DaveWave94

Thanks for suggesting it! Such a unique take on the barbershop genre and a very good base on top 👍🏻

First off, massive respect for helping your wife with such a sensitive issue. 👍🏻

Now, if she actually wants to shave with a DE or SE razor, it's generally recommended to start with a less sensitive area than the groin for body shaving. The legs are a really good starting point, alternatively the armpits are also rather tough.

However, in your/her case, if it's just to get a close shave before a laser hair removal... I seriously wouldn't bother with a DE. A basic electric body shaver should be mild enough to get rid of the hair but don't hurt the follicles. Alternatively, there are disposable razors by Wilkinson Sword (Schick in the USA) with a flexible head - means it doesn't only pivot, but actually adapts to the contours of your body. These here are what I mean. Don't let her pay the "lady razor tax" though.

As for lather, I'd recommend a brushless cream, shaving oil or a transparent gel to see better. It might also come in handy to use (shower) mirrors. Best of luck!

26.10.2024 - Saturday Strathcona shenanigans

• Brush: AP Shave Co. black & clear handle w/ 30 mm Tuxedo Fan knot
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: snapped KCG
• Lather: MacDuff's Soap Co. - Old Strathcona (sample)
• Post-Shave: OAM sensitive skin toner; Capanova Natural aftershave repair balm

-> 2 passes on the dome, 1 for the neck and cheek lines. A really great shave!

Hadn't posted in a while since a few shaves were boring shower shaves with a cartridge. Feels good to use something proper again! I felt in the mood for a barbershop scent, but couldn't decide - so I used a chunk of the huge sample @sahenders@sub.wetshaving.social graciously provided to us for BVWSC N°2. I lathered it up in a new candle coaster I got myself (the old lid I've been using has finally RIP'd). Lo and behold, it worked great. MacDuff's base is really a treat and gladly I experience no irritation from the Oak moss.

Today's aftershave balm is a new one I bought on Friday, it's by a natural cosmetics brand that seems to be on clearance sale. The balm has a gel-like texture and absorbed very quickly. It unfortunately contains alcohol, but also lots of skin food ingredients to balance that out. Only downside is that it makes my dome shine like I polished it, so it's only getting used for late shaves 😅

Yeah, I don't really miss it. Seems like at that price point, their only good brushes are the black fibre synthetics.

I'd even call it an awesome handle, but when that is what they call medium... IDK. My grandpa's vintage brush also required that my dad and me sanded down the glue of the new knot and carefully widened the yellow bakelite with a Dremel, so no idea what it is with East Germany and tiny shaving brush knots. 😅

I find it intriguing too and I believe Mühle can make great products... if only their knots weren't so small 🤔

Great idea! An empty 2 oz aluminium tin is even better, as it won't break easily like glass or porcelain. You might be able to find another one in a thrift store too.

Unfortunately I also never had any Semogue brush, but I fully trust your word. I believe the animal hair fibers would be able to "fluff out" so to speak (blooming?), but that's not something I'd expect to be possible from synthetic fibre.

Side note, Fan or Flattop knots really rock for head shaving. It's a shame that not many face shavers seem to appreciate them, so they aren't widely available. Andrew from AP Shave Co. seems to be one of the only artisans who even does synthetic fan knots.

Sample lathering is quite a PITA for people who prefer to lather directly on their face/head, I feel your pain.

I'd also suggest another minimalist alternative to make it as close to face lathering as possible. Small glass or porcelain ashtrays (cleaned ofc) or candle coasters make for a good solution if the only camembert available in your area doesn't come with a cool porcelain dish. You can easily find those, even vintage ones if you prefer thrift stores/flea markets. Spread the soap evenly with a guitar pick or wide popsicle and simply load as if it was a soap puck. Any sample that isn't by Stirling Soap is only designed to give you 3 to 5 uses max anyway, so be generous with the amount of soap you're spreading in there.

Unfortunately I only had a hjm black badger brush (Mühle's cheap line before rebranding it to "nom") and that was a scratchy brush with quite a stench.

The Ebonite handle there looks crazy good though. It's just a shame that most of their knots are so tiny! 21 mm wouldn't fit well for my needs, the only brush I own that is this small is one with sentimental value (grandpa's old brush, now re-fitted with an AP Shave Co. knot). They also have their STF Silver Tip Fibre available in 26 mm knots though, which is supposed to be the top tier synthetic brush material on the market... would love to try one of those someday. It's a bit weird that I don't own anything by Mühle except an R41 with an ebony handle, since they are based in my region.

I realise that I'm becoming less and less a fan of menthol and WS-23 in soaps and splashes. It feels like a gimmick.

For the most part, menthol and Koolada/WS-23 are gimmicks - they are often added to provide a "refreshing" feeling, the only good use case are very hot summer days were they provide a short relief from the heat. Natural peppermint oil is an entirely different case though, if used sparingly (1% at most) in products it has the same effect as it contains natural menthol. However, it's a bit counterproductive to shaving - peppermint and menthol mostly improve blood flow and improve hair/beard growth by proxy. A 2014 study in mice even showed that an oil mix consisting of castor, jojoba and a tiny bit of peppermint oil worked as good as Minoxidil for hair (re-)growth!

Sterben musst du so und so, doch schneller geht's mit Marlboro!

Non-serious german quote of course, I am just kidding. Hope this set actually smells way better than my preferred cigarette brand does. Enjoy 👍🏻

I personally got myself a no-name round fogless shower mirror from amazon. It is shatter-proof and has a twist-action suction cup, making it suitable for a lot of different surfaces. Since you seem to be based in the US, this one here seems to be like the one I got. I personally like that you can twist it 360°, personally I use it regularly to trim my beard and occasionally to shave my head.

20.10.2024 - Sunday Rambling

• Brush: RazoRock 400 Noir SE
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: snapped KCG
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Rambler
• Post-Shave: Osma alum; Moon Soaps Old School "balm"

-> as usual: 2 passes on the head, 1 around the beard. A good shave with just minor irritation. The alum was just for 2 bumps I managed to cut up.

Not shaving since Wednesday left me with quite the stubble on my dome, but surprisingly the Thorn manages that easily.

I was in the mood for a great ZM soap, and since I only own two and one is a summer aquatic - it was Rambler time. A pretty sweet affair, since the tobacco listed isn't my preferred "dried cigar leaf" scent but rather the tobacco flower. Nevertheless, it always lathers great and leaves my skin feeling very good. Heather knows her cosmetics stuff, she just had a unfortunate choice for a brand name.

Second microneedling treatment today. Unfortunately I wasn't paying attention and got myself a 1.0 mm roller, while every source recommends 0.5 for beginners. Now I know why it's actually a bit painful, but oh well - that's the price of beauty. 😅