SoS: August, 12 2013 - August 18, 2013

Thursday

Unscented glycerin soap
Queen Charlotte unscented soap
Oscar11 synthetic brush
Vintage Bakelite slant
Feather blade
CeraVe lotion

Excellent lather from the Queen Charlotte soap. Three passes, BBS result, but I was trying too hard, and ended up with some irritation.

 

Thursday morning, August 15, 2013

Schick E2 Injector & Schick blade (10)
Omega 20102 boar bristle brush,
Arko soap, bowl lather & one pass shave—
Captain's Choice Lime rinse, just right!

Aces!

 

THURZDAY

a. Pre: Hot shower, Lucky Tiger Lemon wash, Homemade PSO
b. Razor: Merkur 39c HD Slant Bar
c. Blade: Merkur Super (Day 11) hand-strop
d. Brush: VDH Cheapie
e. Soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat, MEM Cream & liquid Glycerin— scuttle-warmed Über-lather!!
f. Shave: 3 passes and touch-up
g. Post: Cold water rinse & dry; Pinaud Clubman AS & Nivea balm

My expectations that this Merkur blade will need to be tossed ("Today HAS to be the last day!") due to a bad shave (snags, tugs, pulling & other indicators of a dull blade) keep getting changed.
Even after eleven straight days of use (alternating razors, same blade), I'm still getting great shaves. I am hand-stropping this blade when finished shaving & repeat the process before use each time.
I am very thorough with my prep, ensuring the conditions are conducive to a clean, crisp shaving experience. Using a light touch as well, knowing full well that the blade has some 'mileage' on it.
Another GREAT, smooth shave this morn: no nicks, cuts, weepers nor irritation. The saga continues for another day...

Slant bar & blade cleaned & disassembled for yet another day...

 

Thursday morning, August 15, 2013

Schick E2 Injector with Personna blade (4)
Semogue 1305 boar bristle brush,
Arko shaving soap with hot water lather,
finish with cold water rinse for a DFS!

 

PRE: Hot Towel + MR GLO Soap + Homemade PSO
BRUSH: WSP Pure Boar
CREAM: AOS Lavender
RAZOR: Gem 1912
BLADE: GEM
POST: Alum + Lucky Tiger



My first shave with the GEM...The Shave itself seemed to go pretty well, but I could tell that there was something wrong when I rubbed the Alum on (STING). I now have some lovely red bumps forming on my neck...Not sure if it was the blade or that my angle was off coming from the DE or what. Bummer! Sure I'll give it a try at some point in the future, it may be a while though. Have a great day all!

 

It took me a while to get the hang of the SE. When I started out with 'em, if I used them for two consecutive days, my neck would get burned bad. Now, since my technique has improved, I can go a full week shaving every day with no problems; and during SE Week, I do

Hang with it, you'll get it.

 

The trick with the GEMs is the head almost flat against your skin. Because of this, I find that the hardest place to shave is under my nose.

 

Today was my first go with a SE razor. Last night I boiled some water and sterilized the razors that I snagged from the Nation Wide Box Tour. This morning I debated heavily with myself about which razor to try first. The Gem 1912 won out, so I loaded a stainless steel Gem blade, grabbed the Musgo Real Lime Basil shave cream and my Vulfix 376S Super Badger brush and set up for my shave.

I did a three pass wtg/atg/xtg shave followed by a cold water rinse and some T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel. The first thing I noticed was that the large head and straight blade make this razor a lot like a disposable blade Rolls Razor. Unfortunately I had a hard time figuring out how to position the thing so as to get the proper angle and found myself constantly changing my angle with out realizing it...which resulted in an overly aggressive shave. Luckily for me the 1912 is fairly forgiving and the Musgo Real is ultra slick. I managed a DFS with a couple of tiny nicks (which required no styptic) and mild irritation. I'll have to work on my technique with this giant headed razor, but I see lots of potential. On a positive note, the Musgo Real Lime Basil is awesome! An amazing lime scent with spicy, woody notes and none of the sweetness that usually accompanies a lime scent. It lathered easily and provided an extremely slick surface. Overall I would say that this was a good first attempt at SE shaving and with some technique improvement I will be getting some great shaves from my newly acquired SE razors.

Pre: Hot shower and warm water splash
Razor: Gem 1912
Blade: Gem Stainless Steel
Brush: Vulfix 376S Super Badger
Soap: Musgo Real Lime Basil
Post: Cold water rinse and T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel

 

Nice spoil-my-ass-rotten luxury SOTD - Thursday - 08-15-13

* Shower
• Soap: Old Spice Swagger bar soap
• Shampoo: Head & Shoulders with Old Spice scent

* Shave
• Prep: Hot shower, hot towel, Nivea Face Wash, Every Man Jack Signature Mint Face Scrub, Application of shave soap followed by hot towel and Nivea Creme scrubbed into whiskers for extra moisture
• Razor: Merkur 23C
• Blade: Astra SP (4)
• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar
• Lather: Van Der Hagen Deluxe Soap
• Passes: WTG, XTG, ATG, RXTG
• Post: Warm water rinse, Cold water rinse, T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel cleansing wipe, Gillette Intense Cooling Lotion, Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Lotion

I don't have to be at work until late so I thought I'd take my time and enjoy a much deserved self pampering shave. Because I'm awesome. I had a DFS today. The Astra blade is proving to be one of my favorites. The Merkur 23C again is an excellent performer as is the VDH deluxe soap. That stuff is amazing. Feels fantastic. Hopefully everyone has a great rest of the day.

 

Thursday morning:

Merkur slant
Bic
Mixed Midget
RR sandalwood
Light blue Aqua Velva

First time with the Bic. I like it. First time with Sandalwood anything. I like it too. RR knows soap.

 

Weber Bulldog
KAI blade
Vintage no-name Brush restored by Rudy Vey with Fan Shaped Best Badger Knot
Mitchel's Wool Fat Soap
TSD Iced Grapefruit Witch Hazel
EJ Sea Buckhorn AS Balm
music-Steve Martin/Edie Brickell
coffee-home roasted Sumatra
on vacation and smoking a Brisket-mmmmmmmm

 

​

​

Noxzema Classic Clean​

Col. Conk Bay Rum Shave Soap​

Semogue 1305 Boar Brush​

Gillette Super Speed Y1 (1953)​

Wilkinson Sword SS​

CWR​

Dickinson's Witch hazel​

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS​

​

Nothing new today. I continue to get excellent shaves with this razor and blade. I really like the Semogue brush, too. ​

 

16.8.2013

• Prep: shower, RazoRock glycerine pre-shave soap
• Razor: Gillette NEW
• Blade: Polsilver SI (4)
• Brush: Frank Shaving Faux Agate
• Scuttle: "Estremoz" V2 Green
• Soap: Mike's Natural Soaps Bay Rum sample
• Post: alum, T.N. Dickinson's Witch hazel
• Aftershave: Honeybee Gardens Bay Rum

Yaaaaarrrrr!!! Have a great Friday everyone.

 

Friday:

L'Oreal Men Expert Facial Wash
#6 Horsehair
Super Speed/Rapira day 5
Iced Subzero SS
Diana Sport Menthol Balsam
Osage Rub AS
Santos de Cartier EDT

The best way to describe this shave is brrrrrrr cold and beautiful and ultra-BBS. The ISZ soap delivered tons of rich lather with its famous intense menthol power and the Diana Sport balsam teamed up with the Rubby Dubby Doo to give me an unbelieveably frigid end which felt like heaven. The Rapira blade is still holding out very well.

Have a great weekend, folks!

 

Friday

RazoRock Sandalwood bowl lathered with Omega Mighty Midget
EJ89dl with Viking's Sword blade (1)
3 passes and finish with Lab Series aftershave spray

First use of the Viking's Sword blade that I got out of the Nationwide box. It performed well.

 

Superior wedge (Sheffield)
Klar
23mm Omega knot
Capt. Smith Bay Rum
Poor shave this morning. This razor doesn't seem to hold an edge well, it dulls quickly.

 

Friday

Prep: Hot shower, Dirigo Blue Cedarwood PSO
Coffee: Maxwell House Breakfast Blend, BLACK
CD: White Heart ~ Nothing but the Best: Radio Classics
Soap: VDH Deluxe + 2 drops Em's Woodstock EO
Brush: Ever Ready 100T with original knot
DE: '53 Ball End Tech, gold finish
Blade: 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge, day 5, 3 passes
Post: Cold water rinse, ice water splash, Osage Rub, Pinaud Clubman
'Stache Wax: Firehouse Wacky Tacky

Darn fine shave; very enjoyable.

 

Friday-Blue Shave Day Today

Prep: BC PSO-Frankincense, Peppermint, Lavender, Tea Tree
Soap: Coate’s Lavender Cream-“re-activated”
Razor: Maggard MR1
Blade: Gillette SP 7 O’Clock Blue
Brush: Chesterfield/Carrington 22mmx49mm
Aftershave: Capt.’s Choice-Cat O’ Nine Tails

WTG-XTG-ATG (adjusted angle for my beard a bit)

This was the 2nd day with the Gillette 7 O’Clock Blue SP’s. I am liking them. I used the “re-activated” Coate’s Lavender Cream that I added some water to and microwaved. It whipped up an excellent lather. I used my PSO this morning too. Very good shave, nick and burn free. I finished with the Captains Choice Cat O’ Nine Tails sampler I won in a PIF. It is well named! There is a BIG hit right away, more alcohol than menthol I think. It has a nice Bay Rum scent and leaves my skin smooth and hydrated.

Bob

 

Shave of the Day, Friday August 16, 2013
• Prep: Brush soaked in cold water, tepid shower
• Razor: Maggard MR10 Head mounted to Matador Toro Mastiff Corto Handle
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum
• Brush: Shavemac Limited Edition Shaving Brush 90 with High Density Finest Two-Band Badger Fan Knot designed by Geoff Anderson
• Soap: D.R. Harris &Co. Windsor
• AS: Mennen Cool Spice Skin Bracer
• Post: Cold Water Rinse, Double Splash of Aftershave

Although the Maggard head looks similar to an EJ it is a tad more aggressive which makes it a better choice for my face. I love the look of it paired to the Toro Mastiff, really I like any head paired to the Toro Mastiff.

The Two-Band Shavemac performs great with the Windsor, super easy load and whipped up enough lather for more than three passes.

Surprised at how well the Cool Spice paired with the Windsor, although I am sure most of the Windsor scent was washed off. I need to check to see if they make a Windsor Splash, as I love the scent.

The blade is being retired after this use. Although it was only the second shave on it, it was not as sharp nor as smooth as I like.

I hope that everyone has an easy Friday and that your day goes by quickly. I am hoping that I am lucky enough to score the iKon slant today, after two days and missing out both times I am losing my mind.

 

Friday:

Prep: Hot water compress, AoS Unscented PSO
Brush: VDH Boar
Soap: Ginger's Garden Jasmine Coffee Glycerin
Razor: Merkur 41c 1904 OC
Blade: Personna Barber (2)
Passes: WTG, XTG, ATG
Post: Cold water splash, Alum, cold water rinse, Dickinson's WH, Aveeno Active Naturals ASB

I gave the Personna Barber a second chance, and I'm not sorry I did. I had a sort of eureka moment in seeking a better blade angle with this blade; while with the Trig, I was getting near-BBS results with holding the handle at roughly a 35 degree angle from my face, I found that with the Personna Barber, I need to adjust the handle to a shorter 30 degree angle to achieve the same results. No nicks, weepers, or irritation to speak of today, and a near-BBS result.

In other news, by doubling the amount of time I spent whipping up lather in a bowl, I had enough lather that I didn't need to go back to the puck today, though I did need to re-lather my neck on the 2nd and 3rd passes.