I have found certain soaps like Tiki and Strop Shoppe were too soft for me to make work. Tiki was so soft there was no way to load it in the stick. Strop Shoppe I managed to load in the stick but it was still to soft for me use. Soap Commander which is a vegan soap worked great. Imagine picking up a puck and rubbing on your face. If you think that would be possible, it will probably work in a shave stick. I know they are about at the limit being to soft without soaking. I find B&M to be about the same.
How did you like it? I find it to be a really good soap. Keeps flying insects away and works well as an engine degreaser too. All kidding aside, it's one of my favorite soaps.
I had a puck of TSD Pumpkin Harvest. It was so soft I was able squash it into an empty stick without any difficulty.
I did the same with TSD Signature and Yin Yang. Honestly, I have done it will all mine including MWF. I have not had to grate or melt anything.
Awesome! When I used MWF, that's the way I used it. Just grabbed the puck and started rubbing (something tells me that's going to end up in the "Out of Context" thread). Sticks are more practical though.
Thanks Vince! I didn’t set out to do these, but the first pass during my shave last Thursday was so close, it was almost as if I had done two passes. I went for it and managed to get the baby. Since then, I’ve tried to duplicate the results of that shave. So far, it’s worked pretty well!
Thanks William! There are several things going on. My beard is very light in most places and there are areas where it doesn’t grow at all. So one thing I did was recognize that there was no need to make two passes on my cheeks when one will do. And I know how I need to shave my jaw line during touch up, so why not do it from the get go instead? Even though my first pass is mostly XTG, because of my beard’s grain, sometimes it's really ATG. Lastly, I have the benefit of having a mustache and goatee, so that cuts down on the number of difficult areas I need to shave. It’s a combination of all this and the good instruction I received when learning: “ride the cap” among others. Having said all that, I'm sure there are some razor/soap/blade combinations I'll use that require a two or even a thee pass shave.
Thanks Clint, I couldn’t do it either if my beard was heavy. When I first started shaving every day my wife objected that I didn’t need to do that. The color of my hair is light enough (and my beard patchy enough) that I can get away with shaving every other day, but I figured the quickest way to learn was to do it every day. I’ve just been lucky to have been able to learn from the great group of guys that we have in this thread. My genes are helping me get the BBS, but they’ll keep me from having anything more than a beard goatee and mustache!
Strangely enough, I kinda enjoy the scent. The lather came out of nowhere also. I rubbed the stick on my face, began to doubt it, and as soon as the brush hit my face it was like a Lather-Nuke went off.
NOVember - NO Variation November 10 Razor - Feather SS AC Pain Stick Blade - (2) Brush - BoS Omega 10066 Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat Post - Cold Water, Alum, Aloe One of those mornings where I got up, grabbed a cup of coffee, drank about half of it, and went back to bed for another hour. So, when I finally stayed vertical I was a bit behind and not really in the mood to mess with a lot. Decided to do a one pass with the Feather this morning and accept the result. Only issue was a slight catch on the cut near my ear but it didn't even bleed, just felt the snag. Finish was CCS with some serious touch up on the neck, but no blood anywhere and it as off to work. Nice to know I can throw down a "good enough" one pass with the razor now even if it doesn't match a quick two pass with DE. Still functional and we're still on track with NOVember. Hope your Tuesday was good.
After using a lightly mentholated AS sent to me by @JR Reyes , I have discovered I crave menthol in my post shave routine. I don't care for it while shaving though. Would Osage rub be a good addition for me?
I have found that I like to put Osage Rub on after alum for all my shaves. It seems to help prepare my skin for the PSB I use. To me, when used by itself to it was a bit drying, but just before the PSB, it is awesome.
Day 10 - 10 November 2015 No Variation November! View attachment 82386 Day 10 on the GSB, and it's still hanging in for day 11. Today went well. I have been super busy and unable to visit the forum as much as usual, but plan on getting caught up later tonight or tomorrow, but I'm tired and there are still chores to be done. Hope everyone is doing well, I haven't started to read yet! Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado. Have a wonderful Wednesday!