The Straight Road - Part Five: On The Road

After the arrival of my new acquisitions, I managed to hold off shaving so as to follow my usual pattern of every two days. The twist? I had to leave for a conference. Packing my kit, I hit the road...


Anticipation
My first road shave! This was going to be a new experience and it took me quite a while to settle on what gear to take. I finally decided to bring my new ERN 5/8 Full Hollow Barber's Notch with the ebony scales, as I was quite excited to try it out. I packed my samples of T&H 1805 cream, ASB and cologne, my Vulfix 2234 and my alum block, as well as my poor man's strop and RS shaving oil. On the drive up, I managed to engage my colleague in a conversation about traditional shaving which, at the very least, I think he found interesting. Either that, or he is just really polite! We threaded our way through the nasty Toronto traffic and finally made it onto the highway heading north toward our destination: a resort in the beautiful Muskoka area of Ontario.

Prep
Arriving in the early evening, we had about an hour until meeting up for dinner in the resort lounge, so I decided it would be a great chance to get my evening shave in. I had the luxury of being put up in a suite for this trip, so I grabbed a bowl from the kitchenette and headed for the nice, double-sink bathroom counter to lay out my gear. Using one of the facecloths provided by the hotel, I applied a steaming hot towel treatment for a good 3 minutes, enjoying the heat as it relaxed my face after the long drive and the long day. Though I brought my shaving oil, I decided to forego it for this shave, which might not have been the best idea. Grabbing my brush and my sample of T&H 1805, I squared myself up, clutching the little bowl in my left hand, and proceeded to face my continuing nemesis...

The Lather
An absolute disaster. Normally, I would think that the lathering description would just be a part of the prep section, but with my struggles, it's been getting its own spotlight, though usually for the wrong reasons. What a terrible lather I made this time! I'm not sure if I used too little product or too little water, but even adding some more of both after the fact barely produced and acceptable lather for two passes with touch-ups. If I had taken a step forward in my last lathering endeavour, then I surely took three steps back this time. I definitely need to practice.

The Shave
The shave, despite the horrible lather, was alright. Nothing to write home about, but maybe enough to write on SRP about. The new razor was different and felt a bit more awkward than usual, but I think it's sharper than my other one. It's much smaller and more delicate-feeling, so I was able to get a very light touch with my passes, but I also managed to give myself a pretty decent slice on the cheek, which I had managed to avoid up until now. Thankfully, it didn't bleed much and is very superficial - it wouldn't do to show up for the meeting in the morning with a huge gouge on my face!

All in all, the shave wasn't the best I've done so far, but it was satisfactory after two passes. I still had my usual issues with the three trouble spots of chin, moustache and under the jawline, but the touch-ups were easy and the razor burn was almost non-existent. The T&H cream sure smells nice and still did alright at getting some glide going, so I think if I can get the lather sorted, this razor is going to shave very nicely.

The Post
Boy does alum ever sting on a cut! I actually cleaned up and rinsed up reasonably well apart from that, as my razor burn was minimal and the 1805 ASB was very soothing. I rinsed with warm water, then applied the alum, then the cold water. After that, I did my stropping, which felt weird due to my strop hanging on the hotel towel rack, much higher than the one at home. I still managed to get through forty reasonable passes on the strop before setting the razor aside and applying the lovely-smelling ASB, as well as a bit of cologne before dinner.

The Verdict
Frustration. That was the verdict this time. I guess that the new razor, new cream and new environment may have all contributed to making things challenging, but I felt a bit discouraged after shave number five. Not enough to give up, but enough to think that I was a bit crazy for trying something new with almost every shave. I am seriously considering shelving the samples for a while and using the Proraso products, which have given me very good lathering results. This would remove some variables from the shave and allow me to concentrate on technique. On the other hand, sampling is fun. I am also beginning to think I understand what the reviewers mean by a floppy brush, as this 2234 seems to really flop around when it's wet and has a bit of lather in it. I have a large 28mm Frank Shaving brush en route, so I'm looking forward to comparing that one to this. I am also thinking about giving more time to my Omega 10005 boar when I get home. Either way I go, I'm sure I will continue to learn and gain experience, hopefully helping me decide what works best for me.

That's what this journey on The Straight Road is all about, right?

I am contemplating shaving again this evening or first thing in the morning, as we have more meetings tomorrow and it would be nice to be cleanly shaved. |I guess we'll see how the face feels.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack