April 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

Thanks for joining in! You'll get it.

blood? Only in the same way that NASCAR fans "don't wanna see accidents".

 

Aggressive razor can equal less strokes, meaning less chances to irritate the skin. Get after it! This is gonna be another breakthrough month!

 

Just kangols, overalls, man bags, and clogs. I follow Jesus with all my heart, and always have room for another friend. I like dogs too. And I still chase Mrs. Samurai around like she's my girlfriend.

And Roll Tide.

 

Are you sure about that? Lol, some risky fashion choices involved.

Also-

The only setting on the Slim I liked was nine.

 

# trendsetter

Lol what is my life turning to now that I'm using hashtags

 

Arko April Focus - CJB Kamisori
April 2, 2015 - Week 1 Day 5
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Omega Pro 48
Soap - Arko
Razor - CJB & '59 Gillette Superspeed
Blade - (5) (5)
Post - Alum & Aqua Velva Musk

The WTG pass using the CJB is going extremely well. Much more comfortable in my hand after five shaves. The XTG on the face is getting much better though it's still not as easy as the first pass. As for the neck, well, we need work. I did manage to figure out a grip for the razor when doing the ATG on the neck but getting the right angle is still a challenge. Ended with a quick pass from the Superspeed on the neck only to finish with a very nice DFS. Lots of nice Alum and A/S burn but that's part of the game at this point. Working that blade over the neck looking for the angle is rather irritating.

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04/02/2015
Prep – MR GLO
Razor – Mongoose B2 with Jürgen Hempel Ti
Blade – Feather Pro (3)
Brush – Brothers Bristles with WD HM
Lather – AOS Sandalwood Cream
Post - Witch Hazel and CC Sandalwood AS



Another fantastic 2 pass shave this morning. Took just a minute for some touch ups and I had a near BBS shave. I really enjoy the AOS Sandalwood cream and appreciate it even more since it was a gift from my wife and daughters. Happy Thursday.

 

It can but it can also equal irritation if you have sensitive skin. Oh the joys of being a man with sensitive skin! , why I am opting for milder razors lately.

 

Thor's Day:

Prep: Hot shower, Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub, TSD Jasmine Sambac preshave balm
Brush: Beeline Boar
Soap: Stirling Bay Rum
Razor: RazoRock Bamboozled RAKE OC
Blade: Big Ben Super Stainless (purple wrapper) (4)
Passes: WTG, XTG, ATG (10, 11, 12)
Post: Cold water splash, Bloc Osma alum, Dickinson's WH, Captain's Choice Cat o' Nine Tails AS splash
Cologne: Gigember Estragone by Dr. Vranjes

How can a shave be both good and frustrating at the same time? It's difficult, but today's shave managed it. I hadn't used the Beeline Boar in quite a while'; it's developing a 'Semogue splay' that I know some of you tend to like, but is shedding a dozen hairs and more with each use. Every time I use a Stirling soap, I can't help but admire those of you who manage to get good/great/amazing lather out of it, as double the loading time and repeated trips to the puck produce a lather that may be slick, but lacks much cushion at all and seems somewhat resistant to rinsing off. The blade was done, and I did actually get a couple weepers from it as a result of the combination of relatively poor lather and a relatively old blade. All that said, I got BBS results, and my face doesn't feel irritated.

 

Good point. Another ymmv thing. My skin isn't really sensitive I guess, except for tobacco scented soap and maybe lanolin. It's really such a unique and individual thing. As I recall, you also shave your head. Do you use it experiment with different setups for scalp versus beard?

Nice to see AV get some representation. Old school classic. TSD Throwback Thursday (USA mass market AS)...bring out the AV, OS, Stetson, Skin Bracer, Afta? AS is not mentioned in the guidelines as being a variable.

I have never achieved "great" lather with Stirling, but my experience is limited to a handful of shaves on MM using Glacial Obsidian...talk about menthol! I blame it on super hard water here in CO and maybe lack of skill on my part. The shaves went ok though.

 

How's the hand? Much longer in the cast?

 

It would be great if they'd just cut the cast already so I could start the rehab. It comes off the 18th though so not to much longer.

 

Shave #2 actually occurred on day 1, as I was not able to shave today. I adjusted the FB to setting 5, and things went much better. Still not as good as my slim, but an improvement.
On a side note, shaving in the evening allowed me to unexpectedly shave with my 4 year old son like I would on a weekend. That was the best part of the shave.

 

I didn't catch enough time to post a photo but my first day of Arko April went on with out a problem as expected yesturday! Added 6 drops off M-bomb from TSD shop to make a nice luxurious Arko shave. I did learn that the Schick Krona+Astra SP blade is limited to 3 uses on the blade "YMMV". So next shave will be a fresh blade and a great expected shave! Still waiting on The Shave Den soap PIF to arrive but once i get them i will throw a shave in with them and give some feed back!

 

Day 2 April Arko Focus
Prep: hot shower
Soap: Arko
Razor: ikon 102 short handle
Blade: Voskhod (shave number one and two )
Post: TSD signature 2x menthol milk. Proaso green post shave balm.

I made two changes to my setup: switched from long handle to short and didn't use any soap under my nose. 3 passes no clean up and the shave was great. Very close. I forgot how close the ikon slant shaved after two month with my Gillette tech. I must say the performance of the Voskhod blade was perfect. No pulling no nicks. Just BBS!

 

Focus- Injector Razors
Pre- Hot water wash
Razor- Schick J1
Blade- Chinese Schick
Cream- Palmolive Lemon
Brush- Cheapie Badger Travel Brush
Post- Cold water rinse, alum as needed
Aftershave- Stirling Coniferous



I am interested in possibly using these as travel razors. As such, I want to make sure as part of this focus, I am doing a real world test. I will be mixing in a lot of the cheaper creams, brushes, etc that I use for travel. There will also be plenty of Arko

After putting the injector down for a few weeks and picking it up, I did "much" better this time. I finally got my fingers to obey on the significantly lighter touch that these razors require. I tear my face up using DE pressure and techniques.

I had a DE on standby but did not need it. I gave myself one good nick near the bottom of my neck. I flattened the angle out a bit too much as my hand neared my chest. Other than that had a great 2 pass shave with no irritation or problems. I do need to work on getting my neck a bit closer to a BBS.

Based on how tonight went I am going to be a big fan of these razors by months end. I also have an M3 adjustable, a modern M39 and thanks to a PIF an early Bakelite Injector to add into the mix as the month wears on.

 

I'm going to skip today and really see what this slim can do. I usually get really good shaves with two days growth so tomorrow morning should be very interesting.

 

I skipped shaving today, so I could get a better shave tomorrow.

 

The irony of a great shave. I want to shave every day now, but after two or threr days it's a better and more enjoyable shave.

 

Arko April!!

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2 April 2015. Day 2, blade 1 - The mighty mighty MTO (Weishi 9306)

Last night's shave turned out pretty darn nice after 12 hours...now for Day 2.

Day 1 must have "stropped" the blade on my beard, because it felt much smoother today. I have prepared the divinely inspired, lemon scented Turkish gift to wet shavers everywhere by cutting the stick into disks. These pieces of soap were then bloomed in a bowl, loaded onto a damp Plisson and face lathered. Perfect lather ensued!

It was automatic!

The blade lives on.

I believe Good Friday is the day that love, manifested as sacrifice, showed me a better way.

Thanks for reading.​

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