Thread: I've lost my mojo!

It’s all about having fun and getting good shaves!

Don't feel discouraged man just keep at it, I'm sorta in a similar boat myself with starting a new job, and falling out of my routine. So everything kinda is a little wonky (my edges and my shaves). But keep at it dude, and celebrate your good shaves and try to isolate what you did different. Face prep, soap, lather, everything. Try to be robotic till you/we get your/our "mojo" back.

Things are getting better. I still don't have a regular shaving routine, but it's starting to come together. I am shaving more in the evenings now, which I've never really enjoyed, but it's better than not shaving! I'm often too tired to shave in the evening, so I'm also down to shaving an average of twice a week.

But since sticking with MdC and ignoring my other soaps, lather is no longer a problem.

What's also got me excited again is SAD. I bought a beautiful Tripoli strop from Sharptonn, and restored an old Arab Shell strop, with a couple more projects on the table. Super fun!!

I am of the opinion that MDC solves any lathering problem. For a long time I thought it was too expensive. I was wrong. I bought a jar that I am sure will last my lifetime and that of whoever inherits it. I use it only two days/week, because I like trying my other favorites.

Originally Posted by joelkerr

Things are getting better. I still don't have a regular shaving routine, but it's starting to come together. I am shaving more in the evenings now, which I've never really enjoyed, but it's better than not shaving! I'm often too tired to shave in the evening, so I'm also down to shaving an average of twice a week.

But since sticking with MdC and ignoring my other soaps, lather is no longer a problem.

What's also got me excited again is SAD. I bought a beautiful Tripoli strop from Sharptonn, and restored an old Arab Shell strop, with a couple more projects on the table. Super fun!!

I could never bring myself to buy Martin de Candre because I couldn't imagine spending that much on a shaving soap, of all things. But the reviews intrigued me, and in the end, my girlfriend bought me a tub for my birthday last year! I guess she didn't want to listen to me talking about how much I wanted it anymore....

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

I am of the opinion that MDC solves any lathering problem. For a long time I thought it was too expensive. I was wrong. I bought a jar that I am sure will last my lifetime and that of whoever inherits it. I use it only two days/week, because I like trying my other favorites.

Just like in that other thread. Gotta have it, IMO.

Originally Posted by joelkerr

I could never bring myself to buy Martin de Candre because I couldn't imagine spending that much on a shaving soap, of all things. But the reviews intrigued me, and in the end, my girlfriend bought me a tub for my birthday last year! I guess she didn't want to listen to me talking about how much I wanted it anymore....

Joekerr, as TC pointed out some time ago Martin de Candre will last and last so it is actually a very good buy. There is also the fact that its' quality is well known. I have
bought several other soaps that turn out to lack performance so I keep reloading my brush to finish a shave, don't have to do that with the Martin.

As others have hinted, be more Zen. Don't try so hard. You have thoroughly analyzed the situation. Now have fun.

Anyway, that's what works for me. Once I try really hard, failure is imminent.

When I stopped looking for a wife, the right woman came along. I married her. Because I wasn't looking for her. And found her.

On the flip side, have you tried changing temperature of water? Sometimes cold is different from hot.

To the OP. if you switch soaps and or, if lather is a problem, look at your brush or brushes.

Some soaps and hard water will coat the brush and inhibit lather making. A 5 -15-minute vinegar soak and shampoo will work wonders. I wash all my brush rotation 3-4 and any new brushes brought into use, with a vinegar soak and shampoo, at least twice a year or at signs of an issue.

An ounce or so, in a cup of very warm, (not hot) water up to the top of the knot will do it. Lather a nickel size dollop of a good shampoo in the palm of your hand and rinse well.

If it does not lather well in the palm or if a lot of soap comes off in the vinegar water. (very cloudy) it may take 2-3 soaks.

An O-ring on the top of the know can improve backbone and performance.

This is a pretty old thread, but I suppose I should give an update.

I never got around to getting a water testing kit, but I tried using distilled water, and all the lather problems disappeared and I've been getting great shaves. I'm convinced that the water quality is an issue, although as mentioned, I have yet to prove it. But we're going to be moving to a new town in a few months, with a different water source, so I'm not going to go through the trouble of figuring it out, I'll just stick with distilled water for the time being.

This whole this has really got me fully hooked on MdC. I loved it before, but now I'm a full-fledged disciple. As mentioned in another thread, I've been using the Rose nonstop for many months now, and I'm not getting bored, I simply love everything about that soap so much that it's difficult to bring myself to use any other soap.

Because of my work/family schedule, I still find myself shaving mostly at night, which I still don't enjoy. When I'm really tired I use a Single Edge razor instead of a straight (I've really been digging my Gem open comb Micromatic lately). I also face lather more in the evenings, as it's a little quicker than bowl lathering, I find. I've recently picked up some new-to-me brushes with the intention of finding brushes more suited to face lathering, and have found two that I absolutely love. One is a FS two-band, and another is a Harry Wally two-band. I have a two-band Spiffo that is really nice, but it's a little heavy for my tastes, so I think I'll pass it along soon.

Anyways, the key to solving this problem finding the fun in shaving again, and just figuring out what works and going with it. I still sometimes miss the shaving/work/family schedule I had for a couple years before leaving Montreal, but this is a small sacrifice for a much better overall life quality in a less urban setting (and about to get a whole lot less urban still!).