Thursday's Shave
New Year's Eve
Mühle R102
Gillette Nacet (2)
Frank Shaving Manchurian 2-Band Finest Badger
D.R. Harris Marlborough Shaving Soap
T.N. Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Proraso Red Aftershave
I've quietly had an unmentioned focus for this month - hot water prep. I've been a cold water shaver for about two years and chose to do so in in effort to reduce irritation. Now that my technique has improved, it doesn't really seem to make a difference. The focus this month initially started as a one off experiment and after having good results the first few times, I decided to continue for the entire month. Results were positive and I think I will continue with a hot water prep and cold water finish to the shaves going forward. It is a much more relaxing and comfortable experience, although I may use some cold water shaves in the hot months of the year. The hot water prep I've employed consists of a very damp hot washcloth held over my face for about 15 seconds with immediate face lathering afterwards. This requires me to load the brush with soap before the hot water treatment. The mug I use to dip my brush tips is also filled with hot water and I may even look into buying a brush scuttle in the future.
As for today's shave, I used a new brush that I picked up on Amazon. It has a 20mm Manchurian 2-band badger knot that punches well above it's weight class. I like its performance and for $11 it is a steal. Excellent D.R. Harris lather ensued after a 60 second brush loading.
2+ easy passes with the Mühle provided a comfortable and efficient result this morning with no irritation or mishaps. The "+" pass signifies the extra pass I've been doing over the mustache/goatee area of the face all month (it makes wearing a face mask more pleasant as there's no sandpaper resistance).
I don't know what 2021 will hold for all of us and I try to not focus on those things beyond my control. I'd like to say that I have enjoyed participating in this group and I value your friendships and positivity demonstrated each and every day.
View attachment 242343
Click to expand...
