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
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