I'm guessing (hoping) that most here have had one of those shaves that you just couldn't help sharing with everyone willing (and unwilling) to listen. Well, I had one of those yesterday and I'm sorry to say that you all have been chosen (by having clicked on the thread) to live vicariously through my narrative. Apologies in advance ...
So yesterday was a busy morning and I didn't get to actually cleaning myself up and shaving until about 3:00 pm. After a nice shower I got out the Dovo Forestal, the C. O. Bigelow cream, the Baxter of CA silvertip, and my scuttle.
Not being in any big hurry, and wanting to get in the habit of using @Slash McCoy's pasted balsa maintenance routine to preserve the edge that @Sdm84 had so graciously provided, I pulled out my balsa and did 20 laps on the 0.25u, 40 laps on the 0.10u, and finished with 50 laps on leather.
I'm a real fan of hard soaps, and the Bigelow cream is the only one I have. But I keep it in rotation for the cooling feel and crisp smell every once in a while. It makes a great lather that I can either lay on like fluffy whipped cream or thin down to a slick whitewash. Yesterday it was the thinner consistency to make it easier to see the blade and provide more slick than cushion.
I reached over the top of my head with my left hand to start the shave at my right sideburn and we were off. The angles, grips, and hand positions all felt right yesterday. No repositioning, false starts, or mid-stroke adjustments. And ... no nicks, weepers, slices, gashes, or lacerations (I've only been straight shaving for a few months, so the aforementioned are not unheard of). The blade just "snicked" through the forest of whiskers as if it had a mind of its own. After my usual 2.5 passes (WTG, XTG, ATG on my face and WTG, ATG on my neck) I went looking for the usual stragglers for a touch up. But they weren't there! I rinsed and then went looking again. Still no stubble, no stray hairs, no patchiness.
Well, with nothing left to do I went for the alum. Not a single sting! Inconceivable! (Did I mention I'm relatively new to straights?) After rinsing the alum, I applied my C. O. Bigelow Elixir White Ultra-light lotion (I prefer lotion to aftershave) and called it a shave. The whole thing was 20 minutes which is a speed record for me with a straight razor. Quick. Close. Comfortable. And hugely relaxing and satisfying.
BBS? Mostly. But that's not really the point. It felt great and I enjoyed the entire process from start to finish and for hours and hours afterward.
Thanks for listening. If you have one of those memorable shaves, and I sincerely hope you do, please feel free to share.
So yesterday was a busy morning and I didn't get to actually cleaning myself up and shaving until about 3:00 pm. After a nice shower I got out the Dovo Forestal, the C. O. Bigelow cream, the Baxter of CA silvertip, and my scuttle.
Not being in any big hurry, and wanting to get in the habit of using @Slash McCoy's pasted balsa maintenance routine to preserve the edge that @Sdm84 had so graciously provided, I pulled out my balsa and did 20 laps on the 0.25u, 40 laps on the 0.10u, and finished with 50 laps on leather.
I'm a real fan of hard soaps, and the Bigelow cream is the only one I have. But I keep it in rotation for the cooling feel and crisp smell every once in a while. It makes a great lather that I can either lay on like fluffy whipped cream or thin down to a slick whitewash. Yesterday it was the thinner consistency to make it easier to see the blade and provide more slick than cushion.
I reached over the top of my head with my left hand to start the shave at my right sideburn and we were off. The angles, grips, and hand positions all felt right yesterday. No repositioning, false starts, or mid-stroke adjustments. And ... no nicks, weepers, slices, gashes, or lacerations (I've only been straight shaving for a few months, so the aforementioned are not unheard of). The blade just "snicked" through the forest of whiskers as if it had a mind of its own. After my usual 2.5 passes (WTG, XTG, ATG on my face and WTG, ATG on my neck) I went looking for the usual stragglers for a touch up. But they weren't there! I rinsed and then went looking again. Still no stubble, no stray hairs, no patchiness.
Well, with nothing left to do I went for the alum. Not a single sting! Inconceivable! (Did I mention I'm relatively new to straights?) After rinsing the alum, I applied my C. O. Bigelow Elixir White Ultra-light lotion (I prefer lotion to aftershave) and called it a shave. The whole thing was 20 minutes which is a speed record for me with a straight razor. Quick. Close. Comfortable. And hugely relaxing and satisfying.
BBS? Mostly. But that's not really the point. It felt great and I enjoyed the entire process from start to finish and for hours and hours afterward.
Thanks for listening. If you have one of those memorable shaves, and I sincerely hope you do, please feel free to share.
