I felt a bit rushed this morning, as they are shutting off the water at 9 to "fix a problem in the bldg.". Happens a lot here. But because of that, I felt I should hurry through the shave to allow for enough time to prepare for the shutoff. That decision cost me 4 weepers around the jaw area and just above the upper lip. I also thought I'd try going north to south on that upper lip area at the corners. Produced the weepers. Everywhere else was fine, both face and neck. The technique ruined it, not the tools. I'll do better tomorrow, I'm sure. Tips The Scales At Excellent.
Thanks Gary..well, I suppose it did turn out fine overall. The water usually gets turned back on around noontime.
Thanks gentlemen. I appreciate the kind words! I was having a little fun, Jeff. Teflon is a synthetic fluoropolymer called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The Teflon molecule is a repeating chain of Carbon and Fluorine atoms. It has a variety of commercial applications. I find the first shave with a Voskhod blade to be the smoothest. I attribute that, to some degree, to the Teflon coating on the blade. Thanks Tim. Agreed. My transmogrifier was on the blink. I have the repairman coming out today.
Hang with it, Myles, and you will do exceedingly well. I'm impressed with your attitudes about school, life, and shaving. We are all here to encourage you and cheer you on, my friend.
Tuesday, February 24 ASW Old Virginia~~Mondial~~Heljestrand Gotta get to work, so not enough time for a full-blown article... Great shave with some great gear. Hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday.
Great shave, Jim! The King of Bourbon soap and aftershave sound interesting. What are your impressions of using unrefined shea butter in your after care routine? I've been doing this for a few years, and I recently added some 100% almond oil as well. I apply it, let it soak into my skin while I'm cleaning up the sink, and then I blot off the excess with a tissue. It moisturizes my skin and soothes any minor irriation. For years, I used to wash my face with whatever soap I could find and never moisturize my skin. At the end of the day, my face would be greasy. Now that I use the USB, my face doesn't produce the excess oil. It has been a night and day difference. Even on days I don't shave (I think today will be one of those), I'll use my USB. It's a staple in my den.
OK, it didn't happen, but the weepers remain. Can't remove the w's. (As for pictures, I need people to be right alongside me to show me how to do it.
SOTD 02/25/20 Yesterday I shaved with my Muhle R41 (2011) with a Feather blade, and while I received a BBS shave, I did experience some level of skin irritation on my neck and on the left side of my head. So today I broke out my new H&S No75 with its new shorter handle. I did not like a long handle, and therefore traded the longer 3.75” handle that came with the razor for the older shorter handle. The owner, Aji was happy to oblige. The jury is no longer out on this razor for me. It has a rather narrow sweet spot, which increases the difficulty of its use in my dome shaves, given my arthritis, and doesn’t seem that efficient for me. YMMV! I received my new aluminum Alpha Shaving T400 brush handle with two ferrules from Hong Kong two days ago. I ordered two knots from Maggard’s - a synthetic and a 70/30 Badger Boar. The beauty of this brush is that it allows one to use multiple knots with the same handle. I mounted the synthetic knot which arrived first in one ferrule. I’ll mount the mixed knot in the other when it arrives. I lathered up with the new brush after my cold water rinse and had at it with the H&S No75. Everyone raves about this razor’s smoothness. I’m not sold. It doesn’t possess as wide a sweet spot nor is it as efficient as my current modern favorites: 1. Colonial Silversmith 2. Blackland Vector 3. RazoRock SS DLC Coated Lupo 4. Rex Ambassador (narrow sweet spot, but incredibly smooth and efficient) The first WTG pass was completed with two minor weepers on the left side of my head which my styptic dealt with. I proceeded gingerly with the second XTG pass and succeeded in generating a nick to the right of my Adam’s Apple. I guess I should rename today as bloody Tuesday. Again my styptic came to the rescue. My third ATG pass was completed without any new wounds, but things were nowhere near as smooth as I would have hoped, requiring some additional cautious buffing leading to a fourth nick and what can best be termed a CCS. This was my 4th and most likely last shave with this razor. I just have too many razors that work better for me. This one’s going on the block in my upcoming den clearing. All I can say is I feel clean and refreshed after this very unsatisfactory shave. RAZOR: H&S No75 BLADE: Wizamet Super Iridium PREP: Cold Water rinse BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T400 w/ Synthetic Knot SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Old Spice Fresh Lime Splash. I finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum to treat my irritated shave surfaces.
Wonderful picture, Clint! I look forward to your comparison between the Lupo and JAWS. I definitely agree that a polished razor would have been better.
