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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Dec 4, 2023 - Missing Spring
After a week of sub-freezing temperatures and snow, I'm already looking forward to Spring. The shave this morning reflected that sentiment as well.
#mammothmonday
Rating: 4/5
Shire 2++;
The blueberries really came through today in Mindigo. What a nice start into the week. The Inox Dovo punches way above its weight. I've heard these are hit and miss, so I might have been lucky there.
Is that the long awaited brush?
Dec. 4, 2023
Great shave. A weekend worth of growth knocked down pretty quick. Nice mild scent.
Monday, December 34, 2023
Not sure what happened today. Used the same razor+blade combo as last time but it did not agree with my face today.
December 4, 2023
Brush: Oumo Warhammer Iceberg 27mm Meri-2
Razor: C.V. Heljestrand MK 31 11/16 Söderfors Extra Specialstål Full Hollow
Lather: Murphy and McNeil - The Great Bear - Soap
Toner: Thayers - Rose - Toner
Aftershave: Murphy and McNeil - The Great Bear - Aftershave
Talc: Yardley Gold
2 passes. Face lather. Good shave.
For my 400th straight razor shave in the last 18 months, I thought I would have a straightforward Murphy & McNeil Monday. Not at all. The soap demons were, once again, against me. I had an almost identical experience today to the one I had yesterday with Declaration Grooming Opulence. This was my fifth use of The Great Bear. I purchased it about a 1¾ years ago. I could not get it to build anything more than a damp, gooey paste.
When I opened the tub, the puck was dry and very hard so I floated a ¼ teaspoon of hot water on top of it while I showered. I brought a damp brush to it to lather, and got almost nothing in the brush. No suds in the tub at all. Like yesterday, I worked to get enough paste on the brush to spread on the face, add water to and shave with, but it would not build into a lather. It is similar to lathers I had when I shaved with bar soap back in the day, but it maintained its moisture longer.
December 4, 2023
A slightly rough shave, but overall not too bad. I've come to expect a rough shave from 1st-use GEM PTFE blades. I also don't use GEM razors very often, so it's likely a combination of the new blades and my suck-ass technique having not used one in a while.
I'm there with you on the first shave on a GEM blade being rough.
SOTD 04.12.2023
2-pass head and 1-pass face shave. King of Bourbon is a very nice scent. Very warm and comfortable, perfect for cold winter days. The lather was, yet again due to my nervous state, rushed and to little. I actually had to fully re-load for the face shave. But WK soaps are nice skin food
I probably need to go over my face tomorrow morning again before my appointment; I'm so damn nervous about signing the new contract, but it's the right thing to do. I'll also ask about the applications of my colleagues... Somehow I haven't fully lost hope that I can bring at least one with me. Wish me luck 🍀
Good luck!