My Search For Smooth

[thombrogan]

Sorry to read about the rough shave. Here’s hoping the London Oatcake facilitates more pleasant experiences.

 

[TinyT]

Sorry to read about the rough shave. Here’s hoping the London Oatcake facilitates more pleasant experiences.

Hey ho. Gotta accept the rough with the smooth.

 

[thombrogan]

Not with the skills and kit you already possess.

 

[TinyT]

Not with the skills and kit you already possess.

Thankfully the rough are rare, the smooth plentiful.

 

[TinyT]

Tonight's shave report. And it's a better one!

Perma-Sharp #61

Fatip Gentile
Omega 10051
Proraso Green preshave

2 passes, WTG/XTG and a clean-up


London Oatcake Overgrowth

The scent:

This is a strong, green fern scent, with lots of sap and resin in the style of a fougere. Very similar to Wickham Irirsh Fern but an octave lower in tone, a baritone to Irish Fern's tenor. Instead of the light, floral top notes of the Wickham, this has a red fruit middle. I like it a lot.

The shave:

After applying my preshave I spent a few minutes staring at the soap in the bowl, wondering how to approach it. It has the appearance and feel of a cream so maybe I should lather it like one? But I'd checked the London Oatcake website last night and the advice is to load it from the tub so I thought, @~%* it, squeezed my brush and loaded. Tentatively at first, I added water little by little, then went right at it and in short order had the creamy consistency I was looking for. It face lathered superbly, at least as good as Proraso, maybe a touch better and took the addition of more water happily. After a minute or two I had the dense yet runny yoghurt I desire, shiny with no bubbles. The scent lathered is fruit dominant and gentler than I expected, but still very prominent.

The first pass was lovely, though I got a nick on my lower lip. A very slight rough feeling has me thinking this blade is done but I'll give it one more shot. Second pass, the lather was thinner than I prefer but protective throughout. I used mainly just water for the clean up and found I got great residual slickness.

The post shave is very good. No irritation or dryness, none of that 'freshly shaved' feel, despite the potential blade issue. Just nourished, moisturised skin, the fragrance of the soap lingering nicely, floral this time.

This soap needs to be loaded heavily. I did so tonight and I could've loaded more in all honesty. It looks like it should be too soft and maybe it is. I doubt it's one for those who want longevity, not if you want it to perform as well as it can. It really likes water. Al, you might try sprinkling a few drops of water onto the surface of the soap before you start loading. The soap in my wooden bowl changed from soft and sticky to firm and slippery in the time it took me to shave. After shaving, I rinsed it under the tap and left it on the side to dry as I do with all my other soaps. I expect to get no more than four shaves out of it and that's the downside, but the only one that I could find and I might be wrong about that too. A great shave all in all.

 

[thombrogan]

I’ve had the melody of that aria crammed all up in my dome for a week now. Thank you! And happy to read about your success in treating your oatcake like a croap, too.

 

[TinyT]

I’ve had the melody of that aria crammed all up in my dome for a week now. Thank you!

You're welcome. Good earworms are just the best. I had it in my mind as I went for my evening run and it kept triggering thoughts about fougere's!

 

[TinyT]

Another great shave.

Perma-Sharp #62

Fatip Gentile
Omega 10051
Proraso Green preshave

London Oatcake Overgrowth

2 passes, WTG/XTG

The scent of this soap has become more refined between shaves. More delicate yet more complex at the same time. Very, very nice.

It loaded just as easily as before, better in fact. It took very little work, less than any other soap I've used to reach what I consider to be perfection. I think that oveworking is what kills this. Load heavy and let it be.

I had the same slight scratchy feel as I started my first pass but an adjustment to angle and pressure and it smoothed out. I think it's just blade feel. The lather for my second pass had ideal cushion and protection. I could shave XTG on my lower lip freely and with repetition. In terms of performance and scent I can find no fault. A fantastic shave but for one thing.

View attachment 1159071

 

[TinyT]

The last of the Overgrowth.

Perma-Sharp #63

Fatip Gentile
Omega 10051
Proraso Green preshave

London Oatcake Overgrowth

2 passes, WTG/XTG and a clean-up



Good decision.

It was nice while it lasted.

As I was loading it became clear to me that I could have 2 more mediocre shaves or one great one. I opted for the latter and had a brush chock full of lather. More soap meant the same cushion and better slickness with it. The first pass was easy as pie, no tugging and very little overshaving or overlapping.



Me too, mostly on the first pass. I half splayed on my neck for the second pass as well and a huge white cloud appeared, the lather just as sumptuous as the first time round but slicker still. I managed to get a weeper on my lower lip, right side, then did a farewell clean-up along my jawline. Post shave my skin is a touch dry with a very slight raw feeling. It could be the blade but I'm happier blaming the soap.



I don't think I am. Every 48 hours. Three shaves and done. Tonights was my best since the start of the trial, dodgy post shave included, but that's not economical enough for me.

 

[TinyT]

My shave with the Lea shave stick. It got bloody.

Perma-Sharp #64

Fatip Gentile
Omega 10051
Proraso Green preshave

Lea Shave Stick

2 passes, WTG, XTG

After applying my preshave I wet my face with my left hand, wet the soap and rubbed it all over my face until I had an easily visible white film covering my stubble.

Then, with a damp brush I started painting, dipped the tips and painted some more, dipped again and painted and painted and dipped and painted. After what felt like 5 minutes but could have been more, could have been less, I told myself to stop being impatient and enjoy the process. So back I went to painting and dipping until what was in the brush looked creamy and abundant enough to start swirling. I ended up with a decent lather, yoghurt like and without bubbles but it took an age to get there.

First pass and as I was shaving my upper lip I somehow managed to cut my left nostril about half an inch up. The rest of the pass was ok. Second pass and I noticed irritation as I relathered. This time the soap was thinner and drier than I like and I had to work at it some to get it close to what I wanted. The cut from my nose was dripping onto my upper lip and turning the lather there pink. Shaving my lower lip XTG was uncomfortable. It could be this blade is nearing the end but it was more than that. Something just didn't feel right, like there wasn't enough protection.

Post shave I have some irritation and my skin feels tight. It might be the soap but I expect it's more likely to be the excessive time spent lathering. Grating it into a tub will prove it one way or the other. My shave's not as close as I'd like in some places but the blood from the cut on my nose had congealed by the time I'd cleaned and left the bathroom.

I suppose I could shave this way if I had to and eventually find a way to make it work. But I don't have to.

During all the commotion I hardly noticed the scent, but it was pleasant without being remarkable.

 

[thombrogan]

Sorry to read about the schnozz wound. Please heal quick

 

[TinyT]

Sorry to read about the schnozz wound. Please heal quick

It bled again a bit this morning but has pretty much healed. As long as I don't try and shave my nose again I should be fine, lol.

 

[thombrogan]

As long as I don't try and shave my nose again I should be fine

It’s not quite a whisker. Shaving can make it stubby, but never stubble.

 

[TinyT]

My latest shave, without an attempt to spite my face.

Perma-Sharp #65

Fatip Gentile
Omega 10051
Proraso Green preshave

Lea Shave Stick (unstuck)

Good soap, good shave. Good drama free shave. 2 passes, WTG, XTG and a minor clean-up along my jawline. No surprises, no tugging, no blood, no irritation. A very good shave.

This gave me the space to be able to assess my brush action. Loading I used just the tips, dipping to add water as necessary, three times tonight. Towards the end I turned the brush on it's side and pushed the tips across the surface of the soap in a shovelling motion. It loaded easily, turning into the creamy consistency I was looking for in around a minute.

Next, I wet my face with my left hand and started swirling immediately on my right jawbone, using firm but gentle pressure, barely splaying. I only used painting motions over my mouth and upper lip. I swirled and quarter splayed on the underside of my chin and jaw, with a half to two thirds splay on my neck, even close to fully splayed there at times. I rarely splayed at all above the jawline. When the lather was just about ready, no bubbles, dense and yoghurty, and with a slight sheen, I dipped the tips and painted the extra water in above the jaw, dipped again and painted that in below. I dipped a third time for good measure.

Just like Mike and Al, I can say that this soap is the best of the trial so far. If all hard soaps load and lather this easily then I look forward to welcoming Trumper's Violet to my brood. The scent is mild but nostalgic and joyful. It smells like going for a swim on a Saturday morning.

The post shave is very nice. My skin feels clean, smooth and cool. Not like I've shaved at all. It should last well, even for someone with as large an appetite for soap as me. I don't seem to have made much of a dent in it yet.

I'll see what I can do about that, haha.

 

[thombrogan]

TRIAL BY STONE!!!

 

[TinyT]

View attachment 1161851
TRIAL BY STONE!!!

Classic puppetry.

 

[TinyT]

Postscript to the above shave:

I have two small bumps just beneath my lower lip, left side and one to the right. They're very hard to see but I can feel them with my finger. Doesn't detract from what was one of my finest shaves but deserves to be mentioned all the same.

 

[TinyT]

And to make up for the lack of blood in my last shave.

This was a war. The last round is somethin' else.

 

[KrstGor]

I started a thread in the brush section to help with a problematic Omega boar. In the process, I somehow started making a journal and found that recording my shaves helped me solve some of the other technical issues I was having. Since my brush problem has largely been solved I'll continue documenting my shaves here instead.

I also discovered something important in that brush thread.

View attachment 1038422

That the quality I value above all others when it comes to shaving is smoothness. This covers every aspect of the process for me, including the final desired result, which is still some way off. I want a smooth, slick lather applied with a brush that has a smooth face feel. I want the razor and blade combination to provide me with smoothnes during the shave, and ultimately I'm striving for a perfectly smooth BBS finish, all with the least amount of effort. This may not be possible, but the most important part for me, which is a perfectly smooth in-shave experience, should be achievable.

Yesterday I had my first shave with a made in England Gillettte Tech and it was a major step towards achieving my goal. For the first time since I began DE shaving I managed to get a closer and more comfortable shave than I could get with a Bic orange handled disposable. This wasn't something I could get near to with my Merkur 34C. It was better in every single way, and I did it more quickly and with less effort. By comparison it was easy, and I ended up with a CCS, almost a DFS and with only 2 wtg passes. I may not yet be able to describe the shave as perfectly smooth, but it was definitely in the same ballpark.

View attachment 1038423




The Tech was loaded with a Gillette 7.00 green, a blade I know to be smooth and I used my Semogue 1438 which I really like. It's soft on the face and effective at building lather to the right consistency. I suspect that more Semogues will follow. I've been using mostly Proraso white but soaps are something I have yet to really explore. I will get to it.

I also have a question regarding blades that I have briefly discussed elsewhere. Is smoother sharper? I really can't understand how a blade that is less smooth is anything other than less sharp, but conventional shaving wisdom says otherwise, so for now I must accept it. But the scale used still bothers me, with smooth at one end of the spectrum and sharp at the other. This is just not logical. The opposite to smooth isn't sharp; it's rough. And the opposite to sharp isn't smooth; it's dull. By this logic, if a blade feels rough, as some people describe Feathers, how can that be because it's too sharp? Also, everyone says Feathers are the sharpest blades, but how do we know? I hope to find some answers to these questions as they seem crucial to my quest for a smooth shave. I have a few blades to try out.

As I stated in another post, I know that I like the Tech much more than the 34C, I now need to understand why. I believe it has something to do with rigidity.

I have accidentally stumbled across your post and it resonated with me instantly, as I'm the same way - smoothness above all.

So, I'm really curious - a year into this journey - how do you feel about your initial thoughts?

Have you managed to find that ultimate "desert island" razor & blade set-up?

 

[TinyT]

I have accidentally stumbled across your post and it resonated with me instantly, as I'm the same way - smoothness above all.

So, I'm really curious - a year into this journey - how do you feel about your initial thoughts?

Have you managed to find that ultimate "desert island" razor & blade set-up?

Hi, thanks for reading and commenting. I can't believe it's been nearly year since starting this thread - wow!

So, how do I feel now? The first thing is a change in my priorities, or maybe a greater clarity. BBS is no longer something I think much about and certainly not a goal. Smoothness (which for me equates to comfort) during the shave is of paramount importance. And generally I get very smooth shaves on a regular basis. Blade rigidity is perhaps the single biggest factor in this but that's something I was fairly sure of before starting this journal. There's little doubt in my mind that it's helped me to develop a competent technique. However, two things have improved my shaves above all else. Better lathers and regular cardiovascualr exercise.

As much as anything this journal describes my battle to get a consistent lather that I'm happy with. I've finally gotten there, ironically enough with the same Omega boar brush that gave me enough trouble to start documenting my shaves and which I was close to disowning at one point. It's got incredible backbone that took me a long time to learn how to exploit but now that I have it's the most highly prized quality I look for in a brush. I've experimented with everything, from a dripping wet brush a la Marco's method, to a dry brush, hot water, cold water, long soaking times, bowl lathering, palm lathering, face lathering, you name it. I've finally settled on a method I call The Wardaddy, a character played by Brad Pitt in the film fury. There's a very nice scene of him lathering with a brush and it inspired the method I now use. I've been thinking about posting a full description of the way I go about lathering in the general shaving section. When I've ironed out a few wrinkles in the use of creams I might do just that. Proraso Green preshave has also played an important part in this. It's maybe my number one product.

As for the cardio, a persistent shoulder injury had kept me from doing much in the way of exercise for around a year but now that it's finally healed I'm running regularly again. Cardiovascular exercise is good for just about everything; the heart, lungs, muscles, blood vessels, bones, stomach, brain and, most crucially when it comes to shaving, skin. Better skin makes for better shaves. I couldn't recommend some form of cardio more strongly, providing it's something you enjoy. If it's a chore it's very difficult to maintain and get the full benefit from it. I suppose I'm lucky in that I've always enjoyed exercising.

Have I reached my desert island setup? Not yet. I love my brush, the Omega 10051 and don't need anything more. Want is another thing, haha, but I'm a huge fan of boars. I've put a lot of time into understanding them and like the way they change over time. My brush does everything I want it to do.

I'm really enjoying using my Fatip Gentile. I'm sixty odd shaves in with the same Perma-Sharp blade, a process that's helping me to learn how to get the most of the razor. However, I'm almost wishing the blade to fail so that I can stick a different one in the RR Lupo. I feel that I've not really scratched the surface with that razor yet. As I mentioned, I'm a believer in rigid designs when it comes to razors but part of me is curious about the less rigid but supposedly 'aggressive' razors, the R41 and Merkur Futur/Progress in particular. The main thing that bothers me with the Merkur 34C is the lack of efficiency. A Fatip Piccolo will be on the way sooner or later, after that I'll just have to see.

As for soaps, I think I'll always be a fan of variety but the shaves before and after this post, with a Lea stick mashed into a bowl, are arguably the best shaves I've had. Hard soaps are the most attractive in many ways but of course, performance and scent are the dictating factors here.

@KrstGor , are there any razors (or any other products or techniques for that matter) that you've found contribute to a smooth shave?