Over Under Sideways Down - an eternal newbie's journal

[Habemik]

I've got a bad habit of getting stuck in doing things the same way but not improving further. Keeping a shave journal might help me overcome that "as usual" rut by saving experiences into one place and showing what worked and what didn't.

I might get a tad verbose in my musings, so read at your own discretion.

 

[Habemik]

Pre-shave prep composed of a face wash and a hot towel, applied for approximately three minutes. It's even better than a shower for softening up the whiskers, so I reckon that this part gets a passing grade.

Tabac (tallow) got loaded onto a shaked-dry Omega boar brush and face-lathered. By slowly adding small amounts of water (off fingertips), it soon exploded into a dense, slick lather with a bit of shine.

Ideal adjustable (setting 5) got loaded with a Treet Dura Sharp and taken for a 2-pass shave. It got troublesome under the nose, and the irritation felt during the shave made me forgo from adding any touchups.

Post-shave cold water and alum gave a bit of irritation even in places where I felt the razor glide almost effortlessly, which surprised me.

My initial plan was to go through the 50-blade sampler pack of Treets and slowly climb up the steep learning curve, but I'll take a break from them, dial down my adjustable and try out a Gillette Platinum. If the post-shave irritation persists, I might have to try out bowl lathering and see whether it makes a difference.

 

[Habemik]

Yesterday's shave began as lathering practice, but ended with taking down a day's worth of growth with two passes. I usually skip a day or two... Or few, since my beard grows slow, but there were some new things I wanted to try out.

New shaving bowl: coconut shell, with teardrop-shaped mother-of-pearl pieces embedded inside with black resin. It's a "decorative use only" piece, so longevity is not guaranteed, but the bumps feel really good under my fingertips.

Pre-shave: hot water wash, bowl lathered Rasozero Barbacco, followed by another hot water wash a few minutes later.

This croap is not a good performer in my hands. I did get a decent lather out of it by heavily loading the brush and working on it with small amounts of water added, but using it as a pre-shave is as far as I'd go with it.

Tabac (tallow) is much easier to appreciate when compared to Rasozero. I know it's unreasonable to compare those two, but I do it anyway. Lathering is almost effortless, and it feels better on my face.

Ideal, coupled with a Gillette Platinum at setting 1 was surprisingly mild and worked well for my two passes.

As a long-time Merkur 45c user, I really love how the extra heft helps me with downward strokes. When going across the grain, it's also all good... Until I go under the nose. It feels extremely awkward and clumsy, but I chalk it up to user error. I'll have to play around with how I grip it and how I perform the strokes, to fix it.

Another issue is with skin stretching. There are spots where I need to place my fingers quite close, and there's also a tough patch of stubble (left from lip, down) that needs a good stretch, and some touchups if needed.

Post-shave spin with an alum block and some cold water revealed mild irritation in those spots I got in trouble with, nowhere else. Compared to how I felt after getting a treet for my face, i'd say it's a big improvement.

Going forward: I'll keep up with bowl lathering Tabac to see if excess scrubbing was behind the extra irritation felt post-shave. I'll also keep using the same razor and not dialing it up until I get a better hang of it, especially in tricky places.

The idea I'd really like to experiment with, is how to match up my somewhat sensitive skin with shaving frequency and the techniques used - the amount of passes, preshave, and also how I do my touchups.

 

[MaineYooper]

Nice entries! Welcome to the Journals, too!

 

[Habemik]

Nice entries! Welcome to the Journals, too!

Thank you! It's a pleasure to be here.

 

[Habemik]

Today's shave was jinxed by a surprisingly strong cup of joe. I did two WTG passes regardless, and got a somewhat passable shave out of it, but I wouldn't make it a habit.

Growth: two days worth

Preshave: Rasozero Spiffero, preceded and followed by a hot water wash
Razor: Ideal (setting 1)
Blade: Gillette Platinum (2)
Soap: Tabac (tallow, puck)
Brush: Omega 80265 (red)
Post-shave: alum block


Rasozero Spiffero performed better than Barbacco: the lather seemed denser, slicker and more stable, but there was almost no cooling effect felt, and the fragrance was quite weak compared to Proraso Green. I've yet to compare the two side by side, but on a hot day, Proraso wins by a long shot.

The preshave routine, which I picked up from somewhere in this forum (I think it was off a vintage shaving stick advertisement), works quite well for me. Unlike holding a hot towel to my face, this one keeps my hands free for whipping up the lather used for shaving. As an added bonus, this lets me use up the stuff I rarely use.

Ideal (setting 1) seems to be quite mild, but that's exactly what I'm going for here. The window where it cuts feels smaller than Merkur 45C's, but I've gotten used to it. I'll keep at it, and dial up only when properly accustomed to it.

Gillette platinum feels smooth and forgiving, which is perfect for seeing how my somewhat gentle skin holds up when shaving every day, instead of every other day. I've got a feeling, based on the amount of feedback from alum block, that I can push it to every day with my current skills and tools, given that I stick with two passes + touchups. ATG is a future challenge for me, one that I shouldn't touch yet.

Bowl lathering was something that fell by the wayside fast in my wet shaving journey. In my childhood memories, I never saw the men of my family whip up a lather in the mug, it was always done on a mug, no exception. I usually took the same route, or if I felt like it, palm lathered. Now I feel like I was really missing out: the amount of control and comfort which comes with using a decent-sized, textured bowl is way ahead of anything else I've tried. Even the Rasozero croaps, which can be a pain to face lather with my hard water, become manageable. I'm pretty pleased about it.

Reminder to myself: I smushed down the edges on my Tabac puck (since they got quite high), so I'll need to be careful not to load too much off the soft, pliable layer left on the surface.

 

[Habemik]

Today's shave

Growth: a single day's worth
Passes: 2 + touchups

Preshave: Rasozero Spiffero, preceded and followed by a hot water wash
Razor: Ideal (setting 1)
Blade: Gillette Platinum (3)
Soap: Tabac (tallow, puck)
Brush: Omega 80265 (red) + bowl
Post-shave: alum block


Rasozero Spiffero's smell, which I previously didn't care for, seems to be growing on me. Nice, fresh eucalyptus. It lathered quite well this time, making me hesitate for a second, whether to go for Tabac or not. But just for a second.

Ideal (setting 1) is still going strong, and the clunky feeling is weaker when going sideways. To be honest, I kind of miss my short-handled Merkur, especially under the nose, but the novelty and mild challenge of trying to master a new tool outweighs the comfort of a razor that's been with me for a decade.

Gillette platinum bit me for the first time. Two times under the nose (purely user error), once in a known trouble spot (left from the edge of lip and down), and once when it hit an acne bump on the left side of the chin. It seems I apply more force and do too many touchups when going under the nose.

There seems to be some post-shave redness going (neck, under jaw), which is surprising, considering it felt great when shaving. I'll retire this blade and continue with a fresh one.

This got me thinking about the number of comfortable shaves I am able to get from different blades. Feathers do well for me in 3-5 shaves, with no steep drop in performance. For Astra SP, that number is around 3, after which they become unforgiving and leave behind weepers when you'd least expect. As for Derby, that number is around -1 to 0, meaning that Derbys can ruin a shave for me just by me remembering that they exist.

In defence of Derby, I was quite new to wet shaving when I tried it out. Perhaps I'll try it out again in 7 or so years, when my stockpile of Astras and Feathers runs out.

Trying to shave more often reminded me of a period in my life, where I absolutely had to shave for 5-6 times a week. I pulled it off by sticking to a single pass with either my Merkur or a cart, depending on the situation. No skin off my back face. Thus, I'll try doing a single pass next time, and see whether the issues persist.

Sidenote: on a sweltering day, there's nothing better than a liberal amount of 4711 cologne as a finishing touch. Crisp, clean, light and perks you right up.

 

[thombrogan]

Please heal quickly, @Habemik ! Also, thank you for sharing your journal with us.

 

[Habemik]

Today's shave

Growth: four day's worth.
Passes: 2 + minimal touchups

Preshave: Rasozero Spiffero, preceded and followed by a hot water wash
Razor: Merkur 45C
Blade: Gillette Platinum (1)
Soap: Tabac (tallow, puck)
Brush: Omega 80265 (red) + bowl
Post-shave: alum block

Merkur 45C, armed with a Gillette Platinum blade, was my weapon of choice today. It went through multiple days worth of growth with ease, leaving behind surprisingly little after the first pass got done.

Post-shave alum revealed very little to no irritation. I suspect that it's the advantage of using a good, fresh blade with a razor that I'm most familiar with.

All in all, a decent shave.

 

[Habemik]

Today's shave

Growth: two days' worth
Passes: 2 + light touchups (mainly under the nose)

Preshave: Rasozero Barbacco, preceded and followed by a hot water wash
Razor: Presto (Tallinn), a vintage bakelite shaver
Blade: Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus (1)
Soap: Tabac (tallow, puck)
Brush: Omega 80265 (red) + bowl
Post-shave: alum block

Presto (Tallinn) is a vintage razor, probably made in 1941 - 1959 time window. It's quite close to Merkur 45C in form and function, making the switch between the two effortless.

Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus is a blade that starts tugging on hair to a point of mild pain, if the strokes aren't fast enough. Yet it does a clean job, doesn't choke on the rough patch I usually mention, and leaves behind little to no irritation. I suspect that the second shave will be noticeably better than the first with this one.

 

[Habemik]

Today's shave

Growth: one day's worth
Passes: 2 + light touchups

Preshave: Arko (smushed into a puck), preceded and followed by a hot water wash
Razor: Presto (Tallinn)
Blade: Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus (2)
Soap: Pass 1: Arko (puck + bowl)
Pass 2: La Toja stick (face lather)
Brush: Omega 80265 (red)
Post-shave: alum block

Prep continues to be a hot face wash with some cleansing foam, followed by a lather (that should hydrate the hair), followed by a hot face wash after a few minutes. It gave me a noticeably better effect than just washing my face and applying a hot towel.

Presto (Tallinn) continues to feel like a close cousin to my Merkur 45C, to a point where I'm considering trying them out simultaneously (no dual wielding, though), by giving one side to one, and another side to other.

Lathering was where I (figuratively) painted myself into a corner. I've smushed an Arko stick into an empty Rasozero container, and it seems the brush took longer on the yet to be used soap, and carried less product than, say, off a puck of Tabac which sees constant use. The first, post face-wash lather application was dense, slick and shiny, but what I used for my first pass after that (same lathering) felt considerably thinner and didn't have that "wow" effect like the first one. It still felt passable, but barely.

Second lathering was done on the face and with a La Toja stick. It's easy to work with and gives a great lather, but making it on a post-pass face is probably quite irritating, even if not felt while doing it. Next time I'll just rinse off the small amount of leftover lather, and make a new, proper one in a bowl.

Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus felt sharper this time around, but it still felt like the blade needed swifter movements than many others. The 2-pass shave is clean, and it didn't choke on neither my rough patch, nor under the nose. The downside is a unusual amount of post-shave irritation and redness, but I won't stick around for third time to see whether it was more from my lathering technique or the blade.

Experiences with this blade have been almost consistent during my decade-long excursion into wet shaving, but I still keep a few around, thinking that one day my improved technique will push it from "not quite" to "quite good". It feels like it's got that potential, but it always underperforms in my hands.

All in all, an okay shave.

 

[Habemik]

Anyways, since seeing is believing:

 

[Habemik]

A small bit about this Presto Tallinn razor (Estonian)

Presto was formed in 1941 by expropriating a pre-existing bakelite producer's assets. It functioned briefly before shutting its doors due to the German invasion, and fully launched in 1944, when Soviet Union re-occupied Estonia. The end-date of production is unknown, but I've seen estimates that place it in late 60s.

The razors and boxes I've encountered are either in black, brown or brown with black speckles. This was the only model I've seen produced by the company, and the only changes to it happen post-1959, when the handle gets simplified and the name changed (post-merger).

A note on the material: it seems to be carbolite, a resin quite close to bakelite.

The razors, which are a variation of a pre-existing Soviet design (Sport-5) came in a sturdy carbolite box, which is quite likely based on Gillette Contract Tech's case. The whole set got copied by an Ukrainian factory later, the only difference being the writing on the razor and box.

Now, there's one unusual thing I've recently discovered about this razor, and I imagine it got into the final design by a process like this:

Designer: "we've taken a pre-existing design, made it simpler to produce, and it comes in a nearly indestructible, slim case, like those American Lend-Lease ones."

Boss-man: "nice, but I feel like we're missing something. I want the handle to be hollow and the end-cap to screw into it."

Designer: "..."

Boss-man: "I always lose my snuffbox, and it's driving me mad."

It truly feels like a "because we can" type of choice, and I can't, for the life of me, figure this one out. Is it a nifty holding place for some sewing needles and thread? A container for nitroglycerine pills, in case when shaving with a Soviet blade is about to give you a heart attack?

But I digress. It's easy on the eyes, aligns without fuss, and what's most important, is fun to shave with.

 

[MaineYooper]

A small bit about this Presto Tallinn razor (Estonian)

Presto was formed in 1941 by expropriating a pre-existing bakelite producer's assets. It functioned briefly before shutting its doors due to the German invasion, and fully launched in 1944, when Soviet Union re-occupied Estonia. The end-date of production is unknown, but I've seen estimates that place it in late 60s.

The razors and boxes I've encountered are either in black, brown or brown with black speckles. This was the only model I've seen produced by the company, and the only changes to it happen post-1959, when the handle gets simplified and the name changed (post-merger).

A note on the material: it seems to be carbolite, a resin quite close to bakelite.

The razors, which are a variation of a pre-existing Soviet design (Sport-5) came in a sturdy carbolite box, which is quite likely based on Gillette Contract Tech's case. The whole set got copied by an Ukrainian factory later, the only difference being the writing on the razor and box.

Now, there's one unusual thing I've recently discovered about this razor, and I imagine it got into the final design by a process like this:

Designer: "we've taken a pre-existing design, made it simpler to produce, and it comes in a nearly indestructible, slim case, like those American Lend-Lease ones."

Boss-man: "nice, but I feel like we're missing something. I want the handle to be hollow and the end-cap to screw into it."

Designer: "..."

Boss-man: "I always lose my snuffbox, and it's driving me mad."

It truly feels like a "because we can" type of choice, and I can't, for the life of me, figure this one out. Is it a nifty holding place for some sewing needles and thread? A container for nitroglycerine pills, in case when shaving with a Soviet blade is about to give you a heart attack?

But I digress. It's easy on the eyes, aligns without fuss, and what's most important, is fun to shave with.

you are introducing us to a whole 'nuther rabbit hole, with this razors we don't see or hear much about over in the USA! Thanks for the info and the photos!

 

[Habemik]

Today's shave

Growth: three days' worth
Passes: 2 + touchups

Preshave: Rasozero Barbacco, preceded and followed by a hot water wash
Razor: Presto (Tallinn) + Merkur 45C
Blade: Astra SP
Soap: Tabac
Brush: Omega 80265 (red) + bowl
Post-shave: alum block

Pass 1 - right side: Merkur held in right hand. Everything well so far, nothing unusual.
Pass 1 - left side: Presto, in left hand. Right off the bat, there's more blade feel. The hollow handle makes it quite noisy. I've got a suspicion that the optimal angle on this one is a bit different from 45C, but I'll have to experiment some more. One nick on a trouble spot.

Pass 2 - right side: Presto, in right hand. No issues going across the grain. More effort (and angle-setting) needed to go under the nose.
Pass 2 - left side: Merkur doesn't disappoint, even when using my non-dominant hand. There is some extra effort required, but it's not terrible.

I've shaved with my left hand before, but always with my 45C, so this was something new to me. The positioning and movement felt a bit off, especially when going across the grain under nose, but that could be mitigated by either practicing until proper technique is committed to the muscle memory, or by switching hands. Left hand - right side and vice versa feels most natural to me.

 

[Habemik]

Thoughts related to shaving

A small bit of information I've neglected to mention: I've got shaky hands and most of the nicks in moustache region come from small, involuntary movements. It's nothing new to me, and I've had 'em even before starting my wet shaving journey a decade back.

From what I've noticed, the shakiness is related to finger positions on the handle, but also the hand itself. I've sometimes switched hands to get away from it, and it seems to work. There's also differences in handle itself: my Slim clone was... too slim, and my fingers started to fiddle with the grip, which wasn't good for me. On rare occasions, I've even struggled when trying to get a good grip on my 45C.

In conclusion, I've got a suspicion that thicker-handled razors are more compatible with me.

Today's shave

Growth: two days' worth
Passes: 2 + touchups

Preshave: Rasozero Barbacco, preceded and followed by a hot water wash
Razor: Qshave Futur clone - setting 6
Blade: Feather
Soap: Tabac
Brush: Omega 80265 (red) + bowl
Post-shave: alum block

Qshave futur clone (setting 6) wasn't as aggressive as I feared it to be, even with a fresh Feather. My strokes were noticeably slower and longer than with a light razor, but I just let the weight do the work for me and avoided adding too much pressure.

Under the nose was where the trouble started: I fumbled around and nicked myself twice, but it didn't feel as bulky as it looks. True, it requires more effort to get the nose out of the way, but the cap can also push the nose away a bit before starting on a stroke - something I've never experienced (or tried) with other razors.

I might have to dial it down when going there. It went well everywhere else, surprisingly.

Post-shave irritation was below average on the cheeks/sideburns and average to below average on everywhere else. For my gentle skin, getting a slightly closer than usual shave with two passes is well worth paying that price.

Feathers put up with long, lazy strokes withouth an issue, but I can't let myself get sloppy. Thus, I'll try to slowly add speed and go back to the short strokes I'm used to.

 

[thombrogan]

Would putting a wrapping around your razor handles to increase their width and grip help smooth out your shave?

 

[Habemik]

Would putting a wrapping around your razor handles to increase their width and grip help smooth out your shave?

I've thought about it, and it might actually do the trick. My current plan is take the thick-handled adjustable to my face - bladeless - and imitate shaving. If changing finger placement doesn't take away the excess tension in fingers, then I'll probably wrap the handle and see whether it helps.

 

[thombrogan]

Of course an added sleeve might be too bulky. It might be dangerous to attach to a safety razor with a blade in it. It might make shaving under the nose more difficult. And it’s one more thing to clean that will wear out.

I didn’t think that through.

 

[Habemik]

Of course an added sleeve might be too bulky. It might be dangerous to attach to a safety razor with a blade in it. It might make shaving under the nose more difficult. And it’s one more thing to clean that will wear out.

I didn’t think that through.

True, adding extra material does have its potential drawbacks. I'm pretty happy that I can skip that experiment for now - there was no grip issues with my today's shave.