SOTD : Saturday 19th May - Friday 25th May 2018

Tuesday

Pre-shave: The usual shower and some nice soap
Cream: TooBS - sensitive skin
Brush: Yaqi 24mm synthetic
Razor: Gillette Tech
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1)
Post shave: Humphrey's Witchhazel, Balea After shave balm, later Bulldog moistersing cream

After the last three days of testing a Baili razor and razorburn getting worse by the day, I switched to a Gillette Tech today to give my skin some rest and time to heal. Sadly, not shaving before work is not an option. Maybe I should really use more mild razors if I need to shave daily.
 
FEzryi2.jpg


Pre-Shave: SebaMed, cold water
Razor: BBS-1
Blade: Voskhod (1)
Brush: Hucklaration
Lather: Mike's Bay Rum
Post-Shave: Alum, Thayers Original Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, South Australian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil​
 
This was actually SOTD 20.05.2018
SOTD200518.JPG

Pre: Shower with Bulldog face wash
Soap: Wickhams 1912 Cashmere
Brush: Yaqi 24mm Sagrada Familia synthetic
Razor: Merkur Futur
Blade: Nacet (2)
Post: Cold water rinse and Thayers unscented Witch Hazel
AS: Old Spice

This shave didn't go great..... haven't used the Futur for a long while as last time made my face very sore. Tried it out again today and was just as bad! I completed a 1 pass on neck (setting 2 WTG) and 2 passes on the face (setting 2 WTG, setting 1 ATG). It took me a while to load the blade, I've never had trouble with this before. It left the blade a lot more exposed on one side, so I fiddled about with this until I got it as lined up as I could. Managed to cut myself a couple of times on the neck and chin area, and found that my face felt very sore all over after the shave had been completed. This was my first ever DE razor, and now seems a shame that it'll be confined to the 'box of stuff that never gets used' :(

I'm hoping that todays shave (22.05.18) will be much better.... back to the EJ89
 
SOTD: 22nd May 2018.

View attachment 35712
Shaving recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/ Imperial Leather ~ Sea minerals & Black Mint Shower Gel.


Pre:

warm wet flannel to my face.


Wilkinsons Fruits ~ Rhubarb & Vanilla Body Butter.

Brush: Semogue 1470.

Face Lather.

Soap: Kent.

Blade: Super-Max Super Platinum. (1)

Razor: Parker Variant (settings): 2: WTG, 2.5:XTG,3: ATG,+ pick ups.

Warm wet flannel/ cold wet flannel to rinse my face.

Post:

Alum Block./Cold Water Face Rinse./ Homemade Lemon,Lime+Peppermint Oil Witch Hazel Mixture./Nivea Men ~ Sensitive Cooling Post Shave Balm.

Giorgio Beverly Hills ~ Ocean Dream A/S Lotion.


Greetings,

it'll be two years on July 2018. that i became a member of TSR..


In them two years, i find it amazing that before i started traditional wet shaving i used to hate shaving with a passion, now with my likeable hobby, i look forward to my next shave.Since i've started traditional wet shaving i've amassed quite an amount of shaving kit, and many different DE razors some have been passed on to me, each of which have their pros and cons , in the two years i've used most of them multiple times,and enjoyed using each and every one for all different reasons.

The more aggressive ones,such as the 'Muhle R41'(2014 version) Mingshi 2000s, & Fatip Grande have taught me to "Shave the lather from my face, rather than the stubble", and have gave me the shaving confidence to use an aggressive razor without the fear of thinking it's going to cut my face to ribbons.All of my DE razors, have taught me to treat them with the same level of respect,regardless been aggressive or non-aggressive, if not, these ladies will give me a nasty bite..with patience good preparation & learning my technique, of which i'm still learning with every shave, i've been rewarded with some sublime shaves, and also the occasional weeper,& nick along the way,which is all part of the fun with traditional wet shaving...However,despite the fact that I have used all of those razors I cannot ever remember getting such a sublime shave with the first use of a razor, but all that changed with my maiden shave using the Parker Variant.


I won't deny the fact that i have a fondness for parker my razors,and in theory i didn't really need to buy the Parker Variant,as my other Parker razors give me good acceptable clean shaves,However, after sitting on the fence undecided for well over a year, i pushed the buy button on the Parker Variant. I now have the grand the total of nine Parkers!, which i get great pleasure from each one, but i can honestly say none of them are even remotely in the same category as the Variant. Not even close, my only other razor that i can compare it to is my Mingshi 2000s,+ (Spare one) which are the only other adjustable razors i own, another superb razor,that gives me very efficient shaves indeed, but on my first pass with the Variant it felt right from starting the first pass,a soild weight smooth,& balanced in my hand,and was at ease instantly with it's aggression.I've learn't alot of my shaving technique using my various assortment of DE razors, Parker razors i find shave excellently with a slightly steeper shaving angle, resulting in a very comfortable smooth performance. I found my shaving angle with the Variant almost instantly on the 1st pass.However,as it was my maiden shave with the variant I took Paul's @Blademonkey advice with the settings and started on setting 2. WTG, 2.5 XTG, then took it up to setting 3 for ATG,+pick ups.

I find setting 3 very comfortable for me, i could feel the blade for sure, but it felt comfortable & solid...I probaby didn't need to take to setting 3 ,but i was just experimenting with its aggression, i may try it above setting 3 in the future shaves, but 3 is my 'comfort zone' setting for now, also i was BBS after the 2nd pass,..another first, but i carried with the 3rd & pick up passes just for the sheer pleasure of the shave & to use up the wonderful lather, the first time use of Kent soap had created.Incidently i personally think that 90% of traditional wet shaving is good preparation & mastering your technique,a good solid well balanced DE razor blade choice helps immensely to put you on the right track to do so, the Parker Variant will be a great one for me.
An amazingly well built razor, which is a pleasure to use.A keeper for sure.I should have bought one last year, when i had the chance to..Oh well ,you live & learn.

A sublime very efficient 3 pass + pick ups silky smooth shave with no errors to report...

Finishing the shave off with a generous splash of Giorgio Beverly Hills ~ Ocean Dream A/S Lotion... Both the A/S & Soap, are early birthday presents from my siblings,that i was told i had to use with my new razor. both excellent presents, i now know that the kent soap is the same as MWF,which was a double bonus for me, as it's one my favourite shaving soap to date..The post shave feeling is the best i've had from all the soaps & creams. The A/S is 'Very refreshing stuff!',and yes!, the bottle is "skew-whiff " readers, its not your vision playing tricks on you, the scent reminds me of Davidoff Coolwater, which is another old favourite of mine...I also got some Gillette 'Blue' aftershave, from the rest of the clan which i'll be trying out in future shaves...I was quite taken back by the fantastic pre-birthday presents from the family, i'm well stocked up with soap & smellies now.

My face is feeling super smooth refreshed, & smelling devine.;)

Sorry for the short novella, posting fellow members,"I get carried away with myself at times".. The performance of the Parker Variant has left a very lasting impression on me, enough of my babble.

And i shaved happily ever after.The end.

Enjoy your day, ladies & gentlemen. Regards. B.:cool:
Excellent write up @Palmolive fox. A very interesting read.
 
22/5/18

Brush - Yaqi Tux
Soap - LPL Cedre & Patchouli
Razor - Gillette Tech
Blade - Perma Sharp SS (4)
Post - Witch Hazel/Nivea Balm
AS - Ben's Menthol Bay Rum

After reading the thread about Perma Sharp's, I decided to use one for today's shave and I find it's a blade that takes a few shaves to get to it's best and I find the 4th or so onwards to achieve the best results and with the Tech today it was wonderfully smooth.

Sadly, the LPL irritates my skin which I could feel mid shave and post shave the burn is significant. My face seems to react unfavourably with fragrance/essential oils.
 
SOTD 22MAY18.JPG
SOTD 22MAY18
Razor: Charcoal Goods Lvl 2 SB | Florian Cross
Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium (3)
Brush: Dogwood | Declaration 'B5'
Soap: River Valley Trading 'Frosty Bay Rum'

I made a trade with Mohamed to obtain this and four other soaps. This is my first go with his soap base and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it performed. The lather buildup was super easy while slowly adding water, it's not an overly thirsty soap but appears to be able to handle a good amount of water (experiementation setup for a later shave). This soap is extremely slick with great residual slickness. The lather was thick for a vegan soap and I found my CG razor struggling to get through it to the bare skin (awesome). The soap is very protective and the post-shave is good; my face feels nice and soft, there is no irritation. These soaps are very cheap but there is a challenge for Mohamed in getting them shipped overseas (I'm in Italy and it took almost 3 months for them to arrive after being stuck in customs for over a month). If Mohamad gets logistics figured out or finds a Stateside vendor to carry them I would highly recommend them. Another note, this soap has a very nice bay rum (spicy), clove, and cinnamon scent with added menthol; the face feel from the menthol was very nice, not too cold. However, my neck had a nice red ring on it where the soap had made contact; my face experienced no burning nor did my neck for that matter but it was red so I will reluctantly have to move it on. I look forward to trying out the other soaps as I am very pleased with the performance.
 
upload_2018-5-22_12-57-41.jpeg
Brush: Omega S10083
Cream: Tri-Coastal Design Milagu Black
Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic
Blade: Derby Extra (2)

(it's the same set up as yesterday, so you don't really need the new photo, but I thought I'd supply one without all the self-congratulatory running stuff in it)

Right, take two on the set-up, only this time with enough water on the brush. The (made in China) soap has no body or substance, but is very slick. And I like the scent. I might not buy another, but I don't think I was ripped off at $6.99 - there's always that concern with buying stuff from TK Maxx.

I googled it, and if you wanted to you could pay $19.99 for the set on Amazon. I think it's designed for gifting, hence the crappy brush they throw in (not pictured - I've been using it to clean some of the soap scum off my razor, so I might actually take it home with me rather than chucking it in the bin as I first intended).

I didn't really notice the blade, which I'm taking as a positive. I was left with some (very) minor irritation at the end of the shave, but I'm not sure where to lay the blame for that.

Happy shaving, all.
 
20180521_225420_1526995158760-1723x1724.jpg

One less pass than usual - two last night, one XTG and one ATG. Properly BDBSS and the moisturiser made my face feel amazing!

Man Cave Sensitive Face Wash
Maseto 30mm silvertip
Tabac soap
Gillette New LC
Gillette Wilkinson Sword blade
A little alum, and
L'OrealMen Expert Moisturising Balm

Have a good day
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom