March 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic-Discussion Thread

Sorry if my humor goes against the grain. I'll try to do better. Hopefully, the meds will kick in and start working soon.

 

March 30, 2015: Last nights shave

Pre- Face wash with warm water, Mickey Lee Pre Shave Butter
Brush Soak- Sriracha Mug of Doom™
Razor- Ikon 102 Slant
Blade- Personna (4)
Soap- Mickey Lee "Le Belle Du Sud"
Brush- Omega boar
Post- Cold water rinse
Aftershave- The Cool Fix balm

Two and a half passes :WTG , XTG, cleanup w/ a little ATG

So I can comfortably get 4 shaves out of a Med Prep blade. Got a bit dull feeling on the clean up, so it'll be changed out
before the next shave. Probably just start using the Russian blades that I won for the next couple.

Really like the Pre Shave Butter. The scent is awesome, and it makes my face so slick it's crazy.

The soap performs amazing, just like the other ML soaps I have. It's an interesting scent for sure. To my nose, the peach
and pistachio are equal in strength, and I just don't pick up any of the lavender that's in it. I have to applaud Samantha for
thinking out of the box for her scent combos though, very imaginative.

Skipped the alum and the witch hazel, and only used the Cool Fix after shave. I wanted to see how well the PSB and the
soap protected my skin after the shave. They did great for me, no redness, no bloodletting, nothing. Couldn't be happier.

So this is the last of my 30 day focus shaves, and I learned how to use my razor much better than I had before. Settling on
the blade/razor combo really helped me work on my technique. And now I'm getting consistently irritation free shaves.
I'll have a so-so one sneak in there every so often, but it's leaps and bounds over where I started. Now I'm going to attempt
to get the BBS happening on the weekend shaves, wish me luck!

 

03/31/2015
Prep – MR GLO
Razor – Mongoose B2 with Jürgen Hempel Ti
Blade –Feather Pro (1)
Brush –Rudy Vey with TGNFinest
Lather – MdC
Post - Witch Hazel, Dove AS Balm and CC Bay Rum AS



Fantastic 3 pass shave this morning. I have really enjoyed using the MdC for the month of March. I have found it very easy to lather and for me provides plenty of slickness and cushion. The soap does not really add anything for post shave feel so I've used the AS Balm each day. As much as I've enjoyed the MdC, I'm looking forward to using some of my other soaps.

Learned several things this month. As mentioned above I really like the MdC for a soap. Through the generosity of a good friend, I discovered that ATT slant razors just don't work for me. Found my travel razor, Schick Injector, for some upcoming motorcycle trips. All and all a very productive month.

For April, I will be focusing on the Mongoose with Feather Pro blades. I want to see how long these blades will actually last. I will be taking some days off from the Goose to finishing test driving some GEM razors that JR loaned me.

 

March Injector Focus

Late post for 30 March



Still automatic!​

 

Congrats to all on another great month!

I am ending my March Focus as of yesterday. Gonna have a random fun shave today! Will post later...

Remember - the party moves >>here for the month of April<<<!

Arko!!!

 

March 31

Stirling Sheep soap
Merkur 37C slant bar razor
Feather blade (day 2)
Kent BK8 silvertip badger brush
Arko shave soap
Two passes
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, & Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave Balm

I had a really nice and relaxing shave today, and I hope you all did as well.

During March, I shaved with one of my favorite razors, a Merkur 37C slant bar. My goal was to optimize my shaves with the 37C, while varying the choice of brush and soap or cream. I began the month using a boar brush with a DE razor for the first time - an Ever-Ready C40. I switched it up with a newly-acquired Omega 10098 Professional boar brush and then worked in my Kent BK8 silvertip brush every now and then. I used Stirling Naked and Smooth soap, D.R. Harris Almond cream, MdC scented soap, and Arko soap.

I learned:

A daily two-pass shave suits my face better three passes. I can manage a three-pass shave once or twice a week without irritation or bumps.

The 37C paired with a Feather blade, good prep, and a light touch is so efficient that I can routinely get near-BBS shaves in two passes. It's not the best-quality razor in my rotation, and I constantly have to fiddle with the blade alignment. But, all in all, the 37C was a great $45 investment. I like it so much that I have a backup.

Not all boar brushes are created equal. Both of mine certainly get the job done. However, the Ever-Ready is scratchy, while the Omega was nearly broken in right out of the box. At $15, the Omega brush represents one of the best values in wet shaving. In addition, the ergonomics of the long handle on the Omega makes it very easy to use. Since I like to enjoy my shaves, the Ever-Ready will decorate my shelf until I decide whether I want to replace the knot with something better.

I learned what a funky brush really smells like when I wet my Omega brush the first time. I also learned that three or four good lathers in between soaks in Dawn dishwashing liquid removes most of the odor.

I've heard that boar brushes are good for soaps and badger brushes are good for creams. However, I can interchange my boar and silvertip brushes with soaps and creams and get a good shave with any combination using the 37C. For me, it comes down to good prep, having a light touch, and limiting the number of passes.

I learned how to make a great lather with Stirling soap, thanks to the helpful advice from my friends here on TSD. Hands down, Stirling Soap performs better for me than any cream or soap I have ever used.

This was my first experience with both MdC and Arko. As we all know, these two soaps receive a lot of comments from wet shavers. The marked difference in unit cost between the two soaps is significant. Both soaps have different characteristics, and each is highly regarded as a great soap. At the same time, each soap receives its fair share of criticism. My curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to try both soaps. Wet shaving is not my most serious endeavor in life, so I hope to have some fun in the process. They will be my focus during Arko April and MdC May using the same basic hardware. My initial experience is that both soaps yield great results. If soap performance was the only consideration, Arko initially wins hands down. As we all know, other factors come into play, or we'd all have only one soap or cream. I reserve my final thoughts on these two soaps until the end of May. And let me say it first...YMMV.

I want to especially thank Chris ( aka @Bama Samurai ) for hosting these 30-day adventures and making it so much fun for everyone. I continue to be amazed and humbled by the friendly and supportive atmosphere here. I've learned a great deal by following everyone's progress during March. You all continue to teach me about wet shaving, and more importantly, about how to treat others with respect. This is a great place because you all make it so, and I'm honored to be part of this fine community.

I'll see you all over in the April Focus.

 

What a great month! I learned that the one-pass is indeed the style for me. I also learned a little touch-up is fine. I ended up using three razors, mostly the Schick E2 Injector. The other two are the Gillette Tech and Gillette Fatboy (1960). The DE's feel good to use again, so I have been taking them out more times than usual. Aces!

 

Managed to sneak one more shave into March. Some of the gear will be part of my April focus as well.

March 31th, SOTD (Shave 18 of the focus)
One and a half days’ growth
Prep: Hot Shower
Razor Feather Artist Club SS non-folding with Pro-Guard Blade (2nd shave on blade)
Razor Finish: Gillete Red Tip- B2 (1956)
DE Blade: Big Ben- Stropped 30 times per edge (3rd shave on blade)
Cream: Local Gent Shaving Co Bay Rum (Sample)
Brush: Tulip Wood Brush- Best Badger Knot 22mm x 54mm loft
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block,
Aftershave: Thayers Witch Hazel Cucumber scent

Did a N/S and a S/N pass with the Feather Artist Club razor. Also did an XTG pass on my chin. Did a little bit of touch up with the red tip. I think the Artist Club may have wrecked my definition of what mild is, because I wasn't happy with this razor. Had a few nicks on the chin, but very little alum burn on the face or neck. Wasn't too impressed with the cream, won't be using it again. Overall, DFS with just a couple of rough spots. Onward to April. Cracked open the stick of Arko today. Didn't use it, but let me tell you, my wife was almost as impressed by that as she was by the Clubman I picked up.

 

...good stuff, I tell 'ya. Sorry, I couldn't resist. I promise, no more shenanigans for the rest of the month.

Congrats on finishing March with the Feather Artist Club! I enjoyed following your posts and progress this month. I actually have a Feather Artist Club with a folding handle that I've haven't yet used. I may try that razor later this year to see if it handles differently than the kamisori.

 

YUP.

 

On March 31, I got a little sidetracked.....

But I managed an automatic two pass with the same injector setup, will recap March later today!

See you guys on the April thread!

 

We don't deserve this level of punishment.

 

Where is the fun without the shenanigans?

 

He is the hero we deserve, not the one we want...