Don't want to make everyone around you jealousGotta stop touching my face
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An Unexpected Journey: A Newbie's Walk In Wet Shaving
- Thread starter Blade-meister
- Start date
This morning I woke up to 18 degrees. We've had snow for a couple of days and are expected to get a good storm today with 5-9 inches of snow, ice, and freezing rain. Time for a good shave though.
Today's Shave: Shave #38
Razor: QShave (Merkur Futur Clone) DE
Blade: Astra SP
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Wild West Shaving Company - Aces & Eights
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Shower / wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 9 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse, Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting.
Though I think the Lord blade had 2 more good shaves in it, I decided to return to the Astra SP because it's been a while since I've used it. It was the last blade in the tuck, so I finally finished a tuck of blades. I set the razor to 2.2 or so and lathered the soap up before my shower. I loaded the brush a little extra this morning and it gave me a thicker lather to try out.
WTG pass felt great, but right away I found the Astra blade to be smoother than the Lord, but the Lord was more aggressive. Very smooth feeling, but I would say not as nice a
s the Gillette's I've used. XTG pass using my new found pass directions felt great. ATG went well until I reached the upper lip. I had to dial the razor back to 2.0 for me to have passes that felt good ATG. I managed to get 2 weepers in that area that weeped until the WH application post shave. I used the cart for my ATG pass on the neck. This is working out great. The irritation and redness is gone that I was experiencing. The 2.0 setting seems right for clean-up and I did some blade buffing at that setting with good comfort. BBS- all over.
What I Changed: changed out the blade to an Astra SP, backed down the razor setting to 2.0 on the upper lip.
Shawn is trying to convince me to give the Gem SE a try, so that may be on the menu one day soon. He thinks my Jedi skills with the QShave have progressed along to give a real light saber a try
Today's Shave: Shave #38
Razor: QShave (Merkur Futur Clone) DE
Blade: Astra SP
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Wild West Shaving Company - Aces & Eights
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Shower / wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 9 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse, Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting.
Though I think the Lord blade had 2 more good shaves in it, I decided to return to the Astra SP because it's been a while since I've used it. It was the last blade in the tuck, so I finally finished a tuck of blades. I set the razor to 2.2 or so and lathered the soap up before my shower. I loaded the brush a little extra this morning and it gave me a thicker lather to try out.
WTG pass felt great, but right away I found the Astra blade to be smoother than the Lord, but the Lord was more aggressive. Very smooth feeling, but I would say not as nice a
s the Gillette's I've used. XTG pass using my new found pass directions felt great. ATG went well until I reached the upper lip. I had to dial the razor back to 2.0 for me to have passes that felt good ATG. I managed to get 2 weepers in that area that weeped until the WH application post shave. I used the cart for my ATG pass on the neck. This is working out great. The irritation and redness is gone that I was experiencing. The 2.0 setting seems right for clean-up and I did some blade buffing at that setting with good comfort. BBS- all over.
What I Changed: changed out the blade to an Astra SP, backed down the razor setting to 2.0 on the upper lip.
Shawn is trying to convince me to give the Gem SE a try, so that may be on the menu one day soon. He thinks my Jedi skills with the QShave have progressed along to give a real light saber a try
Today I had to clear snow, so no DE shave today. We got about 12-14 inches here in central NY. I went out last night and blew snow at 9pm so I could split the accumulation.
With that said, I used the cart and got a really great shave this morning. BBS all over. One thing I did notice is that I had a lot less stubble roughness than I did when I only used carts. I'm certain now that my wet shaving lasts longer. I think I got such a close shave today because I also employed the new pass directions that's I've learned this week. Post shave routine was all the same. Since I wear a man-scarf (shemagh) all winter, having a smooth neck really helps me from getting irritated.
With that said, I used the cart and got a really great shave this morning. BBS all over. One thing I did notice is that I had a lot less stubble roughness than I did when I only used carts. I'm certain now that my wet shaving lasts longer. I think I got such a close shave today because I also employed the new pass directions that's I've learned this week. Post shave routine was all the same. Since I wear a man-scarf (shemagh) all winter, having a smooth neck really helps me from getting irritated.
Bring it on! I love the snow. I love everything about it. If it's going to be cold, there might as well be some snow on the ground.
I was going to say that I bet Paul Bunyan never said that. But he had a beard, so you’re okay.
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
Thank you. So much. For posting this.
Seriously, ever since KJ’s post surgery video, I’ve been reading up on them and trying to find a decent quality one. A lot of forum talk (not here) just blasts people that would think to use one “oh that so pansy hipster cultural misappropriation”...but I’m thinking “Naw man, those are BA!”
Where did you get yours from?
If you want one like I had, any tactical supply or army surplus place should have them for under $10. (or Amazon)
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
I did see the plethora on the ‘Zon. Lots of mixed reviews. Would you recommend trying to find a heavier material or just the regular light weave?
They are big, and it's a lot of material, so it ends up being thick. Unless you want extreme warmth, regular would probably be fine.
I used to love the snow. I was a skier, played hockey, hunted, loved it............until I got older, got a house of my own and had to shovel and blow the snow. I get lake effect snow where I live and sometimes it snows everyday. It's beautiful, but just work for me. Now my body can't take the skiing, hockey, or walking the hills to hunt (hope to hunt after my hip replacement).
Like KJ said - online or at an surplus store, mine is a cherished gift so I don't know where it originated from. I don't fault anyone for wearing a regular scarf, but they just don't fit who I am. The Shemaghs keep you so warm and I think they look really manly compared to traditional scarves. Just don't wear them in the traditional way or you might be face-down on the ground with a knee in your back courtesy of the local LEO's. Seriously though, they are so versatile and I don't think the special operators care if civies wear them. Two things I hate are traditional scarves and ear muffs
Not sure CA will get cold enough for you to truly enjoy the Shemagh but hey take a picture when you get one.
Today I had no place to rush out to and a whole tub of Mystic Water Bay Rum waiting for me since Thursday. I took the time for a great shave this morning.
Today's Shave: Shave #39
Razor: QShave (Merkur Futur Clone) DE
Blade: Astra SP
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Mystic Water Bay Rum
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Shower / wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 14 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse, Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting.
What a pleasure it was to load my brush from a full tub of MW soap. Up to this point it has only been with samples. As I expected, it lathered up easily with cold water and I had a nice rich bowl of lather. The smell of the Bay Rum is amazing! This soap felt so good going on the face. My only minor complaint is that the puck of soap is much smaller than the container. I could have smooshed it down and pressed it in to fit the container, but it really didn't want to do that without breaking so I just decided to deal with it.
WTG pass was heaven and I adjusted my razor to about 2.3. XTG pass I adjusted the razor to 2.5 and truly enjoyed the top end slickness of the MW soap. My ATG pass was very comfortable as was clean-up. BBS all over, but the difference was that the post shave feel was truly great. I love this soap and when you do mammoth painting, this scent survives all day. I've been enjoying it all day long.
The only change I had was the soap. Mmmmmmmm, the only soap so far I'd love to eat
Looks like I'm chasing #40 on the shaves. Probably be Monday.
Today's Shave: Shave #39
Razor: QShave (Merkur Futur Clone) DE
Blade: Astra SP
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Mystic Water Bay Rum
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Shower / wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 14 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse, Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting.
What a pleasure it was to load my brush from a full tub of MW soap. Up to this point it has only been with samples. As I expected, it lathered up easily with cold water and I had a nice rich bowl of lather. The smell of the Bay Rum is amazing! This soap felt so good going on the face. My only minor complaint is that the puck of soap is much smaller than the container. I could have smooshed it down and pressed it in to fit the container, but it really didn't want to do that without breaking so I just decided to deal with it.
WTG pass was heaven and I adjusted my razor to about 2.3. XTG pass I adjusted the razor to 2.5 and truly enjoyed the top end slickness of the MW soap. My ATG pass was very comfortable as was clean-up. BBS all over, but the difference was that the post shave feel was truly great. I love this soap and when you do mammoth painting, this scent survives all day. I've been enjoying it all day long.
The only change I had was the soap. Mmmmmmmm, the only soap so far I'd love to eat
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
^^This^^ I did it with both of my new ones yesterday. 1 was easier then the other but they both smooshed easy enough with effort.
Thanks Dave & KJ. I'll just push it in there. When it started to crack I thought that I didn't want it to break into chunks. I'll go slow with it and see what happens.
Today's Shave: Shave #40
Razor: QShave (Merkur Futur Clone) DE
Blade: Astra SP
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Mystic Water Bay Rum
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Shower / wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 9 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse, Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting.
I'd hoped my 40th shave would be memorable, but Sunday mornings are pressed with time so I had to shave in the shower. I wanted to see how MW soap performed in the shower. It really doesn't do well in that hot and wet environment. I didn't have disappearing lather, but I had to shave faster than I like to. WTG at 2.0 setting, XTG at 2.5 setting, and ATG at 2.5 setting all felt great, but I noticed it was not as great a shave as yesterday. This confirms what I've noted before and that is that tallow based soaps just don't do well in the shower. In the end I did wind up wit BBS / BBS- in spots. Cold water shaving outside the shower seems to be the optimum set-up for me with tallow based soaps.
I can't highlight enough that the redness and irritation is completely gone from my neck. I attribute this to quitting my ATG pass using my DE. Is it the razor? No, it's for sure something I'm not doing right, but I also believe my beard growth in that area is in every direction. Using the cart to do just the ATG pass has cured all the irritation I was experiencing. I think as my skills improve, I'll occasionally revisit using the DE for this pass to see if I've gotten better. I did dial the razor back to 1.8 or so and did some blade buffing on the neck and the face and experienced no ill effects from it. I love being able to dial up or down the aggressiveness of the blade gap.
Overall, only being 40 shaves into this rabbit hole, I'm pleased the results I'm getting which I accredit to the gifts and help from this fine forum. I wouldn't be where I am today without TSC, so thank you all!
Today's Shave: Shave #40
Razor: QShave (Merkur Futur Clone) DE
Blade: Astra SP
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Mystic Water Bay Rum
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Shower / wash with soap
Total Razor on Face Time: 9 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse, Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth Painting.
I'd hoped my 40th shave would be memorable, but Sunday mornings are pressed with time so I had to shave in the shower. I wanted to see how MW soap performed in the shower. It really doesn't do well in that hot and wet environment. I didn't have disappearing lather, but I had to shave faster than I like to. WTG at 2.0 setting, XTG at 2.5 setting, and ATG at 2.5 setting all felt great, but I noticed it was not as great a shave as yesterday. This confirms what I've noted before and that is that tallow based soaps just don't do well in the shower. In the end I did wind up wit BBS / BBS- in spots. Cold water shaving outside the shower seems to be the optimum set-up for me with tallow based soaps.
I can't highlight enough that the redness and irritation is completely gone from my neck. I attribute this to quitting my ATG pass using my DE. Is it the razor? No, it's for sure something I'm not doing right, but I also believe my beard growth in that area is in every direction. Using the cart to do just the ATG pass has cured all the irritation I was experiencing. I think as my skills improve, I'll occasionally revisit using the DE for this pass to see if I've gotten better. I did dial the razor back to 1.8 or so and did some blade buffing on the neck and the face and experienced no ill effects from it. I love being able to dial up or down the aggressiveness of the blade gap.
Overall, only being 40 shaves into this rabbit hole, I'm pleased the results I'm getting which I accredit to the gifts and help from this fine forum. I wouldn't be where I am today without TSC, so thank you all!