April 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix&Discussion Thread

Rapira DE razor.... Motherland's engineering success!

 

In terms of Soviet engineering success? Yeah, sure, why not. It will remove your beard with only a moderate amount of pain and suffering.

 

It achieved! It made a rock solid Voskhod rough and dangerous.

 

Into to Straight Razor shaving (Day 2 of ??? days.....give me a number of days guys I am open to suggestions)



Gold Dollar 208 6/8ths-used for 3/4 of a pass
Gillette New LC/Voskhod (1)-used this shave as all went to hell
Catie's Bubbles LTV
Stirling 26mm Synthetic
Maggard Alum Block-owwwww
The Veg-LOL not a chance!!! Switched it out for Nivea sensitive balm as this would have burned with the fire of a 1000 suns!


Humble Pie for me this early morning. All was quite in this house hold and I was getting hairy. Figured a nice semi relaxing shave for tonight and then off to bed. Did my usual routine (Bloom soap and hop in the shower) got out and did the hot towel routine as well. 30 seconds loading and I had a nice wet lather....perfect. I was feeling confident as my first shave with my GD went off fairly well besides almost piercing my ear but that's ok as I found the most beautiful diamond earing's for the dance next week....uhhh I mean.....never mind....should have kept that too myself....

Started with my right cheek and all of a sudden things felt.....strange...I started struggling with holding it right and it just felt awkward in the hand....what gives??? Yesterday it was pretty easy finding it (IT DOESNT FEEL RIGHT YOU IDIOT!!! PUT THE RAZOR DOWN AND JUST USE YOUR DE!!! IF IT DOESNT FEEL RIGHT WHY ARE YOU GOING TO RISK IT? YOU BARELY EVEN KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING!!!) So stupidly knowing that this was not going to be like yesterday I decided to start my pass. I knew as soon as I did the first stroke I was not walking or crawling out of this bathroom blood free. I got down to my lower cheek/jawline area and my GD must of gotten hungry along the way as my angle was off and it decided "Oh you think you can just disrespect me like this and I wont do anything...well I am going to bite you" and all of a sudden I see the edge look like it was kind of digging on one side and I felt a slight pinch...nothing bad or painful just a slight pinch. I knew I had messed up I just didn't know how bad. I looked at the area and sure enough.... a good 1 and 1/2 cut was visible yet no blood..... (Just be patient) and as soon as I saw the cut I let out the most colorful vocabulary I have ever said while shaving and just like that I start gushing like a stuck pig. Quickly threw some water on it to wipe away the blood and grabbed my New to finish my shave. 2 passes for a DFS. Washed my face off...threw on some more cold water and grabbed the styptic....it wouldn't stop bleeding so I decided to finish my usual post shave routine just to not go over that cut. Grab the alum block and try and work around but sure enough I managed to hit it with the alum and well I woke my wife up as it hurt like heck. Decided to go with Nivea sensitive balm and some Thayers. 30 minutes post shave and it has finally stopped bleeding....

I know this will not be the last time I butcher myself while learning how to use a straight and I know it would be easier to just say forget it and just stick with my DE (no cuts, rarely get irritated, and get effortless BBS shaves) but there are 2 things I hate. 1 is giving up on things (If whatever days down the road I decide I don't like using a STR8 or it's not for me I can guarantee it wont be before I can say I have mastered the Straight Razor) and 2 is making things easy for me (where's the fun in that?).

So even though I look like scarface right now I can honestly say I am looking forward to my next shave. So here is too many cuts, styptic pencils, early morning curses, and losing half my face!!!

 

Minimum 30. But @Bama Samurai did 90 and really got it down to an art form from the sounds of it. The learning curve on straights is steep, no doubt about it. I did 30 and became proficient but I still need work. Pain sticks I've done a total of 90 or so now and I am as comfortable with them as DE's. Hang in there. I know you can become an expert at this and surpass my current proficiency with traditional straights. It might make me decide to hunker down and give it 90 days as well!

 

I'd say ninety is ideal, but I knew after 75 that it was something I could do daily.

 

And it did it like a BOSS!!

 

Both

 

I agree. I was being selfish. I tossed it in the trash.

 

Smart.

 

I will shoot for 75-90 shaves. Thanks for the support by the way!

 

That's what we're here for. Well, that and the cookies.

 

April 2, 2016

A late night report on my late Saturday afternoon shave after a day in the garden.



My first shave with the Schick Type F.


Dolphin smooth.
'Nuff said?

 

Hi I'm Ben, I'm with the National Trash Disposal Service...

 

Vince, the F Type and 400 look great together.

 

Neal, it's kinda funny you should mention the Aristocrat vs the Flare Tip, I shaved with my Aristocrat this morning and had an awesome shave! Yes, the Aristocrat is the sports car while the Flare Tip is the pick up truck. I find that I reach for my Flare Tip more often than not. Not a bad thing.

 

My first SR shave was before I had used a DE, found the forums, or leaned much. I bought a shave ready straight, soap, brush, and went to work. I thought, what's the worst that could happen? I made a two inch long gash where I set the razor down on my cheek, another gash where I sliced instead of lifting it away. I then repeated that on my other cheek and chin. I chickened out and didn't do my neck. It was so bad I went back to cartridges for a year. Then I found this place. Keep at it, it will get better. They say it takes 100 SR shaves to really learn it. It sound like you felt the warning sting, and plowed on through. Sometimes if you back off when you feel that, you can avoid a cut. Other times, a cold compress does wonders to stop the bleeding.

 

SOTD
April 3, 2016
Prep: Hot Shower. Noxzema
Razor: Gillette Aristocrat
Blade: Ladas
Lather: Geo. F. Trumper Rose Shaving Soap
Brush: Simpsons Berkeley 46B
Post: Thayers Rose Petal WH
Aftershave: Geo. F. Trumper Coral Skin Food. RazoRock XXX
Great shave. I brought the sports car of Gillette razors out this morning, the Aristocrat. GFT Rose soap is wonderful, beautiful scent, slick, cushion-y, great post shave and a cool wooden bowl. I haven't used my Berkeley 46B is a long time, it felt very small compared to other brushes I've been using. GFT skin food is good stuff, I'm glad I've added it to my den. RR XXX is one of my favorite aftershaves.
Be a blessing to someone else

 

April 3, 2016

Despite my fear of cooties with used brushes...I have convinced myself that this Victoria Badger I picked up at the antique store was in fact a NOS brush. And I cleaned it well. And it worked like a charm.

 

It takes awhile. I did thirty days with my Feather AC and had lots of blood in the beginning. By the end of thirty I was getting consistently good shaves. I can now use a straight without blood but am going to do another focus in May to get the quality of the shave up. You can do it! Good luck.