SoS: March 24, 2014 - March 30, 2014

Here in Montreal we're still experiencing wintery weather and it's so boring after so long. I've got a great set-up planned for:

Menthol Monday!

Neutrogena Men Facial Wash
Large Horsehair Barbershop
Super Speed/new Rapira
Stirling Glacial SS
Diana Sport Menthol Balm
Osage Rub AS
Aramis EdT

Folks, this set-up is only for those who can tolerate very intense menthol because even the Neutrogena facial wash is pretty darned cold. The Glacial soap has a freezing sensation which hits you as soon as you start lathering up, and it gets stronger and stronger with each pass. The Diana Sport balm and the Rubby Dubby Doo can easily make your face feel almost numb after a shave.

 

PPF Oakmoss & Sage SS up this week.... great scent and extreme slickness.

 

Dove Men's Face Wash
Col. Conk Lime Shave Soap
Frank Shaving Finest Badger
1914 Ever-Ready
Personna/GEM PTFE Stainless
CWR
Thayers Cucumber WH
FD Old Spice AS

Happy Birthday to the 1914 Ever-Ready razor. I broke out the ER 1914 today. I have only shaved once before with it back in November. Today, the Frank Shaving finest badger brush face lathered Col. Conk's Lime Shave Soap effortlessly. I got the angle right today as I carefully made two passes with my 1914 Ever-Ready with Personna/GEM blade. It was a near BBS shave. A cold water rinse followed with Thayers Cucumber WH and Family Dollar Old Spice AS left me clean, smooth, and refreshed...

 

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Monday 24.03.2014

Razor: Muhle R41 2013 + Weber Classic Handle
Blade: Polsilver SI (1)
Brush: FS Pur Tech 23mm
Cream: Nivea Mild
AS: Alum Block + Home Made WH/Lemon Juice/Aloe,Menthol

Excellent 3-pass shave (WTG,XTG,ATG),have a great week friends

 

Gillette LC New Bulldog
Silver Star (3)
Omega 80265
CO Bigelow SC
Alum
Superior 70

 

Gillette New LC
Supermax Super Stainless (d1)
Vulfix 2235
MWF–Face Lather
Dickensons WH
Stephans Bay Rum

 

SOTD March 24 -- Blade safari day 49

Prep: hot shower
Razor: WW2 Gillette Khaki with ball end handle
Blade: Voskhod (day 1)
Brush: Vie-Long
Soap: Stirling One
Passes: 2+ (WTG, XTG)
Post: Nivea Mean Cool Kick

Second time with the Stirling One went as good as the first, I can't get a good lather. I went back to the puck for the second pass, which did seem to help.

Considering the lather, the Voskhod held up pretty well for its first use. I lathered up my cheeks for a third WTG pass to get my face to a nice DFS. The neck and jaw line not so much... Still no nicks, cuts, weepers or any showing if irritation.

 

Monday:
hot shower w/A La Maison de Provence Rosemary Mint bar soap
ShaveSecret PSO
Schick J1 2+ passes
Schick (1)
Omega boar
Proraso Menthol and Eucalyptus cream (sample)
Thayers unscented w/aloe
Brut AS balm

So many choices today! The 100th anniversary of the EverReady 1914, Menthol Monday, Tech week...

I suppose I really should have observed the ER patent since today is the official day but I just used my ER 1914 on Saturday and recently put together a razor rotation calendar (and used a Tech last week Monday) that I'm trying to follow. Eventually I'll figure out a rotation for soaps/creams, scents, and blades but so far I've only got the razors lined up.

Over the past few months I've purchased a few various Schick injector razors and a PAL Adjustable but was only able to get a good shave from the StickSchick. One of the razors had a problem with the spring but I couldn't figure out what was wrong with the others (at least until today). The only blades I had were Personnas and the blade holder is partly metal and partly plastic. I knew from other posts that these could be troublesome to use and I'd certainly had my share of frustrations trying to load blades. A careful examination (with a 10x eye loupe) of several of the blades I'd loaded into razors revealed what appeared to be gouges along the leading edge of the blade (except for the blade in the SchickStick) so I surmised they were either damaged in production or damaged during loading into my razors either by the injector itself or the razor. I wasn't surprised after all the trouble I'd had with the plastic injector so I purchased some Schick blades that have an all metal injector and effortlessly loaded one into my J1 razor this morning and after careful examination revealed a perfect edge, I proceeded to have a fabulous shave. Now I can't wait to revisit the rest of my injector razors (after I plug them into my razor rotation calendar, of course).

 

Monday- “French” Birthday Shave

Prep: Hot Shower-Stirling Bath Soap
Soap: Martin de Candre Fougere
Razor: Gillette Slim
Blade: Personna Med Prep (1)
Brush: Plisson Grey Badger
Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman

WTG-XTG-ATG (adjusted angle for my beard a bit)

I used the sample of MdC Fougère today for my “French Birthday Shave”. Excellent shave all around. I will use the MdC again tomorrow. I finished up with Pinaud Clubman.

Bob

 

5/8 T.I.
PPF Cider House 5
homemade brush with a Plisson synthetic knot
Nice shave this morning. The shortened Plisson worked well. I might try the loft a mm or two higher but it's really close. Have a good one.

 

Monday, March 14, 2014

Prep: Warm shower, Cetaphil Lotion
Razor: EJ DE89L
Blade: Voskhod (2)
Soap: Williams Mug Shaving Soap
Brush: Semogue 830
Post: Witch Hazel, Cetaphil Lotion
Aftershave: Brut

It's good to be back at work and into a new workweek after an extremely busy weekend. I have so many things on my mind that I found it difficult to focus on my shave. Even so, I wound up with a near BBS shave.

Have a great day!

 

Menthol Monday
I decided to go for it today and I was rewarded with a nice smooth shave. I let the Proraso PSC sit on my face while I brushed my teeth, then the Frost_Byte joined the party and chilled me down that much more. I used just a bit of water on the tips of my HIS and it made really thick lather - more like yogurt than cream. The SC101 made short, comfortable work of my whiskers and I chased it with Frostbite AS.
A great shave. Have a good Monday.

Prep: Proraso PSC
Soap: HTGAM Synergy Frost_Byte
Brush: HIS
Razor: iKon ShaveCraft 101
Blade: Gillette SE Yellow (2)
AS: Krampert's Finest Frostbite

 

Menthol Monday
hot shower
M&F Chief
Proraso ASC
Stirling Frozen Tundra
Gillette Red Tip/o,clock Black (5)
cold water rinse
Monster Block Alum
cold water rinse
TSD 2X Iced Lime WH
The Penguin
Nasomotto Absinth edp

A nice and cold start to the week.Stay frosty,my friends

 

3/24/2014 Tech Week/Menthol Monday!!

Prep: Hot shower with L'Oreal Men Expert Facial Wash, home made PSO
Razor: Gillette Ball End Tech, French Frame Back straight razor
Blade: Pol Silver Super Iridium (3)
Brush: Silver Tip Badger 23 mm knot from Ace Shaving
Soap: C.O. Bigelow with 3 drops of TSD MBomb menthol additive
After: Home made ASB, Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue cooling after shave
Cologne: Gravity

It was a nice cooling shave this morning. Everything came together for a nice 2 pass Darn Fine Shave.

Have a blessed day!

 

MONDAY

I tried my new 'Frontier Angel' 'Cold Brew' shaving soap www.frontierangel.com —an all-natural, handmade product made from olive oil (plus other oils), amber beer, shea butter, irish moss, kaolin clay and essential oils. The soap has a slightly medicinal scent initially (camphor?)—not unlike the initial scent of Martin De Candre scented, but mainly the aroma of spices (clove and cinnamon) dominate. How did it lather? The puck required some effort on my part to develop but I was rewarded with a generous thick lather. The lather also has a very nice slickness to it, which provided a decent glide for straight razor shave. For the price, this thick, hefty puck, of 'Cold Brew' will last for some time— a pretty darned good value in artisanal soap. A DFS this morning!

Have a great Monday, all!

 

3/24/14 - Tech Week

Prep: Shower and face wash with Stirling Barbershop
Lather: Stirling Barbershop - bowl lather
Brush: Vie-Long 16031
Razor: Gillette Ball End Tech
Blade: Astra SP
Post: Cold water rinse and Old Spice AS

Nice 3 pass shave today. Stirling Barbershop provided good lather today. The Gillette felt really substantial in my hand - funny for such a thin handle but the razor just feels like a good quality piece of equipment that is well balanced and nice and mild. Looking forward to using it this week.

 

Razor: Merker Sledgehammer
Blade: Gillette Bleue Extra (D12)
Brush: TGN 24mm Super Badger bulb w H2 Handle
Bowl: Dirty Bird 1.5 Scuttle
Pre Shave Soap: MRGLO Lime
Pre Shave Oil: Homemade Iced Mojito
Shave Cream: Queen Charlotte Soaps Ice Key Lime
Post: Monster Alum Block
Aftershave: TSD X2 Iced Mojito


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Menthol Monday

Gillette #77
Personna Plat
The Colonel - Manchurian
Proraso Blue SC
Cat o Nine Tails AS
Simpson ASB

It's been 5 days since my last shave, so my face pretty much looked like my avatar! (and it was super itchy)
The 77 performed remarkably well! 3 pass BBS!!

 

24 March, Monday

Hot shower to start the day.
Dove facial wash
Groom Room
Facial freeze this morning from both the soap and Osage.

Slam dunk shave.