Thread: The Noob Chronicle - My Straight Razor Experience

The Straight Road – Part 79: The Century Mark

Things have slowed down a bit on the Straight Road of late, partly due to my marketing course coming to a conclusion and partly due to me wanting to make shave number 100 a memorable one. Between the busy schedule and that decision, I realized that it had been fully three weeks since my last straight shave and three weeks since my last write-up. That was a situation that needed fixing.

Shave number 99 was an enjoyable one, though in the end I felt that the razor didn’t agree with my face and, somewhat reluctantly, decided to move it on to a new home. Still, the farewell shave was pleasant and I probably could have lived with it as an occasional shaver, but I wanted to buy a new pipe, so the razor was the cost.



So once that farewell was out of the way, I had spent quite a bit of time contemplating which gear to use for #100. In the end, Sunday presented itself as a great day for the occasion, as I was taking SWMBO Jr. to an afternoon tea held by her ballet school, then we were off to my mother’s for Sunday dinner with the family.


Shave Number 100

The Anticipation
As you may well imagine, there was quite a bit of anticipation for this shave. It was tough to pick the gear, but in the end, I decided to go for my RazoRock King Louis Lavender lineup of products, because I just love the way they perform. For the brush, the bocote handled TGN Finest has been my favourite performer of late and, finally, I selected my W&B 7/8 Barber’s Use in bocote scales. The reasoning behind this razor selection for this occasion was down to a few things. It was the first set of scales I ever made (under the watchful guidance of Maxi, of course), it is the first blade I’ve been able to hone using the coticule and get a sweet edge and finally, it shaves really nicely!

The Prep
With my morning chores out of the way and looking at a good chunk of time before having to leave, I headed into the bathroom and filled a small dish with hot water. The brush went in there while I went into the shower, scrubbing well with my Real Shaving Exfoliating Scrub to prepare my three days of growth for some straight edge action. With that out of the way, I gave the razor a good 25/50 on the SRD Premium IV (which is my go to strop since my disaster with the ‘roo), applied some of the RR preshave and was ready for some lather.

The Lather
I’ve been doing a lot of face-lathering lately, as I just enjoy the feel of lathering on my face and it seems like I get a better lather. I enjoy a slicker, creamier lather (rather than a thicker, foamier one) so I find that’s what I get from face lathering. The RazoRock soap is a gem for this and it really does good job of both moisturizing, providing glide and protecting your skin. I had enough lather for several passes, even though I only needed two plus touch-ups.

The Shave
What can I say about shave #100? It was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t my best shave ever, nor was it my worst. I think, in part, my lack of practice lately could be a factor here, but in the end, I had no burn and no cuts, so I must have done something right. I have got my shaves down to two passes with touch-ups, which gets me a DFS and smooth skin without any irritation. This allows me to shave roughly every two days, which is more than enough for me, without getting too many ingrown hairs on my neck, always a problem. After my second pass, I touched up the chin and jawline and I was ready to go!

The Post
Again, the RazoRock products really shine here. I started with rinsing out the brush and shaking it dry, then stowing it on the shelf. After that it was cold water on the face, then onto the aftershave. The spritz aftershave is wonderful, with a lovely lavender essential oil scent combined with some cooling menthol, which left me feeling refreshed and without any burn. Then I applied the wax, which is about perfectly balanced between moisturizing without being too greasy for my face. A few sprays of the lavender EDT and I was on my way out, feeling and smelling like a million bucks!

The Verdict
It feels really good to have reached a sort milestone on my journey. The shave was an enjoyable one, but the experiences along the way are what made it special. I have learned an immense amount of information, for which I am truly grateful to the community. There is a great brotherhood around here and it is what will keep me going another 100, 200 or 1000 shaves!

There’s no end in sight on The Straight Road!

Whew, that was a fun first hundred and I’m already looking forward to the next one. I’ve learned a lot about what I like and don’t like, what types of razors I enjoy and which products and brushes work best for me. Honing is something I’d still like to learn more about, as I am only just scratching the surface on that front, not to mention doing some more restoration work. Life and time will have to permit, as, with Jr. on the way in August, I expect things to be quite busy around my household come the fall. Life is good and worth enjoying every step of the way!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack