30 Day Rule/Focus; August 2022

Hi Everyone!

It has been a great month of shaves last month and I want to thank everyone for participating. The theme for this month is Adjustable August which means breaking out your adjustable safety razors for the month. On the chance that some of you don't have any adjustable razors, then I propose a couple of more themes for this month. Arko August, Artisan August and Anything Goes August are my suggestions. ARKO August and Anything Goes August are self - explanatory. Artisan August caters to just using artisan soaps such as Stirling, PAA, HC &C, etc. It could also include razors and brushes made by artisans. Remember, you don't have to follow the suggested themes. You can make one up for yourself.

July 2022 Highlights

First, We want to welcome our newest member, @NETWizz. He has just started his wetshaving journey and has posted some very good shaves.

Second, We want to welcome back a veteran member of the 30 Day Crew, Brian @mrchick. We are glad that your bounced back from Covid and that you had a nice vacation in Montana.

Third, Joe @JACarbone continues to travel back and forth to build up his den in Florida. Congratulations on your 1 year in retirement. You definitely are taking full advantage of it. You deserve it.

Fourth, Charlie @wristwatchb is up to his old tricks again with his eclectic humor. Please continue with your funny additions to the thread because it keeps us laughing and laughing doeth good like medicine.

Fifth, Yours truly completed his first bowl lathering focus and I must say that I truly enjoyed it. I still will be primarily a face latherer, but will bowl lather to change it up.

Sixth, Barry @palmolive fox is still the Sultan of the SE injector razors. I don't think anyone is going to take your title. Kudos to you.

Seventh, Gary @brit has showed us how to dwindle our shave den and still get great shaves. He has experienced Arko and is on board with it.

Eighth, Paul @Paul Turner has tried new shaving software that is usually for the cooler months. Could this be a revelation for him? We kid Paul and he good-naturedly accepts it. You have to respect a guy who is #3 on the all-time message list trailing our Gary @brit who is #1 on the leaderboard.

Ninth, Daniel @MrDaniel's, it was good to see our Scandinavian friend drop a post and keeping us abreast on his adventures. Don't be a stranger Dan!

Tenth, Hogie @Hogie, finally got his motorcycle repaired so now he can visit his favorite Italian restaurant once again. He presently just needs to worry about his cat Theodore stealing the spotlight on the shaving pics.

Finally, I texted Jeff's @jgreenepa Messenger account to inquire on how he is doing. It's been 7 days and there hasn't been a reply. Let's continue to pray for his recovery. His informative posts are surely missed.

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.

For you out there that are not up to the rigors of the Rule, there is this alternative:

The Focus
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 August with awesome shaves and fine fellowship!

Sincerely,

Joe (Trigger)

 

Thanks, Joe! Yes, Theo does steal the spotlight all the time. He has many fans.

I did not shave last night but, went right to bed! So, today's shave is knocking down 2 days of growth. Another pleasant shave with the Hawk v3.

Razor - Hawk v3 with standard base plate
Blade - Feather Professional 6th shave. I think I can get 1 more shave with this blade
Soap - Ogallala Bay Rum
Brush - Simpson Berkeley
Pre-shave - Proraso White
Post shave - Thayers toner & Geo F Trumper Skin Food
Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum

The Ogallala soap lathers really well and is easy to get the amount of water right. Nice and slick! Pleasant 3-pass shave just becuz. WTG, ATG, XTG for BBS smooth face! No cuts, nicks, or weepers. Minimal feedback from alum bar.

I hope all have a great start to the week as well!

 

Awesome start to the month Hogie! I have not tried Ogallala Bay Rum Soap, I am sure it is a good soap. Have a terrific day!

 

I bloomed this soap. It also melts into the bowl well when put puck in bowl in microwave for 30 sec or less. This would also be a good face lathering soap.

I have 3 adjustables. I will dig each out and rotate around each one.

 

Another fine introduction to the month and thank you again for the shout out.

 

Excellent start to the month Hogie with another great shave. Enjoy the one day break from the heat.

 

yes, overcast and looking like it wants to rain. I should rest today. I been pushing myself last few days. Bike sure is nice now tho and will be even nicer when exhaust comes!

It's kinda neat how I plug this box in (Screamin' Eagle Super Tuner) and program it to record the ride data so it can be used to tweak the settings. Computer controlled Motorcycle. Technology is amazing! I'm an old school mechanic! Licensed to work on airplanes. But, this stuff fascinates me!

 

I'm in for the month that has been known to contain the Dog Days Of Summer. Thank you @Trigger for mentioning me with #8. I don't know how many "cooler weather"shaves I'll try this month, but we'll see. I expect there will be many shaves with the cold soaps(Stoylin Glacial Electric Sheep and Wet The Face Frozen Lemon Ice). In fact, I opened the month with the former. My shave preps(in the shower) will be a little different, as I'll use a Stoylin Bath Soap in place of the Nivea Body Wash. You can sense a difference between the two. I think it's better to have a Stoylin Body Wash, though, and in fact I nominated one of them for the finals of the 2022 Stoylin Tony Awards. The next nomination day is in this month-26th. Let's have a great month of shaves, with the usual fun here.

 

Awesome Paul! Enjoy your day.

 

Real nice shave this morning, Different setup in the shower-I brought in the Stoylin Hand/Bath Soap I was using at the sink. It's tricky to get it onto a loofah(which I have in the shower)but gradually enoough does come on). The only glitch was a "speedbump" I "drove" my razor over and I was afraid of a cut. It was killed off by th cold-water rinse and chilly Clubman Gent's Gin aftershave. The bump occurred down at Cactus Nation.Speaking of Cactus, I did better there than yesterday(course that doesn't incliude the bump). We always say Technique Trumps Tools, but may I also say Heat Trumps Cold, because even with the glacial aftershave I still feel the warmth of the Stoylin Bath Soap. It's the Barbershop. Not nearly the same as Texas On Fire, but still warm. Maybe I'll bring back the Fresh Ice bodywash, and keep the Barbershop available for when it turns cooler. Course I might also keep using it this week til I have the Wet The Face freezer later in the week...see how WTF deals with it(the warm Barbershop). Very Excellent.

 

Thanks Joe....you do the same .

 

Thanks for the nice words of encouragement Joe. I usually start thinking about theme ideas about 2 days prior to the actual post. The day before or on the day of posting, I glean through the posts to get highlights of the month and try to include everyone that posts regularly. Of course, I use a little playful license while writing these highlights. Also, I actually write the intros a few hours before the 12 pm deadline. Truth be told, there is no official deadline, Lol.
I am not as skilled a writer as my immediate predecessor, but I put my best foot forward doing so. Honestly, I like doing it. The hardest part was doing my first intro because I mostly started from scratch. Now that I have a set template on the Rules and Focus portion, I just have to copy and paste it. It makes it easier for me because half the intro is done before I even write the beginning paragraphs. Again, thanks for your kind words Joe.

 

I will shave with my adjustable razors every other week and and shave with my straights and shavettes on alternate weeks. Mmm! I guess you can say I made another theme of the month-Alternating Weeks August.

 

I'll have to choose Anything Goes August, but it would be Artisan August except that I like to take brief "Oustanding Goo" breaks from time to time.

 

Thanks fine Paul. I try to give more than one monthly theme so that everyone can participate. I don't want anyone feeling excluded.

 

awesome Joe and thank you.i will do an Anything goes August with lots of Arko in the mix.have a great day.

 

Those are great picks Gary. Have a good day.

 

thank you.

 

Last week's shave set up.

Razorock SLOC Version 2.0 head.
Delrin handle brush and razor handle.
Feather blade.
Gillette Planet Kind shave cream.
Timeless Razor shave bowl.
Royal Copenhagen cologne.

I finished up the month with the Razorock SLOC head. I seem to like this head the best out of my SLOC heads.

I picked the soap up on a whim at our local Ollie's store. I picked up two cans and my wife has claimed one. These were $1.99 each and the can is 5 ounces. It is more of a cream and you can not load a brush with it. I just dip the brush into the can and pick up a little. The soap whips up quick and does an excellent job. I really enjoyed using it last week and I need to go and pick up some more just put back and give out to newbies.

I'll post today's shave later on today.

I hope everyone is doing great!

 

Wow, interesting piece of technology.