Rusty Blade’s Wet Shaving Journey

[albsat]

@Rusty Blade

Excellent explanation based on your experience.

I use shavettes when I find time. I thought a lot of times to get a lapping film, a strop and a shave ready cheap razor. It is just an unknown thing where I live and the stropping process is a bit unusual in my mind. But I have to try it before I create this opinion.

Maybe one day...

 

[Rusty Blade]

@Rusty Blade

Excellent explanation based on your experience.

I use shavettes when I find time. I thought a lot of times to get a lapping film, a strop and a shave ready cheap razor. It is just an unknown thing where I live and the stropping process is a bit unusual in my mind. But I have to try it before I create this opinion.

Maybe one day...

Shavettes are totally different than a straight razor, but with practice you can get an excellent shave from both. I enjoy the blade care and maintenance that goes with straight razors...and the history.

 

[Rusty Blade]

I bit the bullet and did a major clean out. It was a bit like pulling off a band-aid. Quick...and relatively painless.

I have two partially used tubs of Proraso white and green preshave creams. I will use those up and won't replace them when they are gone.

I am now down to four soaps: T&H Ultimate Comfort + matching ASB, Soap Commander Integrity (unscented) + matching ASB, Proraso green cream in a tube + matching ASB, Stirling Barbershop and a tube of Nivea Original for travel (yes, that's five...but I don't count the Nivea because it's a travel soap).

I kept a few additional AS/ASBs just to use them up: Nivea Sensitive, Nivea Replenishing splash, Vintage Old Spice, and a half tube of Pre de Provence ASB. I will continue to use Lucky Tiger splash. This is an absolute must.

I am also down to four brushes: Proraso Omega boar, Simpsons Special, Vie Long horse hair and a Fendrihan synthetic.

While I have kept my collection of razors I have packed them away until the museum is constructed. I now have the following as my daily razors: Fendrihan closed comb DE, and a Gillette Fat Handle Tech. My blades are down to two types: Gillette Silver Blue and Derby Extra. I have two excellent vintage restored and honed Boker straight razors as well.

That's it. And as time goes by and I use up these limited products I will get my kit to an even smaller size. The journey continues.

 

[MaineYooper]

Nicely done! It took time to collect all, and you have taken time to methodically reduce to your best items. Again nice work!
Eric

- Karve Diem, M. BOSC

 

[Rusty Blade]

Sometimes less is more...and for the same reason I started the Shave of the Week Society (SWS...see Clubs and Brotherhoods)...it is nice to use one product for a period of time to really get to know its properties. And I am enjoying using unscented soaps and unscented AS or ASB...and if I am really in the mood for a bit of scent then I leave that to a mildly scented AS or ASB. Again...sometimes less is more.

 

[Rusty Blade]

In the past I never used my Vie-Long horse hair brush very often. I liked the look of it (butterscotch) but I found it had a scratchy quality I didn't like. I usually opted for a boar or badger. Since I decided to keep one horse in my stable (...Horse...stable...get it?) of four brushes I am using it more often and I have come to learn that it provides a unique shaving experience. Quite nice actually. With repeated use the scratchy feel has gone and it has mellowed. I believe the early shaving brushes were horse and I can see why they were popular.

 

[Rusty Blade]

It's been 10 days (ish) since I did my major clean out of my den and everything is going well. A reduced number of soaps has been an improvement in terms of my daily choice of what soap to use. There is no fussing and fretting. When you only have four soaps, each soap has a one in four chance of being selected. I am getting to know their unique qualities and lathering up is easy. Perfect lather every time. And unscented is the way to go. I no longer get bored with the scent of a soap. I just enjoy perfect lather. If I want to stink, then I use a scented AS. Soon I will be down to two soaps, both unscented. I still use the two scented soaps I own, but I use them just once in a while to keep things interesting.

My daily razor and blade are my Fendrihan DE and a GSB blade, so we have become best of friends. Of the four brushes I have kept I realize the Simpson Special is the most versatile and the other three are just okay. Good, but not perfect. I am going to add another synthetic brush, one that is not as dense as the one I currently own. Then I will pare down to two brushes: Simpson Special and a new less dense synthetic...and I should be good. The journey continues.

 

[Rusty Blade]

So yesterday I was at the mall and picked up a synthetic brush from the Body Shop. And I used it this morning and it was disappointing because it was too floppy. Just no backbone. So my first synth was too firm and this one is too floppy. Gee...this remind me of a children's story, Goldilocks and the three bears. So, now I need to find a synth that is "just right". Not too firm and not too floppy. The search continues.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Some time ago I gave away my Wilkinson Sword brush. I often used this as my travel brush. It was inexpensive and provided the basics of a good lather. And if lost or damaged, no big deal.
So, I was in the drug store the other day and I picked up another Wilkie and used it today and I was quite pleased with the outcome. I am noticing that sometimes the simple, inexpensive products provide very good quality shaves. As you can see, I am still struggling to find my right brush.

I am also noticing that when I started this wetshaving adventure a few years back I gravitated to unscented products and gradually introduced scented soaps. Most were okay, but as I have mentioned in other posts, I just got bored with sniffing the same scent every day. And now that I use unscented almost exclusively (I am coming full circle) I find when I do use a scented product that it is a bit overwhelming. I still have a few scented soaps kicking around in the closet that I may just pack up and give away. Interesting how the cycle of starting simple morphs into complexity and then drifts back towards simplicity.

I also notice how changeable my thoughts are in terms of finding my perfect, minimalist kit. One day I think I have it nailed down and the next day I find myself wandering in the wilderness, searching once again for the perfect item. The week I am back on brushes. I would like to think I could find one perfect brush, but I don't like having a brush that is never allowed to dry between shaves...unless it is a synth...and I find I still prefer natural fiber brushes.

 

[Tokyospike]

Just catching up, Rusty. Nice work! My kit’s about the same size as yours, now, minus the straights. I also have a few things ‘in the closet’ that I don’t count and will need to dispose of one way or another some day - and I have also discovered that while the size of my kit may not change, the exact scents and products that are in it is likely to evolve over time.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Just catching up, Rusty. Nice work! My kit’s about the same size as yours, now, minus the straights. I also have a few things ‘in the closet’ that I don’t count and will need to dispose of one way or another some day - and I have also discovered that while the size of my kit may not change, the exact scents and products that are in it is likely to evolve over time.

I view my 'in the closet' stuff as not really counting as well. Every once in a while I enjoy taking out some product that has not been used in a while...just for fun. But after many clean outs and PIFs my 'in the closet' stuff fits in a shoebox. Quite a change from just a year ago when my supplies took up full drawers in my bureau and many shoe boxes. I can see my path ahead of me (if not the final destination) and my final kit will be pretty lean.

 

[Rusty Blade]

How many times have I been in a drug store or Walmart and seen Wilkinson Sword shaving soap and walked on by. I just intuitively somehow knew it was a terrible soap. Its only $4 and how could a $4 soap be any good. I liked the deep blue flying saucer shaped container, but I never tried it. I have read reviews on this soap and others didn't seem too impressed. So I never bothered with it.

Yesterday I was in Walmart and checked out the shaving aisle as I usually do (just in case something new had been brought into the store and I didn't get the memo). I see Wilkinson Sword shaving soap and something in me just decided to give it a try. I paid my $4 and this morning I gave it a whirl.

And I was surprised. This is a very nice soap. The scent is a clean soap fragrance, mild and not overpowering, and dissipates when you rinse. The soap lathered very easily and it provided a good, thick lubricating lather. Post shave skin feel was fine...not dry or irritating.

I would not say it was a top tiered soap, but for the price, this is a remarkably good product. Why didn't I try this before? Sheesh...sometimes I surprise myself. Never judge a soap by its cover or reputation.

This is not an unscented soap, so it will only see occasional use. It will be ideal as a travel soap.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I'm a fan of unscented stuff myself, even though what I'm currently using has a mild short lived scent. I also find Wilkinson soap to be perfectly adequate. While not completely unscented, I find it neutral enough to not be phased by it. I currently have a puck sat atop my vintage scuttle, and do use it occasionally - yesterday being the most recent use.

 

[Rusty Blade]

I'm a fan of unscented stuff myself, even though what I'm currently using has a mild short lived scent. I also find Wilkinson soap to be perfectly adequate. While not completely unscented, I find it neutral enough to not be phased by it. I currently have a puck sat atop my vintage scuttle, and do use it occasionally - yesterday being the most recent use.

Yes, I know what you mean...some of the mildly scented soaps are fine as well. I prefer neutral, but a scent that dissipates with rinsing is acceptable. I also find when I use an Unscented soap for a while and then use a mildly scented product it sometimes seems strong by comparison.

 

[Rusty Blade]

I've been sailing along quite smoothly lately. My somewhat minimalist kit is serving me well. I have been getting great shaves. And isn't that the goal of this journey?

I thought I would begin a series in my journal loosely entitled, "Random thoughts on what I have learned on my wetshaving journey up to this point in my life". Don't expect anything profound. Much of what I will write will be stating the obvious...simple truths based on my experience. My little effort to put in writing the essence of a top notch shave.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Random thought #1: when I first started this wetshaving journey a few years ago I was like a kid in a candy shop. After 40 years of Williams and cheap boar brushes, I had to try it all. And it was fun. But I have come to realize that minimalism and consistency is the key to a good shave. Just like the athlete or craftsman that develops expertise after 10,000 hours of doing the same thing, so to is a great shave the product of doing something the same way for many many hours. With the same tools. The shaves I am getting now are predictable and near perfection. I know my beard map like an old friend. The days of searching for the best razor and blade are over for me. Our fathers and grandfathers knew the secret. They were minimalists. They did so out of necessity, but they also reaped the rewards of consistency and good tools. I enjoyed the candy shop and it was fun while it lasted. But that chapter has closed and my journey has taken a new direction. Consistency and good tools make a perfect shave.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Random thought #1: when I first started this wetshaving journey a few years ago I was like a kid in a candy shop. After 40 years of Williams and cheap boar brushes, I had to try it all. And it was fun. But I have come to realize that minimalism and consistency is the key to a good shave. Just like the athlete or craftsman that develops expertise after 10,000 hours of doing the same thing, so to is a great shave the product of doing something the same way for many many hours. With the same tools. The shaves I am getting now are predictable and near perfection. I know my beard map like an old friend. The days of searching for the best razor and blade are over for me. Our fathers and grandfathers knew the secret. They were minimalists. They did so out of necessity, but they also reaped the rewards of consistency and good tools. I enjoyed the candy shop and it was fun while it lasted. But that chapter has closed and my journey has taken a new direction. Consistency and good tools make a perfect shave.

I have to agree with you here, Rusty. I currently have a balance that I'm quite happy with, which is a primary set up of my Edwin Jagger DE3D14 and an Omega 10051, with whatever blade and soap is in current use, plus a few options for doing something different occasionally. The more I swap, the more my shaves get adversely affected, but being able to pick up a different kind of razor one in a while, prevents me feeling too restricted.

 

[albsat]

Same thought too. After using 2 Fatip razors for 5 months in row, I don't have any RAD feeling and no need to try blades as well. Almost all blades do work with a Fatip Grande and Gentile.

I am more willing to try 2-3 new brushes.

I tried a Se featherweight razor and I couldn't get the best of out in two tries.
When I find time I try a shavette once in a while.

Back to Fatip for the moment.

 

[Rusty Blade]

I have to agree with you here, Rusty. I currently have a balance that I'm quite happy with, which is a primary set up of my Edwin Jagger DE3D14 and an Omega 10051, with whatever blade and soap is in current use, plus a few options for doing something different occasionally. The more I swap, the more my shaves get adversely affected, but being able to pick up a different kind of razor one in a while, prevents me feeling too restricted.

So true. And, yes, no one wants to feel restricted. For most of use who are on this journey, restriction is the least of our worries. Online shopping opens quite a world of selection. For me it is not about a self-imposed restriction, but rather a deliberate choice to keep a minimal kit. I have other stuff in my closet for those days when I want to step out and use a little something different. And that can be fun as well. But I find those days when I want to step out and try different products are fewer and farther between. It is, however, a privilege to have the choice.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Same thought too. After using 2 Fatip razors for 5 months in row, I don't have any RAD feeling and no need to try blades as well. Almost all blades do work with a Fatip Grande and Gentile.

I am more willing to try 2-3 new brushes.

I tried a Se featherweight razor and I couldn't get the best of out in two tries.
When I find time I try a shavette once in a while.

Back to Fatip for the moment.

I agree...and I find you really get to know how a tool performs when you use it every day for a period of time. Shavettes are fun, and some use them as their daily shaver. I enjoy a straight razor once in a while. Its like stepping back in time to my grandfather's day. A simpler time.