Yup, we have a few power failures, no wood fired stove, but gas cooker will do the trick. Shaving by candlelight/torchlight, hmm, don't think so. I have a cheap one "at the ready" just for fun!
6 Feb 2023: Razor rotation. Back to my trusty Muhle R89, it's been a while. Testing the Rockwell blade, why, because it came with some or other razor early on. Comfortable combo. Smooth, but not efficient enough. Two passes only and some touch ups. Small weeper lower left corner of mouth (go with the grain, go with the grain, go with the grain...100 x) First time with the Cella. Nice pleasant smell. Bloomed, loaded brush 20 to 3o seconds, into the bowl adding water slowly. Easier for me to lather........I got the peaks / stalagmites and all. The scent lingers long after the shave. Very nice.
I fought it for a long time too, Steve. Sometimes you just have to accept that new terminology has become accepted practice, even if it's a terrible description of what is occuring, and the guy that originally coined the phrase has a shaky grasp of the English language. What makes it even more irritating, is that 'bloom' was already a word in use within the hobby for years to describe the 'flower style' blooming effect of a damp brush post shave.
Interesting how language morphs. And how words in English can mean many things. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloom Noun (2) 3a or 3c are interesting. Noun (1) is also interesting from a metalwork point of view. Anyway, my interest is Piqued, here is another Peak, have a Peek at this. Cella suitably soaked (do I even need to do this? it is called a cream on the lid, but seems quite firm, will try again tomorrow without the soaking), loaded and lathered. Stalagmites and Stalactites, seems OK to me. Back to my Merkur Progress, # 3, # 2, #1. Rockwell (2). Nice slickness, nice shave.
At that point in your picture, I would kiss the water with the top of my brush, and go back in for another minute. It's hard to describe, but I'll try. The lather will have a sheen to it, you only get that off a smooth(ish) surface. And you only get that when most of the micro bubbles have vanished. 80% of it should look like the surface of melting ice cream. Smooth and shiny. You'll see micro bubbles, but they will be scattered about. No more than 3-4 in a cluster. lgnore big bubbles at this point. That is my impression of a good lather. And it will form peaks if you pull it apart, with smoothly defined edges from the motion of the brush. It's a dozen almost imperceptible things, we just know at almost a gestalt level. Once it has reached that point, you can add a little water (kiss the water once or twice) and continue working the lather to thin it down without it falling apart, or leave it thick, as is. One lather gives slickness, the other gives cushion. Both shave well. Dialing in the perfect balance of cushion and slickness? Ahh... That is where doing it daily is the only way to get there. You are perfecting it for your face, and your favorite style of lather. ...and your razor. I know it sounds kinda mystical, but it's easy enough to eyeball it and see where it is at. The mystical part is when you can sense that point from the feel of your brush against the bowl, or if you face lather, against your face. Think of it as a "tell" or that rare moment in a samurai's duel, when the blades are held in position, and you identify the opponent's move in the heartbeat between their moment of decision, and their moment of action. Almost imperceptible, but noticable to the trained fingers. As any tradesman knows, it's not the first 95% of the job that is hard to learn. It's that last 5% that separates the two groups of percentages. Any idiot can learn to weld. It's knowing how to weld for different steel types and thicknesses, which welds to put in first, and the ratio of weld size to strength, how much weld is required, how much heat has been dumped into the steel, and a dozen other things. Knowing how to read a blueprint and a tape measure helps. Depth of knowledge in the craft is the only way to master it. Shaving is no different than any other daily task. Do it enough times, and you'll get pretty good at it, you have the rest of your life to learn.
Super detailed reply Ryan, as always I appreciate the time and effort you put into this. What I landed up with was different to TOBS and T&H and what I felt was the best lather I have had so far, in the sense that it did not dry on the face as fast as the others. It was more consistent going into the 2nd and 3rd passes. So overall very happy with that. So what you are saying is I can push this even further. Roger that, another Cella day coming up tomorrow!
8 Feb 2023 Better lather with the Cella this time. 36 hours growth. Gillette Tech Aluminium, 30 grams. Tried a sample blade I go with one of my Razors. Rockwell razors Swedish SS DE Blade, Day 1. Not a good combo, the light Tech and what I feel is an average blade. Feels like it is tugging, not slicing, despite very light touch. No damage, but had to leave some stubble behind after needing too many strokes and too many passes to try and get a clean shave. Rockwell does not Rock for me, even on Day 1, it went straight into the bin, perhaps I may try the other 2 I still have with a heavier Razor later on, but not likely.
10 Feb 2023 36 hours growth. Nice leisurely shave. The usual 3x Hot Water Soak, then proraso Blue pre-shave (nearly finished) then more hot water. Razor: Gillette Rocket HD for the first time. Cream: Had to try the TOBS Lime Zest cream. Blade: Loaded a Gillette 7 o'clock Super Stainless (1) first time I used this blade. Brush: re-knotted EverReady 200, thinks it's Boar but not sure. Finished with Brut AS to complete the Green Friday theme. Really nice combo the Gillette Rocket HD at around 71 grams, and the Gillette 7 o'clock Green SS. This blade is more efficient than the Rockwell. Very pleasant to use, feels entirely safe. It feels sharper and smoother than my current favourite the Astra SP. Surprised at how much it reduced the stubble on the first pass. Two passes only were needed, WTG and XTG with a few minor touch-ups for a really satisfying clean shave. Did not attempt any ATG with this new (for me) Razor/Blade combo. Residual: Minor stubble left behind under the point of the chin, and around the Adam's apple area, but still very satisfied.
11 Feb 2023 24 hrs growth Random razor Gillette Made in England Flare tip. Blade Gillette 7 o'clock SS (day 2) Soap Wilkinson shave stick Prep Hot water soaks x 3, 30 secs each. Pre Shave Proraso Blue (now finished after ~ 3 months!) Brush Il Barbieri Puro Tasso Lather on face and in bowl ~ nice results ~ not drying out at all Another great shave. This combo is fine for me. Much easier to get around the chin and under the nose. Two passes, one with the grain, the 2nd across the grain, a few easy touch ups using the left hand filled with lather to lift and find the remaining stubble. Damage none Results Still smooth well into the rest of the day. Lessons of the Day 1. Need to continually micro-navigate the face depending on where the grain of the beard is going. 2. Better lather Better shave 3. This be my Go-To razor blade combo? I will try the same blade a third time. Usually only get 2 days out of an Astra SP Question to self Will I still need the Pre Shave? I have the Proraso white and green pre shave, but the next few shaves I will try and just use the face prep and lather on their own. Regards, ChrisB
13 Feb 2023 Beard 48 hours Razor Merkur Progress at #2 then #1 Blade Gillette 7o'clock super stainless (3) getting a bit tuggy. Thought I would use this for day 3, but I think for me two days maximum is the preferred option. Cream TOBS Aloe Vera. Got a good lather, not drying out, stayed moist for all passes but not as slick as the Arko or the Wilkinson blue shave stick Prep Hot water soak x 2 30s each Pres-shave Not using the Proraso pre-shave today. Instead, I used one application of lather, hot water soaked and rinsed. Not sure this is the best option. Brush Old Vulfix Badger Bowl White lather bowl An OK shave. One small weeper lower chin, right side. Possible reasons: 1) day 3 blade, 2) less hot water face prep 3) no Preshave cream 4) 48 hours growth. Still like the Progress, especially the ability to go to less aggressive setting for buffing. But looking forward to one of my vintage Gillette razors tomorrow! Question: Does adding glycerine to the shaving cream help, if so how?
14 Feb 2023 Beard 24 hours Razor Gillette Rocket HD Blade Gillette 7o'clock super stainless (1) New blade. Cream T&H Sandalwood. A few drops of glycerine. Pinch of Citric Acid to tap water in the basin. Mentioned in Leisureguy's book (on kindle). There are a number of references to this in this forum too, so I thought this worth a try. Prep Hot water soak x 3 30s each Pres-shave Proraso pre-shave white. Brush Old Vulfix Badger Bowl White lather bowl Great lather, great shave, no damage, definitely find that using a new sharper blade I need to go over the same areas less often. Lessons of the day: Adding some Citric Acid to the tap water seems to help keep the basin clean of scum. Tried this for 3 days now, it does seem to make a difference. Not sure the glycerine made any difference though. I really like these old Gillette razors. They might well become my go to razors. Good prep and sharp blade make navigating the chin a lot easier. Left over lather: my wife claimed this and said " now i know why you look forward to shaving every day "
15 Feb 2023 Felt like having an all Italian day, except of course I don't have an Italian razor. Beard 24 hours Razor Gillette 1950s Rocket Blade Gillette 7o'clock super stainless (2), still coping well, but blunting a bit towards the end. Binned. Cream The Cella lathered up really well again. Citric Acid to hard tap water in the basin kept the basin clean again. Prep Hot water soak x 3 (30s each) Pres-shave Proraso pre-shave white. Brush Puro Tasso, brush is spreading out nicely, the knot seems a little loose. Bowl Green Proraso bowl, not my favourite. Another satisfying no damage shave. The chin stubble looks a bit like the coronavirus, going in all directions. This needs micro-management, but easier with this razor. Still some roughness lower right neck, need to start going ATG here. Next challenge is to reduce the shave time and clean up time to under 20 minutes. Will need to find a cover for this bowl so I can place a puck in there without it drying out.
I don't worry about shave time. I take however long it takes and enjoy it. It's my spa time. Time to pray, ponder, meditate on scripture, or even just digging the tunes on my Pandora stations. If don't have the time to enjoy my shave my way, I don't shave. So what if the puck dries out? It won't hurt it and it won't diminish the performance. If you're using it every day, no need to cover. I keep my soaps in a ziplock bag only because with all the soaps in my rotation, I can stack them. In fact, I use my soaps in the morning and let them dry before sealing up the bag that evening. It also keeps the dust out between uses.
Whoo-whee Steve that's some multi-tasking! The great thing about DE shaving, for me anyhow, is how it focuses my mind on the task at hand i.e. where that cutting edge is and where do I want it to go next. It helps get me in the zone, forces me to slow down in this crazy world we live in. Praying for me is a separate event, pondering or mulling things over uses a different part of my brain, meditating I need to do more of; music while shaving, no, no, no, not for me at this stage. Atm I am on leave and have the time to definitely enjoy the shave, all up around 45 minutes. When I return to work I will adopt some different strategies, but going forwards I will be focusing on technique. Nice room freshener during the day, I guess. Unless its Arko! My grated Arko stick is still relegated to the garage at this stage!
You can add glycerin to the lather, it will add some slickness. I wouldn't go overboard with it. A drop or two will go a long way.
