FLScott's DE Shave Journal: A Cold Water Journey

[FlScott]

I’m beginning a new format for my shave journal today. Previously, I had a slightly different format for the shave journal but that would have been a bit more cumbersome to review online, so I switched it up beginning with Shave #25. This should make it easier to read and see each item used in an orderly fashion. I'm happy to post the first 24 shaves if someone wants to see the early learning curve.


Beard Growth Description: Beard near ears to cheekbone grows downward. Beard from mouth towards the ears is grows downward with a slight angle towards outside/ears; Beard under nose grows downward to slight angle towards outside of mouth; Beard under mouth to my chin grows downward and to the outside; Beard on neck grows downward.


Facial Zones References:

Q1a =Nose,

Q1b = Mouth and chin
Q2 = Rt or Lft ears to mouth to jaw.
Q3= upper neck and under chin
Q4= lower neck




Date: June 21, 2013


Shave #: 25

Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, AOS Unscented Cream, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 Long Handle and Parker Silver Tip, and a Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.

Preshave Prep: Soaked brush and razor with new bluebird blade in cold-water prep bath, which included 5 ice cubes. I placed another ice cube in the scuttle to melt for cold lather. Hot water shower and used Keihl’s pineapple/papaya to exfoliate . Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube to drench my face. I rubbed a few drops of preshave oil on and let that sit while I prepped the lather. Whipped lather for 4 minutes till it had a nice thick but moist consistency. I’m liberal with my shave cream usage. Reapplied water on face and lathered generously.

Beard Length: 2 day sharp stiff stubble.


Type and Number of Blade Uses: Bluebird, First


Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: None


Passes and shave pattern: (3) N-S, XTG, ATG


Focused on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle. First pass was N-S. After close examination of my face, as described above, N-S is a better way to describe rather than WTG. A nice scraping sound was noticeable as I let the razor do the work. Rinse with cold water, but forgot the ice after pass one. Reapplied lather and went XTG with the pleasant scrapping sound in all zones. Rinsed, changed sink water used more ice in sink and this time remembered to apply ice directly to my face. Reapplied lather and went ATG, minimal scrapping sound.


Post Shave: Iced face again applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm.


Comments: The bluebird razor was very nice and provided the satisfactory audible feedback. No nicks, cuts or tugs with the blade. The glide was smooth. There was no oily or dry feeling. Face feels fresh, clean and soft. One of the best shaves to date. The cold-water prep has resolved the burning and stinging effect that I use to have between passes on reapplication of the lather. The AOS Unscented products have resolved the blotchiness that I had from the GT line of products.


Shave Quality: Q1a = DFS, Q1b = BBS; Q 2 Rt and Left = DFS; Q3 = BBS but a little redness on rt side.; Q4 = BBS redness on rt side.

 

[FlScott]

Currently, my biggest issue/concern is the redness on the right side nape of my neck. It is not tender to touch, bumpy, rough, nor does it sting or burn.

 

[FlScott]

Date: June 22, 2013


Shave #: 26


Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, AOS Unscented Cream, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 long handle and Parker silver tip in Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.


Preshave Prep: ISoaked the brush and the razor with bluebird blade in a cold-water prep bath, which included ice cubes. I placed another ice cube in the scuttle to melt for cold lather. I did not shower but I did wash face well. Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube my face. A few drops of preshave oil were rubbed on my beard on and I let that sit while I prepped the lather. Whipped lather for 4 minutes then applied lather and let sit for 2 minutes to soften the beard. I noticed the lather was a bit thick and dry, so I added some water and brushed this on.


Beard Length: 1 day, short stubble


Type and Number of Blade uses: Bluebird, second.


Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: None


Passes and Shave Pattern: 3, N-S, XTG, ATG


Continuing to focus on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle. First pass was N-S. As mentioned above, N-S is a better way to describe rather than WTG with my beard growth. A nice scraping sound was noticeable as I let the razor do the work. Rinsed with cold-water, applied ice after pass one. Reapplied lather and went XTG there was scrapping sound in all zones. Rinsed and applied ice to my face. Reapplied lather and went ATG, there was still some scrapping sound. I did not shave Q1(a) a third time. Since I started cold shaving, I have not had stinging or burning when reapplying shaving cream.


Post Shave: Iced face again applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm.


Comments: The bluebird razor worked well, nice scrapping sound on all three passes, and it glided well without tugging. I only did two passes in Zone 1(a), under the nose N-S and XTG, I felt this was enough. I should have only done two passes on my neck in zone 3 and 4. Although there were no nicks or cuts, it was a bit red and tender to the touch. I suspect the ATG pass was a bit too much two days in row in zones Q3 and Q4. Redness on my right side neck remains my biggest concern. The redness does not completely go away between shaves (time to make a dermatologist appointment)


Shave Quality: Q1a = DFS, Q1b = DFS; Q 2 Rt and Left = BSS; Q3 = CCS; Q4 = CCS redness on rt side and above the Adams apple.

 

[Jeff_H]

Good information, I enjoyed reading your results thus far. Nice organization and attention to detail.

 

[FlScott]

Thanks Jeff.

 

[FlScott]

Date: June 23, 2013


Shave #: 27


Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, AOS Unscented Cream, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 long handle and Parker silver tip in Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.


Preshave Prep: Soaked the brush and the razor with bluebird blade in a cold-water prep bath, which included ice cubes. I placed another ice cube in the scuttle to melt for cold lather. Showered and washed my face well. Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube my face. A few drops of preshave oil were rubbed on my beard on and I let that sit while I prepped the lather. Whipped lather for 4 minutes then applied lather and let sit for 3 minutes to soften the beard.


Beard Length: 1 day, short stubble


Type and Number of Blade uses: Bluebird, third


Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: 1 tiny nick Zone 1(b) near bottom lip. Applied the nick stick.


Passes and Shave Pattern: 1, 2, 3; N-S, XTG, ATG. 1 pass on neck Zones 3 and 4. 2 passes on zone 1 and zone 3 (under chin.) 3 passes in zone 2.

Continuing to focus on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle. First pass was N-S. As mentioned previously with my beard description, N-S is a better way to describe rather than WTG with my beard growth. Not as much of scraping sound today on pass one, which was N-S. I let the razor do the work and worked on my angle. Rinsed with cold-water, applied ice after pass one. I only did one pass in zone 3 and 4, except directly under my chin in Zone 3.

Reapplied lather and went XTG with there was a scrapping sound in a zones 1 and 2. Rinsed and applied ice to my face. I only did 2 passes in zone 1.

Reapplied lather and went ATG in zone 2, there was still some scrapping sound. Since I started cold shaving, I have not had stinging or burning when reapplying shaving cream.


Post Shave: : Iced face again applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm.


Comments: The bluebird razor worked well, I will continue to test this blade in the next round 3. It glided nice with only one tiny nick. I limited passes in certain zones as described above. There was a small amount of irritation on both checks, I suspect ATG was too much three days in row. It did not seem as if I pressed overly hard, but I will remain conscious of this. I’m going to limit the ATG over the next shave, or so.

Redness on my right side of the neck remains my biggest concern. That redness was present prior to today’s shave, and the one pass did not increase the redness today. That was a positive. I will limit myself to 1 pass over the next few shaves in zone 3 and 4. The redness does not completely go away between shaves.


Shave Quality: Q1a = DFS, Q1b = DFS; Q 2 Rt and Left = BSS; Q3 = CCS; Q4 = CCS.


Note: Blades being tested in Rd 2:

Astra Platinum – after 2 Rds, I did not like this blade for my face.

Bluebird – this blade moves into Rd 3.

Derby -

Gillette 7 O’clock, Green Pack, stainless

Gillette Silver Blue

Gillette 7 o’clock, Yellow pack, sharp edge

 

[FlScott]

I decided to take the day off from shaving to give my face short break. What has made this especially difficult was my new brush arrived arrived today, so I did do a test lather.

View attachment 345192

GT Limes to help with the very minor odor.

View attachment 345193
A minute of lathering, it was still running.

View attachment 345195View attachment 345196

By four minutes there was all kinds of happiness going on!

I did manage to resist the shaving temptation.

I did lose two bristles with the test lather.

 

[FlScott]

Parker has a new friend!

 

[FlScott]

Date: June 25


Shave #: 28


Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, AOS Unscented Cream, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 long handle and Shavemac silvertip brush in an Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.


Preshave Prep: Soaked the new shavemac brush and the razor with a new derby blade in a cold-water prep bath, which included ice cubes. I placed another ice cube in the scuttle to melt for cold lather. Showered and washed my face well. Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube my face. A few drops of preshave oil were rubbed on my beard on and I let that sit while I prepped the lather. Whipped lather for 4 minutes then applied lather and let sit for 2 minutes to soften the beard. I continued whipping the lather while the face lather rested on my face.


Slight change in routine between passes: I put a couple more drops of Preshave on between passes.


Beard Length: 2 days stubble, coarse


Type and Number of Blade uses: Derby, first


Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: None


Passes and Shave Pattern: 2 N-S Passes. One N-S pass only in zone 3 (except under chin) and zone 4.


Technique, technique, technique! I am continuing to focus on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle with no pressure. Let the razor weight do the work – NO PRESSURE. I’m dialing back the number of shave passes. I actually achieved no pressure today, in hindsight; this may be the first time.

First pass was N-S. I rather loud scraping sound was heard in every shave zone. I rinsed with cold water, iced face then reapplied a little preshave oil between passes. Then I reapplied lather.


Second pass was N-S in zone 1, 2 and under my chin in zone 3. There was a noticeable sound of scrapping on pass two as my beard was reduced.


Post Shave: Iced face again applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm. I like AOS balm as it does not dry out or my face oily. Used Escada cologne.


Comments: The new Shavemac brush was fun and it whips up a terrific lather, it has more backbone then my Parker brush and held the lather well. I did not have scritch.


The derby razor worked well, it glided nicely and was forgiving. This is round two with this blade and it has works well with my face. I limited passes in certain zones as described above. There was no irritation on my face. I remained conscious of not applying pressure.



There was no irritation, warmness/heat or stinging.


I began the day with slight redness on my right side of the neck that remains my biggest concern. This did not increase is size or depth of color today which I consider a major accomplishment. I will continue limiting myself to 1 pass over the next few shaves in zone 3 and 4. I’m looking for redness to lessen or go away between shaves.


Although this was not my closest shave to-date, it was probably my best shave from a learning/goal achievement standpoint.


Shave Quality: Q1a =CCS , Q1b =CCS ; Q 2 Rt and Left =CCS ; Q3=SAS ; Q4 =SAS .

 

[FlScott]

I'm going to resist the temptation to shave today. Six weeks ago that comment would never have come out of my mouth.

 

[FlScott]

Well, I decided to shave after all today.


Date: June 26


Shave #: 29


Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, GT Limes shave cream, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 long handle and Parker silvertip brush in an Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.


Preshave Prep: Soaked the brush and the razor with a derby blade, second use, in a cold-water prep bath, which included ice cubes. I placed another ice cube in the scuttle to melt for cold lather. Showered and washed my face well. Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube my face. A few drops of preshave oil were rubbed on my beard on and I let that sit while I prepped the lather. Whipped lather for 4 minutes then applied lather and let sit for 2 minutes to soften the beard. I continued whipping the lather while the face lather rested on my face.

I wanted to test the GT Limes cream again, to see if I became blotchy post shave around my upper cheeks and below the eyes. I continued with the slight change in routine by reapplying a couple more drops of Preshave on between passes.


Beard Length: 1 days stubble, prickly


Type and Number of Blade uses: Derby, second


Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: None


Passes and Shave Pattern: 2 N-S Passes. One N-S pass only in zone 3 (except under chin) and zone 4. Spot treatment a third time under chin and left side of neck.


Technique, technique, technique! I am continuing to focus on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle with no pressure. Let the razor weight do the work – NO PRESSURE. As yesterday, I’m dialing back the number of shave passes. I did achieve no pressure today.

First pass was N-S. I rather loud scraping sound was heard in every shave zone. I rinsed with cold water, iced face then reapplied a little preshave oil between passes. Then I reapplied lather.


Second pass was N-S in zone 1, 2 and under my chin in zone 3. There was a noticeable sound of scrapping on pass two as my beard was reduced.

Spot treatment under my chin and one small patch on the left side of my neck, zone 3, this helped greatly.

Post Shave: Iced face again applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm. I like AOS balm as it does not dry out or my face oily.


Comments: The Parker brush does not have the backbone that the shavemac brush has but it is soft and gentle. The brush does continue to lose bristle - one today.

Regarding GT Limes, I did notice that my nose is quite blotchy. [FONT=&quot]Left upper cheek is slightly blotchy. (1 hr post shave) [/FONT]


The derby razor worked well, it glided nicely and was forgiving. I limited passes in certain zones as described above. There was no irritation on my face. I remained conscious of not applying pressure.


There was no irritation, warmness/heat or stinging.


I began the day with slight redness on my right side of the neck that remains my biggest concern. This did not increase is size or depth of color today which I consider a major accomplishment. I will continue limiting myself to 1 pass over the next few shaves in zone 3 and 4. I’m looking for redness to lessen or go away between shaves.


Although this was not my closest shave to-date, continues to enhance my learning/goal achievement.


Shave Quality: Q1a =CCS , Q1b =CCS ; Q 2 Rt and Left =CCS ; Q3=SAS ; Q4 =SAS .

 

[FlScott]

Date: June 27, 2013

Shave #: 30

Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, AOS Unscented Cream, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 long handle and Shavemac silver tip in Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.

Preshave Prep: Soaked the brush and the razor with a derby blade, third use, in a cold-water prep bath, which included ice cubes. I used cold sink water in the scuttle to melt for cold lather. Showered and washed my face well. Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube my face. A few drops of preshave oil were rubbed on my beard on and I let that sit while I prepped the lather.
Whipped lather for 6 minutes then applied lather and let sit for 2 minutes to soften the beard. I continued whipping the lather while the face lather rested on my face. On vacation and the water is exceptionally cold out of the tap, I did not have a true scuttle with me so I used a small cup and lathering was tight, so it took longer than normal. I also face lathered a bit because of the difficulty with the tight cup.

Beard Length: 1 day prickly

Type and Number of Blade uses: Derby, Third

Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: None

Passes and Shave Pattern: 3 N-S Passes in all zones. Zone 1(a) 2 N-S only.

Technique, technique, technique! I am continuing to focus on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle with no pressure. Let the razor weight do the work – NO PRESSURE. I added a third N-S pass. I did well with no pressure today.

First pass was N-S. I rather loud scraping sound was heard in every shave zone. I rinsed with cold water, iced face then reapplied a little preshave oil between passes. Then I reapplied lather.


Second pass was N-S in all zones. There was a noticeable sound of scrapping on pass two as my beard was reduced. I was trying to make sure there was no pressure the razor felt loose in my grip at times which was a concern.
Third pass was N-S in all zones. Much of the scrapping sound was gone, I paid special attention under chin to get the tough spots. At one point on my right cheek it felt like the razor was not touching but when I rinsed it was very smooth.


Post Shave: I Iced face again applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm. I like AOS balm as it does not dry out or my face oily.


Comments: The shavemac brush has backbone but it is soft and gentle. The brush did not lose any bristles.

I stopped using GT Limes and went back to AOS unscented and there was no blotchiness on my face.

The derby razor was excellent for my face this will move to round three, it glided nicely and was forgiving. It was smooth and sharp.

There was no irritation, warmness/heat or stinging.
I had an overall excellent shave today and it was quite close even with limiting myself to N-S passes.

I began the day with slight redness on my right side of the neck that remains my biggest concern. This did not increase is size or depth of color today which I consider a major accomplishment. Especially with adding two passes today, the no pressure is working.


Shave Quality: Zone 1=DFS, Zone 2 = DFS, Zone 3 left side was DFS, Zone 3 right side = CCS, Zone 4 left side = DFS, Zone 4 Rt side= CCS

 

[FlScott]

Date: June 28, 2013


Shave #: 31


Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, AOS Unscented Cream, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 long handle and Shavemac silver tip in Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.


Preshave Prep: Soaked the brush and the razor with a Gillette 7 O’clock Super Stainless blade, first use, in a cold-water prep bath, which included ice cubes. I used cold sink water in the scuttle for cold lather. Showered and washed my face well. Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube my face. A few drops of preshave oil were rubbed on my beard on and I let that sit while I prepped the lather.

Whipped lather for 6 minutes then applied lather and let sit for 2 minutes to soften the beard. I continued whipping the lather while the face lather rested on my face. On vacation and the water is cold, I did not have a true scuttle with me so I used a small cup and lathering was tight, so it took longer than normal. I also face lathered a bit because of the difficulty with the tight cup.


Beard Length: 1 day prickly


Type and Number of Blade uses: Gillette 7 O’clock Super Stainless, Green Package


Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: None


Passes and Shave Pattern: 3 N-S Passes in all zones, except zone 1(a) under nose – 2 passes only. No touch-up areas.

Technique, technique, technique! I am continuing to focus on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle with no pressure. Let the razor weight do the work – NO PRESSURE. I continued with simple N-S passes with no pressure today. No touch up needed.

First pass was N-S. I rather loud scraping sound was heard in every shave zone. I rinsed with cold water, iced face then reapplied a little preshave oil between passes. Then I reapplied lather.


Second pass was N-S in all zones. There was a noticeable sound of scrapping on pass two as my beard was reduced. I was trying to make sure there was no pressure the razor felt loose in my grip at times, which was a concern. Very careful with pressure on my neck as I don’t want to increase the redness on the right side. I did not reapply preshave oil for the third pass.

Third pass was N-S in all zones. Much of the scrapping sound was gone, I paid special attention under chin to get the tough spots. I did not hear scraping in multiple areas.


Post Shave:IIced face again applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm. I like AOS balm as it does not dry out or my face oily.


Comments: The shavemac brush has backbone but it is soft and gentle. The brush did not lose any bristles.

The Gilette 7 o’clock green pack was very smooth on my face.


There was no irritation, warmness/heat or stinging.

A terrific shave today and it was quite close even with limiting myself to N-S passes. I’m really starting to get consistent shaves.

The redness on my right side of the neck has gone down significantly. This did not increase in size or depth of color today. The no pressure is really working in this area.


Shave Quality: Zone 1=DFS, Zone 2 = DFS, Zone 3 left side was DFS, Zone 3 right side = CCS, Zone 4 left side = DFS, Zone 4 Rt side= CCS

 

[FlScott]

First Soap Lather

Beard Growth Description: Beard near ears to cheekbone grows downward. Beard from mouth towards the ears is grows downward with a slight angle towards outside/ears; beard under nose grows downward to slight angle towards outside of mouth; Beard under mouth to my chin grows downward and to the outside; Beard on neck grows downward.


Date: July 1, 2013


Shave #: 32


Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, Nourish- Old man and Sea Shave Soap, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 long handle and Parker silver tip in Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.


Preshave Prep: I mixed it up a bit today with the introduction of shave soap. Nourish – Old Man and Sea. I soaked the brush and the razor with a Gillette 7 O’clock Super Stainless blade, second use, in a cold-water prep bath, which included ice cubes. I grated a some of the soap into cup and put a little warm water to soak. Showered and washed my face well. Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube my face. A few drops of preshave oil were rubbed on my beard on and I let that sit while I prepped the lather.


Whipped lather for 5 minutes then applied lather and let sit for 1 minutes to soften the beard. I noticed that the lather was not as thick and creamy as I’m use to with shave creams. Although the lather was slippery. I continued whipping the lather while the face lather rested on my beard.


Beard Length: 2 day, rough stubble


Type and Number of Blade uses: Gillette 7 O’clock Super Stainless, Green Package, Second


Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: None


Passes and Shave Pattern: 3 N-S. Technique, technique, technique! I am continuing to focus on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle with no pressure. Let the razor weight do the work – NO PRESSURE. I continued with simple N-S passes with no pressure today.

Although the lather was thin, my skin felt very slippery.


First pass was N-S. I rather loud scraping sound was heard in every shave zone. I rinsed with cold water. Then I reapplied lather.

Second pass was N-S in all zones. There was some scrapping but I was nervous using the soap since it thinned out quickly when applied to my face, so I barely let the blade touching.


Third pass was N-S in all zones. The lather was very thin in the bowl at this point I did whip it up some more, but the lather quickly faded away when it was applied to my face.


Post Shave: : I iced face again applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm. I like AOS balm as it does not dry out or my face oily.


Comments: I continued to work on technique. Short 1 inch strokes with no pressure on the razor. Let the razor’s weight do the work. The blade was nice but I was extremely dissatisfied with my first soap lather. I should have stopped before I began but that would have been the wise thing to do.


I should not have switched to shave soap without more practice making lather with it. The soap was thin when compared to the cream.


Overall, this was a terrible shave with several patches of noticeable beard remaining under my chin and on my neck. I did not want to push my luck so I did not try to touch up the area.


On the bright side, I did not get any stinging, burning, irritation or redness from the shave.


Shave Quality: Zone 1 a=DFS, Zone 1b= SAS, Zone 2 =SAS, Zone 3 =I shaved ?, Zone 4= I shaved ?

 

[FlScott]

Lathery Goodness

Date: July 2, 2013

Shave #: 33


Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, AOS Unscented Cream, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 long handle and Shavemac silver tip in Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.


Preshave Prep: I went back to my preshave shave cream routine.


Soaked the brush and the razor with a Gillette 7 O’clock Super Stainless blade, third use, in a cold-water prep bath, which included ice cubes. I used cold sink water in the scuttle to melt for cold lather. Showered and washed my face well. Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube my face. A few drops of preshave oil were rubbed on my beard on and I let that sit while I prepped the lather.

Whipped lather for 4 minutes then applied lather and let sit for 2 minutes to soften the beard.


Beard Length: 1 day stubble


Type and Number of Blade uses: Gillette 7 O’clock Super Stainless, Green Package, third


Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: None


Passes and Shave Pattern: 2 N-S Passes in all zones, zone 1(a) under nose – 2 passes only. XTG in zone 2. A third N-S pass in zones 3 and 4.

Technique, technique, technique! I am continuing to focus on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle with no pressure. Let the razor weight do the work – NO PRESSURE. No touch up needed.

First pass was N-S. I heard the solid scraping in every shave zone. I rinsed with cold water, iced face then reapplied a little preshave oil between passes. Then I reapplied lather.

Second pass was N-S in all zones. Scrapping was still noticeable on pass two as my beard was reduced. I was trying to make sure there was no pressure the razor. My grip is much better on the handle. felt Very careful with pressure on my neck as I don’t want to increase the redness on the right side. I did not reapply preshave oil for the third pass.


Third pass was XTG in Zone 2. There was slight different feel to the razor as angle was changed. Much of the scrapping sound was gone. Pass three N-S in zone 1b, 3 and 4, I paid special attention under chin to get the tough spots. I did not hear scraping in few areas.


Post Shave: IIced face again applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm. I like AOS balm as it does not dry out or my face oily.


Comments: What a difference a day and different prep makes. At this point, I’m going to stick to AOS unscented products as they do not irritate my face or make it blotchy. I’ll continue using cream for the time beginning. This particular prep works for my face, the only change in the near future that I will do is continuing testing razor blades.


The Gilette 7 o’clock green pack was very smooth on my face and cuts the beard nicely. This blade makes it to round three.


There was no irritation, warmness/heat or stinging.


This was fantastic shave today.


The redness on my right side of the neck has gone down significantly and is nearly gone. This did not increase is size or depth of color today. The no pressure is really working in this area. I think the cause of the initial redness was pressure.


Shave Quality: Zone 1=DFS, Zone 2 = DFS, Zone 3 DFS, Zone 3 right side = CCS, Zone 4 left side = DFS, Zone 4 Rt side= CCS

 

[danTaste]

This is a serious journal! Thanks for sharing the info.

 

[FlScott]

Date: July 3, 2013


Shave #: 34


Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, AOS Unscented Cream, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 long handle and Parker silver tip in Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.


Preshave Prep: I’m sticking to a consistent preshave soap routine.


Soaked the brush and the razor with a Gillette Silver Blue blade, one use, in a cold-water prep bath, which included ice cubes. I used cold sink water in the scuttle to melt for cold lather. Showered and washed my face well. Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube my face. A few drops of preshave oil were rubbed on my beard on and I let that sit while I prepped the lather.


Whipped lather for 4 minutes then applied lather and let sit for 2 minutes to soften the beard. Continued to whip the cream.


Beard Length: 1 day stubble


Type and Number of Blade uses: Gillette Silver Blue, One


Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: None


Passes and Shave Pattern: 1 N-S Passes in all zones. A second N-S in zone 1, 3 and 4. A third N-S pass in zones 3 and 4. XTG in zone 2. ATG in zone 2. 1 touch up on left upper chin by my mouth.


Technique, technique, technique! I am continuing to focus on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle with no pressure. Let the razor weight do the work – NO PRESSURE. One touch up was needed. I’m working on holding the razor at the end of the handle and consistency.

First pass was N-S. I heard the solid cutting in every shave zone. I rinsed with cold water. I did not reapply oil nor did I use ice between passes. I only rinsed face with cold sink water after each pass rather than use ice. Then I reapplied lather.

Second pass in patterns as described above. The cutting was still noticeable on pass two as my beard was reduced. It was not nearly as loud as pass one. I did not reapply preshave oil or ice after the second pass.


Third pass was as described above. There was minimal cutting except for ATG in zone 2.


One small touch up was needed on my upper left chin.


Post Shave:I iced face then applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm. I like AOS balm as it does not dry out or my face oily.


Comments I’m sticking with the AOS unscented products as they do not irritate my face or my it blotchy. I’ll continue using cream for the time beginning. This particular prep works for my face, the only change in the near future that I will do is continuing testing razor blades.


The Gilette Silver blue was smooth on my face and cuts the beard nicely.


It really only takes 2 N-S passes under my nose (zone 1a) in order to achieve a DFS. The ATG pass in zone 2 achieved BBS in that area. Zone 3 an 4 is getting closer shaves with the N-S passes.

I really do like the feel of ice rather than cold water rinse on my face between passes. Although I did not notice any difference in the shave today nor did I get stinging or burning.

There was no irritation, warmness/heat or stinging.


This was another fantastic shave today. I’m striving for consistency and improving my grip.

The redness on my right side of the neck has not increased in quite a few shaves.

Shave Quality: Zone 1=DFS, Zone 2 = BBS, Zone 3 DFS, Zone 4= DFS

 

[FlScott]

This is a serious journal! Thanks for sharing the info.

I'm glad you like it, I hope it helps.

If I were to quantify what helped me the most it would be:

1. cold water shaving
2. unscented products
3. technique, technique, technique.

 

[WetWhiskers]

Nice job Scott.

I learn a lot from reading other people's journals. Plus sort of set my own expectations of how quickly I could/should progress.

Best regards,

WW

 

[FlScott]

HAPPY 4th of JULY


Date: July 4, 2013

Shave #: 35


Products Used: AOS Unscented Preshave Oil, AOS Unscented Cream, Humphrey’s Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and AOS AS Balm. Mercur 180 long handle and Shavemac silver tip in Edwin Jaegger shaving bowl.


Preshave Prep: I’m sticking to a consistent preshave cream routine.

Soaked the brush and the razor with a Gillette Silver Blue blade, second use, in a cold-water prep bath, which included ice cubes. I used cold sink water in the bowl to melt for cold lather. Showered and washed my face well. Wet face thoroughly with cold water from sink, then used an ice cube my face. A few drops of preshave oil were rubbed on my beard on and I let that sit while I prepped the lather.


Whipped lather for 4 minutes then applied lather I worked the brush for 2 minutes to soften the beard and semi-face lather.


Beard Length: 1 day stubble


Type and Number of Blade uses: Gillette Silver Blue, Two


Nicks/Cuts/Tugs: One scrape on pass one near nose while blade buffering.


Passes and Shave Pattern: 2 N-S Passes in all zones, with blade buffering around nose and chin.


Technique, technique, technique! I am continuing to focus on very short strokes approximately 1 inch in length and 30 degree angle with no pressure. Let the razor weight do the work – NO PRESSURE. No touch. I’m working on holding the razor at the end of the handle. I started to blade buffer today around my nose/upper lip and the bottom of my chin.

First pass was N-S. I heard the solid cutting in every shave zone. I rinsed with cold water. I did not reapply oil but I did go back to using ice between passes. I blade buffered around my nose/upper lip and scraped one small area. Then I reapplied lather.

Second pass N-S, blade buffering around upper lip and chin.. The cutting was still noticeable on pass two as my beard was reduced. It was not loud as pass one and there was one area on the right side of my cheek that had no feel of cutting. On inspection the area appeared as smooth as other areas though. I rinsed with cold water and applied ice. I decided to only do 2 passes today.


Post Shave: I iced face then applied witch hazel and let nearly dry, before applying AS balm. I used the nick stick on the scrape. I like AOS balm as it does not dry out or my face oily.


Comments No change here with the products used. I’m sticking with the AOS unscented products as they do not irritate my face or my it blotchy. I’ll continue using cream for the time beginning. This particular prep works for my face, the only change in the near future that I will do is continuing testing razor blades.

The Gilette Silver blue was smooth on my face and cuts the beard nicely. There was one small area that did not feel like the blade touched but on inspection, the area was shaved.


Other than the one scrape previously noted I had no irritation, warmness/heat or stinging.


This was another satisfying shave today. I’m striving for consistency, working on holding the razor a the end and technique.

It seems that I’ve gotten that semi-permanent redness on my right side of the neck under control.


Shave Quality: Zone 1=CCS, Zone 2 = CCS, Zone 3 CCS, Zone 4=CCS