Day 64 of shave journal (10 Sep 2013, 2 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Astra SP (3rd use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/120 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: Mild irritation and a nick because I wasn't careful. Verdict: I was too eager to get a good shave today and spent some time blade buffing. My cheek got the worst of it, abnormally. I just made a promise to myself when writing this journal that for at least the next three shaves, I will not try anything fancy - just 3 shaves and I'm done.
You've done a great job logging your progress and successes. Sounds like now you're really in time with your skin and what works now.
Day 65 of shave journal (12 Sep 2013, 2 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Astra SP (4th use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/120 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: No irritation and a smooth shave! Verdict: Great shave that I'm very satisfied with. I have come to the point that my technique can get me a close, irritation-free shave even with a 4-day old blade.
Day 66 of shave journal (15 Sep 2013, 3 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Derby (1st use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/120 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: No irritation and a smooth shave. Verdict: I really liked the Derby blade! It felt a bit rough on the first pass, but after that, it shaved very smoothly. For some reason, it feels less likely to cause irritation to my face than the Astras. I was initially hesitant to try anything but the Astras, since that's all I've ever used, but now I'm eager!
Day 67 of shave journal (18 Sep 2013, 3 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Derby (2nd use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/120 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: No irritation and a smooth shave. Verdict: The Derby is still going strong, and it seems fine for shave #3 on Friday. Also, 3 days of growth is great break between normal shaves. This will be a weekly occurance, since I'll shave only 3 times a week.
Day 68 of shave journal (20 Sep 2013, 2 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Derby (3rd use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/60 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: No irritation and a smooth shave. Verdict: Nice shave. I've noticed the Derby isn't quite as sharp on the 3rd use as the Astra SPs. Rubbing in the pre-shave oil does most of the exfoliation that I need, so I decreased the amount of time I spend lathering from 120 seconds to 60 seconds.
Day 69 of shave journal (23 Sep 2013, 3 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Derby (1st use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/60 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: 1 weeper because I had to blade buff. Verdict: I spent some time blade buffing. This new blade seems slightly dull compared to the last one and it took significantly more work in an area to get it smooth.
Day 70 of shave journal (26 Sep 2013, 3 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Derby (2nd use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/60 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: Good shave. I think Derby blades work as well on my face as Astra SPs do, but they dull more quickly. I tend to get 1 day less use out of them than the Astras. Verdict: I was very satisfied with the quality of my shave. I spent my time being careful not to cause any irritation.
Day 71 of shave journal (1 Oct 2013, 5 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Derby (3rd use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/60 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: Shaving after 5 days beard growth meant that my skin was very ready. Verdict: This was a good shave, but it really hurts to shave the hairs on my upper lip at that length because it feels like the razor is tugging, not cutting.
Day 72 of shave journal (4 Oct 2013, 3 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Derby (4th use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/60 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: 1 weeper and slight irritation. Verdict: Derby blades cannot handle 4 shaves. I think the age of the blade is the cause of the irritation on my neck and the weeper.
Day 73 of shave journal (7 Oct 2013, 3 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Derby (1st use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/60 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: No irritation, smooth shave. Verdict: Nice and smooth, 1st use of blade meant no tugging!
Day 74 of shave journal (10 Oct 2013, 3 days beard growth): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Derby (2nd use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Arko shave stick. Lather: 30/60 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: No irritation, smooth shave. Verdict: I'm in a good groove now with my Derby shaves. I'm not trying anything fancy, and everything tends to work out well.
Try using Whitch Hazel instead of aftershave! At $2.50 for 16 ounces its also cheap and my wife uses it to take off her makeup
