And here we are ---

Thoughts and input on anything related to wet shaving or men's grooming.
brothers
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And here we are ---

Post by brothers »

Whiskers (hair) are/is inevitable. Shaving is optional. I choose to shave, just as my father and grandfathers before me. A pleasant way to spend a leisurely 8 minutes every morning. Been doing it since I was about 15. And of course, the whiskers never stop growing ---

load the brush on the soap for 15 seconds or spread shaving cream on the face
build lather on the face
rinse the brush
shave all the whiskers off going against the grain
rinse the razor and blade
apply aftershave splash

Fact: Five o'clock shadow is inevitable; waking up every morning guarantees there will be a full growth of whiskers needing to be shaved again 24/7/365 for life. It used to take longer but now it's short and sweet while remaining just as enjoyable if not moreso due to the simplicity.
Conclusion: when an individual feels good to be clean shaven the above continues to occur regardless of how much or how little the stuff costs, or how often it occurs. Everyone does it differently with different products, practices, and preferences.
Barring alopecia, this applies to every living adult on planet earth.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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Ouchmychin
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by Ouchmychin »

I agree gary. Today I decided to go with the Futur. First I flipped the top off to check the blade. It was covered with soap scum. I wiped it off with my washcloth and checked the razor--covered with scum insde. It wouldn't wipe off so I grabbed my trusty Sonicare toothbrush and worked it over till it was nice and shiny inside. I load my face just like you. First I fill the sink with the hottest water I can get out of my tap and put the brush in to soak while I pick up the bathmat and my towel from showering. Then I lather up with the hot brush.
Ouchmychin (Pete)
brothers
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by brothers »

GreeneMD wrote:Thank you, sometimes I feel overwhelmed hearing the products people used or have, but then I remind myself, I'm only removing hair from my face, not buying my way in to heaven.
I saw this posted elsewhere and couldn't have said it better in a million years. :)
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
Rufus
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by Rufus »

Agreed. My morning shave leaves me feeling clean and invigorated, ready to face the day. I can't imagine having a beard, or any facial hair for that matter.
Bryan
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fallingwickets
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by fallingwickets »

not buying my way in to heaven.
dood's obviously never bought trumpers rose :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

clive
de gustibus non est disputandum
brothers
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by brothers »

Yep, they're still growing back every day!

I haven't screamed "Stop the world I want to get off!" yet. But I think I'm getting close.

Perfection:

Brush: Thater (Is anyone surprised my final choice wasn't a boar or synthetic? Well, I am.)
Razor: The General SE
Soap/Cream: I have 17 brands, some with backups, some one and done. Hopefully no selling or buying, just using what I have on hand.
Blade: Feather Pro and Kai Captain Titan. Very few other brands exist.
After shave splash: About a half dozen. Really not a biggie. Something I can do without.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
Tucker
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by Tucker »

Gary, glad you like that Colonial General Head. Rumor has it that a brass version is in the works. It is a near perfect razor, and I love the Feather Pro's with it. I am one that has always been focused on hardware. Now I am venturing into software. I took your advise and got some Palmolive Original Shaving Cream in a tube. I also have Tabac on the way, and have recently acquired Proraso Green Soap, Valobra Almond and Omega Croaps. I also got VDH Glycerine off of Ebay, and I am quite impressed. I am using Distilled Water, as the water is quite hard here. It has opened the door to some great lathers and product experimentation! To coincide with my next monthly haircut, I have decided to shave off my moustache at 40 years of age. My wife, who has known me for five years, has never seen me completely clean shaven. I am hoping that it takes a few years off! The days keep flying by, and the shaves keep coming.
brothers
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by brothers »

Tucker, my late brother had a mustache forever, and when he shaved it off once, his wife went crazy. Hated how he looked without it, and he never dared shave it off again. That does raise a question, doesn't it? If you don't like my face, why did you ..... ? Oh well, none of my business? :D

PS: It wasn't me who recommended Palmolive shaving cream. The shaving soap is a remarkable little tallow based product with a wonderful lather. Some guys like the way it smells, others not so much. Same for Speick Original shaving soap. Only comes in one scent, it's inexpensive, and makes a great tallow lather.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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Ouchmychin
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by Ouchmychin »

My wife of 15 years did not like my chin when I shaved my beard off because I had it when we first met. I keep a short cover on my chin now.
Ouchmychin (Pete)
CMur12
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by CMur12 »

I have worn a beard for 45 years (since early 1972) and I have shaped it at the cheeks and shaven my neck for most of that time. It is very much a part of my identity and my self image. Back in 1989, I shaved the beard off on a dare. When I went to work, some people actually didn't recognize me!

I can see how a wife, who was perhaps originally attracted to her husband when he had certain facial hair and who has always known him thus, might object to such a change in appearance.

- Murray
brothers
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by brothers »

As they say, beauty is either in the eye of the beholder, or it is "whisker deep". :D
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
brothers
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by brothers »

As a very young man with a full head of dark hair, my barber suggested combing all of my hair straight back. Being a typical guy, I don't care, so I said yeah, sure. Let's do it, and he did. My own wife, the same one I have now, was furious when I got home. She said I looked like one of those TV preachers, and she made me re-comb it like I always did, and that was the end of the experiment!
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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Ouchmychin
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by Ouchmychin »

Inspired by Gary's switch from the Monster synthetic to a badger brush, I decided to start rotating brushes. So far I have used the Simpson Colonel that was a bargain a few years ago from a London barber supply. Today I tried a Semoque boar brush. I didn't like the boar but the Colonel was fine except that it has many less bristles than the Monster.
Ouchmychin (Pete)
oldjoe
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by oldjoe »

When I met my girlfriend who became my wife I had no whiskers hardly at all. Went to college in a far away place and came back with a mustache. I have shaved it off once, maybe twice in the last 50 years and my wife told me to grow it back she didn't like my "chicken lips" look without the mustache. So here we are 50 years down the pike and I still have a mustache. When I was working a co-worker friend told me I looked like "Hitler's accountant". Not sure why?
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Ouchmychin
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by Ouchmychin »

I went back to the Monster synthetic. The only badger I liked was the Simpson Colonel. The badgers I have just couldn't load up as much lather for when I do a multi-pass shave. I still feel that the Monster is the best brush I have ever used (admittedly my budget doesn't let me try really big badger brushes.
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fallingwickets
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by fallingwickets »

my budget doesn't let me try really big badger brushes.
personally think they are highly overrated anyway and looking back at my purchases I dont have any real regrets but shaving life would be just fine without the big ones. All this to say you arent missing a thing. Maybe Buzz will comment, what with his love for his big plisson, but big isnt better

clive
de gustibus non est disputandum
brothers
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by brothers »

Pete, I agree with you on the big in size (and in brand name) badger brushes. My Monster synthetic brush is one tenth or one twentieth (or far more than that) of the price of those others, and performs just as well, in my personal opinion. At the current time I'm rotating every day among 3 brushes: 2 synthetics and 1 Thater badger. Every day's face-lather experience is as great as the day before.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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Ouchmychin
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by Ouchmychin »

So please give us a report when you have made enough rotations Gary. Today I use my old ARKO shave stick and then built plenty of lather with the monster, right on my face.
Ouchmychin (Pete)
brothers
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by brothers »

Pete, I never had a brush for several decades. When I got Williams and Van der Hagen soaps, the guys on the forums broke the news that I had to have a brush. The first one I got was one of the $5 grocery store exploding variety that just fall apart in a month or less. Along came Tweezerman, followed by an Omega 48, a Golden Nib replacement finest badger knot in an old brush handle and the rest is history. I've got some favorites and some collectables, and I think we are all fortunate to witness the coming of age of synthetics. I still enjoy the variety I have found in a small handful of my brushes, but I have lost the desire to keep rotating other wet shaving gear.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
brothers
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Re: And here we are ---

Post by brothers »

Ouchmychin wrote:So please give us a report when you have made enough rotations Gary. Today I use my old ARKO shave stick and then built plenty of lather with the monster, right on my face.
Pete, it's been six months now, and I think it's about 90% certain that my brush rotation days are almost at an end. (Unless I change my mind!) I've been using the brush that I call the Mesquite burl synthetic every day for several months. The handle is mesquite burl made by Bob Quinn in Texas, and the synthetic knot is one I bought from The Shave Revolution before he closed down his business. The brush just seems to meet or exceed my expectations and perceptions. This brush will never shed and dries almost instantly. That, plus the fact that I refinished this pretty brush handle myself using CA (cyanoacrylate AKA super glue). This stuff is rock hard and as shiny as a diamond.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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