My Search For Smooth

[TinyT]

Using this much cream.
View attachment 1061711

Looking at that picture I think I could still do with using a bit more cream, spread more evenly over the tips. Also, as you said earlier, it's easier to pick the cream up from a full size tub. Still, my trial lather bodes well for the next shave.

It could also be that the synthetic knot just doesnt hog any lather at all.

I was thinking about this very thing today. Are the bristles in a synthetic non-absorbant, holding the water between them? Is this how badger hair behaves? I think I've read that. I'm certain that boar hair is absorbant and so will soak up a small amount of the lather, depending on how well it's been soaked, the quality and type of bristles, etc.

 

[Esox]

Much easier to pick up from a full tub yeah. Also, like soaps, you'll find some creams just lather easier than others. I'd bet you can find some of this locally.

I buy it here for $3.49 on sale and used to use it a lot. Its a really nice shave cream and a little goes a long way. The only thing I dont like about it is its unscented. You however having more sensitive skin than I do, might appreciate that. A little goes a long way.

I was thinking about this very thing today. Are the bristles in a synthetic non-absorbant, holding the water between them? Is this how badger hair behaves? I think I've read that. I'm certain that boar hair is absorbant and so will soak up a small amount of the lather, depending on how well it's been soaked, the quality and type of bristles, etc.

Boar bristles absorb water. This is why I believe its the wet/dry cycles that help them break in. They absorb water and expand, then they dry and contract. That breaks down the hard outer layer of the bristle starting at its thinnest point, the tip. I believe thats why my Omega has developed pure white tips. Once the entire length of the bristle turns white like that I think the knot would be done.

Badger hair doesnt absorb water and the hairs are also very fine. Badger knots are also pretty densely packed so there is a lot of water held between those hairs. Badger hair is also very soft and doesnt have a lot of sideways strength so they bend easily. The more dense the knot, the more backbone a badger brush will have. A downside of that might be that if used too roughly, the hairs can bend right over and you'll have a kink in it which could lead over time to breakage of the hairs. The same might be said of boar bristles, but those bristles are pretty tough. Theres a difference between a boar bristle and a badger hair.

Synthetic knots dont absorb water either but hold a surprising amount of water between the fibers. See the two posts below;

I soaked my badger then lifted it and let it stop dripping, then squeezed the water into shot glasses. It filled the second shot glass to just past the 1oz line.

I'll try and remember to do that with my Maggard today after I shave and see how much it holds in the same way.

I checked my Maggard for water retention, twice. Both times I dunked and splayed to remove as much air as possible then lifted and waited until it stopped dripping. Then I squeezed the water into shot glasses. Both times, I came up with around 3/4 of an ounce.

Thats a lot of water considering the size of the knot compared to my Silvertip!

 

[TinyT]

I'd bet you can find some of this locally.
View attachment 1061730

Funnily enough, I've never come across this before in our local shops. Funny, because Nivea products in general are some of the most popularly seen in the UK. This, however, I have seen.

It's around the 2 pound mark in supermarkets, dirt cheap. I'll get some next time I see it.

 

[Esox]

I'd bet Al @AimlessWanderer has used it. We dont have it here in Canada.

 

[TinyT]

We dont have it here in Canada.

Maybe not, but you have lots of other things we don't. Especially wildlife, which I'm quite envious of. Our largest land predator is the badger. Imagine that.

 

[Esox]

Our badgers are even different I think. Mean, tough, little buggers they are and dont know how to back away from anything lol.

Ours are American Badgers.

We dont have them in Ontario and I only ever saw one in Saskatchewan. Oddly, he had tthe same smiling face as that one lol. Not friendly!

 

[TinyT]

Our badgers are even different I think. Mean, tough, little buggers they are and dont know how to back away from anything lol.

Ours are American Badgers.

View attachment 1062032

We dont have them in Ontario and I only ever saw one in Saskatchewan. Oddly, he had tthe same smiling face as that one lol. Not friendly!

It looks like a massively overweight bat, minus the wings.

All of the badgers are members of the weasel family, the biggest being the wolverine. They're all tough little predators actually, apart from our European badger, which mostly eats earthworms.

 

[Esox]

It looks like a massively overweight bat, minus the wings.

All of the badgers are members of the weasel family, the biggest being the wolverine. They're all tough little predators actually, apart from our European badger, which mostly eats earthworms.

I'm not sure there is a more fearless animal than a Wolverine. They chase of Polar bears and theres a video around YouTube somewhere of a single Wolverine taking on a pack of wolves, and running them off. They apparently make good pets too. I'd rather have a Fox myself, but we cant have them as pets here.

 

[TinyT]

I'd rather have a Fox myself, but we cant have them as pets here.

I'm not sure we can either but that didn't stop Lucian Freud.

I lived in London around the time this picture was taken, not to far from him and we had a family of foxes in our back garden. They were fun to watch but sadly the cubs became ill, mange I think. Their tails turned thin and stiff, like pipe cleaners. The parents survived and stayed though. I miss seeing them a little. It was a kick having wild animals so close. I'd think they'd make a great pet.



Shave 39

Made in England tech
Astra SS
Semogue 1438
Wickhams Irish Fern

I had an ancient wooden soap bowl kicking around, a leftover from a christmas present of 20 years or more ago. It's sometimes good to hang on to things even if you think they serve no purpose at the time. This is more than serviceable. I spread the entire sample into the bottom of the bowl and pressed it down firmly. The soap lathered fairly typically for me, though I now think that is an area that can significantly improve, but more on that later.

First pass, WTG and the scent of the soap was nicer on the face than it is in the tub. More subtle and a definite whiff of sandalwood amongst the undergrowth. The first couple of strokes with this blade were ok but by the time I'd gotten round to my lower lip and chin I was less impressed. A little tuggy and hard going. I had to use a lot of pressure. After shaving the left side of my face I had to relather my neck and noticed a bit of tingling around my lower lip area. A look in the mirror and I noticed two weepers, one just below my bottom lip, right side and the other half an inch to the left corner of my mouth. The first time I've drawn blood in a while. I finished the pass and rinsed.

Pass 2, XTG and I used light pressure this time and everyting was generally ok without being anything special. I wasn't finding the soap a whole lot slicker than Proraso in all honesty, and I had some irritation around my mouth which was...irritating. As I picked up my brush again to relather my neck I was aware of the lack of lather towards the centre and deep into the knot. I painted a little onto my neck and finished the shave.

After a quick final rinse the end result wasn't too bad. The weepers had closed and I had no post shave irritation, just a touch of redness around the front of my chin and a little dryness towards my cheekbones. A fairly repsectable, almost DFS but this blade is not really in the running, at least not with this razor.

 

[TinyT]

I mentioned earlier the typical, underwhelming lathers I experience. I think I now know why.

The discussion of the different qualities of bristles in boar, badger and synthetic brushes got me thinking. The purpose of soaking a boar brush is presumably to water log the bristles, that way when it comes to building a lather it will be where you want it, in the knot. My brush routinely eats my lather. That's because I'm not soaking my brush properly.

This picture reminded me of something.

This was using my Omega boar with Captain's Choice cream.

Well soaked.
View attachment 1061710

When I first started using my Semogue brush it looked just like that. This is how it looked after soaking in my bowl for a couple of minutes when I used it for the first time.

Now, the water doesn't get right through the knot and when I lifted it from the bowl tonight the bristles were wet and clumped together towards the edges, leaving a crater at the centre of the brush. I wish I'd taken a picture of it.

Tonight, after shaving and rinsing my brush thoroughly, even after a good shake and a squeeze, once again it resembled the picture above, exactly. I believe this is because my water is extremely hard. I therefore just need to compensate for that by rinsing my brush thoroughly under the tap prior to soaking, or, as I used to do with my Omega boar, squeezing the knot as it soaks in the sink, making sure that the bristles are full of water, then, hopefully, they won't absorb the lather. I suspect this will also make lathering more comfortable. A drier brush will be more scratchy. I'm really back in the same territory I was in here, except that I've had a few more shaves since then and I now have a different brush to be able to make a comparison. Not everyone has to do this with their brushes but if I do, than so be it.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I'd bet Al @AimlessWanderer has used it. We dont have it here in Canada.

Nah! I've used the Palmolive shaving sticks, but the only shaving product I've used that was pretending to be toothpaste was Erasmic.

 

[TinyT]

Nah! I've used the Palmolive shaving sticks, but the only shaving product I've used that was pretending to be toothpaste was Erasmic.

Does that mean I should start considering this?

I reckon it would have a lovely menthol like zing.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Maybe cavity protection means no nicks....

 

[TinyT]

I gave my Semogue a trial soak tonight. First, for a minute or two in my bowl as usual.

It actually looks a lot better than I was expecting it to. No sign of the crater towards the centre of the knot that I observed when loading yesterday. I did make sure to rinse it very thoroughly last night though, something I've been slightly neglectful of lately.

I dried it thoroughly, then held the brush under cold running water for a few seconds and gently kneaded the knot, before popping it back in the bowl for a minute.

This time I could feel the weight of the extra water when I lifted it from the bowl and far more drained out. After a gentle shake to remove all of the excess water, there was still plenty of moisture, right to the base of the knot. I expect that I could even get away with just holding it under the tap as @rudyt described, dispensing with soaking altogether.

Same here. I'm almost exclusively a boar user and I never soak my boars either. The only difference is that I'm a cold water shaver, so I knead the brush under cold water for about 10 seconds before going straight to loading.

To all the people who think boar bristles will snap if the brush is not soaked, it doesn't happen. My newest boars have at least 50 shaves on them, and my oldest, a 620, has way over 500 shaves in it (maybe 1000). None have ever lost a bristle after the first week.

I might give it a try at some point.

 

[TinyT]

Shave 40

Made in England Tech
Gillette Nacet
Semogue 1438
Wickhams Irish Fern

Cold Water, 2 passes

The Wickhams was drying out a bit in the wooden bowl, the lid didn't fit too well, so I transferred it to an old Proraso tub where it looks much happier.

After using the method of the previous post to soak the brush I had no problems loading or building a lather. In fact, it loaded very easily, probably a little easier then Proraso.

Pass 1, WTG and from the first couple of strokes I knew this blade would be a keeper. A bit of hard work at my lower lip but no tugging. I shaved the left side of my face much more quickly, with fewer strokes than usual, only maybe one or two repeated strokes, the upper lip the same. I noticed a touch of very mild irritation on my lower lip, right on the vermillion border of the lip itself. Onto my neck and a stroke on the right side got my attention. Luckily there was no harm done, I probably just got the angle slightly wrong but I made sure to take care as I finished up my neck. So far, so good. I rinsed off.

Second pass, XTG and the lather was thin but not excessively so. The soap reminded of Proraso in its performance once again. This is not a slight on the Wickhams, I have no doubt that it is superior, more a recognition of just how good a soap Proraso is.

The right side of my face was taken care of quickly and without issue, the left side the same, even the front of the lower jaw seeming routine and straight foward. I shaved my moustache, relathered my neck whether it needed it or not (it probably did but I didn't hang around to check) and finished the shave, my adams apple proving less of a problem than usual. I rinsed thoroughly and patted my face dry. A quick check, not bad.

I emptied the sink, splashed my face with fresh cold water, towelled off and had a proper look. No redness at all, no post shave irritation and no blood. A touch of dryness but my face felt pretty good, smooth and supple but not tight. I missed a few hairs at the right corner of my mouth but otherwise I have a DFS eveywhere above the jawline and my neck is pretty close, even the adams apple socially acceptable. The scent of this soap is growing on me. I believe it's a fougere. It is quite strong, similar to Proraso Red, and in profile too, especially post shave where it lingers with similar tenacity. I really like the Nacet, it's up there with the Gillette Wilkinson Sword and 7 O'Clock Green. What a difference the right blade makes.

 

[TinyT]

Shave 41

Made In England Tech
Polsilver
Semogue 1438
Proraso Green pre-shave
Wickhams Irish Fern

Cold water, 2 passes

A bit of an experiment tonight. I wanted to find out if using a pre-shave cream would have an effect on the mild irritation I get from some soaps.

I also had this at the back of my mind.

After applying a bit of pre-shave to my wet face and rubbing it in well, I loaded heavy from the tub, wet my face again with my left hand and, in another small change to my normal routine, went for a straight up face lather. It worked splendidly. The pre-shave didn't clash at all with the soap but instead seemed to lift it and bring out its best qualities.

Pass 1, WTG and the first stroke felt as though it could have been smoother. But, it was very, very comfortable, the front edge of my chin especially, as was the rest of the jawline. The pre-shave cream seemed to add another level of protection, a hint more slickness too. I shaved the rest of my face, then my neck, swiftly and without issue. My skin felt absolutely fine. No irritation.

Second pass, XTG and the brush was well stocked with lather. I painted it on, a little thicker and more cushiony than normal. The first stroke had the customary second pass slickness but with added comfort. Very nice. The right side of my face, chin and right side moustache were done before I knew it, the left side followed suit except that the vertical, undulating strokes over the left side jawline were so enjoyable I repeated them several times, the head of the razor following the contours of my face like a paint roller. I relathered my neck and finished the shave, still without the slightest irritation. I rinsed off thoroughly.

After a final cold water splash and a vigorous pat dry I had a check in the mirror. A red spot at my top lip, right in the centre of the cupids bow and another at the vermillion border, right side top lip also but the rest of my skin looked good. A small dry patch at both corners of my mouth but my skin felt great, no blood and no tightness. Funnily enough, despite being a great shave, the blade was good but not a standout, mayber similar to a 7 O'Clock yellow.

The pre-shave is a different matter. I've had my doubts about whether a pre-shave is necessary and my admittedly predetermined opinion was that it isn't or, at least as long as my technique was up to it, shouldn't be. Well, if I ask myself the question, did using a pre-shave enable me to get a closer, more comfortable shave, my answer has to be yes.

 

[TinyT]

Shave 42

Made In England Tech
Rapira Swedish Supersteel
Semogue 1438
Proraso Green pre-shave
Wickhams Irish Fern

Cold water, Face lather, 2 passes

The scent of this soap has started to mellow out and I can now detect a soft, deep fragrance in the background, like rolled oats. I've already figured out how to lather it too. After one dip it was overflowing onto the handle of the brush and I thought about adding even more water but I'm no stranger to a broken lather and a swipe on my left my check said it was slick enough so I stopped.

First pass, WTG, first stroke and the blade felt good but not great, confirmed as I shaved my lower lip, no tugging but enough difficulty to bump the Polsilver up a notch. This Rapira is a solid 2nd tier blade, the Polsilver right at the top of the 2nd tier. I didn't have quite the same confidence with this blade either as I shaved the contours of my chin. The left side of my face was smoother, my neck shaved without the need to relather. No irritation at all, the Proraso pre-shave also helping to produce a lather that is more substantial than I can achieve without it. I like it a lot.

Pass 2, XTG and the lather, painted on, looked a touch drier than I'm used to but it wasn't anywhere near as thin. First stroke and it was easily slick enough, much more than it looked, but felt reassuringly protective too. I made short work of the right side of my face, the undulating jawline strokes as easy as pie. With the blade now feeling like it was coming into its own, I shaved the left side of my face in around 30 seconds, did my upper lip and finished the shave without needing to relather my neck, all without even the slightest hint of irritation from the soap. I touched up the right corner of my mouth and rinsed off, squeezed the remaining lather out of the brush, probably enough for another 2 passes, and emptied the sink.

After a cold water splash and a pat dry, I checked in the mirror and noticed a very small area of redness, quite faint, in the centre of my upper lip. No immediate irritation, but a very gentle prickle at the top of my neck, left side as I was cleaning the sink. It lasted no longer than 10 or 15 seconds. No dryness, no blood, DFS apart from one or two areas around my jawline and the top of my neck. I'm normally left with a couple of longish whiskers on the sharp edge of my adams apple but not tonight or the shave before.

I can just see the centre of the bottom of the tub through the soap. There's easily enough left for another 2 shaves, maybe more.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

You killed a tub of soap already? You must be loading heavy, Wes. In comparison, I get about 200 shaves from a Palmolive shave stick, 450-500 from a puck of Mitchell's, and comfortably get into double figures from one of those little 7.5g samples that a few places sell. In round figures, four shaves per gram in hard soap, and two shaves per gram in soft soap. Not a criticism though, so don't for one minute think I'm saying you're doing it wrong. If that's what gives you the best shaves, go for it!

 

[TinyT]

You killed a tub of soap already? You must be loading heavy, Wes. In comparison, I get about 200 shaves from a Palmolive shave stick, 450-500 from a puck of Mitchell's, and comfortably get into double figures from one of those little 7.5g samples that a few places sell. In round figures, four shaves per gram in hard soap, and two shaves per gram in soft soap. Not a criticism though, so don't for one minute think I'm saying you're doing it wrong. If that's what gives you the best shaves, go for it!

It's a 10ml sample from Connaughts, spread thinly into the bottom of an old Proraso tub. Shavedash say that amount should provide at least 3 or 4 multi-pass shaves and I've had 4 shaves out of it so far. I think I'm on track to get 7 or 8, maybe more. Once I get my technique reasonably well settled I'll start to think about both soap and blade longevity. Taking a DE blade as far as possible has been in my mind since I started. My first blade, a Shark, lasted 8 shaves and I struggled with it. I don't think I've binned more than 6 blades since my first shave.

 

[Esox]

Taking a DE blade as far as possible has been in my mind since I started. My first blade, a Shark, lasted 8 shaves and I struggled with it. I don't think I've binned more than 6 blades since my first shave.

When you think they're done in the Tech, they'll be just getting started for your Fatip.