Thread: Rotating

I follow a fairly strict rotation on my razors over a 3 week period.

I pick the soap based on my mood at the time of the shave, choosing among the soaps/creams I have not used in the past couple of weeks.

Then I pick the brush that I think will work well with the soap choice. This morning I picked Proraso sandalwood, but the brush I picked was not quite correct. It did not hold enough lather for three passes so I had to go back to the tub for more soap on the third pass. Next time, I will choose more wisely.

I, also, rotate my soaps.
I have seventeen, five, two and two from four different artisans, respectively, and I do my best to rotate them in the same order as that is how they are arranged in my bathroom.

I go with whatever I feel like. No need to be strict.

Right now I’m rotating MDC, Castle Forbes, Tabac, and L’Occitane. But I don’t stick to it strictly. I’ll grab the Men’s Soap Co., The Harris, or TOBS. I shaved with Tabac this morning. That is one fine soap.

Having recently discovered the joys of once-a-week shaving, I'm now even more of a "strike my fancy" kind of guy, and thoughts of a "rotation" become moot.

I have a rotation of 5 brushes, and each brush lends itself to certain soaps or creams. For example, one particular badger brush seems to like creams, so it gets CF or Baum.be; my horse hair brush is best with tallow soaps, so it gets Harris or Tabac; my silvertip gets the MdC, etc. So by extension I cycle through my soaps, although there is still some randomness as well as favouritism in there. I'm pretty sure I use the MdC the most - it's so good, it's hard to resist!

My razors are picked based on how I feel, maybe slightly influenced by what soap and brush combination I'm using. Also, if I have a 4-day or more beard growth, I will tend towards a heavier grind, like a W&B near wedge.

I rotate based on my beard length and the time that the soap has spent idle. If my beard is longer then I'll use a thicker soap, and if a certain soap has sat too long I will use it as to prevent it from drying out.

I'm one of those that tends to go with whatever soap grabs my attention on a given morning. The same goes for my razors and brushes but in most cases those that haven't been used in a while tend to get a turn at the sink when I realize that I haven't used them in a while. I will say that I have one soap that usually ends up getting used when I enjoy a rare nighttime shave. During those unusual occurrences I tend to reach for my Lavender & Peppermint from Sudsy Soapery.

I use two soaps, C.O. Bigelow (relabeled Proraso green in a tube), and Van der Hagen puck. Both are great for me. It is my brush rotation that determines which soap I use.