SoS: February 4, 2013 - February 10, 2013

The second month of 2013 is here - winter is here full blast. What is doing in your part of the world? What will you be shaving with? Oh, menthol lovers, don't forget that tomorrow is:

Menthol Monday:

Facial wash with Gatsby Ice Cooling Gel
#6 Horsehair
Super Speed/new Goal
Egyptian Ingram SC
444 AS Balsam
Alcolado Glacial Menthol Splash
YSL Pour Homme EDT

This is what I call a perfect set-up for Menthol Monday. At first I was planning to go a little lighter than usual, but then I changed my mind and decided to go all-out. That Gatsby Ice Cooling facial wash is so frigid that you can almost see your breath, the Egyptian version of Ingram cream makes the UK version feel almost warm, and the duo of 444 balsam and the Penguin which guarantee lots of extra icicles in your face!

 

• Gatsby Ice Cooling Facial Wash
• Proraso PSC
• Proraso SC
• Baxter Silvertip Brush
• Muhle R106 3-Piece Razor
• Personna Blue Blade (1)
• Proraso ASB
• Proraso ASL

I love using the Proraso products on Menthol Mondays. All products in the "green" line are top notch. I started off today's routine with a shower. While in the shower I washed my face with the Gatsby Ice Cooling facial wash which induced a very nice chill.

I am still sorting through my collection of blades in an attempt to weed out the ones that don't work so well. The Personna Blue was just okay for me. I find it to be a blade of average sharpness. It gets the job done but is a little rough. I got a very nice BBS shave today but I came close to getting some razor burn on my chin. Luckily, I now have enough skill and experience to immediately notice the scraping sensation and I can generally stop and avoid the mini skin graft that causes razor burn.

Have a great week! Lyndon

 

Mild Menthol Monday

Schick M1 injector
Schick blade(4)
Semogue SOC boar
Prep sapone da barba
Floid blue
Proraso crema liquida dopobarba

 

Johan Engstrom frameback
Ingram SC
23mm Shavemac knot

Nice shave with the Engstrom frameback, it's a very comfortable razor to shave with. Sometimes I wonder if it was an improvement when they started hollow grinding razors. Have a good one. BTW, it has 1874 on the blade, I have no idea if that's when the razor was made or when the Company was founded but it was a couple of years before Custer's Last Stand.

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Wow, your Semogue SOC boar brush looks very soft!

 

Monday:

Proraso PSC / Tech w/ Voskhod / Semogue 830 / MdC / WH / Floid Blue

 

Menthol Monday

TSD ISZ Preshave Balm 20 minute marinade
soak brush/Semogue 620/DB Brush Scuttle
hot shower
Musgo Real Mr Glo
Mike's Natural Lemon & Eucalyptus SS great soap,no freeze or cooling
Merkur 39c "Da Hamma"/Perma-Sharp Super (4)
warm water rinse
Monster Block Alum
cool water rinse
Thayer's Lemon WH mixed with 3 drops M-Bomb
Myrsol Agua De Limon mixed with a pea sized amount of 444

Once again "Da Hamma" gave me a great shave,face and dome BBS

 

Shave of the Day (SOTD) Merkur/Menthol Monday February 4, 2013​

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• Prep: Brush soaked in hot water, hot shower, One With Nature Dead Sea Mineral Olive Oil Soap, hot wash cloth on face.
• Razor: Merkur Mergress XL
• Blade: Chroma Diamant(2)
• Brush: Vintage Stanley Home Products restored with TGN 22mm Fan High Density Finest Two-Band Badger Knot
• Soap: Proraso Shave Menthol and Eucalyptus with added menthol
• AS: Nivea for Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm (old formula)
• Post: Cold Water Rinse, double application of aftershave balm

The Chroma blades I find to be as sharp as the Feathers but much smoother, so smooth you do not even feel them cutting the hair on your face.

I am giving my skin a break from aftershaves with alcohol in them. I know many guys are fans of Witch Hazel, but something about it causes a gag reflex in me. I find that Nivea works very good during the dry winter months, but I think what ever benefit I have been receiving from it has been washed away with the bathing of aftershave that I have put on.

The shave feels really good this morning.

 

Monday 04-02-2013

Razor: Muhle R41
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1)
Brush: Omega 10077
Cream: Arko Ice Mint
ASL: Barbon


For 3 - piece razor week I started with Muhle R41 For the first time use Silver Blue,wonderful blades,easy BBS with just 2 passes (WTG,ATG)

 

Yes, it is, and that after only 5 or 6 shaves. It's rather amazing

 

SOTD Monday 2-4-2013

Matador OC/Elite Neon Green Acrylic
Astra Superior Platinum Blade
Proraso PSC
Musgo Real SC
Semogue 820 Boar
Thayer's Witch Hazel
Nivea Replenishing ASB
British Sterling Cologne

The Matador/Astra combo is excellent and delivered an outstanding shave this morning. Finishing with the British Sterling completes this amazing experience!

 

Tuesday morning

Proraso pre
Proraso SC green
Duke 2 Best
Merkur 34c HD
Feather HS (1)
Thayer's original astringent
DR Harris Bay Rum AS

DFS

Also lathered up a newly arrived Omega boar (premium 37) to start breaking it in although it seemed pretty useable as is. Bargain price from Connaught's. Very nice looking brush.

 

Monday - 04.02.2013

The word on the street tells me that there is something called menthol Monday. I do not recall if I have participated before, but no time like the present.
All I've got in the menthol department is Proraso green and Fitjars Folgefonn shaving soap. Today I chose Proraso for all my cooling needs, and as always I was not disappointed.

I picked out my Muhle Silvertip brush for the job. And this is a soft and wonderful brush that really knows how to build quality lather. And I can't stand it. It is way to floppy and I feel like I am lathering my face with Jar Jar Binks.
My first instinct is to strangle this brush. But that would be silly, right?

The blade I used was a Lord Super Stainless, and it was the first time I tried it. It is a pretty good blade. Somewhat sharp and plenty smooth. I only have the one blade, and based on todays performance. I will not buy more. Mostly because I have so many blades I like better that I do not see the point in buying more of this one. I give it a 3 for sharpness, 4 for closeness and 4.5 for smoothness. After three passes I am left with a DFS-
I can live with that

Merkur 34c
Lord Super Stainless
Muhle Silvertip Brush
Proraso Preshave cream
Proraso Shaving Cream
Thayers Witch Hazel
Proraso Aftershave Lotion
Proraso Aftershave Balm

 

SOTD 2.4.13 Menthol Mondays

Preshave - Hot Shower, Nivea face wash
Cream - KMF Cool Mint
Brush - WD 24 mm Silvertip
Blade - Feather (2)
Razor - X4 Gillette SS
A/S - Arko Cool Balm, Aqua Velva Ice Blue




BRRRR Today's shave gets 4 ice cubes out of 4. Since the low tonight is 4 degrees Fahrenheit before windchill with 30 mph wind gusts it was a perfect time for Menthol Mondays. I know that I said I was gonna give up on the feather but I couldn't throw a blade away after just one shave. I find that the second shave was better. It was much smoother but just as sharp for a 3 pass DFS+++. I can literally feel like one whisker I couldn't catch so I'm just a whisker away from BBS. I also find the combo of the Arko Cool Balm and the Aqua Velva to be a very refreshing combo.

 

2-4-13, Monday

I had over a weeks growth to tend to so I devised a plan of attack while brushing my teeth;

step 1 - warm RSC shave oil in hot water while showering.
step 2 - apply RSC oil and let sit while priming my 'lil badger brush with green proraso soap.
step 3 - WTG pass with my GEM 1912/GEM blade.
step 4 - apply Proraso pre-shave and let sit while lathering green proraso soap with my 'lil badger brush.
step 5 - WTG-XTG-ATG passes with my '73 Gillette Black Handle SS/new Voskhod blade.
step 6 - apply a generous amount of Blue Floid after rising with warm+cold water.

Probably as close to BBS as I have ever got I'm still faceturbating.

 

Lyndon, I also have the older version of Proraso Green cream and I want to make a comparison if possible to the newer version, so I think I'll give it a go tomorrow morning. Hey, what the hell - why not?

 

I am continuing the New Shaving Bowl experiment, today, I am using Van Der Hagen Deluxe Shaving Soap. I loaded the brush for about 30 seconds and then made my lather in the bowl. In less than a minute I had this terrific lather. I did two passes and some touch up for a great shave.

For this experiment, I am continuing to use my Gem Jr. 1912 with Gem/Personna SS PTFE blade
Parker black badger brush
I finished off with a cold water rinse
Dickinson's WH
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

 

• Prep PSC
• LEA Menthol SC
• Lijun Silver Tip Brush
• Yuma Razor
• Racer Blade (3), then Astra Blade (2)
• Baxter ASB
• Floid ASL - The Genuine

This morning I used the humblest of my three piece razors, the scruffy looking Yuma. I really like this inexpensive little workhorse as it always gives me a great shave. Turns out the Racer blade can't really cope with my hard whiskers and I had to swap to an Astra blade on the second pass. This was the first shave with my new Lijun brush. It's supposed to be a "luxury silver tip brush" but to be honest, I thought the bristles were a bit stiff. It will be interesting to see how the Lijun brushes stack up against the ones I have from Frank Shaving. My inexpensive Frank Shaving fan-shaped "finest badger" brush is one of my all-time favorites.

Cheers, Lyndon

 

Tuesday:

#6 Horsehair
Super Speed/Goal day 2
Old Proraso Green SC
Svoboda AS Balsam
Barbon AS
YSL Pour Homme EDT

No doubt about it - although the older version of Proraso Green cream is still excellent, it doesn't quite have the extra cooling or skincare that the newer one has. This morning's shave was terrific in every aspect and the Svoboda balsam and Barbon aftershave splash provided a great post-shave freeze. Sorry, no photos today.

 

Tuesday

Schick M1 adjustable injector
Schick blade (5)
Semogue SE 2012 boar badger
MWF
Speick
Proraso crema liquida dopobarba

14 minutes, 3 passes, 1 touch up, 1 WOW