Thank you Joe, no its not old at all, none of my stuff is since I have only been wet shaving since, hmmm Nov or Dec '22

I find that when I get little snowflakes it means the lather is not hydrated enough and needs more water. Generally it clears during the 2nd and later passes
Maybe the fact that I lathered over the Aloe Vera gel had something to do with it. For me good soaps/creams don't dry out during a pass, no matter how long I take for each pass

Anyway I tend to hold back from overhydrating my lather at this stage in case it gets too watery. I try in the beginning of lathering to avoid adding too much water too quickly because then all I get is bubbles (bubbles in lather is no good imho) anyway if I get bubbles in my MWF there is no way I can rescue it

So many variables: I guess I need more discipline to stick with a longer focus on changing one item at a time....

17th September 2023.



​

Shaving Recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/Nivea Men Power 24H Fresh Effect Shower Gel.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face & head.
Wrights Coal Tar Bar Soap.
Cold wet flannel to my face & head.
Brush: Omega 11047 Mixed Midget.
Face & Head Lather.
Lather: La Toja Shave Stick.
Blade: Wilkinson Sword Classic. (D3)
Razor: Muhle R89. (Face)
Razor: Gillette Guard. (D2) (Head)

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

Greetings,

(Face & Head shave)

Early morning Shave,

The La Toja stick like the Lea stick has a good slickness & post shave I really like the fragrance of the this shave stick, it's got a fresh clean fragrance, which to my nose reminds me of dove soap with a masculine edge to it.
Another enjoyable close comfortable face & head shave with no errors to report. Finishing the shave off with a few small dollops of Aloe Vera Gel.

My face is feeling cool smooth, & smelling divine.

Keep safe, and enjoy your day ladies & gentlemen.

Thank you Joe. Epic for sure.

Excellent Friodur shave Joe

Outstanding shave stick shave Barry. Enjoy your day.

Just perfect Danny.

Thank you Joe. Have a great day.

Wonderful second shave with Hub City Soaps PAGES. You still get that "soy sauce-medicine" smell, but that's just as you open the lid(the aftershave). This time I knew it would be much different upon skin application. Prior to that, the loading of the soap went fine. For the shave, zero across the board on cuts, Knicks, Polka=dots. I attacked the areas I did n't complete yesterday (better job on Cactus Nation and east side of N. Porcupine Alley). 2 passes, although, as with many other artisan shaves, I felt good enough after just the one, but didn't want to waste soap. Ready to tackle the day. As Outstanding As It Gets.

The challenge of using shave soaps and creams is to remember the water/soap ratio because it can be different for a particular soap or cream. The same can be said for the razor/blade combo. For instance, a Feather blade in a Mühle R41 can be too much growl, but put that blade in a Van der Hagen and viva la difference. I don't want to make wetshaving complicated, but the trial and error to see what makes things work for you is part of the fun. Some people have a large den collection that they need a spreadsheet to keep track of every item's performance.

Super shave Barry. I probably will bring out my Tabac stick later this week. Enjoy your afternoon.

Thanks Giuseppe.

Thank you Joe. Tabac in any form is ok with me.

Thanks Joe, it's fun practicing all right. Part of the challenge and the delight

SRS # 960

Rating: 5 / 5

Razor: AA Gen Takahashi Tokusei
Brush: Opus Shaving Brushes “Underdog”
Lather: Lather Bros. Calle Ocho
Aftershave: Derby City Chop Shop Small Batch Tonic- Winter Reserve
Additional Care:
Omega Alum
Dickenson’s Original Witch Hazel
Stirling Unscented Glacial Balm

Absolutely wonderful shave this morning following an outdoor X3 Bar Push workout and a warm shower. I was tempted to get one final dip in the pool following my workout but the 64 degree water temperature was not too inviting. The pool is now closed for the season. The missus do not like pool closing day.

The Japanese straight did a fine job without any incidents today. Three passes has left my face, as our dear friend Jeff would say, “Smooth and velveteen.” The Derby City Chop Shop Small Batch AS provided a nice finishing touch.

Here is Samson, in the foreground, and Hercules enjoying the view of the pool early this morning.

Wonderful shave Joe.

Greetings Shave Den! We’ve been a bit preoccupied recently with our new granddaughter
Say hello to Layla Rose! Layla was born Friday morning. 3+ weeks premature. Everyone is home now. Isn’t she just amazing?


This was my today shave. This was perhaps the sixth or so shave with the same blade. It was near perfection, without the slightest hint of irritation anywhere. My single only critique is that it could have been a wee bit closer on my lower neck. Everywhere else? Touch your screen
Have a great day Everyone!

Congrats Charlie! She's adorable!

Sept 19 SOTA

Good afternoon.

Shavette Shave #488
Parker SRB
Gillette Wilkinson Sword 1/2 DE Blade (2)
1959 Gillette Fatboy (9)
Wilkinson Sword Blade (1)
Heritage Collection C-Mon Replica Super HD Badger Brush
Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS
Stirling Alum Block
Modessa Witch Hazel
Beard Growth: 23 hrs
Dome Turf: 3 days



It was time for a headshave so I brought out my Fatboy. The Wilkinson Sword DE Blade is not produced by Gillette. It is not as smooth as the other Wilkinson Sword blade in my shavette. Decided to do a mug lather with the VdH soap. Here is my lather:



Three passes on my face from the Parker gave me a close, comfortable shave without any issues. Three passes on my dome gave me a cueball smooth shave, but I did get a tiny nick near the left temple and the crown meet. That's always been a trouble spot for me. The alum gave me a lot of feedback on my dome which I'd unheard of for me; but very little everywhere else. Yes, it's odd that I would get that kind of feedback from a safety razor, but I attribute it to this blade that is not a Gillette W/S.
Splashed on the witch hazel and the AQ Ice Blue aftershave. I felt the burn from the nick, but that's to be expected. Overall, I would say it was a nice shave session. Take care.

Keep up the good work, it took me months to finally arrive at my happy shaving place.
Lathering isn't too hard once you've figured out what you like.
I like thick lather, to use a culinary term, stiff peaks.
I have hard water so I use distilled water instead of tap water for that.
I also like synthetic knots, so it takes a little longer to get my lather where I want it.
I find feather blades are sharper than any other blade, right out of the paper.
I also ride the cap, if your not sure of what that means, Google riding the cap shaving.
I also use razors that don't have safety bars, (which I don't recommend), I find no reason for a safety bar if your technique is sound.
I shave the gourd with the same razor blade combo, another thing I don't recommend.
Seems I've become sort of a cult figure here or something like that.
But I shave how I shave, every day.

I just did a little more grinding on the heavily modified Razorock Black Hawk (My Frankenstein's Monster).
I've started to really like the scary little implement of destruction.
Pictures and details later this week if anyone cares.

Keep practicing, it will be worth it.

tp

Beautiful shave!
You're a madman, love it.

tp