Gongrats, James! It'll just keep getting better

Good progress, James! And those sound like two excellent changes you made: the alum block is a very useful learning tool giving immediate feedback on the shave and also helps seal any little nicks or weepers that have occurred. And the Nivea is one of the better balms out there for curing dry or irritated skin.

Thursday February 15

Schick E2 / Personna ( 3 )
Kent BK12 badger brush "The Soap Aircraft Carrier"
TSD Lavender lanolin soap
Alum and TSD Milk Aftershave Lavender


I noticed the TSD soaps come in wide tubs with a fair amount of free space above the level of the soap. It seemed to me that there should be lots of room at the pier for the Aircraft Carrier to tie up while loading. And there was - I could heavily load the brush from this tub with absolutely no mess.

The photo shows the brush after loading but before facelathering. I got two good lathers from it, then squeezed a full palm of dense creamy soap out of the knot while cleaning it -- absolutely no problem with stingy lathers with this beast!

I'm thinking I will maybe stick with the BK12 for the remainder of my month with these TSD tubs.

A good two- pass shave left me with a quality DFS. My passes tend to be diagonally WTG on the face followed by ear to nose XTG, and South to North ATG on the neck and underside of the jaw followed by North to South WTG. I usually don't do a third pass or any buffing as that is when I start to get irritation.

I would prolly like that!!!

Why thank you good Sir.

No hoodoo or voodoo required!!!!!!! Glad it worked. Feel free to post videos where ever it will spread the love.

I am at work....183 post behind..nope if I missed somethimg shoot me a memo!!

Thanks Clint!

Excellent picture, Andrew!

Great picture, Bruce!

Another good looking shave!

Nice picture, Dan!

Thanks Jim!

Thank you, Jim!

No stinging from the Alum means you are definitely on the right track. Great results for your first 30 day rule/focus, James!

Sweet setup, Dan, and great photo!

Now that is a "Soap Destroyer" brush. The TSD tubs are really a great size for loading.

Man, oh, man....love that BK12. You'll go through some soaps with that bad boy!

John, you would be lucky to get 20 shaves out of a tub of soap using that brush!

Careful, you'll have me looking at a BK12 .

I think you need to get one of those 34mm Shavemac's!

Congrats on your progress, James!

The Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave Balm is good stuff. I have terribly dry skin, and the best thing I've used is unrefined shea butter. I use it after every shave. I also use it on my hands, and my Bride uses it on her heels. I use: https://www.bikitanaturals.com/new-products/k4kipkpvgm7185828pfjj7vl4huw8t . A 16-ounce tub will last me at least a year, so it turns out to be very inexpensive. It is almost odorless, and I buy this particular product because it comes with a purity certification.

Alum is a must-have for your den. Even if you decide not to use it post shave, you can use it on the fingertips of your off-hand to aid in skin stretching. As with riding the cap (keep up the good work here!), stretching the skin will improve the closeness of your shave and decrease the possibility for irritation.

Awesome progress!

Every den needs a Kent brush. I found the best prices and purchased both of mine (BK4 and BK8) here: https://eu.feelunique.com/brands/kent/for-men-shaving It appears that they only have the BK8 in stock now.

They offer free shipping and a 15% discount.

...and a razor from Delta Echo to match the color of the brush handle.

I always found that self-control is overrated.

Congrats on the nice shave James! Seems like you’re getting the hang of things quickly.

Thank you sir!!