Friday June 30 - soap wrapup

Rockwell 6s on plate #3 / Topaz Platinum ( 1 )
30DC LE Cashmere Maple brush
Arko
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Astringent Aftershave

I think I face lathered my Dirty Deeds Arroyo Cactus sample yesterday - or maybe it was the day before. Anyway, I decided to end my month of soaps with a perfect face lather from a soap I have used less than a handful of times so far. I therefore went with that most traditional and iconic of all handmade, small batch, artisan soaps -- Arko.

The Arko stick rubbed on my wet face left behind the usual tiny amount of product, which the slightly damp brush then whipped up into the usual generous faceful of lather. With enough worked into the brush, of course, for several followup passes.

My two usual passes and I had my usual DFS+. The alum was silent as usual, and a splash of Thayers finished everything off.

Truthfully, if all I wanted was a good daily shave, I could have settled on the carton of Arko long ago and just skipped all the trying and testing of other soaps and creams. But what would be the fun in that?

This month, I have used my 30DC LE as my only brush. I wasn't sure how the Cashmere knot was going to be, but it gave excellent face and bowl lathers of every cream and soap I threw at it. The handle design is comfortable for all methods of use I tried, and the workmanship to my eyes is flawless. Finally, a month of daily use has put no marks whatsoever on the finish. I expect it will be one of my small handful of daily drivers for years to come.

I worked my way through my soap inventory and found that all of the ones I have work well and will remain in my rotation. Not too surprising as I have bought only soaps that had good reviews from prior users, especially here on the Crew. In particular, I remember buying Haslinger, Jeeves of Hudson Street, Reef Point, Route 66, Soap Commander and Stirling after seeing them heavily praised here. Word of mouth from people you trust generally works out well.

As I already mentioned in the new July thread, I am going to continue on through my sample creams and soaps now, although the products will have to be truly exceptional for me to add still more full-sized tubs to my den...

Great news Perry. Get some rest and heal up.


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Thanks Clint!

Great news, Perry!

Outstanding Perry. I hope you heal quickly.

Razor: Gillette Flair Tip (A3) (1955)
Blade: Wilkinson (6)
Brush: WDC-8 w/APShave Co.Cashmere
Soap: Nuavia Blu
Aftershave: Fine Platinum
Bowl: Boise Mudworks Olive Drab

Beautiful picture, Doug!

My focus this month was on Nuavia shave soaps. I used each soap for 10 days in a row.

I really enjoyed these outstanding quality soaps. Their ingredients are top of the line.

The Verde
http://www.pannacrema.com/en/nuavia/72-nuavia-verde.html

This is an excellent soap that was very easy to lather, had lots of cushion and was slick. I didn't find the scent very forthcoming so I would classify it as #3. Keep in mind this old nose isn't what it used to be.

The Rossa
http://www.pannacrema.com/en/nuavia/56-nuavia-rossa.html

Excellent shave soap with loads of cushion, very easy to lather, and very slick. The plus side for me was the scent. The scent filed the shave den and I couldn't wait for my next shave. I would put this soap at #1.

The Blu
http://www.pannacrema.com/en/nuavia/55-nuavia-blu.html

Once again a very easy soap to lather with lots of cushion, and it was also very slick. The scent to me was very good but not as strong as the Rossa. This would be my pick at #2.

I my opinion these are all outstanding shave soaps and you couldn't go wrong with any one of the three. (YMMV)

This for me was a great focus for the month of June and it provided great shaves all month.

Thank you Jim. I did early in the morning as I wanted to get a little of the fog in the picture.

Looks like the water is still pretty high Doug!

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Good news. Have a restful weekend.

It may have gone down a little, but we've had so much rain it is keeping the water level very high.

Good news and wishing you a speedy recovery.

Great Photo Doug.

Great recap of your month using the Nauvia line of soaps. I've never tried the Verde but I do enjoy the Blu and Rossa.

Thank you very much Clint.

Alright the focus is over with the month of June and I wanted to give a recap of my progress.
The first Two weeks (back in May) I used the exact same setup Blades Grim Smolder Soap and AS the Merkur 38C with a Shark Stainless blade. I used the Purest Satin tip Brush and a Gentleman Jon Alum Block.
Through the first two weeks I learned to watch my blade angle, pressure and riding the cap. I also figured out I'm a cold water shaver.


Weeks 3 and 4 I kept the Murkur 38C Sharks and Alum but used different Soaps and Aftershaves I learned to make a good lather with a variety of different soaps. I also learned that the software isn't a huge factor in a Shave with good technique. I tend to prefer Tallow soaps but there are also some great vegan soaps as well.


Weeks 5 and 6 were all about blades continued using the 38C paired with Razorock xXx and Fine Platinum AS. I kept using the ever vigilant Gentleman Jon Alum for feedback as well. I learned once more technique really trumps tools and I prefer a sharper blade to a smoother one. Particularly Feathers and Bics.


Week 7 was all about Razors I used a different razor every week and handled them all pretty easily with the exception of a Bakelite OC slant that may take a little more work to dial in. I also learned I'm a fan of adjustables. I went with week ones setup to finish off my focus.

I'd like to give a shoutout to the 30 day crew for all of the help. A lot of people have offered advice but I feel inclined to give a shoutout to
@Bama Samurai @wchnu@Jayaruh@BaylorGator @SharptoothC and @RyX for all of the advice along the way



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For my last shave of June, I stayed with what I've been working on.
40's SS, VDH Deluxe (I can see the bottom! I'm almost done with it), VDH boar brush, Lord blade. 4th shave.
Can't tell of any tugging or anything else with the blade. Smooth shave, decided to chase the baby a bit, and my AV Blue reminded me why that isn't always the best of ideas. No nicks, weepers, or anything else bad. Just a bit of sting around the chin.

Glad to hear things went well. Here's to continued good news and a solid recovery!

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Anytime, friend!

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June 2017!!!

Trials and Tribulations

June 30

Razor - 1959 (E4) Gillette Fatboy (9)
Blade - (3)
Soap - Stirling Sandalwood
Brush - 30 DC LE
Post - Alum

Let's wrap up June, shall we? A fine month of trials with just a bit of tribulation thrown in. And some new soaps and a fantastic new brush that got used again tonight. I chose the Stirling Sandalwood to finish the month and the LE brush did a fine job of loading and face lathering. Two passes and touch up on the wide open Fattie and while I didn't get the baby I got a very very nice DFS. I'd rate this blade along with the Topaz. Alum was a bit warm but not bad at all. Definitely a serviceable blade that I wouldn't refuse to use. Coming up in the next few days I'm going to do some cost comparisons between the Indian blades I've trialed this month and try to put them in some order of ranking to sum it up. I have more Indian blades to go and I'll continue with a few of them in July, but my focus is changing for the next month. Trial runs will be the break in the routine in July.

Thanks to everyone for another great month here in 30 Day Land. Not quite as busy as a few months previous but a lot of vacations, travel and family activities so it's all good. See you over on the July thread!!

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