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

A fantastic journey, my friend. Great read, and incredible to see your story.

Been awhile Jack, congrats on #100. Hope all is well with the SWMBO and Jr.
Regards,
Joe

Jack, thanks for all the fun and informative writing you've done for us! Best novel in SRP! Thanks again, Double O

Congrats on #100, Jack. This has been a great journey which, in part, inspired me.

Ed

Grats on your first 100, Jack!

Cheers

Scott

Great read, this is the first completed "journal" that I know of here!
It was a real pleasure to read. You seem like a driven and dedicated guy, may your success continue!

inspirational, on to my fifth shave, and loving every moment, i remember seeing razors in second hand dealers and only ever thought of them as a novelty item, but to discover that yes, you can actually shave with one, and as well, there is a whole community of like-minded people willing to give advice and help, not to mention the razors you see here, some true works of art. Your chronicle has been a great read and encouraging, looking forward to my 100th shave, cheers from New Zealand, Grazor

The Straight Road - Update
Well, it's been over a month since shave number 100 and things are motoring along. With summer being so busy, I haven't had time to shave as often and I haven't had time to finish a couple of my projects that are sitting in the "to-do" bin. I would like to finalize my Bow Razor, as it really is looking good after Dllandry put it in the tumbler for me. I also received a piece of bone for a wedge, this from Maxi, so I might try my hand at doing that, though fitting a wedge by hand seems a daunting process to me after being spoiled by my use of Maxi's shop.

As far as the shaves, they continue to go well. I have managed, for the most part, to avoid nicks and cuts, though I did get myself the other day when I was trying to rush my shave (very, very bad idea). My technique continues to improve as time goes by. One thing I can tell you new guys out there is, number one hundred is just the first step. A lot of what I've been told says that the next hundred are even better. But really, as time goes by and you train yourself, your muscles and your touch, then the shaves continually improve until one day you get a "wow" moment. I've had several of these over the course of my first 10 months with a straight razor, but I still think there is a lot of improvement left for me, which is nice, because it makes it fun.

My other piece of advice is to stick with it! There are ups and downs, but in the long run, this now feels like the most natural way to shave for me. When I get around to finishing that Bow, I'll be sure to post some pics.

Cheers,

Jack

No update on the bundle in the oven Jack???