30 Day Rule/Focus; March 2023. All are Welcome!

11th March 2023.




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Shaving Recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/ Asda Tingly Mint & Tea Tree Shower Gel.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face & head.
Pears Original Transparent Bar Soap.
Brush: Anbbas 24mm Synthetic.
Bowl Lather.
Bowl: Home Bargains Stainless Steel Side Bowl.
Lather: Proraso Eucalyptus & Menthol Shaving Soap.
Razor: Muhle R41. (2013) - Derby Premium. (D1)
Razor: The Supply V2 injector (Head/Dome) - Personna Injector PTFE. (D4)

Post:
Cold water face & head wash with brush squeezing's, Cold Water Face & Head Rinse./Alum Rub. / Homemade (~Autumn/Winter mix~) peppermint lavender, eucalyptus, + Tea Tree essential Oils Mixed Together With 200ml of Care+Witch Hazel. / Paco Rabanne Pour Homme ASL. / Cien Men Sensitive ASB.

A new mix & match shave set up to start the weekend...Continuing my revisiting blade focus. The Derby premium & Usta I haven't used in some time. Derby blades are one of the most love/hate YMMV blade amongst traditional wet shavers.
If I where to choose a favourite from the premium, usta & extra then the it would be a draw between the Derby premium & Usta as both blades feel and perform better than the Derby Extra.

I've came to the conclusion and found that many of the love/hate reviews that Derby blades get, especially the Derby extra is due to when many people are first starting out in the wet shaving, Derby Extra's are normally thrown in with your first DE razor purchase, and because many of us "including myself" are/where lacking in shaving confidence & technique and pointing the early horrible rough bloodbath shaving experiences on the Derby Extra blade.
My personal view on them now has somewhat changed since my early experiences with them. They will never be my favourite blade of choice, but i now find all three to be smooth & efficient enough to provide an acceptable shave. One important lesson i have taught myself is I now never aim for perfection with my shaves, as '"Perfection is the enemy of perfectly adequate". My over-zealous passion for perfection was the major unnecessary cause of irritation nicks, & cuts with my shaving, not the love/hate Derby extra blade. I take into account that you can occasionally get the odd dud blade, this happens in anything that is mass-produced, but overall most blades are ok.

Now that I have gained much required shaving confidence and my technique has vastly improved i can now pair my R41 with either aggressive & non-aggressive blades and get a close comfortable shave without being afraid to shave and without the fear of my shave ending in a blood shaving massacre. Good technique, shaving confidence and using the lightest of touch are the key with the R41.

Everything in my shave set up this morning worked together excellently...The Supply V2 injector as always provided me with an effortless head/dome shave. Injector razors are such comfortable shaving tools for head/dome shaving.

Another close comfortable face and head shave with no errors to report. Finishing the shave off with a few small dollops of Cien Men Sensitive ASB.

My face & precious swede are feeling super smooth & smelling divine.

Stay safe, and enjoy the start of the weekend ladies & gentlemen.

 

Wonderful shaves Barry. I used to go for perfection every time innthe beginning of my journey. I was fortunate that I didn't get cut frequently or get any irritation However, later in my journey, I found that it wasn't necessary to get a BBS shave every time. On most shaves, I try for near BBS and I am fine with it. Have an awesome afternoon.

 

SE Shave # 317 - Shave Stick Saturday

Rating: 5 / 5

Razor: Schick - Injector Type G
Blade: Persona Injector
Brush: Ever Ready 200T
Lather: Stache Soap Works E Barber
Aftershave: Floïd Genuine Vigoroso
Additional Care:
Omega Alum
Stirling Alum Block

Excellent shave to start the day on this very cold and snowy morning in Buffalo. I have not used the Stache Soapworks E Barber in a while. The soap was the first tub I purchased for myself back in 2017 when I fell down this rabbit hole of wetshaving. I put some of the soap in a shave stick to have for when I travel. The remainder of the tub has been Edumund a long time ago. Unfortunately, the artisan is no longer in the business of soap making.

The Type G injector delivered a super close and comfortable shave with any incident. I am ready for whatever the day brings in the little winter wonderland.

Have a great day gentlemen

 

Thank you, Joe. Same here I get near BBS with most of my shaves, I go for close comfort,rather than pristine BBS. Enjoy the remainder of your day.

 

Fine travel shave Joe. Enjoy the hockey game.

 

Thank you Joe.

 

Wonderful report to go with a great shave Barry. Since I do not use DE razor as much as you do I have only two brands of DE blades, the GSB and Shark Platinum. Enjoy your Saturday

 

Finished off my current segment of Hub City Soap(West Texas)followed by Clubman Special Reserve. Didn't go as well today as yesterday, as I hada cut, a Knick, and a Polka-Dot. That's another focus for this month-well, I say "another" but I may have mentioned it the other day-get the brush to look like an ice-cream cone of whatever soap I'm using. I'd say the Hub City Soap is "moving right along" in its quest for the bottom. Still a ways to go, but I like the prOHgress. Nice work again with the Special Reserve-it saved the shave. Fairly Outstanding for today. I know I can do better.

 

March 11 SOTA

Good afternoon.

Straight Razor Shave #440
6/8 J A Henckels Friodur
Rockwell Synthetic Brush
Tabac Shave Stick
Pinaud-Clubman Classic AS
Stirling Alum Block
Beard Growth: 30 hrs



I had a very nice shave. I haven't used Tabac in awhile so I decided to go for it.
It really is so easy to use. I just have to rub the stick on my wet face and swirl the brush until I get a nice, creamy and slick lather.
I only did 2 passes, but I nicked my chin on the first pass. I attribute it to trying to video this shave with my camera phone. It is difficult to judge the blade at times because the screen is small. I guess that's why I should be looking at my mirror. Lol! Anyway, the knick isn't big and it closed nicely with the cold water and the alum. The feedback was negligible. Splashed on the Pinaud-Clubman Classic aftershave and there wasn't any burn. I will use my Van der Hagen Razor for tomorrow's shave because I don't want to reopen the knick. Take care.

 

Hi everyone. Good news! I just got off the phone with Jeff Greene. Despite his medical issues over the last 9 months, he's in good spirits. I am relieved that he is ok. He says that he will be back here posting in a few weeks, maybe a little longer. It will be good seeing his posts once again. Let's keep him in our thoughts and prayers.

 

great news.thanks for the update.

 

was that for me?

 

@palmolive fox
Nice write up Barry. Its' great to see your progress and be able to relate to that. Good going with the R41/Derby combo. Yep. I had the same Derby experience early on, a few months ago, and shelved them. I am encouraged by your comments and might haul out the Derby Premium sometime, but no, not in my R41!

@JACarbone
Pfff! Brrr! Cold! Not here in Perth, WA! My wife is off to Holland in May to visit her relatives, they just shared a video of a snow dump in Sneek, but she has Dutch genes and loves just looking at pictures of snow!

@Paul Turner. Thanks for sharing. I am encouraged by the recent posts where even the Senior Shavers get some nicks 'n stuff. Not because anyone nicked themselves or didn't have a perfect shave, but because that means that's kind of part of shaving right? That's re-assuring because that is what I am experiencing, each day is different.

Sunday 12 March 2023
Skipped shaving y'day, my son spent most of the day with us to help out with some IT stuff.
Gave my face a good chance to rest, so that was good.




Growth: 2 ½ days
Lather Bowl: White
Brush: Puro Tasso boar pre-soaked in tap water
Razor 1. Fatip lo Storto, because I had 2+ days growth. March Madness, right?!
Razor 2. Muhle R89
Blade: Astra SP, a blade I am confident with.
Face Prep: HWS 30 secs x 3
Pre shave: Proraso white.
Soap: MWF. Had to try twice to get this more or less right.
Post Shave: HW rinse, CW rinse. Alum, Thayer’s
Aftershave: Brut A/S

Passes:
I reviewed my Mapping pictures I took in Dec, also it's easier to see with 2+ day's growth. There are some crazy swirls and whorls in the right neck area!
1st pass: OC slant Fatip: strictly WTG only, tentative shave. Partial shave only, MWF drying up, removed, added water, re-lathered.
2nd pass: OC slant Fatip. Still with the grain. Managed to get around the chin and Adam’s apple area with this razor with no damage, but did not want to go any further. Feels efficient, but not comfortable to me.
3rd pass: Muhle R89. My comfort zone. But the Astra SP is not as sharp as the Feather I used the other day.
4th pass: Muhle R89, finishing up around the chin and Adam’s apple.
Touch ups: Muhle R89, using the left hand leading the way against the grain, and buffing XTG. This seems to work for me. Much better with R89.

Results:
The whole shave took me an hour. Sheesh. . I need to try something different for my work days in the week ahead.
Nicks: slight weeper at the end of 2nd Pass below the chin.
Alum burn: Overall nice zinging, nothing more. ***

Another great shave and more things learnt.
However, the MWF was not so good today. Initially squeezed all the water out of the Puro Tasso brush, loaded for about 20 to 30 seconds, lathered in the white bowl, slightly too thick, added a few splashes of water from the sink (Citric acid in this water) but it quickly became too bubbly. Tossed this and started again. This time I really gave it a good work out in the bowl and it got thicker, but somehow not the same as my efforts earlier in the week.
The Fatip OC slant is tricky to get even blade alignment with. Takes a bit of fiddling and takes a while. I like the way the slant shaves, but the OC is a bit much for me at this stage. I might look around for a CC slant.

Residual stubble: Minimal in my neck/AA area. I think that this area is As Good As It Gets.

Plan: Leave the MWF for now. Back to basics tomorrow.

(***PS I rescued the broken Alum by heating up some brass plate I had lying around and rubbing that smooth. Tommy Tape to add some grip!)




Have a great Sunday Gents, looking forward to what the week brings.

 

Nice shave Chris. It seems you are getting better with understanding your beard and how to shave it. It takes awhile, but you will get there so that it will become second nature. You will know what razor/blade combo works best at 1 day, 2 day and 3 day growth. The same is true with soaps and creams.
Also, that was a great solution for your cracked alum. Take care.

 

That's wonderful news Joe. My shaving guru/buddy is on the mend.

 

12th March 2023.



​

Shaving recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/ Asda Tingly Mint & Tea Tree Shower Gel.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face.
Pears Original Transparent Bar Soap.
Brush: Fine 24mm Synthetic.
Bowl Lather.
Bowl: Home Bargains Stainless Steel Side Bowl.
Lather: Nivea Men Originals shave cream.
Razor: Muhle R41. (2013) - Derby premium. (D2)

Post:
Cold water face wash with brush squeezing's, Cold Water Face Rinse./Alum Rub./Cold Water Rinse/Homemade (~Autumn/Winter mix~) peppermint lavender, eucalyptus, + Tea Tree essential Oils Mixed Together With 200ml of Care+Witch Hazel. /4711 ASL-Cologne. / Cien Men Sensitive ASB.

Greetings,

A relaxing Sunday morning shave.

The Nivea Men Originals shave cream never fails to provide me with a super protective slick lather leaving a good post shave feel. Superb stuff!

A comfortable 2 pass + pick ups shave with no errors to report. Finishing the shave off with a few small dollops of Cien Men Sensitive ASB.

My face is feeling super smooth & smelling divine.

Keep safe, and enjoy your Sunday ladies & gentlemen.

 

Thank you, Joe.

 

Thank you Joe, certainly enjoying the process, and learning from everyone else.

 

This is excellent news. Thanks for reaching out to him.