Hmmm...in my short time here I've seen you immerse yourself with so many types - injectors, SEs, DEs and now Straights. Something tells me I won't see you settling down with any one type Mr. Samurai!
03/31/2016 Wolfman OC with Triad Ti Feather (3) Ever-Ready 100 with TGN Finest AOS Sandalwood Cream Witch Hazel Captain’s Choice Sandalwood Whipped Shea Butter A very good shave this morning. Since my wife and daughters gave me the AOS Sandalwood cream, I need to make an effort to use it more often. I find the AOS cream to be on par with TOBS and I do like the AOS Sandalwood scent more than the TOBS Sandalwood. With a nice slick lather, the 2 pass shave was uneventful. After minor touch ups, I ended with a near BBS shave. Finished up the shave with a splash of CC Sandalwood with menthol added. I hope everyone has a great Thursday.
Another successful 30 day focus in the books. My goal for the month were to concentrate on Wolfman OC razor during the week and other OC razors for the weekends. I find the Wolfman to be a very smooth and efficient razor. I enjoyed the drama free weekday shaves. It's safe to say that the Wolfman is my favorite DE razor. I did finish one more tub of soap this month as well and hope to further reduce the soap inventory next month. I have enjoyed following the daily posts of other participants in the 30 day thread. In particular I enjoy follow the progress of those learning to master the SR razors. See you guys next month.
Straights Focus March 31: Stirling Synthetic Brush Stirling Ben Franklin SS 1975 Gillette Tech Stirling Unscented PSB Stirling Ben Franklin AS I over slept this morning, so I decided against using a straight this morning. I went with my birth year Tech and got a nice 2 pass DFS. I hope everyone has a great Thursday.
Razor: Gillette Executive Gold Adjustable Fat Boy (F1) 1960 Blade: Astra Platinum (4) Brush: WDC-8 TGN Finest Soap: Route 66 Cavendish A/S: Fine L'Orange Noir Finished my focus yesterday and I'm thinking of what to do for April. The Route 66 Cavendish is an amazing shave soap. It is lightly spiced cedar wood mingles with notes of bergamot, bay and fir; nicely balanced with the slightly sweet, warm aroma of Cavendish cut and cured tobacco leaf.
I am very interested to hear how your perceptions of aggressive vs. non-aggressive are after 90 SR shaves. Mine changed a lot, to the point that its not a factor for me anymore. I look at efficient or not.
Is efficient/non-efficient different from aggressive/non-aggressive? I'm looking for efficiency and I thought that meant look for aggressive razors.
I feel that they are. The DE I grab most often is a Pre-War Fat Handled Tech, which is considered a medium to mild razor. (Pre war is considered more aggressive than the post war techs.) I can get a two pass plus touch up BBS with that razor, including areas I can't shave well with a straight. (My chin strap is always my problem area.) Some razors, like the old type or any of my superspeeds (including the red tip) take me three passes or more to get to the same level of shaving. That's the difference in my mind between an aggressive and an efficient razor. Keep in mind though, some very efficient razors are aggressive, like a new short comb.
My March focus wrap-up. This is what I laid out at the beginning of the month: __________________________ My March focus: I plan to basically continue what I have been doing while focusing on technique and varying equipment slightly. Mondays - Menthol Mondays with Proraso Green Tuesday-Thursday - Same soap, same brush, same razor, same blade each of those three days Friday - Mitchell's Wool Fat, option to change razor or blade or brush Saturday - random selections Sunday - Shave Den Sunday with TSD products; razor, brush, and blade could be new or continue with same combo Generally either Saturday or Sunday may be a rest day where I do not shave. This setup has worked pretty well for me since January. I like using the same soap in the middle of the week to help hone in on the lathering. It helps me to get to know that soap better. I'll continue to use one pass with touch-up and perhaps two passes on the weekends when I have a little more time. I plan to use the Maggard V2OC for the most part. I'll use the Schick Injector some more as I prepare for the Bunny pass-around. I also need to use my Gillette Travel Tech some more to get used to it. I have some travel coming up in the Spring and will need to be efficient with the travel razor. _____________________________ Looks like I was able to stick with this plan pretty well, and it has paid off. My technique is improving and I'm getting consistently good shaves. I haven't reached the nirvana of BBS yet, but I'm also not pushing or trying. I've had several DFS shaves but I'm pleased with CCS on work days. There is an area to the right of my Adam's apple on my lower neck that is just really pesky. I can't get that area really smooth yet without irritation or a stinging feeling. It's getting better in that area. I'll continue to work on it. I only took two days off from shaving this month. That's probably a record. I used to always rest at least one day during the week. But I really enjoy shaving and all of the processes around it, so I guess I'm shaving more. Cold water shaves developed this month and I've really enjoyed them. I plan to continue with cold water shaving wholeheartedly! Next month's focus is not decided yet. I'll write about it when the next thread is opened. I have enjoyed the journey with you all and look forward to a new month!
I haven't shaved in 3 days? Showered. Yes. In a couple of hours I will crank the Merkur Futur up, and post my SOTD.
