The Straight Road - Part 20: Movember Morning
After getting a BBS on Saturday afternoon, I went through the usual throes of a post ATG shave for me. That means I had red and white bumps on my upper lip area and the stubble didn't return in force until late in the day on Monday. I have determined that I will probably not regularly go ATG in the 'stache zone. Though the temptation to get that BBS, even for one day, is rather strong, the subsequent mess of red and white bumps just don't seem worth it. My XTG shaves get that area smooth enough without having to suffer for two days afterword. Not that this will be an issue for the next thirty days, as I have embarked on my Movember mission to grow a moustache! Progress on the 'stache will follow, of course. I spent Monday evening lapping my new stone and managed to get it flat on my DMT 325, so I had to wait to shave until morning, as SWMBO wasn't about to put up with a late night shave again.
The Anticipation
Thirty-six hours without a shave felt like a lot after going for a daily shave for the previous 8 in a row. I hadn't done a morning shave in a while, so it was a nice change of pace. Of course, I had motivation to jump out of bed in the morning, surprising SWMBO, who usually has to bug me through at least three or four rounds of the snooze button. I was raring to go with my TI Le Canadien 6/8" in Black Horn and my Frank Shaving Richmond 28mm Silvertip, so it was time to get started.
The Prep
I stumbled groggily out to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep form my eyes and flicked the switch on the espresso machine, then turned on the stove under the kettle. A couple of minutes later, I poured the steaming water into my scuttle and headed back to the bathroom. I dunked my brush in the reservoir to soak and hopped in the shower, which did help to open my eyes somewhat. I had picked up some Real Shaving Creamy Facewash over the weekend, so today was the day to try it out. I deem it a good product, light and clean, that didn't leave me feeling dry-skinned or greasy and didn't smell too strong. Also no hives or other adverse reactions, so that's a plus! I took up the steel and went at it on my Premium IV Bridle Leather, going 25 on the webbing and a further 50 on the leather. As I laid aside the razor, it was time to take brush to scuttle...
The Lather
I went for überlather today. MWF was combined in the scuttle with some T&H Sandalwood cream and glycerin, which together formed a trifecta of creamy goodness. My lather wasn't as hot as some other days, as I didn't really let the kettle get to a full boil, but it was still warm, which was alright. I am sort of torn on the T&H Sandalwood, both as a cream and the aftershave or cologne. It's not very "sandalwoody", as it has some citrusy, fruity notes over top of the wood that, in my feeling, tend to overpower. SWMBO likes it, as does my coworker, who stated it smells very masculine. I'm still on the fence and not sure I'd choose this over Trafalgar or Spanish Leather. As you can see, I'm still having a blast with my sample pack. Anyway, I got enough warmish lather for three or four passes, though I only went for two with touch-ups.
The Shave
Morning shaves are a bit weird. I remembered to respect the point on my Le Canadien, as I need to be extra careful on the neck areas. It has a tendency to sneak up and bite when you least expect it while you try to navigate the different angles down on the throat. I had a very smooth, easy first pass, the lather doing its job and cushioning nicely and no nicks or cuts appearing in the wake of the razor's path over my skin. I had determined I was only going for two passes today, both for the sake of time and because I wanted to give the irritated 'stache area a break. The second, ATG pass was also fairly smooth, though I did end up with some small nicks on the chin area that didn't really bleed much. My touch-ups were pretty horrible today, so I have a patchy mess under my chin and at the corner of the jawline. Oh well, such is life and I refuse to "clean up" with the DE. When I want a DE shave, I'll do the whole thing with a DE, but right now I am determined to master my straights.
The Post
I did my usual warm water, alum, cold water, witch hazel sequence. After that, I rinsed out the Robert Becker scuttle and laid it to rest in its spot on top of the toilet tank. Soon, it will have its own space on the new shelves I bought to house my rapidly growing collection, which can now probably be called a "den". The ASB was, of course, the same T&H Sandalwood, which SWMBO loved when I went to give her the customary post-shave "test kiss". Luckily for me, she also likes the scent of the very inexpensive Real Shaving ASB, so if I wanted to, I could happily apply that as my only post-shave and save myself some money. Like that's going to happen! Once I had that taken care of, it was time to wipe down and strop for another 25/50 rotation on the Le Canadien, the lay it to rest on the stand. Then off to the kitchen to brew a nice espresso or three.
The Verdict
I don't mind a morning shave, but I think I'll stick to my evening routine as it just seems more relaxing and I can take my time and really enjoy myself. I did enjoy this morning's shave, but I felt the pressure of the impending work day and thus my touch-ups left much to be desired. The Le Canadien is doing wonderfully and I can't wait to try its brother, which just arrived to me this morning. Now that Movember is here, I will have a nice long time for my upper lip to recover from the bumps and irritation!
We all know there are going to be a few bumps, but we don't want irritation on The Straight Road.
It was a good morning for me with the postman, as I received not one, not two, but three packages this morning. My TI 6/8" Le Canadien in Snakewood scales, an Ebay Crown & Sword which will be my first restoration effort and likely receive scales made from the bocote I purchased and finally my 12k Chinese stone, all the way from Poland in just one week!
All in all, not a bad haul and I expect more from my recent flurry of Ebay activity and product purchases. As always, I'll keep you posted and get more photos up as soon as I have the chance.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Jack