November 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

I hear you. Mine are on display now, as are most all of my razors. The brushes don’t seem to get a comment as she knows I’ve made virtually all of them. The razors...are another story. A few raised eyebrows...
I don’t dare make a display rack for the soaps and aftershaves. They are all housed under the sink. I may have been born at night, but it wasn’t last night.

 

Jason,

I used Feather blades exclusively for the first 3 or 4 years of my traditional shaving journey. It's quite a company, having earned some impressive external certifications, and it has expanded into several different markets over the years. If I ever have the opportunity to travel to Japan, I want to see the Feather Museum. Check out https://www.feather.co.jp/en/company/history.html. It appears the AC blades (or some design leading up to them) were introduced in 1971.

@NCoxSTL, please don't click the link. You'll just get the urge to shave with a Feather autopsy blade. Anything for a thrill. Oh, what the heck...go ahead and click. Anything for 30DC entertainment.

 

Same here. I've tried several "shave soaps" by local makers. Too many disappointing $8-15 purchases that become expensive hand soap.

If Keith @Keithmax has the matching cologne, I'd be curious to hear his impression. Adam @Drygulch - what was the inspiration for the BoS scent? I think it was mentioned it would be available as a choice and our LE set was a sneak peak at something not yet released.

Stirling is approachable, maybe there's something new or they might be persuaded to do another scent. I do like both the scent and performance of P-A-P. I'm not fond of lemongrass as a food spice, but it's great as a clean hygiene product.

Thank you Jim & Clint!

 

Keys to survival: freeze dried food, fresh water, the complete Seinfeld, Cheers, and M*A*S*H DVD sets, unused ammo, strategic stockpile of shaving gear, and appropriately managing the flow of information within the family unit on a need-to-know basis.

 

SOTD November 10, 2018

Prep: Cold water and Stirling mentholated pre-shave soap
Blade: Schick
Razor: Schick G4
Brush: Surrey badger
Soap: Reef Point Classic Barbershop
Post: Witch hazel, Reef Point Classic Barbershop aftershave, Stirling glacial balm

Haven't used this soap in while and was quickly reminded of how slick it is. Wonderful lather whipped up by Surrey brush (restored knot by Jayaruh) and easy shaving with the G4 injector.

A couple of little red spots on my neck that mostly cleared up, but I've been noticing that my face seems a more sensitive in the past couple of weeks. Could it be the weather changing? It's fluctuated wildly with temperatures the past two or three weeks. Wonder if my face and skin is reacting to that? It's an odd feeling honestly and one I can describe fully other than the most sensitive areas, mainly the neck, feel more raw after shaving than usual. Used some Stirling balm today and maybe I need to hydrate some more with lotion at night. I always experience dry skin in the winter so maybe it's related to that.

Anyway, sorry to bore you with a treatise on my skin!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

Wonderful shave, Perry!

You might consider trying some unrefined shea butter to keep your skin moisturized in cooler weather. I use it after my shave and often again at night. Sometimes my Bride uses it as well when her heels become dry and cracked. My sister-in-law thinks it helps soothe and heal sunburn quickly. When I reached 30 years old, I started noticing my skin becoming dryer in the winter. If I don't moisturize my hands, they crack and bleed all winter long. I've searched high and low for decent moisturizers that don't cost a fortune. The USB beats everything I've tried. I get mine here, and I like it because their raw shea butter products carry a purity certification: https://www.bikitanaturals.com/ A 16-ounce container lasts me well over a year.

You need to apply USB sparingly. If you apply too much and it feels heavy or greasy, just blot off the excess with a paper towel.

 

Excellent info, Gentlemen! Much appreciated.

 

I think a shave with a micro-scalpel blade would be much more challenging.

 

Awesome pic, Perry! I have struggled with some red spotting on my neck on and off over the past few years as well. Yours could be product related, but if it comes quite often, it is probably something environmental. Often a combo platter of dryness, reaction, chemical, etc.
I went to a dermatologist last spring. He did tell me to take it easy with high alcohol based aftershaves on my neck, fwiw. I do mainly use splashes with lots of face goodies in them besides straight alcohol.

 

I shot an email to Rod to see about the scents in mutton. I'm a huge fan of mutton tallow and would love to get some of my favorite scents made with it. Or have a wider selection. I'm wondering if there are limitations to what scents can be used with mutton or any other issues. I'm sure we'll find out soon from him.

 

Us South Coasters enjoy all that Summer heat and humidity until it gets cold and dry. Lots of environmental factors besides the outdoor weather. You may be choosing soaps or post shave products with a different set of essential or scent oils.

 

Great shave and photo Perry. I really like the looks of the G4. It could be a host of other environmental issues. My skin does get drier during the winter but I have had reactions to certain products as well. I really notice a reaction if I am wearing dress shirts with a collar. This seems to aggravate any issues I am having at the time. It could be I allergic to work.

 

Sadly I must inform you it's been copyrighted! However I give permission to the cartel to use it...or is it the resistance........there being "Masters of the blade" on both sides...it's getting a bit confusing.

 

Don't let those cookie-denying heretics in the so called resistance confuse you. You love the Cartel. You've always loved the Cartel.

 

I think you're talking about the Gillette Guard. I ordered a few packs to have on hand for travel related purposes. Truth be told If I hadn't already jumped down the DE rabbithole first...I might haves stopped at the guard. It is a fantastic one blade cartridge! It's my goto when I have to travel and don't want to check baggage. But you're right...places in India that are not in major cities still use DE blades generally. I think this is the case for any areas that are not already westernized. I imagine there are a lot DE shavers in the world due to that. It's just not that well publicized in the USA.

 

Gillette, Schick and the other players in the "mainline" shaving industry don't like to talk about the traditional shaving movement. That's why I'm shocked to see them even offering a twin blade option again for "sensitive skin". Taking back blades is totally against their business model. Although with the new one they've substituted plastic bars that supposedly help fight irritation. Not sure of the physics of that one.

 

Thank you boys. I have my RRXXX AS on standby.

 

I think the plastic SkinGuard bar is supposed to maintain the hysteresis effect.

 

I use Gold Bond for Men, Aveeno, and Nivea Creme throughout the winter. Never tried unrefined shea butter. I'll look into it!

Thanks, Jason! I try to stay away from those that are mostly alcohol. I can generally tell moments after application that they don't have face goodies. That's one reason I rave about Jeeves each time I use it. The face feel of those splashes is exceptional.

Yep, all that humidity helps us out with hydration, and then a cold snap comes and the air turns dry. I think it's related to the weather changing.

Thank you, Clint! I am definitely allergic to work sometimes!

 

Anybody else notice that they make an OC DE disposable prep razor? That might be fun.

I need to look up the dimensions of an Injector blade. The geek in me is wondering if one of their microtome blades might be usable for shaving. (Same idea as using a Ted Pella blade.) (EDIT: Never mind, their "low profile" blades are 80mm long while an Injector blade is 38mm.)

I don't know how one would purchase Feather medical blades, however. The first time I looked at the site, it gave me an ominous warning about how the products weren't available to the public (only medical professionals).