April 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

April 6 Plans

Stirling Sheep facial soap
Merkur 37C slant bar razor
Feather blade (day 1)
Omega 10098 professional boar brush
Arko shave soap & glycerin
Two passes
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave balm

Week 1: Use Arko as a shave stick with silvertip badger brush - complete; worked fine, had just enough lather for two passes
Week 2: Use Arko as a shave stick with boar brush - coming up this week
Week 3: Load Arko from puck with silvertip badger brush
Week 4: Load Arko from puck with boar brush
Week 5: ?

Grace and Peace!

 

I will try it again. So far the only thing I have found that calms the blades down is about four shaves. How do you hold the blade when you strop it?

 

I hold it in my right hand with my thumb and first finger run it along my left hand outer edge of my palm. This is the video I found before I tried it.

 

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter and a great day with loved ones!

J-hook you say? Welcome to the next level!

12 on one Chinese Schick is my record. Good luck, catch you Wednesday!

How's the Agua de Florida? You like it? I have yet to try.

I look forward to you evaluating the boar versus badger for the face lather! Good luck!

 

Arko April!!



5 April 2015. Day 5, blade 1 - The mighty mighty MTO (Weishi 9306)

Another good shave on Day 5 with this blade...loving the fresh feeling of Arko!! 2 passes later...it was automatic BFS!!

(h/t to @Troy M...love the term)!!

Have a Great Week Gentlemen!
​

 

I tried the skin stropping on some Derby blades a while back...it seemed to help.

 

Razor: Bluebeards Revenge
Blade: Wilkinson Black
Brush: WD Marble Handle Silvertip, 24/67
Cream: Bluebeards Revenge
A/S: Lucky Tiger

Day 3: Haven't been much into creams and I think I might have been missing out. The Bluebeards Revenge Cream has been lathering very well, and the Bluebeard Revenge razor is also doing the job.. Third shave with the Wilkinson Black. Trying to slow down some and enjoy the shave more.
Anyway: Hot shower, hot bamboo wash cloth, good lather, and an enjoyable time. Still staying with the same setup. The crunch won't come until next Friday when I would usually make wholesale changes.

 

Excellent tutorial. Thanks.

 

Gosh, that video gave me the heebie-jeebies. With a bit of inattention, I could seriously cut myself. I'd use my paddle strop as a safer alternative if I ever decide to strop my razor blades. So far, I haven't found the need to do so.

 

I made a small strop I use for DE blades. I notice a huge difference when I strop them.

 

It was unnerving. You want to pay attention for sure

 

Thanks guys. I may give this a try sometime with my paddle strop to see how it works for me. I currently have it around for my pocket knife blades.

 

Day 6 my FB focus:

Homemade PS Oil
Stirling Frozen Tundra
FB w/Rapira PL set on 4
Osage Rub

Another good shave. 4 may be my setting. I am going to keep here again for one more day. Assuming that is good. I am going to change up blades.

 

Aggressive April - Day 3



Prep: Hot shower w/ Grandpa's Pine Tar
Soap: TSD Barber Shoppe shave stick
Brush: Omega 13522
Razor: Cadet OC
Blade: Sputnik
Post: Witch Hazel, Nivea Sensitive Balm
Scent: Tommy Bahama Very Cool

The Sputnik blade cuts a lot nicer than the Voskhod did in the Cadet. No tugging, much better glide. Really good 2 pass shave, WTG and XTG. Some irritation, thinking a combo of going ATG yesterday, applying the soap stick, and the aggressive razor.

 

I like the Florida Water. The smell is very citrusy and it leaves my skin feeling great. It is also a hit with the family, so that is a bonus. It is one of the AS I can smell throughout most of the day. The fact that I can get it at the local supermarket also helps.

 

Arko April Focus - CJB Kamisori
April 6, 2015 - Week 2 Day 2
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Omega Pro 48
Soap - Proraso
Razor - EJ89l
Blade - (4)
Post - Alum & Proraso

After yesterday's minor massacre with the Feather Pro in the CJB I gave my face a day off from it. Went to my EJ89l with the mysterious Sharp Star that has now produced 4 quite excellent shaves. Three passes to a BBS and I'll return to the CJB tomorrow morning. Alum was relatively quiet and the menthol goodness of the Proraso soap and after shave got Menthol Monday off to a good start!

 

04/06/15
Prep – MR GLO
Razor – GEM Feather Weight
Blade – GEM SS PTFE (3)
Brush – Rubberset 400-3 with WSP HMW
Lather – Soap Commander Passion
Post - Witch Hazel and CC Bay Rum AS



Very good 3 pass shave this morning. Still learning the angles around my trouble spots. If not for those areas the shave would have been a borderline BBS shave.

 

Prep: Hot shower, Neutrogena Invigorating Face Wash, TSD Jasmine Sambac preshave balm
Brush: Simpson 56 Best Badger
Soap: Ginger's Garden Grass Stain Menthol Snow
Razor: RazoRock Bamboozled RAKE OC
Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum (1)
Passes: WTG, XTG, ATG (1, 2, 3)
Post: Cold water splash, Bloc Osma alum, Dickinson's WH, Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS splash
Cologne: Xeryus by Givenchy

That's so much better. The lather today was just as good as yesterday's, though colder and possibly slicker. The brush and the razor were obviously the same. The blade made all the difference. The Bic Chrome Platinum felt so smooth and comfortable compared to the Baili Super Blue, the difference was astounding. I'm beginning to think the blade is the biggest contributor to a good shave for me, which makes some logical sense. Even without the advantage of an extra day's stubble, the shave is comparably close, so BBS, but there was no tugging, no pain, no bloodshed, and no irritation. Finish off with the AV Ice Blue and Xeryus, and my face feels chilled and I smell good.

 

I'm putting the injector into the back of the cabinet for a few weeks. I've not enjoyed it as much so far. School is pretty busy right now, so I'm going to just go back to my Weber until we get through our FFA banquet and State Judging contests in early May.