SoS: June 9, 2014 - June 15, 2014

Wednesday:
hot shower w/Wm Neumann Lavender bar soap
Somersets PSO
Gillette RedTip 3 passes
SuperMax Super Platinum Tiger (3)
VDH Deluxe boar
Provence Sante Verlaine soap
Thayers Lavender w/aloe
Paul Sebastian AS balm

Had high hopes for this morning's shave but it was a bit frustrating. All the whiskers are gone and I'm very smooth but it took some work.
The problem was with the Provence Sante soap that arrived yesterday. I'd read reviews complaining of thin lather but also reviews claiming rich luxurious lather so I plunked down 10 bucks for a puck. The scent is very nice and the puck fit perfectly in my Surrey shave mug but the lather kept doing a slow disappearing act so I ended up relathering before finishing each pass. Finally I reached in the cupboard for a squirt of Cremo for my final pass and that kept the lather alive. My water is fairly hard yet I don't have any trouble with soaps like Savon duMidi, GoldDachs, VDH, Synergy, Institut Karite, etc. but I sure couldn't keep this stuff alive.

 

Looks like a good shaving bowl candidate

 

Oh, it is =D but Maybe just for storing and loading. Not lathering

 

Sorry that menthol doesn't like your face. I'm discovering the same for me.

 

Wednesday

Prep: Hot Shower-Stirling Coniferous Bath Soap
Soap: Stirling Scots Pine Sheep
Razor: Gillette Slim [6]
Blade: Gillette 7 O’Clock Green Super Stainless (4)
Brush: Omega Boar 24mmx54mm
Aftershave: Pino Silvestre

WTG-XTG-ATG (adjusted angles for my beard)

Stirling Scots Pine today. As expected, great lather. Still getting a great shave with the Slim and the 7 O’Clock Green SS. I finished with Pino.

Bob

 

Yeah, it's a shame, because I really like menthol. Sorry to hear you are having problems with it, too.

 

6/11/2014

Prep: Hot shower with Axe chilled cooling Face Wash, home made PSO
Razor: Muhle R41 2010, French Frame Back straight razor
Blade: Wilkinson Sword - Germany (3)
Brush: Vie Long Horse Hair 23mm knot
Soap: DR Harris - Windsor shave soap
After: Home made ASB, Aqua Velva Musk after shave
Cologne: Bond No. 9 - NY Oud

An easy 1 pass Darn Fine Shave.

Have a blessed day!

 

SOTD June 11

Prep: hot shower
Razor: WW2 Gillette Tech
Blade: Gillette Blue (day 2)
Brush: Vie-Long
Cream: MusgoReal Classic
Passes: 2 (WTG, XTG) plus touch ups
Post: Witch Hazel, Proraso Blue

Went back to Musgo Real shave cream for today's shave. I started wet shaving with Musgo Real, but it doesn't get much use ever since
I got into soaps. Every time it comes back into rotation, I feel like buying a few more tubes. Today was no exception. I normally face lather the musgo real, but stuck with the bowel today, to great results! It did not take long before I had a nice thick lather.

Musgo Real + Gillette Tech + Gillette Blue + two passes and touch ups + DFS If I had taken more time with either an extra pass or more touch ups, I'm sure it would have been BBS.

 

Odin's Day:

Prep: Hot shower, Healthy Accents Daily Renewal face cleanser, TSD Jasmine Sambac Preshave balm
Brush: Simpson 56 Best Badger
Soap: Ginger's Garden Oakmoss
Razor: Merkur 41c 1904 OC
Blade: Baili (2)
Passes: WTG, XTG (3, 4)
Post: Cold water splash, Bloc Osma Alum, Dickinson's WH, Pinaud Clubman

I don't know if I'll use this particular Baili for a 3rd shave in a row; two days in and it's noticeably tugging. The rest of the setup is lovely, and the results are a DFS without any issues highlighted by the alum, but my face feels a little bit like I must have hit a home run for last year's Red Sox team.

 

SOS 06/11

Prep: Gaia face scrub
Oil: Shave Secret
Brush: 20mm Whipped dog set deep
Razor: slim adjustable set to 3
Blade: Voskhod
soap:

MWF
mixed with a touch of
Truefitt & Hill Rose
Post: Alum sprayed on
Witch Hazel: Generic scented with rose oil
AS: Sampsons all natural

This was my first time mixing MWF with anything else. It knows how to play well with others. Adding the Rose allowed me to get all the benefits of MWF as well as the scent of Rose. It was a refreshing shave.

 

John;
I have Provence Sante & really, really love this stuff. I also had thin lather on the first couple of tries with this, so I decided to face lather instead of bowl lather. After the third day I was able to bowl lather. I think the issue is in the amount of soap you are getting off the puck. IMHO, you are not getting enough onto the brush because the soap has been drying out since it was produced. Try dropping a teaspoon full of hot water on top of it tonight before you go to bed, and another in the morning when you wake up. This will get slowly absorbed into the soap and (for me) changes dramatically the amount of soap onto the brush and the stability of the lather. I treat Sante as I do MWF, making sure the puck has absorbed a good amount of moisture.

BTW - how does your face feel? One thing I like about Sante is how my face feels afterwards.

 

Thanks for the tip. That probably explains the mixed reviews I found. I put some hot water on top of the puck while I showered so I'll continue to saturate it.
And my face feels much better than it looks.

 

Let me know how it works. I am curious to get a confirmation or refutation of my theory. And, of course, if it doesn't work you can always send me the remainder of this obviously flawed soap.

 

Wednesday
hot shower
Shavemac Custom 167,2 band,d01,fan
Prep PSC
TSD SOTQ Patchouli Aqua Lanolin Soap
ATT Kronos R1/Gillette Silver Blue
cold water rinse
Monster Block Alum
cold water rinse
Thayer's Cucumber WH
Myrsol Formula K ASL
Nasomatto Hindu Grass edp

Nice and smooth shave,BBS face and dome!!

Stay frosty,my friends!

 

Wednesday

Prep: CeraVe cleanser
Soap: Barrister & Mann unscented
Brush: Plisson synthetic
Razor: iKon ShaveCraft
Blade: Astra SP
After: Cold rinse, CeraVe

I did a comfortable two pass shave and I still wanted more, so I went on with a third pass against the grain: perfect smoothness! The B&M soap leaves my skin feeling great. On to work on a beautiful spring morning.

 

Suzumasa, vintage and modern
Muhle synthetic brush
Proraso pre shave
TOBS Avocado with added menthol crystals
Lea shave stick
Myrsol Formula K

 

SoS
June 11, 2014

Prep: Hot shower. Axe Boost Energizing Face Wash
Razor: Edwin Jagger DE89
Blade: Ladas Super Stainless
Lather: RazoRock XXX
Brush: WD Silvertip
Post: Alum. Dickinson WH
Aftershave: Speick. Axe Shield Sensitive
XXX is fantastic. I love the skin care, glide and scent. I will say. P.160 beats XXX by just a little bit. Sweet shave!
Go out and get it!

 

Merkur Progress
Rapira Swedish Supersteel
Semogue BC Mistura
Speick Shave Soap
Fine - Clean Vetiver

 

Sounds like you are happy with your purchase

 

I like it a lot it is very close to Aventus as close as one can get without it being the actual thing. I have ordered Freedberg from RazoRock because I here that it's a take on Aventus as well. Planning to pair them up and have a Aventus shave day. You said the Price was too steep for Aventus but you can always purchase a decant for a reasonable price to try it. This is how I do it. I couldn't afford a whole bottle as well. Are you still liking it? I can see myself using it frequently.

Best,
Jesse