May 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic-Discussion Thread

Nice flick. Happy Friday to you also.

 

Excellent picture Clint.

 

Thanks Doug.

 

Brush Focus: Day 1.

Brush: WDC-1 Grandfather's Brush, Whipped Dog Black Badger knot, 24/67 knot depth 15mm
Gillette Super Speed, 1947 Birth Razor.
Gillette Platinum Blade
Bowl:K.O Shave
Soap: Jack's Soap
The Shave Den A/S, Coconut.
Old Spice Coffee Mug.

I find that 15 mm is a good depth for 67mm Knots. The Black Badger holds water and soap perfectly. I let the brush soak in the Old Spice Coffee Mug in a brush stand for a few minutes. I would say 2-4 minutes(warm water). I'm doing other things getting ready for my shave and I don't pay much attention to the time. I don't shake out the brush just remove it from the mug and hit the soap. I usually take three passes, but if I'm having fun I'll take clean up pass.
I don't think you could go wrong with this knot. Great to be back using Gillette Super Speeds. this is one of my favorite razors. Jack' Soap is a good soap and lathers well. First time using the Gillette Platinum Blade so I'll need a few more shave with it.
The Shave Den Coconut is an excellent A/S.

 

If you can be certain your razor is well-honed (sharp!) and if it is not the blade, then the source of the irritation is probably technique.
Razor burn is an irritation to the skin usually caused by a dull or blunt blade edge or improper technique. Some of the likely culprits: Improper blade angle, dry shaving (not enough moisture or lubrication), too much pressure, shaving too quickly, too many passes in one area.
When learning to use a straight razor, it is also important to stretch the skin being shaved. Many beginners tend to overdo the amount of razor strokes in one area, trying to adjust to the awkwardness of maneuvering the blade. Too steep or too shallow an angle can also aggravate the skin.
Usually nothing greater than a 30° angle is preferred for a comfortable SR shave. Greater than 30...45 to 90° can lead to scraping of the skin = irritation. Find the proper comfortable angle takes a bit of practice. This illustration has some 'recommended' angles to efficiently mow down the hair and minimize irritation:


I find, particularly with the upstroke on the throat, the 5 to 15° angles work best for me, where the blade is nearly flat—but not quite— on the skin in some areas. Remember: We're slicing hairs here, not chopping them.

 

May 1

Stirling Sheep facial soap
Merkur 37C slant bar razor
Feather blade (day 2)
Omega 98 Professional boar brush
Arko & glycerin
Two passes plus touch-ups
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Alt-Innsbruck

This shave concludes my month-long evaluation of Arko. My Mayhem shaves begin tomorrow. This will include my Weber PH loaded with a Feather blade. I plan to rotate between different "high-end" products, including MdC, XPEC, and Le Pere Lucien. I'll mainly use my Rudy Vey two-bander, but I may use other brushes as well. My goal is to see if any of these high-end products can perform as well as, or better than, Arko for me.

I've had more terrific shaves during April than any other month since I started wet shaving. This month, I gained a huge appreciation for Arko in terms of its pure shaving performance. For me, the shaves are more enjoyable when I load my brush off the puck rather than using Arko as a shave stick. I've also improved my lathering skills and come to appreciate the value of a good boar brush, like the Omega Pro 98, when working with a soap. All things considered, my confidence and skill has improved to the point that I can consistently get a near-BBS daily shave with two passes and a few touch-ups.

I've enjoyed following everyone's progress and learning from each of you over the past month. A big thanks to @Bama Samurai for being TSD's "Pat Sajak" for these 30-day runs.

Have a great weekend, and I'll close with a photo that reminds me of "Ali vs. Frazier," "Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed," and maybe even "Vanilla vs. Tutti Frutti."

 

Focus- Mongoose MAYhem
Pre- Hot shower
Razor- Mongoose B2
Blade- Feather Pro
Soap- MWF + Rose of Bulgaria superlather
Brush- Semogue 1305
Post- Cold water rinse, alum as needed
Aftershave- RR Lime Problem Solver



About a year and a half ago I threw out all of my cartridge razors and canned foam. This was after a first wet shave that could only be described as a game changer!

I have since made many incremental improvements in both technique and tools, but never had another game changing moment until I picked up the Mongoose.

The razor itself is great, but it's the buy in to access the Feather and Kai blades that make this experience truly unique. They are an order of magnitude better than any DE blades I have tried.

I started the week prior to the focus working with a Kai mild blade. Five days of perfect two pass shaves (one WTG one XTG). The shave was so efficient and yet so mild that I already felt confident jumping right up to a Feather Pro tonight.

Tonight's shave felt more like wiping a chalk drawn beard off of my face than actually shaving. This focus is going to be simultaneously anticlimactic and a great time.

I'm going to shave with the pro for a week, then move up to a super for the rest of the month. I then want to dial in using the super, and see how many shaves I get out of a blade. The Kai was still as good as new after five shaves. I stuck it back in with the samples, just because I couldn't bear to throw it out.

I would like to thank Clint for helping me tremendously with this. He also rushed me over some blades because tryablade.com was down for a week. You are the best

 

It's back to 14-15 hour shifts at work so I'll probably skip several shaves. Hopefully at least by Monday I'll have enough time to actually focus on it. Have a good weekend everyone.

 

I am confident in Larry and Glen's honing. I am also confident that my technique stinks right now! I WILL be leaning on the collective brain trust here to make this a reality over the next 100 days. Thanks for the areas to focus on Kevin. @HolyRollah

 

05/02/15

Razor - Schick Injector J3

Blade – Chinese Schick (1)

Brush – TGN Synthetic 

Lather – Soap Commander Confidence

Post - Floid Blue Sample




I'm on a motorcycle trip in the NC mountains this weekend. I have several bike trips this summer and plan to use this razor and brush combo on each trip. For me, the injector provides a drama free shave. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

 

5/1/15 - Brush focus

I am including my occasional head shaves (2-3 times a week) in my brush focus rotation. Next up was the TGN synthetic knot with the St. James cream. This brush doesn't whip up quite as much lather from the cream as my badger or horse brushes, but the lather is always pretty dense and slick. The synthetic knot has plenty of backbone to paint and swirl a white helmet of protection onto my scalp. A small amount of cream made enough lather for more than the 2 passes it took to make my head slick and shiny.

Prep: warm wash with Kirk's Castile soap
Lather: St. James Mandarin & Patchouli
Brush: TGN synthetic
Razor: Weber PH
Blade: Merkur Super (3)
Post: Old Spice Pure Sport aftershave


I think I have 1 more shave on the St. James cream and then that jar is done. As near as I can tell from my records (sheesh is that nerdy to keep shaving records?) this cream has provided 54 shaves from the jar.

 

@SDK I'm glad that you are enjoying the Mongoose and it was my pleasure to help out with the blades.

 

May 2, 2015 - brush focus month

I used up the St. James cream today after 54 or 55 shaves. Good stuff. I received this jar last July as a giveaway over on B&B. It is nice. I might replace it in 5 years when I work through the inventory of soaps I have on hand at the moment.

The Omega 10066 provided a nice lather today. This brush is broken in nicely and never surprises me. Honestly, I could use this brush every day and be completely happy. Fortunately, I don't need to. It cleared out the jar nicely and soon made up a slick and shiny lather. I had a nice 2 pass shave with some touch-ups on my neck and all was good. I likely had enough lather in the brush for at least 2 more passes.

 

May 2

Stirling Sheep facial soap
Weber PH
Feather blade (day 1)
Rudy Vey Shavemac two-band silvertip
MdC scented shave soap & glycerin
Three passes
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Alt-Innsbruck

This was my first shave using this set up. I usually go for a two-pass shave, but I snuck in three passes today because it was going so well. I'm as close to having a comfortable BBS shave as I've ever had. I absolutely love the looks and feel of the Weber PH. It may be my favorite overall razor. Practice is required to get an MdC lather that is as slick and protective as the Arko. Using my Chubby-handle brush compared to the Omega Pro 98 also proved to be different.

It is a beautiful morning, and I'm off to have some fun with the Bride today. Have a great Saturday!

 

I love my Weber. Great quality and consistent efficient shaves. Good choice. Have a great day!

 

MAY 2 SATURDAY
Day One in the 30-Day Process
Using only 4 straights this month, I began by selecting the first straight razor I owned and learned upon: a double-shouldered, 3-pin Solingen-made razor from Heinrich Böker & Co. The razor is full-hollow ground with a square point. One of the many things I've always enjoyed in using the razor is it's reliability: It holds a true edge, smooth; a lightweight blade that provides considerable audible feedback during the shave. One important discovery I made when learning to shave on this type blade is to always be mindful of the straight razor's square or spike point! After a few painful reminders (nearly a dozen small cheek and throat slices), I became very conscientious in maintaining the proper distance (close proximity) between my razor-holding hand and my face. The further one holds one's hand from the chin, for example, the great the angle and the increased likelihood of one getting poked by the sharp tip. There's nothing like a sharp poke in the cheek to serve a good memorable reminder!
I'll be using one type of soap these 30 days to minimize the variables in the shave. I've chosen my favorite soap, the two varieties of Martin de Candre; Scented and Fougére—identical in properties with the exception of the scent.

The SHAVE: One thing about straight razor shaving—there is is no ONE CORRECT process that fits all. We all have differing hair patterns and thicknesses of growth. Through practice, one gets to know how the beard grows and find the most efficient method to minimize the number of passes required to achieve smoothness. Less strokes = saves time and rescues risk of irritation.

My typical process is a three-pass shave. First pass is the typical downstroke, beginning at the sideburns, down the cheek, jawline and throat. I start on my left side using my left hand (dominant), and work my way towards my chin. I make it to the midpoint on my face, including shaving the adams's apple, I switch to my right hand. Since I sport a mustache and 'soul patch' there no shaving of the upper lip or just below the lower lip. I repeat the process of the downstroke on the right side, working from sideburns to chin. [ With the Böker, this is the easiest of the three passes. Good audible feedback lets me know I'm mowing through the stubble.] End of Pass One. Time to re-lather for the next.

For the next pass, I begin working laterally from ear-to-chin direction; cheek and jawline to chin. Left-hand, left side; right-hand, right side. Then, same pass, begin using an upstroke on the throat towards the jawline. [With a square or spike point razor, such as this Böker, the lateral strokes is where it is especially important to be mindful of keeping your razor-wielding hand close to your face to minimize risk of injury from the tip.]

For my final pass, I repeat the initial downstroke, altering the directions slightly around the jawline,a and repeat the upstroke on certain spots on my throat which tend to be more stubborn. [My toughest patches, those that always require additional strokes, is just under the jawbone line of the throat (on both sides) where beard growth is at an odd angle. To get BBS smooth there, I use an angled upstroke in the direction of my mouth (or nose). This was the hardest stroke for me to get comfortable using, but it solved the problem.

In hindsight, the Böker turned out a very solid razor for a beginner to learn upon. It is lightweight, ideal blade size (5/8) and thus, easy to maneuver. The prominent audible feedback (ANY full-hollow razor should provide distinct feedback) is informative and lets the user know when the surface is smooth (silence!). My only caveat would be for a beginner to start with a safer round point tip versus the square or spike.

I look forward to spending more time this week with this fine razor! Böker made a fine straight razor of exceptional steel. No surprise this company has been around since 1837 and has a well-earned rep for quality razors and knives.

 

Thank you, Troy. I hope you had a good one today as well!

 

Blade Focus Day 2:

Homemade PS Oil
Vie-long Horsehair Brush
Stirling Port-au-Prince SS
EJ Chatsworth Barley
Gillette Nacet
Stirling Unscented PSB
Tabac AS

Day 2 on the Gillette Nacet, and I have to say I am enjoying this blade. Pretty smooth and is providing a close shave. I am getting very little if any irritation. The Port-au-Prince just added to the experience.

 

This will go down on your permanent record....

 

Hang tough! Have a safe week working!