This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Discord, and IRC.
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I enjoyed just gently wiping the stubble of my face with the super smooth Kismet blade. This Weckoning is going great.
#Monthofweckoning
2023.08.08 SOTD (#UNCHALLENGE shave #8):
Prep: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Cleanser
Brush: AKA Brushworks Amethyst Watchman with 26mm AP Shave Co G5C
Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable
Blade: Gillette Perma-Sharp (4)
Lather: Seaforth! Sea Ice Lime
Post Shave: Stirling Mentholated Unscented Witch Hazel and Aloe, Seaforth! Sea Ice Lime Aftershave Splash, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry
AA Day 8! Quick 2 pass to start the day. Went better than my last couple shaves, mainly because I stopped being lazy and stayed with my growth pattern.
#UNCHALLENGE
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
Kismet Blade - Losing My Edge
#Monthofweckoning
I've been following @sgrdddy@sub.wetshaving.social's slurry lather videos with interest. The slurry lather he makes is very reminiscent of my early one-pass shave lathers many years ago. It also reminds me of the one-pass shaves I used to do with bar soap, though bar soap lather needs to be applied in the area you intend to shave immediately because a full-face bar soap lather dries too quickly.
The point of this comment is to show that someone who is moderately competent at face lathering (me) doesn't necessarily suffer from the problems that sgrdddy suggests exist with face lathering. I think my normal shaving pace is pretty time-efficient, and I generally have more than enough lather for 3 passes.
My discussion is intended as a contrast to slurry lathering which is a method that I think is completely valid. I think the slurry lather method is quicker, but does not provide as much enjoyment of the quality of the soap base (skin food, etc.), nor the scent. Obviously IMHO.
I timed my shave today. My brush loading time was 10 seconds. I loaded directly from the puck with a damp, not wet, brush.
After loading, I put down the brush, and took lather paste (aka protolather) from the puck and built my pre-shave. For this, I smear lather paste on face, add water with my hands and work this mixture into the beard. I add water until this pre-shave mixture is a very wet, very slick emulsion.
With the loaded brush I built a thick lather by splaying the brush and scrubbing the face, and adding water by dipping brush tips into a mug of water. I work at this until the lather is almost to the hydration I want, then I paint in water; again by dipping brush tips not dropping water into the brush. Total time into the shave was a little over 2 minutes after lather for the first pass was complete. (It takes much longer for me to describe this.)
The first pass was completed in after 7 minutes had passed.
I used the same lathering procedure for the second pass, starting with what remained in the brush. No tub loading. The entire 2-pass shave was complete, including aftershave and EdP in 14 minutes and about 30 seconds (rounding down).
Here's the brush. It's a little hard to tell from the pic, but there's easily enough lather for a third pass and perhaps a fourth still available.
I'm not certain if this discussion is worthwhile. Feel free to ignore it.
I added another photo to the blade edge album today.
I like reading about lather techniques. I enjoy bowl lathering and face lathering both, but I face lather 99% of the time.
I sorta stumbled into my own “slurry lather” theory with regards to Williams Mug Soap. Maybe my brain stole the idea from @sgrdddy@sub.wetshaving.social , but I’m of the opinion that Williams (the discontinued modern version, at least), works best if you load a damp-to-wet brush and apply it to your face. Don’t lather it, add water, work it… just put it on and go. This may require a quick reload between each pass, but it’s a very fast way to do it. Much like this infamous video!
I watched the video and that's almost exactly how I lathered when I started shaving in the '60s. Wet the brush, swizzle it around in the soap, apply, then shave (1-pass). I only did this until I killed the soap which was not new when I got it. I then "advanced" to canned goo only to return to this style of shaving in 2021.
For fans of artisan soaps it might be a little cringy to watch, but there's a certain utilitarian appeal to being able to shave like that. It probably works with most soaps, but I still enjoy the lathering process.
It probably works with most soaps, but I still enjoy the lathering process.
Agree completely!
I think I tried Williams with a slurry last year. I think it worked well. I'm not surprised that you were able to make it work for you!
I had forgotten about this video. 😅
You're welcome.
August 8, 2023
I'm wondering whether I've a slight reaction to the soap - my skin continues to be dry and tense, and I get a slight itch and warmth during the shave. I still like the scent though, and I like the way soap and aftershave complement each other.
Otherwise, nothing new under the sun.
Have a good night!
Do you get frag burn from any other soap? I have one or two that I react to similar to how you describe. The last one was Highland Springs - Green Door, but I decided I didn't like the scent quite enough to put up with it.
Thanks, I hadn't thought of frag burn!
I had the same with Barbiere Sofisticato by AE - which I quite liked. I discovered that the burn was lighter when bowl lathering. I guess I should try that again, but unfortunately I didn't bring my bowl with me. A cereal bowl will have to do.
A&E is infamous for frag burn, as you probably know.
Yes, but I hadn't expected it here. Let's see how this develops.
Austere August: Day: 8
MRTNG's Ultra Nightmare Mode
Midnight Stag Challenge
Slurry again, just to continue to gain experience with it. I also talk about a lather style that I know a friend Greg uses.
(Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹506 uses›)
Same: First pass has some tugginess to it. But no irritation that lasts longer than a little tuggy stroke. Latter passes feel fine and give a reasonably close shave. 5 pretty quick passes.
Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)
(Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - White Label)
I just love all the aspects of this scent!
Scent Strength: 6/10, nicely present during shaving.
Lather... Slurry lather again and it did very well. Just 6 swirls, and still too much lather.
Bowl: No Bowl
(Zenith - r/wetshaving MOAR BOAR B35/508A XL ‹31 uses›)
Same: Comfortable soft tips that do flex some, but that are supported by a base with strong backbone. As with all young boars, I look forward to the tips splitting with more uses and getting softer with use. I am generally using a hair dryer to gently treat the tips and age them just a bit faster than normal.
During the Shave Feel:
Cheeks: Felt blade but comfortable
Neck: Felt blade but comfortable
After the Shave Closeness:
Cheeks: Close Shave
Neck: Several hairs are showing some tip length (still a pretty good shave)
Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet
