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Overall
User Review
( votes)As #NoBeard is a ‘thing’ now and my facial hair is largely history now, the team at The Personal Barber got in touch and asked me to review their shaving subscription service. Eagle-eyed readers will remember that I looked at Cornerstone which offers a similar service. The Personal Barber is a bit different in that you’re actually supplied with an ‘old school’ single bladed safety razor and shaving brush. Then, each month you receive a selection of different replacement blades, shaving soaps and post shave products.
I received the ‘April’ box
The box includes –
- The Personal Barber Classic Double-Edge Safety Razor
- Synthetic Hair Shaving Brush
- Razor Blades –
- Shark Double-Edge Razor Blades
- SuperMax Platinum Double-Edge Razor Blades
- Shaving Soaps –
- Haslinger Calendula Shaving Soap (60g)
- Haslinger Ewe’s Milk Shaving Soap (60g)
- The Legends London Alum Matchsticks
- Cool Question Luxury Post-Shave Balm
- Shaving and Care Tips Card Inserts
The Shaving and Care Tips in the box are an excellent starting point for old school shave novices, plus there are several posts on The Personal Barber blog with hints and tips on achieving a perfectly smooth finish. If you’re still not feeling confident, YouTube has a lot of videos with people showing you exactly how to shave.
I must admit, I was feeling a bit nervous of the prospect of pulling an unguarded razor blade across my face, but thankfully preparation and practice is the key.
I read the instruction cards several times to make sure that I had the right idea, and off I went! My first time using it, it really felt like it was taking a long time, probably because it was, I didn’t fancy ‘Sweeney Todd’ing myself! Thankfully though as the razors are so sharp you can usually get all the hair in one stroke, there’s no need to revisit the same place over and over (which leads to irritation).
The shave you get from a Personal Barber razor is so unbelievably close, it’s like having the skin of a baby again – it’s SO good! Shaving feels more like a ceremony than a chore, and the results are excellent, you can easily skip a day or so shaving again because it’s such a good finish.
You find yourself getting quicker each time as you learn the best ways to shave yourself, you really are your own Personal Barber!
I really loved the shaving soaps they sent me, both had a lovely fresh fragrance, I think I preferred the Ewe Milk one of the two. The Cool Question balm was great too, although my skin didn’t feel as irritated as I’d normally expect from such a close shave.
So, how much does The Personal Barber cost? Well, if you pay month to month it’s £24.95 per month, if you pay upfront you can cut the cost down to £17.95 a box, per month based on a 12 month subscription. It’s not cheap, but equally, it offers high quality shaving products conveniently delivered to your door. The fact you get different products each month is interesting too, allowing you to experience a choice of quality brands.
I do wonder if the service could be expanded slightly so you can alter the contents of your box ? Hold the razor blades if you’ve still got some left, or perhaps leave the shaving soap out if you don’t need it. Or perhaps smaller boxes for those who shave infrequently.
Still, it’s a great service and I think it’s definitely worth a try – Plus readers of the blog can use The Personal Barber discount code KIPHAKES5 to get £5.00 off their first box!
