Once again another fine interview! This time we have the pleasure of learning a little insight on Catherix's wet shaving journey. Enjoy!
Who are you? My name is Tyler.
Where are you located? Roseville, CA. In Northern California, northwest of Sacramento by about 35 minutes.
Do you have a particular coffee you enjoy? or what wakes you up in the morning?
In the morning it's a medium roast Starbucks coffee made in our cheap coffee maker at home. SWMBO, her name is Elise, makes the coffee each morning for me. One of the many reasons I love her. This coffee is taken with a little bit of sugar and a splash of milk from the fridge. In the afternoons it's usually a black iced coffee or a dark roast. Evenings it's always something dark, taken black. I love coffee and I'm not terribly picky.How did you get in to wet shaving?
For years and years I battled red spots and irritation with carts and electrics(GASP!!). I love doing research on the Internet about things that interest me or problems I might need to fix. So off I went to google. I learned that my problems were likely trapped hairs, mostly on my lower neck. So I switched first to using edge gel and the latest and greatest Gillette multi blade cart. I figured these were the best, most advertised gadgets on the market so they must be the best of the best. Well, that honestly was far worse than before and I was spending a ton of money getting one or two shaves per cart. Ugh, just awful. So I did some more research, this time focusing on a better shave than a cartrige. That's what brought me here. I looked around a bit and decided that AoS was going to be my best bet to start with so I could buy locally. So I went and bought a Merkur 38c barber handle DE and some Merkur blades. I was still lurking B&B at the time and missing a lot of important info so I had no idea how many blades were out there, and how terrible Merkur was. At this point I bought a VDH set as well. Used the brush with my edge gel and tossed the VDH soap because I thought it smelled terrible. Then I decided to buy a better brush and some cream from AoS. Spent 150 big ones on a nice set with a Sandlewood scent. I later found out that I spent way too much, I didn't like the brush, and Sandlewood irritated my skin. About this time I joined B&B, finally, and I started learning more and more. Funny thing is, the only product I still use from when I first started is my 38c. Oh, and I went and bought another puck of VDH soap.
How long was it before you started mixing in straights?
It took me about 9 months. Ironically, I came into wet shaving with the goal of using straights. But, like many of us, I got caught up in all the DE's available and just never got around to it. It was a good push from my buddy Joe(shaverjoe) that finally did it. He sent me a Gold Dollar 66 and convinced me to buy a Star Shaving Big Daddy, in chestnut, and I was on my way.
How often and what is your method for touching up your straights? Favorite finish?
Honing is still fairly new to me and I only have a La Dressante Coticule at the moment. When I touchup I really simply start over. Dull the blade and start setting the bevel on slurry. I've been doing some experimenting lately on what the rest of that honing progression is, but it generally ends with a bunch of laps on water. Sometimes under running water. My favorite finish is straight off a JNAT. Alfredo(doc226) has honed a few for me now and its easily my favorite. I've also tried a edge finished on an Arkie and it was very nice as well.
What is your position on DE vs. Straight?
Hmm, that's a interesting question. They both have their place in the world of wet shaving. For me the straights win the battle by far. They're giving me closer shaves that seem to last longer and look better. They also have helped to take another step towards better looking skin for me. There's obviously more maintenance, and they're often more expensive. But the time it takes isn't very much once you get used to the processes and master some of the techniques. On the flip side, DE's are easier to travel with depending in the situation. And for me I can fly through a DE shave in less than 10 minutes. My straight shaves are likely around 20-25 minutes when I'm quick. There are 4 DE's that will always have a home in my den and I will still use them from time to time. But at this point I'm fully converted to straights.What has been the best advice you’ve gotten from a member at B&B?
I read somewhere, a few times actually, that if you want to try a technique or do something different that you should simply try it. Don't wait around and think about it, just give it a go. Much of what I've learned so far has come from small tweaks in how I do things and the ways I go about the prep and shaving. All of which started with trying something different, something new. Food for thought I guess. It's important in many things in my shaving journey, from honing to straight shaving to brush restoration.
Where did you get your first straight razor? Was it shave ready?
My first straight razor was a Gold Dollar 66. It came from my good friend Joe(shaverjoe here at B&B). He sent it to me to try out and after months of honing it and using it he even let me keep it! (heck of a guy that Joe is!!) It came shave ready straight off Joe's JNAT. I shaved on that edge for quite a good number of shaves before honing it off when learning my coticule. It was a very good edge and I hope I'll get the chance to try Joe's edges again. It always feels sad when honing off a great edge but I had to learn somehow!
Determination is key with shaving with a straight, how did you push through the month+ of sub-par shaves?
Month?? Haha!! More like a couple months! I pushed through with a lot of help from Joe and Alfredo(doc226). I had my Gold Dollar from Joe and I bought 2 razors from Alfredo to work with, all with great JNAT edges. I had a lot of trouble with angle and pressure and irritation. All the typical challenges I would think. I asked tons of questions and probably bugged the heck out of these two gents. With lots of tips on holding the razor and angle and passes I was able to slowly progress towards better and better shaves. I used my shave journal to record my thoughts and results after every shave and read back through prior shaves to see how things were going. I made changes to how I did things and tried lots of new things. Mixed in some DE shaves every once and awhile to save time during busy evenings and to help hedge irritation. Its been a constant progression and things are still improving every shave. I think they really started clicking around 60 shaves or so in.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new at this, what would it be?
Don't spend a fortune on you first gear. My god, if only someone had told me this in the beginning. Like I said, most of the things I started with have been sold or are not in rotation any more. You will find new things that you like more and others will go by the wayside. Just buy something that smells nice and shave with it until you figure it out. Then experiment, purge things you don't like, but more, repeat.
What prompted you to begin keeping a shave journal?
I had read many others and enjoyed the read and the community created in each. I thought it would help others to read through my challenges and how I got through them. And it would help me to be able to go back through earlier shaves and see what's changed. I, of course, know exactly what I mean when I say "DFS" or "a little bit of irritation" so I can easily remember my shaves.
Do you reference your shave journal at all?
All the time! I like to read back a few shaves every once in awhile to see what's happened.
How do you think keeping a shave journal has helped you?
It helps me keep track of my progress and the changes I've made to the shaves. Each change makes a difference in the shave and reading through them helps me put together the optimum technique and procedure for myself. Without it I was just sort of going for it and hopping for the best. That worked but my technique improved much slower than it has since I started my straight journal. It's been said many times but YMMV and often times what works for someone else will not work as well for you. So building your own set of techniques and way of shaving is the real key.
Do you keep a journal for any other hobbies? or perhaps a daily journal?
I keep a journal of random things. Frags that I like for one. Mostly I just practice my writing with my fountain pens in it. Sometimes I write about the day, or sometimes a to do list. Sometimes while watching TV I write things that people say in the show. That's fun and gives me something to write. Its hilarious to read back through it because I write pretty slow and its just a jumbled mess of TV show quotes.
Do you jot down notes while you are shaving or pull from your memory of the shave to fill out your journal?
I pull from memory. In my line of work there's a lot of referencing back to conversations you've had with people. When I need to do that I put a reference in my mind, like a bookmark if you would, so that I can get back to it. I do something similar with important parts of the shave. If I notice something new or try something different than I'll bookmark it in my mind so I can reference it when I post.
Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share with the membership of B&B?
I just want to take a minute to say thanks to Jason for giving me a chance to participate in this. And thank you to all the mods and stews for keeping this place going. You all are so darn modest but if it wasn't for you this place wouldn't be amazing as is. Take a minute and pat yourselves on the back. And thanks to all the members here who have helped me every step of the way with advice and PIF's. The generosity around here never ceases to amaze me and I've been the recipient of a lot of it. Shave on brothers!
For those interested Tyler's Shave Journal can be found here
Who are you? My name is Tyler.
Where are you located? Roseville, CA. In Northern California, northwest of Sacramento by about 35 minutes.
Do you have a particular coffee you enjoy? or what wakes you up in the morning?
In the morning it's a medium roast Starbucks coffee made in our cheap coffee maker at home. SWMBO, her name is Elise, makes the coffee each morning for me. One of the many reasons I love her. This coffee is taken with a little bit of sugar and a splash of milk from the fridge. In the afternoons it's usually a black iced coffee or a dark roast. Evenings it's always something dark, taken black. I love coffee and I'm not terribly picky.How did you get in to wet shaving?
For years and years I battled red spots and irritation with carts and electrics(GASP!!). I love doing research on the Internet about things that interest me or problems I might need to fix. So off I went to google. I learned that my problems were likely trapped hairs, mostly on my lower neck. So I switched first to using edge gel and the latest and greatest Gillette multi blade cart. I figured these were the best, most advertised gadgets on the market so they must be the best of the best. Well, that honestly was far worse than before and I was spending a ton of money getting one or two shaves per cart. Ugh, just awful. So I did some more research, this time focusing on a better shave than a cartrige. That's what brought me here. I looked around a bit and decided that AoS was going to be my best bet to start with so I could buy locally. So I went and bought a Merkur 38c barber handle DE and some Merkur blades. I was still lurking B&B at the time and missing a lot of important info so I had no idea how many blades were out there, and how terrible Merkur was. At this point I bought a VDH set as well. Used the brush with my edge gel and tossed the VDH soap because I thought it smelled terrible. Then I decided to buy a better brush and some cream from AoS. Spent 150 big ones on a nice set with a Sandlewood scent. I later found out that I spent way too much, I didn't like the brush, and Sandlewood irritated my skin. About this time I joined B&B, finally, and I started learning more and more. Funny thing is, the only product I still use from when I first started is my 38c. Oh, and I went and bought another puck of VDH soap.
How long was it before you started mixing in straights?
It took me about 9 months. Ironically, I came into wet shaving with the goal of using straights. But, like many of us, I got caught up in all the DE's available and just never got around to it. It was a good push from my buddy Joe(shaverjoe) that finally did it. He sent me a Gold Dollar 66 and convinced me to buy a Star Shaving Big Daddy, in chestnut, and I was on my way.
Honing is still fairly new to me and I only have a La Dressante Coticule at the moment. When I touchup I really simply start over. Dull the blade and start setting the bevel on slurry. I've been doing some experimenting lately on what the rest of that honing progression is, but it generally ends with a bunch of laps on water. Sometimes under running water. My favorite finish is straight off a JNAT. Alfredo(doc226) has honed a few for me now and its easily my favorite. I've also tried a edge finished on an Arkie and it was very nice as well.
What is your position on DE vs. Straight?
Hmm, that's a interesting question. They both have their place in the world of wet shaving. For me the straights win the battle by far. They're giving me closer shaves that seem to last longer and look better. They also have helped to take another step towards better looking skin for me. There's obviously more maintenance, and they're often more expensive. But the time it takes isn't very much once you get used to the processes and master some of the techniques. On the flip side, DE's are easier to travel with depending in the situation. And for me I can fly through a DE shave in less than 10 minutes. My straight shaves are likely around 20-25 minutes when I'm quick. There are 4 DE's that will always have a home in my den and I will still use them from time to time. But at this point I'm fully converted to straights.What has been the best advice you’ve gotten from a member at B&B?
I read somewhere, a few times actually, that if you want to try a technique or do something different that you should simply try it. Don't wait around and think about it, just give it a go. Much of what I've learned so far has come from small tweaks in how I do things and the ways I go about the prep and shaving. All of which started with trying something different, something new. Food for thought I guess. It's important in many things in my shaving journey, from honing to straight shaving to brush restoration.
Where did you get your first straight razor? Was it shave ready?
My first straight razor was a Gold Dollar 66. It came from my good friend Joe(shaverjoe here at B&B). He sent it to me to try out and after months of honing it and using it he even let me keep it! (heck of a guy that Joe is!!) It came shave ready straight off Joe's JNAT. I shaved on that edge for quite a good number of shaves before honing it off when learning my coticule. It was a very good edge and I hope I'll get the chance to try Joe's edges again. It always feels sad when honing off a great edge but I had to learn somehow!
Month?? Haha!! More like a couple months! I pushed through with a lot of help from Joe and Alfredo(doc226). I had my Gold Dollar from Joe and I bought 2 razors from Alfredo to work with, all with great JNAT edges. I had a lot of trouble with angle and pressure and irritation. All the typical challenges I would think. I asked tons of questions and probably bugged the heck out of these two gents. With lots of tips on holding the razor and angle and passes I was able to slowly progress towards better and better shaves. I used my shave journal to record my thoughts and results after every shave and read back through prior shaves to see how things were going. I made changes to how I did things and tried lots of new things. Mixed in some DE shaves every once and awhile to save time during busy evenings and to help hedge irritation. Its been a constant progression and things are still improving every shave. I think they really started clicking around 60 shaves or so in.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new at this, what would it be?
Don't spend a fortune on you first gear. My god, if only someone had told me this in the beginning. Like I said, most of the things I started with have been sold or are not in rotation any more. You will find new things that you like more and others will go by the wayside. Just buy something that smells nice and shave with it until you figure it out. Then experiment, purge things you don't like, but more, repeat.
I had read many others and enjoyed the read and the community created in each. I thought it would help others to read through my challenges and how I got through them. And it would help me to be able to go back through earlier shaves and see what's changed. I, of course, know exactly what I mean when I say "DFS" or "a little bit of irritation" so I can easily remember my shaves.
Do you reference your shave journal at all?
All the time! I like to read back a few shaves every once in awhile to see what's happened.
How do you think keeping a shave journal has helped you?
It helps me keep track of my progress and the changes I've made to the shaves. Each change makes a difference in the shave and reading through them helps me put together the optimum technique and procedure for myself. Without it I was just sort of going for it and hopping for the best. That worked but my technique improved much slower than it has since I started my straight journal. It's been said many times but YMMV and often times what works for someone else will not work as well for you. So building your own set of techniques and way of shaving is the real key.
Do you keep a journal for any other hobbies? or perhaps a daily journal?
I keep a journal of random things. Frags that I like for one. Mostly I just practice my writing with my fountain pens in it. Sometimes I write about the day, or sometimes a to do list. Sometimes while watching TV I write things that people say in the show. That's fun and gives me something to write. Its hilarious to read back through it because I write pretty slow and its just a jumbled mess of TV show quotes.
Do you jot down notes while you are shaving or pull from your memory of the shave to fill out your journal?
I pull from memory. In my line of work there's a lot of referencing back to conversations you've had with people. When I need to do that I put a reference in my mind, like a bookmark if you would, so that I can get back to it. I do something similar with important parts of the shave. If I notice something new or try something different than I'll bookmark it in my mind so I can reference it when I post.
I just want to take a minute to say thanks to Jason for giving me a chance to participate in this. And thank you to all the mods and stews for keeping this place going. You all are so darn modest but if it wasn't for you this place wouldn't be amazing as is. Take a minute and pat yourselves on the back. And thanks to all the members here who have helped me every step of the way with advice and PIF's. The generosity around here never ceases to amaze me and I've been the recipient of a lot of it. Shave on brothers!
For those interested Tyler's Shave Journal can be found here
Last edited:
