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The wonderful excesses of acquisition disorders...and wet shaving

Dagwoodz

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Friday, 16 March, 2018
WSP Formula T Gaelic Tweed | Eiko 6/8” half wedge
Currently on Shave #469 | Straight shave #279


Welcome to my wacky world…at least here. For those who don’t know me, I got into the traditional wet shaving game in July 2016 and have been hooked. Yes, contrary to sound advice, I went “full retard” in this wonderful hobby/obsession. (Thank you RDJ and the writers of Tropic Thunder for that) My unique situation is that I’m working overseas…not in a particularly nice place. In the time that I’ve been doing this, I’ve tried over 140 different soaps and creams, various modern and vintage DE’s, a dozen+ brushes, and of course, straight razors. I’ve started to dive deep into each acquisition disorder rabbit hole, to include fragrances…and I get to share that here.

Work obligations amongst other things had me up early, but I had this shave planned for a week as it’s St. Patrick’s Day. No green beer out here, however. I was able to substitute that for a nice Gaelic shave, using WSP’s Gaelic Tweed. I matched it up with the Jade Paladin, Eiko (green flecked scales), some Stirling Unscented ASB (green bottle), and some Creed Green Irish Tweed EdP. And yes, I’m wearing green. The lather was a bit on the airy side at first, but calmed down into a beautifully slick and protective lather when I massaged it into my skin. I haven’t used this brush in a while, and it actually shocked me with how soft the tips were…I don’t know why. The Eiko was nice and keen, being only the 2[sup]nd[/sup] shave since its refresh, and was able to plow through the 48 hours of growth with ease. As is usual with this razor, a little bit of a sting from the alum on the left cheek and neck, but it was full on BBS. Topped off with the matching aftershave and some Stirling balm infused with a healthy amount of Creed’s GIT…and some dotties of GIT all around. Great Irish start to what is shaping up to be a very long day in the office.

As an aside…and I’ve written as much elsewhere, I’m excited to begin this adventure here on TSC. Cadre is a very apt word to describe our little band of wet shavers. The Merriam-Webster definition is:
“a nucleus or core group especially of trained personnel able to assume control and to train others; broadly: a group of people having some unifying relationship”
While both parts are equally applicable to our group, to me, the second part of that definition particularly rings true for this group. We’re unified in our love of this hobby, and have developed unifying relationships. For me, cadre is of particular import as a word, coming from a military background. The cadre is the group of service members who are charged with training the next generation of Soldiers/Airmen/Sailors/Marines. Doing so, you develop lasting, bonded relationships with your fellow cadre members. The affinity I have for this group feels very similar to what I experienced being a military cadre member. Hopefully, we’ll be able to tackle the training portion of the definition to help people find their own way in the wet shaving world. Whatever difficulties have led us here are truly, in the grand scheme of things, for the best. I’m honestly looking forward to what the future brings…and it looks bright for our little cadre of traditional wet shaving aficionados!


Another thing...Fougere week is still on the horizon and will be starting on Saturday. Here is the line-up:



Asylum Royal Fougere
Martin de Candre Fougere
Palmolive (tallow version)
Declaration Grooming TSM Fougere
Wholly Kaw Fougere Parfait (donkey milk formula)
Wholly Kaw Monaco Royale (donkey milk formula)
Wholly Kaw Fougere Bouquet
Wholly Kaw Fern Concerto

Have a great day everyone!
 
Awesome stuff Josh. And I also agree that the term Cadre was a great choice. Although I might be a little biased. I really like the history as it relates to the military also.

Nice shave today and that is a great lineup for fougere week!
 
Cvargo said:
Awesome stuff Josh. And I also agree that the term Cadre was a great choice. Although I might be a little biased. I really like the history as it relates to the military also.

Nice shave today and that is a great lineup for fougere week!
Thanks Chad...been looking forward to it for a little while now!
DocHoliday0831 said:
Excellent first entry Josh!
Thanks TJ!
Quijote said:
Nice shave. I am green with envy.
Lol...nice one Don and thanks!
Majorrich said:
I like when I like an entry the thumb turns green..
Lol...
Smattayu said:
Nice Fougere Week line up!
Thanks Eric!

Well, that was about the quickest 18 hour shift I've worked in a while...lol. back to normalcy tomorrow thankfully.
 
No shave today, but I did get a very nice mail call in.



Declaration Grooming Gratiot League Square soap
Declaration Grooming Bandwagon soap
Declaration Grooming Bandwagon Aftershave
Ghost Town Barber EdP

I'm half tempted to stall the fougere week so I can try out all the new stuff...but delaying the first use typically makes it more enjoyable. Plus I have a few soaps in the fougere line up that I haven't used yet, so I can scratch that itch.
 
I didn't see this package come in with the mail, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it there... a brush scuttle from Doug Smith pottery on Etsy. Looking forward to using it tomorrow!!
 
Quijote said:
That is a tough call. There isn't a bad decision there.
Thanks Don...I guess I'm spoiled for options
Smattayu said:
Excellent Mail Call Josh!
Thanks Eric!
Quijote said:
Always nice to get a surprise like that
It really was...I didn't realize it was there until I went to sign for my mail later on (forgot to do so initially) and saw my name down for two packages.
NurseDave said:
That’s the kind of mail I like!
Thanks Dave!
Majorrich said:
Sweet! Is it big enough to lather in?

So it's only a brush scuttle, just big enough to hold the brush and keep it warm/hot. I guess you could lather in it, but the lather bowl I have is so good I'll lather there and transfer the brush and lather to the scuttle when I'm done.
 
Just getting around to reading the journals and I'll start mine soon!

Great shaves, reads, and pictures Josh!

Nice mail calls!

I like you thinking on the cadre, well stated!
 
Sunday, 18 March, 2018
Wholly Kaw La Fougere Parfait | William Ragg Napoleon 6/8” Wedge
Currently on Shave #470 | Straight shave #280



Today begins fougere “week”. I’ve been looking forward to this for a little while now, as I have a few soaps in this line-up I haven’t used yet, and I just straight up love fougere. The line-up, outlined in the previous entry, has a wide range of scents in the fougere spectrum. Today’s soap, La Fougere Parfait by Wholly Kaw, is a vibrant fougere and a very faithful take on the classic scent Brut. This is the donkey milk formulation, which is just phenomenal. I grabbed a bunch of favorites to accompany this soap, with the Rudy Vey 26mm TGN 2-band “Chubby”, and the Ragg 6/8” wedge. I haven’t used this razor in about a year, as the scales were very close to splitting apart. I temporarily repaired them so I could use the razor without worrying about the scales.



Also, this was the first time using the brush scuttle from Doug Smith Pottery on Etsy. The water was a little too warm this when I used it, which broke the lather down, but it did a great job of keeping the lather nice and hot for the shave. I’m going to use it another few times with different types of soaps, as it seems that tallow based soaps tend to break down more when heat is added. In this case, I did have to return to the soap to reload for the final pass, but the soap was still very slick and protective. The Ragg was in great form, the edge I put on it last year still going strong. This is only the 4[sup]th[/sup] shave on this razor ever, 3 of them by me, and 2[sup]nd[/sup] on this edge. Quite impressive considering this razor was made in the mid 1800’s.



After 2.5 passes with the Ragg, finishing the neck with the ‘Jectah, I walked away with a nice BBS- and very minimal irritation from the alum and aftershave. The aftershave is, again, a fairly accurate take on the Brut scent, with menthol added. I picked up a bottle of Brut EdT at the local shopette here on base and topped off with some infused Paladin unscented balm and more than a few Vassily’s of the EdT. Good start to the fougere’s!


Have a great day everyone!
 
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