SMF

Tuesday

Proraso soap
Made Rite Finest brush
Nozxema/Kai Twin disposable razor
444 ASB
CO Bigelow Witch Hazel Skin Tonic splash

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Prep: Warm Water Wash
Razor: Merkur 37C Slant
Blade: Kia
Brush: Edwin Jagger Chatsworth Synthetic
Soap: BAUME.BE
Scuttle: Aesop Stainless
Post: Alt Innsbruck

Tuesday AM 08-26-2014

Georgetown Pottery G20 scuttle
Rooney 3/2 Ebony Finest (24mm/54mm)
Penhaligon's Castile shaving cream (vintage)
Gillette Slim Adjustable
Gillette Silver Blue (1)
Floris Santal aftershave

The old Gillette razor and blade combination is quite nice.

Tuesday 8/26/2014

Soap: MdC Original
Brush: Plisson Horn size 12 EW (22/56)
Razor: Classic Cobra
Blade: Feather Pro
AS: Blenheim Bouquet splash

Tuesday evening:

Warm water wash
KMF Key Lime cream
Semogue 620 brush
Gem Featherweight razor
Gem stainless blade
Barbasol Pacific Rush A/S

Thought I would try my SE again on an evening shave. I very seldom shave at night. Not pleasant! No cuts or weepers but overall, not a pleasant shave. Rough and not very close. I either need to try some different blades or give up on the SE. I suppose my technique needs some work.

Tuesday evening:

Kent BK4 brush
Real Shaving Co. shave cream
Krona razor
Derby blade
Trumper lime aftershave

Simpson Colonel best
Stirling Naked and Smooth shaving soap
Edwin Jagger DE89L
Feather blade (4)
Thayer's witch hazel
Lucky Tiger after shave and face tonic

Tuesday night:

Razor: Gillette Injector
Blade: Chinese Schick

Brush: Semogue 730 (silvertip)
Soap: Valobra Shave Stick remnants pressed into a new cake of Mike's Natural, Lime.

Lather made in a bowl (well, not quite).
2 1/2 passes

Cold water rinse + AoS Ocean Kelp After Shave Lotion.


I tried something different tonight.
It has been taking me altogether too long to shave, primarily because I have been spending approx 25 minutes just making the lather!

I timed myself recently just loading the brush, and it took four minutes to get it super loaded with proto-lather. Now I may just be slow, but I recently discovered that if I periodically changed the direction I swirled the brush on the soap, I could cut the loading time almost in half!

Then I started wondering if the proto-lather itself might work, without further kneading, as adequate lather for the shave. So, tonight I decided to try a shave with proto-lather, entirely skipping further development in the lathering bowl. This means that all the work was done in the soap bowl, on top of the cake of soap.

I actually got a pretty good shave. Good enough that I am going to pursue this a little further. (Like adding a little water to the proto-lather next time.)

In the past, men often put a cake of soap in the bottom of a mug and made their lather in the mug on top of the cake of soap. They might even have worked it no more than I have to "load" my brush, and my "proto-lather" may be finished lather in the eyes of some wetshavers.

At any rate, the shave didn't suffer, I see ways I might be able to improve on this process further, and I saved a lot of time on the shave.

- Murray

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Pre-shave: Bath House Spanish Fig & Nutmeg Shave Oil
Razor: Merkur Long Handled Progress
Blade: Astra SP
Brush: Simpson Colonel X2L Best
Cream: Cyril Salter Citrus
A/S: Dickinson's Witch Hazel/Taylor's No. 74 Victorian Lime Splash

LASSC BBS-1
Gillette Silver Blue
WSP Prince Silvertip
Green Mountain Bay Rum Shave Soap
Stirling Bay Rum Witch Hazel Aloe Balm
Old Spice Classic Cologne
Sea Grapes Studio Shave Bowl

Simpson Colonel X2L Best
Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet SC and AS Balm
Weber PH Bulldog
Polsilver SI

Wednesday

Brush: Simpson Chubby 1 Best
Cream: Taylor - Shave Shop
Razor: '72 Black Handle Adjustable
Blade: Feather
A/S: Proraso Liquid A/S
Cologne: Tabac

Mike

Arctic Shave for CP - 27/08/2014

• Razor • GEM Clog Pruf
• Blade • GEM SS Teflon (10)
• Brush • Cade Plisson Synth
• Soap • Dapper Dragon Ice Wyrm (2)
• AS1 • Osage Rub
• AS2 • Aqua Velva Ice Blue



The shave started off with a gentle chill from the peppermint oil in the Ice Wyrm. However, I finished it off as arctic as I could. It was a bracing finish to a great shave.

Good morning. Wednesday:

Jaggerooney w/Dorco 301, #3
BK 4
Valobra stuck w/AG Violet water
Thayer's Lavender witch hazel
RazoRock KL Lavender A/S Wax
TOBS No. 74 Original EDC

Wednesday morning:

Pre shave: Noxzema cleansing cream
KMF Key Lime cream
Semogue 620 brush
Gillette New LC razor
Rapira Stainless blade
Pinaud Classic Vanilla A/S

Wednesday

Proraso soap
Rooney Finest brush
Barbasol floating head razor
Kai blade
444 ASB
CO Bigelow Witch Hazel Herbal Skin Tonic splash

Wednesday morning:

Jagger Georgian silvertip brush
Erasmic shaving soap
Krona razor
Derby blade
Trumper lime aftershave

Wednesday 8/27/2014

Soap: MdC Original
Brush: Plisson Antic size 12 EW (22/56)
Razor: Classic Cobra
Blade: Feather Pro
AS: Fine Fresh Vetiver

Wednesday AM 08-27-2014

Moss scuttle
Rooney Stubby 1 Porcelain Finest (22mm/45mm)
D.R. Harris Lavender shaving soap (vintage)
Gillette Slim Adjustable
Gillette Silver Blue (2)
Floris Elite aftershave balm

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Prep: Warm Water Wash
Razor: Merkur 37C Slant
Blade: Kia
Brush: Plisson Synthetic
Soap: BAUME.BE
Scuttle: Aesop Stainless
Post: Speick After Shave Lotion