Nov 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus

Tuesday evening November 28 - what ho, Jeeves

Gillette Black Beauty on 4 / Topaz Platinum ( 2 )
Simpsons Chubby 2 Synthetic
Jeeves of Hudson Street Cherry Blossom soap
Jeeves of Hudson Street Cherry Blossom Aftershave

My Thanksgiving sale order from Canadianbladeco arrived today. Bottles of aftershave to match my Jeeves Private Study (Bay Rum) and Turkish Bath (Barbershop) soaps as well as the new matching Cherry Blossom soap and splash. Naturally, I had to try something out immediately.

The Cherry Blossom is listed as a mix of fruit and flower scents, most of which I have never smelled anyway. I sense it as a nice mild mixture of unknown light fruit and flower scents. Very pleasant and probably a great spring or summer scent for those who like to match their shaving products to the seasons.

I loaded the Soap Destroyer super goop style, then face lathered the resulting brushload. It gave me the best lather I have ever gotten from a Jeeves product. (Once again, the shortcomings of my previous stingier soap loading technique were highlighted for me.) Three passes worth of lather - one more than I planned - and enough thick creamy lather squeezed out of the brush afterwards for another complete shave.

I don’t know exactly how I did with today's shave, because I forgot to use the alum. The alcohol in the splash did burn under my chin for a minute before the effects of the witch hazel and glycerin and then the menthol kicked in. The combination of the tallow soap followed by the aftershave has left my face feeling smooth and well-tended.

I would like to thank the Denizens and especially the 30DC members who recommended Jeeves products. I liked the soaps and now like the aftershaves too.

 

Thank you Clint. Just 2 more shaves.

 

Excellent write up. From the reviews I need to add Jeeves to the "Try" list. I need to empty out some stuff first though.

 

I hear you. I am going to rotate the Blu and Rossa through Saturday so 4 more shaves before I put the stuff away.

 

Sounds good Clint. You have shown good discipline this month sticking with your choice of soaps.

 

Nuavia is a really great soap so that has made it easier. I just get bored easily which can be a problem.

 

Thanks, Clint. I would say Jeeves is one of the better artisan products out there. Once you get into the higher quality offerings, ranking them becomes more an exercise in personal preference than anything else, but Jeeves is definitely up there somewhere.

I also like the fact it comes in sturdy tubs that are wide enough and deep enough to allow easy loading even with a good-sized brush. I hate those two-inch wide tins the same depth as the puck so you can't brush load without slopping everywhere.

 

Wednesday shave

Today is sample L and it was the best of the lot, slick, cushion and smells nice too. Four passes to epic, this J West still has the nice edge Glen gave it.

Irritation A+ Closeness A+ Smoothness A+ Sharpness A

Razor: J West
Stop: SRD
Brush: Etsy silver tip
Pre: Nivea
Soap: “L”
AS: Speick AS, L’Occitane Cade
Scent: Le Labo Santal 33

 

NOVember Arrgh, Off The Wagon

Colgate Cup Soap + Cremo Regular
Omega Pro 98 boar and cool water
'70 Gillette Super-84 on 7, Sputnik
Alum, Pinaud S.R., Raw Shea Butter


Bump - fell off the wagon. Not unusual for me. Difficult to Focus with a Shiny New Thing looking at me. The Ming Shi has proven itself a usable blade holder. Not so sure about the vintage Colgate Cup Soap. I found a reference to the product selling for $0.35 whereas mine is marked 15¢. It's now discontinued and selling for almost fourteen bucks on Amazon. Being no stranger to old dried out lathering products I gave it a try. I dropped it into a Dollar Store container and regretted the smallness. Poking with a damp boar knot I never did get a good load. The container got the Wool Fat Hydration Method in hopes of softening... We'll see. A shot of Cremo didn't increase the lather, but did make the little bit of product smear around better. Dropped a fresh piece of Russian steel into the other Distraction and cranked it up. No stranger to old adjustables I skipped passed lower setting with Neal like efficiency. The Seven looked like a good starting point considering I do a Fat Boy on Nine with a Feather. Sub par lather, a new to me razor. What's the worse that could happen! Three passes, fighting to get enough suds for the last and a clean up pass. Only one good nick on my chin that I blame on the less than Fat DE head. A DFS with sparks from the alum and the AS made me want to sing in a manly way. I've seen Charlie @wristwatchb mention Shea Butter. I'd purchased a tub from a local shop but kept forgetting to ask how he applies it. Can't be too difficult, right? This product isn't a creamy lotion. It's 100% natural African Shea butter. Chunky, several shades of yellow, looks like it would go great on a hot biscuit. So I poked the chunks until some stuck to my finger and rubbed it on my face. I'm not allergic to anything I know of. It feels good on my slightly abused skin. Further reports if it goes sideways.
Good Shaves Y'all!

 

You haven't run out of photo ideas yet! Looks great!

 

Great picture, Keith!

 

Entertaining write up, Rick! I have yet to try shea butter. I believe @clint64 uses it as well. Anyway, fun stuff to read!

 

Now that’s an entertaining shave report! Thanks for the chuckle this evening Rick!

 

Thanks Perry & Bruce!
After spending ten days away from home, it's nice to return to my Fortress of Solitude. The grandkids are growing up fast and I enjoyed spending time with them and their Support Staff. I did my grandfatherly duty and sugared them up before heading home.

​

 

Cool photo and a great write up, Rick.

 

Really interesting looking brush, Keith. A different handle and a nice looking knot. Do you know where the knot is from?

 

Rick, I'm sorry you had some troubles with your shave, but I'm glad you used shea butter.

I used unrefined shea butter, and it is a solid. I get a little bit on a finger tip, rub it between my palms to melt it, and then rub it on my face. Skip to 2:30 in the video below to see how it's applied. It helps to have dance music playing in the background. It can be greasy if you use too much. You can use a kleenex to blot off the excess. It really does a good job of moisturizing the skin and calming irritation. This is what I get. It is enough to last me 18 months, so the price per use is reasonable. I keep a half-ounce container on my sink top or in my travel kit. It has a slight nutty odor. I credit my friend @celestino for turning me on to USB a few years ago on another shaving forum. I've used it for about four years now.

My hands also tend to crack and bleed during the winter, and this is the very best moisturizer I've found for my hands. It's a whole lot cheaper than the expensive hand creams I used to use. My sister-in-law claims it soothes sunburn better than anything she's used. My Bride uses it on dry lips and heels. I haven't tried it on bisquits yet. If you tell me it's good for that, I'll add it to my sales pitch.

Rumor has it that @NCoxSTL uses USB to grease the floor in the mattress shop. When potential customers try to make a run for it, they slip and fall. Without so much as blinking, Neal then continues with his sales pitch while the ambulance is en route.

I hope it works well for you!

 

Thank you!

 

Thank you!

 

Penny shaves? Absolutely. We're there now.