Kokak's Straight Razor journey...

20170811 Fri@1130
Straight Razor shave: 28

Prep: Stirling Bergamot Lavender Pre-Shave Oil
Shaving Soap: C&E Moroccan Myrrh
Shaving Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: RazorRock Chubby #506 Handle Extra Silvertip Badger (27.5 mm x 51 mm)
Straight Razor: Marsh Brothers & Co "ROXO" 5/8" (1) WTG -XTG - WTG (entire face) WTG - WTG - WTG (neck)
Stropping: Tony Miller 3" Fast Bridle Leather "Plain Chocolate" (15x Linen and 25x Leather)
Splash: Humphreys Witch Hazel
Splash: Stirling Bergamot Lavender (+Menthol) + Orange Chill (+Menthol) + Sandalwood (+Menthol)
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

This was a new, Shave Ready, razor I received about a week ago (from the same person I got the "Gardner's Challenge" razor from. So I took it out for a shave this morning. I managed to shave my entire face again, with only the straight razor. This time, without any cuts, nicks or weepers! The corners of my mouth are the only areas I really need to work on. But all in all... PROGRESS!
My face was a little irritated, when I applied the aftershave. Not sure if this was the blade or technique (probably technique). I will try again tomorrow and see if a good stropping doesn't smooth things out.

 

You are much farther along than I was after 28 shaves.

 

Thank you for the encouraging words.

 

20170813 Sun@0130
Straight Razor shave: 29

Prep: Stirling Bergamot Lavender Pre-Shave Oil
Shaving Soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat
Shaving Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: RazorRock Chubby #506 Handle Extra Silvertip Badger (27.5 mm x 51 mm)
Straight Razor: Marsh Brothers & Co "ROXO" 5/8" (2) WTG -XTG -WTG (entire face) WTG - WTG - WTG (neck)
Stropping: Tony Miller 3" Fast Bridle Leather "Plain Chocolate" (15x Linen and 25x Leather)
Splash: Humphreys Witch Hazel
Splash: Stirling Bergamot Lavender (+Menthol) + Orange Chill (+Menthol) + Sandalwood (+Menthol)
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

Was up really late, or early depending on how you look upon it. So I decided to get a shave in. I received a puck of MWF so I had to try it and see what everyone was talking about.

Mitchell's Wool Fat
Ease to Lather: 9
Lather: 10
Slickness: 9
Scent: 7
Scent Strength: 8
Post Shave Feel: 10

I have head people having trouble lathering MWF but that was not the case with me. It probably is the fact that we have a water softener, so the water at my home is very soft. The lather exploded from my bowl as soon as my brush finished its 3rd revolution. Before I knew it, My bowl was overflowing; loaded a lot of soap in the bowl because of the difficulties I read about other people having. The lather was thick, slick and provided a cushion some of my other soaps would be envious about. Post shave feel was super as well. This soap is my #2 next o TABAC (only because TABAC smells sooooo much better). I could literally get rid of every other soap I have and just have TABAC and MWF and be a very happy shaver.
The "ROXO" razor has left my face irritated again (upper lip and chin). I will try a different razor, for my pre-church, cleanup shave to confirm it is the razor.
I am enjoying using only a straight so much, I may just reduce my DE collection to a single razor (to make room for more SR's).

 

I've unloaded all but a couple DE's and 2 SE's. I haven't used a de in two years, I believe, and it's been over nine months since I've used an injector, if that tells you anything Once the darkside really gets ahold of you; there's no turning back

 

Both soaps are top performers and have quite the following. You could keep just two, but why?
MWF is a regular part of my morning shaves but I ditched the Tabac. Not due to the performance but I'm simply not a fan of the scent.

 

Do not get me wrong... I will always have at least 20+ soaps in my den. But these 2 are always going to be sitting on my top-shelf.

 

20170814 Mon@2115
Straight Razor shave: 30

Prep: Stirling Bergamot Lavender Pre-Shave Oil
Shaving Soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat
Shaving Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Stirling Boar Brush (24 mm x 57 mm)
Straight Razor: Lee Mfg Co. "Magnetic Steel" 5/8" (1) WTG (entire face) WTG (neck)
Splash: Humphreys Witch Hazel
Splash: Stirling Bergamot Lavender (+Menthol) + Orange Chill (+Menthol) + Sandalwood (+Menthol)
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

This was a quick cleanup before bed and a much needed decompression from the days events. I received my Stirling Boar Brush this afternoon and I am really impressed with this brush, especially at the $7.95 (sale) price! I set the brush in my Tiki bowl and let it sit while having dinner (3 hours before my shave), so as to soften the bristles just a touch. There was no noticeable animal smell so that was a +. Boar seems to have a really nice stiffness to it, so lathering was very easy. The feel of the brush on my face was really nice. I was able to apply the MWF lather to my face effortlessly. While whipping up my lather, in the bowl, I did lose a few bristles. Another couple of bristles jumped ship while applying the lather to my face. But nothing to be concerned with. The brush splayed very well against my face without any prickling from the bristles.
The Sight Unseen Razor (true name to follow) from Whipped Dog was really smooth. It sliced through my whiskers without any irritation and I didn't slice my face up. I will be honing the "ROXO" razor sometime soon. This was a great 1 pass introduction shave with a very nice blade.


BTW... MWF is AWESOME!!!!!!!

 

20170815 Tue@0645
Straight Razor shave: 31

Prep: Stirling Bergamot Lavender Pre-Shave Oil
Shaving Soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat
Shaving Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Stirling Boar Brush (24 mm x 57 mm)
Straight Razor: Dubl Duck Special No 1 5/8" (5) WTG - XTG - WTG (cheeks and chin) WTG - ATG - WTG (neck)
DE Razor: Rockwell (#4) WTG - XTG (upper/lower lip)
Stropping: Tony Miller 3" Fast Bridle Leather "Plain Chocolate" (15x Linen and 25x Leather)
Splash: Humphreys Witch Hazel
Splash: Stirling Bergamot Lavender (+Menthol) + Orange Chill (+Menthol) + Sandalwood (+Menthol)
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

So I had a meeting today and wanted to cleanup a little. Let's be honest; I am loving the post shave feel of my Dubl Duck razor and MWF that I just had to see what they could do together. I was not disappointed. The shave was so nice I even went ATG on my neck. This went without a nip and left my throat BBS.
I left the Boar Brush soaking overnight in order to quicken the softening of the bristles... This brush is quickly becoming my No 1 brush of choice. There really is nothing I can say negative about it. It did lose 1 more bristle this morning, while bowl lathering, otherwise this brush is flawless.
MWF... nothing else to say!

 

20170815 Tue@2200
Straight Razor shave: 32

Prep: Stirling Bergamot Lavender Pre-Shave Oil
Shaving Soap: Stirling Tea Tree
Shaving Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Stirling Boar Brush (24 mm x 57 mm)
Straight Razor: Dubl Duck Special No 1 5/8" (6) WTG (cheeks, neck and chin)
DE Razor: Rockwell (#4) WTG (upper/lower lip)
Stropping: Tony Miller 3" Fast Bridle Leather "Plain Chocolate" (15x Linen and 25x Leather)
Splash: Humphreys Witch Hazel
Splash: Stirling Bergamot Lavender (+Menthol) + Orange Chill (+Menthol) + Sandalwood (+Menthol)
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

This was a request for a review of a soap I recently received as a PIF (from another forum). So decided to do a single pass cleanup to test drive this Stirling offering. So here is the soap review...

Soap: Stirling Tea Tree
Lather: 9
Slickness: 8
Scent Strength: 8
Scent: 4
Post Shave Feel: 7

I have about 8 different Stirling soaps in my rotation, so I am familiar with its performance and have nothing but praise for their soaps.
The soap lathered easily as any of their other offerings and was just as slick and protective. The scent strength is not overpowering but is there and can't be ignored. As for the scent... this was not my cup of "Tea". It was not offensive but was not your typical Tea Tree oil sort of scent either. Post shave feel was your typical Stirling. Performance alone will make this soap a keeper but probably will be put into my rotation very sparingly.
Otherwise the single pass shave was very relaxing and uneventful (just what I needed). Not much growth but I wanted to just work the blade across my face.

 

20170816 Wed@0830
Straight Razor shave: 33

Prep: Stirling Bergamot Lavender Pre-Shave Oil
Shaving Soap: Stirling Lounge
Shaving Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Stirling Boar Brush (24 mm x 57 mm)
Straight Razor: Dubl Duck Special No 1 5/8" (7) WTG (entire face)
Stropping: Tony Miller 3" Fast Bridle Leather "Plain Chocolate" (15x Linen and 25x Leather)
Splash: Humphreys Witch Hazel
Splash: Stirling Bergamot Lavender (+Menthol) + Orange Chill (+Menthol) + Sandalwood (+Menthol)
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

I decided to do a single pass cleanup to test drive a new Stirling soap I got form Stirling's sale page. So here is the soap review...

Soap: Stirling Lounge
Lather: 9
Slickness: 8
Scent Strength: 8
Scent: 6
Post Shave Feel: 7
Cost: $4.95 (4.5 oz. puck on sale at Stirling)

Lounge had a scent profile that was of; Green Tobacco and Leather. Along with a few other Cologne type scents. It was pleasant, but not something I would use everyday. Otherwise, it was a Stirling soap. I don't mean that it was anything sub-par. On the contrary; I have always been more than happy with Stirling's soaps and they will always have a place in my top 3 shaving soaps.
The cleanup shave went great and the Dubl Duck did not disappoint. A simple 1 pass shave of the entire face. I am a happy camper.

 

Straight shaving is addictive. I shave every day and I will use a straight 5 or 6 days each week.

 

Ditto! I'll take maybe one lazy day off occasionally from shaving.

 

I look forward to shaving everyday. As you can see, I sometime find a way (excuse) to shave twice...

 

20170816 Wed@2000
Straight Razor shave: 34

Prep: Stirling Bergamot Lavender Pre-Shave Oil
Shaving Soap: Stirling Bergamot Lavender
Shaving Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Stirling Boar Brush (24 mm x 57 mm)
Straight Razor: Lee Mfg Co. "Magnetic Steel" 5/8" (2) WTG - XTG - WTG (face) WTG - ATG - WTG (neck)
Stropping: Tony Miller 3" Fast Bridle Leather "Plain Chocolate" (15x Linen and 25x Leather)
Splash: Humphreys Witch Hazel
Splash: Stirling Bergamot Lavender (+Menthol) + Orange Chill (+Menthol) + Sandalwood (+Menthol)
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

Needed to relax so broke out the newer (to me) straight from Whipped Dog Razors and the Stirling Bergamot soap.whipped up a great lather and enjoyed myself a full face, straight razor shave. The Lee was not as smooth as the Dubl Duck, as I found out when I went ATG on my neck. No cuts but lots of irritation on my neck. Otherwise it was a great way to end a hectic day.

 

20170817 Thu@0745
Straight Razor shave: 35

Prep: Stirling Bergamot Lavender Pre-Shave Oil
Shaving Soap: Cella
Shaving Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Stirling Boar Brush (24 mm x 57 mm)
Straight Razor: Dubl Duck Special No 1 5/8" (8) WTG (face) WTG (neck)
Stropping: Tony Miller 3" Fast Bridle Leather "Plain Chocolate" (15x Linen and 25x Leather)
Splash: Humphreys Witch Hazel
Splash: Stirling Bergamot Lavender (+Menthol) + Orange Chill (+Menthol) + Sandalwood (+Menthol)
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

I thought I would have a morning single pass cleanup, for a meeting I have later today. So I revisited an old forgotten friend; Cella. So I dropped a 'snurdle' of Cella into my lathering Bowl, whipped up a lather and my review is below.

Soap: Cella
Ease of Lathering: 8
Lather: 8
Slickness: 8
Scent Strength: 8
Scent: 7
Post Shave Feel: 8
Cost: $11.50 (150gr tub from Amazon Prime)

For anyone not familiar with Cella. It is a great old fashion Italian soft shaving soap. It has a distinct Almond / Cherry scent, some people call it a Marzipan sort of scent. While not a scent that is at the top of my preferred list, it is nice, clean and pleasant. The performance of Cella is excellent. In less than a minute, I was able to produce more than enough rich, slick lather for my single pass straight razor shave. Post shave feel was nice and slick. My skin felt smooth and soft after the shave and cool water rinse.
The Stirling Boar brush lost a couple more bristles but is performing like a champ. The tips, while not like the gel tips of a synthetic, are soft and the added backbone of the bristles make lathering effortless.
At this point the Dubl Duck is my everyday, go to razor. Maybe after I start restoring some of the other blades I have sitting in the closet that may change. But for now... the Duck is King.

 

"Hey....Cellaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

I've used Cella for a number of years but it has fallen out of my regular rotation. The performance is decent, but I've grown to not enjoy what is to my nose a very sweet and cloying almond scent. Many wet shavers love the scent and some buy the large kilo-sized block of the stuff. It's NOT the worst scent...not at all...but its fallen from my favorites.

A Cella shave from some time ago (back in my regular DE days)....

 

I was about to say... That's a strange looking Straight you were using there.

 

20170819 Thu@1050
**note

Thursday I decided to give my face a break from all forms of shaving. Just some time for some of the little nicks to heal. To help this along the way, I am still lathering with various shave soaps as a sort of daily facial. I am also applying my Witch Hazel, Aftershave and Moisturizing Balm as part of a full morning regiment. The lathering component along with the different scents, are what I really enjoy most about the whole shaving experience.

 

20170820 Sun@2230
Straight Razor shave: 36

Prep: Stirling Bergamot Lavender Pre-Shave Oil
Shaving Soap: Stirling Agar
Shaving Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Stirling Boar Brush (24 mm x 57 mm)
Straight Razor: Dubl Duck Special No 1 5/8" (9) WTG - XTG - WTG (face) WTG - ATG - WTG (neck)
Stropping: Tony Miller 3" Fast Bridle Leather "Plain Chocolate" (15x Linen and 30x Leather)
Splash: Humphreys Witch Hazel
Splash: Stirling Bergamot Lavender (+Menthol) + Orange Chill (+Menthol) + Sandalwood (+Menthol)
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

This was a late night shave, knowing I would not have time for a straight razor shave in the morning. This was also the second time I went against the grain, on my neck and it went just fine. I also am feeling much more comfortable with shaving my upper lip. I am thinking in another month, this will all become second nature.
Now it is just a matter of figuring out my straight razor type preference. I am now up to 15 straights and started restoring my 1st razor this weekend an Erik Anton Berg Swedish razor.I finished cleaning and polishing the blade, even managed not to obliterate the Shark that is etched/engraved on the blade. I still need to set the blade in some new scales but so far, things are turning out very nicely. Then onto the last step honing...