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Week of November 21 SOTD - Saturday
Pre-Shave: Hot shower |
Razor: 6/8" Hanamasa Kamisori, with a "mean" Spike Point |
Brush: 22mm new Forest Silvertip Badger |
Überlather: Floris "JF" Shave Soap + Glycerin |
Astringent: Thayer's Witch Hazel (Rose Petal, no alcohol) |
Moisturizer: Trumper's Fragrance-Free Moisturizer |
After Shave Splash: Floïd Italian Amber |
Result: Today's shave is a culmination of several months of analysis and assessment. For a good while now, I'd been contemplating learning the art of shaving with a traditional Japanese Kamisori. Well, today was that day and the experience flooded my mind with memories of days when I was learning the art of wet shaving...similar emotions (anxiety, anxiousness, excitement, etc) came pumping through my veins all over again. I bought this Hanamasa from Telly on B&B a few days ago and learned the ins-and-outs (e.g., shaving, honing, stropping) of using it using YouTube tutorials by JimR and others. Even though it was shave ready, I felt that her edge wasn't quite there...so, she went to the hones (Coti followed by JNat). Phewwwww!! very sharp. I prepped my beard with the Floris "JF", which produced the wonderfully rich and luxurious lather I have come to expect from this soap. Shaving with the Kamisori is a bit different than western style straights and needs to be mastered rather carefully and skillfully. The blade is much smaller/shorter than what I am used to. This beauty's tip was so incredibly sharp (just look at that tip) that she managed to dig into my cheek without me even realizing it until I was almost done with my pass. The shaving is usually done with the Ura side (with the marks/lettering) away from your face and unless you are being shaved by someone else, you quickly realize that maintaining the proper one-sided, self-shaving form, while maintaining the WTG, XTG or ATG posture per pass, is humanly unsustainable...as such, both sides of the blade will need to be used, at least by most near mortals. At the end, I was rewarded with a near-BBS shave, but with some (very) minor irritation, which for me is indicative of (a) my lack of mastery of this new technique/blade, and (b) my skin needing some adjustment period. I remember the same exact experience(s) when switching from cartridge to DE to straight razors. With the addition of this new technique and tool into my shaving arsenal, I feel a sense of accomplishment and commitment that is a nostalgic reminder of the days of old (which is not really that long ago :)). |
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Sorry about the long descriptive storyline...Have a wonderful Saturday gentlemen:tu.