My journey

[TinyT]

What’s over shaving?

Going over the same area repeatedly. Most people do it to some degree I expect. Over do it and you can be in trouble. A very good lather with good residual slickness makes it surprisingly doable with solid technique. Chasing BBS or excessive clean-up would also qualify in my book.

What’s brush burn?

As Thom says. Face lathering with a too dry or underloaded brush, for too long and too aggressively will do it for me.

 

[sarir97]

Going over the same area repeatedly. Most people do it to some degree I expect. Over do it and you can be in trouble. A very good lather with good residual slickness makes it surprisingly doable with solid technique. Chasing BBS or excessive clean-up would also qualify in my book.

Good info.

As Thom says. Face lathering with a too dry or underloaded brush, for too long and too aggressively will do it for me.

Interesting. I’ve been face lathering lately, but using very soft, synthetic brushes. I thought perhaps the more brush time, the more the whiskers are preconditioned for the shave. Hmmm. So many variables and complications!

 

[TinyT]

So many variables and complications!

Indeed! That's what makes it all so absorbing. I face lather with boars and find a shorter lathering time suits me better. Synthetics are much softer and shouldn't cause too much of a problem but I'd still find much longer than a minute or so to be redundant.

 

[Rosseforp]

Good info.




Interesting. I’ve been face lathering lately, but using very soft, synthetic brushes. I thought perhaps the more brush time, the more the whiskers are preconditioned for the shave. Hmmm. So many variables and complications!

You might try lathering up a few times on a non-shaving day to get the full experience of lather burn. It will definitely let you know if your lather, ASL combination is compatible.

 

[sarir97]

Two shaves in with the Kai Pink.

Yesterday, I also tried out a new pre-shave soap (Sterling), a new shave soap (Sterling Sheep) and brush (Yaqi Sagrada Familia) on 2-days worth of growth. Perhaps not a good idea to try too many things at once? Great shave though, minimal aftershave sting.

For today’s TGIF shave, I went back to basics. Hot shower, Sterling preshave soap, Tabac stick, face lathered using the Atomic brush. 3-pass shave for a CCS+ result. Zero aftershave sting.

Kai Pink is definitely less efficient/sharp than the Proline. I would expect better than CCS with 3-passes. Too early though to say anything about irritation, but if yesterday’s and today’s experience is a sign, this blade may be better for daily shaving.

 

[sarir97]

Time for a quick update. This past week has been quite busy and stressful, and as a result I’ve not been as patient with shaving and technique. I did receive the Vector OC plate and have used it on 2 occasions. The Kai Pink blade remains inefficient, needing 3 passes on the cheeks to achieve a DFS result. Today, out of frustration, I applied more pressure than I should have to get away with 2 passes, but then paid the price with moderate aftershave sting. Once I’m done with this blade, I’ll go back to the Proline. With the OC plate and a sharper blade, should I expect a blood bath?

 

[sarir97]

Sunday morning shave, 1.5 days worth of growth, tried my hand at the Proline with the OC plate. The combination is remarkably sharp and efficient, 1-pass achieved SAS face and DFS+ neck (albeit neck shave was ATG). Minor neck stinging. Next time I’ll try changing the direction of neck strokes. I think I’m going to keep to a one-pass SAS most days of the week; the obsession with BBS or even DFS is taking its toll, physical and mental.

 

[TinyT]

I think I’m going to keep to a one-pass SAS most days of the week; the obsession with BBS or even DFS is taking its toll, physical and mental.

For me, after I took care of the comfort, the closeness took care of itself. First, I was getting SAS/CCS, then DFS, now dolphin skin is the norm. I've made little conscious effort to get closer shaves, but I guess it's always there, rumbling away in the Freudian depths.

 

[thombrogan]

dolphin skin i

 

[TinyT]

 

[sarir97]

I’ve been experimenting a lot this past week, trying to figure out best prep, technique, etc, to the point of even dusting off my iKon X3 slant. That razor is amazingly smooth; I can barely feel the blade as it hacks away at the whiskers. Unfortunately the head is bulky and can’t get underneath my big nose, which is the case for all DE razors when compared with the Vector. I may use it for at least the first pass whenever I have 2 or more days of growth.

I’ve kept up with 2-pass only shaves, avoiding ATG. I’m getting a CCS shave every time, which is great for a ~ daily shaver. Very minimal residual stubble if I rub my hand ATG.

I also mapped out my neck area, where I experience the most aftershave sting. I have to contort my dominant arm to get at the right shave angle/direction to avoid ATG, but its doable. No sting today!

I’m finding the open comb Vector to be slightly too aggressive for daily use. Back to the safety bar tomorrow.

 

[sarir97]

Thursday shave:

Pre-shave: Hot shower
Lather: Speick cream, face lathered with the Atomic brush
Razor: Blackland Vector SB, Schick Proline (3 or 4, I forget. No dice.)
Aftershave: Supply Healing AS

2 pass shave, WTG and XTG, with a minor touch up on the right cheek. Quick to build, good quality lather with soothing lavender. Overall very smooth and excellent shave, CCS to DFS, with zero sting.

Avoiding the ATG pass for most daily shaves was absolutely the right decision for me.

 

[TinyT]

Avoiding the ATG pass for most daily shaves was absolutely the right decision for me.

Unless a full ATG pass results in guranteed BBS, I see little point in risking the skin trauma.

 

[sarir97]

Unless a full ATG pass results in guranteed BBS, I see little point in risking the skin trauma.

Even if BBS, it’s all for a few short hours. It may be worth it on occasion, but not every day.

 

[sarir97]

2-pass daily shaving, avoiding the ATG pass most days of the week, is going super well. I’ve found my stride with Vector/Proline combo, with regular CCS+ or DFS shaves and little to no aftershave sting.

Not having to worry about technique has allowed me focus on other aspects of shaving, namely soaps, creams, and lather. For example, with the Tabac stick, I’ve started splaying the brush after a several seconds of face painting. I’ve found that this brushing technique builds a quick, fully hydrated lather that doesn’t clog the razor. In fact, I’ve come to love this soap more than any other in my collection, so much so that I’m looking to purchase a puck with its iconic ceramic bowl just for kicks (I have plenty of soap left in the stick).

Did I mention I bought a new brush? The PAA Peregrino compliments my Atomic Rocket quite nicely.

The Supply ‘Healing’ aftershave witch hazel/aloe spray is also coming to its end. I love the fragrance, but its costly. I’m wondering whether to purchase more of the same or switch to Thayers, which is substantially cheaper. Are there other non-alcoholic aftershaves that you’d recommend?

 

[TinyT]

Did I mention I bought a new brush? The PAA Peregrino compliments my Atomic Rocket quite nicely.

Nice! Are the handles solid?

 

[sarir97]

Nice! Are the handles solid?

Superb, much better than my Mühle Vivo brush.

 

[TinyT]

Superb, much better than my Mühle Vivo brush.

Good to know. A quality handle makes all the difference, as I found out last night.

I was lucky enough to win this synthetic 24mm Yaqi Moka Express in a PIF by @Multum in parvo . Dankesehr.

View attachment 1276812 View attachment 1276813 View attachment 1276814

The handle is really pretty, much nicer than my photo can show, with an orange swirl running through the inside. It's substantial too, the first brush I've used that has any real weight to it. But the most noticeable difference between this and my boar brushes is how soft it is. Zero prickle when I run my hand over it or brush it against my face, bone dry. The lower half of the loft is not just dark, there's an orangey, reddish tinge running through it. As far as looks go, it's fantastic.


Fatip Gentile
Derby Extra (3)
Yaqi Moka 24mm
Proraso Green preshave
Proraso Red

2 passes and a clean-up

I want to find out if the tugging I'm getting at my lower lip is a blade thing or a me thing so it's out with the old New Gillette Super Silver and back in with the Derby Extra. When it came to my bottom my lip, first pass, I shaved N-S, shallow, with pressure and no hesitation. No tugging but I've had smoother strokes there. I'll go through the rest of my top blades and see if there's any big improvement.

The brush

I used it the same way I use my boar brushes, without the soaking. After shaking the excess water from the knot I loaded for ten to fifteen seconds. I wondered if it might hold too much water but I actually dipped the tips briefly half way through. The tips may feel soft but this brush has backbone to spare and I had to use quite a bit of force to get it to splay on top of the soap.

Once loaded, I put it to my face and started swirling away on my right jawbone. Exquisite! Zero scritch or scratch, it was as soft as a cloud. It might've been my imagination but the lather looked like a better quality too. Denser, creamier and wetter all at once. I've complained about this Proraso Red not performing quite as well since it turned hard but there were no issues here. It was perfect, a tell tale dribble down my chest during the second pass letting me know there was plenty enough water in the lather.

When I finished and pulled the brush there was enough lather left over for at least one more full pass. In between passes and post shave, my skin has never felt better. It was like I wasn't even shaving.

This is the first synthetic brush I've used. I may never use another type of brush again.

 

[sarir97]

Bought some aftershave products. The Tabac balm lives up to the name, reeks of tobacco, like an old cigarette butt! It’s nothing like the soap, surprisingly. No return option either, sadly.

On the flip side, I bought all three of the Supply.co AS sprays. The Coastal is my favorite, closely followed Crisp. The least favorite, Calm — rightfully named — has a mild, barely perceptible lavender smell.

 

[hangblague]

The Tabac balm lives up to the name, reeks of tobacco, like an old cigarette butt!

Too bad! I got the WSP tobacco AS, only on the strength of the enthusiasm of others. I think it is supposed to smell like green tobacco. It's nothing like cigarettes. I like it a lot.