May 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic-Discussion Thread

05/11/2015
Razor – Mongoose B2 with Jürgen Hempel Ti
Blade –Feather Super Pro (13)
Brush –Shavemac Silvertip D01
Lather – Strop Shoppe Baker Street
Post - Witch Hazel and Floid Vigoroso Sample



Fantastic near BBS 2 pass shave with touch ups. Had to work a little more with the touch ups. I think this blade is just about done. Hoping to squeeze on more shave out of it to make an even 2 weeks. Finished up with the normal witch hazel followed by some Floid Vigoroso from the sampler pack. Hope everyone has a great week this week.

 

Day #2 of 3 using the Shark blade. Felt kind of rough. WTG, XTG, ATG was too much.

As I mentioned in another thread, a Labrador licking your face really soothes razor burn. This probably is not cost-effective for most new shavers, but if you have a Labrador available you might try it.

 

Sorry, it was the Shark model.

I used the Sharp previously. It was OK, I had to use more pressure to do the work. OTOH, there were not weepers or cuts. Meh.

The Shark feels much sharper. I must be attentive using it and it feels rough. The very sharp BIC also felt rough. It may be my technique or the skin is sensitive for very sharp blades.

 

Aggressive Apri...errrr May? - Day 28 (5/11/15)



Prep: Hot shower
Soap: Arko
Brush: Omega 13522
Razor: Cadet OC
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Post: Witch Hazel, Nivea Sensitive Balm
Scent: Tommy Bahama Very Cool

Same shave as Saturday just not quite as good. But close.

 

Day#10 of 30-day Focus
Third consecutive day using the Otto. Standard procedure early this morning— brush soaking in sink of cold water while I shower, razor gets 30 laps on linen, 50 on horsehide, no preshave balm. Three-pass shave planned.
Hairy Situation: One challenge I have faced daily these past six months (as others with mustaches do) is efficiently and carefully trimming/shaving around both my expanding 'stache and soul patch.
Shown here about 3 months ago. Both have grown larger, covering more face real estate.
I find this task slightly easier with a straight than with a DE razor—and FAR easier than when I was using a cartridge razor years ago. A square point also allows a clean trim edge—but one must be wary as it is sharp. I fold back the mustache ends to trim beneath and around the upper lip/corner of the mouth. Trimming around the nostrils (area above the mustache) requires a steady hand and repeated downward strokes.

BEFORE I grew the mustache, shaving the upper lip was a far easier task. It required a minimum of two passes; 3 passes if I was feeling bold. The first stroke (downstroke) is a no brainer. The second stroke (either towards the nose or away from the nose) is a bit trickier. The last stroke, if necessary, is a riskier upwards stroke (often referred to a 'the fool's pass') from mouth-to-nose direction. The pass requires holding the razor with two hands by the spine with the edge facing upward; stretching the upper lip (by drawing the mouth downward) and carefully shaving with repeated upward strokes on the upper lip towards the nostrils. Some master this stroke easily. Others struggle with it. I had some difficulty getting comfortable with this stroke and usually avoided it. Two passes did the job. Point is moot now since I no longer shave the upper lip…..

 

30 Day Rule with a Schick!!


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The Weekend Razor Roundup!

Thurs 7 May - Sun 10 May

Thursday was day seven on the Chinese Schick...still smooth.
Friday (8) was an afternoon 2 Pass BFS.
Saturday (9), another 2Pass.
Sunday (10) was back in Colorado!

This weekend I was on a quick trip to let Mrs Samurai have a little fun! We flew out last Thursday on a 6pm flight to Grand Rapids, Michigan. After a night's rest, we took a leisurely drive Friday to Traverse City to visit Mrs Samurai's childhood best friend (along with her husband and kids). We spent Friday (87F outside) along the shore and in the older areas of Traverse, walking the streets, talking, enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Dinner that night was a place called "The Little Fleet", a collection of food truck vendors that congregate on Front Street each weekend. Lengua tacos taste way better when you're sitting next to Lake Michigan!

Saturday morning, the girls went for some nail/spa stuff...so the boys hit Nolan's Tobacconist in downtown Traverse. They are a great shop, if you dig fine tobacco, and have a truly impressive walk-in humidor. After some lunch at a cool Oaxacan style restaurant, we headed back to the house and got the 4 adults ready to drive back to Grand Rapids for dinner and Hall & Oates at Van Andel Arena. Mrs Samurai had a great weekend...and we flew back early Sunday to catch most of Mother's Day back here on the range in Colorado.

Back to the shaving... I ended up unintentionally going minimalist. I neglected to bring Veg or any AS beyond Alum. This ended up not mattering much, it seems Alum alone and a dab of moisturizer (after the Alum dried) were just fine. Once again I also noted the soft water on my trip. The water at my home in Colorado is hard enough to take the paint off of a car. All of my lathering techniques are centered around the presence of hard water. I found my normal brush load with Proraso was too much soap for the soft water. I did however notice how soft and clean my skin felt after the shaves. As far as shaving while traveling, injectors seem to be the easiest for me... The only thing I missed was some Veg.

Will do day eleven on blade one tonight!

Happy Monday!
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The Fool's pass was cringe-inducing.

 

I think I know the secret to Williams. Is it "rub the puck on your face"?



@CyanideMetal

 

The last time I can remember shaving was the Sunday before last. I'm sure it's been sooner than that but I could really use a day off work. Tonight I'm going to force myself to shave no matter how tired I am when I get home which could turn out good or really bad. I guess that's as close as I'll get to mayhem this month lol

 

Cool story about your father! ....and....Those straight shaves take at least 25-30 years off your appearance! Nice!

 

Brush Focus: Day 11
Brush: Frank Shave Brush Beechwood Best Badger,22/55
Gillette Super Speed, A3 Flare Tip (1955)
Gillette Platinum Blade (1)
Bowl: KO Shave
Soap: Jack's Soap
AS: Lucky Tiger
Old Spice Coffee Mug.

Although this brush is supposed to be the same as yesterday's Frank Shave Brush it is totally different. Once again I had to sand it down and apply two coats of polyurethane. This brush has lost hair since day one. It was no better today, still loosing hair. Scritch a little bit, but not bad. The brush has to be continually loaded during the shaving process, plus water add also. If it wasn't for a good razor and blade this shave would have been a disaster. Amazing how two brushes that are supposed to be the same can be so different. This brush goes to the back of the bus and won't get used again. Life is just to short.

 

Blade Focus Day 11:

Homemade PS Oil
Vie-long Horsehair Brush
Stirling Frozen Tundra
EJ Chatsworth Barley
Trig Silver Edge
Stirling Unscented PSB
Stirling Glacial Lemon Chill AS

Day 3 of the Trig and glad it is the last. Just not a smooth shave and today not too close either. The best part of the shave was Menthol Monday, which is always refreshing. I'll pick a new blade for the morning.

 

MAYhem & Mercy
May 11, 2015
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Tweezerman Badger
Soap - Williams (I am really tired of this) Mug Shave Soap
Razor - Soyuz 1
Blade - (1)
Post - Alum, Nivea Replenishing Post Shave Balm

Onward and forward with MAYhem. After yesterday's return to sanity it was tough to load up the Soyuz 1 today. What was tougher was getting the Williams back in action. The thin lather and the smell just didn't get me off to a good start this morning. Not that it was any worse than normal, nor even really bad since it lasted through each pass, just not the kind of lather I enjoy at ALL. (Sigh) Oh well, suck it up, put on your big boy panties and let's shave.

The Sharp blade, another entry from Samah Razor Products in Bangladesh, has sometimes been referred to as the worst blade available. It does have new packaging...I'll get a pic of that for tomorrow....but same blade as before. Now, in fairness, my BBS from late yesterday morning set the stage for success for almost any blade and razor. It's hard not to get a solid DFS when you start at a near CCS. Alas, the Sharp only got me to a near, well maybe just barely there DFS. I suspect tomorrow's shave will reveal an incredibly dull and rough blade but I'll withhold judgement until then. I could be I was just miffed over the Williams on my face today.

On one interesting note that looks forward to next week I soaked and rinsed the Bigelow out of my Vie LOng 12705. The tips now have a nice menthol scent, the rest of the brush will still gag a maggot. So it's an Arko lather and soak overnight tonight to try and drive out some more of the fun. The bristles are great though. Lots of backbone and yet soft. Looking forward to getting it ready to go! Hope you all had a great, and Williams free, Monday!

 

Is it possible to shave too close, I mean without cutting yourself... I'm finding that my straights wtg, xtg and de atg is uber close - closer than any cartridge or de only shave. Almost like my entire face is mildly ingrown.
Thanks,
Eric

 

I have the amazing results with the help of a de but without it I just haven't been able to achieve the same results

 

How many passes are you doing with the straight?

 

I used a DE razor (Muhle r41) for 'clean-up' duty after my SR shaves for at least the first 2-3 months. But about 3 months of SR shaves, I was starting to really get the hang of all the angles and tough spots so eventually, the DE wasn't necessary.
But that's just MY experience. Some get the hang of it much faster. I'm more of a 'slow & steady' approach kinda guy…. 3 SR passes, plus touch-up, became my norm. Now sometimes I can get by with two thorough passes.

 

I think I need to try and cut down on the number of strokes that is considered a pass.

 

Two (or maybe three, at most) short downward strokes is usually enough for a single SR pass. With some razors, a single long stroke will work, but I prefer short, measured stories with a slight overlap
Watch Lynn Abrams in this video at the 15:20 mark where he is shaving from sideburn to jawline…short, overlapping strokes…he goes over the area TWICE and is done!

 

I noticed last month with the CJB that I had to concentrate on longer strokes and not as many short ones covering the same area. Irritation deluxe with too many in my experience.