March 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Discussion in 'Shave School' started by NCoxSTL, Mar 1, 2018.

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What's Your March Madness?

  1. Shavette Dojo with the Samurai Man

    10 vote(s)
    29.4%
  2. Rule baby!

    1 vote(s)
    2.9%
  3. Learning a new razor

    5 vote(s)
    14.7%
  4. Soap Mania

    7 vote(s)
    20.6%
  5. Brushes

    6 vote(s)
    17.6%
  6. A Focus of some kind

    12 vote(s)
    35.3%
  7. Cookie Madness!

    16 vote(s)
    47.1%
Multiple votes are allowed.
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  1. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    Welcome to MARCH MADNESS! This is the month to try something new, learn a new razor, compare soaps, brushes, whatever! It’s tourney time in the College BB world, so make it a new and exciting month in your shaving world. There’s a group of guys learning shavettes under the expert tutelage of the mighty @Bama_Samurai so feel free to jump in there or find your own challenge.

    If you’re brand new – WELCOME! The 30 Day Rule is perfect to learn technique and focuses help add skill for those with a bit more experience. Wondering what the heck a 30 Day Rule or Focus is? Well, let’s let the one, the only, the legendary and mystical @Bama Samurai remind us. Please rise and remove your hats and hold your favorite razor aloft in tribute. We’ll pause for a moment of revered silence.

    The 30 Day Rule (designed to build solid technique or learn new technique)
    1 brush, 1 soap, 1 brand of blades, 1 razor, 30 Days. The rule is really that simple. It seems boring, but this is probably the most straightforward way to learn for a brand new shaver. This is the exercise that really allowed me to clearly see the interplay between the four elements. It is highly recommended for newly converted shavers and more experienced shavers who have a problem that defies resolution. This exercise eliminates variables and will likely solve any problem you may have, with a strict scientific approach.Any thing that strays from these simple guidelines is not a rule, but rather a focus (not that there's anything wrong with that!)

    The 30 Day Focus (more flexible, for exploring and comparing)
    This is a less rigorous exercise, designed for exploration and comparison of gear and technique. This is the most common exercise on the thread. Generally the elements are rotated one by one to allow clear observation. Examples of focus areas include brush types, blades, soaps, razor variants, or technique foci as a standalone.

    These are the suggested guidelines, and serve as a starting point for the discussion each month. Any thematic elements are up to each individual. We believe that if you've ever sought a great shave, you have something to offer. And if you're searching for great shaves, we will definitely try to help. If you are new to TSD, I believe you've landed in a great place. Everyone here participating would love to answer your questions and help you get the most from your shaving. We are very glad you're here! So, if you're new, stop in for a cookie and meet the crew.

    Rules are the same people.
    1. New Members always welcome. Start anytime.
    2. Old Members always welcome. (Don’t like being considered “old”? Too bad, I know your birthdate.)
    3. Respect everyone
    4. Follow the rules of the forum
    5. All razor types and styles welcome
    6. Criticize Russian blades, especially Voskhod, at your own peril. The Cartel is listening. And we have spies everywhere. They’re usually passed out drunk, but we get lucky occasionally.
    7. Don't think we don't hear when you badmouth Rapira either. We're vodka loving wannabe Russians, not blithering idiots. Well, ok so sometimes.....and Ivan.....well you get the idea.
    8. You might consider taking it easy on Feathers as well. The Yakuza boys are pretty protective as well, though their leader has been converted by the Russians it seems. Score one for the Motherland!

    Let's have some great shaves people! March Madness!!! Group hug people!

    30 day crew portrait.jpg
     
  2. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    Luxor focus GSB Arko JR 191 and unless there's any objections I'm going to rotate various Aftershaves.

    Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk
     
    mrchick, 9nein9, sdguero and 12 others like this.
  3. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    No objection at all.
     
    Briscoe, mrchick, 9nein9 and 9 others like this.
  4. jtspartan

    jtspartan appropriately stimulated, via Netflix

    I’m going to start the month out with a new razor- a NEW SC that came unexpectantly from @Linuxguile . I’ll rotate through blades, soaps and AS’s. I will start practicing with my CJB Pain Stick as well at some point.
    Technique-wise, I’m going to try to use an Alum block. I got a block over a year ago, but didn’t really like the feel of it on my face and put it in the back of the cupboard. Dragged it out this January to help skin stretching with the CJB and thought ‘I need to try this thing again’. I’m going to focus on incorporating it into my routine this month to see if my opinion/use of it has changed.
     
    mrchick, 9nein9, sdguero and 13 others like this.
  5. Screwtape

    Screwtape A Shaving Butterfly

    Like @LevelupShaves, I am going to Shavette Dojo and will do it more or less Rule style: Parker SRX, GSB, 30DC LE Maple Cashmere synthetic brush, my Italian frankensoap, alum, Thayers WH and either Clubman VIBR or Lucky Tiger. Plus of course styptic pencil as required... Why "more or less" a Rule? Because the GSBs are going to run out long before monthend requiring a change of blade, and I may have one or even two new brushes needing to be tried out later in the month.
     
    mrchick, 9nein9, sdguero and 12 others like this.
  6. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    AS isn't mentioned in the rule. It has no effect on shaves, and we encourage AS rotation!
     
    mrchick, 9nein9, sdguero and 10 others like this.
  7. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Alum!!!
     
    mrchick, 9nein9, sdguero and 10 others like this.
  8. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    March Madness-

    IMG_1529.JPG


    New Luxor
    Sharp Star
    Barbasol Original (totally consistent lather to 30 day evaluate the Luxor)

    AS will be the usual small rotation.
     
    mrchick, 9nein9, sdguero and 13 others like this.
  9. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Toots is now in the canon.

    "We've come too far,
    To give up who we are....
    So let's raise the bar,
    Way up close to the stars!"

    -Pharrell

    And shenanigans...

     
    mrchick, 9nein9, sdguero and 8 others like this.
  10. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    @NCoxSTL -

    Sharp Star is horrible. Anyone who sees these on eBay should avoid and let Cartel-Kyoto HQ know immediately.

    What the heck, Neal?

    ;)
     
    mrchick, 9nein9, sdguero and 12 others like this.
  11. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    We should issue an official Cartel recall as well. Anyone who has bought any should return them to HQ immediately. We know how to dispose of them..
     
    mrchick, sdguero, Linuxguile and 10 others like this.
  12. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    I just did.

    Simply not safe to leave all that defective steel laying about. It's scary that anyone can just go out and buy 100 of these. So many cuts, so fast. It's unsafe for small children and young domestic animals alike, and basically has no place in our culture.

    You're right. We're icy gangsters with hearts of gold.

    Turn in the Sharp Star people, think of the kids. They are your future.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2018
    mrchick, 9nein9, sdguero and 12 others like this.
  13. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    What's cracking in early evening Macau, @Keithmax?
     
    9nein9, sdguero, Keithmax and 8 others like this.
  14. GawainandtheGreenKnight

    GawainandtheGreenKnight Well-Known Member

    I'm relatively new to de shaving, been doing it for about four months. Have gotten much better, but definitely need to work on technique. I can consistently get a great shave with a Rapira Swedish Supersteel, however, when I try to use a really sharp blade, I still get a fair bit of nicks and irritation. So I'm going to start a rule. I'm going to use my Yaqi Slivertip, Tabac shave soap, my Edwin Jagger DE 89, my question is should I use a blade I'm comfortable with like a Rapira Swedish Supersteel, or should I use one of the really sharp blades which has given me trouble, like a Gillette Yellow or GSB?
     
  15. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Hi. Welcome! You may want to really focus on holding a tight and constant attack angle for the month. The irritation is very likely to be high angle scrapes. Any blade should do for the month, and you'll solve this fairly easily.
     
  16. GawainandtheGreenKnight

    GawainandtheGreenKnight Well-Known Member

    This probably a stupid question; but what are I high angles scrapes? The cuts usually occur when I go south to north, on the jaw line, chin.
     
  17. Screwtape

    Screwtape A Shaving Butterfly

    Hi, welcome to the 30DC. Sounds like a great rig you have there!

    To answer your question, my two cents worth would be to plan on two Rules back to back. First, do one with a blade you are comfortable with and really concentrate on getting the key techniques automatic -- riding the cap, light pressure, and skin stretching. Then, next month, change up to a blade that was giving you trouble and use it for 30 days. You might be surprised how much better you find it right from the start.

    Also, if you don’t already have it, you might want to get an alum block. Rubbing it over your wet face after the final postshave rinse is a great way to spot the areas where you are using too much pressure, and it tones your skin a bit at the same time. Plus you can rub your fingertips on the block during your shave to help your grip for skin stretching. Second, if you haven't tried it, you might want to get some witch hazel as a postshave lotion. It really helps with irritation. Mind you, so do balms like Nivea Sensitive...

    Anyway, welcome to the Crew and don’t hesitate to ask questions along the way as you learn.
     
  18. Screwtape

    Screwtape A Shaving Butterfly

    Holding the razor at too steep an angle so the blade is more scraping along your skin than slicing the whiskers smoothly at the surface. The solution is too focus on "riding the cap". (There's a thread about that technique in the Shave School tutorials.)

    South to north is your against the grain passes and the chin and jaw area is tricky anyway. You may want to concentrate more on doing a couple With The Grain passes to start, then add Across The Grain (XTG) and only finally add ATG.

    Most of the time I do WTG and then XTG passes and skip the ATG because it causes me too much irritation for too little return. Everyone is different in what works best.
     
  19. jason koonce

    jason koonce Well-Known Member

    So here it is March 1st already and I did my first shave with the Luxor pro for March madness this morning it was not a close shave at all I have a lot of learning to do. I ended up having to go back over it with a DE. Before work lol. Lol this page was not yet made this morning when I shaved.
     
    NCoxSTL, mrchick, 9nein9 and 14 others like this.
  20. Screwtape

    Screwtape A Shaving Butterfly

    No blood on the steel though? Call that a win -- I certainly will if I pull off my first shavette shave today without any...
     
    NCoxSTL, mrchick, 9nein9 and 13 others like this.
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