SoS: November 18, 2013 - November 24, 2013

Friday morning, November 22, 2013

Gillette Fusion Proglide Power 'Olympic'
Gillette Fusion Proglide Power Multi-5 (day 7)
Gillette Proglide Clear Gel
Walgreens Witch Hazel
Captain's Choice Lime


Another amazing shave! BBS with this dynamite combination. Aces!

 

Thursday's Shave​

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Dove Men's Face Wash​

Van Der Hagen Deluxe Shave Soap​

Frank Shaving Finest Badger​

'62 Gillette Slim H1 ​

Wilkinson Sword (1)​

CWR​

Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel​

Pinaud Clubman AS​

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It started out fine. The Van Der Hagen Deluxe soap face-lathered like a champ with the Semogue 1305 brush. I had a new blade in the Gillette Slim and I guess I was a little over confident. I decided to go for the BBS shave with a third pass on my neck. Bleeders everywhere. I embarassed myself. I got all the whiskers, but evidently, I got some skin, too. I guess I need to back off and maybe do one pass shaves for a couple of days. Finished off with Thayers Cucumber and Pinaud Clubman AS.​

 

SOTD Friday 11-22-2013

5/8 Joseph Allen & Sons NON-XLL, OBM
Full Hollow, Round Point in Cherrywood
Proraso PSC
Irisch Moos SC
GT G4 Scuttle
Omega 31064 Boar
Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Nivea Replenishing ASB
Florida Water Cologne

It was 19F this morning and lots of frost on the pumpkin! I wish I was in Florida about now but the closest I could get was the Florida Water. The warm Scuttle lather sure felt nice though and the Joseph Allen performed flawlessly!

 

Razor: Merkur futur (S4)
Blade: Wilkinson Sword UK (D3)
Brush: 30mm HMW Silvertip
Pre Shave Soap: Musgo Real Lime Basil Oil Soap
Pre Shave Oil: Homemade Lime & Spearmint
Soap: Le Père Lucien Savon du Barbier
Post: Monster Alum Block
Aftershave: Myrsol Agua Balsámica

Went back to using the PSO after using MRGLO and once again a two pass shave with no trouble spot issues around the chin/lower lip that normally plague me. Looks like PSO will be part of my normal routine from this day forward.

 

Please PM Me Thorsten

 

WSP SuperFine Stubby/Mike's Hungarian Lavender-AOS Lavender/EJ DE89l/4711 AS​

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Cool and super windy this morning. A nice morning to break out the scuttle! I love how this brush has broken in, still plenty of backbone but now with great flex also. It just envelops your face in a wall of super-soft badger. The combination of Mike's Hungarian Lavender and the AOS Lavender provides a pretty decadent lather as well. Have a blessed day all!​

 

22.11.2013

• Prep: shower, 3P
• Razor: Cobra Classic
• Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild PINK (4)
• Brush: Frank SSSshaving Faux Agattte
• Soap: Mike's Natural Soaps Rose & Cedarwood sample
• Post: Thayers Medicated Superhazel
• After shave: Proraso lozione dopobarba

 

22.11.2013

Prep: FitjarSoap Pre Shave Soap
Razor: Edwin Jagger EJ DE89
Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium (3)
Brush: Frank Shaving Chubby Badger
Soap: Stirling Barbershop
Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman Classic Vanilla
Moisturiser: Fitjarsoap Shea Butter Moisturiser

Good Evening.
It has been a busy week, and I haven’t had time to report my last shaves.
But since I have been the recipient of a few large samples of Stirling soaps, I just had to make time J
Thanks to Ryan B for his generous contribution.

I have read quite a lot about this soap, and I know that it is not uncommon to have some problems lathering up this soap. And since my lathering skills have been in decline lately I expected to experience these issues myself.
I loaded the brush for a good thirty seconds before moving over to my scuttle for some serious lather building. And it did not take long before I had a big load of thin and airy lather. I tried to load the brush for an additional ten seconds and was rewarded with even more thin and airy lather.
I was tempted to rinse out everything and start again, when it suddenly occurred to me that the solution was in my brush.
The brush I used is known in certain circles to be a bit of a lather hog, and with that in mind I squeezed out all lather from the brush and continued my efforts.
Ten seconds later I had "perfect" lather.

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Prep: cool face wash with African Black Soap Scrub, Proraso Green Crema pre Barba
Soap: Proraso Pelli Sensibili
Brush: HIS Synthetic
Razor: Maggard MR10
Blade: Gillette 7OC yellow
Post: cold rinse, Shea Moisture aftershave elixir, Proraso green Crema pre Barba

Great shave today. DFS, near BBS. The lather was thick and slick, and my MR10 sang its way through to a smooth face with no weepers and very little irritation. This razor is getting better and better as I learn more technique.

 

Friday Afternoon

Soap: Stirling Frozen Tundra
Brush: VDH Boar
Razor: '46 Ranger Tech
Blade: Voskhod (2)
Post: Superior 70 Menthol

I have to review the soap I used today. Stirling Frozen Tundra was less than a stellar experience. I could not make any lather, just pasty soap. Very thick paste, no matter how much water I used. The menthol was nice if a little on the mild side. I will say it was as slick as ice, but then as pasty as it was, it should have been. Overall, not very happy with my purchase. The '46 Ranger Tech performed like a champ. It's a bit on the mild side, but I got a DFS with little effort.

 

Friday's shave, November 22, 2013

Schick E2 Injector with Schick blade,
Semogue 1305 boar bristle brush,
Arko shaving soap with hot water lather,
finish with cold water rinse for a CCS!

 

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Dove Men's Face Wash​

Williams Mug Shaving Soap​

Frank Shaving Finest Badger​

GEM Micromatic Bullet-Tip (1st Shave)​

GEM Super Stainless​

CWR​

Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel​

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS​

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Today's shave is a first shave with my new GEM Micromatic Bullet-Tip. This is the razor I got in a trade with richgem. Yesterday's shave left me with a neck full of weepers, so I was going to take it easy today and do a one pass shave, but this new razor came in and plans changed. The Frank Shaving brush face-lathered the Williams marvelously. Then, the bullet-tip did such a great job on the first pass that I gave it one more pass for a near BBS shave. What a wonderful razor! I will be using it over the next eight shaves because it is new and I want it to feel at home. Finished off with the Thayers Cucumber WH and Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS. I am cleaned and refreshed.​

 

Update: I wrote Rod about the problems with the soap and he immediately refunded the cost of the soap. Great company and person to deal with.

 

Sorry to hear about that. I'm happy that Rod gave you a refund. The thing with Stirling is that the soap is VERY thirsty. If you're going to try it again, use more product and a little more water. Try building the lather directly on the puck. When you're satisfied, then go to your face and start lathering. This is the method I use. I hope it works for you. However as always, YMMV.

 

Saturday morning, the most enjoyable shave of the week :

Prep : Ahava Men FaceClean
Scuttle : Michal Yoresh
Brush : Omega Pro 48
Cream : Mem Olive
Razor : Gillette BlackBeauty
Blade : Q-Ball(Crystal)
Post : Tarr Lotion

The Omega 48 had become my daily brush now for a long period, it has very soft tips and I like big brushes. Mem Olive cream has some excellent skin properties and I use all the time. The Q-Ball blades which turns out are actually Crystal blades work very good for me and I get them at a very good price. The Gillette SuperSpeed is my birthday razor and I treat it with respect , after all we are both same age
I forgot to include the Tarr Lotion into this picture but I can't imagine finish a shave without using it. All in all, a great shave for the weekend.

 

Saturday:

Prep: Hot shower, Crown Shave Co. Supreme Glide Preshave Lotion
Brush: Beeline Boar
Soap: Ginger's Garden Coffee Jasmine Glycerin
Razor: Merkur 41c 1904 OC
Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum (4)
Passes: WTG, CTG, ATG (8, 9, 10)
Post: Cold water splash, Dickinson's WH, Aveeno Active Naturals ASB

Three comfortable passes and my face is just about as smooth as a baby's. The blade showed the slightest bit of wear and tear by the 3rd pass, though with just a little tugging and a couple of weepers along my throat that I saw rather than felt, so there's a new blade in place for tomorrow. Now off to the airport to pick up my lady friend.

 

Saturday

Prep: Hot Shower-Stirling Spice Bath Soap
Soap: Proraso Red-Sandalwood
Razor: ’66 Gillette Slim “6”
Blade: SuperMax Titanium (1)
Brush: Whipped Dog Silvertip Badger 22x48
Aftershave: Proraso Green

WTG-XTG-ATG (adjusted angle for my beard a bit)

1st shave with the SuperMax Titanium in the Slim. I went with the Proraso Red Sandalwood today. Everything worked well together: smooth, close, nick, and burn free shave. I finished with Proraso Green AS. My face feels great!

Very cold this morning (for south Texas): 37 F, High today: 45 F. Feels good!

Bob

 

Saturday:

L'Oreal Men Expert Facial Wash
#6 Horsehair
Super Speed/Shark day 6
Stirling Margaritas in the Arctic SS
Gillette Series Intense Cooling AS Balm
Osage Rub AS

I just finished my first shave with this wonderful soap and already I'm most impressed with it. The lather is so easy to build and yes, the soap likes water a lot but it's very easy to figure out the soap/water ratio. The menthol effect is actually quite strong - in fact I would rate it as being close to Proraso Green. It also moisturizes and protects the skin very, very well. Welcome to my rotation, MITA - it's great to have you. My man Ryan sure knows his soaps. I enjoy the Gillette Series balm for its scent and very cooling and helpful skincare, and that Rubby Dubby Doo has a menthol effect which can knock a penguin off an iceberg!

 

Jeff-The Stirling MITA is one of my favorites on all fronts.

 

Ten Shaves: Day 1
After a great conversation with +Douglas Smythe, I'm going to use my soaps for 10 consecutive days so that I can really evaluate them as my face gets used to their chemistry.

Prep: Cool face wash with Shea Moisture African Black Soap
Soap: LA Shavings Woody Lavender (1)
Brush: HIS Synthetic
Razor: Maggard MR10
Blade: Gillette 7 o'clock Sharp Edge Yellow (1)
Post: Cold water rinse
AS: Shea Moisture AS Elixir
Three passes: WTG, XTG, ATG + touch ups on my neck and left cheek

My face is very smooth, but a little angry with me this morning. I have minor irritation, but no weepers. The Elixir was a little more stingy, too - the witch hazel let me know that I may have gone too fast, or too much touch up on my cheek in particular. I will likely apply some Proraso Green PSC to clam that down later.
The rash I got last week has completely disappeared now - Proraso Pelli Sensibili seems to help with that, as advertised. Now, I will give the LA Shavings 10 shaves to see how my face reacts as it gets used to this very different soap chemistry.

I am very tempted to buy some Synergy soap right now, but I am in the Secret Santa at TSD, and with Christmas so close, I'd feel bad if I bought some soap now only to get the same as a present. This is an opportunity to practice patience.

Have a great Saturday!
#traditionalshaving #tenshaves #maggard #sheamoisture #sotd #lashavings #vegansoap #hissyntheticshavebrush