon as I rinse it off before i shave.

Well, that's what I do guys! Just thought I'd throw it out there.

I have used Stay Smooth in the past also and have always purchased it from Williamsport as well. It works pretty good especially when I put a hot towel over it for several minutes and then wipe it off and apply hot lather. If you do the math with their buy 3 get 1 free promo, it works out to $2.43 each which is a great deal.

Another thing that Williamsport has that we also sometimes use are their Stephans soap cakes. A box of 8 is $9.95 which works out to $1.24 each. The lather holds up well and they have a mild fragrance that is ok. For $1.24 each they are a bargain. CVS Pharmacy also sells a Williams soap cake for $1.57 each but I have not tried any so I cannot comment on the quality.

For anyone who wants to experiment with shaving but doesn't want to spend alot of money upfront, Williamsport also offers a real boar bristle brush (#923 Eterna) for a whopping $2.95. I give these out as gifts (along with a soap cake and instructions) to customers who express an interest in learning the "art" of shaving. WARNING...these are not the highest quality brushes and they are on the smaller side. So for $4.52 for a brush and a soap cake, someone can experiment with mixing lather in a cup and using a real brush. That's not alot of start up money to start experimenting and deciding if this is what they want to do.

www.williamsportbarber.com

Dont't know if this helps anyone but I thought I would post it anyway.

Thanks for the site information.

I do love this stuff...it does wonders. Here's my regimen:

1. Use Woody's pre-shave creme: 1-2 minutes
2. Wash it off
3. Rub Stephan's Conditioning creme on beard and message into beard: Let sit for 2-3 minutes
4. While waiting, I prepare my lather (uberlather: glycerin, soap, creme) and leave it warm in an electric water heater.
5. Strop my razor (50 linen, 50 leather)
6. Lather on top of Stephan's Conditioning Creme
7. Shave (1st pass)
8. I re-lather for 2nd/3rd passes
9. BBS shave


The only thing that I found negative about Stephan's Creme is that since it contains mineral oil, it does affect the lathering capacity on my 2nd/3rd pass...I found that I need to wash and thoroughly clean brush before 2nd/3rd pass

Other than that, fantastic product...BBS shave every time

-Robert

Robert,

Thanks for this beard prep tip.

I've found that Lucky Tiger Brushless Shave Cream also does wonders softening and preparing one's beard for a BBS shave. I massage it into my beard much as you do with the Stephan's Conditioning Cream. Being a shave cream, the Lucky Tiger is less oily than the Stepahan's, but it gets the job done.

Originally Posted by jhenry

Robert,

Thanks for this beard prep tip.

I've found that Lucky Tiger Brushless Shave Cream also does wonders softening and preparing one's beard for a BBS shave. I massage it into my beard much as you do with the Stephan's Conditioning Cream. Being a shave cream, the Lucky Tiger is less oily than the Stepahan's, but it gets the job done.

Hi JHenry...Does it have mineral oil? If not, I think I'd be interested in trying it...if tad for tad, it is equivalent in shave to Stephan's creme...Advice??

Also, where do you buy yours? Seems like most places I searched are out of stock!!

Robert

Robert,

It does have mineral oil...

Ingredients for Lucky Tiger Brushless SC: Water, Stearic Acid, Mineral Oil, Lanolin, Sodium Borate, Glyceral Stearate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Fragrance.

I massage it into my beard and let it sit while I strop my razor. Then I rinse it off before applying my shave cream or soap before shaving. And its cheap. I got a 16 oz. jar from a vendor on Ebay for approx. $7.00 + shipping.

Originally Posted by jhenry

Robert,

It does have mineral oil...

Ingredients for Lucky Tiger Brushless SC: Water, Stearic Acid, Mineral Oil, Lanolin, Sodium Borate, Glyceral Stearate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Fragrance.

I massage it into my beard and let it sit while I strop my razor. Then I rinse it off before applying my shave cream or soap before shaving. And its cheap. I got a 16 oz. jar from a vendor on Ebay for approx. $7.00 + shipping.

Just for clarification, Lucky Tiger makes two different shaving products: First, and you did not say it, is the Lucky Tiger MOLLE that comes in a huge tub. You can get it at the online barber supply sources in the neighborhood of $6 or $8.

The second Lucky Tiger product is $18 minimum, and comes in a bottle. It's actually called Lucky Tiger Liquid Shave Cream, and it is a whole different product from the Molle Brushless. The Liquid can be used brushless, and does an OK job, but if you decide to use it with a brush, be prepared for one of the best lathering and performing lathers you've ever tried. I'm not kidding.

Gary,

I'm referring to the Lucky Tiger Molle Brushess SC.

And thanks for the tip about the LT Liquid Shave Cream.

Originally Posted by jhenry

Robert,

It does have mineral oil...

Ingredients for Lucky Tiger Brushless SC: Water, Stearic Acid, Mineral Oil, Lanolin, Sodium Borate, Glyceral Stearate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Fragrance.

I massage it into my beard and let it sit while I strop my razor. Then I rinse it off before applying my shave cream or soap before shaving. And its cheap. I got a 16 oz. jar from a vendor on Ebay for approx. $7.00 + shipping.

Hi John Henry,
I think that's almost exactly the ingredients of the Stephan's. Mineral oil is in both. What gets me is how manufacturer's disclose ingredients. For example take Boric acid (Sodium Borate) and Glyceryl Stearate; once combined, boric acid will break down the Glyceryl stearate into Glycerin and stearic acid...both moisturizing and good for skin.

The question I have is: It Kosher to put the initial ingredients or do they reaction by products need to be disclosed too. The reason I ask is that a couple of molecules by themselves may be innocuous but put them together and you may actually have a problem. In this case, we get good things. But take the same Glycerin. You put in on and go in the sun (in a smoggy city like LA, Houston, etc...). Under the heat of the sun (you need trace amounts of sulfuric acid too), glycerin will react with the Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) in smog to give you nitroglycerin .

-Robert