March 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Good picture with a great looking razor.

 

mighty fancy lookin' cowpoke.

 

Day 12 of 30 days of straights

I made an uber-lather again today, thinking that I was doing it exactly like yesterday. For some reason, the lather didn't work, looking right but "grabbing" the razor instead of helping it slide. After 2 strokes I dumped the lather and grabbed another soap. This one worked well.
3 passes and a DFS without any cuts, nicks, or weepers.

DIY Pre-shave Oil
Sampsons All Natural
30mm High Mountain White set an extra 10mm deep
3 passes, WTG, XTG, XTG
4/8 round toe

 

March 6 - Day 4 of Merkur 34C and Astra SP

Merkur 34C HD
Astra SP
The Phoenix brush
AOS Unscented PSO
Stirling Tuscany
Alum/ TWH
Nivea SPSB
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Today I was on a mission to get a BBS shave from the 34C. I have gotten a close shave before with this razor but after having used a Fatboy on 6, it seems to take more effort.

Today, I let my daughter smell the soaps and make my choice to shave with. She liked pretty much everything, as do I, but she was drawn to Tuscany. This did not go over well the first time I used it. To me, the first time I used it, I thought I smelled sweet fruit punch. Today, it was more floral and less fruity. I did smell what I guess is violets. As the scent in the container lingered, the basil note came out. I would like a little more spice note or something else to tone down the florals a bit. I will say that today, I found the scent more pleasant. Maybe with spring coming, I am looking forward to the smell of the flowers or something. I will say that although this is pleasant, I find it a bit more feminine to my taste. Either that or this is how it smells with my body chemistry. If you like floral notes, you is for you. I think I can come to like it but it will never be my favorite at this time. As you can see, I have a tendency of forgetting what each soap is supposed to smell like, so I write them on the label ( I also place hash marks for each shave). I would like more bergamot and cypress scents added. I could be mixing up a basil smell for one of these but then again, my nose is not the greatest.

Lather was far better than any other shave form this soap. Production of lather was instant! I usually put a few good drops on the soap to just wet the surface. For me, it has made it easier to load and create lather. 1 full minute of working the soap with The Phoenix yielded loads of soap on the brush. I usually try to work the soap then in my bowl but this time, it resulted in perfect thick, slick lather. I did not have to add a drop of water. it was perfect.

I made 3 passes (WTG, XTG and AGT) but it is unfair to call this three passes. With the soap protecting so well, I find myself going back over areas that were already stripped of lather. Bad form, I know. I think I ended up really taking several passes for each of them. I did get a DFS+ today even on the 4th shave form this blade. Also, the blade doesn't feel any different after all this use. I find this blade to be even smoother than the Voskhods. Need to see how it acts in a Fatboy or Scientist. Tuscany was up to this challenge and yielded plenty of extra lather for 6 passes with touch ups. I am sure the few areas that needed touching up could have been obtained but I feel there is a point when time vs. benefit must be weighed. How much time do you put into a shave before you say enough is enough. Next, I will do better.

Alum stung only in a few spots. TWH was calming.

In all, a few lessons learned. Stirling can make a great lather, even from the container with no effort. Need to figure out how to do this on a regular basis. Merkur 34C HD can do a BBS shave... BUT, and this is a big BUT, for me, it requires more passes. When doing more passes, even when the face is slick, I need to avoid going back over lather free zones. This results in irritation. Will need to pass final judgement on Tuscany only when it is finished. It has already changed some on its second shave. Should do this on every product that is not an instant hit.

 

Monday, March 6, 2017

El Druida D-7 Manchurian
Krampert's Frostbite
Asylum Evolution
Gillette Silver Blue #2
Krampert's Frostbite Aftershave
Pino Silvestre

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March 6

G3 Gillette Fat Boy
Voskhod (1)
Simpson Chubby 2 Super
Soap Commander Love
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Fine L’Orange Noir



Today was my first shave using a Voskhod blade. The blade edge felt super smooth, and I have a very comfortable shave after two passes on setting 5. My first impression is that the shave is not as close as a Feather or one of the St. Pete Russians. I'll adjust my technique over the next few days to see if I can improve the result. Overall, I like the blade.

I soaked my Chubby 2 (Jethro), squeezed out the excess water, and proceed to load...and load...and load...and load...the brush. I didn't add any more water to the brush as I made my lather, and I'm seriously impressed with the amount of water held by the knot. I'll need a few shaves to dial in my technique with this brush, for sure.

Overall, this is a great start for a Monday morning. I hope everyone has a smooth day!

 

I found pre shave oil destroyed my first pass slickness on some soaps. It was never enough to notice with a DE or SE, but with a straight, it became obvious. I use it for more of a winter dry skin thing than a shave thing, so I simply quit using it whenever an open blade razor is up for the day.

 

Mark,
I switched back to AOS PSO from my DIY and noticed it was much slicker. Maybe it is your PSO. Try switching to a different makeup. I have been using equal parts Castor, EVOO, Johoba and grapeseed since this is what was recommended at one point in the DIY thread. Mine moisturizes great but I feel a bit greasy and sticky. Compared to the AOS, which is simpler with just EVOO and Castor, it is much slipperier.

Maybe which oils you use or changing the quantites will help. might just try a commercial product for comparison.

As for destroying lather, below are the ingredients for Stirling Baxter St. If it destroyed lather, why would Stirling, one of the best lathering and slickest soaps out there, include Castor and Almond oil in their soap?

https://www.stirlingsoap.com/baker-street-shave/

 

My first impression of Tuscany was enough for me to give it to my wife. (bath soap) It is listed as a soap for both sexes.

 

Great SOTD post, Frank. Your brush is a beauty!

 

Thank you, Doug!

 

Beautiful picture, Mark!

 

Charlie, your Fatboy is great! Glad the Voskhod worked for you!

 

I know but based on the listed scents, you would think it would lean masculine with a floral note. I think that if Rod is having low sales, I would be interested in a refinement. I think the floral is way overpowering all the others. I find this falls in the same category as men using Lavender scents. At the same time, it has turned me off to any fruity scents from anyone. I think I might pass this to the wife to shave or bathe. She's Sicilian so .... Anything more and I'll be sleeping with the fishes

 

February 6, 2017

Razor: F2 Gillette 195 Adjustable (4)
Blade: Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus (1)
Brush: Razorock Plissoft 22
Cream: KMF fragrance-free

Not a lot of whiskers to shave this morning, but a need to break the weekend's streak of disappointing shaves. So, it was back to basics except for the blade. This is the second of three Rubie blades that I was PIF'ed by @Linuxguile. Although some members of the Cartel seem to dislike this blade, my experiences with the first one were very good.

As for the shave itself... there were no lather issues and, with the light stubble, the razor just flowed with little sign there was even a blade. Definitely into the near-BBS realm with no blood, heat from the alum, or irritation.

Apparently, I'm one of those people for whom the Rubie is a good blade. Now if I could just find a decent price on some...

 

Thanks. I love the molten lava look it has. Also, with the knot set at 12.8mm, it feels great. Enough backbone and still soft on the tips. No scritchiness.

 

Thanks Jim! The Voskhod performed well, for sure. I hope you have a great day, my friend.

I'm glad your Barbasol shave worked out well today. I may have to get some for my travel kit.

 

AWESOME!!

 

I doubt sales are an issue. Rod usually axes scents that don't sell well pretty quickly, and this one has been available non stop for the three years I have been buying from him. It is also quite a ways from the bottom if you look at his scents by popularity. It sits right in the middle third.

It was a long time ago when I tried it, so I don't remember it too well. I have also grown to appreciate lavender and rose in the last couple of years, so who knows, maybe I would like it better now. In general though, florals are not my favorite.