September 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

We are having a great time today.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thank you John.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I knew you’d be happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Great shave and photo Jim.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks, Jim!

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

 

Saturday September 29 - 30DC-inspired shave



Today's shave is with equipment either from or inspired by the 30DC. I'll talk about it all in the report:

Shower with: Crown Shaving Co. Peppermint and Tea Tree Hair and Body Wash; Hendrix Classics & Co. Barbershop bar soap
Merkur 34C / Astra SP (3)
APShaveCo U-Brush with 24mm SynBad fan knot
Hendrix Classics & C0. Barbershop soap tub
Alum and Hendrix Classics & Co. Barbershop aftershave balm (beta test version)

I showered and shaved today with stuff that was either provided by or inspired by the members here.

First, I showered with a hair and body wash made by Crown Shaving Co. of Toronto, Ontario. I picked it up at Fendrihan while buying other stuff enabled by various 30DCers. I believe it was the example of @Paul Turner though that first caused me to look at using a hair and body wash as an alternative to shampoos. This one is pretty good in scent and performance, although I probably won't re-buy as I think it is costly for any benefit received over ordinary commercial shampoos or soaps.

The other thing I used showering was one of the new bath bars from Hendrix Classics & Co. aka @Pete123. Very nice soap that left me feeling cleansed but not at all dried out in the skin. I notice the bar soap contains olive oil, which is probably one of the good skincare elements in it. If anyone is buying shave soap from Pete, I would say don't hesitate to throw in a bar or two of the hand/bath soap too.

The main element of the shave, the razor and also the blade, came from a trade with James @jtface. It looks like we both won on this one: he didn't like the way the 34C shaved but I do and meanwhile I found the MMOC too rough but James seems to like it for a daily driver. He doesn't seem to be having much luck yet with the NOS boxed EverReady 1912 that was the other half of my side of the trade, but one out of two isn't bad...

Today, the 34C and Astra SP combo gave me a true BBS with absolutely no irritation in two quick passes.

The brush is the new barbershop-style U-Brush from APShaveCo., which can come with additional ferrules to take various 22mm or 24mm knots. I got it with one ferrule fitted with one of APShaveCo.'s new SynBad (for Synthetic Badger) knots in fan style. The SynBad really does feel to me like silky pillowy badger with good backbone, while still keeping all the advantages of synthetics regarding maintenance and drying time. And I really like the fan shape. I think APShaveCo. has a winner both in this knot and in this brush. I may pick up a couple more ferrules to fit with other synthetic knot options. In the meantime, the knot is good, so a larger version of it is now winging its way to Neal @NCoxSTL to be installed in the handle Jason @jtspartan made for him in settlement for our losing our NB'18 bet. (Or, come to think of it, it might really be plodding its way to Neal in an oxcart -- this IS CanadaPost and USPS we're talking about here after all.)

A lot of members have tried the free samples of @Pete123's shave soap. I bought a couple tubs of it after trying the sample, so I think my own opinion of it is clear. The aftershave balm added an interesting twist to it today. I noticed a design decision in the pair today: many soaps now have lanolin or glycerin in them for postshave care; Pete's doesn't. Instead, the soap relies on palm oil, coconut oil and shea butter for the slip, glide, protection and postshave skin feeling. (A perfectly valid choice of excellent ingredients for that, BTW.) However, the aftershave balm - in addition to common soothing ingredients like aloe - DOES contain both glycerin AND lanolin for the skin conditioning. So in Pete's system, those elements are used after the shave in the postshave balm rather than before the shave in the soap...

Pete's aftershave curative is different from most on the market right now in that it is neither a splash nor a liquid balm but instead is a moisturizing cream. This would probably be a handy feature for travel, among other things. To use it, I dipped a tiny pea-sized portion with my fingertip and found that I had ample to spread all over my face. (And then when I rinsed my hands afterwards, enough to give them a good moisturizing too...) The cream sank in quickly with a bit of rubbing, leaving my face feeling not at all coated or greasy. And roughly an hour later, my skin still feels ultra-soft and well-tended. The scent, as with the bar soap, is the same Barbershop scent as the shave soap. It's weakest on the bar soap and strongest in the tub on the shaving soap, with the balm somewhere in between. However, I notice I can still smell traces of it from the balm an hour later. Very faint though -- nothing here that is going to fell an elephant when you walk into the room. This is a test version, I think, but would be an excellent postshave product choice if and when Pete ever brings it to market.

Overall, it was a great shave today, using products that I am glad I have. Thanks to everyone who either provided them or enabled me into getting them. And I hope all of you have a great weekend!

 

Great picture, Jim!

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

 

Wonderful picture and report, John!

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

 

Excellent shave and excellent theme shave as well! I had forgotten we had to coordinate CanadaPost and USPS for the delivery on that knot. I'll stop camping by the mailbox. It's getting chilly at night and I don't have enough firewood to last the delivery time.

 

Thanks for mentioning me. . A lot of the bodywashes I buy can double as shampoos as well, but only a few times have I used the same product for body and hair. I suppose right after a haircut(I always ask for "short"-the barberette knows what to do), I can use a double whammy-not much to use on the hair.

 

Yeah, and I was ready to post at the end of last week, but CanadaPost was getting ready to strike effective September 26 and I didn't want the package stuck in transit for months. Then the union announced almost at the last moment that it would continue negotiating for now and will abide by a 3-day prior notice if it does decide to strike in the future, so I mailed now while there's a clear window to be sure it gets out of the country...

 

Fantastic shave and report. Very cool looking brush.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks, Clint. According to an email I just got from Pete@123, his aftershave balm is in fact planned to be an all-around skin moisturizer and fixer. He suggests using it twice a day, once directly after shaving. I am going to use it daily that way for the next week or so and then report the results.

 

Thank you, Clint!

 

Thank you, Jim!

 

Get well soon.

 

Terrific post, John!

 

SEptember SE Focused for the most part

Cremo tubbed SC
The King badger
Schick type E or G?
Aqua Velva AS
In my quest to get a lather out of this fat badger brush I use a product that says right on the label -LATHERING. I snapped an O-ring around the base of the knot since that was how the brush arrived. Moisten knot, dip to load in the very soft nearly liquid cream, and to my face. Got plenty of product, dipped the tips of the brush to add moisture, and agitated against my beard. Either my expectations are down or the combination of new techniques are working. Lather happened, so I took my three passes. Didn't need to load more soap, but successive dips in water renewed the soap already in the brush. Guess that's how it's supposed to work. The old Schick took care of business leaving me DFS or better. Not sure why I used the blue juice. I need to find an acceptable sandalwood AS.
Good Shaves Y'all!

 

SEptember is a Stirling month!

September 29
Razor - Type M Schick Injector
Blade -
Soap - Stirling Ozark Mountain
Brush - Stirling Pro Style Synthetic
Finish - Alum

Next to last shave for SEptember and I stayed with the Schick M. It's still performing smoothly and effectively. And, it's the first razor I ever shaved with back as just a wee lad so it does have a special connection for me. I used the Stirling Ozark Mountain and now smell like the place I used to live. Love it! I did catch a small nick on my right jawline. Pretty sure I was just not paying attention and got in a hurry. It sealed up before I was totally rinsed and dried so no worries.

One more SE shave for the month and it will be off to open comb land! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

​

 

Praying for a speedy recovery John