SoS: September 1, 2014 - September 7, 2014

How do you mean to harsh?

 

it burns if I use it every day or for a long period because of the very high PH but it is because of that very high PH that it softens hair so much that zero prep is needed.

 

Zero zero?

 

I wet my face and start face lathering and shave immediately. The included literature explicitly says no prep is needed and I find it true in my case. But then, I find hot showers and towel treatments always unnecessary when I am using a good soap. The face lathering probably helps too though.

 

Thank you all for the best wishes for my son. He is doing great. Here is proof that he felt good enough to start texting in the surgery parking lot.



He is in a fantastic mood and keeps us all laughing.

 

Our kids text while they sleep. Im so glad everything went well. Troy you look much younger without the goatee!

 

This is the second time in a row the Mrs. Has commented on this Aftershave (different scents each time) gives me reason to buy the entire line!
The new brush performed pretty well. I like it.

 

Dove Men's Face Wash
TOBS Lavender Shaving Cream
Made Rite Boar Brush
Gillette Flare Tip, E3
Wilkinson Sword Stainless
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Cucumber WH
Pinaud Clubman AS

The TOBS Lavender Shaving Cream face-lathered very easily with my Made Rite Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette Flare Tip and Wilkinson Sword Stainless blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Rose Petal WH and then Pinaud Clubman after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

 

Planned SOTD for Friday 5Sep14

Cold Water Shave


Left to Right; Whipped Dog 30/65mm Silver Tip Badger Brush; VDH Luxury Mug Set Loaded VDH Luxury Soap ; Above the Tie Atlas R-1 88mm Kronos Handle;
Pacific Shaving Co. All Natural Shaving Oil; Wilkinson Sword DE Blades Black Container ; Captain's Choice Cat O' Nine Tails



Shower & Pre-Shave:
Neutrogena Men Invigorating Face Wash
Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo - Extra Strength
Burt's Bees Natural Skin Care For Men Bar Soap
Pacific Shaving Co. All Natural Shaving Oil
Face Towel Soaked in "Ice Cold Water"

Deodorant's :
Mennen Speed Stick

Razor & Razor Blades:
Wilkinson Sword DE Blades {3}
ATT Atlas R-1 88mm Kronos Handle


Shaving Mug & Shaving Soap & Brush:
VDH Luxury Mug Set
VDH Luxury Shave Soap
Whipped Dog 30/65mm Silver Tip Badger Black&White Marbled Resin Handle



After Shave Balm's:
RazoRock Ultimate Aftershave
Nivea After Shave Balm


After Shave:
Captain's Choice Cat O' Nine Tails A/S

 

SOTD September 4, 2014

Prep: Hot shower. Neutrogena Face Wash.

Razor: 1957 Gillette Super Speed Flare Tip (C2) -- my first shave with a vintage!

Blade: Gillette 7 O'clock Yellow

Lather: Head Slick by Head Blade

Post: Cold water, Alum Block, Witch Hazel

After: Aqua Velva Ice Blue and Clear Head by Head Blade (about a 1:5 ratio because apparently my wife hates the Aqua Velva scent).

Well, my first official head shave with my very first vintage razor is done, and for me, it was a great one. A couple of passes and it was BBS. No nicks or bleeding whatsoever. A very mild shave -- in fact, a little milder than I might have liked so maybe my next blade to come out of the sampler pack will be a Feather.

Used the Head Slick tonight because I didn't have time for a proper brush lather, and decided I do like the menthol they put in there and the fact that my head stays slick even if I'm shaving slowly (whereas the van der Hagen soap I had been using recently tended to get a bit sticky before I'd finish shaving). Will be interesting to see how the new soap that's coming in the mail soon performs in comparison.

So... Really, really liked the SS Flare Tip. So much better than the MTO/Weishi I started with a short time ago!

I also experimented a little with the 1966 Travel Tech razor that also arrived today, and I didn't think it was quite as mild as the Flare Tip. But one thing I did like about the Travel Tech was that it seemed a little easier to make short, precise strokes on my head, perhaps because the handle is so short. I also thought the 3-piece design was kind of charming and minimalist.

As for my continuing battle against RAD... I'm still losing that battle. Bought a nice Krona today online for $6, and probably overpaid a bit for a Gillette Slim Adjustable at $25, but hey, it was my birth year/quarter (2nd quarter, 1967) razor and I hadn't seen many other M2's for sale so far. Patience is not one of my virtues. Tomorrow I'm hitting an antique store nearby that told me over the phone that they have a fair amount of shaving paraphernalia available.

My wife commented tonight that I've spent more on my hair (or lack of) since I went "Bald By Choice" this summer than she has spent all year to date on trips to the salon. I replied that for the past 3 years or more, I had paid very near to *zero* for hair care or shaving... Since I was still using my old stock of cartridges for my cheeks and neck (I have a beard) and I was cutting my hair entirely by myself with a trimmer and hadn't been to a real barber or hair stylist in all that time. So I figure she still has spent more, on average, in the hair/head maintenance

 

FRIDAY
Evening Shave for Tomorrow
I'm on deck to open up the Prayer Room @4:30am so tonight is shave night.
Three über-smooth Passes with the big custom Rodgers. My first shave in several day with the MdC Fourgére…the amount of lather I get from this soap is simply delightful.
This soap, as with other shave products, may not be to everyone's taste, but it is by far my favorite make as far as evaluating both performance and skin conditioning.
I do wish it was a bit less expensive. On the plus side, a 200g jar will last a long, long time.

Have a great Friday, everyone!

 

Thats it! She got that for me on my birthday...Seems it was made the same year I was born. Luckily I believe it was taken better care of than I was...ha,ha...The hat looks new, I don't.....

 

Friday Noon Shave
Razor: Gillette Slim (S3)
Blade: Rapira (1)
Brush: Isana Men Pure Badger
Cream: Nivea
AS: Barbasol Pacific Rush

Another BBS this noon. Slim and Rapira work together perfectly fine. No weeper, nick, whatsoever. Just the great feeling after a good shave.

 

Frugal Friday
The cost of the products used today belie their effectiveness. I used my full sized tin of WSP Barbershop (less than $9 shipped), and it performed very well. The lather monster whipped up yogurt quickly after some fiddling with water. I put a little water on the puck and started with a dry brush, then I added a but of water during the build. The scent of the soap is subtle and certainly reminds me of a barbershop. I paired it with Aqua Velva Ice Sport ($1.97 on sale) and the two compliment each other nicely. Not a perfect match, but similar. The menthol is welcome on what is going to be a humid 90° day.

Prep: RR/HTGAM lime menthol
Soap: WSP Rustic Barbershop
Brush: HIS XL
Razor: iKon SC101
Blade: Personna lab blue
AS: Aqua Velva Ice Blue

 

Friday:

Gatsby Ice Cooling Gel Facial Wash
Large Horsehair Barbershop
Super Speed/Rapira day 5
Synergy Frost_byte SS
Anherb AS Gel
Osage Rub AS
Givenchy Pour Homme EdT

There's no way that a man can possibly sweat in hot weather after using a set-up like this because every item I mentioned is so damned frigid. The Gatsby facial wash is really cold, the Frost_byte soap earned itself an extra point this morning when I was lathering up with it and the Anherb gel felt so icy and refreshing. Finally, the good old Rubby Dubby Doo is known for being one of the best face-freezers that's made in the US of A. Another awesome shave which I enjoyed so much.

Have a great weekend, folks!

 

Friday

Prep: Hot Shower-Stirling Cocoa Butter Bath Soap
Soap: Cold River Soap Works-“Classic” Savon #1
Razor: Gillette Slim [6]
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (4)
Brush: oscar11 TGN 2-Band Finest-24mmx50mm
Aftershave: Fine Platinum

WTG-XTG-ATG (adjusted angles for my beard)

I went back to my sample of CRSW “Classic” Savon #1: “Lavender with fresh, green herbal highlights and soft cedar wood base notes”. Quick, thick lather after loading for 30 seconds. Platinum Lux in the Slim. Great smooth, close, nick free shave. I finished with Fine Platinum.

Bob

 

today's shave
hot water wash with nivea men's
Parker pure badger
C.O.Bigelow
Merkur 39c
persona lab(1)
Barbasol brisk
great shave today, up on time no hurry no worry. the hammer with a new lab. what stubble? finished with brisk. I think it smells like mentholated clubman, but powderier. the wife likes it, a lot. and I like that she likes it.
hope y'all live Friday, like it's Friday.

 

7/8 Wacker
Prep SS
homemade boar
V.I. Bay Rum
Sorry, this isn't the shave of the day but it is the razor of the day. I used Prep SS and a home made boar. Great shave. Have a good one.

 

SOTD September 4
Prep: hot shower
Razor: Slim Twist
Blade: Treet Platinum (day 3)
Brush: Vie-Long
Soap: ProrasoGreen
Passes: 2 (WTG, XTG)
Post: none

It was time to put the Col Conk away, and the Proraso Green was the easiest soap to grab. Being a great soap didn't hurt either. It didn't take long before I had more than enough lather for my two passes. The Treet Platinum and Slim Twist combo felt a lot smother with the Proraso lather as well. A rare occurrence for me from Proraso Green, there was a very subtle menthol effect. Unfortunately it distracted me and I forgot I was going to finish with 444...

 

Friday, September 5, 2014

Prep: Warm shower, Prosaso Preshave
Razor: Schick Injector G8
Blade: Personna (6)
Lather: L'Occitane Cade Soap
Brush: Oscar11 w/ Omega 20248 Knot
Post: Witch Hazel, Cetaphil Lotion
Aftershave: Old Spice

Very nice shave, but I should have changed the blade before I started. I was trying to see how many shaves I could comfortably get out of an injector blade. I think 5 is probably my limit on these. Even though I got a very nice shave, it came with a little irritation. I think this is due to my having to go over some places multiple times because of the dull blade.

Have a great day!