March 2015 ... 30 day rule ... technique, technique, (a couple of changes), and more technique

pre: dr.bronner's, PSO(diy)
brush: EJ best badger medium
lather: proraso green soap
razor: EJ89lbl
blade: derby extra
post: alum block, thayer's witch hazel original

03/25/15 ... blade5(2) ... another pretty nice shave overall ... i completed a 2-pass with the second going in the opposite direction (W-E instead of E-W) than usual. i produced a couple of small nicks (chin and upper lip) - mostly due to opposite direction - that were relieved and stopped with the cold water rinse.

i did notice today that an hour-ish after the shave, when rubbing my hand over my face and neck, my skin didn't seem as smooth as normal - not smooth as in lack-of-stubble smooth but more like dry smooth. i'm not sure if it's residual from the PSO or maybe something in the WH that leaves a bit of a protective barrier. it's not a bad feeling just a different one. although, i can imagine it being a little annoying if i had to button my top button and/or wear a tie ...

March 2015 ... 30 day rule ... technique, technique, (a couple of changes), and more technique

pre: PSO(diy)
brush: EJ best badger medium
lather: proraso green soap
razor: EJ89lbl
blade: derby extra
post: alum block, thayer's witch hazel cucumber toner

03/26/15 ... blade5(3) ... wow, those first few minutes after a nice shave - ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

i was up a little late this morning, had to jump on some conf calls right away, and barely had time for a quick shower. therefore, there was no morning post-shower shave. but ... i made sure to find time early afternoon to 'practice my technique and perfect my performance'. so, i didn't have a shower and major hydration with this one ... just some warm water rinses and about a minute of hot towel ... followed by PSO.

not knowing how the different hydration might affect the shave, i completed a 2-pass ... both passes N-S. hmm, i might have to try this again!! i didn't have the first nick, weeper, or other blood-letting complication. while i did use the alum block after a cold rinse, i almost wondered if it had been deactivated ... !?! ... no feedback whatsoever from irritation or razor burn. i left the bathroom with a hot coffee in hand and VERY ready to tackle whatever the crazy IT world might throw at my afternoon.

"i never see failure as failure ... only as an opportunity to practice my technique and perfect my performance." - tom hopkins

March Injector Focus



Another great one!


Getting ready for Arko April!​

March Focus - Vintage and Carbon - COMPLETE
March 26, 2015 - Week 4 Day 5
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - VDH Boar
Soap - Arko
Razor - Edwin Jagger 89l
Blade - (2)
Post - Alum & Clubman

Another great shave today. I'm impressed with the Super-Max Platinum. Cheaper than the Super Platinum and seems to perform just as well for me. Very little irritation, great DFS in three quick passes. Perfect for my first long day of the week. I'll probably change out to a different blade tomorrow just to keep trying a few new ones before April starts.

I received my first Saint Charles Shave soap today in the mail. Kind of ironic that I mail order it from 20 miles away. LOL I got the Sandalwood in a wooden bowl and they sent a sample of Bay Rum soap. Both have great scents. The Bay Rum is strong! I'll be trying the Sandalwood tomorrow.

March 26 (late post)

Had another near-BBS 3 pass shave with the Merkur 37C, Omega boar brush, and Stirling unscented soap. I'm really glad I spent this past month learning how to get the most out of a boar brush and the Stirling soap. I could stick with this set-up indefinitely, but I'm going to experiment with Arko in April, mainly to satisfy my curiosity.

Have a blessed day, Gents!

03/27/15
Prep – MR GLO
Razor – GEM Feather Weight
Blade – CVS GEM
Brush – Rudy Vey with Shavemac Finest
Lather – MdC
Post - Witch Hazel, Dove AS Balm and CC Sandalwood AS



Pretty good DFS 3 pass shave this morning. Still trying to figure out the razor in my normal problem spots. Looking forward to getting the PETE coated blades in early next week. Happy Friday.

March 26, 2015: Last nights shave

Pre- Face wash with warm water, Pacific PSO
Brush Soak- Sriracha Mug of Doom™
Razor- Ikon 102 Slant
Blade- Personna (3)
Soap- Dr. Jon's "Classic"
Brush- Omega boar
Post- Cold water rinse, Osma Alum, Thayers Witch Hazel
Aftershave- The Cool Fix balm

Two and a half passes :WTG , XTG, cleanup w/ a little ATG

Got to use my new Omega 10066 that I got in the PIF from @RaZorBurn123! Defunked after three days of off and on soaking
and drying. Caught a tiny whiff of wet dog last night. Just wasn't sure if it was the brush, or my actual wet dogs that I had to
rush to bring in as the bottom fell out. Much better brush than my VDH that's been in rotation.

Still loving the Dr Jon's soaps. The ones I have are my favorite scents, hands down, of all that I've tried so far. The performance
isn't as good for me as Mickey Lee, but it's still in my go-to pile. And to be fair, the ML stuff has just been so awesome for me,
it's hard to contend with. I'm nowhere above saying that it can still be a learning curve with the DJ soaps. They tend to be
more thirsty soaps, and the ML just lathers if you look at it hard.

I'm judging everything now on whether I'd buy more when I use up what I currently have and Dr Jon's and Mickey Lee are
both definitely in the re-buy category.

The Pacific PSO just doesn't work well for me for some reason, so it'll be PIF'd for sure. My Mickey Lee order should be here
today, and I've got some of their Pre Shave Butter in there to try out. Anxious to check out the other soap scents too!

Arko you say?

Nice! The 10066 is a favorite of mine.

Now I can't wait to try out the Russian blades when this 30 Day Focus is over...

Kerry- very nice. Super cool of you.

Off topic but relevant to newer guys probably


Attn: Newer DE Shavers

Cadet TTO OC DE Razor up for grabs:

http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/last-blast-pif-seeking-an-aggressive-april.44206/

March Injector Focus



Automatic 2pass smoothness! Even with Blue mystery soap!

Happy Friday!
​

March 27

Stirling Sheep bath/face soap
Merkur 37C slant bar razor
Feather blade (day 2)
Kent BK8 silvertip badger brush
MdC scented shaving soap
Two passes plus touch-ups
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, & unrefined shea butter

I had a great shave before heading off to work this morning. I plan to enjoy MdC for a few days before embarking on Arko April. Happy Friday!

That's right! I estimate my out-of-pocket cost for shave soap in April to be 39 cents.

Big Spender!

March Focus - Vintage and Carbon - COMPLETE
March 27, 2015 - Week 4 Day 6
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Omega Pro 48
Soap - Saint Charles Shave Sandalwood
Razor - Edwin Jagger 89l
Blade - (1)
Post - Alum & Aqua Velva Ice Blue

Decided to load up a Sharp Star Platinum today. The wrapper looks like something third graders might create but the blade was surprisingly sharp, smooth and really produced a great shave. This blade is from Mostochlegmash in Moscow, the company that produces the entire Rapira line including Voskhod. So, another Russian blade that I am happy to recommend. Although, finding them seems impossible. I got a couple of them from www.tryablade.com and have not been able to locate any other source for these blades. I'm extremely curious about them and won't stop digging until I get some answers.

On the soap side of the equation, I tried Saint Charles Shave soap for the first time today, the Sandalwood in the wooden bowl. The scent is subtle but very nice. The lather, well, I'm not going to judge until I play with it a bit more. It was slick but dissipated very quickly. As in Williams quickly. I face lathered the first pass and had to add more after half of the pass. I took the time to bowl lather for the second pass and it made only a slight difference. I will be playing with the water etc. for a couple of days to see if I can dial it in. I really want this soap to work as it is made locally and has a good reputation. Would love to help a local out!

There is a much knowledge about Sharp Star blades in this picture of the Russian plains as I have been able to find. Maybe they drop off of the exploding meteors that frequent the country?

03/28/2015
Prep – MR GLO
Razor – Mongoose B2 with Jürgen Hempel Ti
Blade –Feather Pro (3)
Brush –Rudy Vey with TGN Finest
Lather – MdC
Post - Witch Hazel and Dove AS Balm



Fantastic 3 pass shave this morning. Up for tomorrow's shave is a GEM 1924 on loan from JR. At the start of the month, this brush would have been one of my least favorite. Now after using it so much this month, I have come to really like it and look forward to using it in the rotation. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

March 2015 ... 30 day rule ... technique, technique, technique

pre: dr.bronner's, PSO(diy)
brush: EJ best badger medium
lather: proraso green soap
razor: EJ89lbl
blade: derby extra
post: alum block, thayer's witch hazel lavender toner

03/28/15 ... blade6(1)

another ... ON TOP OF THE WORLD ... shave today ... probably THE best shave of my whole two months of DE wet shaving!

two days growth, 2-pass ... the only slight change was the addition of avocado oil to the PSO. while i can't imagine that making much difference, this morning's shave was FANTASTIC! it's not necessarily the closest; there are still a couple of patches that i can feel some stubble ATG. however, i had absolutely no nicks, irritation, or feedback of any kind ... from the rinse, alum, or WH.

the first pass was nice and smooth ... all N-S. during the second pass, i wondered at times if i was at the right angle as i couldn't feel or hear anything. i even checked twice to make sure the blade didn't dissolve or something ... and once i checked the blade to make sure it was a derby.

absolutely no changes for tomorrow morning ... let's see if we can duplicate

March 28

Stirling Sheep bath/face soap
Merkur 37C slant bar razor
Feather blade (day 1)
Kent BK8 silvertip badger brush
Arko shaving soap
Three passes
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, & Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

I had a super shave today. Whiskers versus Arko -- Arko wins! My shave stick of lemony goodness has been uncapped for a week. Either the scent has mellowed, or my olfactory nerve took the weekend off. It was the first time I've used my Kent brush with the Arko, and I enjoyed mountains of Turkish lather.

The weather is beautiful and sunny, and I had a nice Saturday with my family. Enjoy your weekend!