SoS: December 28, 2015 - January 3, 2016

Monday catch up shave!

2 days stubble on the face and 4 days on my scalp put me in dire need of a shave! Godrej Shaving Round, TGN synthetic in a BurmaShave handle, Weber PH, Rapira Platinum Lux and Pinaud Vanilla gave me the desired results. 2 passes on the face and 3 on the scalp.

 

If horse is the wish then I wouldn't look at the #6 - I'd almost put my head on the block and say it's definitely a boar. Others may disagree but the one I have whines like a pig and doesn't neigh like a horse!

I had a Vie-Long horse brush (the Butterscotch edition) and that knot was defective by design. Many others experienced the same. I've been hesitant of another Vie-Long horse since that.

 

In a post I did some time ago, I wondered if all Mennen products made next year will have the number 85 on them to signal Mennen's 85th anniversary.

 

I have six Vie-Long horsehair and the #6 Turkish horsehair and would highly recommend vie long. They have different hair mixtures, knot width and lofts and they will also do custom lofts so do your homework. I have three in white horse hair, two in Brown and one in boar and horse hair

 

Straights to the Finish!!!!!

December 28th - It's Soviet Day!!!
The Soviet era (1960's) straight has its day in the spotlight.

Brush - BoS Omega 10066
Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
Post - Cold water, Alum, Nivea

Let's just say it was an adventure. You can read the full report HERE!

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What would you recommend? I'd like to try a really good horsie. The one I had split in the middle, tangled after each use and gave me irritation to boot :-( I'd of course like to try and avoid that, although the irritation is a personal matter of course

 

Hello Folks, today I decided to have a mid-day shave mostly for some stress relief. Although I was showing some stubble. So here's the line up-

Hot shower with Crabtree & Evelyn Moroccan Myrrh bath soap/Suave shampoo.
1940's Style Super Speed.
Polsilver Super Iridium blade.
Chinese Badger hair brush.
Cella shaving soap.
Proraso Blue Post Shave Balm.
Pinaud Clubman Special Reserve AS Splash.
Avon Mesmerize cologne.

Today was a stress fest for me. For various reasons. So I did what I could to help myself relax. Although I had to take some prescribed meds to help with the anxiousness, the shower/shave routine helped a lot too. There is a lot to be said for traditional shaving. Anyway the shave felt great, as well as the shower, and I'm ready to face the rest of the day. Here's the photo of my line up-



Have a good rest of your day people!

 

Thank you Doug.

 

I'm happy your pleased with your equipment.
if that shavemac bothers you a lot, send it my way, I can give it a try.

 

It doesn't bother me enough so that I'm ready to show it the door... haha

 

So, today I broke all of the standard rules of introducing new gear to the den. I was excited to try out a bunch of fun new stuff and threw several "untested variables" into this SOTD.
The killer is that it was my best shave in weeks! The not-as-awesome part was that I won't know which element(s) played important parts!

Pre: Noxema in the shower; homemade PS oil
Razor: Merkur HD
Blade: Voskhod**
Brush: Stirling badger**
Soap: Stirling 'Margaritas in the Arctic"**
Post: cold water towel; Thayer's unscented

(** = new to the den)

Hope today treats everyone well!

 

I'll post Tuesday's planned action now:

Canadian style!

Neutrogena Men Facial Wash
Large Horsehair Barbershop
Super Speed/Derby day 2
First Canadian Polar Vortex SS
Henri et Victoria Bergamot Vetiver AS

Guess what - we're expecting 20 centimetres of the white stuff starting tonight with cold gusty winds, and that's exactly how this Polar Vortex soap which is made in Barrie, Ontario feels like. It smells great, it's one of the best latherers I've ever seen, and it's loaded with wonderful skincare. The Bergamot Vetiver aftershave which is made in Gatineau, Quebec is another mighty fine face-freezer which smells so nice and makes a man's skin feel terrific. Man, do I love how these Derbys perform!

 

Yes, there is always counselling available.

 

I love mixing things up it keeps montony at bay.

 

That is going to come down to your personal preference. I like both the 5o/50 mane, tail mix brushes in the higher lofts such as the Vie-Long Horse Hair Shaving Brush 13061 which has a loft of 60mm and in the white horsehair which feels a little softer than the brown. But then my favorite is my butterscotch beehive which is a 24mm brown hair and is a 35% mane 65% tail but don't remember the loft but guessing around 50-54 loft. They make knots fro 21mm that they use in their American style barbershop handles in which I have one in all white which is super soft to their Epsilon series which is their 27mm knot with loft of 50mm so will be stiffer brush but then again you have your choice of a 50/50 mix or 35/65.

 

Is it correct that mane is softer than tail, hence 50/50 will be softer than 2/3 tail and 1/3 mane?

Thanks for the advice, Guy! Much appreciated.

 

Took a reluctant break from the OneBlade today...and used my also recently acquired King Cobra.
It provided a very, very nice shave this morning. Clean and close. It is for sure more aggressive than the OneBlade and I don't feel as if I can completely 'relax' during the shave as there's always a chance it'll bite. But, with some care and attention this is a razor that for sure delivers. I am also becoming a real fan of the handle and see zero reason for me to change it out for something else.

Other stuff used:
Muhle shaving cream - pleasant scent but after having used it 2-3 times now I don't think the performance justifies a purchase in the future (this one was a gift)
eShave brush: Really, really love this handle and the knot is a champ - soft, some backbone and haven't shed a hair
Florida Water: A classic. Always a good finish to my shave

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Very cool photography

 

Super looking brush!