March 4
Shavette Shave #4--"
It Was the Best of Times; It Was the Worst of Times..."
Got a few surprises in today’s shave. Some disappointing, some painful, and some pleasant...
Gear
- Razor: Focus R21 Shavette
- Blade: Personna Blue (1)
- Brush: Stirling Kong
- Soap: Soap Commander “Drive”--The more I use this, the more convinced I am that leather and vetiver are a brilliantly versatile scent combination. Yesterday, I paired Drive with Clubman Original AS, which really plays nice with the leather in this soap. Today I used Aqua Velva Ice Blue--totally on the other end of the spectrum--and it perfectly combines with the freshness of the vetiver. Winner!
- AS: Aqua Velva Ice Blue
- Balm: Stirling Glacial Unscented
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The shave
Was a roller-coaster. WTG went without a hitch, and the addition of using my left hand went surprisingly well. Especially on my neck. I only focused on wiping away lather as lightly as I could. I was rough by the end of it, but I’m always fairly rough at the end of a WTG pass.
2nd pass was my hybrid of XTG and ATG. Whatever was easiest to perform, that’s what I did. Again--just focusing on wiping away lather.
Surprise #1
About 2 strokes into pass #2, my 1st surprise happened. I heard kind of a “ting!” sound, and my scales swung down and just dangled back and forth. The rivet popped loose, and no amount of coaxing or hammering was coupling it back together. Disappointing.The scales were now very much in my way, so I removed them and shaved kamisori style.
Surprise #2
Which brings me to surprise #2: shaving without the scales was incredibly pleasant. The maneuverability amazed me. Without the scales, however, the shavette is now even lighter, and that takes some getting used to, but man not having to deal with scales was kind of nice! I think I’ll still repair the scales, but I might continue like this for the remainder of the week just to see what happens.
Surprise #3
...was nowhere near as pleasant as #2. Because I spent valuable time trying to repair the scales, I was hard pressed to finish the shave before work. I could feel the spirit presence of Keith (
@Keithmax )just like an incorporeal Yoda floating behind me and wisely saying, “Yes, young padowan. Put the razor down, you must.”
I didn’t. Now, I don’t normally identify with the Siths, but there is in me a kernel of pride that felt I was up to this challenge. And I was. I was cranking out a pretty decent shave. Very light strokes, just wipe the lather away. Light buffing across the chin was getting me decent results and no irritation…
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While working on my chin, I went to swing the handle to the other side of my face to get a better angle. In a rush to finish, I just swung the handle around to the other side of my face. But rather than taking the half second to pull the whole contraption away from my face, I kept it where it was, and accidentally dipped the blade just a tad--it was enough. The blade set down, and I gave it a slight pull during the twist.
You know how sometimes when you cut yourself your body seems to be trying to figure out if it wants to bleed or not? For a while it’s just a bloodless gash. Then, slowly, little crimson speckles start to form. Then the bleeding begins in earnest. You know that experience? This was nothing like that. I bled immediately. Thankfully, it wasn’t a gout, and cold water slowed it. The styptic stopped it. If you are in a hurry, put the razor down. If the sun is in your eyes, put the razor down. If you know your wife is fixing brussel sprouts for dinner, put the razor down. Put the razor down. Put. It. Down.
That said, I still finished the pass across my chin, but had neither the time, and nary the inclination to push things any further.
Silver Linings
Oddly enough, I still consider this shave a win. I have no irritation, and except for my chin, I am somewhere between DFS and CCS. My left hand worked out well, if somewhat awkwardly, and no weepers outside of that entirely avoidable gaffe on my chin. Had I started half an hour earlier, this would probably have been about as close to perfect as I could have hoped for.
Speaking of hope, hope you all have a fantastic hump day!
4 down, 96 to go…
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