Yup, a good brush is worth it’s weight in gold, even though a good synthetic can be bought for really cheap. With soaps it depends on the person. Without a good one I just couldn’t shave regularly due to irritations.
And also I just want to smell nice. 
Yeah, softening your hair before helps a lot. A proper prep is half the shave.
I recently upgraded to a Mühle companion. It’s marketed as unisex because it’s mild, has a long handle and has covered blade tabs which make it great for shaving both face and body. I’m really happy with it.
I live in Europe. There are stores in the UK and Slovenia that sell it too.
Milder razor, smoother blades, better shaving technique, shaving only with the grain, better cream, better lathering technique, proper skin preparation and care, etc.
There’s tons of stuff you can do to keep irritations to a minimum but it takes time and practice to figure out what routine your skin really needs.
Yesterday I was looking for shaving creams without tallow and I found a nice little artisan soap maker. Every review of them that I found said that even though they’re vegan their performance is still top notch. And the fragrances sound really intriguing.
They also have a forked penis and 13 nipples. So cleary they are the superior life form. 
Comrade gravity 
This corporate bullshit is so difficult to read. I hate it. 
Thank you for your service, comrade Shigella bacterium. 
Accusing an AnCom of being a Stalinist is definitely a sign that you’ve never bothered to read about politics or political theory from a quality source.
I vote for rebr0 to be head mod of this new sub.