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

Hi everyone!

July has come and gone. We had great shaves this past month and I know we will continue to have them this month. I know that I am repeating myself, but thank you all for sharing your shave posts. We are now heading into the dog days of August. Those of us that live north of the equator will still be reaching for refreshing soaps and aftershaves. On the other hand, @ChrisB Chris may be reaching for something warmer in his shave den. I want to mention that July's highlights were @JACarbone Joe's pics from his European adventures in France and Malta. It also goes without saying that @ischiapp Pierpaolo's backdrops deserves more than honorable mention. Bravo to both of you!

Monthly Theme
This month's theme is Adjustable August. Yes guys, it's time to bring out your adjustable razors. Hopefully, we get to see many different adjustable razors this month. Maybe you may want to go with a lower or higher setting than usual. You may be surprised with the results if you do change your routine.
I also have other suggestions for this month's theme. Arko August is self explanatory. Artisan August may be a strong candidate. You can choose any artisan soap, brush or razor. They can be used separately or in a combo or in an entire setup. Please note that the setup can consist of multiple artisans or it can be just one. It's up to you how you want to go about it. Anything Goes August is also 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 August of shaves and fellowship.

Sincerely,

Joe (Trigger)

 

Another great introduction to a new month Joe...

 

1st August 2023.



​

Shaving Recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Body+Face Wash.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face & head.
Pears with Mint Extracts Transparent Bar Soap.
Cold wet flannel to my face & head.
Brush: Omega 49.
Face & Head Lather.
Frankensoap: Arko + Palmolive Classic grated Shave sticks.(grated)
Frankenrazor: Yaqi DOC Mellon Head / Schmidt R10 Handle.- Rapira Platinum Lux. (D1)

Post:
Cold water Face & Head wash with brush squeezing's, Cold Water 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./P&G Old Spice Bearglove ASL Spray./ Creightons Sensitive PSB.

Greetings,

(" Chinese clone razors August")

For the next month I'll be revisiting various Chinese clone razors, Franken-soaps, shaving creams & soaps along with various Russian made DE blades that I haven't used or added to shave sets ups for some time.

Starting the month off with the Yaqi DOC mellon head ("The grand shave king self lubricating razor clone") fitted to the hefty Schmidt R10 handle makes a excellent Franken-razor pairing it up with the Rapira Platinum Lux made a very comfortably razor & blade duo.

The yaqi 'DOC Mellon head' on first appearance looks extremely aggressive, but looks are very deceiving sometimes it's a wonderfully smooth non-aggressive head, however like any razor either aggressive or non-aggressive, if not treated with respect it'll bite you.

I will continue to use the Yaqi DOC Mellon Head / Schmidt R10 Handle duo & Rapira Platinum Lux blade with my next week's SOTD set ups. to familiarise myself once again with the razor & blade duo.

A enjoyable 2 pass + pick ups close comfortable face & head shave with no errors to report. Finishing the shave off with a few small dollops of Creightons Sensitive PSB.

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

Keep safe, and enjoy your day ladies & gentlemen.

 

Lovely August Intro Joe

 

01 Aug 2023 Today: Anything Goes, something old, something new



48 hours, works best for me

Prep = usual
Soap = TOBS Tobacco Leaf scooped into the…Timeless Bowl
Brush = Vulfix 20 mm pure badger, a bit soft now, but fine for the creams, just the right length for the bowl to stop it falling in.
Razor = Gillette “Red”
Blade = Feather (1)
3 passes, mainly WTG and XTG plus touch ups
Post = Cold water rinse, alum, CWR, Thayers’, Brut ASL, Proraso AS balm
Scent = Guerlain pour homme EdP
Super smooth, no damage, minor left overs
Score = super duper 9/10 equivalent to @Paul Turner Paul’s AOAIG I guess

Quite an efficient combo
1, Light chipping at the convex parts of the face/chin/under jaw seems to work best, I can only describe it as “coming off the apex” kind of slicing the tangent
2, Flatter/thicker parts of the face allow for somewhat more pressure
3, If the lather is slick and thick enough, the cap kinda sucks onto the lather and I know my angle is right, but only works on the flats, not the valleys or the hills
4, N-S then Chevrons on the lower lip: \\\\\\\ one way then /////// the other way

 

Super Duper is one point less than AOAIG. Glad you're into the chipping persuasion of shave life.

 

Thank you very much. Barry. I do my best in writing interesting intros.

 

Thank you very much Chris. As I previously replied to Barry's post, "I do my best in writing interesting intros.

 

I stand corrected! I will figure out your system sooner or later!

 

Wonderful start to the month Barry. I would say Asian August would be more like it.

 

The Bay Rum soap from Wet The Face caught me a bit by surprise as it went on cold at first. I guessed that was because I had it in my refrigerator longer than they told me to(They had me put it in there to cool it down from being shipped in the excess heat). Very thick upon administering to the face&neck. It felt quite nice as it was letting me do the shave. I wondered if the best Bay Rum soaps have that thickness to it. One Knick, but everywhere else felt fine. There is a little more clove in the soap than I would like, but I'll work with it. The Stephan Bay Rum aftershave added to the soft, clean feel from the soap. Happy to have this WTF product. Works well with Stephan BR. Super Duper Outstanding.

 

Awesome start to the month Chris.

 

Well, as you see, my shave today was Super Duper, so happy figuring!!

 

Colibri (Hummingbird) 1.10mm stainless steel head.
Timeless Razor Crown Titanium handle.
Astra SP blade (2).
Shore Shave Cool Water Mint Ribbon synthetic brush.
Eufros Brisa De Oriente shave soap.
Timeless Razor shave bowl.
Irish Chestnut by Andy Hilfiger cologne.

Awesome first shave of the month. The Timeless Crown handle is very comfortable and handles exceptionally well. It is almost as purdy as the Shore Shave.

Take care everyone.

 

absolutely fabulous start to the month gents.

 

tech tuesday
brit fb new/kcg
bbj custom 10098
c & e



good morning gents,
fine tech tuesday shave in the books
the OC "tech" performed excellent as per usual.
adjustocrat,aristable anything goes august sounds about right.
have a fine day everyone.
​

 

Terrific start to the month Danny.

 

Awesome August start Gary.

 

thank you Joe.

 

Thanks Joe