This morning I had time to shave. I haven't shaved for a while so my beard hair was pretty long (still stubble though). I'm not sure if this had anything to do with the quality of the shave or the lack of irritation, but I've had my beard this long before with results not even close to today's.
I think the BIGGEST difference between past shaves and today's was that I used the Geo F. Trumper's Coral Skin Food as a pre-shave application instead of the Proraso cream. I'm talking about putting it under the lather before I shave... not even applying it and letting it sit for a long time before my shower, etc, as I've done before with the Proraso.
I took my shower, and I did apply conditioner to my beard area and let that sit for a while, but I've been following that procedure forever, so that's not new. After my shower, I actually dried off my face this time (which I haven't been doing to allow more water to soak into my beard before shaving). I then went to the sink and made the decision to try the Trumper's Skin Food instead of the Proraso cream. Then, almost immediately, applied a lather over top of it. Once again I used my Dovo Silvertip Travel Brush, and I noticed that, like my Edwin Jagger, after having used the Proraso shaving cream for the first time with this brush on my last shave, the bristles didn't seem to want to take on water... like it was almost repelling the water. I noticed this trend on my Edwin Jagger but only thought it might be the Proraso shaving cream causing this. Now that it is happening with the Dovo brush, I think that is truly the cause and I may start thinking about trying a different shaving cream. At any rate, the fact that it repels water made it slightly harder to build a proper lather, but I got it going.
On my first pass, with the grain, I noticed that MOST of my stubble was gone already. This was QUITE odd, as my first pass even with shorter stubble has left more hair than this time. Also, in the past when I have had longer stubble, my first pass then left longer stubble as well, so I was a bit shocked. I rinsed and lathered again and was able to go very easily across the grain. At this point, my stubble was almost indistinguishable. I rinsed again and felt I could actually go against the grain and did! No irritation or skipping from the razor, and only the slightest single weeper after my ATG pass. I used the alum block because I did have that one weeper and I like the feeling the alum block provides. I hardly had any stinging when I applied it. I finished up with an application of the Trumper's Skin Food and couldn't believe how smooth my face was!
I will definitely be ordering a bigger bottle of the Skin Food and use my current smaller one for travel purposes. This stuff is AWESOME! I am also thinking about buying some of the Geo F. Trumper shaving cream. I think I'm going to go for a tub of cream instead of the tube. It costs less per fluid ounce and I think it may travel better anyway. I still think I like the shaving creams much better than the soaps, but I haven't tried more than one soap so it's really not an honest comparison.
Oh, one other thing, the Personna blade performed very well again. I can't remember if this was its 3rd use or not, but it worked very well for me.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Been tough to post, but going well
My shaves are getting better with less nicks, weepers or razor burn. I still get some weepers now and then, but nicks haven't happened lately. I am also able to shave at a much quicker pace, so shaving is not taking me forever. I can still fall prey to trying to get the closest shave ever, but with my new combination of Gillette Fat Boy, Personna blade and new found blade angle I am only getting some weepers that the alum block takes care of. Before, with my Vision and Merkur Super Plaitnum blades, I was getting some bad nicks that required two applications of the liquid nick relief. I think most of this may have to do with the blade change more so than the razor, but I'm sticking with what I have for now. One thing about the blades though... they don't seem to be lasting as long as the Merkur's. I say this because they don't seem to slice through hairs well after three uses. They're cheap enough that it really doesn't matter, and the Gillette Fusion $3.50 per cartridge I was using before wouldn't get me more than 3 passes either. One last thing on razors, I REALLY like the feel of the Gillette Fat Boy over the Vision. I think it's because the weight is nice and heavy, yet the handle and dimensions are smaller. I love the Vision, don't get me wrong, but I think I'm still too green to use it affectively.
I got some new products recently, one of which I haven't been able to try yet because I can't figure out how to store it after I use it. That being the Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil soap. It is supposed to soften the beard making it easier to cut. The problem is that it comes in plastic wrap, but nothing to sit it in after you use it under water... I just haven't figured out where to keep it yet, and I can't keep it out on the counter since I share a bathroom with my young kids who tend to like to explore. The other things I got are Geo F. Trumper's Skin Food in the lime scent and Hugo Boss Energise cologne. The Trumper's Skin Food smells like lime jellybeans and I want to eat it... unfortunately, it says "Caution: For external use only" on the bottle. :-( Fortunately, it makes my skin feel awesome after a shave and even when I use the alum block! My skin still feels great even the next day. As for the Hugo Boss cologne, I was thinking it was the same as my older version of Hugo Boss cologne who's bottle looks like a canteen. It's not. The scent is a bit different, but I like it. It's also very strong only requiring one squirt to last a day. The Musgo Real soap and Trumper's Skin Food I got from Sesto Senso, and the Hugo Boss cologne I got from a guy on the ShaveMyFace.com forum. I think the price for the Trumper's was higher at Sesto Senso than it is at other online stores, but I was actually on Sesto Senso's site because they had the cheapest Proraso Aftershave Balm AND shipping which certainly impacts pricing. I decided to go with the skin food over the Proraso ASB, and I think I'm happy about that.
On "Shave's of the Day", I don't know that I'll post any more of these unless I have anything of note to post with. So far, since my last SOTD post things have been uneventful... in a very GOOD way. Granted, I continue to get better at my technique, etc, so that's pleasant, but nothing majorly new.
OH! One thing that I did just last night because it's been bugging me to try it... I used my Dovo Silvertip Travel Brush instead of the Edwin Jagger, AND I built the lather directly on my face like when I travel. I hate to say it, but I like it a LOT better than the Edwin Jagger and the mug (though I think the lack of using the mug had less to do with it). My reason is because the brush is MUCH smaller on the Dovo and I like this better for moving the lather around my face. It also seemed to build a lather very quickly and didn't seem to get lost in the brush. I've made mention before that I was leaning toward the idea of liking a smaller brush. I think this may clinch it. The Edwin Jagger is a great brush, but the bristles are so long I feel like they are all over the place. I don't know if I want to use my Dovo Travel Brush at home all the time, so I may look for a smaller brush like it for home use and keep the Dovo for traveling only. We'll see.
I got some new products recently, one of which I haven't been able to try yet because I can't figure out how to store it after I use it. That being the Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil soap. It is supposed to soften the beard making it easier to cut. The problem is that it comes in plastic wrap, but nothing to sit it in after you use it under water... I just haven't figured out where to keep it yet, and I can't keep it out on the counter since I share a bathroom with my young kids who tend to like to explore. The other things I got are Geo F. Trumper's Skin Food in the lime scent and Hugo Boss Energise cologne. The Trumper's Skin Food smells like lime jellybeans and I want to eat it... unfortunately, it says "Caution: For external use only" on the bottle. :-( Fortunately, it makes my skin feel awesome after a shave and even when I use the alum block! My skin still feels great even the next day. As for the Hugo Boss cologne, I was thinking it was the same as my older version of Hugo Boss cologne who's bottle looks like a canteen. It's not. The scent is a bit different, but I like it. It's also very strong only requiring one squirt to last a day. The Musgo Real soap and Trumper's Skin Food I got from Sesto Senso, and the Hugo Boss cologne I got from a guy on the ShaveMyFace.com forum. I think the price for the Trumper's was higher at Sesto Senso than it is at other online stores, but I was actually on Sesto Senso's site because they had the cheapest Proraso Aftershave Balm AND shipping which certainly impacts pricing. I decided to go with the skin food over the Proraso ASB, and I think I'm happy about that.
On "Shave's of the Day", I don't know that I'll post any more of these unless I have anything of note to post with. So far, since my last SOTD post things have been uneventful... in a very GOOD way. Granted, I continue to get better at my technique, etc, so that's pleasant, but nothing majorly new.
OH! One thing that I did just last night because it's been bugging me to try it... I used my Dovo Silvertip Travel Brush instead of the Edwin Jagger, AND I built the lather directly on my face like when I travel. I hate to say it, but I like it a LOT better than the Edwin Jagger and the mug (though I think the lack of using the mug had less to do with it). My reason is because the brush is MUCH smaller on the Dovo and I like this better for moving the lather around my face. It also seemed to build a lather very quickly and didn't seem to get lost in the brush. I've made mention before that I was leaning toward the idea of liking a smaller brush. I think this may clinch it. The Edwin Jagger is a great brush, but the bristles are so long I feel like they are all over the place. I don't know if I want to use my Dovo Travel Brush at home all the time, so I may look for a smaller brush like it for home use and keep the Dovo for traveling only. We'll see.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Saturday's bliss - SOTD
Went with the Fat Boy again and loving it! Today I had started to get ready for the shower but had to wait for my 6 yr old daughter to take one since she just got home from lacrosse and needed to go to a birthday party. I put on the Proraso Pre-shave cream and it got to sit on my beard forever... it actually sank into my skin most of the way by the time I could hop in the shower. This resulted in a very soft beard for me... but I don't think I will ever have that luxury of time to leave it on again.
I would guess that this affected my shave for the better. The shave did go well with only a few weepers, but NO nicks. I bumped up the blade level to 3 thinking that this would allow me to use less pressure and get a closer shave. I used 3 passes, with the third including minor touch-ups. I didn't go full-on ATG, but the shave is pretty darn close. Some areas are MUCH more sensitive than others and prone to blade skipping/tugging which would cause nicks, so I avoid ATG on those areas and when I do go over them I use even lighter pressure.
I only used the Proraso Pre cream on the first and second pass. The third was strictly lather. After my shave I decided to use the alum block because of the weepers and this completely took care of the bleeding and didn't sting as much as previous shaves. I then let that sit on my face and cleaned my gear. Once finish cleaning I rinsed it off and used my Aqua Velva Ice Sport aftershave splash... this still burned a bit, but not bad.
That was it and I feel great about the shave. It didn't take long and came out nice. Equipment was the same as Thursday's except where noted.
I would guess that this affected my shave for the better. The shave did go well with only a few weepers, but NO nicks. I bumped up the blade level to 3 thinking that this would allow me to use less pressure and get a closer shave. I used 3 passes, with the third including minor touch-ups. I didn't go full-on ATG, but the shave is pretty darn close. Some areas are MUCH more sensitive than others and prone to blade skipping/tugging which would cause nicks, so I avoid ATG on those areas and when I do go over them I use even lighter pressure.
I only used the Proraso Pre cream on the first and second pass. The third was strictly lather. After my shave I decided to use the alum block because of the weepers and this completely took care of the bleeding and didn't sting as much as previous shaves. I then let that sit on my face and cleaned my gear. Once finish cleaning I rinsed it off and used my Aqua Velva Ice Sport aftershave splash... this still burned a bit, but not bad.
That was it and I feel great about the shave. It didn't take long and came out nice. Equipment was the same as Thursday's except where noted.
Friday, no time - SOTD
Friday I just couldn't find the time to shave, so I took the day off. Probably good for my face anyway. ;-)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Thursday... pleasant - SOTD
Once again I reached for the Fat Boy, having had such a good shave with it yesterday.
My prep, if I haven't mentioned in an earlier post, has become wetting my face and applying a thick layer of the Proraso Pre/Post shaving cream before getting into the shower. I try to let it sit on my beard for as long as possible and will sometimes brush my teeth after applying it, but before getting into the shower. Once I get out of the shower, I don't dry my face with the towel and then wet it some more after I finish drying my body off. I then put more Proraso cream on, but much more diluted than before getting in the shower. I let that sit on my beard while I make my lather, then I slap the lather over the cream on my face. While this is sitting on there, I start to get all my shaving gear out and ready... so hopefully it sits on my face about two minutes.
Starting my shave, I really like the Fat Boy! This time, like last time, I tried to make sure I was using proper blade angle... almost faulting on the side of the blade not even touching my face. However, I feel like the adjustment of the blade set at 2 is not aggressive enough, and I fear this is making me apply more pressure than I should. I did not adjust the blade this time, but next time I may set it to 3 and see if I feel okay with almost no pressure. With this said, the shave was wonderful again... in fact, it was so wonderful that I (being as impatient as I am) decided I could try against the grain in some areas. I may have gotten just a tad over zealous trying this so close to my last incident, but all in all it went VERY well!! Honestly, I had several weepers in one area, but nothing like I've had in the past from using the Vision with the Merkur blade and not even trying to go ATG!! So, in my book, this shave was a total success!
I am thinking, for the time being, the Fat Boy is my go to razor and the only thing I'm going to use for a while. I may adjust the blade to 3 to see what effect that has, but I want to get some solid shaves under my belt before trying more blades in this razor. So far, I am very pleased with the Personna. I see a lot of people saying that they can get them at Walmart, but I don't think my local Walmart carries them. :-( We'll see. Besides... there may be much better blades out there for me once my technique is solid. ;-)
***********EDIT**************
I forgot to mention my equipment list. It was essentially identical to Wednesday's list with the addition of the Alum Block for the weepers, but the Proraso Post-shave application still went very well. I think the key was thoroughly rinsing my face after the alum and making sure my beard area was very wet before applying only a small amount of the Proraso cream.
My prep, if I haven't mentioned in an earlier post, has become wetting my face and applying a thick layer of the Proraso Pre/Post shaving cream before getting into the shower. I try to let it sit on my beard for as long as possible and will sometimes brush my teeth after applying it, but before getting into the shower. Once I get out of the shower, I don't dry my face with the towel and then wet it some more after I finish drying my body off. I then put more Proraso cream on, but much more diluted than before getting in the shower. I let that sit on my beard while I make my lather, then I slap the lather over the cream on my face. While this is sitting on there, I start to get all my shaving gear out and ready... so hopefully it sits on my face about two minutes.
Starting my shave, I really like the Fat Boy! This time, like last time, I tried to make sure I was using proper blade angle... almost faulting on the side of the blade not even touching my face. However, I feel like the adjustment of the blade set at 2 is not aggressive enough, and I fear this is making me apply more pressure than I should. I did not adjust the blade this time, but next time I may set it to 3 and see if I feel okay with almost no pressure. With this said, the shave was wonderful again... in fact, it was so wonderful that I (being as impatient as I am) decided I could try against the grain in some areas. I may have gotten just a tad over zealous trying this so close to my last incident, but all in all it went VERY well!! Honestly, I had several weepers in one area, but nothing like I've had in the past from using the Vision with the Merkur blade and not even trying to go ATG!! So, in my book, this shave was a total success!
I am thinking, for the time being, the Fat Boy is my go to razor and the only thing I'm going to use for a while. I may adjust the blade to 3 to see what effect that has, but I want to get some solid shaves under my belt before trying more blades in this razor. So far, I am very pleased with the Personna. I see a lot of people saying that they can get them at Walmart, but I don't think my local Walmart carries them. :-( We'll see. Besides... there may be much better blades out there for me once my technique is solid. ;-)
***********EDIT**************
I forgot to mention my equipment list. It was essentially identical to Wednesday's list with the addition of the Alum Block for the weepers, but the Proraso Post-shave application still went very well. I think the key was thoroughly rinsing my face after the alum and making sure my beard area was very wet before applying only a small amount of the Proraso cream.
Wednesday... better - SOTD
Well, I gave my face a rest before trying again and it seems to have paid off. Although, I switched two things... actually, more than two things, but two major things that I think attributed to my pain on Sunday. Instead of the Merkur Vision 2000 and its Merkur Super Platinum blade, I chose to try my new (to me) Gillette Fat Boy and I also decided to try a Personna blade in it.
I decided a two-pass shave was in order, again to let me face rest a bit. At first I set the Fat Boy on 1, the least aggressive setting for the razor, but it hardly seemed to cut the hairs at all. I was being very mindful of blade angle this time, but it almost seemed easier with the Fat Boy razor head than it did with the Vision. I'm starting to think that the Vision should be put in my closet until I start to master my shaves, and only then be brought out again.... but I honestly think I did too many things wrong in the past with that razor. For one, I think I may have adjusted the razor too aggressively... partly by accident, partly because I thought I needed to get a bit more aggressive. The problem I have with the Vision is that the adjustment knob does not click solidly into different blade angles, but rather turns with infinite degrees. For a beginner such as myself, this is not helpful. I am sure that once I am an expert I will enjoy this ability... but for now I see myself as too green and too stoopid (being aggressive too soon, etc). So I am going to put it away for a while... besides, I really like my new Fat Boy.
The shave was truly wonderful, and I LOVE the feel of the Fat Boy in my hand and guiding it around my face at all the angles... better than both the Vision and Super Speed (so far). It never "got in the way" of trying to get the right angles and felt easy to use. And the girth of the handle and weight were equally wonderful. In addition, it gracefully glided over my skin with ease, but I think this had more to do with the following things:
I had read some stuff on the shaving forums and found that some people really enjoyed the Proraso Pre/Post cream as an aftershave. I realized the alum block was causing the cream to damn near curdle, and THAT was why I didn't like it at all. Plus, this time when I applied it as a pre-shave cream and diluted it a lot with water I saw that I could definitely like it as an aftershave... so I decided NOT to use the alum block since I wasn't going for an aggressive shave, and try the Proraso cream very diluted as an aftershave. I liked it quite a bit... but I still felt like I needed a moisturizing ASB and used my AoS Lemon ASB which makes my face feel nice and supple.
Equipment:
I decided a two-pass shave was in order, again to let me face rest a bit. At first I set the Fat Boy on 1, the least aggressive setting for the razor, but it hardly seemed to cut the hairs at all. I was being very mindful of blade angle this time, but it almost seemed easier with the Fat Boy razor head than it did with the Vision. I'm starting to think that the Vision should be put in my closet until I start to master my shaves, and only then be brought out again.... but I honestly think I did too many things wrong in the past with that razor. For one, I think I may have adjusted the razor too aggressively... partly by accident, partly because I thought I needed to get a bit more aggressive. The problem I have with the Vision is that the adjustment knob does not click solidly into different blade angles, but rather turns with infinite degrees. For a beginner such as myself, this is not helpful. I am sure that once I am an expert I will enjoy this ability... but for now I see myself as too green and too stoopid (being aggressive too soon, etc). So I am going to put it away for a while... besides, I really like my new Fat Boy.
The shave was truly wonderful, and I LOVE the feel of the Fat Boy in my hand and guiding it around my face at all the angles... better than both the Vision and Super Speed (so far). It never "got in the way" of trying to get the right angles and felt easy to use. And the girth of the handle and weight were equally wonderful. In addition, it gracefully glided over my skin with ease, but I think this had more to do with the following things:
- Blade angle - I made an effort to hold the blade more parallel with the area of my face I was shaving instead of dragging the blade across my skin.
- For my lather, I did not use the Super Lather, but rather just chose to use the Proraso shaving cream.
- I diluted the Proraso Pre shave cream MUCH more this time. I'm not sure if this had an impact.
- The Personna blade - I am wondering if the Merkur Super Platinum blades are just too sharp or something. This feeling may have more to do with the next bullet.
- Lower blade setting - I think this had the most to do with it. The blade was very close to razor, so it was practically impossible to drag across my skin.
I had read some stuff on the shaving forums and found that some people really enjoyed the Proraso Pre/Post cream as an aftershave. I realized the alum block was causing the cream to damn near curdle, and THAT was why I didn't like it at all. Plus, this time when I applied it as a pre-shave cream and diluted it a lot with water I saw that I could definitely like it as an aftershave... so I decided NOT to use the alum block since I wasn't going for an aggressive shave, and try the Proraso cream very diluted as an aftershave. I liked it quite a bit... but I still felt like I needed a moisturizing ASB and used my AoS Lemon ASB which makes my face feel nice and supple.
Equipment:
- Gillette Fat Boy
- Personna blade
- Proraso Pre-shaving Cream (before first pass only, diluted by having very wet face and using less cream, let sit for about 2 minutes)
- Proraso (green) Shaving Cream (before first pass I let it sit on for about 2 minutes)
- Edwin Jagger Super Badger Brush
- Pinaud Clubman Liquid Nick Relief
- Proraso Post-shaving Cream as an aftershave
- Art of Shaving Lemon Aftershave Balm
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Sunday's disaster - SOTD
I can admit it... I'm an idiot some times. For Sunday's shave, being that I was going to have a pleasant night with my lovely wife (rare opportunity with 4 active kids), I wanted to get the closest shave EVER! Doh!
To start out, I still had a little razor burn on my upper lip from Saturday's shave (truth be told, my upper lip has been very tender ever since I shaved my goatee off... it has had hair on it with no razor contact for over 10 years, so I can understand it being shocked lately), but it wasn't really that bad. I had a few ingrowns, but all in all I wasn't in too bad of shape. Today, I thought, I'm going against the grain for the ultimate BBS shave... stoopid.
I kept to my technique that I have been following this past week which was working well for me. Essentially identical to Saturday's shave as far as equipment and technique, but I decided to put in a brand new Merkur Super Platinum blade to avoid nicks and tugging. I'll spare you the boring (by now) prep and lather babble (again, it was just like Saturday's). Instead of WTG, XTG, XTG, XTG cleanup heavy areas, stop... I decided to go WTG, XTG, XTG, ATG. I was trying to use very little pressure, but I found that, especially on the ATG pass, the razor was skipping and hopping a lot. I thought a new blade would cure this, but my guess is (now) my face just wasn't ready for how aggressive I was getting with my razor path in conjunction with the growth of my hair. The blood started flowing from a lot of areas.
After it was over, while my face and neck were very smooth with no stubble, everything was very red... especially my upper lip! In fact, almost 48 hours later and my upper lip is still bright red and there is discomfort. I am going to need to possibly give my face a 3rd day off or more just to let it heal from the razor burn. Whew... I hope I don't make this mistake again.
Though... one thing popped into my head today (also after foraging some of the newbie forums)... I wonder if part of the problem is the Merkur Super Platinum blades?? I mean, I don't think I EVER have gotten a shave yet without at least 2-3 nicks, and that's without going against the grain. I kept blaming my technique and prep, but I may just try a different blade and possibly even razor (one of my new Fat Boy's), but changing too many things really is not scientific at all or at least impossible to tell which made the difference. I do want to try my Fat Boy though. ;-)
To start out, I still had a little razor burn on my upper lip from Saturday's shave (truth be told, my upper lip has been very tender ever since I shaved my goatee off... it has had hair on it with no razor contact for over 10 years, so I can understand it being shocked lately), but it wasn't really that bad. I had a few ingrowns, but all in all I wasn't in too bad of shape. Today, I thought, I'm going against the grain for the ultimate BBS shave... stoopid.
I kept to my technique that I have been following this past week which was working well for me. Essentially identical to Saturday's shave as far as equipment and technique, but I decided to put in a brand new Merkur Super Platinum blade to avoid nicks and tugging. I'll spare you the boring (by now) prep and lather babble (again, it was just like Saturday's). Instead of WTG, XTG, XTG, XTG cleanup heavy areas, stop... I decided to go WTG, XTG, XTG, ATG. I was trying to use very little pressure, but I found that, especially on the ATG pass, the razor was skipping and hopping a lot. I thought a new blade would cure this, but my guess is (now) my face just wasn't ready for how aggressive I was getting with my razor path in conjunction with the growth of my hair. The blood started flowing from a lot of areas.
After it was over, while my face and neck were very smooth with no stubble, everything was very red... especially my upper lip! In fact, almost 48 hours later and my upper lip is still bright red and there is discomfort. I am going to need to possibly give my face a 3rd day off or more just to let it heal from the razor burn. Whew... I hope I don't make this mistake again.
Though... one thing popped into my head today (also after foraging some of the newbie forums)... I wonder if part of the problem is the Merkur Super Platinum blades?? I mean, I don't think I EVER have gotten a shave yet without at least 2-3 nicks, and that's without going against the grain. I kept blaming my technique and prep, but I may just try a different blade and possibly even razor (one of my new Fat Boy's), but changing too many things really is not scientific at all or at least impossible to tell which made the difference. I do want to try my Fat Boy though. ;-)
Sunday, April 6, 2008
RAD took hold... quick and strong
RAD
Function: acronym
Razor Acquisition Disorder
I'm a sucker for cool stuff, and if I get a hankering for somethin' I tend to go overboard. I'm a big time gadget geek and also a compulsive spender (unfortunately for my wallet/finances).
I immediately started out with two razors: A used 1954 Gillette Super Speed (in great condition); and a brand new Merkur Vision 2000. These only seemed to whet my appetite as I began to see all of the different vintage razors out there on the forums and then on eBay. I love vintage stuff anyway, and the whole Double Edge wet shaving experience is a blast from the past, so why NOT have some old razors from the era?
Well, after looking at many different razors that are out there and available, I fell in love with the Gillette Fat Boy. I placed a bid on one that a guy from one of the shaving boards was selling on eBay, but it wouldn't end for like 4 days (I'm impatient). I fairly quickly got outbid and I didn't want to go over my maximum... so I looked around and found one in possibly better shape that also came in the original case and the case was also in better shape that the other I was looking at. This auction ended sooner, so I put in my same bid. I then saw a guy raising my bid, but didn't go over my high bid yet. I also continued to look around at what else was available and found another Fat Boy in very good condition, without the case though, and the bidding was ending very soon... minutes even. I figured I would probably lose the one with the case, so I decided to snipe this one and see if I got it. I sniped it with the same maximum bid as the other with only 30 seconds to go and I WON it! ... Uh oh... I was still winning the other one. This one cost me close to my maximum on the other one. I hadn't wanted to spend that much money, but I figured I could turn around and sell it if I needed/wanted to.
As I was looking, I found another Gillette that I had interest in... the Gillette Super Speed Red Tip. This has a much beefier handle, like the Fat Boy, but no adjustments. It had NO bidders, was in decent shape (obviously some wear though), and was starting at $0.99. I figured I would pay up to $10 for it and the auction was ending around the same time as the other Fat Boy. So I put in $10 as my maximum and left the rest, on both, to fate. Well, someone bumped me up to $8.25, but I won it... I ALSO won the other Fat Boy (mixed emotions), and for less than the first one I won.
I already got the first Fat Boy I won. It IS in good shape! I haven't used it yet because I thought I might turn around and sell it, but the one person I was interested in trading it with for a 1972 razor (my birth year) didn't want it. I then thought about it for a moment and decided that, if I do like the Fat Boy, having two might be a really great thing! I can take one on my travels and not worry so much about the possibility of it getting stolen. At the same time, I'm VERY interested in getting my wife into DE wet shaving, and she might like the Fat Boy too.
The other Fat Boy with its case, and the SS Red Tip should arrive in the mail on Monday, so I'm anxious to see what they look like. Hopefully the Red Tip isn't in too bad of shape. There were a share of hi-res pictures, but they weren't all in focus and there was an annoying orange light, like an auto-focus light, and that made it difficult to see just how good of shape it was in. It may have been intentional to hide rusting and brassing, but other pictures of the same sides without the orange light but further distance didn't appear to show any of those signs.
Anyway, now I own 5 DE razors after only starting a week and a half ago. YIKES! I think I just hit the brakes and my next razor purchase will be a 1972 razor in really good/excellent shape. ;-)
Function: acronym
Razor Acquisition Disorder
I'm a sucker for cool stuff, and if I get a hankering for somethin' I tend to go overboard. I'm a big time gadget geek and also a compulsive spender (unfortunately for my wallet/finances).
I immediately started out with two razors: A used 1954 Gillette Super Speed (in great condition); and a brand new Merkur Vision 2000. These only seemed to whet my appetite as I began to see all of the different vintage razors out there on the forums and then on eBay. I love vintage stuff anyway, and the whole Double Edge wet shaving experience is a blast from the past, so why NOT have some old razors from the era?
Well, after looking at many different razors that are out there and available, I fell in love with the Gillette Fat Boy. I placed a bid on one that a guy from one of the shaving boards was selling on eBay, but it wouldn't end for like 4 days (I'm impatient). I fairly quickly got outbid and I didn't want to go over my maximum... so I looked around and found one in possibly better shape that also came in the original case and the case was also in better shape that the other I was looking at. This auction ended sooner, so I put in my same bid. I then saw a guy raising my bid, but didn't go over my high bid yet. I also continued to look around at what else was available and found another Fat Boy in very good condition, without the case though, and the bidding was ending very soon... minutes even. I figured I would probably lose the one with the case, so I decided to snipe this one and see if I got it. I sniped it with the same maximum bid as the other with only 30 seconds to go and I WON it! ... Uh oh... I was still winning the other one. This one cost me close to my maximum on the other one. I hadn't wanted to spend that much money, but I figured I could turn around and sell it if I needed/wanted to.
As I was looking, I found another Gillette that I had interest in... the Gillette Super Speed Red Tip. This has a much beefier handle, like the Fat Boy, but no adjustments. It had NO bidders, was in decent shape (obviously some wear though), and was starting at $0.99. I figured I would pay up to $10 for it and the auction was ending around the same time as the other Fat Boy. So I put in $10 as my maximum and left the rest, on both, to fate. Well, someone bumped me up to $8.25, but I won it... I ALSO won the other Fat Boy (mixed emotions), and for less than the first one I won.
I already got the first Fat Boy I won. It IS in good shape! I haven't used it yet because I thought I might turn around and sell it, but the one person I was interested in trading it with for a 1972 razor (my birth year) didn't want it. I then thought about it for a moment and decided that, if I do like the Fat Boy, having two might be a really great thing! I can take one on my travels and not worry so much about the possibility of it getting stolen. At the same time, I'm VERY interested in getting my wife into DE wet shaving, and she might like the Fat Boy too.
The other Fat Boy with its case, and the SS Red Tip should arrive in the mail on Monday, so I'm anxious to see what they look like. Hopefully the Red Tip isn't in too bad of shape. There were a share of hi-res pictures, but they weren't all in focus and there was an annoying orange light, like an auto-focus light, and that made it difficult to see just how good of shape it was in. It may have been intentional to hide rusting and brassing, but other pictures of the same sides without the orange light but further distance didn't appear to show any of those signs.
Anyway, now I own 5 DE razors after only starting a week and a half ago. YIKES! I think I just hit the brakes and my next razor purchase will be a 1972 razor in really good/excellent shape. ;-)
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Got my HUGE DE Blade Sampler
I got my Tryphon Sampler Pack #5 (Huge) which comes with 165 blades!! It was only $40 shipped to my door. I'm pretty sure that's cheaper than what I paid for a 16 pack of Gillette Fusion cartridges from Sam's Club!! I got the idea from LeisureGuy's book and his topic of trying as many different blades in your razors as you can because each blade/person/razor is different. So the only way to find your perfect combination is by experimenting with different blades... the more the better!
While I may actually throw away (or give away) some of the packs of those blades if they don't work for me, it should still get me by on needing to buy razors for quite some time (6 months possibly). I REALLY think you should look at LeisureGuy's method for trying different blades because it makes a lot of sense (I'm talking about how to try different blades, being not one after another, but rather a more scientific and controlled test to see the differences). Based on this, I am NOT trying the different blades (in the same razor) yet until I get my technique down better, which is mainly razor angle which ALSO differs between razors, sometimes greatly.
I will probably post quite a bit on my blade findings, but remember it is all subjective and very personal.
While I may actually throw away (or give away) some of the packs of those blades if they don't work for me, it should still get me by on needing to buy razors for quite some time (6 months possibly). I REALLY think you should look at LeisureGuy's method for trying different blades because it makes a lot of sense (I'm talking about how to try different blades, being not one after another, but rather a more scientific and controlled test to see the differences). Based on this, I am NOT trying the different blades (in the same razor) yet until I get my technique down better, which is mainly razor angle which ALSO differs between razors, sometimes greatly.
I will probably post quite a bit on my blade findings, but remember it is all subjective and very personal.
Back from trip... Shave of the Day
Saturday - Once again I had a late day shower/shave. Today, because I'm an idiot and impatient, I went for a BBS shave. I used four passes... actually four and a half. I used the Vision again, for consistency sake, and it performed well. I think the blade is on its last leg though.
I'm still "getting" the razor angle down and still having trouble maneuvering the neck areas. You also need to understand that my neck hairs grow all over the frickin' place as far as direction of hair, so it's not even remotely easy. I am still getting nicks, but overall the razor burn is much decreased... which I am relating to better blade angle.
My Proraso stuff and Alum Block came in from Em's Place, so I was anxious to use it. Woofta... nice menthol scent to wake you up and clear the sinuses. ;-)
Prep
After taking my shower I did not dry my face and then wet it even more from the sink and put the Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream on fairly thick and let it sit for a while as I setup the rest of my stuff. I decided to try the "Super Lather" that LeisureGuy mentions in his book which consists of shaving soap as well as shaving cream. So I did my same trick of soaking my Aloe Vera soap and the Apothecary Mug in hot water while showering. Then I charged the Super Badger brush with the soap and added to the tip a dollop of the Proraso shaving cream and created the lather in the mug. I had to add a bit more water than I expected as it was rather thick and sticky to begin with. I may have actually overdone it a little with the water in the end, but the lather held up well, so maybe this was best yet (I have no "real" point of reference to compare it to) . I then let the lather sit on my beard longer than I ever have (not sure if it was two minutes, but it felt like it).
Shave
I first tried to follow the grain on ALL parts of my face (not easy, but I think I did well... no nicks on the first pass... a first for me). Next I tried XTG from one direction, then I relathered and tried the other direction. Since there was still a bit of stubble (keep in mind I started with a LOT longer stubble because of skipping about 36+ hours), I decided to do another XTG pass but somewhere between XTG and ATG. This got most areas BBS, but there were still some areas on my neck and chin that were being stubborn. So I lathered again, left it on for a little bit, then, feeling around with my left hand (razor in my right), I felt for those stubborn areas and did very short and light ATG passes, moving the remaining lather back over those areas if needed, and got a very nice BBS surface. There were nicks for sure, but not too bad considering how many passes I made and went ATG.
Post shave
Having the Alum Block, I was anxious to see how well it worked and what it would do for my shaving experience. I rinsed my face first with warm, then with cold water and made sure it was dripping wet. I then took the Alum Block and rubbed it ALL over my face. While LeisureGuy says it doesn't stop bleeding like styptic or the nick relief, it did do a fair job at stopping the bleeding from most of those areas. It also burned like an aftershave on the first pass, but subsequent passes over any area did not sting at all. It was a VERY pleasant experience and my neck/face looked/felt great! I then used my liquid nick relief for the two or three areas still showing some blood (not much blood at all mind you... not like before I ran the alum block over them) and finished off with the Aqua Velva Ice Sport aftershave... this yielded zero burn (I'm assuming because the Alum block already took care of that). I decided to try the Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream and did NOT have a pleasant experience here. I'm thinking what happened was because of the Alum Block, but this time the Proraso cream felt almost sticky and kind of spun into little bits of putty... weird. SO, I don't see me ever using the Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream for post application again. I REALLY liked the AoS Aftershave Balm when I used it, but I wonder if it would have the same effect after the alum block... a test is in order my next shave. Also, on the Proraso cream, while the scent and texture was great as a pre-shave cream, I didn't like it for after the shave. On the topic of texture though, what I noticed on my first pass, the only pass I made with the Proraso cream under the lather, the cream created a very hard to wash out layer of "gunk" under my razor blade. So, I'm not sure if I like that either... the scent as a pre-shave application was nice though... and I think it made a difference on my first pass, but I'm not positive.
Equipment:
I'm still "getting" the razor angle down and still having trouble maneuvering the neck areas. You also need to understand that my neck hairs grow all over the frickin' place as far as direction of hair, so it's not even remotely easy. I am still getting nicks, but overall the razor burn is much decreased... which I am relating to better blade angle.
My Proraso stuff and Alum Block came in from Em's Place, so I was anxious to use it. Woofta... nice menthol scent to wake you up and clear the sinuses. ;-)
Prep
After taking my shower I did not dry my face and then wet it even more from the sink and put the Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream on fairly thick and let it sit for a while as I setup the rest of my stuff. I decided to try the "Super Lather" that LeisureGuy mentions in his book which consists of shaving soap as well as shaving cream. So I did my same trick of soaking my Aloe Vera soap and the Apothecary Mug in hot water while showering. Then I charged the Super Badger brush with the soap and added to the tip a dollop of the Proraso shaving cream and created the lather in the mug. I had to add a bit more water than I expected as it was rather thick and sticky to begin with. I may have actually overdone it a little with the water in the end, but the lather held up well, so maybe this was best yet (I have no "real" point of reference to compare it to) . I then let the lather sit on my beard longer than I ever have (not sure if it was two minutes, but it felt like it).
Shave
I first tried to follow the grain on ALL parts of my face (not easy, but I think I did well... no nicks on the first pass... a first for me). Next I tried XTG from one direction, then I relathered and tried the other direction. Since there was still a bit of stubble (keep in mind I started with a LOT longer stubble because of skipping about 36+ hours), I decided to do another XTG pass but somewhere between XTG and ATG. This got most areas BBS, but there were still some areas on my neck and chin that were being stubborn. So I lathered again, left it on for a little bit, then, feeling around with my left hand (razor in my right), I felt for those stubborn areas and did very short and light ATG passes, moving the remaining lather back over those areas if needed, and got a very nice BBS surface. There were nicks for sure, but not too bad considering how many passes I made and went ATG.
Post shave
Having the Alum Block, I was anxious to see how well it worked and what it would do for my shaving experience. I rinsed my face first with warm, then with cold water and made sure it was dripping wet. I then took the Alum Block and rubbed it ALL over my face. While LeisureGuy says it doesn't stop bleeding like styptic or the nick relief, it did do a fair job at stopping the bleeding from most of those areas. It also burned like an aftershave on the first pass, but subsequent passes over any area did not sting at all. It was a VERY pleasant experience and my neck/face looked/felt great! I then used my liquid nick relief for the two or three areas still showing some blood (not much blood at all mind you... not like before I ran the alum block over them) and finished off with the Aqua Velva Ice Sport aftershave... this yielded zero burn (I'm assuming because the Alum block already took care of that). I decided to try the Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream and did NOT have a pleasant experience here. I'm thinking what happened was because of the Alum Block, but this time the Proraso cream felt almost sticky and kind of spun into little bits of putty... weird. SO, I don't see me ever using the Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream for post application again. I REALLY liked the AoS Aftershave Balm when I used it, but I wonder if it would have the same effect after the alum block... a test is in order my next shave. Also, on the Proraso cream, while the scent and texture was great as a pre-shave cream, I didn't like it for after the shave. On the topic of texture though, what I noticed on my first pass, the only pass I made with the Proraso cream under the lather, the cream created a very hard to wash out layer of "gunk" under my razor blade. So, I'm not sure if I like that either... the scent as a pre-shave application was nice though... and I think it made a difference on my first pass, but I'm not positive.
Equipment:
- Merkur Vision 2000
- Merkur Super Platinum blade (I think on it's last use, but may use it once more to see)
- Proraso Pre-shaving Cream (before first pass only, let sit for about 2 minutes)
- Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera soap and Proraso (green) Shaving Cream for "Super Lather" (before first pass I let it sit on for about 2 minutes)
- Edwin Jagger Super Badger Brush
- Alum Block (all over face)
- Pinaud Clubman Liquid Nick Relief
- Aqua Velva Ice Sport aftershave
- Proraso Post-shaving Cream (did not like as a post shave application)
Hard to keep up... past Shave's of the Day
Well, I'm back from my trip and I never posted ANY of my shaves from both Sunday as well as the weekdays. So I'll try to recap quickly:
Sunday - I still used the Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera shave soap, using the technique of soaking it in hot water while taking my shower. I switched back to the Vision to see if the shave would be different. Because I had it cranked down to it's lowest (read least aggressive) setting I got less nicks than the Super Speed and overall the shave was just a little more pleasant... but, what I realized over the week was, this (most likely) had more to do with my technique and angle than the razor or blade.
The shave was good, and I decided to only take three passes, which were WTG, XTG and XTG. There was still a little stubble, but my face felt better.
Equipment:
Tuesday - Because I was in a hotel with no other distractions I could take my time. I made sure to try and wet my beard as much as possible in the shower. I have been forgetting to mention that I have been putting conditioner on my beard while in the shower and letting it sit while I wash the rest of my body. Not sure if this is helping at all, but I would think it can't hurt.
I decided to use my Art of Shaving shaving cream instead of soap to see if there was any difference, also because I was lathering directly on my face with no mug brought along. I used the Dovo Silvertip Travel Brush, which is much smaller than my Edwin Jagger Super Badger, and it was fabulous at building a lather directly on my beard! I think I actually like a smaller brush now, but maybe only for building a lather directly on the beard. The shaving cream was MUCH easier to make a proper lather with than the soap (for me... unless I just don't know what a "proper" lather actually is). I'm not sure if the shave was actually better because of using the cream, but it turned out good. I again focused more on building technique rather than getting the closest shave ever. I never went ATG because I didn't want to ruin the experience.
Equipment (for the entire week):
Thursday - This, aside from not being truly baby butt smooth, was a wonderful shaving experience! Less nicks again. When applying the aftershave I am feeling less burn.
Friday - Decided once again to give my face a rest.
Sunday - I still used the Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera shave soap, using the technique of soaking it in hot water while taking my shower. I switched back to the Vision to see if the shave would be different. Because I had it cranked down to it's lowest (read least aggressive) setting I got less nicks than the Super Speed and overall the shave was just a little more pleasant... but, what I realized over the week was, this (most likely) had more to do with my technique and angle than the razor or blade.
The shave was good, and I decided to only take three passes, which were WTG, XTG and XTG. There was still a little stubble, but my face felt better.
Equipment:
- Merkur Vision 2000
- Merkur Super Platinum Blade
- Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera shaving soap
- Lathered in Edwin Jagger Apothecary Mug
- Edwin Jagger Super Badger Brush
- Pinaud Clubman Liquid Nick Relief
- Toner Spray
- Aqua Velva Ice Sport (bracing) aftershave
- Art of Shaving Aftershave Balm (soothing)
Tuesday - Because I was in a hotel with no other distractions I could take my time. I made sure to try and wet my beard as much as possible in the shower. I have been forgetting to mention that I have been putting conditioner on my beard while in the shower and letting it sit while I wash the rest of my body. Not sure if this is helping at all, but I would think it can't hurt.
I decided to use my Art of Shaving shaving cream instead of soap to see if there was any difference, also because I was lathering directly on my face with no mug brought along. I used the Dovo Silvertip Travel Brush, which is much smaller than my Edwin Jagger Super Badger, and it was fabulous at building a lather directly on my beard! I think I actually like a smaller brush now, but maybe only for building a lather directly on the beard. The shaving cream was MUCH easier to make a proper lather with than the soap (for me... unless I just don't know what a "proper" lather actually is). I'm not sure if the shave was actually better because of using the cream, but it turned out good. I again focused more on building technique rather than getting the closest shave ever. I never went ATG because I didn't want to ruin the experience.
Equipment (for the entire week):
- Merkur Vision 2000
- Merkur Super Platinum blade (newly replaced... only this day)
- Art of Shaving Shaving Cream
- Dovo Silvertip Travel Brush
- Lathered directly on beard
- Toner Spray
- Aqua Velva Ice Sport (bracing) aftershave
- Art of Shaving Aftershave Balm (soothing)
Thursday - This, aside from not being truly baby butt smooth, was a wonderful shaving experience! Less nicks again. When applying the aftershave I am feeling less burn.
Friday - Decided once again to give my face a rest.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Been on the road
So, I've been on the road and busy as hell. I will post my last two shaves for SOTD and keeping track for myself. What I can tell you though... I'm thinking the soap is part of the problem. Today, in a hotel, I used my Art of Shaving shaving cream and it gave a MUCH nicer lather (to my tastes) and lathered up directly on the beard like a frickin' champ! I'm also using the Dovo Travel Brush in Silvertip Badger, and it was VERY nice. I think I like the smaller brush size better, but that may just be for lathering on the face and because I was using cream instead of soap.
I ordered some Proraso shaving cream and pre/post cream which should be waiting for me when I get home. I also got an Alum Block, so it will be interesting to see how well that works for me. I got all of this from Em's Place online. Prices were good and I REALLY liked the Alum Block she has because, the one I got, comes with it's own whicker basket to sit in and dry.
I also found Pinaud Clubman nick relief that is a liquid with a sponge applicator. This worked GREAT for me and didn't leave the silly powder residue of the Styptic pencils. I found this at CVS I believe... it was local anyway, and that's what made me happy. I also picked up Aqua Velva "Ice Sport" aftershave which has a pretty decent scent that isn't too heavy and doesn't seem to linger (I was pleasently surprised).
So, I'll get more into my last two shaving experiences and my technique when I have a chance to post them.
I ordered some Proraso shaving cream and pre/post cream which should be waiting for me when I get home. I also got an Alum Block, so it will be interesting to see how well that works for me. I got all of this from Em's Place online. Prices were good and I REALLY liked the Alum Block she has because, the one I got, comes with it's own whicker basket to sit in and dry.
I also found Pinaud Clubman nick relief that is a liquid with a sponge applicator. This worked GREAT for me and didn't leave the silly powder residue of the Styptic pencils. I found this at CVS I believe... it was local anyway, and that's what made me happy. I also picked up Aqua Velva "Ice Sport" aftershave which has a pretty decent scent that isn't too heavy and doesn't seem to linger (I was pleasently surprised).
So, I'll get more into my last two shaving experiences and my technique when I have a chance to post them.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
My second DE shave
For my second shave, I used my 1954 Gillette Super Speed with a Derby blade. As I stated in my last post, my first shave's lather wasn't even close to being good enough and I figured it may have been the soap, being that it was brand new and was very hard (therefore not being able to sufficiently "charge" the brush). I then found in the book that some people found soaking the soap in hot water while showering helped. So I tried this today.
WOW! What a difference! As soon as I drained the soap bowl I could see how much softer the soap was and that it came away on my finger easily. This made very quick work of building a voluminous lather with the same brush I used yesterday. I now realize (including re-reading the book on lathering) that it is a good thing to have the lather develop into the brush (I had thought maybe this was a problem yesterday). The difference today from yesterday was that having the lather develop into the brush didn't hinder lather being readily available at the head.
So, good lather in brush ready, I lathered my beard and started with the razor. The Super Speed (SS) felt good in the hand and possibly easier to maneuver than the Vision. I would equate this to being more the fault of my technique on blade angle and such still not being refined enough for the Vision. The Vision, being so massive comparably, seems just a tad intimidating. The head of the SS was also quite a bit smaller (lower profile) which probably made it easier to work on the upper lip, but the Vision did a fine job on my upper lip too... just different technique.
Today was a lesson in patience... being that I didn't have enough. The patience of which I speak is patience for achieving a BBS shave without razor burn and nicking the heck out of oneself... but it could also have something to do with the Derby blade in the SS. Only time and experimentation will tell. Without someone experienced there to see my technique, I have no idea if it's my technique or the blade (or even the lather for that matter, but the lather seemed pretty solid... trying shaving cream for lather will help me figure this out too). Back to patience though, my reason for saying this is because, instead of making full passes and sticking to just one way (i.e., With the grain (WTG) only in all areas of the face to start, then across the grain (XTG) only in all areas, possibly another XTG from the opposite direction, and then stopping for now instead of going against the grain (ATG) and being okay with some stubble left in the end) I found myself trying to get every last stubble. The result was a LOT of nicks and a bloody neck. ;-)
Again, some of this may have to do with the Derby blade in the SS, the fact that I still had some shaving bumps on my neck from previous shaves that never went away, and even some (much less now) ingrowns, or possibly my prep still isn't enough or the lather isn't quite right. Only time will tell, but even with all of this being a somewhat negative result, compared to the perfect shave, it was still WAY better than what I could have hoped to achieve using cartridges and trying to shave on back to back mornings. Plus, I do have to give some of the end result to my post shave prep, using a styptic pencil and a toner spray before aftershave balm.
All in all, not bad.
Equipment list:
WOW! What a difference! As soon as I drained the soap bowl I could see how much softer the soap was and that it came away on my finger easily. This made very quick work of building a voluminous lather with the same brush I used yesterday. I now realize (including re-reading the book on lathering) that it is a good thing to have the lather develop into the brush (I had thought maybe this was a problem yesterday). The difference today from yesterday was that having the lather develop into the brush didn't hinder lather being readily available at the head.
So, good lather in brush ready, I lathered my beard and started with the razor. The Super Speed (SS) felt good in the hand and possibly easier to maneuver than the Vision. I would equate this to being more the fault of my technique on blade angle and such still not being refined enough for the Vision. The Vision, being so massive comparably, seems just a tad intimidating. The head of the SS was also quite a bit smaller (lower profile) which probably made it easier to work on the upper lip, but the Vision did a fine job on my upper lip too... just different technique.
Today was a lesson in patience... being that I didn't have enough. The patience of which I speak is patience for achieving a BBS shave without razor burn and nicking the heck out of oneself... but it could also have something to do with the Derby blade in the SS. Only time and experimentation will tell. Without someone experienced there to see my technique, I have no idea if it's my technique or the blade (or even the lather for that matter, but the lather seemed pretty solid... trying shaving cream for lather will help me figure this out too). Back to patience though, my reason for saying this is because, instead of making full passes and sticking to just one way (i.e., With the grain (WTG) only in all areas of the face to start, then across the grain (XTG) only in all areas, possibly another XTG from the opposite direction, and then stopping for now instead of going against the grain (ATG) and being okay with some stubble left in the end) I found myself trying to get every last stubble. The result was a LOT of nicks and a bloody neck. ;-)
Again, some of this may have to do with the Derby blade in the SS, the fact that I still had some shaving bumps on my neck from previous shaves that never went away, and even some (much less now) ingrowns, or possibly my prep still isn't enough or the lather isn't quite right. Only time will tell, but even with all of this being a somewhat negative result, compared to the perfect shave, it was still WAY better than what I could have hoped to achieve using cartridges and trying to shave on back to back mornings. Plus, I do have to give some of the end result to my post shave prep, using a styptic pencil and a toner spray before aftershave balm.
All in all, not bad.
Equipment list:
- 1954 Gillette Super Speed
- Derby blade
- Aloe Vera Edwin Jagger shaving soap (soaked in hot water while showered)
- Edwin Jagger Super Badger brush
- Styptic pencil (for the nicks)
- Toner spray
- Art of Shaving Aftershave Balm
Friday, March 28, 2008
My first ever DE shave
Well, I had planned on getting up ultra early (for me, that's 6am) and taking my time to shower and shave with ample time for prep in a unhurried pace and state of mind. But, as you can read in my post on the LeisureGuy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving, I didn't get to bed until after 1am... so, when my alarm went off at 6am, I said NO. 7am? Still not ready to wake up. I decided, since my kids needed to get ready for school and my wife would kill me if I didn't help, plus I had some stuff I had to do early in the day for work, that I would find some time in the afternoon to take my time with it.
It's once again almost 1am as I write this, so this post won't be as involved as I would have liked. I'm having "Boy's Night Up" with my oldest, watching movies, so I should really not be on the computer at all. Check out the book post for more details. I may come back to this and update it with more details.
Long story short, the shave went pretty well, but I think my prep was lacking. Instead of shaving cream, I used the Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera shaving soap. This was my first experience with trying to use soap, and I can say I borked the lather. :-) It wasn't horrendous, but it also wasn't good enough and only lasted one and a half passes... so I had to try and get more lather twice more. My new Edwin Jagger brush was MUCH nicer than my AoS brush for both lathering and feel on my face. I tried using shorter strokes with the razor, which seemed to work really well, but getting the blade angle right on different parts of the face was difficult at best. Now that I am paying more attention, I think I ALWAYS had a problem with this even using cartridges. The shave I got, without really going against the grain (ATG), though I did in some small areas, and instead doing multiple across the grain (XTG) passes, was VERY good. Better than any previous shave I have had with less irritation. I noticed I missed some areas, even all together, so it will take some getting used to where this razor cuts from (i.e., not all the way out to the edges) and working on getting my technique better.
The hardware I used:
My shave could have been better for several reasons: 1) My last shave wasn't very good and I had several ingrowns and bumps. 2) My prep, especially lathering, could have been better. 3) Technique needs some work too, especially razor blade angle around the different areas of the face.
I have read people talking about the Vision being too massive to shave with, especially under the nose. I can understand this complaint, but it was fairly easily overcome and my upper lip is in good shape. I couldn't go XTG because it is still far to sensitive from previous shaves, but I think that would easily solve the issue of the large razor head.
I am thinking of trying my Gillette Super Speed tomorrow to see how well that works for me. It may be easier for me for now, in which case I would possibly only take that razor on my trip. I may wind up taking both.
Anyway, that's all for now. I need to get back to my son.
********Update 3/29/08********
Well, I'm about to go and have my shave for today, but I thought of some things about my last shave to add.
One thing that I found about my lather (which is what is troubling me most I think), aside from not being thick or voluminous enough, the lather seemed to go deep into the brush. I'm not sure if this is what is supposed to happen, but it's not what I remember with my AoS brush. Maybe it's because I was using soap instead of shaving cream... it was my first time with soap, so I have no idea if I was doing things correctly. I found that in between passes, I had to pinch the base of the bristles and squeeze the lather up to the tip of the brush, but then it never seemed to be enough lather... so I had to build more lather in between passes. With my AoS brush and AoS shaving cream I did not need to do this for three passes with lather still left in the brush at the end... AND, I built the lather on my beard (without a bowl). So, certainly some experimenting is in order. Maybe today I will have time to experiment a little.
Correction: After watching the following video, I now think that my problem was NOT my lathering technique, or my brush, or my bowl, but rather that the soap was brand new, and I fear that the brush did not get enough soap on it. My lather 1) did NOT come out like that in thickness and such, and 2) took me forever to create. I think I may soak the soap in hot water for a little bit to soften it up and see if that makes a difference at all. I remember thinking it seemed very hard and wasn't sure if enough soap was getting on to the brush. (I did just find in the book that some people noted soaking the soap in hot water while showering helped, so hopefully this will solve my problem... at least initially to get the soap to soften. May not need to do this every time)
It's once again almost 1am as I write this, so this post won't be as involved as I would have liked. I'm having "Boy's Night Up" with my oldest, watching movies, so I should really not be on the computer at all. Check out the book post for more details. I may come back to this and update it with more details.
Long story short, the shave went pretty well, but I think my prep was lacking. Instead of shaving cream, I used the Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera shaving soap. This was my first experience with trying to use soap, and I can say I borked the lather. :-) It wasn't horrendous, but it also wasn't good enough and only lasted one and a half passes... so I had to try and get more lather twice more. My new Edwin Jagger brush was MUCH nicer than my AoS brush for both lathering and feel on my face. I tried using shorter strokes with the razor, which seemed to work really well, but getting the blade angle right on different parts of the face was difficult at best. Now that I am paying more attention, I think I ALWAYS had a problem with this even using cartridges. The shave I got, without really going against the grain (ATG), though I did in some small areas, and instead doing multiple across the grain (XTG) passes, was VERY good. Better than any previous shave I have had with less irritation. I noticed I missed some areas, even all together, so it will take some getting used to where this razor cuts from (i.e., not all the way out to the edges) and working on getting my technique better.
The hardware I used:
- The Merkur Vision 2000. I have it cranked down to the lowest setting (least aggressive) and it gave a really good shave. The massiveness of it takes some getting used to, as does the blade angle, but I got a good result for my first shave.
- I used one of the Merkur Super Platinum blades that came with the Vision.
- The Super Badger Edwin Jagger brush. They call it "Super Badger", which I'm not sure where it sits in the rankings, but it sure looks like Silvertip Badger to me, and is softer and plusher than the Dovo travel brush which was called "Silvertip Badger". From what I can tell, different geographies have different names for similar classes of brush hair, so it's difficult to simply go off names.
- The Apothocary black porcelin Edwin Jagger shaving mug. This was great in helping me build a lather, but I still did it wrong (no fault of the brush or mug... all me). The deep black color of the mug was helpful in seeing how well I was building the lather and will definitely come in handy in the future as I start to learn better technique.
- The Aloe Vera Edwin Jagger shaving soap. I have never used shaving soap before and it definitely seems different to build lather than shaving cream. Probably just a different technique than cream (which is all I've used to this point). Hopefully I can get the hang of soap quickly, but I will be taking my Art of Shaving (AoS) Shaving Cream on my trip in case I have to fall back to something I'm more familiar with.
- Finished up with styptic pen and finally AoS After Shave Balm.
My shave could have been better for several reasons: 1) My last shave wasn't very good and I had several ingrowns and bumps. 2) My prep, especially lathering, could have been better. 3) Technique needs some work too, especially razor blade angle around the different areas of the face.
I have read people talking about the Vision being too massive to shave with, especially under the nose. I can understand this complaint, but it was fairly easily overcome and my upper lip is in good shape. I couldn't go XTG because it is still far to sensitive from previous shaves, but I think that would easily solve the issue of the large razor head.
I am thinking of trying my Gillette Super Speed tomorrow to see how well that works for me. It may be easier for me for now, in which case I would possibly only take that razor on my trip. I may wind up taking both.
Anyway, that's all for now. I need to get back to my son.
********Update 3/29/08********
Well, I'm about to go and have my shave for today, but I thought of some things about my last shave to add.
One thing that I found about my lather (which is what is troubling me most I think), aside from not being thick or voluminous enough, the lather seemed to go deep into the brush. I'm not sure if this is what is supposed to happen, but it's not what I remember with my AoS brush. Maybe it's because I was using soap instead of shaving cream... it was my first time with soap, so I have no idea if I was doing things correctly. I found that in between passes, I had to pinch the base of the bristles and squeeze the lather up to the tip of the brush, but then it never seemed to be enough lather... so I had to build more lather in between passes. With my AoS brush and AoS shaving cream I did not need to do this for three passes with lather still left in the brush at the end... AND, I built the lather on my beard (without a bowl). So, certainly some experimenting is in order. Maybe today I will have time to experiment a little.
Correction: After watching the following video, I now think that my problem was NOT my lathering technique, or my brush, or my bowl, but rather that the soap was brand new, and I fear that the brush did not get enough soap on it. My lather 1) did NOT come out like that in thickness and such, and 2) took me forever to create. I think I may soak the soap in hot water for a little bit to soften it up and see if that makes a difference at all. I remember thinking it seemed very hard and wasn't sure if enough soap was getting on to the brush. (I did just find in the book that some people noted soaking the soap in hot water while showering helped, so hopefully this will solve my problem... at least initially to get the soap to soften. May not need to do this every time)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
What a friendly bunch of people
One more post before I get ready for bed and read more on Gourmet Shaving:
I just wanted to say that my short time with reading posts from, and interacting with, the people on the shaving forums and having their own blogs has been a great experience. Very non-threatening and helpful.
It's a great crowd out there... keep up the good work!
I just wanted to say that my short time with reading posts from, and interacting with, the people on the shaving forums and having their own blogs has been a great experience. Very non-threatening and helpful.
It's a great crowd out there... keep up the good work!
I, too, have a Vision
Having some additional funding at my discretion, and doing some research and question asking, I decided to hunker down and get a Merkur Vision 2000!
As I said in my earlier post, I now have TWO DE razors in one day after not having any. The first, also my first post, is a 1954 Gillette Super Speed that I obtained used through the ShaveMyFace.com forum. I couldn't pass up the deal and it looks like a great razor. PLUS, I read so many good things about them and that they are generally good for beginners because 1) They are not adjustable, so nothing to fiddle with, and 2) They are not that aggressive.
Tax returns are nice, and while most of it went to pay the bills, I took the opportunity to splurge a bit where I normally couldn't. So, while I received my first DE razor today, I also received my order from BestGroomingTools.com. I have to say that they were very responsive and I love the detail they have on their site. I actually placed my order but then realized I missed an item. So I emailed them to find out whether or not I could add an item without slowing down shipment because I leave Monday morning for a week long trip and I wanted my stuff! They allowed me to add the item and even setup UPS shipping for very little more to guarantee I got it in time. I added two more things and they didn't make me do anything other than email to change my order... that was nice.
What I ordered:
- Obviously the Merkur Vision 2000. I love the look and feel of this razor, but I think I expected something a little more "tight" based on how it looks and the reviews on the sites selling them. DON'T get me wrong, this thing is nice and substantial, but compared to the more than a half century old Gillette I got, this thing kind of feels sloppy without a blade in it. Once I put a blade in, it feels a LOT tighter, but I guess I was a little disappointed at first hold. It comes in a really nice tin with great presentation, and it includes a 10 pack of Merkur Super Platinum blades. I'm sure I will appreciate it more and more as time goes by.
- Super Badger & Chatsworth Ebony Brush by Edwin Jagger. After my research and learning just HOW important the prep of your face & beard is, I decided to splurge on brushes too. This thing is simply sumptuous! Compared to my Art of Shaving Pure Badger brush that came with a $35 sampler, it is heaven. It even came with its own matching stand. The bristles are SO much nicer, I can't even come up with a description that would possibly do it justice, and I don't have the depth to describe it yet. Soft, supple, stiff yet flexible... these are some of the words that come to mind when I think about it. I can't WAIT to use it tomorrow morning for my first shave!
- Black Porcelain Apothecary Mug by Edwin Jagger. I saw this while I was looking for razors and I just had to have it. I absolutely love the shape and the knob off the side to hold it between two fingers. Not having used a mug previously and simply trying to build a lather on my face, I realized I wanted to try lathering in a mug... now that I have read LeisureGuy's book, I definitely feel that building a lather in a mug or bowl for beginners is useful.
- Aloe Vera Shaving Soap & Travel Jar by Edwin Jagger. I've wanted to try shaving soap and felt that it would be the best for travel purposes since it is not a liquid and for carry-on the allowed amount of liquid is only 3.4fl oz, which is less than most shaving creams in tubes or tubs. I also am interested in the Aloe Vera aspect of this soap. I think I'll point out at this time that the Edwin Jagger line of products are exquisite! Their fit and finish is truly something... much better than the Merkur/Dovo line... more on that later.
- Styptic Pencil by Colonel Conk. Hey, I have to expect to bleed for a while. May as well be prepared. :-D After more reading though, I think I am going to go for an Alum Block instead of the styptic pencil/powder. The Alum Block has more uses than just stopping bleeding from nicks and cuts, it also helps close your pores and tighten your skin. Also, I was a little bummed... the stick of styptic broke off the base during shipping. I don't believe that will affect performance, but it certainly makes it less user friendly. ;-)
- Silvertip Badger & Stainless Steel Travel Shave Brush by DOVO. While earlier I said the fit and finish on Merkur/Dovo products is behind Edwin Jagger, I HAVE to give props to them on this unit. The design and delivery is great, and the brush is only slightly lower quality than the Edwin Jagger brush... but it's also smaller by a large margin, so I think that makes it feel stiffer (the bristles are soft themselves, the vertical stiffness is what I'm referring to). I actually WANTED this (smaller size) in a travel brush because I have heard/read that it is easier to build a lather on your beard with a smaller brush. I can attest to that having tried it with my AoS brush which was roughly the same size (a little smaller than) my Edwin Jagger brush. Since I don't plan on bringing a mug/bowl, that is important. I think this brush will be a great travel brush for me, and it matches my Vision very nicely.
- Lavender Shaving Soap & Travel Tin by DOVO. Here is where most of my wrath comes as far as fit and finish, but some of it goes to the Vision razor. This "tin", which is NOT metal but rather painted plastic, is 1) Much bigger than I expected, or that I feel it needs to be. 2) Is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to screw open and closed without serious effort... at one point I seriously contemplated throwing it in the trash because I messed up screwing the lid on and I COULD NOT get it undone. It finally gave and I had to VERY carefully screw it on so it didn't cross-thread. The paint almost seems to make it adhere to itself. I got it on a whim because I figured the Dovo line of products would be first rate, and I figured it would be nice to have a variety of soaps to try. It also seemed to match my Vision and Dovo travel brush, so why not. Well, I DON'T think I'll be using that on my travels. The Edwin Jagger soap is in a travel case itself and is a joy to use and hold in the hand. The lid is fluid in opening and closing. It's really too bad about this Dovo one though... oh well.
- I also got a protective tube for any shave brush that can be used for travel or storage purposes. I could use it for my Edwin Jagger brush if it turns out I don't like the Dovo, but for now it is storing my AoS brush. It was only $6.
- Leather Sheath for the Vision 2000. This is a leather travel pouch that fits the Vision (which is a chore because of how big the thing is). It also can hold pretty much ANY other DE razor on the market, so no loss there. I didn't realize how nice the tin was that the Vision came in, but I was thinking I might use that to transport my razor when traveling. I can even cut out an area in the foam for my Dovo travel brush, so that's an option.
- They threw in a 5 pack of Personna blades for free (nice), so now, between the Derby that I got with my Gillette and the 10 pack of Merkur Super Platinum's that came with my Vision, I have three different blades to try out. Which brings up the point that's in the book... you should try as many different blades as you can (systematically of course... see the book reference) to see which blade works best for you for both your face and in your different razors. I plan on getting a massive sampler pack soon. First I have to work on technique. ;-)
Cheers!
LeisureGuy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving
I purchased this book from Amazon.com since I have their Prime membership and you get free 2-day shipping.The book came yesterday at the end of the day and I was already into dinner with the fam, so it had to wait until everyone was in bed. I got about 75% finished before I just had to go to sleep. I will probably finish the rest of this excellent book tonight and come back to this post and give it a proper review.
So far, I am VERY impressed with the information, layout and tone. While I only JUST received my first DE razor yesterday, I had started to use some of the techniques I was picking up from both my best friend, as well as stuff online. I purchased an Art of Shaving sampler from Amazon which came with a badger hair brush. The AoS products were pretty good and the brush was alright. I was still using a Mach3 as my razor, but I was turning out better shaves by prepping my beard/face better.
What you probably don't know about me is that I have had facial hair to some degree for a long time now (it feels... probably about 7 years), which was mainly due to my pain and suffering I experienced with shaving. But that was all electric shavers (Oh the horrors... they chewed my face to bits!!!) and cartridges eventually... the good stuff too. My latest razor was the Gillette Power Fusion. At first, it was the best shave I ever had, but then I realized I could only shave every three days or my neck would be a wall of blood. Most of the problem, I now realize, was my technique and lack of prep. My best friend started me down this path, and I tend to obsess about things, so I dug in as much as I could. It took many months for me to get to this point where I actually own, not one, but two DE razors! More on that in another post... Anyway, my point is that I recently was trimming my goatee, but I had to use a trimmer I was not familiar with because my older one broke down. Well, the newer one cut a HECK of a lot closer than my older one on the same setting and I wound up with barely stubble on my upper lip... doh! I've been wanting to try clean shaven for a while, so what the hell. I trimmed everything and shaved it all off... MAN was it weird looking at myself! Only now after close to a week am I able to look at myself and not be weirded out. :-D
While I haven't shaved with a DE yet, I am confident that, with some practice, it will be the best shaves I ever had and will be able to shave everyday. Hopefully it won't be long before I can achieve a BBS (Baby Butt Smooth) shave without nicks and cuts. ;-)
********Update 3/28/08 2:14pm*************
Well, it turns out I was further through the book than I thought. ;-) I finished the book last night, but it was really late before I even laid down to do so. I didn't start to fall asleep until a little after 1am... so, when my alarm went off at 6am to get up and have my first shave... I wasn't having any of it. I reset it for 7am instead... but then 7 rolled around and I STILL wasn't having any of it. :-) I decided that a midday shower and shave was in order. Luckily I work from home and can pretty much write my own schedule for the most part.
I didn't bring the book with me for my first shave and I think I could have used it. There were certain things I knew I was forgetting, or forgetting the technique. I will write a post exclusively about my first shave, but what I can say right now is, my prep was lacking a little. Also, my previous shave resulted in some ingrowns and bumps, so this first shave was definitely not as good as it could have been... VERY nice though. Seriously, already better than ANY of my previous shaves because of the lack of pull and cut (IMHO).
Back to the book. I did not read it in front of a PC to look up all the additional info and instead just read it through cover to cover. It is a VERY good book for this filled with knowledge and tips/tricks. Obviously everyone's face and beard is ultimately different, so mileage may vary across different people... luckily, Michael does an excellent job of making sure you understand the key is technique and experimentation. I LIKE the fact that he mentions what HE likes and dislikes... it at least gives you something to go on. I will need to experiment for quite a while before I get things down. The hardest for me so far is the lather... the way Michael explains it and the way his looks in the photos is NOT the way mine looked this afternoon. I also didn't have hours to mess around and start over, so I just used it the way I had it... unfortunately I think this was elemental in some of the less than desirable results. Once again, I want to reiterate that the experience was not bad by any stretch of the imagination, just not perfect like I've been doing it for 50 years now. ;-) Not that I expected it to go without incident... I saw my neck before I started. :-) While my shave was not the ultimate BBS shave, it is VERY smooth with less irritation than I have ever had with cartridges.
This book gave me a tremendous amount of advice, and also bolstered some of the decisions I made before reading it. It also showed me where some of my decisions were wrong. ;-) I certainly don't expect to be perfect... heck, where does that leave room to grow and keep things interesting? I can see that my quest will be an enjoyable one, and I can see me keeping this book close by. My week long trip next week will give me a PERFECT opportunity to experiment and master some of my technique. I think I will be bringing both of my razors with me to also experiment there (just a little... I don't want to focus too much on hardware and instead focus on technique, but I'd like to know how my other razor and I perform together... it may be a better fit for me than the Vision to start out). I will probably try my SS before I go and see if I really want to bring both or choose the one I perform better with to remove that temptation.
Anyway, while I may give more of a review again later, so far I say, "Buy the book!"
My first DE Razor arrived!!
Well, for my opening post, it may as well be about receiving my very first Double-Edge (DE) razor.I'm very excited and can't wait to try it. It is a 1954 Gillette Super Speed that I purchased from a wonderful man going by the alias of "Shave4Fun" on the ShaveMyFace forum (a wonderful place to gain a LOT of knowledge by the way). It was posted in the "Selling and Trading" section and I couldn't pass up the price.
Below are some pictures of it (taken by Shave4Fun) and I have to say I am very pleased with its condition.
He even threw in a brand new Derby blade for me to try.
So, I will definitely be posting on my first experience with it soon.
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