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GearNoir

GearNoir

“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
...might as well make it fun, right?

So I figured I may as well start detailing my shaving adventures here, for posterity; though I do detail them in “other places” as well. In addition, I have a rear end full of new stuff coming thanks to very generous folks here and will want to detail my useage of those new items as well!

This first post will be the longest as there is a lot to catch up on here to bring the journal up to date.

Pre-traditional shaving, I spent numerous years whipping an electric around my face and calling it good; typical daily chore! My life has had its series’ of ups and downs like anyone else, but shaving was never what it is today, something to look forward to and enjoy. Electric shaves saw me through high school, junior college, marriage, my Bachelor’s, children, and up into the business world.

During a particularly hard time, just over 3 years ago, I believe I was over half way through seminary, but not finding much joy in real world things. I had a short stint of trying cigars, but that was an impermanent money sink and not a healthy thing; though it was enjoyable I had no one to share it with. It was while entertaining the idea of liking for a pipe that I first entered a brick and mortar for Art of Shaving. Yes fancy, overpriced, snobby AOS gave me my start into this journey, with encouragement from my wife. AOS Sandalwood is still my favorite regimen.

I began with a 34c, sampler blade pack, and AOS Sandalwood travel set, and the rest is history. Many other things have happened in those few intervening years, including a small break from shaving, finishing my Masters of Divinity, and delving more into ministry work, but here I am.

As of today, I’m 35, married near 15 years, have 3 young boys under 12, and am in the process of ordination in the Christian Church.

My current gear is:

- Prewar Fat Handled Tech
- Fatip Piccolo
- L4 Slim
- E2 Fatboy
- Vintage Koken SR
- W59 SR from GD
- I lost the 34c a while back due to plate loss
- Folding Feather AC SS

- Omega Pro 10049 boar brush
- AOS Genuine Badger brush
- Body Shop synthetic brush for travel
- RR Big Bruce synthetic

- AOS Sandalwood cream
- TOBS Sandalwood cream
- Proraso Red croap
- Proraso Green croap
- Cella soap
- La Toja shave stick
- DR Harris Sandalwood soap
- Tabac soap

- Proraso Red AS splash
- Proraso Green AS balm
- AOS AS Balm and preshave oil
- TOBS Sandalwood preshave oil
- RR The Stallion AS splash
- Captain’s Choice Venture AS splash (prerelease)
- Brut splash on that I hope to convert into an AS

Besides some random samples and of course my blades, that’s my den!

I just recently in the last 4 months or so began with the SR and shavette/Feather learning. It has been quite an enjoyable process if I do say so myself. Leaning a bit more toward the Feather system right now because my SR is in bad need of sharpening and I am not realms to invest in hones. Heck, I have a hard time even finding time to balsa strop the thing.

So today was:

Shave #63 using an open blade:

Who is this guy?

Today marks 3 shaves in a row! This has never happened before except during my electric razor days. I didn’t even do it using carts! Yet the last 3 days in a row I’ve used what is potentially one of my more aggressive combos each time.

I have a couple ideas as to why it’s working...and I’m sure I’m going to jinx myself with this. First less pressure. Second more “spot wetting” my face with water drops during clean up. Lastly, not pushing the shave too far. All very basic stuff, but things easy to forget during a shave.

Today I did full prep, used my Feather AC SS and Piccolo. Soap of choice was Cella and CC Venture AS to finish.

The new blade in the Feather has calmed down considerably in the last two shaves. Today it was perfectly smooth. I hope I can get the same longevity as the last one if not better.

End result today was BBS/DFS in all areas with very little alum burn.

I’m going to continue trying to shave daily. I already have quite a bit of soap I want to work through and I have, randomly, a plethora of new stuff on the way to try! Really looking forward to it.
 
I enjoyed your introductory entry very much. An advantage to finding your entry to wet shaving through the doors of an AOS is nearly everything else will feel like a screaming deal.

Nothing wrong with choosing the folding feather system over a traditional straight, the shaves don't get much closer or convenient than a nice feather shave.
 
Great first entry into your journal, Chris! Looking forward to following your adventure!
 
Excellent first journal post! There is a lot of gear there that I really enjoy!
 
On AOS...

In My Opinion (whether humble or not)... the AOS creams are decently priced and excellent, their balms are a little spendy but good, their pre-shave oils are spendy but okay. I have no problems buying these things, especially since their scents are great (Sandalwood FTW). The hardware that they carry is a different story.

Remember you are paying to keep the lights on at their retail locations and service people employed at those locations, not just for the products that they sell. There is something to be said for local availability, and that costs money.

When my current AOS products (one cream and one balm currently) are gone, I will be buying more.
 
This spot wetting during clean up, do you also reapply some lather? I am also guilty of some clean up with only water, but I try to stop myself and dab on a little lather when I'm doing more than just a stroke or two.
 
dkeester said:
On AOS...

In My Opinion (whether humble or not)... the AOS creams are decently priced and excellent, their balms are a little spendy but good, their pre-shave oils are spendy but okay. I have no problems buying these things, especially since their scents are great (Sandalwood FTW). The hardware that they carry is a different story.

Remember you are paying to keep the lights on at their retail locations and service people employed at those locations, not just for the products that they sell. There is something to be said for local availability, and that costs money.

When my current AOS products (one cream and one balm currently) are gone, I will be buying more.
Click to expand...

Yes! In a way their extreme mark up is unfortunate because if they simply went the way of Maggards or a more variety driven chain, they could easily become the Walmart of the shaving world! They are P&G for gosh darn sake!

The AOS specific products though are highly enjoyable and quality, maybe not exactly for that price, but still a great gateway.
 
NurseDave said:
This spot wetting during clean up, do you also reapply some lather? I am also guilty of some clean up with only water, but I try to stop myself and dab on a little lather when I'm doing more than just a stroke or two.
Click to expand...

Its highly dependent on the cleanup I have to do. More often than not it’s a couple stubborn stray stubble hairs here and there, so a dab of water provides ample slickness. I am usually pretty good about making just enough lather for 3 passes and a “lather soak” while cleaning gear. Any more than a few hairs though and yes, I usually painbrush a bit of lather on the spot.
 
Shave #64:

Just over half way through my work week. Proraso Red today with matching AS splash!

Today was just a 2 pass with clean up. Feather took the XTG like butter. I think I’ll stick with the reverse direction stroke (back to front) permanently, it’s just too good.

Piccolo took the ATG. Did a liiitle too much clean up on the upper lip and got some scrapes/rawness. Little bit of blood, solid alum burn there. I’m glad I didn’t push under the chin today as well.

Overall not a bad shave, could have pushed it a little less. I knew I’d jinx myself! BBS+/DFS all over except under the chin, which I’d consider having gotten CCS.

Something else I’ve been practicing with spot setting is spot lathering from the razor. Interestingly both the Piccolo and the Feather can do this. All it requires is backing your stroke up and a very fine layer of lather is laid back down on the spot, ready for you to shave up again. It is quite handy vs reaching for the brush each time.
 
dkeester said:
Interesting shave. I will have to think about the spot lathering thing.
Click to expand...

I’m sure it’s called something different officially...I just don’t know what!

It won’t help with big patches, but it is perfect for getting little spots on the cleanup strokes.
 
Welcome to the journals Chris!

Great intro and couple of shaves!

I'm of the mindset that AOS software is good stuff, but it is overpriced. There are just as good or better soaps and after shaves out there, that cost much less. IMHO
 
clyde72 said:
Welcome to the journals Chris!

Great intro and couple of shaves!

I'm of the mindset that AOS software is good stuff, but it is overpriced. There are just as good or better soaps and after shaves out there, that cost much less. IMHO
Click to expand...

It’s true, but you know...fear of the unknown and going through the process of looking for the next favorite and all that...?
 
Shave #65:

Today is my designated SR/shavette only day, but it was a treat!

Today soap was Grooming Department Absinthe and Leather! Mohammed from GD was kind enough to send some very generous sample portions of 5 of their soaps and this was one.

Official profile:



Absinthe & Leather - Beef tallow. Scent notes: Cardamom, Absinthe, Leather, Cade, Opopanax, Castoreum.

Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Water, Beef Tallow, Kokum Butter, Potassium Hydroxide, Castor Oil, Shea Butter, Cupuacu Butter, Glycerin, Goat Milk, Sucrose Cocoate, Fragrance, Safflower Oil, Jojoba Oil, Meadowfoam Oil, Babassu Oil, Abyssinian Oil, Pomegranate Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Carnauba Wax, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Acacia Senegal Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Sunflower Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Chamomile Extract, Sea Buckthorn Extract, Sacha Inchi Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Kaolin Clay, Silk Peptides, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Citrate.

This was my first use of this product, so these are merely initial thoughts based on one use. When you open the packaging (I thought it was quite ironic that it is a beef tallow product and came wrapped up like a cut of butchered meat) the scent is quite pungent. The leather scent was most noticeable to me right away, with underlying hints of other things that were hard to nail down. I’d never used anything with a scent profile similar to this, so it was all quite new.

The soap is a semi-soft soap, but not a croap, in a rough “chunk”. Just handling the product on bare skin, I could already tell this soap was primed for slickness! I transferred it to a square of plastic wrap and misled it a bit into my ramekin that I use for “bowl” lathering when needed.

I did my normal brush load, RR Big Bruce synth lightly wetted, loaded one the chunks for 30ish seconds. Then re-wet my face and the face lather was on! The scent immediately began to enrich and deepen, oh what luxury! If you are a leather scent lover, check this out! There was also a subtle “pop” of another overarching scent that sidled along with the leather, it was almost menthol-y (there is no menthol in this soap), but deeper and, well, not menthol. I assume this must be the cardamom/absinthe combo?

The lather was rich and slick, very easy to build up nicely. The Feather AC SS seemed to just have a little extra glide from it today. The soap was a little thirsty for me (not a bad or good thing), but a little soap seemed to go a long way. The residual slickness and post shave feel was great. I fully enjoyed my “lather soak” while cleaning up my gear. Grooming Department Absinthe and Leather is well out of my normal wheelhouse being mostly a sandalwood man, but it is a great soap!

Overall shave otherwise was good today. 2 passes - XTG and partially ATG. Resulted in BBS on the cheeks and CCS for the rest.

Finished off with a light coating of Captain’s Choice Venture.
 
Great shave today Chris! It's amazing how much different a straight shave feels when you use an ulta-slick soap.

Your experience with GD mirrors what others have said about them...which is an absolute top notch soap! I haven't had a chance to try any GD soaps, but it's high up on the list pending the right scent becomes available. They're pretty limited in their releases, so it's touch and go. Am really interested in their duck fat formula...sounds luxurious!
 
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