The Straight Road - Part 29: Breaking In Period
After a pretty decent shave yesterday, I probably didn't need to shave today. Haha, "need". Like any of the stuff I've been doing for the past month has been about need. All in all, I have been thoroughly enjoying myself and today I got to have some relaxation time which culminated in the luxury of an afternoon nap. Once that was done, I decided that a shower would wake me up and, since I was going to be doing that, a shave was also in order.

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The Anticipation
With the place to myself and all the time I needed, I was determined to enjoy myself. Given my recent flurry of acquisitions, I've been finding it tough to decide what gear to use each day. The new Ironwood Silvertip 24mm brush I bought on Ebay is so nice, that I decided it needed to have a go. Along with that, of course, would be the DOVO 6/8" Ironwood, so that left me with a lather choice and post-shave stuff. I decided to give DR Harris Almond a run out today, while choosing to finish the shave with Geo F Trumper's Spanish Leather. All in all, I was psyched up for a great shaving experience.

The Prep
The shower was nice and hot and I took my time, enjoying the relaxing effects of the steaming water and scrubbing thoroughly. Once I had done with the scrub brush, the Real Shaving Exfoliating Face Scrub finished things off and I was ready for the main course. The scuttle had done it's job, soaking the brush nicely with hot water, so it was time for the soap.

The Lather
This new brush is a true work of art. Not only is it beautifully crafted, heavy and solid, filling my large hand easily, but it also has a really nice silvertip knot on it. The other night, during my lathering practice, I noticed that it whipped up a very nice, creamy lather with very little problems, so I was excited to put it to good use. I opted for some glycerin along with the DR Harris Almond, just because I've found straight soaps a touch drying in the colder months. The brush still has a bit of badger funk about it and the tips still aren't quite as soft as they will be in another few uses, but despite that, the brush whipped up enough smooth, creamy lather for three full passes, touch-ups and probably more. The Harris soap is nice, but I don't know if almond would land on my "keepers" list at this point. I like the scent, but it's not my favourite. Given the number of soaps I have, this one doesn't stand out in any way. Certainly it wasn't love at first lather like MWF or T&H. You'll also note that I didn't mention stropping in my prep post. When I had lathered up for the first time, I let the lather sit for a minute on my face while I stropped, thinking this would help soften up my whiskers even more.

The Shave
The Dovo Ironwood, which I believe has the same blade profile as the Bismarck, is my favourite razor right now. It hits all the high points: smooth shave, bright shiny steel, 6/8" blade, understated, but classy spine decoration and beautiful hardwood scales. If it were a French point, I would probably deem it perfect, but it's a round point, so that is the only place where it loses out. I suspect it might be supplanted by the snakewood Le Canadien, if I can achieve the same type of smoothness from my edge. I have been doing three passes the past few shaves, sort of a graduation from two passes, which I've found has been getting me excellent smoothness. It does seem that my skin is a touch more tender after the shave, but I also imagine that it will need a while to get used to this extra pass I've introduced. Also, since I am going XTG in the opposite direction of my usual XTG pass, I bet my technique isn't quite there yet on the third pass. Anyway, it went quite well and I got great smoothness everywhere except one little line on my right jawbone.

The Movember Report
This is where the French point razors do better than the Dovo Ironwood. I find I have to be a bit careful to know exactly where the edge is around the 'stache. That said, it still got the job done. I know I owe a photo here, so please don't laugh!


The Verdict
I feel like I'm getting into a bit of a groove. My shaves have been getting smoother and my lathers have been better. I still have setbacks, like the past couple of times I got thin lather, but after some practice sessions with my different brushes, I think I'm starting to figure out the individual characteristics of each one. Good thing, too, as they will only be used once a week now that I have a 7-day brush rotation! The three-pass shave has left me with mild razor burn, but I believe it will get better as I improve my technique on the second XTG. I am also beginning to be able to feel the differences between how my razors shave, as well as what the effects are of different soaps and creams. Hopefully, my next stretch of learning will be in that area, as I become more familiar with how shaving feels and how products work for me.

Time to get my Straight Road groove on!

I've been slowly working on restoring my Manhattan Cutlery blade, so I might try to finish it off in the next few days. Once that's done, it will have to go on the hones, as well. I look forward to getting some practice and improving my technique. I have several blades and razors that will need restoration, so I am going to learn a lot about sanding and polishing in the next while. I hope to also get around to making some new scales out of bocote wood. I have a big 8/8 Friodur on the way, which will probably be the last razor for a bit, unless something knocks my socks off. Famous last words, eh?

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack