30 Day Rule/Focus; April 2023. All Are Welcome!

Hi Everyone!

Last month, everyone had awesome shaves and some of you added some new gear and software to your dens. Way to go! I also appreciate everyone who have contributed to this thread. I know that I am repeating myself, but without you, this thread wouldn't exist. Thank you all!

Wow! It seems like New Year's Day was not that long ago. The last three months just flew and we are presently in April. Yes, we all know that April Showers bring May Flowers, but it is also the month that the deadline to file state and federal returns is approaching. For those that are U.S. citizens, I wish you all get sizeable refunds so that you can buy new shave items or whatever else you desire. For those of you that are non-U.S. citizens, I pray that you will receive an unexpected financial blessing so you can also add to your den.

Thankfully, I didn't have to think too hard for this month's themes because the letter "A" made it so easy. Therefore, here are the themes for this month:

1. Adjustable April - It's self-explanatory. Use any adjustable(s) razors in your den.

2. Arko April - This is a nod to you Arko lovers.

3. Anything Goes April - It's the default selection for shaving. Use whatever you decide for your shaves.

Remember, these themes are guidelines. You can always make your own personal theme for the month or go to the default option. Remember, it's your shave, so do it your way!

Ok, let's continue with the basic tenets of this thread!
I want to welcome all the veterans of the 30 DC and all the newcomers. This thread is for the purposes of improving your shave technique so that you will consistently get great shaves. There are a number of ways to do it. These are suggestions so feel free to do whatever you want in regards to your shave.

The 30 Day Rule
Take ONE razor, ONE blade, ONE brush, ONE soap/cream and use them EVERYDAY this month. Yes, everyday. But Trigger, I want variety! I know you do, but until you perfect your technique, it makes little sense to constantly change the variables of your shave.

The Focus
For you out there that are not up to the rigors of the Rule, there is this alternative:
Vary the gear for each shave, save for perhaps one or two elements.
This is a more accessible challenge for the majority of shavers. I like to pick a particular aspect of the shave, be it the lather, a certain blade or a new razor, that needs breaking in, and not change it daily, until I have mastered those tools.

Ok, to keep the thread on a nice even keel, I ask everyone to follow the thread etiquette as listed below:
1. New Members always welcome. Start anytime.
2. Old Members always welcome.
3. Respect everyone.
4. Refrain from political conversation.
** This includes, but is not limited to: Covid-19, treatments and/or advice.**
Please keep these discussions off of this thread.

I also want to suggest that we should try to assess our shaves as to why it was good or why it was not up to your standards and express these reasons in your comments. The spirit of this thread is to improve our shaves and if we share the reasons why a shave was good or bad, then we are giving our experiences to encourage good technique and discourage bad technique so that we have great info to get better shaves. I am not suggesting that we do it for every post, but I think it would make for a healthier thread if we start to do it more than we have in the past years.

Moreover, you don't have to do a rule or a focus. You are free to change your setup on a shave to shave basis.

Finally, I want this thread to continue to be a friendly place. It is ok to disagree because that is how we learn from each other, but let's encourage and respect every member. Yes, even if you think they are off the wall. Let's face it! We all are a little off because of our different Aquisition Disorders. Lol!

Let's have a group hug!



Also, let's have a great April of awesome shaves and fine fellowship!

Sincerely,

Joe (Trigger)

 

1st April 2023.



​

Shaving Recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/ Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Body + Face Wash.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face & head.
Pears Original Transparent Bar Soap.
Brush: Wilkinson Sword synthetic.
Bowl Lather.
Bowl : Home Bargains Stainless Steel Side Bowl.
Lather: Eco Warrior Bergamot & Lime shaving bar.
Frankenrazor: Muhle R41 bottom plate with Yaqi Mellon top cap + Schmidt R10 Handle. - Statum Platinum Chrome. (D1)

Post:
Cold water face & head wash with brush squeezing's, Cold Water Face & Head Rinse./Alum Rub. /Homemade (~Spring/Summer mix~) Lemon, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Essential Oils.3 Menthol Crystals Mixed Together With 200ml of Care+Witch Hazel./ Cien Men Aqua ASL + Sensitive ASB.

(Face Head/Dome shave)
(German DE razor focus)
A new shave set up to start the weekend.. maiden shave with the new Wilkinson Sword Synthetic brush my second shaving related purchase of 2023, my first was the batch of Statum Platinum Chrome blades in February and before the paranoid over-zealous ban on DE blades from eBay sellers. I gave it a quick wash & rinse in washing up liquid, rinsed it in warm water, then a wash with Dettol anti bacterial soap to remove any nasties ,then a final rinse to remove any loose fibres...I love the stubby design of the WS handle the cloud soft synthetic knot doesn't have a great deal of backbone, but it gets the job done with acceptable results and dries in a short space of time ready for use. This will make a great travel brush.

For the next month and beyond I'll be using my German made razors, along with my new recently tried Muhle R41 Frankenrazor & randomly adding my adjustable DE razors as a "Adjustable April" theme pairing them together with various DE blades from my vast collection. Starting with the Statum Platinum Chrome which i find equal with the Treet 7-Day platinum...Both blades are incredibly smooth & efficient enough to give me 2-3 (max) comfortable error free shaves.

Out of curiosity i done a combined face head/dome shave with the Frankenrazor which was a total success. I think the hefty weight of the Schmidt R10 handle could be the reason to why the Frankenrazor works rather than the Yaqi Mellon top cap?.. I will do a comparison shave during the week using the original Muhle top cap & the Schmidt R10 handle to see the difference in the shave performance.

Another close comfortable face and head shave with no errors to report. Finishing the shave off with a few small dollops of Cien Men Sensitive ASB.

My face & precious swede are feeling super smooth & smelling divine.

Stay safe, and enjoy the start of the weekend ladies & gentlemen.

 

A great introduction to April joe.

 

Thank you Barry. I try my best in writing these introductions.

 

Marvelous first shave for the month Barry! I like your planned shaving strategjes for this month. Have a great afternoon.

 

Thank you Joe. Enjoy the first Weekend of April.

 

Nice wrapup of "Team Bill Neumann"(soap&A.S.). I'm not sure I will get to it another time before next fall(the soap, anyway). 2 passes-first WTG second A(gainst)TG. I watched a video of a guy doing 3 passes-each a different direction. Zero cuts, polka-dots, 2 Knicks. Nice clean fresh scent of BN Heartwood all over. Most Outstanding.

 

very nice intro Joe. I not sure which way I will focus this month’s shaves but I decided to start off with the low budget but good Arko.


Shavette Shave # 196

Rating: 5 / 5

Razor: The Holy Black
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: CRD Sky - O- Earth 26 mm Synthetic
Lather: Arko
Aftershave: Aqua Velva Musk
Additional Care:
Nivea Sensitive Balm

Excellent classic simple shave this morning in the Southern den. Arko provided sufficient lather for three slick passes with the HB Shavette. Did experience two post shave weepers approximately ten minutes upon the completion of my post shave routine. Funny how that just randomly occurs.

I am going to spend the day with the family at the Farmers Market in Venice, at the beach in Manasota Key and finally to the movies this evening. My niece worked on the animation in the new “Dungeons and Dragons” movie which debuted yesterday. Looking forward to seeing her work.

Hope you all are having a great day.

An afternoon at the beach.

 

April 1 SOTA

Good afternoon.

1955 Gillette RedTip
Shaveboy DE Blade
JR #386 Silvertip Badger Brush
Arko SS
Old Spice AS
Stirling Alum Block
Beard Growth: 25 hrs



I decided to use Arko for my inaugural shave of the month. I picked the Gillette Redtip and the Old Spice AS to be consistent with the color scheme. If I had a red-handled brush, then I would have used it.
Anyway, Arko is really easy to lather because it likes water. I loaded the brush dry and applied it to my neck and face. I face-lathered by adding bits of water at a time until it met my standards.

Did a two pass shave with some buffing for a BBS shave without any red liquid oozing out of my skin. The alum was not silent, but it wasn't a tortuous application. Splashed on the Old Spice to end a fine shave. Take care.

 

Thanks Joe. Awesome shave and pics! It's funny that I also used Arko SS to start the momth of April. Intelligent minds think alike. Enjoy your fun in the sun this week. Please bring it back when you return.

 

Excellent shave and plan for the month Barry.

 

Excellent Arko shave Joe.

 

Thank you Joe. I plan on not having any more cold weather until next November.

 

Thanks Joe.

 

Thank you Joe.

 

2nd April 2023.



​

Shaving recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Body + Face Wash.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face.
Pears Original Transparent Bar Soap.
Brush: Wilkinson Sword synthetic.
Face Lather.
Lather: Derby Soap Bowl.
Blade: Statum Platinum Chrome. (D2)
Razor: Merkur 37C.

Post:
Cold water face wash with brush squeezing's, Cold Water Face Rinse./Alum Rub./Cold Water Rinse/Homemade (~Spring/Summer mix~) Lemon, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Essential Oils.3 Menthol Crystals Mixed Together With 200ml of Care+Witch Hazel./Brut ASL + Splash-On Lotion./ Nivea Men Fresh Moisturising Gel.

Greetings,

A relaxing Sunday morning shave.

Another wonderful effortless 2 pass +pickups close comfortable shave with the Merkur 37C.
The Statum PC pairs together with the Merkur 37C wonderfully.

Finishing the shave off with a few small dollops of Nivea Men Fresh Moisturising Gel.

My face is feeling super smooth & smelling divine.

Keep safe, and enjoy your Sunday ladies & gentlemen.

 

Good job with "Team Bay Rum"(Stephan A.S. following Jeeves soap). The Jeeves that is remaining is around the perimeter of the jar. 2 passes. South to North for first pass, then switching to North to South for the second. Zero cuts, Knicks, polka-dots. While Stephan B.R. is great skin food(like its predecessor, Bill Neumann), I got a little bit of clove scent. Maybe I didn't shake the bottle well enough. Will do that tomorrow. Super Duper Outstanding.

 

It's another lovely shave and setup Barry. Enjoy your afternoon.

 

Zingari Man still hasn't listed my review for my Explorer. It's been a few weeks.