Rusty Blade’s Wet Shaving Journey

[MaineYooper]

If I had to pick one, it would probably be Sensitive Skin from Mystic Water Soaps. Thankfully, I can have a Top Four! In any given week, I change my mind as to which is on top. But for the post shave face feel, Mystic Water wins. For slickness, probably a tie between Shannon's Soaps Nil and Wholly Kaw. For all around perfection, Mike's Natural Soap unscented. All four have what I want, and each seems to pull slightly ahead when lam not using it, if that makes any sense! Please don't make me choose!

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[Rusty Blade]

Tonight I clicked "complete purchase" one some Soap Commander Integrity (Unscented)...the soap and matching balm. This will be my first go-around with Soap Commander, but the reviews I have read are positive. I think from this point forward I will be buying unscented products. And I generally try to buy both the soap and matching balms. And, yes, I know....I was on a minimalist kick....but I am entitled to some contradictory behaviours. An occasional purchase is acceptable. At least this is what I like to believe. I may have to kick one of the top 7 off the minimalist table to make room for Soap Commander.

 

[Tokyospike]

We are all entitled to do whatever we want, I think. I like the Soap Commander balm. Mine is in the Courage scent, however. Seems to pair well with anything from citrus to Sandalwood . . .

 

[MaineYooper]

Integrity, by Soap Commander was my first tub purchase, after getting into this hobby. Mystic Water was the first sample. That 6 oz. tub of Integrity lasted a long time! But it never failed to work up great lathers very easily. I reread a previous post of mine, and thought it may read like I didn't care for the Integrity. Far from it, I loved it. I just liked Mystic Water and Mike's better, by a smidge! And his Integrity balm is the balm (or is that bomb?!). I don't care for mentholated stuff, so that balm is tops. I am on my fourth bottle now!

 

[Rusty Blade]

Integrity, by Soap Commander was my first tub purchase, after getting into this hobby. Mystic Water was the first sample. That 6 oz. tub of Integrity lasted a long time! But it never failed to work up great lathers very easily. I reread a previous post of mine, and thought it may read like I didn't care for the Integrity. Far from it, I loved it. I just liked Mystic Water and Mike's better, by a smidge! And his Integrity balm is the balm (or is that bomb?!). I don't care for mentholated stuff, so that balm is tops. I am on my fourth bottle now!

Good review...I look forward to trying SC Integrity.

 

[Rusty Blade]

On the road this week with just a Fat Handle Tech, some GSB blades, a tin of Le Pere Lucien, an Omega boar brush and some Witch Hazel. I enjoy simple living.

 

[Rusty Blade]

@Clausewitz posted a thread elsewhere on B&B about his unfortunate (yet fortunate) loss of most of his shaving gear due to a fire in his home. And how he now is satisfied with the few pieces of gear he salvaged to form his new minimalist set up. Though his loss was unfortunate, he is enjoying the liberation of just enjoying great shaves without the burden of his collection owning him.

This has occupied my thoughts all day. His response was impressive, showing great strength of character and insight. I have quite a collection of gear and despite my efforts to reduce the number of my soaps, creams and pre and post shave products I still have waaayyyy too much stuff...and now it owns me. What if due to natural or unnatural disaster I lost everything...what would I replace? Not an easy choice to be sure. I think I would replace one DE razor, one brand of reliable blade, one Unscented soap and one Unscented AS. I have come to realize that I don't 3017 products because I tire of the scent long before I tire of the soap. Same with my AS products. That would be a simple solution...and then I could enjoy shaving and stop catering to my bossy, demanding collection.

 

[MaineYooper]

Very interesting post. It made me think. In fact, I want to ruminate on this idea a little longer, and then can hopefully write coherent comments. Thank you for sharing your thoughts so candidly.

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[MaineYooper]

Alright, I took some time to think about it. The "being owned" by my stuff struck a chord with me. Earlier this year I bought a couple more Slims, the idea being a back up or travel razor and another birth quarter razor to replate. I spent time trying to figure out how best to use them all, since I didn't want to store them away.

When the Karve came, I realized I couldn't justify having 8 or more razors. I only have one face!

My other obsession is coffee. I have no problem with tossing a bag of beans if I don't like the taste. I decided to take a similar approach with my gear. Namely, if I have some that always deliver a great shave, why should I shave with the others? And why have duplicates if I don't use the first one?

So I started selling and giving them up. And I do feel lighter. Shaving can be more enjoyable without schedules and rotations.

My new plan is to stick with what works for me, and if I feel like I need to try some new razor or brush, then whichever isn't the best for me must be moved on to the next person.



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[Rusty Blade]

Alright, I took some time to think about it. The "being owned" by my stuff struck a chord with me. Earlier this year I bought a couple more Slims, the idea being a back up or travel razor and another birth quarter razor to replate. I spent time trying to figure out how best to use them all, since I didn't want to store them away.

When the Karve came, I realized I couldn't justify having 8 or more razors. I only have one face!

My other obsession is coffee. I have no problem with tossing a bag of beans if I don't like the taste. I decided to take a similar approach with my gear. Namely, if I have some that always deliver a great shave, why should I shave with the others? And why have duplicates if I don't use the first one?

So I started selling and giving them up. And I do feel lighter. Shaving can be more enjoyable without schedules and rotations.

My new plan is to stick with what works for me, and if I feel like I need to try some new razor or brush, then whichever isn't the best for me must be moved on to the next person.



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Interesting. My problem is I have quite a collection of DE, SE and SR razors. And I can't part with them just yet...and yet I really use only one or two of them. The rest are in storage waiting for me to open my home museum some day. Soaps I could easily reduce to one...when I have used up the remaining hoard. Dang. Life should not be this complicated. But the seed has been planted and let's just see which way the wind blows. I may just decide to sell out and experience liberation.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Yes interesting thread.

I am not a collector, my focus on buying a razor is that it serves its purpose i.e it removes the hair from my mug in an efficient, smooth and irritation free way as possible.I have also not being DE shaving very long, just over 6 months.However in that short time i have already purchased 5 DE Razors!, and a small but quickly growing collection of shaving creams, balms and aftershaves!.

So far all the Razors i have with the exception of the first one i bought (Muhle R89, far to mild a shave for my beard type) serves a purpose in some way and i can reason that they have a place in my rotation. One is an adjustable, another is good for multi day growths, one gives a very good 2 pass shave etc.

So i have reached a stage now were really i should have no need for any further razors, yet i still find myself eyeing up this and that online!. So i can see how easy it is to fall into this rabbit hole of amassing a large and extensive Razor collection, soap Collection or Aftershave collection.

But for now i,ll try and just enjoy what i have and focus on what works best for me.....famous last words.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Yes interesting thread.

I am not a collector, my focus on buying a razor is that it serves its purpose i.e it removes the hair from my mug in an efficient, smooth and irritation free way as possible.I have also not being DE shaving very long, just over 6 months.However in that short time i have already purchased 5 DE Razors!, and a small but quickly growing collection of shaving creams, balms and aftershaves!.

So far all the Razors i have with the exception of the first one i bought (Muhle R89, far to mild a shave for my beard type) serves a purpose in some way and i can reason that they have a place in my rotation. One is an adjustable, another is good for multi day growths, one gives a very good 2 pass shave etc.

So i have reached a stage now were really i should have no need for any further razors, yet i still find myself eyeing up this and that online!. So i can see how easy it is to fall into this rabbit hole of amassing a large and extensive Razor collection, soap Collection or Aftershave collection.

But for now i,ll try and just enjoy what i have and focus on what works best for me.....famous last words.

I think maybe you have identified the key issue we all need to grapple with and that is enjoying what we have and finding what works best for our situation. And in this regard my wet shaving journey has been one of constant learning and evolving over time. Yes, I could toss what I have and use a very simple kit consisting of one razor, one type of blade, one soap, one AS, one brush, but it has taken me a long time to reach that point, and lots of trial and error. And during that time I amassed lots of hardware and software. But I also learned how to collect, restore, hone, strop and shave with straight razors, and a similar process for vintage DE and SE razors. I learned a lot of interesting history, met a lot of interesting people along the way and really enjoyed the journey. Have I reached my destination? Maybe, but I still feel I am learning and I am fine with that.

I believe I could reduce my daily kit to a bare minimum and enjoy near perfect shaves for the rest of my life. What a gift I say, what a gift. My razor collection owns me for sure (I picked up 3 vintage SRs at an antique shop this week), I baby it and come when it calls, but the amateur historian in me believes I am preserving a piece of history for future generations to enjoy. That is the hobby part of shaving I really enjoy.

 

[Rusty Blade]

My Soap Commander Integrity (unscented) arrived today...and matching ASB. Not sure if I should put this on the shelf for a bit or use it tomorrow...I have too many soaps in rotation at the moment...everything has gone to heck in a handbasket. As readers of my journal know I worked hard to reduce my soaps to my absolute best top-tier soaps all established...down to the Table of 7 and now a few uninvited guests have crashed the party and everything has gone crazy. I found a jar of MdC unscented and some Le Pere Lucien unscented...and I am being over run by soaps...all of high quality I might add, but as an aspiring minimalist it is just too many! I also found a tin of Via Barberia herbal at Winners and it is crying out from my sock drawer to be used. Will the insanity never end? I will have to do a headcount and see where things stand...

 

[Tokyospike]

Well . . . at least you only use one at a time.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Well . . . at least you only use one at a time.

What you say is true...but as I am using the one, the others are calling out to me from my sock drawer, "Maybe tomorrow you will pick me?" There is nothing worse than half a dozen soaps trying to make a guy feel guilty!

 

[Rusty Blade]

Isn't life funny. For more than 40+ years I used Williams soap in an old porcelain restaurant coffee mug, a cheap drugstore boar brush and the latest and greatest cartridge razor. And even though I found shaving a dreadful bore, I always got a great shave. I often wonder how many pucks of Williams I used over those 40 years. Then I discovered what we now call traditional wet shaving. When I first started I went on a search for the best of the best unscented shave soaps because family members had scent sensivities. On occasion even I experience sensivities to scent (migraine related). Gradually though, I was able to introduce some mildly scented products into my shaving routine. It was such great fun. The scent of MWF, Stirling Barbershop, Haslinger Schafmilch, Saponificio Varecino are without parallel...a slice of heaven.

I raise all of this because I find myself drifting back to my old familiar unscented products and a simple kit that produces excellent shaves...every time. My daily razor is a Fendrihan closed comb DE with a long handle and good heft. It was one of my first purchases and it remains a favourite. Paired with a GSB it is harmony in motion. I have a few pucks of Williams, but after 40 years of use I just can't bring myself to lather up a puck. However, I still feel it is an excellent product...despite the poor reviews it receives. There are a good number of unscented shave soaps and creams that I enjoy and eventually one may surface as a particular favourite. It may end up being the last one standing...which is likely to be MdC...only because it is made of kryptonite and it takes forever to make even a dent in the surface.

Funny in life how we often end up right back where we started.

 

[Clausewitz]

I’m honored my thread inspired such thoughts.

I obviously didn’t simply make a choice and do this one day, so I don’t have any real answers. But if I was going to say how I or anyone else would go about it voluntarily. I’d say take a moment and think about what you really enjoy about this, what part actually makes you happy.

If it’s having a display cabinet full of gear, there’s nothing wrong with that. A different scented soap everyday, nothing wrong with that either.

But if the answer is great shaves then you could easily knock a collection down to a reasonable level. I will probably end up buying two more soaps, MWF or Haslinger for the winter and a menthol for the summer (probably Lea Classic cream, gone through 3 tubs of that now and still love everything about it). Because that’s what i enjoy about shaving, 1 soap for the season and the process itself. The other items simply aren’t that important to me.

Btw I picked out the PdP 64 simply because it’s my wife’s favorite scent and Klar because it’s 5x milled and lasts forever.

Now about that rifle I really really want lying in pieces waiting to be assembled in my “man cave” for the last 4 months cause I’ve got no room left in the gun safe.... LOL

 

[Rusty Blade]

I’m honored my thread inspired such thoughts.

I obviously didn’t simply make a choice and do this one day, so I don’t have any real answers. But if I was going to say how I or anyone else would go about it voluntarily. I’d say take a moment and think about what you really enjoy about this, what part actually makes you happy.

If it’s having a display cabinet full of gear, there’s nothing wrong with that. A different scented soap everyday, nothing wrong with that either.

But if the answer is great shaves then you could easily knock a collection down to a reasonable level. I will probably end up buying two more soaps, MWF or Haslinger for the winter and a menthol for the summer (probably Lea Classic cream, gone through 3 tubs of that now and still love everything about it). Because that’s what i enjoy about shaving, 1 soap for the season and the process itself. The other items simply aren’t that important to me.

Btw I picked out the PdP 64 simply because it’s my wife’s favorite scent and Klar because it’s 5x milled and lasts forever.

Now about that rifle I really really want lying in pieces waiting to be assembled in my “man cave” for the last 4 months cause I’ve got no room left in the gun safe.... LOL

Sometimes life events -- either our own or of those whom we know -- have a way of making us stop and take stock of aspects of our lives. Your fire and subsequent re-evaluation of what was important regarding shaving was one of those events for me. I really enjoy my collection of hardware and I am comfortable with that...it brings me a lot of pleasure. My software is going through a transformation and it's hard to tell where it may end up...but I know it will be a lot smaller and focused on quality and simplicity. Thanks for sharing your story...I am sure it has given many a chance to reevaluate their shaving process and gear.

 

[Rusty Blade]

A shadow of a donut has appeared at the bottom of my Stirling Barbershop soap tub. My mission now it to use this soap (somewhat relentlessly) until it is gone. I have done this with a handful of other soaps...usually my most favourite ones experience this ultimate fate. Though based on past experience I find that last quarter of an inch of soap has been fortified with concrete or kryptonite. The last bit seems to last forever. It is, however, no match for my Proraso Omega Boar brush and a bit of knuckle whitening pressure.

 

[Rusty Blade]

The following post was a reply I posted to a thread on learning to hone. I thought I would cut and paste it here in my journal so I could access it easily when this question comes up again....as it does from time to time. Maybe someone will find it helpful.

Learning to hone is not difficult. But before you buy stones ask yourself how many razors do you want to own and maintain? If you only want two SRs then don't bother learning to hone. Get your blades professionally honed. A properly honed razor only needs touch ups with a 12K stone every few months. Good stropping and carefully drying your blade will extend its life between touch ups. It is rare that you will need to go back and reset the bevel unless you do some serious damage to your edge. Buy a good leather strop and learn to strop properly. Go slow. Speed is not necessary for good stropping. A slow lap on leather works just as well as a fast lap...with less chance of ruining your edge or your strop. Achieving a degree of mastery with blade honing does take lots of practice and only honing once every few months can make that a challenging endeavour. You will have to relearn each time.

Now if you want to collect and restore vintage SRs, or if you want to build a collection then it may be worth it to buy stones and learn to hone. The first thing I would suggest is get yourself a professionally honed razor. Study it under a magnifying lens so you know what a good edge looks like. And shave with to get to know how a good edge feels. Watch lots of Youtube videos and ask questions on this forum. Naniwa stones are fine. Buy a 1k, 3k, 8k and learn to put a good edge on a blade. That is all you really need. You could stop there and achieve an excellent edge. When you can get an excellent edge on an 8k then, and only then, buy a 12k.

Start with old beaters. Though be mindful that some of the old beaters may have blade issues and it can make learning more difficult.

There is lots of debate about whether to tape your spines. When I started honing I took the advice of very experienced honemeisters and I always, as a matter of habit, put one layer of tape on my spines. This way I never have to guess whether a particular blade was honed with tape or without. All my blades are honed with one layer of tape on the spine and I achieve excellent edges. Other may disagree, and they are entitled to their opinions. YMMV.

You should always ensure your stones are properly flattened. For the longest time I used 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper on my glass flat top stove (don't tell my wife). And it works fine. I run my stones over the wet/dry for a few laps at the end of each honing session. I have a large collection so I usually wait until I have 4 or 5 razors to hone. Use the sandpaper wet, not dry.

I would also suggest you buy yourself a good magnifying lens as well. After a while, however, you won't need a lens to know when you have hit perfection. You will be able to know when the bevel is set by testing it gently on your thumbnail along the edge, and you will know the edge is honed perfectly by the feel of the blade on the stone, the way it displaces water, and by how it looks when you hold it to the light. A final hanging hair test on your forearm is all that is necessary. And of course the shave test is the ultimate test of an edge. But as you are learning use the magnifying glass to see the creation of a polished mirror surface on the beveled edge. Do the other tests at the same time and after a while you can chuck your magnifying glass. Enjoy. Honing is great fun.