sjerquinn's shaving journal

[sjerquinn]

Here's my first entry. I figure that if I start keeping track, then my technique might actually improve.

Tuesday Night's Shave - 3/21

Pre-Shave: AoS Lemon Preshave oil, Bloom water from Stirling Dunshire Soap
Soap: Stirling Soaps - Dunshire
Brush: Omega 11648 Boar
Razor: 1965(K4) Gillette Travel Tech head on Boss Razors handle
Blade: Gillette Platinum
Post-Shave: Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

Overall I'm happy with this shave. I just got the Travel Tech in the mail on Monday and was super excited to try it out. I tried to shave with the tiny handle but it was just too small. So I put it on the handle for my other razor and went to work. I finally understand what people have been talking about when saying they can't feel the blade in their razor. This is a much milder head than my Boss Razors head. Since the angle on my other razor is so fool-proof, I struggled to get a close shave under my jaw and neck. I'm going to have a steeper learning curve with this razor than the one I'm used to. At the end of it, I had a couple of weepers but not enough to take out the styptic pencil. My wife is very excited about this scent because it is based on her favorite cologne. So I'll be ordering a full puck and the aftershave balm to go with it. I didn't struggle as much to get a good lather this time because I kept adding water until it was less pastie than usual and more frothy like I see in so many pictures and videos. I face lather now but have been seriously considering bowl lathering to see if I can whip up some better lather and get it to the consistency I'm looking for.

 

[sskim3]

Welcome and great that the wife loves the scents!

 

[sjerquinn]

Welcome and great that the wife loves the scents!

Thanks! There are a couple of scents in a sample pack I received from Stone Cottage that she has said I can't use. But everything else I've ordered she's been ok with.

 

[Smattayu]

Welcome to the journals! AdG is a popular scent for a reason; it's some great juice, and Stirling makes some excellent soap. I've got a little travel Tech as well, and have actually tried shaving with the little handle that goes with it. It was not the best shave ever lol.

 

[cvargo]

Welcome to the journals. It's a lot of fun back here

 

[sjerquinn]

Welcome to the journals! AdG is a popular scent for a reason; it's some great juice, and Stirling makes some excellent soap. I've got a little travel Tech as well, and have actually tried shaving with the little handle that goes with it. It was not the best shave ever lol.

I got my right cheek done and was about to attempt my first pass on the right side of my neck where the grain points to my ear. I did not feel confident with my grip on the razor, so I had to switch out handles. Now I'm on the search for a matching full length ball end handle for that razor. But finding just the handle has proven difficult.

Welcome to the journals. It's a lot of fun back here

Thanks! I'm looking forward to keeping a record of my shaves. My technique is still developing so keeping a record will be handy.

 

[sjerquinn]

I know I typed up an entry for Thursday night's shave but I'm not sure what happened to it. So here it is again.

Thursday 3/23

Pre-Shave: AoS Lemon Pre-Shave Oil
Cream: Stone Cottage Soapworks - Vetiver and Vanilla
Razor: 1965 Tech on Boss Razors handle
Blade: Gillette Platinum (2)
Brush: Omega 11648 Boar Hair
Post-Shave: Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave Balm

Overall a decent shave. However the cream was chunky and the lather didn't last long. I had to reload cream into the brush before doing the 3rd pass.

 

[sjerquinn]

Saturday 3/25

Pre-Shave: AoS Lemon Pre-Shave oil
Soap: Stirling Soap - Baker Street
Razor: 1965 Tech on Boss Razors handle
Blade: Gillette Platinum (3)
Brush: Omega 11648 Boar Hair
Post-Shave: Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave Balm

2 uses on a blade is about the limit. I flipped the blade over in the razor before shaving as someone on the forums said they do. The first 3 passes went fine but the clean-up started to really pull. I had some weepersat the end but cold water closed them up pretty well, no need for the styptic pencil. My brush is breaking in nicely. It's developing a good bloom. Baker Street has a very good scent and performed very well. Good cushion and slickness. My technique is definitely improving. Other than the razor pulling and not being extremely efficient, there was very little irritation at the end.

 

[Smattayu]

A couple of good shaves. Have you tried bowl lathering with the cream? If it's a sample that might make it a little easier.

 

[sjerquinn]

Monday 3/28

Pre-Shave: AoS Lemon Pre-Shave oil
Soap: Captain's Choice - North
Razor: 1965 Tech on Boss Razors handle
Blade: Gillette 7OC Permasharp Stainless (1)
Brush: Omega 11648 Boar Hair
Post-Shave: Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave Balm

What a shave! The Tech is such a mild razor and I've been using the Gillette Platinum blades which are also pretty mild so I decided to put in a sharper blade to see how it would go. I'm going to have to continue to use blades that are on the sharper end in that razor. I'll stick with using the milder blades like the Platinum in my more aggressive Boss Razors head. Going ATG on my trouble spots was no problem with this blade/head combination. Also, the Captain's Choice soap performed very well. It was a rainy day and the North scent is really woodsy/piney. It really reminded me of camping in the mountains. I need to order a whole puck of this just for these rainy/colder days. I took @Smattayu 's advice and tried bowl lathering. Since it was my first attempt, I didn't quite get the lather I usually look for but I'll definitely get better as time goes on. I did have to reload some soap for my clean-up pass but from the bowl, I had enough for 3 good passes(WTG, XTG - ear to chin, and ATG). I did miss some clean-up under my chin but it was close that it isn't visible. It was definitely a DFS. I need to order some more blades so the G7OC's and Feathers will be on the list so I can compare the two. I've been happy with the Gillettes though so I definitely want to get another pack.

 

[Smattayu]

Great shave and read. I've only used maybe 6-7 different DE blades before I moved to primarily straights, but I might have to pick up another sample pack to experiment with.

 

[sjerquinn]

My wife has been looking at straights for a possible birthday, anniversary, or christmas gift. I'm a little nervous about using one, but am pretty excited to try it. Maybe a shavette to start off with? How did you get into straight shaving? Maggards has some restored vintage straights for a very reasonable price.

 

[Smattayu]

I'd only been using DE's again for a couple months before my view on straight razors started changing. It began with "no way would I put one of those to my skin" and over a couple weeks turned into "I must have one!" lol. My first straight razor was bought new, a Ralf Aust, and I would recommend one to anyone. You can get a basic Aust for about $100.

If you do get any straight razor I would recommend buying from a dealer that has a good reputation for providing shave ready blades. I've heard good things about Maggard's honing, but have not experienced one of their edges for myself. The BST here on B&B is an excellent place to find them as well, and there are a plethora of honers here that will put a great edge on one for a very reasonable price if you get one that doesn't have the best edge.

Purchasing a straight razor will also require the purchase of a strop, and learning how to use one. There are a lot of good videos on technique for both shaving with a straight razor and stropping one on Youtube, and some basic strops can be had for a very good price from places like Whipped Dog. I'd suggest picking up the least expensive one you can to get started because there is a 99% chance that you will nick it up.

If you're on the fence about purchasing a straight and would like to try one first, I've got a Genco that I can whip into shape and send over for you to try for a while.

 

[sjerquinn]

Thanks for the offer and I may take you up on that in the near future. I want to continue working on my DE technique so that I can get some great, irritation free shaves regularly before having to learn something totally new. I found a '57 Super Speed on the Bay for $3.98 shipped that I had to jump on so I'll be putting that into the rotation soon as well. Now that I've found a good razor/blade combo for my Tech, I'm going to find one for that Super Speed. It's still on it's way and I'll post pics and a SOTD with it once I get it in and put it to the test.

 

[sjerquinn]

Wednesday 3/30

Pre-Shave: AoS Lemon Pre-Shave oil
Soap: Stirling Soap - Margaritas in the Arctic
Razor: 1965 Tech on Boss Razors handle
Blade: Gillette 7OC Permasharp Stainless (2)
Brush: Omega 11648 Boar Hair
Post-Shave: Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave Balm

Polar (pun not intended) opposite shave from Monday. I had success with cold water shaves last week so I tried another one last night. I don't know if it was the cold water or the blade, but things just didn't go smoothly. I went through my normal pre-shave routine; warm shower, Nivea Sensitive Skin face wash, soaked brush in hot water, bloom soap with hot water. But something just didn't work. The blade wasn't cutting through the hair in my sensitive areas very easily. Even my first pass didn't feel very good.
The only upside to this shave was the lather. I am finally getting some great, thick lather that is lasting me through 3 regular passes and my clean-up pass. I really smashed the brush into the soap while loading it. I feel like I had been too timid when loading the brush, not wanting to damage the brush to the point where it would really start to shed hairs. But after watching a few YouTube videos yesterday and some of them were really smashing their brush in the soap to load it, particularly Nick Shaves. Since this is my first real venture into soaps and boar brushes, I think my brush loading technique was lacking. After really loading it and lathering in a bowl, adding water periodically by dipping the tips of the brush in the water, I got some nice whipped lather that made good peaks and lasted the entire shave. It was very cushiony and slick, but I have very hard water, so there's really no such thing as residual slickness for me.
Saturday's shave plans include the 1957 Super Speed Flare Tip that came in the mail yesterday, loaded with a Gillette Platinum blade. Haven't decided on a soap/cream yet. Maybe one of the TOBS creams I've got in the cupboard.

 

[sskim3]

Don't feel bad using a bit more pressure to load soap. You want to make sure you get enough soap to create the lather. These brushes are made to handle a little bit of abuse (as long as you don't go too overboard). The Stirling is a nice choice and really easy and good to use.

 

[sjerquinn]

I'm very happy with the 3 Stirling samples I got. I'll be ordering whole pucks when the samples get too low.

 

[dkeester]

Boar brushes will take a bit more abuse than badgers will. Don't be afraid to push down on the puck a bit to splay the bristles a bit, just don't splay it out completely. You may destroy at least one brush before you get the hang of it. The general rule it to "load it like you hate it." This usually refers to the soap. You want to get a ton of it into the brush. But, the brush will also take some abuse when hate-loading.

Stirling makes some great soaps. So far my favorite scent of their's is Vanilla Sandalwood. Don't forget to check out their aftershaves also.

 

[sjerquinn]

I have plans to get Dunshire and Margaritas in the Arctic AS Balm. I have about 1/3 of their soaps on my wishlist so I'll be ordering some more samples soon to see what I want to get full pucks of.

 

[sjerquinn]

Saturday 4/1

Pre-Shave: AoS Lemon Pre-Shave oil
Cream: TOBS Jermyn Street
Razor: 57 Super Speed Flare Tip
Blade: Gillette Platinum (1)
Brush: Omega 11648 Boar Hair
Post-Shave: Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave Balm

Pretty decent shave. I still had a LOT of irritation from Wednesday's shave. I washed my face in the shower with Nivea Sensitive Skin Face Wash, making sure to scrub my beard really well, releasing as many ingrown hairs as possible. I didn't strive for a BBS shave on my neck. I wanted to give it more time to heal up before going for a really close shave in that area. For my face, I did my regular WTG>XTG>ATG shave. On my neck I went WTG>XTG>XTG and it worked out well. Wasn't the closest shave because I used a more mellow razor/blade combination. It wasn't the most efficient, but there were no weepers and no major irritation. Since I'm writing this a couple days after this shave, the feel is night and day compared to 2-3 days after Wednesday's shave. I might still wait until Tuesday to shave again. Give my skin that extra day to heal, rather than shaving today(Monday). I also ordered an RR Alum Block to add to my post shave routine. Hopefully that will help on days that I have that extreme irritation like Wednesday.