April 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

I agree, Clint! @PickledNorthern is the man when it comes to lather. @mrchick has some beautiful lather shots as well. I rarely get mine that shiny. I can with Stirling but it can take so much water that you can work it up to that.

I agree with this also. My shave yesterday with Arko was really nice, but about 45 minutes later I had to go back and put on some balm because my face felt so dry. But again, the lather was excellent and the shave was smooth.

 

I shaved for several years with a Parker 22r, an Omega 49, Colonel Conk lime soap and Shark SS blades. No aftershave, except occasional witch hazel if I was sunburned or somethingiq. Everything was fine; great actually. And then I was looking to buy a second razor for traveling and Googled searched for reviews on a razor I had seen on Amazon. I found one of the other forums where I learned how bad all of my kit was, and proceeded to become the enabler I am today

 

Thanks, Perry.

Thing is, a lot of you guys have to shave for work in the mornings, and I rarely do. If I do shave in the morning, it is a quick two pass face lather. Otherwise I have all the time in the world to build lather one drip of water at a time.

 

@RetLEO-07 - I completely agree. Spend a month with it to dial in your technique and you will be rewarded with awesome shaves.

Most of the blades I used in other razors were pretty good for me.

 

I will definitely second (or maybe it is third or fourth) Clint's comments. I have learned a bunch these past few months watching Jared's pictures and reading his descriptions.

 

Thank you all. You should stop, my head is already pretty swollen as it is.

 

Yep, shave in the morning before work on weekdays. Weekend shaves are also quick because of a toddler ruling the roost. That's why I'm one pass with touch-up almost every shave! Load, face lather, and shave.

 

April 2, 2017

Razor: G3 Gillette Aristocrat Adjustable (4)
Blade: Gillette Platinum Plus (1)
Brush: Cremo Horsehair by Vie-Long
Cream: KMF fragrance-free
Post: Alum, Listerine

No shave yesterday, so we start the month with my birth quarter razor, a G3 Aristocrat Adjustable. The blade is a Brazil-made Gillette Platinum Plus (you know, the one thy advertise on the website as being suitable for use in wet environments). On another forum I read that the consensus on the Cremo brush is that it is the same as the Vie-Long 12601 and is a 35/65 mane/tail mix.

I got the brush nice and wet and had no issues with the lather. Two passes to a near-BBS with no irritation; there was one minor weeper which stopped with the Alum (typical for me with the PP blade). All-in-all a great start to the month.

 

Thanks for the welcome, guys! (And cheerleaders.. again, sorta...) I think I wasn't clear in my OP, but this week I am completing my 30 day rule with my current setup, based on the advice of many of you guys more learned than me. As a result, I've really started getting much more consistent shave and learning a lot by not changing things up. (I did use use a sample pack of TOBS, so I've tried most of the current scents, settling on Peppermint & Jermyn St. as my favorites). My goal at this point is finish my 30 days this week, and then shift to a focus changing only soap samples for the remainder of the month (some arriving this week, and some coming from the soap pass around shortly thereafter), As far as swapping out blades I've concluded that I've got more than enough Astra SPs to last way more than a month if I toss one every 3 days, so that's the plan for now. Looking forward to the learning and the banter this month. Cheers!

 

Sounds like you have a great plan for the month.

 

Thanks Jim. We had a great time and got to check out some new places that we had never visited before. The scenery in the Caribbean is spectacular once you make it past all the gift shops. We saw everything from beaches and mountains to tropical rain forests. Temps were solidly in the 80s. It is fun island hopping and comparing/contrasting the local customs, etc. Each island we visited had a distinctly different personality. I was constantly reminded how blessed I am to be a US citizen, and I sure don't take it for granted.

It was also kinda cool to be away from phones and Internet for a few days. My Bride and I got to play cards and watch several movies together in the afternoon/evening instead of web surfing like we often do.

I spotted a few Treet DE razors and blades in a small drugstore in Barbados. Other than that, I didn't check out too much shave stuff. My daily shaves were quick two-passers in a cramped and rockin' cruise ship bathroom using my new-to-me Trac II along with KMF cream applied brushless. I got some surprisingly close shaves, although they weren't very exciting.

 

Thanks for that. I always enjoy blade auditioning. It really can solidify technique. An observation on the 7 o'clock Blacks. Usually after a Sunday shave I don't start sprouting stubble until about 1600-1630. Today around 1130-1200, I could start to feel it. Not a good sign for the Blacks.

 

As I continue to make "prOHgress" in getting over this stomach-flu thingy(may have been just a 24-hour bugbite), I will find tomorrow's shave a bit of a challenge in that it's my first soap&brush shave since being sick. I may not have the loading strength I'm beginning to develop, but perhaps my soap of choice(Stirling)can be of some help, just by being Stirling.

 

Razor: Merkur 34C
Blade: Personna 74 Tungsten Plus (2)
Brush: Elite Razor Tres Amigos Desert Ironwood Beehive w/Envy White
Soap: Route High Mountain Mist
Aftershave: Folsom & Co. Capri
Bowl: Symmetrical Blue & Lt. Purple Dottie Bowl

The Masters!

 

Beautiful photo Amigo.

 

Thanks very much Amigo.

 

Sounds like you are off to a great start and have a solid plan going forward this month! I'll be interested to see how it goes for you.

 

Charlie, that sounds like a wonderful trip. I agree the scenery in the Caribbean is terrific. My wife is from Puerto Rico, and she has taken me to some amazing places on that island.

 

Great picture, Doug! I am surprised the Turkey Whisperer didn't have more of those great birds in the shot!

 

Thanks very much Jim. Turkeys where at the house this afternoon. The SOTD picture was taken down by the river.