SOTD : 11th JULY 2019.
Shaving recipe for today.
Prep: Warm shower:/ L'OREAL ~ Birch Sap Shower Gel.
Pre:
warm wet flannel to my face.
Pears ~ Lemon Flower Extracts Transparent Soap.
Brush: Wilkinson Sword.
Bowl: Tesco's (UK) Ceramic 'Cosmo' Side Bowl.
Bowl Lather.
Soap: Proraso White Sensitive.
Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium.(3)
Razor: Muhle R41.
Post:
Cold Water Face Rinse./Homemade menthol crystals +Eucalyptus peppermint,+ Tea Tree Oil Witch Hazel Mixture./ Boots ~ Freshwood ASL +Aftershave Balm.
Greetings,
Another early morning shave.
When i first ventured into the wonderful world of traditional wet shaving like everyone else i was totally naive and inexperienced and jumped in with both feet buying various shaving items based solely on the looks rather than knowing anything about them and because everyone else had them on display in their SOTD set ups.
My first few early experiences with the muhle R41 '2013 version' where to be honest horrible! i had nicks & irritation with every shave. I purchased the R41 on impulse at the time i thought the seller may have sent me a 'faulty razor' thinking this was why it was so aggressive for me or i was using a dodgy batch of blades however, it never accured to me that the major contributor to my horrible first outings with the Muhle R41 was down to 'yours truly', through ignorance, lack of good preparation technique, & shaving confidence of which in my case i was lacking in all.
The R41 alone has taught me to train my mind to "Shave the lather from my face,rather than the stubble," adding to that,using the weight of the razor and blade without adding any pressure at all,with this in mind my shaves with the R41 vastly improved,after that i applied this train of thought each time i shaved regardless if the razor was aggressive or non-aggressive, with patience respect of the razor & gaining my shaving confidence i was rewarded with sublime error free shaves.
The R41 is an aggressive/efficient razor, or should i say can be aggressive if the person shaving with it makes it aggressive. Any razor can be aggressive and cause irritation & give you nicks if you don't treat it with respect ,learn your technique and gain shaving confidence and don't become a complacent shaving idiot blaming the problems you've created on your shaving items.With my shaving experience growing i found mastering my technique and gaining my shaving confidence the assertive muhle R41 is actually better than a milder razor for reducing irritation as it mows through stubble more efficiently requiring less passes.
My shave today i only required 2 passes + a pick up pass for a 'BBS' shave ,normally i do a 3 pass + a pick up pass to get the near same results. As always razor choices and opinions are very subjective.A superb efficient semi-open comb german made razor which will always be a firm favourite of mine.
The Proraso Sensitive Soap provided me with slick protective lather for the shave leaving a equally good post shave feel. Out of the 3 proraso soaps i've tried i find the sensitive the best for its slickness.
A very comfortable 2 pass + pick ups bbs smooth shave with no errors to report.
Finishing to the shave off with a generous dollop of Boots ~ Freshwood aftershave balm.
My face is feeling super smooth & smelling devine.
Enjoy your day, ladies & gentlemen.