The Shaving Cadre

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Ramblings of a MilkCrate

MilkCrate

"I am a Milk Crate with Dreams"
Started out using carts and canned goo, back in the 80’s and if I remember right, I was good at getting razor burn. Eventually got tired of that and moved into electrics. Electrics were ok, but didn’t give the best of shaves. I have worn out a few electrics in my day, but kept at it for a quick lazy shave. It was a chore.

Last November, my electric was dull and pulling hairs if I skipped a day. So on a whim, I jumped on the net to research DE shaving. Bought a Chinese set from the bay: razor, brush, bowl and stand. It was all chrome, compact and looked classic. Found the VDH soap at a local retailer and off I went.

Unfortunately, the razor had alignment issues and I was back to razor burn. Back to the net I went to continue my quest.

Since then I have tried to resist the various addictions, but dabbled just a bit. I have acquired a few razors, mostly vintage. I have also purchased a few brushes and soaps to try.

More coming soon, just thought I would pen my humble beginnings.
 
Welcome to the Journals Tim!

I too wound up here via Electric Razor.
 
MilkCrate said:
Since then I have tried to resist the various addictions, but dabbled just a bit. I have acquired a few razors, mostly vintage. I have also purchased a few brushes and soaps to try.
Don't strain yourself, you could pull something! Easier to just give in and go with the flow ?
 
NurseDave said:
Don't strain yourself, you could pull something! Easier to just give in and go with the flow ?

Can’t help it, that’s the way I roll. The Mrs says that I am hardheaded.
 
This was last night’s setup-

Pre Shave-

Hot shower followed by a hot water splash for shaving.

Shave-

Gillette Slim

Astra SP (3)

Omega boar

Proraso Red soap and AS

I’m fairly predictable in my routine. I went with my standard three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG. No drama to report, just what I hope is a comfortable new "normal" for me.

I just came off of a week of using my recently acquired Gillette OC. That razor amazed me with consistent BBS shaves for the entire week. So, I decided to try something new with the Slim. I usually shave with it set on 4 and get a DFS. But after using the OC, I bumped the Slim up to a 6.

I continued with the same Proraso Red setup I had been using. I also changed my brush back over to boar, from the badger. This week I have walked away with consistent BBS shaves from the Slim. No drama, no bloodletting and the AS reported that it was a great shave.

I am really stoked with almost 2 full weekly rotations of BBS shaves. A few more sleeps and a wake up to complete the 2 weeks. I think I may have reached another milestone.
 
Right on, nothing wrong with perfection.
 
Congrats on finding the winning formula for you! Getting consistent BBS is nothing to shake a stick at!!
 


Same setup again last night.

Pre Shave-

Hot shower followed by a hot water splash for shaving.

Shave-

Gillette Slim

Astra SP (4)

Omega boar

Proraso Red soap and AS

I went with my standard three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG. No drama to report and the shave was good.

To quote the great philosopher Maxwell Smart “Missed it by that much”. Guess I jinxed myself talking about it. I was BBS everywhere except one small spot on the jawline. Oh well, that was the best run I’ve had so far.

I will be keeping this setup until Sunday and then we’ll try something new.
 
Still a very good shave, Tim, even if you missed the BBS that you've been getting recently.
 
MilkCrate said:
To quote the great philosopher Maxwell Smart “Missed it by that much”.
Funny, I used to watch that with my dad. My mom doesn't get our sense of humor.
 
Nice shave and picture Tim!

Would you believe that I Loved "Get Smart!"
 
Get Smart was a fabulous show. I even liked the movie remake with Steve Carell.

Great shave, even with the missed BBS. I love the Proraso red cream. I need to pick up the splash. Next time I order from ItalianBarber I will probably splurge on the 400ml. bottle.
 


Just goofing around with this mornings shave. I had a Stirling Barbershop sample that I wanted to try. I didn’t have the splash, so I paired it with Nivia ASB. Thought I would slip this in today, before my rotation change.

The Mrs had bought me a shave mug / brush combo that I wanted to play with also. Ceramic mug and the brush is synthetic with a ceramic handle. It’s themed to match another hobby, so good fun.

Pre shave-
Hot water splash to wake up.

Shave-
Gillette Slim
Astra SP (5)
Themed synth brush
Stirling Barbershop
Nivia ASB

I really liked the scent on the puck. Not sure if my sniffer is working right this morning, but the scent faded quickly when lathered. It delivered a nice slick lather that allowed for touch ups along the way. I went with the standard three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG. This morning I walked away with a DFS.

Not sure if my angle was off a bit or the blade is fading on me. I’ll fix the blade issue tomorrow with a hardware change for a new rotation.

Good times and a great start to the day.
 
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