March 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix and Discussion

March Madness! Historically, March is when activities like blade trials and shavettes take over the 30DC. Also Spring returns, Canadians start wearing bermuda shorts, and shenanigans abound.

It has been a long while since I have written post one here. I'm Chris, the instigator of the original 30 Day Rule thread. It is a concept started by @GDCarrington, and it is not my original idea. The group is very different now, and much larger, than when we started out five years ago. This is the most amazing corner of any hobby forum. Absolute experts gather here and teach newbies in a place where fun and brotherly love rule the day.@NCoxSTL shot this group into the stratosphere and you guys never looked back. Neal's passion and humor shine through, and he has cultivated a true culture of fellowship and knowledge. We owe him a big round of applause for staying the course for so long!

If you have recently converted from cart shaving, thanks for being here. Someone here has the answer to your issue. If fast mastery of a new tool is your goal, the 30 Day Rule is the best way to make it happen.


The 30 Day Rule (designed to build solid technique or learn new technique)

1 brush, 1 soap, 1 brand of blades, 1 razor, 30 Days. The rule is really that simple. It seems boring, but this is probably the most straightforward way to learn for a brand new shaver. This is the exercise that really allowed me to clearly see the interplay between the four elements. It is highly recommended for newly converted shavers and more experienced shavers who have a problem that defies resolution. This exercise eliminates variables and will likely solve any problem you may have, with a strict scientific approach. Any thing that strays from these simple guidelines is not a rule, but rather a focus (not that there's anything wrong with that!)

The 30 Day Focus (more flexible, for exploring and comparing)

This is a less rigorous exercise, designed for exploration and comparison of gear and technique. This is the most common exercise on the thread. Generally the elements are rotated one by one to allow clear observation. Examples of focus areas include brush types, blades, soaps, razor variants, or technique foci as a standalone.

These are the suggested guidelines, and serve as a starting point for the discussion each month. Any thematic elements are up to each individual. We believe that if you've ever sought a great shave, you have something to offer. And if you're searching for great shaves, we will definitely try to help. If you are new to TSD, I believe you've landed in a great place. Everyone here participating would love to answer your questions and help you get the most from your shaving. We are very glad you're here! So, if you're new, stop in for a gluten free snickerdoodle cookie and meet the crew. It's always ok to bring ice cream too.

Rules remain the same.

1. New Members always welcome. Start anytime.
2. Old Members always welcome. Ok, ok…you’re not old. You’re experienced.
3. Respect everyone and observe The Golden Rule
4. Follow the rules of the forum at all times
5. All razor types and styles welcome here
6. There is no such thing as a stupid question, or a question that has been asked too many times. If you need to know something just ask!
7. If you want cookies, you know where to find them. We are currently working to restore shipments of Ice Cream from the Ice Cream Collective. Negotiations continue.
8. If you are completely at a loss to understand the Cartel, Rebellion, etc. etc……know that these all fall under the category of “shenanigans”. It’s just another thing we do.

Rules 3, 4, 5, and 6 are absolute. All are welcome here.

Class photo time....

 

Anybody looking for Shavette help?

I'm in.

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He's serious. And he's ninja good with shavettes. For those wanting to try them or get better with them - he's the guy. I'll be joining in this month with my pain sticks as well as pulling some of the shavettes in the Cartel collection out of storage. Should be a great month!

 

If I even teach one real newbie for a 30 Day Shavette Rule...

I'll go hit a grocery store, and use generic DE broken blades.

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Pain stick... Post your Rápiea disaster. And there's my Halloween OC newbie shave.

Me and Neal have donated blood so newbies don't need to.

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Ok, I will be helping out the shavette newbies and the rusty shavette shavers. I will be joining Patrick, Charlie and Tim in their shavette focus for the first 2 weeks. The last 2 weeks I will be using straights, my 2 SE's, and sprinkle in a few more shavette shaves to support them at the end of the month. So I will call this a no DE shave month and that includes shaving my head.

 

30 Day Rule for Me

Worst DE blade choice available, hand broken.

Parker SRX (Shavettw like tool)

Some soap.

Let us rocketh the House.

Have a great March... It's gonna be fun.


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Yes!!!!

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Neal remains best 30DC host ever. I'm just here to incite Madness.

It's March.

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Yes!!!!!!

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Kicking off March with a huge grin, a 9/8 smiling razor from Mike Martinez. I also used the kettle and scuttle for some hot lather with Fine shaving soap. To continue to big theme I used a monster sized Polo 12.

The later was hot and slick and this razor has the sharpest edge I have ever used, the lights touch and the whiskers leap away. I only use this razor when I have the time to concentrate, but she does deliver and an amazing shave. Finished it off with some vintage Chanel Cuir de Russie.

A quick note since this is the beginning of the month. Most of the time I use some fancy artisan straight razors, this has no impact on the quality of my shave. Any edge as long as it sharp enough and wielded with skill is capable of delivering an epic shave. For straights, open blades, it is all about the edge. The darkest corner of the Dark Side is where shavettes live and frolic. I encourage all who want to give it a go to spend a month learning to shave with a shavette, it will improve your shaves no matter your tool.

 

30 Day Rule

• Razor: Utopia Care shavette
• Blade: Personnas Blue (snapped in half)
• Brush: Stirling Kong
• Soap: Soap Commander "Drive"

Oh, what a rash and bloody deed is this!

 

That's not a smile... that's a grin!

Beautiful shave, Keith! You always bring it when it comes to gear

 

What happened?

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Game on.

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March 1

Parker SRX and L4 Gillette Travel Tech
Voskhod (1)
Simpson Chubby 2 Super
Tabac
Alum, Thayers WH, USB/Almond Oil, Floid Vigoroso, & Aramis EdT

2020 Shavette Focus Shave # 5

It's March, so let's bring out the shavettes! I enjoyed a nice, easy, smooth as silk two-passer this morning. Thermodynamics, Kung Fu, Poetry in Motion, and no blood loss fail to completely describe the experience.



I took a Thursday through Saturday detour with the Travel Tech just for fun, and this was yesterday's shave at our Sunday School retreat. The Tech is a fun little razor to use. It has a narrow sweet spot, but once you find it, it's almost like cookies and ice cream. I've used Neutrogena brushless shave cream for several years, and it's a staple in my Den for shaves when time is limited or when I'm packing light. I finished up with a clear water rinse, unrefined shea butter, and I was good to go.



I wore a Seiko 6139 with a yellow dial like the one shown below all through high school. One of the coolest watches of all time. Sure wish I still had it.



All is well on this Sunday morning in my neck of the woods, and I look forward to being part of this elite band of misfits again this month. I remain committed to mutual edification, shenanigans, and ice cream, not necessarily in that order. Have a fantastic Sunday, gentlemen!

 

You folks are, on a 1-10 scale, about a 15 when it comes to bravery for using such an animal with me being somewhere around a 1-2 if not a minus something.
Seriously, I don't know I'd ever try one of these because of "handshake" at times. I've developed a personal technique for using a DE when that happens.
So, I'll think about it these 30 days and see what I end up with!

One thing that's crossed my mind is something I tried yesterday for the first time. I'd read in a thread on here about adding glycerin to the lathering process. I bought a bottle of glycerin u.s.p. at the drug store and added 3 drops to my lathering bowl along with my usual Proraso Green Cream. Folks, my lather yesterday seemed to jump up quickly to an amount, appearance, and consistency that I'd not had before. All my other parameters were as close to the same as I could make them without an involved measuring process which I'm not equipped, or inclined, to do. So, it would appear the glycerin did "something." I haven't read much here about using glycerin, so I'm wondering?

 

—> Carryover Action (2/19 kickoff) <—​

30 Day Rule (Recap)

• Brush WCS “Lantern” Silvertip *Note- It’s actually the “Torch” model... original post is incorrect
• Soap Stirling Scots Pine
• Razor Herder #77

Pre/Post (so far/may vary)

• Pre-Shave Stirling Mentholated Pre-Shave Soap scrub and hot water rinses, post-shower
  
• Post-Shave Cold rinse, Alum rub, AS Splash, followed with AS Balm, re-up on the balm 2-3x through the day as desired

3/1 Shave #8 fell short of expectations. Bummer! Trouble spot today was upper lip, left side. Same problem through both WTG passes. Final result is SAS- not a failure but a disappointment nonetheless.

Issue #1- I can’t decide on skin flattening method for the upper lip... whether to stretch out my lips in a smile/grin or to purse the lips.

Issue #2- I’m not following a process/sequence though my passes. This presents a problem because I find myself deciding which hand to use in certain areas instead of naturally flowing through the pass.

Issue #3- Combination of preceding issues caused a stall. An unnatural pause in which I was trying different approaches instead of confidently knowing exactly what I’m doing. And I ended up with a cluster of weepers and a partially painful and disappointing portion of the shave.

Strategy-
I need to do some dry runs and map out my strokes. Figure out which hand does what and when. Try a few different sequences maybe. See what feels good; where do I have the most control and which angles preserve or improve visibility.

So what I’m going to do is tape my edge and lather up for some blanked-edge passes, using the actual 30DR razor. This ought to give me perfect opportunities to repeat strokes and try alternate approaches, so I can figure out my sequences and make my passes more natural.

 

Wonderful shaves and report Charlie.

 

Great idea on the Glycerin. Another hint, is to add 3 drops per oz of aftershave to your alcohol based aftershaves. This will really help the post shave skin care of the aftershave.