Today's shave. Very nice shave =D

One drop of M-Bomb, I got some chill in the lather but next time I'm gonna try 2 drops!

The blue stripes are ridges JR.

9 Jan 2015
Pre - Corn Huskers
Soap - RR Zi Peppino
Brush - WD Silvertip 24/50
Razor - Rockwell/Frankenrazor
Blade - Astra SP (1)
AS - 60's Old Spice

Another very good shave all around. The classic Old Spice is very nice.

Now I'm Jealous, and must know where you scored that lovely lather bowl.

Clint, thank you for you kind words!

Pre: Maggard Razors PSO – Cherry Sandalwood Vanilla
Brush: Custom Boar by Steve Brown Swirl
Soap: Dr. Jon’s Handcrafted Shaving Soap – HEX
Razor: ’61 Gillette Adjustable “Fat Boy” aka Mr. Big Stuff
Blade: Laser Super Platinum
Splash: Thayers Natural Remedies Lemon Witch Hazel w/ Aloe Vera Astringent
Post: Pacific Shaving Moisturizer & Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue

What a morning! First of all I woke up to a ton of snow on the ground, temps in the low teens, and near blizzard conditions. So you can imagine our walk this morning was pretty short and interesting!

Chill at That Shave Life!

6/8 Hoffritz
Catie's Bubbles-Glace Herbe
homemade boar-Semogue 2ooo knot

I'm still experimenting with brushes. This is a different set up than tried before with loft, knot and hole size. If I would have know how fan shaped this knot was I would have dropped the loft a few more mm. I pretty much have Omega's figured out for personal preference so I wanted to mess with Semogue knots a few more times. All in all, a great shave this morning and I was pleased with the brush. Have a good one.

Frey's Day:

Prep: Hot shower, Neutrogena Invigorating wash, TSD Jasmine Sambac Preshave balm
Soap: Ginger's Garden Coffee Jasmine
Brush: Simpsons 56 Best Badger
Razor: Merkur 41c 1904 OC Nickel
Blade: Big Ben SS (2)
Passes: WTG, XTG (4, 5)
Post: Cold water splash, Bloc Osma Alum, Dickinson's WH, Pinaud Clubman
Cologne: Jasmin et Cigarette by Etat Libre d' Orange

Took a few days off from shaving through general laziness, so I was glad to be using the Ginger's Garden soap for my return under the blade. As expected, it produced wonderful, thick lather with excellent slip. The Big Ben was smoother on its second use than it had been on its first, even with several days' growth, but I decided not to push it and settled for a 2-pass, DFS without any bloodshed or irritation.

SOTD Friday 1-9-2015

Gillette NEW LC Gold - Black & Red w/Crystal
Noxema
Musgo Real SC
GP Scuttle
Omega Boar
Dickinson's WH
GB Body Lotion
Jovan Musk ASL/Cologne

Planned SOTD 9 January 2015
Day 7 of 30
30 Day Rule with a Slim



​

J2 Gillette Slim Adjustable
Kroger Israeli Personna
VDH Kit Badger
TSD Lanolin Shave Stick - Barber Shoppe Scent
Today's Great Cheap AS™ is Aspen

On the road doing field research with TSD Lanolin sticks, this kit turns out to be perfect for travel, even though TSD lanolin soap is a great choice for daily use too! I actually assembled this kit with the stick for my 30 Day Rule because of the anticipated travel. This VDH brush is wearing a bit...but still handling the soap well.

The earlier issues with neck soreness are better, and setting 6 on the slim is where I am at these days, yielding 2 pass DFS. I plan on dialing up the razor through the month. More aggressive settings seem to yield better shaves with these Personna blades.

​

Check out the 30 Day Crew as we write about our month of focus on razor technique and share our experiences throughout January. Read about it here:

30 Day Rule Pic/Discussion Thread- All are Welcome!
Join in the fun in 2015!

"4 Guys - 2 Soaps"​

​

My Friday shave:



Prep: Hot shower w/ Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap
Music: Mississippi Delta Blues mix
Razor: Van der Hagen
Blade: Derby Extra
Cream: KMF Lavender
Brush: none
Post: cold water rinse, Nivea Balm

The Good: I think I've found the sweet spot on my VdH. Little experiment last night really helped me find the angle. Huge step forward for my technique. Also, experimented with the KMF and figured out how to make a decent lather with my hands.

The Bad: My order hasn't come yet and I ran out of the Personna blades I had been using. Still no brush.

The Ugly: Had to roll with a Derby today as its the only blade I have left. I know a few people like the Derbys but I am convinced I have a sensitivity to something they make them with. Only went with 2 passes due to the amount of irritation I've had in the past with Derby blades. Still ended up red and bumpy on my neck and with weird irritation in the corners of my mouth. So I won't be using those again. Probably will be grabbing more of the Personnas if my order doesn't come by tomorrow.

Hot shower with chamomile and orange soap.

Razor... Gillette ball end tech
Blade... astra sp
Brush.. purple b&b essential boar
Soap.. mystic waters lily of the valley

SOTD - Friday, January 9, 2015

Hot shower
Prep: Homemade PSO
Brush: Simpsons Duke 3 Best
Soap: WSP Rustic Barbershop
Razor: Weber PH bulldog handle
Blade: Personna Lab Blue (5)
Aftershave: Clubman in a vintage Pinaud bottle

- Don

Awesome Bottle Don!

SoTD for Friday, January 9 or going slow with Super Speed.

Pre- Clove balsam PSO
Soap- Bearded Jack's Barbershop
Brush-Ever Ready with new knot
Razor- Gillette Red Tip Super Speed
Blade- Personna super(?)
Rinse- Thayers lavender
Aftershave- Colorado Sage
Lotion- Kiehl's
Cologne- Ho Hang Club



I don't know what was up today, but my shave took forever. I think it is because I suffered one of my occasional bouts of insomnia. I got going early, went for a chilly morning walk and thought that everything was golden. Then I sat on the couch and crumbled. I was in full shut down mode by time I headed off to shave. I lingered over every single choice. Not in a delightful, 'I don't know what to use because I am so blessed' way, but a dull eyed 'I don't understand what I am holding in my hand' way. Eventually I got everything sorted and got the process moving; only to realize that I had squandered my shave time and had to knock out a ten minute DFS. So nothing terribly exciting to report today. I do think I liked the blade, but I will have to try it again tomorrow to be sure.

No problem JR. The bowl was a gift from my Son Mike, who's also a member of the Den. It was purchased in Florence, Italy years ago. It's actually too delicate to use for lathering. It's a photo prop!

Don,

Beautiful vintage bottle! Also, I have to give you credit for my new lather bowl. After seeing your Capts. Choice bowl in the SOTD thread, I had to have one.

Thank you, Bruce! I was happy that it still had the metal flow reducer attached.

- Don

Thanks, Mark! The Captain's Choice bowl is great. I'm glad that I was able to leave you a map to this treasure

- Don

Day 8 - Thirty Days with Merkur 34c (Jan 1-Feb 4 [No shave on Saturdays]) BSG 1-9-2015

Hot Shower and Prep - Neutrogena Men Invigorating Face Wash, & Wm. Neumann & Co. Peppermint Leaf Bar Soap
Razor Merkur 34c
Blade Astra SP (2)
Brush - Plisson Synthetic
Lather - Poraso Green
Post - Warm & cool water rinse, WH & RazoRock Problem Solver Lime Scent AS Splash

I completed a two pass NS - SN shave. Decent results. I was able to shave an acne breakout area with no blood letting. However I got in a hurry doing a touch up on the neck below my chin. - no lather, bad angle. It felt bad but the blood did not show up until my rinse. Luckily it was not too bad. Styptic did its job. - Remember folks speed kills