No Variation November - A TSD Challenge

You are correct in your assumption.

 

Wednesday's


Dove Men Face Wash
Tabac Shaving Soap
Jayaruh #27 Silver Tip
Gillette Super Adjustable
Astra Super Platinum
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Lemon WH
Aqua Velva AS​

The Tabac Shaving Soap face-lathered well with my Jayaruh #27 Silver Tip brush. Two passes with my Gillette Super Adjustable razor on 6 and an Astra Super Platinum blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Lemon WH and then Aqua Velva after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Fourth shave of No Variation NoVember.
​

 

I use 8 with the Feather. Realistically anything six or higher gives me a great shave.

 

Today was day four with the dreaded Feather AC SS and I am starting to see some improvements. I did an uneventful WTG pass with no irritation or weepers. This gave me enough confidence to try some ATG cleanup on my neck. I managed to get a CCS with only only one minor weeper on my neck. It wasn't even bad enough to require the styptic pencil. I'm still not going to be overconfident and will not chase BBS for a while, as I don't need any more scars

 

November 4, 2015

No Variation NoVember
This No Variation month is perfect for me to learn skills with new-to-me equipment.

Razor: Mongoose B3
Blades: Feather Artist Club Professional (4)
Soap: Saponificio Varesino Manna
Brush: Omega 31025 Scarlatti Boar
AS: Changes at will. Today: Myrsol Blue



Razor / Blade - After my usual shave on Tuesday, this morning I woke up with the least amount of growth the day after a shave than ever. I guess that speaks to the quality of the cut of this combo.

Thanks to a suggestion from @clint64 I’m working on figuring out the best attack angle around my mustache and goatee/patch with the oversized head of the Mongoose. Otherwise it will require a two-razor shave with an injector doing the trim work.

Another great shave today.

After the initial impressions from three shaves with this Razor / Blade, my goals for the month are to:

• develop an efficient two-pass shave pattern eliminating missed spots.
• develop a trim strategy around facial hair.
• determine the “best for me” system on number of shaves per blade.

I will report as well on the soap / brush combo by the end of the week.

Cheers!
RT

 

Day 4 - No Variation Novemeber!

4 November 2015



Utopia 3-piece
Gillette Silver Blue (4)
L'Occitane Plisson Synthetic
Proraso Barbe Dure
Alum
TSD 2x Iced FW AS Splash

Have a triumphant Thursday!
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Since the redness is in the general area of the crease in your skin, I'd say pressure. Nice shirt, BTW.

 

Shave 3 NOVember

Today went great again. Shave 3 on my first blade. It seems to have gotten really smooth. I am curious how many shaves I can get from this blade?
Zero irritation DFS +. Used Brute AS today. Totally digging this razor.

 

Lol, thank you. Dry Tech...no irritation

 

Shavers log...
Shave date: 11.04.2015

Third shave of this 30 day journey. Still going WTG and added a third pass WTG to see if results would vary. The alum has provided encouraging feedback and to my surprise not in the neck area. That's a first.

Observations are as follow... and I would welcome feedback from members of shave fleet.

I settled on Astra SP Blades because they are the ones that most consistently provide me with a confortable shave. So working with them for 30 days seemed like a logical choice. Now I have noticed that at best I can get two shaves out of one blade... and that's pushing it. I've flipped the blades and or rubbed it 10 times against my forearm... but cant bring myself to using those blades more than twice.

I wonder if that's an indication that I'm using blades that are probably not the best for my skin... more testing most be done...

 

Hi! I am glad you have chosen to stick to one setup for learning. That choice will greatly accelerate your learning curve and allow you to develop good sound technique. It sounds as if you are doing well. The blade life issue and the irritation issue are likely two sides of the same coin. First off, two shaves and out is a good guideline for learning. Otherwise you risk adjusting technique to accommodate a dying blade. As for the coin, you are likely using a blade angle that is too steep, scraping your skin and rolling the edge of the blade. Flipping and palm stropping won't fix these issues. You are using the DOC, which is a somewhat mild razor, and also a fave of mine and many others. The key to using any DE razor is to "ride the cap." This means always keeping the top cap of the razor in contact with your skin, insuring a shallow 10-20deg angle of attack against the skin. This should make the razor glide easier, it will avoid scraping excessively, and will over time allow you to avoid dulling blades so quickly. When shaving, angle is the single most critical technique factor to monitor and hold constant throughout the stroke. If, after this month is over, the irritation persists, I would advise switching to a PTFE coated blade like GSB or Voskhod. Any time you need help, you are cordially invited to just drop a message >here<, it's the 30 Day monthly focus thread, and is dedicated to new shavers and devoted to talking technique. Cool group of guys and they would love to help! Good luck with the DOC this week! Great shaves are coming really soon!

 

Great info. I'm looking forward to putting it to use. Thanks bama

 

I will try eight again, it's possible I was having an off day, but tend to like razors a bit aggressive these days.

 

Jim-

It was about this time last year that you replied to one of my posts about face lathering. You explained your methodology and reasoning, and forever changed the way I did things for the better. You and GDC essentially set the foundation for every bit of my shave routine. Thank you.

 

Could you, by any chance, point me to that post? I'm still not sure about my technique, maybe that will give me some new insights as well. You live, you learn - right?

 

Thanks, Chris. Those are kind words indeed. I am glad to have been a help. Face lathering is where it is at, IMHO. And of course Cold Water.

 

​

Thursday's ​

Dove Men Face Wash
Tabac Shaving Soap
Jayaruh #27 Silver Tip
Gillette Super Adjustable
Astra Super Platinum
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Lemon WH
Aqua Velva AS​

The Tabac Shaving Soap face-lathered well with my Jayaruh #27 Silver Tip brush. Two passes with my Gillette Super Adjustable razor on 7 and an Astra Super Platinum blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Lemon WH and then Aqua Velva after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Fifth shave of No Variation NoVember.
​

 

Shave #5 in November and actually 14th in a row with the same setup. Its working well. This razor and soap require very little thought in my morning shave.

Prep: Hot shower
Lather: The Soap Exchange tallow
Brush: Vie-Long 13061M
Razor: Weber PH
Blade: Astra SP
Post: Ogallala Bay Rum Limes & Peppercorns

 

I am finally making progress Today I managed a two pass shave with no real damage. I got one little weeper while trimming around the goatee. I lathered up and did a WTG pass and then lathered again and cleaned up with an ATG pass. I actually have what I would call a DFS.
It is amazing what can be accomplished with a, "This #%?! thing isn't going to beat me" attitude. These focuses have helped me immensely.


SOTD
TOBS grapefruit cream
Rubberset 400
Feather AC SS
Feather Professional (5)
Pitrulon Swiss AS

 

Day 5 - no variation

Another DFS with this morning. The only issues I'm having is the Schick Platinum Plus blades don't stay sharp like the Chinese Schick blades do. My second day on this blade and I could feel it not as sharp as yesterday. I get 7-10 shaves from a Chick blade. At the rate Im using Plat Plus blades I wont make it the entire month. I do have Chick blades on order so hopefully they arrive before Im forced to use the army surplus blades left over from WWII Ive got.
The B&B boar brush is starting to break in nicely. It is becoming a pleasure to use.
The MdC shaving soap is great stuff and looks like it will last forever.