SoS: January 12, 2015 - January 18, 2015

Cold Comfort
A very good shave today, everything worked well. Krampert's Finest Frostbite is my favorite menthol aftershave. Such great skincare under all that cold.

 

Three day shave and 3 month haircut.

∙Gem Heavy Flat Top
∙Pal carbon blade
∙TSD soap (almost gone)

3 pass BBS, but a bit of harshness and weepage toward the end required some homemade mix (blue menthol rub+witch hazel) followed a few minutes later by Lucky Tiger lotion. Now all is well.

Gave myself a Wahl trimmer haircut over the toilet. Used the 3/4" attachment so it should last awhile. The Wife eyeballed the back hairline for even-ness and shaved my neck with the G-bar. Now I'm all squared away and saved at least $15 over going to get a haircut.

 

18 January 2015

* Weber DLC + UFO U2V1 Graphite Black
* Super Iridium
* WSP 2-Band + Doug Korn Cobalt Blue C7
* Mystic Water Lemongrass & Blue Gum
* Unrefined Shea Butter



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18 Jan 2015
Pre - Corn Huskers
Soap - MWF
Brush - WD Silvertip 24/50
Razor - L3 Super Speed Flair Tip
Blade - Personna 74* (3)
As - Pinaud Clubman Special Reserve

What a set up. MWF lather exploded on me and with the combination of razor and blade made for the most comfortable and closest shave to date. I didn't chase the baby, the baby found me.

 

1/18/2015 30 Day - Shave # 18

Prep - Hot Shower
Razor - Mongoose Satin B2
Blade - Kai Mild (6)
Brush - Rubberset 400 with WSP HMW
Lather - Soap Commander Confidence
Post - Witch Hazel and CC Sandalwood AS



Very nice 3 pass shave this morning. Looking forward to watching the football games and shooting pools with friends later today.

 

That's a very nice "bonus" item! I think you will love it. I have never used a slant razor so, I hope that works well for you. Enjoy.

 

Sunday:
hot shower w/TOBS Sandalwood bar soap
Edwin Jagger Hydrating PreShave Lotion and Homemade PSO
Gillette Aristocrat 2 passes
Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Black (4)
Long handled boar
Edwin Jagger Sandalwood cream in a warm bowl
Thayers unscented w/aloe
Edwin Jagger AS lotion
Sante Homme AS

Didn't feel like getting up early today so I had to do a quick shave or be late. 2 passes was good enough to get me out the door and I'll have enough stubble to shave again tomorrow.
Pulled out some old samples that need to be used up before they dry up completely and as it was I had to supplement a bit.

 

6/8 Friodur
Dolomiti
homemade boar
Nice shave this morning but I feel this blade has a little more to offer so a tweak will be in order. My shaves have been so close I really don't need to shave every day but I'm having no irritation so I do simply because I enjoy it so much. Maybe one pass shaves are the solution. Have a good one.

 

SOTD Sunday 1-18-2015

1959 Gillette Fat Boy @6
Personna Stainless Blade
Noxema
Rose of Bulgaria SC
GP Scuttle
Semogue 820 Boar
Dickinson's WH
GB Body Lotion
Rose of Bulgaria ASL

Lovin' the Roses the past couple of days. I quess I'm ready for it to warm up and move into springtime.

 

Sunday

Soap: Tiki Bar unscented
Brush: Oscar11 HIS synthetic
Razor: Feather AS-D2
Blade: Iridium
After: Cold rinse, CeraVe lotion

 

I used Geo F. Trumpers rose and love the scent so in really excited to try this cream I'm also getting some klar kabinett soap =D

I think the Merkur 37c will be good for me, I hear they are good for coarse hair

 

SoTD for Sunday, January 18 or SE-labration day 5; Release the Kraken ....oops. I meant lavender. Not Kraken. Sorry. I got carried away..

Pre 1- 2x hot washcloth cycles with Yardley Lavender soap
Pre 2- lavender eucalyptus PSO
Soap- Bearded Jack's lavender eucalyptus
Brush- unknown vintage handle with new boar knot
Razor- British Made Ever Ready 1912
Blade- Gem carbon
Rinse- Thayers lavender
Aftershave- vintage Yardley
Lotion- Kiehl's
Cologne- vintage Yardley



I have been meaning to do this for a while... bring on a full lavender storm. I thought it would be fun. I was right. I started with some extra effort in the pre shave arena. I like to get the best possible shave on Sunday, thus allowing me to skip Monday and Tuesday. It is a combination of the laziness of not shaving, which lets shaving feel important, rather than a daily rut kind of thing. Plus, I really think the best shaves are the ones that are taking off a couple days growth. So that is how I justify my two days off. But as a result of my logic, it requires a fantastic shave on Sunday, as to not look like a grizzled drifter on by time Wednesday rolls around. So I did a couple rounds of hot towels in addition to my normal PSO treatment. It worked like a charm, and my stubble was super soft and ready for shearing.
Today is the debut of my newest reknotted brush. I have no idea who made the handle. It is totally unmarked. It seems to be celluloid rather than bakelite. And catalin is out because it hasn't gone yellow. But it is heavy and dense. It is the same color and feels almost exactly like and old cue ball, which is why I am assuming celluloid. If anyone happens to know who made it, I would be happy to hear from you. But in any case, this is the first of my handles to get a boar knot. I had to expand the hole a bit. When I ordered my knots, I did not realize how much bigger the hole had to be. It has led to me having to put aside most of the brushes I was expecting to reknot. This one I struggled with for a few days. It just seemed like a boring handle. I couldn't bring myself to put my final synthetic in it. But as I held it in my hand every night, it began to grow on me. Until I eventually realized it isn't boring, it is elegant. I like it's sparse, minimalist look. But I still knew that I couldn't put the synthetic in it... because it obviously is crying out for a boar knot! I did a test fit and it was fantastic. I immediately found the look to be perfect. It is the same color from top to bottom. I named it Blondie. So, with everything in Blondie fully cured, I got down to some lather making today and I was really happy with the results. Like the few other brushes I have finished, this one works way better than I had imagined. If there is a downside, the brush is short. So not ideal for picking up soap from a deep mug. But I can live with it. I have other brushes to pick up the slack.
The razor is a made in England 1912 style by Ever Ready. I saw this and had to have it. I had never seen an Ever Ready that had the particular mix of elements this one has. The plastic case, the handle, the outer cardboard box (not pictured). It has the convex cap and is marked in the manner of the British Ever Ready razors. It shaved amazingly well. I would call it 'smoothly aggressive'. Two passes to an exceptionally good BBS. I honestly could have stopped earlier and still had great results, but I was having fun. This razor is loud! It really feels like you are doing something with every pass. After my first pass I felt my cheeks and they were smooth... but a another stroke sounded like I was cutting through days of scruff! So I decided to do the whole second pass just for the audible feedback. In my zeal to hear my shave I got a little bit of irritation under one side of my chin. Not so irritated that it burns all the time... just a bit sore if I actually touch it. It is just a tiny spot so I will take it as a learning exercise.
I wrapped it all up in some vintage Yardley aftershave and cologne. This is really great smelling stuff. Quite unlike almost everything else I use. Very pleasing. I don't want to call the smell old fashioned... it smells like the past. But not in a stodgy, unchangeable, 'It has been written' kind of way. It is more of a timeless 'class doesn't go out of style' way. I hope that makes sense.
So all in all, a great shave, and a fantastic way to end the shave week. Although I will be carrying on my private SE celebration for several more days. Sorry for the rambling saga. Hope your shaves went well!

 

Beard Prep: Hot shower, Olive Oil soap bar, Hair conditioner
Razor: Merkur 34C
Brush: Omega 13109 Pure Badger
Blade: Astra SP
Cream: Crabtree & Evelyn Indian Sandalwood
Post: Cold rinse, Alum, Thayers WH Original
A/S: Proraso White Balm

I feel like I did everything right to prep my beard, but got quite a few nicks and cuts this morning. I'm definitely feeling the burn today.
Not sure if it's my technique, the cream or the blade. Maybe I was too comfortable with the Voskhod blades and forgot that the Astras are also fairly sharp?

This was my first time trying the cream from Crabtree. Interesting smell is the only thing I can think of. Musky and earthy.

I'll try a different cream next time and I hope I can pick out the culprit.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Cheers.

 

Maggard Razors Lime & Bergamot soap
Plisson synthetic brush
Mongoose with Dr Bomber handle
Feather Artist Club Professional blade
Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm
No 4711 cologne

 

I liked the performance of the Cade soap, but the scent was faint. Good idea adding some cream to add to the fragrance.

 

today's shave
hot water wash with nivea
fs pur-tech/ whipped dog handle
Pyrate' cove rose soap
Matador elegante
persona lab(1)
Crusella& co legitima rose
today's shave went well.
smelling like a rose today. three passes before church. Smooth as a whistle. finished with legitima.
hope y'all did as well, or better.

 

Nope, here's the bumble bee.

 

1/18/2015 - My son's 2nd Birthday Head and Face shave

My first SE frankenrazor shave. I used a setscrew to attach my Maggard MR3 handle to my Ever Ready 1924 Shovel Head. Good shave. The longer handle makes a big difference in comfort. It felt awkward with the standard handle.

• Hot shower, Neutrogena wash, followed by tea tree oil blend.
• Stirling Sharp Dressed Man with TGN Super Badger Brush
• EverReady 1924 Shovel Head with Maggard MR3 handle and Ted Pella Blade
• Cold Rinse, Benzoyl Peroxide, and Neutrogena moisturizer.

2 Passes, WTG and XTG. DFS.

 

SOTD 18 January 2015
Day 16 of 30
30 DAY RULE with a Slim​

Kroger Israeli Personna
VDH Kit Badger
TSD Lanolin Shave Stick - Barber Shoppe Scent
Today's Great Cheap AS™ is Kroger Arctic Blue!

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!


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Ohh! Slip of the mind I guess =)

This one actually looks much better =D are you not gonna put a knot in it? =P