Shave of the Day 2015

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Sunday 6 December 2015

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Getting Ready to Go Back Home​

I am getting ready to go back home and, as usual, before leaving, it is good to shave. I used this Mastro Livi "the last new grind" as it has been the straight razor I took with me in this business trip. I also took with me my shaving soap, bay rum and pre-shave oil, therefore having what I call "a RazorGuy shave". My shaving soap proves to be, once again, a super performing soap, providing a very good cushion to the straight razor as well as a very good post shave sensation. A splash of my Bay Rum aftershave and I am ready to pack and leave.​
  • Pre-Shave: RazorGuy Pre-Shave Oil
  • Soap: RazorGuy Shaving Soap
  • Brush: Optim'Hom Synthetic J-082
  • Bowl: Chinese Steel Bowl
  • Strop: Mastro Livi Travel Loom Strop and Hand Palm
  • Razor: Mastro Livi "The Last New Grind", 6/8 Half Hollow, Round Point
  • Post-Shave: Alum Block
  • Post-Shave: Umbrian Extravirgin Olive Oil
  • After Shave: RazorGuy Bay Rum
 
razorguy said:
I am getting ready to go back home and, as usual, before leaving, it is good to shave. I used this Mastro Livi "the last new grind" as it has been the straight razor I took with me in this business trip. I also took with me my shaving soap, bay rum and pre-shave oil, therefore having what I call "a RazorGuy shave". My shaving soap proves to be, once again, a super performing soap, providing a very good cushion to the straight razor as well as a very good post shave sensation. A splash of my Bay Rum aftershave and I am ready to pack and leave.
  • Pre-Shave: RazorGuy Pre-Shave Oil
  • Soap: RazorGuy Shaving Soap
  • Brush: Optim'Hom Synthetic J-082
  • Bowl: Chinese Steel Bowl
  • Strop: Mastro Livi Travel Loom Strop and Hand Palm
  • Razor: Mastro Livi "The Last New Grind", 6/8 Half Hollow, Round Point
  • Post-Shave: Alum Block
  • Post-Shave: Umbrian Extravirgin Olive Oil
  • After Shave: RazorGuy Bay Rum
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Lovely shave @razorguy, and what a thing to be proud of - you made practically all of the products yourself. Bravo! I hope your example inspires a few more of us to have a go at making aftershaves and soaps.

Nice photo too - rather a change from your usual photographic style but I like it (y)
 
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Face Wash : PAA Menthol Glycerine Soap
Pre-Shave : Razorock Peppermint pre-shave
Brush : Thater 2-Band
Soap : Tabac
Razor : Iwasaki Tokiwa
After Shave : Myrsol Agua Balsamica
After Shave Splash : Alvarez Gomez Colonia Concentrada

In amongst the cornucopia of artisan soaps we are currently blessed with, there are still a couple of old school commercial soaps I like. MWF and Tabac both make the cut for me. Tabac particularly makes a lather that is close to ideal for straight shaving. The Thater made an easy, quick job of producing such a lather. Once lathered up, I picked up the Iwasaki and started shaving.

There is a reason that Tosuke Iwasaki is regarded as the undisputed master of Japanese razor making, and this razor is one small part of it. Its performance really is in a class all of its own - an astonishing blend of sharpness, comfort and feedback. Using practically zero pressure, the first WTG pass with the razor produced a DFS with ease. Very few of my other straights and Kamis do much at all on the WTG pass, instead depending on the later passes to achieve results. Two passes plus a tiny bit of spot control was enough to achieve a brilliant result today. The feedback from the razor is magnificent - it sings sweetly as long as there is anything left to shave.

Although it gave me quite a kick in the hip pocket, I have absolutely no regrets or second thoughts - it's an important piece of Japanese shaving culture and a superb tool. The only negative associated with it is the fear that I'll end up not wanting to shave with any other western straight. As @alfredus says, "a real First World problem".

A quick splash of the sublimely fresh Alvarez Gomez, and I'm set for the coming week :) I'm waiting impatiently along with @Lifes a Peach for a package from Gifts&Care with some decent sized bottles of the Alvarez Gomez. A very appropriate Xmas indulgence we think...

Wishing you all great shaves and a great week :)
 
A superb shaving setup as usual Draco. [emoji106]

Draco Noir said:
Although it gave me quite a kick in the hip pocket...
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Hearing you say that after seeing the gear you have, that's quite an acknowledgement.
 
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Preshave: hot towel
Brush: Smog #820
Lather: Washpool v.3
Razor: Tennis
Aftershave: cold towel, alum, Thayers, Emulsion

Learned something nw with today's shave. Acted on a hint shared in a vid about the hot towel for starters, then twirled, into the freezer, then cold towel for afters. What a winner! Give it a go!!!!
 
stillshunter said:
... Acted on a hint shared in a vid about the hot towel for starters, then twirled, into the freezer, then cold towel for afters. What a winner! Give it a go!!!!
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But my kitchen is downstairs and my teenage daughters would freak at me wandering back and forth pre/post shave!
 
Mark1966 said:
But my kitchen is downstairs and my teenage daughters would freak at me wandering back and forth pre/post shave!
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Yeah that and a razor, brush, bowl, the entire sink to clean up and then another two wet towels to dispose of and/or presumably put through the laundry. Certainly wouldn't want to do that on a daily or every other day basis. I applaud the enthusiasm. But remain firmly on the balcony.
 
Pjotr said:
Yeah that and a razor, brush, bowl, the entire sink to clean up and then another two wet towels to dispose of and/or presumably put through the laundry. Certainly wouldn't want to do that on a daily or every other day basis. I applaud the enthusiasm. But remain firmly on the balcony.
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Boy there's no changing you lot....surprised you ever let loose your grip on the cartridges. Oh yes, that's right, they cost more money.

Feeling less like Gonzo and more like Fozzie Bear right about now!

250
 
Nice 2 pass shave with a fresh honed Sonnal 5/8 straight point. Not a bad razor with a very stiff blade. I'm enjoying my new soap I made a little while back. Tonight tried a few drops of Emu oil after a tip in one of @Draco Noir's posts.

Also

stillshunter said:
Acted on a hint shared in a vid about the hot towel for starters, then twirled, into the freezer, then cold towel for afters. What a winner! Give it a go!!!!
Click to expand...

I will definitely give this a go considering the heat we have had lately.
 
stillshunter said:
Acted on a hint shared in a vid about the hot towel for starters, then twirled, into the freezer, then cold towel for afters. What a winner! Give it a go!!!!
Click to expand...
bald as said:
I will definitely give this a go considering the heat we have had lately.
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One other bit to this tip that I overlooked with today's shave - but will incorporate once I have supplies - is a few drops of essential oil to the initial hot towel soak. Love that idea too! Scents the towel - for both the before and after - and imbibes it with whatever goodness you need.

P.S., the whirling of the towel - like you're readying it for giving someone a whip-whack - to store in the freezer is a must-do. Spreads the cold evenly enough rather than hot and cold...which would happen with a random dump or fold.
 
stillshunter said:
Boy there's no changing you lot....surprised you ever let loose your grip on the cartridges. Oh yes, that's right, they cost more money.

Feeling less like Gonzo and more like Fozzie Bear right about now!

250
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Now, now stillsy. Have been there and done that. Admittedly not anywhere near the unrelenting, unbridled enthusiasm that you display but used to make shaving sticks and stick them in nice vintage bakelite holders, rebuilt god knows how many brush handles for myself and others, went through a dozen DEs, a dozen more SEs, twenty odd different blades, twenty different soaps and creams etc etc. And yes even taking the excessive years into account I'm now finally saving money.

One day, I hope to meet you on the balcony. It's a lot of fun up there.
 
Pjotr said:
Now, now stillsy. Have been there and done that. Admittedly not anywhere near the unrelenting, unbridled enthusiasm that you display but used to make shaving sticks and stick them in nice vintage bakelite holders, rebuilt god knows how many brush handles for myself and others, went through a dozen DEs, a dozen more SEs, twenty odd different blades, twenty different soaps and creams etc etc. And yes even taking the excessive years into account I'm now finally saving money.

One day, I hope to meet you on the balcony. It's a lot of fun up there.
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Maybe one day mate, just maybe.

Hey I gave the SPUDs a red-hot go, and yet I notice not a single mention of a straight razor in your account of past dalliances. Is it time?


Pjotr said:
By the way, 280 pages of 2015 SOTD pages! To think that I started an original one, way back in god knows when, just in the hope of getting a bit more action here.
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...and it worked!
 
stillshunter said:
Maybe one day mate, just maybe.

Hey I gave the SPUDs a red-hot go, and yet I notice not a single mention of a straight razor in your account of past dalliances. Is it time?
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No it's not. It'll open up a complete, never ending stream of stones, scales made out of the most exotic timbers/materials you can think of, not to mention endless numbers of blades so I can use the stones and rebuild razors etc etc. And of course the debilitating, justified ridicule from my family. I appreciate your dalliance with DE SPUDS (much less your dalliance with ARKO) but you can't dally with straights. It's all in or nothing. Ultimately in my opinion (DSDF), it's only shaving after all. I can lose myself in sharpening stuff with the far less involved and, dare I say it, rewarding pastime of sharpening knives and the endless number of weird woodworking tools I've got.
 
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