30 Day Rule! Still in it to win it! This left handed thing ain't so bad! The extra care I am taking is giving me great results! My hand is slowly getting better, I have regained use of the right thumb and index...steady wins the race! Lots of great stuff guys! Have a great weekend!
Thanks Chris I can't do anything with menthol, but am eyeing up the Proraso Red as my fourth. Proraso is another one of those ubiquitous shaving products that I should have tried by now. Just never hit around to it, so next months focus is the perfect time....
March Focus - Vintage and Carbon March 8, 2015 - Week 2 Day 1 Prep - Hot shower and towel Brush - Omega Pro 48 Soap - Arko Razor - '46 Gillette Aristocrat Blade - (1) Post - RazoRock Alum and Proraso Next up in March, the Aristocrat and Durasharp. Talk about smooth. The Aristocrat was my January focus razor so I know it like the back of my hand. The teflon coated carbon Durasharp was amazingly smooth and with the milder razor as compared to the New last week it was almost like not having a blade. I had to slow down a bit to get DFS in three but made it. No bite from the alum, wife loves the Proraso, all in all a good relaxing Sunday shave. Even my head shave was smooth today.
03/08 - Dialing in the Slim: I didn't need much of a shave today. Just two passes and a light touchup resulted in a DFS – no irritation and no alum burn. I am really enjoying this focus. Glad to have the Plisson back. Growth: 1 day Prep: Shower; Corn Huskers Lotion Lather: TOBS Mr. Taylor Brush: Plisson synthetic in Rudy Vey handle Razor: 1964 Gillette Slim (3,1,4 for touchup) Blade: Voshkod (1) Post: Alum; Fine Fresh Vetiver
03/08/2015 Prep – MR GLO Razor – ATT S2 Blade – Persona Lab Blue (2) Brush – RV with Shavemac Finest Lather – MdC Post - Witch Hazel and Dove AS Balm Very close 2 pass with touch ups this morning. If anything the S2 shaves a little closer than the S1 for me. Couple of small weepers so I need to watch the pressure.
Thanks, red it is. My face is so sensitive to menthol that I can't even use the white. I was bummed to see it has tea tree oil. I am psyched for next months four soap focus though!
March 9 Plans Stirling Sheep soap Merkur 37C slant bar Feather blade (day 1) Ever-Ready C40 boar Stirling Naked and Smooth soap Two passes Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, & unrefined shea butter Thanks to the expert advice from the folks here, I'm finally learning how to create a great lather with the Stirling soap. I now understand why folks like it so much. I think my Ever-Ready brush is starting to break in as well. I'm on a boar brush kick now, as I have an Omega 10098 brush on order. Have a great week!
March 2015 ... 30 day rule ... technique, technique, technique pre: n/a brush: EJ best badger medium lather: proraso green soap razor: EJ89lbl blade: derby extra post: alum block 03/06/15 ... blade1(3) 2-pass on 2 1/2 days growth ... for a friday, this was a good shave - even though it was only a 2-pass. i definitely can tell a diff between my 2-pass and my 3-pass ... the 3-pass being MUCH smoother. i just need to get better with my technique to decrease irritation. 03/08/15... blade2(1) sunday morning ... i was open to doing a 3-pass today. however, after what i felt and what i looked like after pass #2, i shut it down! i consciously worked a bit of a different angle on the lower half of my neck today. WRONG ... TRY AGAIN! not only did i have several nicks/scrapes on the lower neck, i could fee the irritation/burn even before i rubbed-down with alum. in addition to the angle diff, i made sure the pressure was nil-to-light. so, it's back to the drawing board on the neck.
My neck was the most troublesome part for me when I began as well. It seemed like one day I'd have it down and the next it would be back to the drawing board. Hang in there and it will all line up for you. I'm still finding myself concentrating on my neck and refining technique to get it right every time. But, more often than not it's all good when I'm done now.
03/09/15 Prep – MR GLO Razor – ATT S2 Blade – Persona Lab Blue (3) Brush – RV with TGN Finest Lather – MdC Post - Witch Hazel and Dove AS Balm Shave the morning was just so so at best. In fact it might have been the worst shave of the new year. Guess it pays to get up on time and not rush thru things. Well there is always tomorrow.
March 9, 2015 Pre- Face wash with warm water Brush Soak- Sriracha Mug of Doom™ Razor- Ikon 102 Slant Blade- Personna Soap- Soap Commander Passion Brush- VDH boar Post- Cold water rinse, Osma Alum block, Thayers Witchhazel Aftershave- Nivea sensitive balm Smell Good- Fine L'Orange Noir Two and a half passes :WTG , XTG, cleanup Still working on my pressure and angles, especially on my neck. Two stubborn areas in sensitive spots that are still giving me grief, but nowhere near as bad as when I started DE in January. The Personna/Ikon combo is still working well for me. Really like the Soap Commander products, just wish the scents were a bit stronger sometimes. Realized during this shave that I might have an allergy to natural hair brushes. No matter what soap I use, tallow, vegan, stuff in a tube, etc. my face gets a distinct tingling feeling when I apply the lather. Tried two different badgers, and this boar so far. May have to look into a synthetic brush soon, and see if it continues. All in all, a good shave. Still learning, of course, but it's getting better every time.
March Focus- Be modern, (looking to adopt a vintage DE ) Learn to use my Feather Artist Club razor. Any touch ups with a Maggard MR6B. March 9th, SOTD (Shave 5 of the focus) Two Day's growth Prep: Hot shower Razor Start: Feather Artist Club SS non-folding with Pro-Guard Blade (3rd shave on blade) Razor Finish: Maggard MR6 DE Blade: Sharp Durablade- Stropped 30 times per edge (2nd shave on blade) Soap: Barrister and Mann Seville Tallow based soap, bowl lathered Brush: Omega 1066 Boar Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Kyovu Original So I am traveling right now, and I didn't bring the feather artist club. Using my first DE razor, a Maggard MR6B. Today I was just looking at a single pass shave, to knock down the stubble, so I could shave again tomorrow when I need to look my best. I stropped my blade as usual, and started a WTG pass, and it felt freaking horrible. I looked at the razor head, and realized my blade wasn't in straight, and the handle didn't seem to want to tighten down enough to lock the blade. Crap. I did my best to tighten it, and finished the pass. On the plus side, I should have no issues having enough stubble to get a good shave tomorrow. So I am going to a mall with an AOS in it later today, but I hate to spend that much money. I am hoping I can find an antique mall and find a superspeed to adopt. I might need to get a disposable razor for the rest of this trip. Lesson learned, travel with quality razors, not the cheap stuff. On the plus side, it looks like I have been doing more with the Feather AC than I thought.
