Thread: SOTD - Sun June 27th - Sat July 3rd

Back to my wet shaving roots, with some of the first things I tried:

Merkur Progress
Feather Blade
Vulfix Strand Pure Badger Brush
Proraso PRE/post
Proraso Shave Cream
Proraso Aftershave Splash
Proraso pre/POST
Hot Shower
Speick ASB

Nice shave! If I'd had feather blades when I first tried DE shaving I might not have gravitated to straights (so good thing I didn't). That Speick ASB is basic but very very good.

Prep: Hot shower
Brush: E. J. best badger
Soap: Mama Bear Dragon's Blood
Strop: Tony Miller Heirloom tri-strop
Razor: Mastro Livi 8/8 Bergam Damascus in Mammoth Ivory Scales
ASB: Caswell-Massey Newport

Pre: Hot shower
Brush: New Forest, two banded 22 mm
Razor: Shavemac by Dovo
Soap: Tabac
Post: Proraso
AS: LaCoste
Result:
This was a nice one! 2 1/2 passes and I´m c l e a n. This new English brand/brush, it´s not a custom with tgn knot (nothing wrong with them though, I´ve got a few).
I like this brush a lot, of course it was the first time today and I hope/think it´ll get even better. But it loaded tons of soap (30 sec load and enough for approx. 3 1/2 passes, for me) and was very pleasent to my face, soft tips but with a good backbound.

Saturday Night

Bassler 5/8 round point stainless
Boots Shavebowl soap
Wilkinson Sword Boar brush
Alum
Witch hazel
Home brew herby aftershave, rum and witch hazel based.

Straight shave no. 18

At last things are coming together. Still taking too long and too many passes but gradually developing a feel for wielding the razor. I need to work out how to get the neck/jawline area smooth but at least its at a socially acceptable level now. I just need to continue on as I am getting that little bit better with each shave it!

Jeltz,

Don't worry too much about the amount of time required to shave with your straight razor. After all, straight razor shaving is supposed to require a bit more time. That is part of the ritual.

As you become more comfortable with the razor and more proficient with blade angle, etc. the amount of time you are devoting to shaves will decrease, however.

Originally Posted by Jeltz

Saturday Night

Bassler 5/8 round point stainless
Boots Shavebowl soap
Wilkinson Sword Boar brush
Alum
Witch hazel
Home brew herby aftershave, rum and witch hazel based.

Straight shave no. 18

At last things are coming together. Still taking too long and too many passes but gradually developing a feel for wielding the razor. I need to work out how to get the neck/jawline area smooth but at least its at a socially acceptable level now. I just need to continue on as I am getting that little bit better with each shave it!

On the neck and jawline, use all parts of the blade; heel, toe and center (not neccessarily at the same time) depending on what comfortably fits the angle and area being worked as well as being aware of the grain of your beard. Once I figured that out, things went well very fast.

Prep: Warm shower--followed by Robeson bay rum beard prep method
Brush: Vie-Long 16510 White Badger
SS/SC: Valobra (Menthol) + Palmolive “Classic”
Strop: VB Red Latigo--50 fabric; 60 leather
Razor: 5/8 Dovo “Red Solingen”
Astringent: Thayer’s Original Witch Hazel
ASB: Nivea for Men “Extreme Comfort”
AS: Floid (Italian) “The Genuine”
Result: A great shave…A great finish.

YouTube - SotD 27 June Pt 1