Damn Comfortable Shave

[Raven Koenes]

My fixed four is going great. Switched blades out on my Bolzano after shave 10. I still had plenty more life on it, but it's my thing. I really love Proraso red. I really love Proraso soaps. I think they absolutely preform above their price point, and if they were a hard to find, small batch item, people would happily pay a premium for Proraso. On my way to work today, I listened to the tail end of BBC World Report then switched to the local college station. A song came on titled, "All I want to do is shag for Christmas". I sang along, "All I want to do is shave for Christmas, All I want to do is shave for the Holidays". So far its been a good BOSC morning. Happy shaves everyone!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I wonder how often you exfoliate your skin Jim? I do not think your skin issue is at all similar to what I have, but I have eczema. During the winter, I find that I get very dry skin and flare ups of my eczema. I will only occasionally get any dry skin in my beard area or on my face, however. I get it very severely on my hands and elbows, etc. Whenever I bathe or wash my hands, the areas of dry skin itch and burn for quite awhile afterwards. Same feeling when I apply any kind of lotion or moisturizer to the dry skin areas, and for awhile afterwards. If I apply lotion to the areas enough days in a row, it eventually subsides and will also eventually go away totally as the area heals.

I have gotten an itching in my beard area with my ingrown hairs, but that is quite uncommon for me. This really doesn't sound like ingrown hairs (extrafollicular or intrafollicular) to me. Gentle exfoliation of the affected areas with a washcloth every other day or even every day could help with either dry skin or ingrown hairs.

I have noticed with the RR Baby Smooth and the Gillette 7 Oclock yellow blades (and I have double checked with my wife to verify) that my stubble is less sharp feeling to my fingers as it is coming in. My stubble usually has an almost needle like quality to it after about 24 hours of growth, and retains that feel no matter its length. My guess is that this is due to the blade contacting the hair at the right angle for it to cut it cleanly and perpendicular to the skin, rather than at an angle to it. I have long heard that the stubble not being cut perpendicular to the skin can cause ingrown hairs (especially intrafollicular). Is it possible that your stubble coming back out of the skin is causing the itching? My lower neck stubble (which I hardly bother with as no matter what I do it won't get to a DFS, let alone BBS) in particular has become less sharp which I wish I had discovered prior to all of those interviews which necessitated a collared shirt... Sorry, the purpose of this rambling was to encourage a study of the angle you use with the razor. I don't know that the RR Baby Smooth was the reason I was able to find the right angle to cut the hairs at, or if my technique just improved to the point that I can now get the right angle easily. Whatever the case is, I know that it is possible to get the hairs cut at a point where they are no longer sharp feeling which, if it is in some way related to your itching, could help your neck feeling. I have felt incredibly lucky the past week to have found a razor and blade that are cutting my beard so well. I may do more blade exploration, just to make sure a better blade isn't out there, but I this past week has been some of the most important learning for me in regards to shaving that I've had.

So, you think the difference for you is the blade, or the razor, or the angle you're shaving?

I know the sharp whisker are somewhat of a problem. I don't know they're all of the problem, but I would like to have cut whiskers which aren't sharp. Seems to me that means cutting them at an angle which goes parallel to the skin and perpendicular to the shaft of the whisker. That would be I think the ideal blade angle in terms of blunt cutting the whiskers. Is that sorta the same page as you're on.

Congratulations on finding a great shaving angle for your skin and beard. I'm not sure how to find this myself. Maybe I'll luck upon it.

Or, it could be I'm totally no understanding what you're saying.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Fixed Four kit + Shave Secret Shave Oil + Dickinson's Witch Hazel.

A one pass shave everywhere. A tad of chin touch up. BBS face. Not even close to BBS on my neck, but DFS.

Not a great deal of itching so far, post-shave, but some. Less than yesterday. A tad of burning in a couple of spots, but nothing much.

No moisturizer. No balm. No aftershave or cologne.

That about sums it up.

I have at the office, where I am now, Skin Food and the Cool Fix, so I can add something later if need be. I think there are a couple of moisturizers here, but I have not used them on my face before. I may get by without adding anything else.

I have also Clubman Bay Rum, and might add a splash. Or, maybe not.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Arrived and opened within the last five minutes.

Yes, this is the Stirling Marble handled badger. No, I can't tell for absolute 100% certainty if the handle is real marble or an imitation. I had a couple of ladies examine it, and they were not sure either.

It seems a bit heavy for plastic. I'll have to figure out what to look for to make the determination. Okay, I read up on it, and the determination is difficult.

I'm pretty sure it is imitation marble! Nice looking in person.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[major_works]

Could it be turned acrylic? Whatever it is, it's purdy.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Could it be turned acrylic? Whatever it is, it's purdy.

Could be. Thanks.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

My fixed four is going great. Switched blades out on my Bolzano after shave 10. I still had plenty more life on it, but it's my thing. I really love Proraso red. I really love Proraso soaps. I think they absolutely preform above their price point, and if they were a hard to find, small batch item, people would happily pay a premium for Proraso. On my way to work today, I listened to the tail end of BBC World Report then switched to the local college station. A song came on titled, "All I want to do is shag for Christmas". I sang along, "All I want to do is shave for Christmas, All I want to do is shave for the Holidays". So far its been a good BOSC morning. Happy shaves everyone!
View attachment 845216

Your kit is so good looking, Rave.

You going to do an actual review of the brush? Showcase?

It is always great to find things which punch way above their price point, like that Italian soap. It's probably a better soap with an Italian razor, and an Italian blade, and an Italian brush.

Hey, yeah, I know, but they are still Italian.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Raven Koenes]

Jim, I remember when I first got back into DE shaving a few years back. I wanted my neck to be BBS and my neck would be itchy and irritated like you describe. I backed off and did just one

View attachment 845292

Your kit is so good looking, Rave.

You going to do an actual review of the brush? Showcase?

It is always great to find things which punch way above their price point, like that Italian soap. It's probably a better soap with an Italian razor, and an Italian blade, and an Italian brush.

Hey, yeah, I know, but they are still Italian.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Thanks, I will work on a revue of the brush. Totally unbiased of course. . It is truly fantasic though. I'm also patiently waiting to hear more thoughts from Cal on his new, very luxurious, set up he got for an early Christmas. I really love the Olive wood from the looks of his pictures.

 

[Esox]

I think there are a couple of moisturizers here, but I have not used them on my face before.

I've wondered if maybe you dont have dry skin. That can cause an itch too, especially this time of year if the humidity is low where you are.

I know with the furnace on all winter here my skin can dry out.

Could it be turned acrylic?

I'd bet it is. Nice brush regardless and moved to the top of my list.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Jim,

Regarding the irritation - apologies up front, but I'm going to go the long way round here...

I have been plagued for years with recurring scalp sores. Sometimes I could go a whole year without them, but eventually they would return. This year I cured them. Done. Gone. I did this by going water only for hair washing, and knocking store bought shampoo and conditionaer on the head.

The first couple of months were grim, but I found a trick online which helped a lot. Washing the hair with raw egg shifts all the excess sebum without affecting the balance and kicking the glands into over producing again. Now it's just a water rinse, although occasionally I will either add a drop of tea tree oil to the final rinse, or rinse with chamomile tea.

While my scalp was settling down, the sores got really bad, but I found that applying my homemade beard oil did a great job of soothing the irritation. It also did a great job of soothing the itching when I first decided to grow my beard out beyond a #3 cut.

So three suggestions from me:
1) try to determine if the sensitivities or irritation are reactions to stuff that your face is coming in contact with. Soaps, creams, aftershave, blade coatings, whatever soap you use for washing, and yes, shampoo and conditioner.
2) Drink more fluids. Most people don't drink enough anyway, and fluids are needed so your skin can produce it's own protection. Remember, if you are thirsty, you are about 3% dehydrated. At 12% dehydration, it's fatal. Being thirsty is a quarter of the way to being dead. Not a lot of people know that (he said trying to type in a Michael Caine accent)
3) My homemade beard oil which took away the beard itch and helped with my scalp sores is 50% fractionated coconut oil, 25% jojoba, and 25% argan oil. Scented oils can be added for fragrance, but these may cause irritation of their own.

Basically, it might not be the shave itself that's causing the problem. Scrutinise the products your using, drink more fluids (preferably not diuretic ones ) and look towards a skin friendly oil to soothe the localised irritation and lock in hydration post shave.

Whatever it is, I hope you get to the bottom of it.

 

[Johnnynroy]

I've wondered if maybe you dont have dry skin. That can cause an itch too, especially this time of year if the humidity is low where you are.

I know with the furnace on all winter here my skin can dry out.

As usual, Mike managed to get to the bottom of what I was trying to say far quicker than I could.

So, you think the difference for you is the blade, or the razor, or the angle you're shaving?

I know the sharp whisker are somewhat of a problem. I don't know they're all of the problem, but I would like to have cut whiskers which aren't sharp. Seems to me that means cutting them at an angle which goes parallel to the skin and perpendicular to the shaft of the whisker. That would be I think the ideal blade angle in terms of blunt cutting the whiskers. Is that sorta the same page as you're on.

Congratulations on finding a great shaving angle for your skin and beard. I'm not sure how to find this myself. Maybe I'll luck upon it.

I do not think the blade is the reason for it. I tried out my DE89 yesterday (how I want my first razor purchase to work out for me!) with a new Gillette 7 Oclock yellow. Yuck. Definitely not a winner still, and the sharp feeling to my whiskers came back. So definitely not the blade.

I think it comes down mostly to the angle the blade is contacting the whisker. Whether that's because the RR Baby Smooth facilitates this angle easily, or the blade flex I have noticed with it has changed my angle. I have noticed that I get a better shave with it when really riding the cap, keeping the handle fairly far from my face.

You actually were able to get a decent shave with cartridge razors. Not a good shave, but decent. I never could get a decent shave with a cart. They tended to pull and tug. A fusion once actually ripped out all of the whiskers on my upper lip. No blood, just weeping some weird yellowish colored fluid most of that day. That was my eighth day on that cart. Never went over 7 days again. Least tuggy cart for me was the Schick Quattro that no one else could use. They fixed the angle of the blades and then I couldn't use it... That makes me wonder if a steep shaving angle would work better for you. Light pressure obviously needed. It isn't anywhere near as forgiving as riding the cap, but our differing cart experiences makes me wonder if we don't need very different shaving angles.

Hope that your shaves improve soon, especially in the comfort department.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Received a vintage GEM today. The MMOC. Brass.

This was found on ebay. Good price I though. Condition is as described by the seller, or better. Everything other than the finish seems A-OK.

This MMOC is my first, so I have no basis for comparison, but it looks decent enough to me to make me think I probably want to clean it up, polish it, whatever it takes to make it look great, and maybe one day shave with it.

Opinions are welcomed as I'm very ignorant about the MMOC.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Jim,

Regarding the irritation - apologies up front, but I'm going to go the long way round here...

I have been plagued for years with recurring scalp sores. Sometimes I could go a whole year without them, but eventually they would return. This year I cured them. Done. Gone. I did this by going water only for hair washing, and knocking store bought shampoo and conditionaer on the head.

The first couple of months were grim, but I found a trick online which helped a lot. Washing the hair with raw egg shifts all the excess sebum without affecting the balance and kicking the glands into over producing again. Now it's just a water rinse, although occasionally I will either add a drop of tea tree oil to the final rinse, or rinse with chamomile tea.

While my scalp was settling down, the sores got really bad, but I found that applying my homemade beard oil did a great job of soothing the irritation. It also did a great job of soothing the itching when I first decided to grow my beard out beyond a #3 cut.

So three suggestions from me:
1) try to determine if the sensitivities or irritation are reactions to stuff that your face is coming in contact with. Soaps, creams, aftershave, blade coatings, whatever soap you use for washing, and yes, shampoo and conditioner.
2) Drink more fluids. Most people don't drink enough anyway, and fluids are needed so your skin can produce it's own protection. Remember, if you are thirsty, you are about 3% dehydrated. At 12% dehydration, it's fatal. Being thirsty is a quarter of the way to being dead. Not a lot of people know that (he said trying to type in a Michael Caine accent)
3) My homemade beard oil which took away the beard itch and helped with my scalp sores is 50% fractionated coconut oil, 25% jojoba, and 25% argan oil. Scented oils can be added for fragrance, but these may cause irritation of their own.

Basically, it might not be the shave itself that's causing the problem. Scrutinise the products your using, drink more fluids (preferably not diuretic ones ) and look towards a skin friendly oil to soothe the localised irritation and lock in hydration post shave.

Whatever it is, I hope you get to the bottom of it.

I will study your suggestions and see what I maybe should do.

Good news, but I'm not sure what it means...

My beard has hardly itched today. I did not get a "good, close, smooth" shave, but comfort is task #1, so I'll take today's shave.

I am examining everything.

I used to get annoying scalp sores which I would pick at because they felt like they needed picking at which didn't help at all. I solved the problem when I began religiously washing my hair every single day with shampoo in the shower. If I skip the shampoo for a couple of days the sores crank back up.

Thanks so much for your helpful and thoughtful advice. I am considering every suggestion anyone makes as I know I can not be unique in having the shaving itch.

Oh, I'm a big water drinker. Hydration is extremely important. It can be overdone, but almost nobody overdoes it. I know a lot of people who drink zero water if you can believe that. Zero. Coffee. Diet Cokes. Tea. Wine. No water. I knew a woman who was "allergic to water," but, guess what, she was not allergic to wine!

Where I live the weather is not really very cold yet. I have the heat on sometimes, but I turned on the air conditioner a few minutes ago. That's not to say this is a humid time of the year. I'm sure the house gets drier in the winter even though I have the most marvelous old hot water radiators in my drafty barn of an old home.

"My homemade beard oil which took away the beard itch and helped with my scalp sores is 50% fractionated coconut oil, 25% jojoba, and 25% argan oil. Scented oils can be added for fragrance, but these may cause irritation of their own."

I love hearing about people's homemade shave oils. I made one, and its okay, but I'm not sure it is as good as Shave Secret. The jury is still out. I don't understand the science (or art) of making these in terms of what ingredients are best. I know about carrier oils and essential oils, and have several.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I've wondered if maybe you don't have dry skin. That can cause an itch too, especially this time of year if the humidity is low where you are.

I know with the furnace on all winter here my skin can dry out.

Our humidity today is 67% which is low for here maybe, but not low. My skin does not feel dry. I have not felt like I needed hand cream. My hands get very dry when my skin is at all dry.

I'll bet the
Stirling marble brush is turned acrylic? Nice brush regardless and moved to the top of my list.

Oh, my you must really like it to say, "Nice brush...moved to the top of my list!" It would be hard to not like this pretty Stirling badger, especially for the price.



I won't use it for weeks due to my Fixed Four. I think I'm going to wrap it up as a Christmas present and be surprised. This marble handled brush sure has the looks doesn't it.

How can I tell if it's turned acrylic or other acrylic? I don't know jack about working with acrylic nor the ways of making brush handles out of it. What about cast acrylic if there's such a thing?



I think I like the marble handled brush a lot, but I might like the other Stirling brushes better. I particularly like to use the butterscotch fan badger I'm using in the Fixed Four. However, I usually love best the brush I used this morning.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

You going to do an actual review of the brush? Showcase?

We want a song! lol

As usual, Mike managed to get to the bottom of what I was trying to say far quicker than I could.

It's all about efficiency lol.

This was found on ebay. Good price I though. Condition is as described by the seller, or better. Everything other than the finish seems A-OK.

Just wait until you're finished cleaning and polishing that. It's going to gleam...

How can I tell if it's turned acrylic or other acrylic? I don't know jack about working with acrylic nor the ways of making brush handles out of it. What about cast acrylic if there's such a thing?

Cast pieces will have a seam usually for the length on the sides where the mold came apart. Turned pieces can usually be identified by looking at the very center of the base. You might be able to see where it was held in the lathe as it was turned.

Both seams and lathe dog marks can be sanded off and then polished so it can be difficult to tell. Tap the handle gently with something quite hard like the handle of a steel butter knife. If it sounds like glass it may be marble. If it sounds more like plastic, its acrylic. If you drop it on a hard floor and it shatters, it was marble lol.

I would imagine its a poured acrylic rod, turned in a lathe.



You can try a search of the Brush forum for "custom poured handle". There is information about them by Elite Razors and Rudy Vey.

Elite Razor - Custom and Unique Razors and Brushes

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

View attachment 845403

We want a song! lol



It's all about efficiency lol.

View attachment 845422



Just wait until you're finished cleaning and polishing that. It's going to gleam...



Cast pieces will have a seam usually for the length on the sides where the mold came apart. Turned pieces can usually be identified by looking at the very center of the base. You might be able to see where it was held in the lathe as it was turned.

Both seams and lathe dog marks can be sanded off and then polished so it can be difficult to tell. Tap the handle gently with something quite hard like the handle of a steel butter knife. If it sounds like glass it may be marble. If it sounds more like plastic, its acrylic. If you drop it on a hard floor and it shatters, it was marble lol.

I would imagine its a poured acrylic rod, turned in a lathe.

View attachment 845424

You can try a search of the Brush forum for "custom poured handle". There is information about them by Elite Razors and Rudy Vey.

Elite Razor - Custom and Unique Razors and Brushes

The brush in now in the hands of my daughter to wrap for an extra Christmas present for her father. So, it's off limits to me for checking.

Thanks for the tips. Down the road they'll be useful.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

The MMOC has now had a little cleaning, and soaking in a Dawn solution, and a little more cleaning. I'm being very gentle with it. I used a soft toothbrush, but didn't scrub hard at all.

So far, so good.

There was one area on the handle that I'd been concerned about. It looked like it might have some old solder on it, or something bad like that, down in one of the grooves. However, it came right off with soap and water and one of those plastic hooked picks you use to get down in the crevices cleaning guns. Easy as pie.

There is some tarnish or something that I've not tried to tackle. I'm going to soak it until tomorrow or maybe tomorrow night.

The only question I have is whether the razor was originally plated (lightly) with gold. It may have been, but the only evidence I find, if it is evidence, is the shiny bottoms of the grooves on the handle. One shows up as quite shiny in this picture.

If that is a bit of gold I don't know that I want to remove it, but there is no way for me to be sure. Certainly there is no other evidence of gold anywhere that I can find. I think the razor was originally brass. I don't know that it would be possible to do much more cleaning and polishing without damage to the gold if that's what it is, and the razor surely needs more cleaning and polishing.

People use all sorts of chemicals to clean razors. Rubbing alcohol. Hydrogen peroxide. Scrubbing Bubbles. Some chemicals which sound way too strong to me so I won't mention them.

I have a number of gun cleaning solvents and such. Some are very gentle. Some are not. I doubt the razor needs any of these.

Anyway, it leads me to wonder what to do next. I'm thinking of using a brass toothbrush (gun cleaning kit). I may use some fine sandpaper to polish the top of the "cap," too. Then, maybe Flitz or something like that and a microfiber cloth. I might initially skip the sandpaper and just see what Flitz and elbow grease can accomplish (after the cleaning).

At some point I will bath the razor in Barbicide, before I shave with it just to be extra careful. I am not using a vintage razor without that step.

I have a special polishing cloth (forgot which brand) which is supposed to be for finishing off polishing.

None of this, except the Barbicide, is a plan, just me thinking out loud about the possibilities.

I know brass tarnishes, but I also know that tarnish can add character, and that tarnish is easily removed.

I've not figured out how to get some, a drop or two, lubricant into the TTO mechanism, but I've not closely examined it yet. It seems to work just fine. I probably ought to put a blade in the razor and make sure the blade is held very tightly before investing much more time cleaning the MMOC up. It all seems fine, but I know these old razors can have problems holding the blade (not that they often have that problem, but why not check).

Kinda fun, figuring out how to approach this item. It's the first crummy looking razor I've acquired. Most of my ebay finds were in far better cosmetic shape, new looking almost, or even near mint.

I don't know when I'll shave with this razor. I've not ever used any of my GEM razors to shave. I have a small but good, little group of GEM and ER razors, all of them being suitable for shaving except for the EverReady 1924 which might be too nice to use (but there's not a law against it, right).

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

My shave today was much like yesterday's but not entirely.



December to Remember Fixed Four kit as usual + Shave Secret Shave Oil + witch hazel + Avon Brisk Spice Aftershave.

Going into the shave I was celebrating the fact that the itching was mostly not present yesterday. There was only a bitty bit of itching, and it went away entirely before too long. Today has been the same, except there has been zero itching.

I applied shea butter last night after washing my face, and I applied Equate (Noxzema knock-off) this morning. Nothing changed there at all.

I suppose one change is I have modified slightly how I shave the inverted T area going down from my chin and including the lower part of my neck, but this is a very minor change. Another change, I think, is I'm riding the cap more, using a more shallow angle, and getting a bit less blade feel since I polished the cap of the SS Colonial General. Plus, the cap is smoother.

I have not been doing any aggressive touch ups.

My shave today include more neck passes than yesterday, but was still under-doing it, if anything.

My shave was DFS everywhere. I didn't get a face baby (and that's very unusual for me).

I nicked my upper lip (no blood at all, just pain), and I nicked my upper lip's "mole," or whatever it is (blood). Nothing real bad with either.

My wife might have a different opinion, but I'd call my shave today okay, but only because it doesn't itch. If this is the best I can do, it's fine, and I will go back to the Gillette Fusion, but I am far from reaching that conclusion.

The Fixed Four continues to be a great teacher.

My plan is to, on Christmas if Santa comes through, switch two things. Brushes. Razors. Then, assuming I can actually shave with the razor, I'll do another fixed four to test the new razor and make sure I don't want to return or swap it. Yes, I'm expecting an ATT SE2.

Should Santa disappoint, I have an alternate plan.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

This morning I used some Flitz and elbow grease on the vintage MMOC. I also used the brass brush (a new gun cleaning brush). All of these were used only on the top of the cap and on the very bottom section of the handle. That bottom section of the handle is obviously in the worst shape of any part of the handle and looks like it couldn't possibly have any remaining gold (assuming any part of the razor does).

The cap is far from super polished now. I suspect it is going to take a light sanding. However, I will Flitz polish it more tonight while watching a tv show to see if Flitz will do it. Polishing brass is kinda fun. The bottom of the handle improved only marginally. I'm thinking about what products I might have to clean it more deeply. Maybe a gun cleaning solvent; I have one which is mild for a solvent.

The razor is looking better, too, after an overnight soak in Dawn and some work this morning with a toothbrush (before the Flitz).

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Raven Koenes]

Jim, I'm glad you drink a lot of water. I'm a big proponent of that. I for one have oily skin, so a lot of what you write is a bit foreign to me. When I first started DE shaving I tried to do three passes on my neck, and the result was further irritation.

When I was younger me and some friends were cruising down old Route 66 in New Mexico near Gallop. We were trying to vibe the coolest place to go "chase the Easter Bunny". We found this field and climbed the barbed wire fence and ran around there for a couple of hours. When we climbed back over the fence to leave, I pointed out a sign to my friends which read, "Danger Do Not Enter Uranium Trailings. We got back in the car and turned on the radio and Jimmy Page and the Firm song Radioactive came on. Right then a large goiter grew on my neck. I eventually lanced it myself and it wasn't pretty.

My hair grows differently there now on the scar area, and with a cartridge it would easily cause a huge bump from ingrowns. I can still get it from a DE if I'm not careful. The thing is I went to a one pass on my neck, and I'm increasingly able to know where I can get away with more. The main thing is that I've figured out how to shave the neck area into a DFS with no irritation. The rest of my face I get BBS easily. I've looked in the mirror and I can see no beard stubble reflecting in the light. Only I know and I'm comfortable, and my neck looks better than ever.

The one thing about going years ago and remembering the Barber shop shave is that you are older now. The hair on your face is now like growing gristle through your pours I would imagine. Not the softer oily hair of youth, so the memory and the reality are perhaps now two different things.

Anyway that was my first radioactive experience. I've had another and been struck by lightening. Those are two different long stories. They haven't affected my shaving routine, so I will skip them. Remember I'm pulling for you!