Damn Comfortable Shave

[Cal]

(a lot of people are just to proud to)

Obviously that should have read: "a lot of people are just too proud to."

Does B&B Membership enhance illiteracy?

 

[Esox]

Obviously that should have read: "a lot of people are just too proud to."

Does B&B Membership enhance illiteracy?

Pushing your own buttons now?

 

[Cal]

Pushing your own buttons now?

It must be the ambience of the BOSC.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

 

[Cal]

^ That's a granny knot Jim. It'll come undone.

 

[Esox]

^ That's a granny knot Jim. It'll come undone.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

This morning's shave with the SS Colonial General and a Proline blade went well enough.

Multiple passes were required to get a BBS, but I got one. I also cut my chin once and nicked it in two places, and I do not know why, but it's not a big deal. Otherwise, the shave was comfortable enough, but not DCS comfortable.

Shave Secret Shave Oil
Stirling badger, fan-shaped, butterscotch handled
Lucky Tiger


I really like this soap. There's just something about it. I like how it leaves my skin. However, it does not leave my skin in good enough shape to skip Lucky Tiger. It's now about an hour after I finished shaving and I'm aware I need to also apply either shea butter or Nivea.

I believe tomorrow I will either shave with the Fatip Piccolo or I will do a simpler shave with the General. Maybe that means fewer passes, and not going after baby. I have mentioned that I could sometimes quit after the first pass with the General. The gains after one or two passes come at some cost.



To change the subject, I am really enjoying my cup of coffee. Normally I make a drip coffee using a Bunn machine because my wife likes it and I like it. SWMBO is off visiting her sister so I made my coffee in the ESPRO SS French Press. Mine is a 40 oz model which they might not make anymore, but I've had it since 2012. If you are a FP fan you should check out their stuff especially the SS version. Anyhow, it allows me to make my coffee much stronger than my wife will drink. Besides, I believe the FP is a superior tool for making coffee.

I have not tried a siphon so maybe they're better. I would buy one but my kitchen space is small and already overloaded. Plus, they're glass. Steel is real.

A cup of great coffee is so nice after a good shave!

Back to shaving, I'm pretty pleased with today's shave. I wish I could get a smooth shave without a zillion passes and touchups, but I can not. It is what it is. I am very grateful to be able now to achieve BBS at all, without a ton of irritation and razor burn and all that mess.

Lucky Tiger is a great product. Maybe even better sometimes than witch hazel because it contains several healing and soothing ingredients.

No, today's shave is not as comfortable as I want, but it's a damn sight better than any of my BBS shaves prior to the last few days. Is it the SV? Maybe. Is it the shea butter? Maybe. Probably going to have to change one of the variables to find out. Well, no probably about it. It has to happen, but I'm in no hurry.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Jim

 

[Ron R]

Hello Jim, I was thinking about some of the old timers that have mentioned what they are after in a shave, some just want a DFS and couldn't give a dam about BBS but if they get one great. They want a shave that is presentable for the day and easy on the skin and looks good. I look back at some of the hack jobs that I did with the cartridges and no one seem to notice , they could have a valid point of view. BBS is nice but to me it starting to lose its final destination goal ( I have had lots of BBS and DFS). I really still enjoy DE shaving and like reading these threads and its just part of the quest of wet shaving IMO- I will take a DFS over a lot of nicks any day.

 

[Raven Koenes]

I think you should wear the SWB badge

I know I do.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I think you should wear the SWB badge (a lot of people are just too proud to), but each shave is a positive learning experience (albeit not always the most positive "physical" experience).

I know I wear the SWB badge.

This badge?

Right?

Happy Thanksgiving, no matter where you live,

Jim

 

[Cal]

This badge?

Right?

Wrong!

Would you let a madman with a machete cut you to ribbons? I doubt it if you could possibly help it.

What do you do when the madman's you and the machete is the even sharper razor blade you're wielding? You treat it with great respect "at all times." None of this "I'm getting pretty good at this now, I don't really need to think about it any more" nonsense (pride before a fall and all that).

Continual (but easy) attention (awareness) to what you're doing (on your technique improvement journey) is what's needed. And if you shave daily, making sure you get at least seven "great" shaves out of your blades; less and your technique needs improving, more and your technique IS improving. Let the blade be one of your technique checkers. Most blades give up quickly due to poor lather, poor blade to skin/whisker angle, and incorrect pressure (other things too, but these are the main three). (Respect the blade, they respond very well to respect.)

A SUGGESTION:
Stop confusing your senses with endless hardware and software changes. Do a "Fixed 4" month (with your four current favorites). That's the same razor, blade (change as required but same make and model), brush, and soap for a month. If the month's a great success, do the same again but change only one of your four items (and that small change might shock you). Put all your current unused goodies in a safe place and tell them that you're going on a training course especially for them, and their next use will be with increased love, respect, skill and finesse. They love stories like that, especially when you REALLY MEAN IT.

 

[Esox]

And if you shave daily, making sure you get at least seven "great" shaves out of your blades; less and your technique needs improving, more and your technique IS improving.

I think thats very good advice. This is the first time I've heard it put that way, but its one of those bits of information that needs wider circulation.

I've only done that with a single razor so far, my D2 SS and the Gillette Yellow thats in it with 10 shaves on it. That razor is pretty easy to use however and technique is less important with it than it is a Fatip, or even a NEW SC.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I thought I had coarse stubble, but I'm starting to wonder about yours lol.

Yours is every other day or every third day. I couldn't possibly go that long, and go to work. I'm not sure what the relative nature of my whiskers is compared to anyone else's, but they are hard to get rid of, no doubt about it.

With enough passes and touchups it can be done, but that assumes my skin can take it.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Wrong!

It is unusual for me to cut or nick myself, but I still like the SWB badge. It appeals to my weird sense of humor.

Would you let a madman with a machete cut you to ribbons? I doubt it if you could possibly help it.

They'd be up the creek. In Georgia we have guns.

What do you do when the madman's you and the machete is the even sharper razor blade you're wielding? You treat it with great respect "at all times." None of this "I'm getting pretty good at this now, I don't really need to think about it any more" nonsense (pride before a fall and all that).

Absolutely!

The Zen of Shaving. Beginner's Mind.

Continual (but easy) attention (awareness) to what you're doing (on your technique improvement journey) is what's needed. And if you shave daily, making sure you get at least seven "great" shaves out of your blades; less and your technique needs improving, more and your technique IS improving. Let the blade be one of your technique checkers. Most blades give up quickly due to poor lather, poor blade to skin/whisker angle, and incorrect pressure (other things too, but these are the main three).

I'm not sure, Cal, if some of this is correct, but I'm not sure it is wrong either. Other than using a blade to try it out and finding it's not for me, or discarding a still good blade to enable me to try a new blade, I'm all for shaving with a blade as long as it seems like it has good and comfortable shave in it.

Whether you're right or wrong is beyond my experience, but I'll take it on faith that the blade gives that sort of feedback. I've always been able to use blades a very long time, but I'm not saying I believe that means much in terms of my abilities or technique or hardware or software. I could get months out of a cartridge and months out of DE blades when I used them decades ago.

Razor blades are sharp, and go though weird phases.

Respect the blade, they respond very well to respect.

Sounds right to me. Entirely right.

SUGGESTION:
Stop confusing your senses with endless hardware and software changes. Do a "Fixed 4" month (with your four current favorites). That's the same razor, blade (change as required but same make and model), brush, and soap for a month. If the month's a great success, do the same again but change only one of your four items (and that small change might shock you). Put all your current unused goodies in a safe place and tell them that you're going on a training course especially for them, and their next use will be with increased love, respect, skill and finesse. They love stories like that, especially when you REALLY MEAN IT.

My plan is to do something much like what you're suggesting as soon as I determine what equipment I want to use.

In the beginning of this iteration of shaving (that is, since coming to B&B) I did a long trial with one razor and pretty much one soap. However, I was looking for the right blade.

I'm not entirely convinced whether I should use the Fatip Piccolo or the Colonial General or the P-BOCS for the next phase. I'm getting closer to figuring out the answer to that question.

Also, software is clearly important. SV vs Wickham 1912? Right now, I'd be fine with either for a month, and probably favor the SV, but I need a few more shaves with it first.

Don't think I'm not listening to your advice though because I am. It's easy to listen to because it is really very much in line with where I'm trying to get as soon as I can.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Hello Jim, I was thinking about some of the old timers that have mentioned what they are after in a shave, some just want a DFS and couldn't give a dam about BBS but if they get one great. They want a shave that is presentable for the day and easy on the skin and looks good. I look back at some of the hack jobs that I did with the cartridges and no one seem to notice , they could have a valid point of view. BBS is nice but to me it starting to lose its final destination goal ( I have had lots of BBS and DFS). I really still enjoy DE shaving and like reading these threads and its just part of the quest of wet shaving IMO- I will take a DFS over a lot of nicks any day.

Ron, my objective in changing to a single blade from a cartridge was entirely to get a shave like the professional barbers deliver in their chairs, but at home. Close, long lasting, smooth, and comfortable.

With a cartridge I can get a very comfortable shave which is better than acceptable socially. One cartridge lasts me weeks or months (depending on when I want a less tuggy blade), and I continue getting the same shave, or close, with a cartridge over that time.

My only reason for changing from the cartridge was to get a considerably better shave. With a cartridge I can get a face BBS and a neck DFS any day. However, I bought into the promise of DE and SE shaving. Were I to abandon my goals with the single bladed razors I might as well use a cartridge, and I do not want to do that.

Still, I understand what you're saying.

My guess is the cartridges bother a lot of people more than they bothered me. In fact, I had nothing against them. Yes, they were silly expensive, but that was not actually much of an expense for me as I used one of them forever.

My #1 goal will always be a Damn Comfortable Shave, but DFS doesn't suit me long term. I'm fine with anyone else having different goals. I also understand that I was probably one of the lucky ones with the cartridges; however, it is also true that many millions of gentlemen shave with cartridges or electric razors, and like them okay I'd assume.

I notice the shaves of men I encounter. Mostly I see pretty good shaves. I suspect some of these guys are using electric razors, which I can not abide, so some of it must truly be a YMMV matter.

All of that said, I am not planning to aggressively chase baby every day. I trust that my shaving will improve as my technique and skill and all that stuff improve. I'm fairly much in a hurry when I notice uncomfortable shaves, but DFS doesn't bother me in the short run as long as I know I'm moving towards my goals.

It's not been all that long since I began here at B&B. Considering how challenging my neck whiskers and lower neck skin seem to be, I think it remarkable to have made as much progress as I have. I'm very thankful for all the help I've gotten here, and all the progress.

Besides, it's actually quite interesting and fun.

I hope that makes some sense to you.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Jim

 

[Ron R]

I hope that makes some sense to you.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Yes it makes sense to me, you are so close to your goal IMO because you are so determined (with a smidgen of BOSC does help). Yup we are having some fun for sure on B&B and there are some interesting topics from pictures of the day to making coffee to the latest razor to hit the market} threads.(Just down right interesting place to visit!) Have a good Thanksgiving weekend and I bet you will be watching a little football.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

the latest razor to hit the market threads, and I bet you will be watching a little football.

What's the latest razor to hit the market?

My shave today was with one of the newest (kinda sorta) razors, the Colonial General SS razor. Loaded with the same Proline.

Shave Secret Shave Oil
Stirling ivory-handled, bulb-shaped badger
Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica
Lucky Tiger
Nivea Max Hydration balm
Pinaud Clubman Special Reserve

One R-L jawline pass, ATG.
One N-S pass.
One S-N pass.
A bit of lower lip touch up.

That's it. No baby chasing today. Just going by today's plan.

Results. Judging things about an hour or so after finishing my shave. Face: BBS. Neck: A very good DFS, close to BBS for the most part, but certainly not BBS in the places usually hard to smooth.

I believe this is an amazingly good shave for what was essentially a two pass shave. To be truly accurate my passes have some degree of built in buffing, but not much. Mostly, a pass for me means the razor might touch an area twice. On occasion I might go over an area from another direction during a pass, particularly with this soap.

The soap's scent is said to be an aromatic fern fragrance also known as an Italian fougere, which blended with the aromas of natural additives, creates a fresh and intense aroma. If so, I don't appreciate it. There is just barely any scent. Occasionally I notice it when I open the tin, but no other time.

Other than that, it is a great soap. Despite that, it is a great soap. Normally I wouldn't overlook the scent being too faint, but this is a very special soap. The soap seems very, very protective, even when it looks to have been all removed by the just finished pass.

My skin feels quite good, but I notice a little bit of burning on my left cheek. This has been a small issue for days, and I don't know why. Usually if there are problems they're on my neck. However, this left cheek thing is very minor. Mostly my skin feels fine.

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I have examined the results of today's shave, and compared today's shave with yesterday's.

No doubt about it. Today's shave was not BBS on my neck.

I find it interesting that Harvard offers a PhD in BBS. It gives me great comfort to know that great minds are devoting years of research and study, right alongside those of us in the trenches of real life, in pursuit of the elusive BBS.

In my own little shaving laboratory I am trying to figure out what to try tomorrow to improve upon today's results without excessive passes or touch ups. It seems like maybe just approaching my neck from a different direction (not just N-S, and S-N) might help. Perhaps one pass should be ATG, otherwise known as roughly SW-NE.

The problem is partly ATG is a mystery on my neck. There are large areas of my neck on both the right side and the left side where ATG might be either of two or three directions. It is most definitely impossible to nail it down. Still, it would be very easy to modify my S-N neck pass so that it is ATG in one of these directions.

I'm just going to continue experimenting with passes and touch ups and try to get the shave I want keeping in mind that comfort is always #1 on my priority list.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

This little brush from the auction assisted me today. It is said to be a Whipped Dog badger with a custom firehouse handle made by a potter. The brush has very little - close to none - backbone. As I like a good bit of backbone this is a drawback, but the brush still works just fine. It is a 22 mm knot with the loft height at about 52 mm. As I recall, the total height of the brush is about 88 mm, so it is a rather small brush. I tend to like large brushes, but somehow the size of this brush and the way it fits in my hand seems good.

The brush lathers nicely on my face, and it gives up its load very easily.

It's a brush I don't want to like, but I like it anyway. I love how it looks, but I worry about dropping it in the sink or somewhere and breaking it. It actually makes me consider buying another similar sized brush. I'm thinking about the little Omega 11047 boar-badger Mixed Midget which is significantly smaller but has plenty of backbone probably due to its boar.

Today I used the SS General with the same Proline.

Shave Secret Shave Oil.

Pinaud Clubman Lilac Vegetal.

Multiple neck passes. Two face passes. A decent enough shave but not quite BBS on my neck.

It really is very interesting to me how my shaves seem to be significantly smoother later than they seem during and at the tail end of the actual shave. It certainly makes it very hard to know when the shave is completed to a sufficient degree. I don't mind a few more passes on my neck. They seem to go well enough in terms of comfort and in not generating much irritation as long as the passes themselves are light enough (as in no pressure). I believe my first pass could be perhaps lighter; it doesn't feel to me as if I'm as light with the first pass as the subsequent passes. All the other passes are far lighter.

Having said that, and meaning it, I would much prefer as few passes as possible.

This Colonial General Stainless Steel razor is great. So is the Proline blade. I can't say enough great things about the SV soap either.

I would like my shaves to be consistently BBS, face and neck. I'm making progress in that direction.

However, the really big deal is how much more comfortable most of my recent shaves have been. There was a big jump with the Fatip Piccolo, and then a few difficult days, and then another jump in comfort when I began using the SV soap (and shea butter the night before).

Things are not great, but they are good. My shaves are pretty comfortable, but not Damn Comfortable Shave level yet. There's a bit of neck burn right this second, but I'm getting closer to the kind of comfort I expect to achieve, and it is worth celebrating.

To celebrate I will watch some football.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Today I ended up comparing the Fatip Piccolo with the SS Colonial General.



The Piccolo was loaded with a brand new Nacet. The Nacet performed well enough, and probably better than the previously tested Polsilver (which performed well itself). However, there is more to the story.

Shave Secret Shave Oil
Saponificio Varesino Shaving Soap, Felce Aromatica
Stirling bulb-shaped, ivory handled badger
Lucky Tiger

Two face passes with the Piccolo were enough to achieve BBS. There was a bit of touch up on my upper lip, but nothing much. I thought the Piccolo did a particularly good job on my chin.

My neck, as always, was another story. Multiple passes with the Piccolo, and many efforts to touch up spots, areas, and patches left me with remaining stubble easily found with my fingers.

That's where it gets really interesting. I turned to the Colonial General SS razor to solve the problem areas.

Did the General whisk away the areas left by the Piccolo? I know you're waiting with bated breath for the answer to that question. Did the SE razor (with a Proline blade used several times already) wipe out stubble the Piccolo failed to remove?

The answer is yes it did. The General got what the Piccolo couldn't. No doubt about it.

This does not tell me as much as I might like. Had I started with the General could the Piccolo have gotten stubble the General left? I do not know the answer to that question, but my preliminary conclusion is the SE General razor is more efficient than the DE Piccolo.

My shave is close to smooth. Very, very near an immediately-after-the-shave BBS. Plus, my shave is reasonably comfortable enough, considering how aggressive I was. It is not at the level of Damn Comfortable Shave, and not close to that level. I would say that this shave was not as comfortable as the shaves I've recently gotten with the General, and some of those shaves were chasing baby in the same way this shave was.

I really was flat out chasing baby today.

If this was a shave comparing razors the clear advantage in this round goes to the Colonial General.

Happy shaves,

Jim