January 2015 30 Day Rule/30 Day Focus Pic and Discussion Thread- All are Welcome

Day 5( BSG):

Edit(Added Products):

Prep: Shower
Soap: Arko
Blade: 7'oclock SharpEdge (yellow)
Razor: Ball End Tech
Brush: 24mm WD Black Badger
Post: WH , Clubman ClubMend

I didn't make any changes today, 1 WTG, 1ATG except on my trouble spots. I'd say DFS, sorry for the late and short post, I was back to work and school today. Huge time sink, anyway I'm endeavoring to get a picture and a full post tomorrow, I'm wfh so it should be a little more relaxed.

 

Shave 5 of 30 day BSG

Prep - Hot Shower/Axe Chilled Cooling Face Wash
Razor - Parker 99R
Blade - Wilkinson Swords Classic
Brush - Parker Rosewood Boar Brush
Soap - Proraso Eucalyptus and Menthol Soap
Post - Cold Water Rinse/Crystal Deodorant/Cold Water Rinse/Real Shaving Co. Post Shave Soothing Balm

Nice shave tonight, I didn't really need one tonight but I wanted one . My lather I think was a lil too wet but it worked out (still learning there too). Just 2 passes. WTG, and ATG mostly on neck, and chin. No weepers tonight and only a slight burn from the crystal. This balm is the ticket!!

 

Addict...lol

 

I am busy pondering a blade reset...sigh. This is a valid result of our exercise though. A Weber is a pretty sweet backup option at least. Good luck!

The point here is to master my razor, not demonstrate my ability to endure discomfort. I will decide by Thursday...I need to let it play out a couple more days.

 

Was that brush a Floid promo item? The color match is uncanny...

I am getting there with my Slim...I have the angle down for setting 4, gonna heed your reminder about too much pressure leads to bad shave.

 

Good luck tomorrow! Rest well!

 

How is the head shaving going?

 

I'm gonna be a homer here and ask, what does BSG stand for in this thread ? I can't seem to figure that one out. Probably something super easy.

 

BSG is Burma Shave Guidelines or hard rules.
HBSG is hybrid or more loose rules.

Just helps see what they are doing at a glance. Optional.

 

Day 3 Lab Report - 30 Day Rule with a Slim BSG

Day three was a learning experience. I used a new blade, had great lather, and then I dialed it up to five...I am writing eight hours post shave.

I used setting 4 on the Gillette Slim with a new Kroger Personna, pass one went great, no issues. I then opened the doors, set the dial to five, closed the doors and did pass two.

The blade suddenly felt tuggy. I got to DFS, but not without soreness around the neck and jaw. When I turned the dial I essentially changed razors. Gonna go back down to four...maybe these blades are not quite sharp enough for this razor...need to really pay attention tomorrow!

Enjoy those shaves...I am loving the photos and write ups...hope everybody learns something tomorrow!

 

Shave of the Day

Straight to the Point - Shave 3 of 30 Day Challenge



Prep: Hot bath, Shea Moisture Black African soap
Razor: Morley Clover 5/8 Barber's Notch
Brush: Rubberset 400-4 Silvertip Badger
Lather: Whoos the Man - Commander
Shave: 3 passes; WTG, XTG, ATG
Post: Royall Spyce

Its so cold outside here in Illinois! I needed a hot shave to warm me up and make me feel cozy for bedtime. To the shave den!

I switched to the bigger Rubberset brush because its taller handle let's me mix lather in the mug my soap is melted into...

Decided to do no PSO this shave and once again I can detect no difference. I prefer without I think, more sensitive to the feel of the blade that way, in my opinion.

Finally nicked myself real good on a pimple on my cheek. First bad bleeder in, what, 8 straight razor shaves? Not bad.

I can feel myself getting more comfortable shaving with the razor, I felt like this shave I was more fluid with my motion and had more feel for my face. Also, I finally found an angle for shaving around my Adams apple. Went well.

Resulting in a 3 pass DFS+ ... I'll take it!

 

Yeah, Oscar11 must have had Floyd in mind when he made that handle!

You're doing fine with the slim! Just getting used to, and find the right setting. That's all!

 

Tuesday! BSG#5

• Music: Kraftwerk, Computerworld
• Prep: hot washing cloth
• Brush: TGN a grade silvertip in Oscar11 handle
• Soap: Cella
• Razor: birth quarter Gillette Slim (@ 4, 5, 6 & 7)
• Blade: Derby #2
• Shave: 3-pass + touch-up
• Post: hot water rinse, Floyd AS

Great shave. Not as stellar as the last two shaves, but great none the less!

I'm starting to get more used to the brush. It's my first quality badger brush. A HUGE difference with the Wilkinson Sword badger I got as a Birthday present some years ago! I start with an almost dry brush. I just dip the tips in water before starting on the soap. If the brush is soaked in water before the shave, it retains too much water, leading to a too wet lather. Fully soaked it can hold a tot of rum! - And I'd rather drink that...

Have a great day, ya'll!

 

Gillette LC New Bulldog
Gillette Silver Blue
Semogue BC Mistura
Institut Karite Soap
Alum
Superior 70

A very nice shave.

 

1/6/15

Weber PH bulldog
Voskhod (3)
Klar Kabinett
Vie-Long 13061M
Ogallala Bay Rum

2 passes resulting in DFS. That's what I am trying to learn with this 30 day challenge. The Weber makes it easy. The KK soap is becoming dead simple to lather - 10 second load, face lather for about 45 seconds and the shave is on. 2nd pass lather is slick and quick and I am done in less than 10 minutes, including brush soaking time and sink cleanup at the end.

 

SOTD
January 6, 2015

Prep: Hot shower. Axe Shield Face Wash
Razor: RazoRock Stealth Slant
Blade: Personna Lab Blue
Brush: Semogue 750
Lather: MdC
Post: Alum.Thayers Lavender WH.
Aftershave: Stetson
The first five days of the new year I used bargain priced soaps, today I used one of the most expensive. Great shave. Smooth as silk skincare. The RRSS has worked well with the different blades I've used.
Go out and get it!

 

1/6/15 - BSG - RESET Day 1

Prep - Hot Shower, towel soak
Brush - Omega 48
Soap - Proraso Green
Razor - '46/'47 Aristocrat
Blade - Voskhod (1)
Post - Clubman

Reset the 30 days to change razors. The 1918 was keeping my neck irritated and only getting worse in spite of balms. So off to the Aristocrat. Still more aggressive than a Super Speed or my EJ89 but wow is it smooth. Put a new Voskhod in and made three passes with no nicks/weepers or any other signs of blood. Very smooth shave and a DFS with nearly BBS on face. Neck is the best it's been so far. Clubman didn't even try to sting or burn so that's a major improvement.

I may need to change this to HBSG as I plan to go the next 24 days with this setup then switch to GSB for the remaining 6 days as suggested to compare them to Voskhod. I will have used Voskhod 30 days at that time, just two different razors.

​

 

1/6/2015 30 Day - Shave # 6

Prep - Hot Shower
Razor - Mongoose Satin B2
Blade - Kai Mild (6)
Brush - Rubberset 400 with WSP HMW
Lather - Soap Commander Confidence
Post - Dove Aftershave Balm and Captain's Choice Bay Rum AS



Much better shave this morning. It pays to get up on time. With using the Soap Commander consistently, I am very impressed with the ease of lathering the soap. Very good 2 pass shave with touch ups around the chin and jawline. Given the size of the Mongoose Razor I am surprised at how easy it is for me to get around my lips and under my nose. That has always been a trouble area for me but not with this set up. I can tell the blade is loosing some of its edge. I plan on changing it out after the next shave.

 

Chris
NCoxSTL
Trent
Jostalli
BowlerMike
Tattoobob
Drygulch
Kerry
clint64
Mike
VedderLG
Charlie
Seabs
Tim
Troy

Excellent pictures gentlemen! Way to think 'Outside the Box'.

ics:

 

Well, in my skimpy semi-regular postings, this is shave number 5 of the 30 day challenge. to recap my equipment is:

1912 Gem Damaskene Razor
GEM Stainless Steel Coated Single Edge Blade
Vie Long 12705 Horse Hair Brush
C. O. Bigelow Menthol Shave Cream

No SOTD pictures as I am at work.

First, the Brush:

I have noticed that the brush has been losing between one and three strands of hair on a daily basis . Since this was an entry level horse hair brush it doesn't concern me too much. The stiffness has been delightful and I think I will be investing in a higher level model when the challenge has been completed as I still think the handle is too small. Since this is the 5th shave there hasn't been much of a break in time so it is pretty much the same stiffness and the knot hasn't started blooming yet, if it ever does.

Now the Blade:

The blade started of giving good shaves and has rapidly progressed downhill from there. Since it is thicker than a normal DE blade I had hoped it would stay sharp a little longer. I have started playing with stropping and flipping the blade every shave to see if that affects the length of use but I think I have worked though the life of this one. I will try and get one more day out of it but think it might be the end. I know with blades YMMV so we will see how things work out over the challenge. Lord only knows I have used DE blades and replaced them the same shave because I received a bad one.

The Cream:

Can't say enough about this Bigelow shaving cream. It lathers well and I really enjoy the texture. I went to Bath and body works to restock and they were completely sold out for the holidays. I love the way it lathers and the menthol adds a nice crispness to my face that I enjoy over other creams. I have seen menthol available for sale in the Shave Den Shop and other places so I might investigate adding some to Truefitt and Hill Grafton cream at some point. I am sure there is a primer somewhere on the forums on how to do use the correct ratio which I will look for later. I do have to wonder if there is any benefit to stepping up to the Proraso brand Menthol cream and whether the difference in formula would justify it.

And finally The Razor:

I just can't seem to do anything wrong with this razor. It is extremely forgiving and quite easy to achieve proper blade angle. It seems to self correct and give me a good shave no matter how lazy on technique I am. The only negative is the handle size which I find completely too small. The threads on the handle seem to be different from my other GEMS so switching out isn't an option right now. If I can find a solution this just be my regular shaver after the trial.

All in all this has been a positive for me and has raised my appreciation doe the GEM line as a whole. I may try an Ever Ready Shovelhead next to see if it has the same level of forgiveness.