DECember 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Decadence squared! You must get up awfully early, Jim, to paint these beautiful SOTD photos.

We could probably use this Bob Ross quote here in the 30DC.

 

Thank you Charlie. The brush works very well. If I were doing it over I would set the knot a touch deeper.


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Cool set up today, Perry, and color coordinated at that! Be safe driving on the slick roads tomorrow.

 

Mark, I'd pass out with excitement if I found all those goodies in my Christmas stocking!

 

Thanks, Charlie! A few school systems have declared a 2-hour delayed start. Our system hasn't announced anything yet. I like the delayed start because the school day is much shorter!

 

For years, our local TV station has played the same instrumental piece while rolling the list of weather-related closings. I still love that music because I associate it with getting a day off from school to goof off with my friends. True story.

My buddy and I made a few extra bucks during the winter of '78 because everyone needed their driveway shoveled. The lovely music begins at 2:05.

 

Aggghhhh...winter of '78! I was in college. All you could see of cars on campus were the antennae sticking up. Jut walking along was like climbing Everest.

 

DECember Focusin'

Jeeves OHS Bay Rum Tallow
30 DC LE Cypress & Cashmere
Osaka Suribachi bowl, cool water
'59 Gillette #195 on number nine
Polsilver Super Iridium blade
Alum, Pinaud Special Reserve
Home made Shea butter lotion


Thanks to Neal @NCoxSTL for straightening me out on the scent of Jeeves soap ( at Byron @Jeeves of Hudson Street) from Adam @Drygulch. I've had a bias against all Bay Rums for the cloves many contain. If there's any in this decadent tallow soap it keeps it's head low so I can enjoy the other scents and the top tier attributes of the lather. Being a softer formula a damp synth knot in my Limited Edition ( at Jason @jtspartan) brush loaded easily. Quick work in one of my favorite textured ceramic Japanese dishes ( at Jack @Sparrow) brought plenty of lather for my three+ passes. I shifted the slightly used DE blade from the 'Crat to the Fat Boy and pegged the dial at Setting Neal. No blood, nicks, or cuts thanks to Chris @Bama Samurai and his Ride The Cap Technique. Alum swiped quietly, and a nice over all glow from the S.R. cologne.

Today I finished with an experimental post shave concoction. In a small bottle (above photo, far right) I combined unrefined shea butter (USB), Everclear 190 proof alcohol, lime & patchouli E.O.. It doesn't stay blended so a quick shake mixes the contents for an easy to apply lotion of sorts. Going to research emulsifiers to see if I can get the USB to stay in suspension.

Good Shaves Y'all!

 

Congrats on the quick home sale, Brian! I hope the move goes smoothly.

 

So Moonshine and Patchouli oil in the same container? Those just seem like things that don't mix. How was the post shave feel?

 

Great set up, Adam. LaToja is a fantastic soap. I'm glad you finally got the chance to try a shave stick. A LaToja stick is usually my first choice for travel.

 

Nice setup, Rick! Polysorbate 20 is the emulsifier that is used in most commercial aftershaves. You can get it at brambleberry.

 

Hey, you just gave me an idea for an aftershave to try with my own Jeeves B.R. sent by Adam. I have a solid amount of Clubman S.R. left.

 

If you keep posting pics of that razor, I'll do well to make it out of this thread in January without buying one! Must resist.

 

Ha! Neal could have posted his own photo with a Toggle this morning! No one to blame but himself

 

Thanks to all for the kudos on the Toggle.

Once again some great gear in here today. There are now a couple more razors I "need" after seeing your photos. Keep them coming.

 

I purchased a tub of chunky cold pressed unrefined shea butter. It's kind of like margarine but more coarse. If I scrape up a small quantity on a finger nail, warm it between my hands, and rub in post shave I get a good moisturizing effect. The down side to using it straight from the tub is it's difficult to apply although the melting point is close to human body temperature. There is a scent to the shea but it's light and nonoffensive.

My hope is to find a way to make the shea butter soften and flow for an easier to apply product. Several sources suggest not to microwave shea butter as it may lead to crystals forming as the different fatty acids separate during cooling.

Adding the Essential Oils was an afterthought.

 

I’m posting this eye candy courtesy of some of the same 30DC members. This beautiful @jtspartan handle may or may not have been involved in a part of nefarious aftershave bootlegging coup, baffling both the governments of the US and Canada, the likes of which have not been seen since... OK, it really wasn’t that big a deal. Anyway, I have been looking for just the right knot for it for a while. Having seen how beautiful @Drygulch 30 DC Brush came out, I’ve been considering a boar. (Since May I’ve started to develop a bit more of appreciation for boar). Black Friday was too much for me to handle, with 20% off plus free shipping on that same Omega pro boar brush. Surprisingly, lathering it up revealed no boar stench. A relatively uneventful knot transplant surgery ensued and Voila! Merry Christmas to me!

 

That is terrific!

 

How do you embed Youtube videos in a post? I'm not very technologically literate!