30 Day Rule/Focus; July 2023. All Are Welcome!

Hi everyone!

Wow! We are already halfway through the year! Time really does fly!
We truly had a great month of shaves! Some of you have added new gear to your den and proudly posted them. Congrats to you. As always, I appreciate your participation here and I thank you all for it. Without you, there wouldn't be a 30 Day Crew.

We are at the early stages of summer and winter depending on where you live. I am sure menthol shaving will be on the rise for the folks north of the equator while those in the throes of winter will be shaving with warm, spicy soaps. How fortunate that we have artisan soaps to complement the seasons. Looking forward to seeing what soaps you guys will be using.

Monthly Theme
Ok, let me get to important matters. I am proposing that the theme for this month would be Just One July. Now, it does sound like a monthly focus, but it is with a twist. Each week you will use the same item in your setups, it could be one soap, or razor or brush. For example, you pick out an Omega Boar Brush. You must use that brush for the entire week, but you can change everything else. The following week, it could be your favorite soap that you must use for that week. The next week, it will be something else and so on. Basically, it's four mini focuses for the month using a different item each week. It's up to you to choose the items.
Now, the other suggestion would be to continue last month's theme because July starts with a J as well. Yes, I mean Just the Basics July. Again, use the basic gear that got you into wetshaving. Of course, Jagger and Gillette July is self-explanatory.

Ok, let's continue with the basic tenets of this thread!
I want to welcome all the veterans of the 30 DC and all the newcomers. This thread is for the purposes of improving your shave technique so that you will consistently get great shaves. There are a number of ways to do it. These are suggestions so feel free to do whatever you want in regards to your shave.

The 30 Day Rule
Take ONE razor, ONE blade, ONE brush, ONE soap/cream and use them EVERYDAY this month. Yes, everyday. But Trigger, I want variety! I know you do, but until you perfect your technique, it makes little sense to constantly change the variables of your shave.

The Focus
For you out there that are not up to the rigors of the Rule, there is this alternative:
Vary the gear for each shave, save for perhaps one or two elements.
This is a more accessible challenge for the majority of shavers. I like to pick a particular aspect of the shave, be it the lather, a certain blade or a new razor, that needs breaking in, and not change it daily, until I have mastered those tools.

Ok, to keep the thread on a nice even keel, I ask everyone to follow the thread etiquette as listed below:
1. New Members always welcome. Start anytime.
2. Old Members always welcome.
3. Respect everyone.
4. Refrain from political conversation.

I also want to suggest that we should try to assess our shaves as to why it was good or why it was not up to your standards and express these reasons in your comments. The spirit of this thread is to improve our shaves and if we share the reasons why a shave was good or bad, then we are giving our experiences to encourage good technique and discourage bad technique so that we have great info to get better shaves. I am not suggesting that we do it for every post, but I think it would make for a healthier thread if we start to do it more than we have in the past years.

Moreover, you don't have to do a rule or a focus. You are free to change your setup on a shave to shave basis.

Finally, I want this thread to continue to be a friendly place. It is ok to disagree because that is how we learn from each other, but let's encourage and respect every member. Yes, even if you think they are off the wall. Let's face it! We all are a little off because of our different Aquisition Disorders. Lol!

Let's have a group hug!



Also, let's have a great July of shaves and fellowship.

Sincerely,

Joe (Trigger)

 

Another great introduction Joe...It's hard to believe that half a year has already past by us...

 

1st July 2023.



​

Shaving Recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/ Radox Feel Active Sea Salt & Lemongrass Shower Gel.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face & head.
Pears with Mint Extracts Transparent Bar Soap.
Brush: Anbbas 24mm Tuxedo synthetic.
Head & Face Lather.
Lather: Ach Brito Mogno Shaving soap
Razor: Parker 55SL Semi-Slant.- Mers Super Shave X Platinum. (D1)
Razor: Parker InjRzr. (Head/Dome) (Settings) 4-wtg. 4-xtg/atg.+pick-ups. - Personna Injector PTFE. (D1)

Post:
Cold water face & head wash with brush squeezing's, Cold Water Face & Head Rinse./ Alum Rub./Cold Water Rinse. /Homemade (~Spring/Summer mix~) Lemon, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Essential Oils.3 Menthol Crystals Mixed Together With 200ml of Care+Witch Hazel./Davidoff Cool Water ASL./Aloe Vera Cooling Gel.

Greetings,

Parker Razor focus month.

Another new eclectic shave set up to start the weekend...I'll be using a variety of my Parker DE razors for my face shaves & the Parker InjRzr for my head /dome shaves for the month duration.

I have carried on for with my revisiting blade focus using the Mers SuperShave X Platinum blade which are manufactured in china made of Swedish steel and paired together admirably with the 87R.
I haven't gave much attention to the Parker InjRzr since it became a member of my humble injector razor collection.

The design of the injector razor is wonderful they are solidly built to hold the blade firm & rigid in the razor head with no movement making the shaving experience feel safe comfortable, and smooth with no blade chatter, and very easy to adjust to finding the right shaving angle....As I have mentioned before they are such comfortable smooth efficient shavers and are now my favourite shaving tools for head shaving.

My recent Goodfellas' Smile Abysso Shaving Soap & matching ASL purchase has reminded me how much i really like Davidoff Cool Water the Ach Brito Mogno Shaving soap is another soap which works so well with this classic aftershave fragrance.

Finishing the shave off with a few small dollops of Aloe Vera Cooling Gel...A close comfortable face & head shave with no errors to report.
Gel.

My face & precious swede are feeling smooth cool and smelling divine.

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

 

Thanks Barry. This year is definitely whizzing by that's for sure. Seniors like us notice it more. Lol!

 

Fantastic shave, pic and post to lead the way Barry! Enjoy your afternoon!

 

Thank you Joe.

 

A real nice and good feeling forr summer shav this morning, with FINE Latigo. Before I go further, I watched the video of the two girls doing comparisons of Fine scents. When they got around to Latigo, they pronounced it LA-tuh-GO. I always thought it was pronounced la-TEE-go. After all, it's a dupe of the famous Austrian product Knize10(pronounced ka-KNEES-uh 10(all right, hold your "gisundheits"please.). That is what I had today, both the soap and aftershave. Latigo/Knize10 is known the world over as a cooling leather scent. Interesting concept, that. It's great for the cold months, of course,but not bad for a cool spring/summer day. I thought I'd be "lighting my face on fire", but not quite. Very well done in most areas, but I should have done a little better down at Cactus, where the dreaded "Ingrown Swamp" lies. Super Duper Excellent. Doc Ezlovan should make a Knize 10 dupe. He could call it "Stoylin 10".

 

Gillette Red Tip / Gillette 7o'clock SharpEdge
WCS Handle / Maggards Brown Synthetic
Stirling Sandalwood


Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk

 

awesome start to the month gentlemen..

 

The Weekender
4th gen'crat/kcg
soc boar
true north
razo-rock



good day gents
gillette july is an obvious choice for me
will try to spice it up a bit as well.
have a great long weekend everyone.
​

 

Great shave and welcome back Stuart!

 

Terrific start for the month Gary! I try to make monthly themes up so that it's easier for everyone to participate.

 

July 1 SOTA

Good afternoon.

*Straight Razor Shave #464*
13/8 ArtRazor 1000
Catie’s Bubbles Tuxedo Brush
Chiseled Face Cryogen SS and AS
Stirling Alum Block
Beard Growth: 46.5 hrs



I said that I was going to start the month with a bang and I delivered. I brought out Artie and it doesn't get any bigger than that my friends. I also went for the über freeze with CF Cryogen. This soap is a menthe-head's dream.

Here's the lather:



I did a 3 pass close, comfortable shave without any issues. I did get some alum feedback, but nothing outrageous. Splashed on the matching aftershave to get another menthol hit. I think that I am going to use this soap for the rest of the week. It may not last a week, but we will see. ×××By the way, I made a record keeping error and the number of straight shaves in this post is correct. Take care.

 

thank you Joe.

 

02 Jul 2023

Glorious clear day in chilly old Perth



51 hours stubble
Prep = usual
Cream = Tabac/tube: nice lather, initially a bit thick, but @JACarbone tip-dipping trick and back to face lesson it a created super slickness
Brush = Old Vulfix
Bowl = Proraso Green bowl
Razor = Beat-up old Gillette OC No 46 Popular
Blade = Gillette Platinum Blue (3), still nice and smooth
Two passes plus a few touch ups were all that were needed: the OC seems to deal with my trouble spot a bit better and less (but cautious) buffing was all that was needed, even ATG in areas
Post = usual post clean-up/Brut ASL/Guerlain Pour Homme

Ideal start to a lazy Sunday: I have used this beat up old razor once (or twice?) before, but with today’s slick lather it performed superbly. This was an Op Shop find for 6 bucks, the doors close well but need some help opening them. Was thinking about getting this restored (Italy or USA) but since it performs quite well I will ponder on this, it has value as it is: if this is a 1939 razor as I suspect it is, that is around the time my Dutch parents were hosting unwelcome guests from across their eastern border for a few tough years

Safe travels and shaves, have a lovely Sunday

 

the gold populars are very rare to begin with,any gold razor from england is.they had an abundance of rhodium and it was their precious metal of choice.populars were only around for 4 years or so and the war ended their production for good.the post war version is the aristocrat jr.if you want $12 i will gladly send it to you...they are unique in the way they open.you have to hold the knob and spin the razor to open the doors like the later ones.no open up mechanism,just closing.my #47 is the same.just silver plated.

 

Excellent shave Chris. I am sorry that your parents had to deal with that awful episode.

 

Thanks Gary, nice to get your historical input as always. You did mention before that the doors open differently, which is good to know, I was tempted early on to try my amateur hand at opening this thing (after all it's $6 right?) and get some practice! But it shaves real nice and I am happy to leave it as is for the moment.

Thanks Joe, they were just one of many who did, and currently still do. They turned out pretty resilient in the end!

 

Happy July! I have been doing a mini JOJ for the past week and will continue to do so with the remainder of the trip. After that:
għandna naraw (Maltese)

nous verrons (French)

We shall see

 

Thank you Gary.