Thread: The Noob Chronicle - My Straight Razor Experience

Sounds like you are having alot of fun Jack! For me, I went through pretty close to the same thing with honing. Can i suggest you may want to alternate between a good known razor and just ONE other razor until you get the edge right? This is what seemed to work for me. Good Luck!

The Straight Road - Part 68: The Bare Necessities
Being away from home can sometimes be a blessing, though I admit that I miss both SWMBO and SWMBO Jr. quite a bit, it's also nice to have some change in the routine and especially something that challenges me personally, intellectually and professionally like the course I'm taking. Staying away from home also necessitates packing a shave kit, which I did for this trip. It consists of a few of my better shaving products (though it could be argued that all of my shaving products are of very good quality), carefully selected to make a great road shaving kit. And by carefully selected I mean "the first products that occurred to me while packing". So my trip was made with my TI Le Canadien Black Horn razor, my Semogue Owners Club brush (not the Bocote TGN Finest I had listed yesterday), my stick of Arko and my Trumper's AS and ASB. After my very underwhelming results from the past few shaves, I was looking for redemption in the form of a back-to-basics shave, with an easy face lather and a great edge.

The Anticipation
These course days are long, starting at 9AM and ending at 8PM, so by the time things wrap up, I am ready for some relaxation time. One of the perks of the course is a free iPad, which contains all the course material and which we get to keep as our very own. I have been using the Kobo application to read books on my Android phone, but having a nice big screen on the iPad will be a welcome upgrade. So after finishing up for the evening, I sat in the chair in my hotel room, reading for a while. But soon enough, I was rubbing my stubble and, though I had originally planned to shave in the morning, I decided it would be better to shave in the evening, giving me more time for showering and breakfast the next day.

The Prep
Since I had already had a nice, hot shower this morning, I opted to prep with hot towels and a hot water face splashing. After a few minutes of this, I felt my whiskers were probably ready for a shave. I had brought a conference badge neck lanyard with me, so I used that to hang my episaacs-made 'roo strop from a towel hook and I gave the Le Canadien a good 50 laps. That done, I ran the brush and the end of the Arko stick under hot water for a good 30-40 seconds, preparing them for their part in this dance.

The Lather
There are a lot of opinions about the scent of Arko, but one thing that is fairly universal is that it lathers really well. I happen to find the scent rather pleasant, in a clean, citrusy kind of way. The lathering qualities are also quite good, though I still need some more practice with shaving sticks, as I find I often end up with less lather than usual. Such was the case this evening, as I had to reapply the stick to my face prior to the third pass. I also found the lather dried rather quickly, which usually means I need to add more water. I think the solution will be to use Arko a few more times, or perhaps grate some MWF off my puck and make a shaving stick. I also have a couple of samples that might do well if I pressed them into shaving stick form. This would be a great way to practice a new lathering technique for me and ensure good lathers when I travel. That said, I can't complain about the lather I got, just that I didn't get it quite as good as I would have liked.

The Shave
Night and day difference from the last time. That is about the best way to describe it. The edge on this Le Canadien is smooth and sharp, which allowed it to glide over my skin with no tugging or skipping, no roughness and no burn. In the end, I was probably smooth enough after two passes that I could have done some touch-ups and left it, but I wanted to go for a third pass, just to clean things up all the way. I still need to work on my south to north stroke on the neck, but generally, everything went smooth and easy. I think I might try a two-pass shave next time, going straight to the S-N neck stroke on the second pass. This would get me smoother, quicker and give me less chance of irritation via a third, perhaps unnecessary, pass.

The Post
Seeing as I had neglected to bring my alum and witch hazel, the first thing to hit my face was cold water. After that, I rinsed out the brush and laid it aside, then splashed on the Trumper's Spanish Leather. It did burn a fair bit, though I'm not sure if that's because I hadn't used alum yet, or if my skin was more tender than usual. It will be an interesting experiment to see how my skin reacts to the same AS after an alum application. After that, the unscented ASB was the final step and I was all set to go.

The Verdict
I think the lather could have been more protective, but the shave was leagues ahead of my previous several attempts. I am going to stick with razors I know are in good shape for the next few shaves, then I will probably heed JoeSomebody's advice and alternate between my good Le Canadien and the one that needs work until such time as they both shave me well. That is, provided I can get the Snakewood one to take a similar edge to the black horn. I'm sure I can get it, I just need to work at it.

As long as I keep working at it, I know I'm on the right track on The Straight Road.

It feels nice to have had a smooth shave without that gut-wrenching feeling of a poorly-honed blade playing havoc with my face. Hopefully, I can continue to iron out the difficulties in my honing technique, so I can get to a point where I get shave-ready edges from my coticule, or failing that, my 4k/8k Norton. I would truly like to master the coti, because the good edges I've had from it have been the nicest for shaving, but we shall see. This weekend I hope to finalize my W&B Wedge restore, so I should have some more eye-candy in the near future.

See you soon!

Cheers,

Jack

The Straight Road - Part 69: Morning Glory
It's been several days since I have been able to get the time to sit down and write up the latest steps in my journey. After my course last week, Saturday afternoon saw me at Maxi's shop yet again, putting the finishing touches on a project I've been working on for a while, a http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...ge-padauk.html. I am quite pleased with how the razor turned out and hopefully I can get it to shaving readiness, as there is quite a bit of steel to remove for the bevel-setting.

Here's a shot of the razor (more photos in the above-linked thread).


After that, Sunday turned out to be a day of running around, followed by a nice visit with dllandry, with whom I got to spend another great afternoon talking about razors and other interesting subjects while enjoying his hospitality. I even got a loan of a Dubl Duck razor for me to try, so I'll finally be able to see what all the hype is really about.

After all that, I didn't end up shaving over the weekend, so when Monday morning rolled around, I had to decide whether to go through the day with several days growth, or finally put my Friodur to work, which had been waiting on deck for a few days. Since I had to meet with my daugther's dance teachers that evening, I figured I'd better look cleaned up, so I opted for a morning shave for the first time in a long time.

Monday Morning

The Anticipation
There wasn't much anticipation for this one, as it was sort of unplanned, but I must admit I had been really looking forward to having another go with the Beast. It had been a while, which meant I had almost forgotten how wonderfully that razor shaves, so this was a great chance to give it a go. I decided on the TOBS Shaving Shop lineup, a classic scent that makes you smell like a barber shop (imagine that!) and my big Frank Shaving brush, which seems to complement the big razor quite nicely.

The Prep
My morning shower was not a long, drawn-out affair, but it was enough to get the job done, as well as helping prep my whiskers for removal. The Real Shaving Exfoliating Scrub did its work, while the RazoRock soap helped me feel clean and fresh. That done, I ran my brush under hot water for a while and filled my scuttle, forgoing the usual soak in favour of quickness.

The Lather
I dipped my wet brush in the cream tub and swirled it around just a bit, which gave me quite a bit of cream to whip up in my Robert Becker scuttle. The ensuing lather was creamy, thick and cushiony. It did tend to be a touch dry, so for the second pass I added some more water to the mix before taking it to my face. I must say, I'm starting to think this big brush might be almost too big, as it really fills up with lather to the point of excess. With this brush loading cream, I tend to end up with enough lather for about 8 passes, when I only really need two. I also find it quite large and pillowy on my face, which is nice, but at the same time hard to control. For the moment, I still enjoy it, but I've found that a slightly smaller knot is easier to manage.

The Shave
This was really a joy. After so many struggles with rough or less-than-sharp edges, having two shaves in a row with a wonderful edge makes life a lot more fun. I only went for two passes, which I think might be the secret that allows me to shave every day, then touched up with some blade buffing in the usual areas of the jawline and the chin. The result was an excellent, smooth shave that made me think that a morning ritual might not be such a bad idea.

The Post
It was quite an amazing thing to apply the alum block and have almost no sting. There was a spot or two along the jawline and a small touch under the chin, but the rest of my face felt great. The witch hazel was next, then came the Shaving Shop splash, which didn't even burn! The scent is nice and the lotion has a bit of a soothing, cooling effect, which makes it very enjoyable. After that, I applied some of the balm, which I found actually stung a bit more than the splash, but also helps to keep my face more moisturized. I dabbed on some of the cologne, then at the end I used a bit of Trumper's Fragrance Free moisturizer, just to keep my face from tightening up too much in the cold winter air.

The Verdict
I looked great, I smelled great and I felt great. There's not much more to say than that. A great shave and a great Monday morning!

Tuesday Morning
After a great Monday morning shave, I figured I'd try it again on Tuesday. Of course, my decision was aided greatly by the arrival of my package from Italian Barber, which contained my full RazoRock King Louis Lavender lineup, along with the Lavender cologne and a Semogue 1460 brush, a tiny little boar brush that looks like it has great promise. When I got home on Monday evening, I did some test-lathering with the brush to help break it in and found the bristles to be surprisingly soft. After just one night a lot of the tips have already split, so this little guy is shaping up to be a face-lathering champ. I am going to give it a few more latherings to break it in, then leave it for a full 48 hours to dry and help split more of the tips, then it will be drafted into the shaving rotation. In the mean time, I'd have to make do with one of the six other brushes in my lineup.

The Anticipation
After hearing the rave reviews of RazoRock's artisan series of shaving products, I was very excited to try them. The lineup consists of a shaving gel, which can be used as a pre-shave prep, the artisan Italian soft soap, the artisan aftershave spray and the artisan aftershave wax, all in the King Louis Lavender scent. To cap it off, I also ordered the Lavender EDT from RazoRock, which is a fresh, clean lavender scent. The fact that several of these products are made in Canada and Italian Barber is a Canadian business also appeals to me greatly. I figured I'd give the TGN Finest knot the duty of lathering this soap, while the shaving duties for the day would be up to the borrowed Dubl Duck.

The Prep
My regular hot shower routine was the basic prep, while I left the brush soaking in a small dish of hot water. After the shower, I stropped the DD on my 'roo strop, then I rubbed the shaving gel into my beard for a good 30-45 seconds. That out of the way, it was time to see how this soap performed.

The Lather
With the finest brush well soaked, I took to swirling on the pristine surface of the brand new soap. Twenty, thirty, fifty, eighty times round went the bristles, loading up and creating the beginnings of a slick, creamy lather. I then took the brush to my face and began to build with firm circular motions, punctuated by the occasional painting stroke to pick up any lather that might be slipping away. It's safe to say, this stuff lathers phenomenally. The lather I got was both slick and protective at the same time. I added a bit more water as I went, building and building, and it seemed like the lather wouldn't stop. It's too bad I only did two passes with touch-ups, because I probably had enough lather for two or three more. The scent of this soap is subtle, clean and slightly floral. I really enjoy the full lineup. This brush is starting to feel a touch softer on the face, but it still has great backbone. I'd say that the finest knot from TGN is about the perfect balance of soft tips with backbone and almost stacks up to my Semogue Owners Club. I'll have to give it some more work, but it is definitely a face-lathering champ, though I found it to be a bit lacklustre in the bowl.

The Shave
Now I begin to see what the big deal is. Though I'm not usually a fan of razors smaller than 6/8 so far in my short shaving career, I must say that this one gave me a wonderful, smooth and irritation free shave. Two passes got me smooth in all the right places, while the touch-ups were just as effortless. It really is nice to shave with a sharp, smooth-shaving edge. I will be back to work on my handful of honing jobs soon, in hopes of getting them up to standard!

The Post
I started with the alum, which, once again, gave me some sting under the chin and along the jawline, but nowhere else. After that I applied the RazoRock Aftershave Spray, which has a soothing menthol effect and really works wonderfully. It's got some lubricating action in there, but not enough for my skin in the dry winter, so I followed it up with the wax, which has been recognized by many as one of the top post-shave treatments on the market. I now see why. I applied it sparingly, working it into my skin, which allowed me to enjoy the moisturizing, soothing and softening effect. Combined with the lanolin in the soap, I think this might have left my face the softest it's been post-shave, ever. It took three very sparing applications of the wax before my skin began to feel moisturized enough, so now I know about what size of dab to take next time. The tin is small (60 ml), but at this rate it's going to last a long time. That out of the way, I spritzed on some of the EDT and walked out into the world, feeling like a million bucks.

The Verdict
I am convinced and I am a convert. RazoRock's lineup and Dubl Duck razors are both top-quality shaving products and a joy to use. I can safely say that this is my first "full-lineup" homerun so far. I enjoyed every single aspect of it, from start to finish. I only hope RazoRock puts out a few more of these "start-to-finish" solutions with a corresponding scent theme, because I'd be all over it. I am beginning to like morning shaves!

The early bird gets a great shave on The Straight Road!

Well, that is quite a turnaround from my experience of the past couple of weeks. The frustration of JaNorton and my coticule honing attempts are behind me for the time being, though I know that I am going to have to take that bull by the horns and get back to those razors that need work. Soon. But in the mean time, I'll just bask in the glow of wonderful scents and shaves, enjoying the ride.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers,

Jack

Thank your for sharing your thoughts with us, as I imagine, most of us , who have been shaving with straights for a while, can go back to those days and smile a little and remember our first meeting with a straight and remember how it felt. Very well written, I might add...........Thanks again

Thanks for the kind words, driver/examiner. I really do feel grateful for this community, without which I would have been floundering in my efforts to attempt this fine art.

The Noob Chronicle – Part 70: Lavender Luxury
After skipping a day with the straight and opting for a quick DE shave on Wednesday, I was back on track with my Dovo 6/8 Ironwood. In all honesty, I am not very good with a DE, anyway, so the shave from previous day was worse than what I usually get in two passes from a straight. My return to the two-pass shave has been a good move, I think, as I get very close to the same level of smoothness, but I also get to shave every day!

The Anticipation
I haven’t used this razor much lately, so I was really looking forward to giving it another go. The silvertip brush that goes with it is another one that probably gets less rotation than it could. Combine that with the “new toy” feeling I still have with my RazoRock King Louis Lavender products, and I was raring to go for yet another morning shave.

The Prep
This shave called for a scuttle, so I filled it up with hot tapwater and dunked the brush in the reservoir. Then it was shower time, where I allowed the steaming water to wake me up while I washed, finishing off with Real Shaving Exfoliating Scrub on my face. The razor had already been stropped, but I opted to give it a quick 25 laps, just to freshen it up. Then I applied the RazoRock gel, rubbing it into my whiskers and massaging my skin.

The Lather
Once again, the King Louis Lavender delivered. This soap has proven its worth with three different brushes, face-lathering and scuttle-lathering with ease. My Bryce C Ironwood Silvertip produced a slick, comfortable lather, more than abundant enough for three passes, though I only needed two. The scent of this lather is a light, lavender scent, not overpowering, but just pleasant and gentle. I am thoroughly enjoying my RazoRock experience so far.

The Shave
This razor, once again, delivered a smooth shave, feeling like a benign butter knife was just gliding over my face. The whisker might beg to differ, but in the end there was no irritation, no nicks or cuts and a smooth face, so I’d side with the razor in this instance. It really brings home how important a good edge can be, especially when you are still in your learning phase. I strongly recommend that all noobs get their first razor honed by someone who knows what they’re doing, as this will eliminate one of the most difficult variables from your shave: the bad edge. If you have a guaranteed good shaving edge, then it’s all down to your technique. In my case, my technique is becoming pretty solid, so I can tell when my edges aren’t quite where they should be, which is an improvement over just a couple of months ago. All in all, two passes, smooth face, happy Jack!

The Post
Wrapping up such a wonderful shave is always a bit of a disappointment, but when you can look forward to the wonderful post shave products from RazoRock, it helps mitigate the fact that, in the end, you only have one face. I applied the alum block after the requisite cold water rinse, then splashed on more cold water. While this settled a bit, I rinsed out the brush and scuttle and placed them in their places of honour on the shelf. Then came the spray aftershave lotion from RazoRock, King Louis Lavender, to be precise, another wonderful product that cools and soothes post-shave skin. After that I finished my cleanup, stropped my razor, then applied the aftershave wax of the same name. I have discovered that, in the dry air up here in the winter, if I apply the wax in about two or three very light coats, I end up with a great moisturizing effect that is not greasy at all, so this helps my face stay comfortable throughout the day.

The Verdict
Whenever I can finish up my shave smelling great and feeling good, I consider it a success. Smooth, comfortable and clean, I headed out to work with a smile and spent a lot of time rubbing my face during the day. I am quite happy with these products and they don’t irritate or give me an allergic reaction, which is a big plus as I suspect some products do. The razor is a great shaver, though it doesn’t seem to give me the great sense of inspiration and satisfaction that some of my other ones do. It’s funny how you can gain affection for inanimate objects, isn’t it?

Then again, I guess we’re all a little bit funny here on The Straight Road.

Well, last night was a wonderful evening, as I went out to dinner with my mother and then we went to the opera. It was my first time seeing live opera, which I found to be quite an experience. The range and power of the singers was impressive and the story, Tosca, was a good one. I was pleased to be cleaned up and presentable for the evening, as I had forgotten it was that night, thinking it was supposed to be next week. I guess that’s just another benefit of shaving more often than ever before in my life!

Thanks for reading.

Cheers,

Jack

Cheers, Jack. Great stuff, per usual.

+1 what you said about the new shaver getting his blade honed by a pro. Had my Dovo done by Lynn, as I figured he knew what he was doing.

Glad you liked Tosca.. one of my favs. As an aside, if you liked that, take the Mrs. to La Boheme next time it's playing. It's a wonderful opera, and I'd wager you'll score HUGE husband points.


Huge, I say!

The Straight Road - Part 71: Monday to Friday
Another busy week has flown by on The Straight Road. With a holiday for Family Day on Monday, I had a nice afternoon shave, which was followed up by a whole week of insanity, which finally settled down for a Friday morning shave. Talk about busy! But it felt great to have my zen moment in front of the mirror this morning, that’s for sure.

Monday



The Anticipation
It was a rather relaxing day around the apartment, with SWMBO Jr. spending the day with her grandmother, baking and cooking and preparing for a family evening together. SWMBO and I took advantage of the peace and quiet to do a lot of work around the place and then also took some time to relax. But soon enough, late afternoon rolled around and it was time to get ready to go.

The Prep
I took my big Manhattan Cutlery “The Celebrated” and stropped it for 50 laps on the ‘roo, then dunked the Frank Shaving 28mm Silvertip in the scuttle and hopped in the shower. A few minutes later, I was ready for action and so was my gear.

The Lather
For this occasion, I had chosen Truefitt & Hill’s lovely Trafalgar shaving cream. Every time I use this, I am reminded of why this was the first T&H scent that truly captured my imagination. SWMBO also likes it, so that’s always a plus. When I lather creams from the tub, I usually use a dip and twirl method to load my brush, which inevitably leaves me with too much lather. Though I suppose that’s a better problem to have than not enough. When I first started shaving, I liked this big brush, but lately I am finding it almost too big. 28mm is a big knot and I find it hard to control, as the lather has a tendency to want to go up my nose and all over my ears! I think, in the end, I will probably settle in at 22-24mm as my preferred size for badger, while I am about at that size with boars as it is. The lather, as usual with T&H creams, was sublime. There was enough for about 8 passes, but I settled for two passes with a Santa Claus beard.

The Shave
It had been a while since I had shaved with my Manhattan, which made for a special treat, though also a bit of an adjustment. This is a big, long, heavy blade and real smiler, as well. But once I got into the groove, it mowed down the whiskers with very little trouble, even under the chine and on the X/ATG upward neck stroke. I’ve been doing only two passes and getting about the same quality of shave as I used to get from three passes, just by paying close attention to my technique. I still think this blade could squeeze out another little bit of sharpness and smoothness, but overall, it left me with a great shave.

The Post
This was the day that I finally remembered to try the experiment I had promised to Ritchie a while back, which was to skip the alum in my post-shave routine. I started by rinsing brush and bowl, watching a ton of beautiful Trafalgar lather run down the sink. Then I splashed on cold water and followed with Witch Hazel. That done, it was the Trafalgar balm and then I cleaned up the sink and stropped the razor again for about 25 laps. A few dabs of Trafalgar cologne, a final hair check and I was ready for dinner!

The Verdict
Another day, another great shave. I have really been pleased with the direction of things lately, especially since I started shaving with other people’s edges again. I have been working on a few of my own honing jobs, so I haven’t given up, but I did want to get my mojo back and I think things are well on their way.

Friday



The Anticipation
Four long days. That’s how many it had been since my last shave, a fact that was made clear to me when SWMBO asked me, on Thursday evening: “what happened to all this shaving business?” Well, this morning it was time to show her.

The Prep
I rolled out of bed and headed straight into the bathroom, intent on starting my day with a shave. For my weapons of choice, I selected my newly-restored and newly-honed W&B 7/8 Paduak (http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...ge-padauk.html), my Semogue 1460 brush, Sir Irisch Moos soap and TOBS Sandalwood ASB. Then it was a hot, quick shower and out to face lather.

The Lather
This tiny little brush is funny. It’s the least expensive Semogue on the Italian Barber site, which I bought specifically to take travelling or to PIF to one of my friends or my other brother, but it has grown on me the last two times I’ve used it to shave. It is a little Tasmanian devil of face lathering fury. It doesn’t hold as much product as the bigger brushes, which isn’t a bad thing, especially considering that half the time I send about half the lather produced down the drain. It’s small, so it handles well without getting lather up my nose and all over my ears, but it’s got soft tips and great backbone which is what I love in a shaving brush. I wonder what it’s going to be like when it breaks in. My only drawback is that the handle is quite small, which makes it a bit uncomfortable in my big hands. Also, the shiny finish on the brush makes it slippery when soapy, which I noticed more today as there was less handle to grip away from the soapy parts. Anyway, Sir Irisch Moos is a great soap, lathering like a champ and I had enough for two passes with touch ups and very little waste, so it was a successful morning on that front.

The Shave
I must admit to a bit of nervousness whenever I take a self-honed blade to my face. Today was no exception. Thankfully, things went fairly well, with no scraping or burning and a fairly smooth shave. I do think the heavy weight of the blade helped a lot, because the edge could be sharper. There was a bit of tugging, though with 4 days growth, I supposed I wasn’t expecting a two-pass shave to be as smooth as usual. Still, there is room for improving this edge, so I will work on it again. The coticule is a tricky one, but I think, with time and effort and a dedication to getting a good bevel off the 1k, I can master the dilucot. Of course, I could always go to Norton pyramids as a default and finish on the coti, but that would be giving up.

The Post
Once again, an easy cleanup of a small face-lathering brush made things easy. I skipped the alum again, which I do think has an effect on my skin post-shave, so I’ll comment on that here. When I use alum, my skin does sort of “seal up” or firm up better. None of that “closing pores” nonsense that some claim (pores don’t change size, they are either clogged or clean, but always the same size), but it does help tone and tighten, as well as soothing burn. So that step is missing. On the other hand, especially in the cold, dry winter up here in Canada, the alum tends to dry my skin out. I find I have to apply a lot more of whatever moisturizer I’m using with alum, so that is another consideration. My only advice for those who want to try it is just that: try it. You won’t know how your skin reacts until you do. I followed my witch hazel splash with TOBS Sandalwood balm, which was a bit overpowering at first, but ended up smelling really nice once it settled down. I'm almost tempted to pick up the splash and cologne. That done, it was time for some espresso!

The Verdict
Two enjoyable shaves but the bookends on a week of stress and some back troubles, which also usually make me grumpy. The progress I’ve made on the W&B is promising, though the edge still isn’t where it needs to be, I am hopeful that the meetup this weekend will yield some good advice for my honing technique. All in all, things are looking up and I think I’ve found the mojo again.

Working that mojo magic on The Straight Road

Well, after that week, I am certainly ready for the weekend! It’s amazing how a shortened week can pack in all the stress of a regular week, just in less time. Some of you may have noticed I popped a few of products of my RAD on the Classifieds. I have decided to pare down the collection a bit, aiming for about 10 straights a few kamisori to round things out. Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen. I’ve also acquired another AD, known as PAD, which involves pipes and tobacco. So I may intersperse some pipe photos with the shaving porn in this thread, from time to time.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack

The Straight Road - Part 72: Big News

It has been an immensely eventful week on The Straight Road. First off, I decided to give my kamisoris a workout, hoping to get the technique down a little better, my PAD has kicked in a bit, with a couple of new pipes incoming and I've also sent my Grandfather's old pipe out for restoration. Finally, SWMBO got the all-clear from the doctor and we are happily expecting our second child, due in mid to late August! So amongst all this flurry of activity, we also have three shaves and an SRP meetup in Guelph.

Saturday




The Anticipation
I'd been meaning to give the kamisori some more attention, so I figured I'd rub them on the hones again on Saturday and see how they shaved. First up was the Nagamasa tamahagane, which I paired up with my Trumper's GFT sample and my big Frank Shaving brush. A winning combination, right?



The Prep
I opted for a hot towel and hot water splash, which worked out alright. I think a full shower might have been better, but I'd already had one that morning, so the splash and towels would have to suffice.



The Lather
These little samples of shaving cream are alright, but I find that, when I take a little nugget of cream and pop it in the scuttle, it doesn't always get fully used up. Such was the case on Saturday, where I ended up struggling to have a good lather and found, at the end of the shave, a nice chunk of the cream remained unused, hidden amongst the suds. That's why I like the dip and twist method of loading creams. I'll need to try something different with these little samples to see if I can break up the cream and use all of it.



The Shave
The edge wasn't quite there. I could have done better with a bit better technique, both on the hones and on the face, but overall, I ended up smooth and there was only a minimal amount of irritation. I did have to draft the Nagakichi kamisori into service for finishing up under the chin, but I'm going to give this razor another go on the stones.



The Post
I opted for the alum this time, which definitely does have a drying effect on my face. Overall, it isn't bad, but I think I might skip it for a while, especially with the dry air. I'm getting good results from witch hazel and my aftershaves. I used the WH splash, then proceeded with some nice GFT cologne from my sampler, which is a really nice scent. Cold water does wonders, I must say.



The Verdict
It was a decent shave. Could have been better, but it also could have been much worse, so I'm not going to complain. Overall, I think the poor lather hurt me, but I also think the edge on the razor isn't where it needs to be. My honing hasn't been up to snuff lately, so I'm going to have to take some time to work on it.

Tuesday Morning

The Anticipation
Another kamisori test was in the offing for Tuesday, this time with the Yamamasa. This razor is a bit more delicate in the blade, but it is still wickedly sharp and should be respected. Morning shaves are interesting, but I do enjoy them. There's something about starting the day clean-shaven that is appealing.

The Prep
A hot shower was the order of the day, along with my Real Shaving Exfoliating Scrub, I made sure my beard was well-prepared for the shaving ritual. I gave the razor a good 50 passes on the 'roo, making sure to get the stroke right on the tricky kamisori. With the sticky 'roo, there's a tendency for the kamisori to not want to flip, so I need to be extra careful not to slice the strop. That done, it was time for some almond cream from Trumper.

The Lather
I pulled out the big Bryce C 24mm Silvertip for this one and it turned out to be a good move. I've made no secret of my love for boar brushes, but this one is a delightfully pillowy brush on the face. I'd still take one with a bit more backbone, but for whipping up a great lather with the Trumper's this one got the job done. By the time it was ready for my face, I had a meringue of almond-scented goodness that slathered on at least a half-inch thick. There was enough lather for about 4 or 5 passes, though I only went for 2. Such is my shave routine.

The Shave
This one went alright, though I did bring in the Nagakichi for some touch-ups, just to be sure. I think, with the kamisori, my technique still needs a fair bit of work. Light touch with a straight is a given, but with a kamisori you almost have to miss your face. It's like they scare the whiskers off. Still, I am now beginning to get a feel for the angles required, though the even lighter touch is still something for me to improve. Theoretically, this should make me a better straight shaver overall, so that's a plus.

The Post
I applied Trumper's Sandalwood Skin Food as my main post ingredient. Of course, the requisite cold water rinses and witch hazel splashes were involved, though I opted to once again forego the alum block, which may end up as a tool for making my fingers sticky for skin stretching. So far, I have had no adverse effects from skipping the alum, with the benefit of having my skin be less dry.

The Verdict
Another one bites the dust. I am pleased with the decision to go kamisori this week, as so far things are moving along well. This razor is a good one, despite its age and hone wear, so I am lucky to have obtained three different and very functional examples of this style of shaver.

Friday Morning

The Anticipation
There wasn't much anticipation for this shave. This morning is still a blur! After being prepared to be up at 7 AM, shave and be out the door by 8, I received a call at 6 AM that our local flight to a meeting was cancelled and we would have to take a train. This meant getting my butt up out of bed and getting ready in 45 minutes so I could catch the 7:30. I needed to shave as I hadn't done so since Tuesday, so a bit of a rush job was in order. A recipe for disaster? Let's see...

The Prep
A lightning shower with minimal beard prep was all I could afford today. I had opted for the trusty Semogue Owners Club, so I knew I'd be covered on the lather front, while the Nagakichi kamisori is my most reliable Japanese edge. So, on paper, I was in good shape. The razor was stropped, the clock was ticking...lather time!

The Lather
I got a decent lather going with the coconut shaving cream. Trumper's coconut, either the soap or the cream, will likely go on my shopping list. Good lather, lots of it and in a short time. All good things when you're shaving against the clock!

The Shave
Not a single cut. That's right! I made it through two passes and touch-ups with the kamisori without a cut, razor burn or any other irritation, all while trying to hurry. I was pretty proud of my accomplishment, especially getting the under the chin area done in record time.

The Post
A quick splash of cold water and I went straight for the Dominica Bay Rum. I'll say this: it woke me up! Even with an irritation-free shave, that stuff has the power to remind you that it is boss. The scent is great and it really makes you feel refreshed and ready for action. I finished up with Trumper's Unscented Lotion and I was out the door, ready for a full day of meetings and travel.

The Verdict
The shaves with the kamisori have been educational. It's been a week I'd rather put behind me, so overall I'm glad it's Friday (or Saturday now, I guess). Time for bed!

Educational is good, cut-free is good, weekends are good! That means it's a good day on The Straight Road!

Some of you may have noticed I picked up a new AD in the last little while. I've done some restoration on pipes and I must say, it is as addictive as straight razor restoration. Smoking a pipe is quite a relaxing experience and I am enjoying becoming reacquainted with the pastime, which even SWMBO doesn't mind so much. Anyway, it's late, my brain is fried and I am about done for the week. I'll leave you with this shot of my latest pipe work and wish you a great weekend!

Thanks for reading,

Cheers,

Jack

Congrats Jack!