You mentioned the OverLander and it really does have one of the best ATG passes I have ever enjoyed. Very efficient without irritation etc. Mine is the brass version and is one of my Terrific Twelve.
A journal of a Cajun's life wet shaving
- Thread starter cajunrph
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #42
That's the one I have in the cart. Waiting.......Waiting..... The good LORD is teaching me patience. He has been teaching me that for a while. Patience isn't a strong suit of mine.You mentioned the OverLander and it really does have one of the best ATG passes I have ever enjoyed. Very efficient without irritation etc. Mine is the brass version and is one of my Terrific Twelve.
- Thread starter
- #43
Shave Date 9/10/23
GRUME: 10/30
Razor: Rockwell 6c #4 plate
Blade: Dorco Platinum Red (5)
Pre-Shave: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: Sterling Coniferous
Brush: West Coast Shaving Clear Smoke Synthetic Brush.
Post-shave: Alum Block, Thayers, PAA Mysterium Serum
Bowl: Douglas Smith Pottery Suribachi Shaving Bowl
Rating: 8.0/10 BBS Cheeks and DFS on the neck. 3 weepers.
Notes:
Sunday shave for mass. I used my newfound lathering skills with a new soap today. Same results. A fantastic lather. I wet the bowl and shook out all the moisture I could, which made it easier to spread the soap on the bottom and sides of the bowl. Yesterday I used a dry bowl due to using a Badger Hair brush, thinking I'd have too much water to start off with as the natural hair brushes will retain more water when dipped vs. the synthetic brushes. Yesterday I was unable to incorporate all the soap into the lather with the first water additions. From here on out I will wet the bowl and shake out as much water as I can. I was pushed for time so I didn't continue the water additions to see how much I could add and still have a usable lather. The lather was thicker than yesterday but not as bad as my first attempts with the PAA CK-6 base soaps. The lather did rinse out of the razor after making the passes, but it took a tad bit longer. In addition, I didn't need to loosen the razor to get it to wash out, it just needed additional rinsing time. The soap leaves a nice subtle scent, one I feel is perfect for when I serve at mass.
On to the shave, I performed the obligatory three passes with touch-up, WTG, XTG, and ATG. I didn't feel any tugging while shaving, but I did feel significantly more feedback from the blade with the #4 plate vs. the #3 plate. Did the number of shaves on the blade have something to do with the additional feedback or was it purely the more aggressive plate, I don't know. I will have to shave with a new Dorco blade and the #4 plate to find out. I did get many weepers this time. Some were noticeable after the shave despite the alum block and Thayers being used. That was a first for me as the alum and/or Thayers has always been able to close up any weepers that came up. I am still lightyears ahead of when I first shaved back in the early 2010s when I'd cut the crap out of my face on a regular basis.
The blade was binned after the shave. I don't know how many shaves I'll get out of one blade. I know that is a hot topic of debate 'round these parts. I am still on the quest to answer that question for myself as it seems to be partly based on personal preferences and the level of sensitivity of the skin.
As always the neck isn't BBS. I did get weepers on the neck this time, a first for me, in trying to chase a BBS shave with ATG passes. I have yet to find the holy grail combo to get BBS on the neck. However, I will find out when the Karve Outlander is ordered and delivered after I have completed my first GRUME just how good that razor is for ATX on the neck. Patience, that is what I need, patience.
Good football day yesterday. Bama and Texas went toe to toe yesterday with Texas coming out on top. One thing about Bama, they always swing to the end. They were in the Game just about the whole way. That defensive offsides on Bama when Texas had a 4th and 2 on Bama's side of the field put the fork in them. That one will be replayed as much as the Florida shoe toss in their loss to a down LSU in 2020. Haha, brings a smile to my face thinking about that one.
I wish everyone's Sunday to be a blessed and relaxing one. May your shaves be BBS, weeper, and nick free.
GRUME: 10/30
Razor: Rockwell 6c #4 plate
Blade: Dorco Platinum Red (5)
Pre-Shave: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: Sterling Coniferous
Brush: West Coast Shaving Clear Smoke Synthetic Brush.
Post-shave: Alum Block, Thayers, PAA Mysterium Serum
Bowl: Douglas Smith Pottery Suribachi Shaving Bowl
Rating: 8.0/10 BBS Cheeks and DFS on the neck. 3 weepers.
Notes:
Sunday shave for mass. I used my newfound lathering skills with a new soap today. Same results. A fantastic lather. I wet the bowl and shook out all the moisture I could, which made it easier to spread the soap on the bottom and sides of the bowl. Yesterday I used a dry bowl due to using a Badger Hair brush, thinking I'd have too much water to start off with as the natural hair brushes will retain more water when dipped vs. the synthetic brushes. Yesterday I was unable to incorporate all the soap into the lather with the first water additions. From here on out I will wet the bowl and shake out as much water as I can. I was pushed for time so I didn't continue the water additions to see how much I could add and still have a usable lather. The lather was thicker than yesterday but not as bad as my first attempts with the PAA CK-6 base soaps. The lather did rinse out of the razor after making the passes, but it took a tad bit longer. In addition, I didn't need to loosen the razor to get it to wash out, it just needed additional rinsing time. The soap leaves a nice subtle scent, one I feel is perfect for when I serve at mass.
On to the shave, I performed the obligatory three passes with touch-up, WTG, XTG, and ATG. I didn't feel any tugging while shaving, but I did feel significantly more feedback from the blade with the #4 plate vs. the #3 plate. Did the number of shaves on the blade have something to do with the additional feedback or was it purely the more aggressive plate, I don't know. I will have to shave with a new Dorco blade and the #4 plate to find out. I did get many weepers this time. Some were noticeable after the shave despite the alum block and Thayers being used. That was a first for me as the alum and/or Thayers has always been able to close up any weepers that came up. I am still lightyears ahead of when I first shaved back in the early 2010s when I'd cut the crap out of my face on a regular basis.
The blade was binned after the shave. I don't know how many shaves I'll get out of one blade. I know that is a hot topic of debate 'round these parts. I am still on the quest to answer that question for myself as it seems to be partly based on personal preferences and the level of sensitivity of the skin.
As always the neck isn't BBS. I did get weepers on the neck this time, a first for me, in trying to chase a BBS shave with ATG passes. I have yet to find the holy grail combo to get BBS on the neck. However, I will find out when the Karve Outlander is ordered and delivered after I have completed my first GRUME just how good that razor is for ATX on the neck. Patience, that is what I need, patience.
Good football day yesterday. Bama and Texas went toe to toe yesterday with Texas coming out on top. One thing about Bama, they always swing to the end. They were in the Game just about the whole way. That defensive offsides on Bama when Texas had a 4th and 2 on Bama's side of the field put the fork in them. That one will be replayed as much as the Florida shoe toss in their loss to a down LSU in 2020. Haha, brings a smile to my face thinking about that one.
I wish everyone's Sunday to be a blessed and relaxing one. May your shaves be BBS, weeper, and nick free.
As my dad used to say "Patience belong in a hospital"
- Thread starter
- #45
Shave Date 9/11/23
GRUME: 11/30
Razor: Rex Envoy
Blade: Persona Blue
Pre-Shave: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: PAA La Tierra Mojada
Brush: Simpson Synthetic T2
Post-shave: Alum Block, Thayers, PAA Mysterium Serum
Bowl: Douglas Smith Pottery Suribachi Shaving Bowl
Rating: 8.5/10 BBS Cheeks and DFS on the neck. Possible weepers, disappear after a bit.
Notes:
Good Monday morning to everyone. It was a nice cool, crisp day today, a mere 81 outside. You know you're from the south if 81 degrees is cool and crisp. Today is a day I could put some serious miles on the motorcycle, alas I only put a few miles on it, from home to work. Nonetheless, a commute on a motorcycle is better than in a cage.
Another fine shave this morning, not the best, and not the worst. A new blade for me this time. I have heard many positive things about Persona Blue Blades and was not disappointed. I noticed right off the blade feedback was there, vs the virtually zero blade feedback from the Dorco Reds I had been using. Persona Blue Blades are much sharper than the Dorco Blades as well. With the first pass XTG on the neck, I could feel the blade cutting much more than the Dorcos I used yesterday. At that moment I said to myself,
"Self, I think it's wise if we just do two passes today, one WTG and one XTG, and not try and chase BBS on the neck like we usually do."
Considering the slice and dice I subjected my face to yesterday with the Dorco blade on its 5th use, I believe this to be a wise decision. Everything was going fine until I noticed Self load up to make an ATG pass on the jawline. I yelled out,
"Hey Self, what the heck are you doing?" Self said, Ohh just an ATX on the jaw area, it's usually thicker." "Ok self, I'm watching you. Carry on."
Then Self started to run as fast down the road chasing after BBS on the neck, before I knew it, Self had performed numerous ATX on the face and neck which led to some irritation and almost weepers. After it was all said and done I looked at Self.
"Are you proud of yourself, Self???" I asked.
Self lowered his head, then grabbed the alum block and applied it to the face. Amazingly there was little feedback from the alum block. Not much stinging. This bolstered Self some until he saw the redness on the face and neck. Self was quiet the rest of the shave. Despite Self not keeping his promise, the shave is a good one, abet one with a tad more redness than usual. Not as noticeable as a bunch of nicks and weepers. I have yet to have a weeper so bad that I needed to put a wad of TP on it like I did back in the day.
My lathering was excellent today as well. I was able to get a nice slick thick lather with my newfound techniques. I scooped some soap with my bass pick, smeared it into a moistened bowl, dipped the brush in water then rung it out, making small incremental water additions to the bowl and incorporating the water into a paste-like consistency. I continued the water additions and incorporation till I achieved a lather-like consistency. A few more water additions then whipping up the lather led to another excellent lather today. When I was whipping up the lather, I noticed the scent was fairly strong. This did not carry over to after the shave. Which is fine. I tend to not want an overly powerful scent even during the week.
I just looked in the mirror at work, my face isn't any more red than before. The face does feel a little hotter than before. Maybe Self didn't mess up so badly.
Have a fantastic, blessed Monday. May all your shaves be BBS, nick, and weeper free. And may your Self not be sneaky in your shaves.
GRUME: 11/30
Razor: Rex Envoy
Blade: Persona Blue
Pre-Shave: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: PAA La Tierra Mojada
Brush: Simpson Synthetic T2
Post-shave: Alum Block, Thayers, PAA Mysterium Serum
Bowl: Douglas Smith Pottery Suribachi Shaving Bowl
Rating: 8.5/10 BBS Cheeks and DFS on the neck. Possible weepers, disappear after a bit.
Notes:
Good Monday morning to everyone. It was a nice cool, crisp day today, a mere 81 outside. You know you're from the south if 81 degrees is cool and crisp. Today is a day I could put some serious miles on the motorcycle, alas I only put a few miles on it, from home to work. Nonetheless, a commute on a motorcycle is better than in a cage.
Another fine shave this morning, not the best, and not the worst. A new blade for me this time. I have heard many positive things about Persona Blue Blades and was not disappointed. I noticed right off the blade feedback was there, vs the virtually zero blade feedback from the Dorco Reds I had been using. Persona Blue Blades are much sharper than the Dorco Blades as well. With the first pass XTG on the neck, I could feel the blade cutting much more than the Dorcos I used yesterday. At that moment I said to myself,
"Self, I think it's wise if we just do two passes today, one WTG and one XTG, and not try and chase BBS on the neck like we usually do."
Considering the slice and dice I subjected my face to yesterday with the Dorco blade on its 5th use, I believe this to be a wise decision. Everything was going fine until I noticed Self load up to make an ATG pass on the jawline. I yelled out,
"Hey Self, what the heck are you doing?" Self said, Ohh just an ATX on the jaw area, it's usually thicker." "Ok self, I'm watching you. Carry on."
Then Self started to run as fast down the road chasing after BBS on the neck, before I knew it, Self had performed numerous ATX on the face and neck which led to some irritation and almost weepers. After it was all said and done I looked at Self.
"Are you proud of yourself, Self???" I asked.
Self lowered his head, then grabbed the alum block and applied it to the face. Amazingly there was little feedback from the alum block. Not much stinging. This bolstered Self some until he saw the redness on the face and neck. Self was quiet the rest of the shave. Despite Self not keeping his promise, the shave is a good one, abet one with a tad more redness than usual. Not as noticeable as a bunch of nicks and weepers. I have yet to have a weeper so bad that I needed to put a wad of TP on it like I did back in the day.
My lathering was excellent today as well. I was able to get a nice slick thick lather with my newfound techniques. I scooped some soap with my bass pick, smeared it into a moistened bowl, dipped the brush in water then rung it out, making small incremental water additions to the bowl and incorporating the water into a paste-like consistency. I continued the water additions and incorporation till I achieved a lather-like consistency. A few more water additions then whipping up the lather led to another excellent lather today. When I was whipping up the lather, I noticed the scent was fairly strong. This did not carry over to after the shave. Which is fine. I tend to not want an overly powerful scent even during the week.
I just looked in the mirror at work, my face isn't any more red than before. The face does feel a little hotter than before. Maybe Self didn't mess up so badly.
Have a fantastic, blessed Monday. May all your shaves be BBS, nick, and weeper free. And may your Self not be sneaky in your shaves.
- Thread starter
- #46
The Yates ‘Merica razor came in today. I’ll try it out tomorrow. I don’t see many of these on the forum. We’ll see how it shaves tomorrow.
(I swear I didn't drop acid before posting this, I couldn't find the GIF I wanted and...)
(I swear I didn't drop acid before posting this, I couldn't find the GIF I wanted and...)
Hell's yes, we American's do everything big here, and if your a Texan, you embody that within your every day life decisions. And when ya make a big shaving order, might as well flaunt your package in patriotic style! Golden eagles gonna rock the house tonight, and shed all their feathers. I walk into the room, take a look inside, see a mess everywhere. I look up, and I say... "I aint cleaning that up!"
- Thread starter
- #49
Shave Date 9/12/23
GRUME: 12/30
Razor: Yates 'Merica
Blade: Tatra Platinum
Pre-Shave: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: Rex 1955
Brush: Razor Emporium Best Badger Amber and Black Acrylic
Post-shave: Alum Block, Thayers, PAA Mysterium Serum, Rex 1955 After Shave
Bowl: Douglas Smith Pottery Suribachi Shaving Bowl
Rating: 9.0/10 BBS Cheeks and DFS on the neck. 1 weeper on the neck.
Notes:
Another fine lathering day was performed in the now standard way for me. With the natural hair brush, I set it in a few inches of water while I scooped out the soap and smeared it into the bowl. I then shook out most of the water from the brush and started the lathering. You guessed it, small incremental additions of water, mixing until all water was incorporated and the soap took in a paste-like texture. Once the paste transformed into a cream-like consistency, I added a few more small water additions and then whipped it up into a frothy bowl of lather. 'Twas a fine lathering experience. I then wet my face and scrubbed the cube all over my face. Once satisfied I had sufficient coverage with the cube, I lathered my face. Then I assembled the razor, touched up the face with fresh lather, and proceeded with the shave.
New Razor and blade for me today. I performed the customary three passes, WTG, ATG, and XTG with touchups. I got one weeper on the neck. I noticed this razor/blade combo seemed to be dragging on the face more than others. Yates offers many finishes, none of which are polished. I chose the Bead Blast finish just because. I had no knowledge of which one would be best and took a shot in the dark. The razor seemed to tug on the skin more than usual and I am not certain of the cause. I watched a YouTube interview of Jake and Ashley Yates discussing their razors. At one point the interviewer asked Jake about the finishes of his razors. He said the finishes would cause more drag than a polished razor, how much more and if it affected the quality of the shave was unknown. Maybe it is the finish of the razor, or maybe it is the combo of the blade and razor, which would be odd as the blades came with the razor. As mentioned before, I got a weeper on my neck. This one bled more than the others, it showed through on the second lathering for the XTG pass, which is a first for me in my return to wet shaving. My technique is still evolving, I may have used too much pressure. The razor is quite hefty therefore would require little additional pressure to shave with. I will have to experiment to figure this out. I will use my Rex Envoy as a base, using the same blade in the Rex tomorrow to see if it was the blade. I will also shave with the Personna in the Yates to see if that makes a difference, as well as being more conscious of using less pressure. The Yates weighs 8 grams less than the Rex Envoy and I have no issue with the Envoy tugging. I will post my findings. The shave is excellent, I stopped chasing the BBS on certain parts of the face due to the weeper. I did not reopen the weeper on the side of my goatee which has been an issue with other razors, and that area is BBS. I had minimal feedback from the alum block after the shave, even on the weeper area.
Rex 1955 is a pleasant scent, not an old-school Barber Shop scent at all. Hard to describe, more citrus scents in it. An outdoor scent, in the vain of smelling the air in a pine forest. Maybe I'm trying to describe Aqua Velva. I need to get mine out to see if that is it. I am not the best at detecting scents due to COVID wacking my sense of smell. It has come back some, I can smell my dogs when they fart in the bed now, but their breath, that could melt your contacts, doesn't affect me like it used to.
Monday down, on to Tuesday, I wish everyone a blessed and enjoyable day, may your shaves be BBS, nick, and weeper free.
GRUME: 12/30
Razor: Yates 'Merica
Blade: Tatra Platinum
Pre-Shave: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: Rex 1955
Brush: Razor Emporium Best Badger Amber and Black Acrylic
Post-shave: Alum Block, Thayers, PAA Mysterium Serum, Rex 1955 After Shave
Bowl: Douglas Smith Pottery Suribachi Shaving Bowl
Rating: 9.0/10 BBS Cheeks and DFS on the neck. 1 weeper on the neck.
Notes:
Another fine lathering day was performed in the now standard way for me. With the natural hair brush, I set it in a few inches of water while I scooped out the soap and smeared it into the bowl. I then shook out most of the water from the brush and started the lathering. You guessed it, small incremental additions of water, mixing until all water was incorporated and the soap took in a paste-like texture. Once the paste transformed into a cream-like consistency, I added a few more small water additions and then whipped it up into a frothy bowl of lather. 'Twas a fine lathering experience. I then wet my face and scrubbed the cube all over my face. Once satisfied I had sufficient coverage with the cube, I lathered my face. Then I assembled the razor, touched up the face with fresh lather, and proceeded with the shave.
New Razor and blade for me today. I performed the customary three passes, WTG, ATG, and XTG with touchups. I got one weeper on the neck. I noticed this razor/blade combo seemed to be dragging on the face more than others. Yates offers many finishes, none of which are polished. I chose the Bead Blast finish just because. I had no knowledge of which one would be best and took a shot in the dark. The razor seemed to tug on the skin more than usual and I am not certain of the cause. I watched a YouTube interview of Jake and Ashley Yates discussing their razors. At one point the interviewer asked Jake about the finishes of his razors. He said the finishes would cause more drag than a polished razor, how much more and if it affected the quality of the shave was unknown. Maybe it is the finish of the razor, or maybe it is the combo of the blade and razor, which would be odd as the blades came with the razor. As mentioned before, I got a weeper on my neck. This one bled more than the others, it showed through on the second lathering for the XTG pass, which is a first for me in my return to wet shaving. My technique is still evolving, I may have used too much pressure. The razor is quite hefty therefore would require little additional pressure to shave with. I will have to experiment to figure this out. I will use my Rex Envoy as a base, using the same blade in the Rex tomorrow to see if it was the blade. I will also shave with the Personna in the Yates to see if that makes a difference, as well as being more conscious of using less pressure. The Yates weighs 8 grams less than the Rex Envoy and I have no issue with the Envoy tugging. I will post my findings. The shave is excellent, I stopped chasing the BBS on certain parts of the face due to the weeper. I did not reopen the weeper on the side of my goatee which has been an issue with other razors, and that area is BBS. I had minimal feedback from the alum block after the shave, even on the weeper area.
Rex 1955 is a pleasant scent, not an old-school Barber Shop scent at all. Hard to describe, more citrus scents in it. An outdoor scent, in the vain of smelling the air in a pine forest. Maybe I'm trying to describe Aqua Velva. I need to get mine out to see if that is it. I am not the best at detecting scents due to COVID wacking my sense of smell. It has come back some, I can smell my dogs when they fart in the bed now, but their breath, that could melt your contacts, doesn't affect me like it used to.
Monday down, on to Tuesday, I wish everyone a blessed and enjoyable day, may your shaves be BBS, nick, and weeper free.
I may start a journal one day just to see what Aaron may post in it.
(I swear I didn't drop acid before posting this, I couldn't find the GIF I wanted and...)
Have a blessed day, friends.
Regardless which razor is used the blade does the cutting. Every edge on every cutting instrument will become duller or the apex becomes obtuse. Your next use requires you to apply more pressure on an obtuse edge to achieve the same results for the cut. Technique is the variable driving your success. Your muscle memory from last use now needs to be adjusted to accommodate this cut using a duller blade. The easiest way to minimize these changes is to use the blade fewer times, which will eliminate the extra technique adjustments required for the cut. Sharper blades are also more efficient and this will reduce extra passes and clean up’s required to achieve your desired results.
Like many my neck skin being overly sensitive was a problem for many years of shaving regardless of instrument used. Observing my shave map, my neck is the first skin shaved because the blade is at its sharpest. My neck skin being the most difficult angles and ultra sensitive skin. I single use a Feather blade for each face & head shave. (I’m a weekly shaver). My muscle memory is tuned to using the sharpest blade available and only once, therefore eliminating muscle memory adjustments to accommodate the cut. My technique and muscle memory is based on these minimal adjustments. Careful skin prep is also required for my shaves. When extra clean ups are required I use a roll on pre shave oil before applying lather for the extra strokes. (a swipe of you pre shave block would enhance your results) before the lather in extra clean up strokes. All my shaves are Ultra BBS. My neck skin looks and feels wonderfully comfortable. Since my shaves are ultra close post shave skin care is the most important part of my shave. Healthy skin is the easiest skin to shave.
I hope some of my suggestions may be helpful to your shave. I enjoy reading your shaves, they are very entertaining and interesting. As a lad I was an alter boy (in Latin) at the Polish and the Irish churches in our hood. The Latin was difficult, the tips for weddings and funerals was spent on cigarettes.
- Thread starter
- #52
Thanks for the kind words and the tips, they are always welcome. I am still learning Latin our priest prefers us to sing. I remember getting tips for weddings, not for funerals. And Father Latino knocked the heavy candles we had to hold in the funerals off of our belt buckles we had them rested on under our Albs. Haha.
Saint Stan’s tipped for funerals Saint Pat’s not so much. I forgot all the Latin, except for a few words and phrases.
- Thread starter
- #54
Shave Date 9/13/23
GRUME September: 13/30
Razor: Rex Envvoy
Blade: Tatra Platinum (2)
Pre-Shave: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: Noble Otter Lonestar
Brush: Simpson #2 Trafalgar Synthetic
Post-shave: Alum Block, Thayers, PAA Mysterium Serum, Aqua Velva Ice Sport.
Bowl: Douglas Smith Pottery Suribachi Shaving Bowl
Rating: 9.0/10 BBS Cheeks and DFS on the neck. 2 weepers on the neck.
Notes:
An experimentation day today with the same blade I used in the Yates, used in the Rex Emporium, better than yesterday. I did get two weepers, one under the lower lip while I was attempting to sculpt the inner goatee area, and the other on a new place for me, the upper right cheek. I must have gotten loose with my angle. I did have more blade feel with this blade than the Lords I used before. On par with the GSB. Despite the nicks, it was an excellent shave. I did the usual three passes, WTG, XTG, and ATG with touch-ups. I did not experience the tugging I did yesterday with the Yates, although I was more conscious of the pressure I was adding to the razor. Despite the nicks, I had much less irritation today than yesterday. No irritation after the shave although the alum block gave a bit of feedback. A fantastic shave nonetheless. The neck, is the same, with some stubble felt when I rub ATG, none visible or to be felt when I rub WTG
New soap to try out my lathering techniques, same result. For some reason, I decided to add water this time by dipping the brush quickly in a cup of water. This must only pick up a minuscule amount of water as the lathering was taking longer. I changed to my usual method of pouring small amounts from the cup into the bowl. Nice thick lather.
I was rummaging through my bathroom drawers to find the Aqua Velva to compare to yesterday 1955. I found it, not the same scent. My Aqua Velva isn't the traditional scent, it's the ice scent so the original may be closer to 1955. I was unsure of the combo with the soap and Aqua Velva. Noble Otter Lonestar is a stronger scent. From their website:
The Aqua Velva faded faster than the Cowboys do in December( no offense to Cowboy fans). As I sit at the keyboard, I am left with just the Lonestar scent. It is quite nice.
Enjoy the day gents, I hope it is a blessed one. Also, may your shaves be BBS, nick, and weeper free.
GRUME September: 13/30
Razor: Rex Envvoy
Blade: Tatra Platinum (2)
Pre-Shave: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: Noble Otter Lonestar
Brush: Simpson #2 Trafalgar Synthetic
Post-shave: Alum Block, Thayers, PAA Mysterium Serum, Aqua Velva Ice Sport.
Bowl: Douglas Smith Pottery Suribachi Shaving Bowl
Rating: 9.0/10 BBS Cheeks and DFS on the neck. 2 weepers on the neck.
Notes:
An experimentation day today with the same blade I used in the Yates, used in the Rex Emporium, better than yesterday. I did get two weepers, one under the lower lip while I was attempting to sculpt the inner goatee area, and the other on a new place for me, the upper right cheek. I must have gotten loose with my angle. I did have more blade feel with this blade than the Lords I used before. On par with the GSB. Despite the nicks, it was an excellent shave. I did the usual three passes, WTG, XTG, and ATG with touch-ups. I did not experience the tugging I did yesterday with the Yates, although I was more conscious of the pressure I was adding to the razor. Despite the nicks, I had much less irritation today than yesterday. No irritation after the shave although the alum block gave a bit of feedback. A fantastic shave nonetheless. The neck, is the same, with some stubble felt when I rub ATG, none visible or to be felt when I rub WTG
New soap to try out my lathering techniques, same result. For some reason, I decided to add water this time by dipping the brush quickly in a cup of water. This must only pick up a minuscule amount of water as the lathering was taking longer. I changed to my usual method of pouring small amounts from the cup into the bowl. Nice thick lather.
I was rummaging through my bathroom drawers to find the Aqua Velva to compare to yesterday 1955. I found it, not the same scent. My Aqua Velva isn't the traditional scent, it's the ice scent so the original may be closer to 1955. I was unsure of the combo with the soap and Aqua Velva. Noble Otter Lonestar is a stronger scent. From their website:
"The sage in bloom is like perfume", that's where we started when we decided to make a new scent dedicated to the state of Texas. Lonestar is our vision of that scent. The olfactory experience starts with top notes of sage and lemon, followed by the heart notes of magnolia and Texas cedar. Finally, the base notes includes the truly Texas experience of oakmoss, leather, and hay. With Lonestar, we can all be Texans at heart.
Notes:
Lemon, Sage, Magnolia, Texas Cedar, Oakmoss, Leather, Hay
Notes:
Lemon, Sage, Magnolia, Texas Cedar, Oakmoss, Leather, Hay
The Aqua Velva faded faster than the Cowboys do in December( no offense to Cowboy fans). As I sit at the keyboard, I am left with just the Lonestar scent. It is quite nice.
Enjoy the day gents, I hope it is a blessed one. Also, may your shaves be BBS, nick, and weeper free.
I'm trying to remember if I've ever tried the Aqua Velva Ice Sport...I don't think so.
I am curious about the Aqua Velva Original Sport. The green one.
I am curious about the Aqua Velva Original Sport. The green one.
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- #56
I have or had the original one somewhere. I'm not breaking the GRUME for Aqua Velva. Haha. I might pick some up next month when I go out of the GRUME in a big way. Haha.
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- #57
Shave Date 9/14/23
GRUME September: 14/30
Razor: Yates 'Merica
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (4)
Pre-Shave: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: Ariana and Evans Spartacus
Brush: Parker Badger
Post-shave: Alum Block, Thayers, PAA Mysterium Serum, Aqua Velva Ice Sport.
Bowl: Douglas Smith Pottery Suribachi Shaving Bowl
Rating: 9.4/10 BBS Cheeks and DFS on the neck. 0 weepers or nicks.
Notes:
Today was a continuation of my experiments with the Yates razor. Also a new soap and a brush I have not used in a while. My Parker brush sat idle ever since the other brushes arrived and needed a turn in the rotation. The lathering was a tad different this time, as the brush seemed to retain more of the soap than the other brushes. I had to splay out the brush early in the lathering to get all the soap incorporated into the paste which may have contributed to that. In the end, it worked out. Keep on adding water till it works.
This soap is another Creed Aventus based scent. I'm not sure if Leonidas smelt like this while holding off the Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae. Likely not. It is a fine scent nonetheless.
On to the shave. Another fine shave today. Thursdays I work the other store, which is farther from home, necessitating an earlier departure time than usual. I did compensate by starting my routine earlier. I got to thinking while I was lathering about the journals and forum post I read about shorter shaves. @Guido75 is fond of a 2.5 pass shave. After lathering the face, I loaded up the Razor with the GSB. Then I said to myself,
"Self, how about we do one pass north to south, one ATX and then touch-ups?"
Self nodded in agreement and with his hand out for the razor. Then I flashed back to the massacre a few days ago.
I said" Ahhh heck no!!""
Self said,"Wha....What do you mean?"
"You're not getting this razor after what you did the other day"
"But...But"
"No but about it, you think I'm handing you the razor today when we agreed not to go ATX the other day and you sliced and diced the face up?"
"But...But"
"Go, go watch some TV, you're not getting the razor."
Self lowers his head, heads to the living room and turns on the TV.
I start to shave. North-south passes then ATX with some clean up work. As usual, the neck is an issue. I stop shy of BBS to prevent irritation. As I'm shaving, I hear the TV blaring in the other room. I yell to Self.
"Hey Self, what are you watching?" I ask.
"I'm watching something to cheer me up, what's it to you?" Self responds.
"Ahh, the replay of the 2019LSU Championship season???"
"Yes, don't be a hater, leave me alone."
I continue my shave to the sounds of touchdowns, crowd roaring, and a Cajun from Down Da Bayou with a raspy voice say "GEAUX TIGERS!!!!" As I near the end of the shave, I started to say to myself,
"Self, this is a great combo, 'Merica razor and the Gillette Silver Blues, an all American combination."
"What???" Self yells as he pauses the Heisman Trophy speech of Joe Burrow.
"I said this is a great American combo here, 'Merica razor and GSB"
"Ahh, you know that blade was made in Russia, don't you?"
"Yes, I realize that, Gillette is still an American company so..."
Self interrupts, "Dude, the blade is made by Putin, it ain't an American combo."
"Whatever Self, go back to watching your video."
I finish up the shave in less time than usual. In addition, my face is less irritated, zero feed back from the alum block and for the most part is as smooth as ever. It does feel a tad drier than yesterday. The razor didn't seem to tug like yesterday, either. I did make sure I was conscious to not apply any additional pressure as I shaved with the razor due to the fact that this razor is one of my heavier razors. As I type this a few hours later it is still BBS mostly, I missed some areas and can feel some stubble on the jaw line. I conclude the 2.5 pass method a winner, when I am pushed for time or anytime I don't want irritation.
The scent of Spartacus is as to be expected with a Creed Aventus duplicate, additionally it has quite a bit of staying power. The Aqua Velva again faded faster than the 2020 LSU Football team, that one hurt. On the 8th day, God created whiskey just for those occasions. All in all, an excellent shave. Faster than usual, no irritation and BBS/DFS.
I wish everyone a blessed day, may your shaves be BBS, nick, and weeper free.
GRUME September: 14/30
Razor: Yates 'Merica
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (4)
Pre-Shave: PAA Cube 2.0
Soap: Ariana and Evans Spartacus
Brush: Parker Badger
Post-shave: Alum Block, Thayers, PAA Mysterium Serum, Aqua Velva Ice Sport.
Bowl: Douglas Smith Pottery Suribachi Shaving Bowl
Rating: 9.4/10 BBS Cheeks and DFS on the neck. 0 weepers or nicks.
Notes:
Today was a continuation of my experiments with the Yates razor. Also a new soap and a brush I have not used in a while. My Parker brush sat idle ever since the other brushes arrived and needed a turn in the rotation. The lathering was a tad different this time, as the brush seemed to retain more of the soap than the other brushes. I had to splay out the brush early in the lathering to get all the soap incorporated into the paste which may have contributed to that. In the end, it worked out. Keep on adding water till it works.
This soap is another Creed Aventus based scent. I'm not sure if Leonidas smelt like this while holding off the Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae. Likely not. It is a fine scent nonetheless.
On to the shave. Another fine shave today. Thursdays I work the other store, which is farther from home, necessitating an earlier departure time than usual. I did compensate by starting my routine earlier. I got to thinking while I was lathering about the journals and forum post I read about shorter shaves. @Guido75 is fond of a 2.5 pass shave. After lathering the face, I loaded up the Razor with the GSB. Then I said to myself,
"Self, how about we do one pass north to south, one ATX and then touch-ups?"
Self nodded in agreement and with his hand out for the razor. Then I flashed back to the massacre a few days ago.
I said" Ahhh heck no!!""
Self said,"Wha....What do you mean?"
"You're not getting this razor after what you did the other day"
"But...But"
"No but about it, you think I'm handing you the razor today when we agreed not to go ATX the other day and you sliced and diced the face up?"
"But...But"
"Go, go watch some TV, you're not getting the razor."
Self lowers his head, heads to the living room and turns on the TV.
I start to shave. North-south passes then ATX with some clean up work. As usual, the neck is an issue. I stop shy of BBS to prevent irritation. As I'm shaving, I hear the TV blaring in the other room. I yell to Self.
"Hey Self, what are you watching?" I ask.
"I'm watching something to cheer me up, what's it to you?" Self responds.
"Ahh, the replay of the 2019LSU Championship season???"
"Yes, don't be a hater, leave me alone."
I continue my shave to the sounds of touchdowns, crowd roaring, and a Cajun from Down Da Bayou with a raspy voice say "GEAUX TIGERS!!!!" As I near the end of the shave, I started to say to myself,
"Self, this is a great combo, 'Merica razor and the Gillette Silver Blues, an all American combination."
"What???" Self yells as he pauses the Heisman Trophy speech of Joe Burrow.
"I said this is a great American combo here, 'Merica razor and GSB"
"Ahh, you know that blade was made in Russia, don't you?"
"Yes, I realize that, Gillette is still an American company so..."
Self interrupts, "Dude, the blade is made by Putin, it ain't an American combo."
"Whatever Self, go back to watching your video."
I finish up the shave in less time than usual. In addition, my face is less irritated, zero feed back from the alum block and for the most part is as smooth as ever. It does feel a tad drier than yesterday. The razor didn't seem to tug like yesterday, either. I did make sure I was conscious to not apply any additional pressure as I shaved with the razor due to the fact that this razor is one of my heavier razors. As I type this a few hours later it is still BBS mostly, I missed some areas and can feel some stubble on the jaw line. I conclude the 2.5 pass method a winner, when I am pushed for time or anytime I don't want irritation.
The scent of Spartacus is as to be expected with a Creed Aventus duplicate, additionally it has quite a bit of staying power. The Aqua Velva again faded faster than the 2020 LSU Football team, that one hurt. On the 8th day, God created whiskey just for those occasions. All in all, an excellent shave. Faster than usual, no irritation and BBS/DFS.
I wish everyone a blessed day, may your shaves be BBS, nick, and weeper free.
Same here! I usually do a 3 pass shave and more recently 3 passes and jaw line touch up. But the 2.5 pass is excellent for great results and office days alike.
Happy it worked out for you and was indeed gentle on the skin. For there on you can build further!
And thanks for reading my journal!
Enjoy!
Guido
My gosh, the similarities between you and I are astounding. Our personalities are quite similar, as I was reading your post, I kept asking myself, did I write this, cause if so, I freaking believe it. HAHA! I love the way you go over your shaving experience, and you tell a story at the same time. I did that recently with a COTD post for Ethiopia Anaerobic coffee. You go on telling them stories Cajun, they are entertaining, at least for me.
- Thread starter
- #60
Thank you for the kind words. Yes I was cracking up on your quest to get the coffee and saving all the maidens. Haha. I think I might have stumbled on something with the conversations with Self. We’ll see how far it goes. Haha.My gosh, the similarities between you and I are astounding. Our personalities are quite similar, as I was reading your post, I kept asking myself, did I write this, cause if so, I freaking believe it. HAHA! I love the way you go over your shaving experience, and you tell a story at the same time. I did that recently with a COTD post for Ethiopia Anaerobic coffee. You go on telling them stories Cajun, they are entertaining, at least for me.
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