30 Day Rule/Focus; March 2025. All Are Welcome!

Hi everyone!

Well, February just flew by so fast. Can't believe we are in March. Most of us are looking forward to Spring, while our Down Under gentleman will be embracing Autumn. Again, it's almost time for us to rearrange our den to bring the appropriate seasonal soaps and aftershaves. Unless of course, you strictly don't hold to the wetshaving convention to do so. Yours truly pleads guilty. Lol!

Although it was a short month, I want to say that our shaves were not short of their targets. Thank you guys for sharing your successful shaves last month. Some of you went to gears that have not been used in awhile and another was persistent in a semi- focus to dial in a soap. I applaud each and every one of you for being faithful to this thread. I really appreciate it. Finally, I want to welcome back Jeff, @jgreenepa. It's been a long time since you posted here. You are an esteemed member of this thread and look forward to seeing your posts for a long time.

Monthly Themes

Ok, let's get down to business shall we.
It's March Madness! That's right! It's time to get jiggy-wiggy to make unconventional pairings of your hardware. It could be as simple as using a blade that you normally wouldn't use in a razor. It could be experimenting with a soap that would conflict with an aftershave. I guess one would have to be adventurous to try it. Lol! You get the idea. Be inventive.
Another suggestion, it's Muggy March! This was a suggestion by Joe @JACarbone. Bring out a shaving mug and use it to make a lather. If you don’t have a mug, then a scuttle will suffice.
Finally, there's Mühle March. That's self-explanatory. Just use any Mühle shaving paraphernalia. Mühle makes razors, blades and shave cream. Of course, you can go rogue and think up your own theme. Remember, you don't have to follow these themes. 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 March
of awesome shaves and fine fellowship!

Sincerely,

Joe (Trigger)

 

​

A great introduction to start March.

 

1st March 2025.



​

Shaving Recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/Cien Men Energize Shower Gel.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face & head.
Wrights Coal Tar bar Soap.
Brush: Omega 10066.
Bowl Lather.
Bowl: Tesco's Ceramic 'Cosmo' Side Bowl.
Lather: HWF Lanolin Shaving Soap (No.1) with Cedarwood & Patchouli.
Razor: Parker 24C.- Voskhod. (D1)
Razor: Parker InjRzr. (Head/Dome)- Personna Injector PTFE. (D1)

Post:
Cold Water face rinse./Cold water face wash with brush squeezing's,/Alum Rub./Cold Water Rinse./Homemade (~Autumn/Winter mix~) peppermint lavender, eucalyptus, + Tea Tree essential Oils Mixed Together With Care+Witch Hazel./Cien Men X-Bolt ASL./L'0REAL Barber Club Reinforcing ASB.

(Face & Head Shave)

A new eclectic shave set up to start the first weekend of March.

A close comfortable head/dome shave with the Parker InjRzr, a razor I haven't used in quite some time...I look forward to getting reacquainted to using an injector razor for my head/dome shaves through out the month.

Out of all my open comb razors the parker 24C is my favourite to use, it's weight & efficiency are wonderful. like all parker DE razors once you adjust to using a steeper angle with them your rewarded with close comfortable shaves. My face & head shave this morning made me realise how much I like both of these razors and should add them to my razor rotation more frequently, especially the Parker InjRzr.

A close comfortable face & head shave with no errors to report.

Finishing the shave off with a few small dollops of L'0REAL Barber Club Reinforcing ASB.

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

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

 

Thank you Barry.

 

Awesome shave and setup. Great start to the month Barry.

 

Thank you Joe.

 

Your welcome Joe.

 

What a nice shave this morning from "The Rabbit"(Sir Hare). A minute at the Loading Dock with the Large Dark Blue synthetic(I wish I knew where it came from). All Sir Hare soaps are "Barber Approved". I can surely believe THAT. The SH "Drunken Sailor" combined with the Stephan Bay Rum A.S. to give me a quality Bay Rum shave. Clean and clear all over for the shave itself....no damage. anywhere. 2 passes. Since I washed my hair with Clubman today, I'll calll this a "Barbershop Week-end"(course Bay Rum products are quite popular in barbershops). As Outstanding As It Gets.

 

Great intro for the month, Joe! Despite the little "two threads" bobble...

Not sure what I will do for March. I guess I will figure that out as I go along.

 

Or you can take 30 days to come up with a plan

 

Thanks John. I am sure you will think of something.

 

fine way to start the month Paul..

 

-The-Weekender-
new SC
tuxedo
aos
rr lime



good morning gents.
finally outside again. the weather is warming up,sun is out
citrus saturday shave
lovely AoS lather built with the ds cosmetics tuxedo synthetic
smooth 2 passer with the nickel new SC
mentholated lime a/s to finish
awesome
***
i think i will do a mini focus with my 1940 milord.
that's it,Milord Mitchells March..well for a few days anyway..
this old guy has been around the block,little plating,but original in it's case.
and found here in Canada no less,on some poor souls antique fair table..
this set is 1940 only as far as i know..and they were sold in canada.





***
Have a fine weekend everyone
​

 

Thank you Gary....Sir Hare is a quality soap.

 

no hare is a better one..

 

Was the Milord basically a gold-plated Aristocrat? Or are there other differences between them, such as overall razor weight or size of blade gap?

 

the milord had a thinner handle than the aristocrat,and was basically the safety bar version of the sheraton or senator.the nickel plated version of thie milord is the ranger tech..


these are both earlier ancestors of this razor..
the milord or gold superspeed...


or this gold rocket..

 

Saturday 01 Mar 2025

1 Days growth

Hot water Prep
Preshave = Colgate Palmolive Lather cream
Cream/Soap = Clubman Pinaud Shave soap 59 gr
Brush = Razorock Plissoft black handle
Bowl = Face
Razor = Gillette Rocket 1950’s or thereabouts
Blade = Derby Premium (1)
Passes = 2 +
Post = Usual CWR, Alum, rinse, pat dry, Thayer’s rose petal, Nivea balm
ASL = Clubman Pinaud
Scent = TBS black musk
Score = 9+ / 10
Damage = Nada

I remember the super lather from my last holiday, using the cream and then lathering straight over the top of that. Face lathering, adding water slowly to get a super shiny slick lather that never gave. Initially a bit dry during the initial stages of the first pass, easily fixed by dipping the brush into the water

The Derby Premium is Ok, not as sharp as other blades, needing more strokes per area to get the desired smoothness, but nice and safe anyway. Last blade in this tuck, glad to get to the bottom of this one

 

02 March 2025

Mitchell’s Match-up and Mix up
Time to compare the Mitchell’s Wool Fat against some of my other soaps croaps and cream

1 Days growth

Usual Prep and Preshave = Last use of the T&H No, finally emptied and ditched
Cream/Soap = MWF
Brush = Razorock Plissoft black handle
Bowl = face lathering
Razor = Gillette Rocket
Blade = Derby Premium (2)
Passes = 2 +
Post = Usual CWR, Alum, rinse, pat dry, Thayer’s rose petal, Nivea Balm
ASL = Imperial Leather
Scent = The Body Shop Black Musk
Score = 9+ / 10
Damage = weeper from left sideburn area (annoying skin lesion)

MWF was lathered straight over the Pre-Shave (T&H No 10, which is now sunk) in an attempt to get closer to a super lather
Kind of worked ok
20 swirls, minimal water, back to the puck for the subsequent passes seems to work fine

Have a great Sunday ahead one and all