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An Unexpected Journey: A Newbie's Walk In Wet Shaving
- Thread starter Blade-meister
- Start date
I guess the Veg is out of the question for follow up then...
Yup, I have a sample of it hanging around and it does smell like cat urine.
The weekend was busy so I'm catching my journal up. This would be Sunday's shave. With #100 looming, I wanted to time the shave for Monday so Saturday I did not wet shave.
Today's Shave: Shave #99
Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic smaller brush knot
Soap: Aces & Eights
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower, application of soap to face.
Total Razor on Face Time: 11 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Every Man Jack Post Shave Balm to the fa
ce and Neck only. Mammoth Painting.
Normally I do a great shave for Sundays but I wanted to save the 3 pass for Monday so I did another 2 pass shave. The A&E's soap really lathers nice and thick. It is a tallow based soap, so getting it nice and thick and shiny is not a problem. It was PIF'd to me by DocHoliday and I've been enjoying it off and on for many months now.
The first WTG pass was very nice with the razor set at 2.8. I really concentrated on no pressure and not trying to cause any issues for shave #100. The second XTG/ATG pass was equally as nice and I did some J hooking along the way on the cheeks and jaw line. I took time to do a nice clean up which got me DFS+ in most areas and some areas on the face were BBS for sure.
Today's Shave: Shave #99
Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic smaller brush knot
Soap: Aces & Eights
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower, application of soap to face.
Total Razor on Face Time: 11 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Every Man Jack Post Shave Balm to the fa
ce and Neck only. Mammoth Painting.
Normally I do a great shave for Sundays but I wanted to save the 3 pass for Monday so I did another 2 pass shave. The A&E's soap really lathers nice and thick. It is a tallow based soap, so getting it nice and thick and shiny is not a problem. It was PIF'd to me by DocHoliday and I've been enjoying it off and on for many months now.
The first WTG pass was very nice with the razor set at 2.8. I really concentrated on no pressure and not trying to cause any issues for shave #100. The second XTG/ATG pass was equally as nice and I did some J hooking along the way on the cheeks and jaw line. I took time to do a nice clean up which got me DFS+ in most areas and some areas on the face were BBS for sure.
Here we are, #100. For those that may not know, Shawn F. on this forum got me started. He and I belong to a blacksmithing forum where we got to PM'ing about life and stuff and that's when he shared his hobby of wet shaving with me. He promptly send me my first razor, blades and soaps. I already had the saddest Ever Ready brush anyone has seen, but that set-up got me started. Here's my first brush:
That brush had a long and distinguished career of shaving and it is now retired. My first lather saw me lathering from the soap, getting the brush someone soapy with a bubbly soap and going at it with the Micro Touch One DE razor Shawn sent me. I only did one WTG pass, but I managed to do it without any cuts or nicks or weepers of any kind and have pretty much continued that habit through all 100 shaves with various DE's. So, I thought it would be fitting to take Chris' suggestion and replicate my very first shave as sort of a commemoration ceremony of sorts. I had to call in a sub for that first brush, so the Simpson Emperor is another Shawn brush that I used early on until I discovered how much I like synthetic knots.
Today's Shave: Shave #100
Razor: Micro Touch One
Blade: Astra SP
Brush: Simpson Emperor
Soap: Mystic Water Bay Rum
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower, application of soap to face.
Total Razor on Face Time: 14 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Bootlegger's Bay Rum AS (50/50 mix of Master & S-70) to neck only. Every Man Jack Post Shave Balm to the face only.
I must admit, I wasn't looking forward to using the Micro Touch. It's a lot lighter than my Variant so I was worried I'd compensate with more pressure, so I really concentrated on NO pressure. My lather was 500 times better than that first bubbly thing I thought was a lather. MW doesn't like the shower shaves, but that's where my first wet shave was so that's where this shave was going to happen.
WTG pass was surprisingly nice. It felt like a 1.5 or 2.0 setting on the Variant. I didn't realize how much I rely on the audio feedback from the Variant until I heard nothing coming from the MTO razor. This had me really going on feel. I found it harder to maintain the correct angle with the MTO vs. the Variant, but I finally got it down. The MTO did a better job under the nose than the Variant and caused less irritation around the lip & mouth area so this tells me I really need to jack-down the setting on the Variant in those areas. The second pass was XTG/ATG and felt fine as well. I was pretty much right at a DFS- at that point. The third pass was really tough to tell if I was cutting anything or not so I just went on instinct. I had a lot of clean-up that needed to be done. J hooking worked well, but I had to go over several areas multiple times and do some blade buffing there as well. I finally stopped fearing the worst. I must say, after the rinse I thought I'd really caused a lot of irritation, but once the post shave was done and I was cleaned up things calmed down and my face felt like it normally does on my daily shaves. Overall, BBS in most areas with DFS+ on areas of the neck. This was a great shave and it felt good to see how much I've learned in just 100 shaves. I've come a long way, but have much more to learn in the next 100 shaves.
Speaking of post shave, my very first post shave treatment was pure alcohol Yeah, that wasn't the greatest and I wasn't about to duplicate that treatment.
To commemorate my 100th shave, yesterday I PIF'd a bunch of soap, a brush, and a razor to a guy I know who has been wet shaving for years but didn't know there was anything out there besides his vintage razor, whatever DE blades he could buy at Walmart, and his Williams soap in a mug. Nothing wrong with Williams, but he really was never showed how to lather. When I was explaining how to lather the pucks of soap I PIF'd him (CBL, RR WTP, Uncle Jon's) he said "Really, it's got to be that thick and creamy?" He's been struggling with irritation, so my hope is that he discovers the benefit of great performing soaps and ultimately TSC forum.
I must also thank those that have generously PIF'd me items along the way. Shawn, KY Dave, DocHoliday, KJ, Dangerous Don, Eric, and anyone else I may have forgotten. Without all that TSC generosity, I'm not sure I would be where I am right now at shave # 100. All the reading and videos has helped me tremendously! I might not even be a newbie anymore
So what's on deck for the next 100 shaves? I'm thinking SE's will be tried at some point. I'll probably worry about that after my hip replacement surgery. Right now, the surgery is coming up rapidly and it has pushed all other things out of the way for now. I'd be looking for some SE attempts in May or June. I also would like to try face lathering. It is my hope an goal to be proficient with SE's by shave 200. We'll see
That brush had a long and distinguished career of shaving and it is now retired. My first lather saw me lathering from the soap, getting the brush someone soapy with a bubbly soap and going at it with the Micro Touch One DE razor Shawn sent me. I only did one WTG pass, but I managed to do it without any cuts or nicks or weepers of any kind and have pretty much continued that habit through all 100 shaves with various DE's. So, I thought it would be fitting to take Chris' suggestion and replicate my very first shave as sort of a commemoration ceremony of sorts. I had to call in a sub for that first brush, so the Simpson Emperor is another Shawn brush that I used early on until I discovered how much I like synthetic knots.
Today's Shave: Shave #100
Razor: Micro Touch One
Blade: Astra SP
Brush: Simpson Emperor
Soap: Mystic Water Bay Rum
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower, application of soap to face.
Total Razor on Face Time: 14 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Bootlegger's Bay Rum AS (50/50 mix of Master & S-70) to neck only. Every Man Jack Post Shave Balm to the face only.
I must admit, I wasn't looking forward to using the Micro Touch. It's a lot lighter than my Variant so I was worried I'd compensate with more pressure, so I really concentrated on NO pressure. My lather was 500 times better than that first bubbly thing I thought was a lather. MW doesn't like the shower shaves, but that's where my first wet shave was so that's where this shave was going to happen.
WTG pass was surprisingly nice. It felt like a 1.5 or 2.0 setting on the Variant. I didn't realize how much I rely on the audio feedback from the Variant until I heard nothing coming from the MTO razor. This had me really going on feel. I found it harder to maintain the correct angle with the MTO vs. the Variant, but I finally got it down. The MTO did a better job under the nose than the Variant and caused less irritation around the lip & mouth area so this tells me I really need to jack-down the setting on the Variant in those areas. The second pass was XTG/ATG and felt fine as well. I was pretty much right at a DFS- at that point. The third pass was really tough to tell if I was cutting anything or not so I just went on instinct. I had a lot of clean-up that needed to be done. J hooking worked well, but I had to go over several areas multiple times and do some blade buffing there as well. I finally stopped fearing the worst. I must say, after the rinse I thought I'd really caused a lot of irritation, but once the post shave was done and I was cleaned up things calmed down and my face felt like it normally does on my daily shaves. Overall, BBS in most areas with DFS+ on areas of the neck. This was a great shave and it felt good to see how much I've learned in just 100 shaves. I've come a long way, but have much more to learn in the next 100 shaves.
Speaking of post shave, my very first post shave treatment was pure alcohol Yeah, that wasn't the greatest and I wasn't about to duplicate that treatment.
To commemorate my 100th shave, yesterday I PIF'd a bunch of soap, a brush, and a razor to a guy I know who has been wet shaving for years but didn't know there was anything out there besides his vintage razor, whatever DE blades he could buy at Walmart, and his Williams soap in a mug. Nothing wrong with Williams, but he really was never showed how to lather. When I was explaining how to lather the pucks of soap I PIF'd him (CBL, RR WTP, Uncle Jon's) he said "Really, it's got to be that thick and creamy?" He's been struggling with irritation, so my hope is that he discovers the benefit of great performing soaps and ultimately TSC forum.
I must also thank those that have generously PIF'd me items along the way. Shawn, KY Dave, DocHoliday, KJ, Dangerous Don, Eric, and anyone else I may have forgotten. Without all that TSC generosity, I'm not sure I would be where I am right now at shave # 100. All the reading and videos has helped me tremendously! I might not even be a newbie anymore
So what's on deck for the next 100 shaves? I'm thinking SE's will be tried at some point. I'll probably worry about that after my hip replacement surgery. Right now, the surgery is coming up rapidly and it has pushed all other things out of the way for now. I'd be looking for some SE attempts in May or June. I also would like to try face lathering. It is my hope an goal to be proficient with SE's by shave 200. We'll see
It crossed my mind, but I know enough not to mess with it.
Dang, the pre-surgical PT is a real bear. I was told a long time ago, mind over matter when it comes to discomfort......if you don't mind, it don't matter. That's my motto with the PT.
What about all the cute nurses?
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
Congrats on 100 Mike!
My boss has been there for the same surgery and he tells me there's a "Nurse Ratchet" there that needs fiber or something. I'll be leaving the next day they tell me so I'll be sleeping through most of the nurse shifts. I will say, I'll probably get some attention because I'll be the youngest guy in the whole wing at 46
LOLOLOL classic
Today is all about shaving 101........not the class but shave #101
I got home last night and there was this wonderful box waiting for me from Eric with the PIF items I won in his latest PIF. Now that got me excited to shave this morning - all new stuff except the razor & blade.
Today's Shave: Shave #101
Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Eric's Lignum Vitae Hand Turned Brush Handle, 22 mm Boss Knot
Soap: Chambers Black
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower . Rub raw soap on face from the puck.
Total Razor on Face Time: 10 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Chambers Black AS Balm. Mammoth Painting.
Opening this soap I could tell it was a hard soap so I bloomed the puck while I was getting everything else around. I should have bloomed it longer, but took my new brush and started to make my lather. The brush didn't load very well which was not the brush's fault, just harder soap than I am used to. Can I just say I love this brush? I love it
II'll say more about it in my PIF review after the shave. I actually had to go back for more product in order to get my lather the way I wanted it. The scent of this soap is complex to my nose. There's notes of vanilla and amber in it but also some other manly spice notes in there that makes this soap smell wonderful and not feminine like some of the other vanilla or flowery scents.
A 2 pass shave was in order today. I set the razor at 3.0 for my first WTG pass. This soap is a great performer. Very slick, very nice. To me, this is great soap. This was my 3rd shave on this blade which is usually it for me, but with this soap it felt like the first or second shave. My second XTG/ATG pass was equally as nice with some J hooking in the usual areas. My clean-up was far too long this morning and was just short of another full pass. I actually used the Micro Touch One razor to clean-up under my nose and it does a super great job under there so I think I'll be using it daily just for that purpose. DFS+ with many areas of BBS mixed in on the face & neck. A truly great shave this morning.
Review of PIF Items:
Post shave I used the Chambers Black AS balm. I looked at the outside of this thing and it didn't say to shake it, but I think I should have. The container looks like a small cart shaving cream dispenser, but it's actually a pump and not an areosol. To me it seemed like it had a fair amount of alcohol in it, but it could be I needed to shake it and got all the alcohol in that first watery pump because the second one was much creamier. This stuff does go on silky and smells great. Between the soap and the balm it was like a powerful elixir that led my wife right to the bathroom. She really loves the scent.
The Black soap was great, and in my opinion a top performing soap. I recommend blooming for at least 10 minutes to aid with loading when it's new. It really didn't need much water at all during the lather building process. I poured the bloom water in the lathering bowl and only added drops of cold water twice during the lathering process. This soap painted like a dream for me on my skin. A nice thick lather that you couldn't see any skin trying to peak through. Post shave feel was great. I kind of kill it with the witch hazel, but even after that it's still quite nice feeling. This soap is a keeper for me, but my wife and I were talking about the scent and she really feels it's a pretty good female attractant so if that's what you are looking for, go get some of this soap
Now on to Eric's brush. Right from the unboxing last night I could tell this was a top quality brush. The handle is beautiful and the finish is rock hard on it. I must say though, it's the smallest knot I own and that made me wonder how it would work for me. I loved the quality of the knot and it had just the right stiffness and softness for me. I actually came to fall in love with the size of this knot as soon as I started to use it. It lathered well and when I put the lather on my face with this brush it felt great. What I really liked is I could paint under my nose and around my mouth without having to clean the soap off my lips later. I loved the heft of the handle too. Unlike my plastic handled brushes, you knew you had a brush handle in your hand. It conveys quality in every way. I love this brush! If you don't own one of Eric's brushes, you are missing out on something special. Thank you Eric!! If you look at the wood he turned this handle out of, it's truly a work of art and is expertly turned, sanded and finished. The wood is native to the Caribbean which just so happens to be where my wife came from, so that makes this brush special. She recalls seeing this wood in it's natural state on the island she called home for most of her life.
Today's Shave: Shave #101
Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Eric's Lignum Vitae Hand Turned Brush Handle, 22 mm Boss Knot
Soap: Chambers Black
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower . Rub raw soap on face from the puck.
Total Razor on Face Time: 10 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Chambers Black AS Balm. Mammoth Painting.
Opening this soap I could tell it was a hard soap so I bloomed the puck while I was getting everything else around. I should have bloomed it longer, but took my new brush and started to make my lather. The brush didn't load very well which was not the brush's fault, just harder soap than I am used to. Can I just say I love this brush? I love it
A 2 pass shave was in order today. I set the razor at 3.0 for my first WTG pass. This soap is a great performer. Very slick, very nice. To me, this is great soap. This was my 3rd shave on this blade which is usually it for me, but with this soap it felt like the first or second shave. My second XTG/ATG pass was equally as nice with some J hooking in the usual areas. My clean-up was far too long this morning and was just short of another full pass. I actually used the Micro Touch One razor to clean-up under my nose and it does a super great job under there so I think I'll be using it daily just for that purpose. DFS+ with many areas of BBS mixed in on the face & neck. A truly great shave this morning.
Review of PIF Items:
Post shave I used the Chambers Black AS balm. I looked at the outside of this thing and it didn't say to shake it, but I think I should have. The container looks like a small cart shaving cream dispenser, but it's actually a pump and not an areosol. To me it seemed like it had a fair amount of alcohol in it, but it could be I needed to shake it and got all the alcohol in that first watery pump because the second one was much creamier. This stuff does go on silky and smells great. Between the soap and the balm it was like a powerful elixir that led my wife right to the bathroom. She really loves the scent.
The Black soap was great, and in my opinion a top performing soap. I recommend blooming for at least 10 minutes to aid with loading when it's new. It really didn't need much water at all during the lather building process. I poured the bloom water in the lathering bowl and only added drops of cold water twice during the lathering process. This soap painted like a dream for me on my skin. A nice thick lather that you couldn't see any skin trying to peak through. Post shave feel was great. I kind of kill it with the witch hazel, but even after that it's still quite nice feeling. This soap is a keeper for me, but my wife and I were talking about the scent and she really feels it's a pretty good female attractant so if that's what you are looking for, go get some of this soap
Now on to Eric's brush. Right from the unboxing last night I could tell this was a top quality brush. The handle is beautiful and the finish is rock hard on it. I must say though, it's the smallest knot I own and that made me wonder how it would work for me. I loved the quality of the knot and it had just the right stiffness and softness for me. I actually came to fall in love with the size of this knot as soon as I started to use it. It lathered well and when I put the lather on my face with this brush it felt great. What I really liked is I could paint under my nose and around my mouth without having to clean the soap off my lips later. I loved the heft of the handle too. Unlike my plastic handled brushes, you knew you had a brush handle in your hand. It conveys quality in every way. I love this brush! If you don't own one of Eric's brushes, you are missing out on something special. Thank you Eric!! If you look at the wood he turned this handle out of, it's truly a work of art and is expertly turned, sanded and finished. The wood is native to the Caribbean which just so happens to be where my wife came from, so that makes this brush special. She recalls seeing this wood in it's natural state on the island she called home for most of her life.
Great shave and excellent review, Mike. I'm glad you like the brush, and it is very cool that it comes from your wife's neck of the woods(see what I did there?). Your description of the soaps performance and scent pretty much mirrors my thoughts on it, and I've considered picking up a bottle of WSP's EDP in that scent. That particular soap was made in WSP's Formula T formulation, which is a favorite of mine, and they describe the scent as follows:
Black Amber Vanille - This scent reminds me of reading a classic leather bound book in a finely furnished study while sipping a fine glass of scotch. Classic, yet modern. We started with some rich, decadent French Vanilla. Then combined it with a rustic amber and rounded out with black Myrrh and a splash of Egyptian Musk.
Black Amber Vanille - This scent reminds me of reading a classic leather bound book in a finely furnished study while sipping a fine glass of scotch. Classic, yet modern. We started with some rich, decadent French Vanilla. Then combined it with a rustic amber and rounded out with black Myrrh and a splash of Egyptian Musk.
Thanks for the description of the scent. It's a great one for sure. Egyptian Musk eh, I'll have to look that one up.
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
Nice Mike...now you and Eric have me itching to order some more WSP...thanks a lot guys! LOL
The polar vortex hasn't yet arrived here and it was -5 this morning at my place already. At my wife's request, I am repeating yesterday's shave. She really loved the scent combination so long as it's not attracting women at work
. As a side note, I did some research on the Egyptian Musk that's in this shaving soap. It does date back to ancient Egyptian times and can contain frankincense, myrrh, cedarwood, and some others depending on availability and who is making it.
Today's Shave: Shave #102
Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Eric's Lignum Vitae Hand Turned Brush Handle, 22 mm Boss Knot
Soap: Chambers Black
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower . Rub raw soap on face from the puck.
Total Razor on Face Time: 15 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Chambers Black AS Balm. Mammoth Painting.
Yesterday reloaded but today I'll be doing a nice 3 pass shave. If you are familiar with my journal, you'll know that this entails WTG, XTG/ATG, and ATG/XTG passes along with a clean-up. This morning I took my time with each pass. I tried some different bullfrogging techniques with my neck. I have developed some irritation on the side of my neck from something I wore the other day. It's right at the neckline of every shirt I wear, so bullfrogging and going really slow seemed to not light the inflaming fires anymore this morning - nice little trick to add to my bag of magic tricks I'm learning. I spent some time cleaning up this morning and really trying to get as smooth as possible. I got there, and was a fine BBS everywhere. I'm usually DFS or DFS+ in some areas but I kept working the clean-up and J hooking. There's a fine line between extensive clean-up and causing redness and irritation. I managed to stay well on the right side of that line this morning. A new blade helped, and stepping down the razor setting to 2.5 for the 2nd & 3rd passes / clean-up helped as well. Another great shave.
A word on mammoth painting with this soap. It works extremely well, and I found out from research yesterday that Egyptian Musk will activate with body heat so this really sticks with a guy all day and all night if you mammoth paint it. Two tusks up for this soap
Today's Shave: Shave #102
Razor: Parker Variant - Graphite handle
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Eric's Lignum Vitae Hand Turned Brush Handle, 22 mm Boss Knot
Soap: Chambers Black
Bowl: Red Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Wash with soap in the shower . Rub raw soap on face from the puck.
Total Razor on Face Time: 15 minutes
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand) face only, Cold rinse. Chambers Black AS Balm. Mammoth Painting.
Yesterday reloaded but today I'll be doing a nice 3 pass shave. If you are familiar with my journal, you'll know that this entails WTG, XTG/ATG, and ATG/XTG passes along with a clean-up. This morning I took my time with each pass. I tried some different bullfrogging techniques with my neck. I have developed some irritation on the side of my neck from something I wore the other day. It's right at the neckline of every shirt I wear, so bullfrogging and going really slow seemed to not light the inflaming fires anymore this morning - nice little trick to add to my bag of magic tricks I'm learning. I spent some time cleaning up this morning and really trying to get as smooth as possible. I got there, and was a fine BBS everywhere. I'm usually DFS or DFS+ in some areas but I kept working the clean-up and J hooking. There's a fine line between extensive clean-up and causing redness and irritation. I managed to stay well on the right side of that line this morning. A new blade helped, and stepping down the razor setting to 2.5 for the 2nd & 3rd passes / clean-up helped as well. Another great shave.
A word on mammoth painting with this soap. It works extremely well, and I found out from research yesterday that Egyptian Musk will activate with body heat so this really sticks with a guy all day and all night if you mammoth paint it. Two tusks up for this soap