Shave of the Day 2015

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stillshunter said:
Reckon I'll remember this morning for a long time. 31 August 2015 is the first exclusive straight shave on a work day.
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Well done mate!
(I reckon you deserved your little treat of Metisol AND Emulsion... [emoji6])
 
Razor: Gold Dollar (Blunt)
Razor: Star 1912
Blade: Personna Gem
Brush: Omega S10108
Soap: Palmolive
Aftershave: Myrsol Metilsol

Before I lathered up, I grabbed the kami @bald as has loaned me. Unfortunately, it was soon apparent that it will be equally invisible. Any side-on shaving will be impossible for me, at least if I want to see what I'm doing. Luckily though, Steve dropped an edgeless straight into my letterbox today. So after a couple of lovely passes with the trusty 1912, I re-lathered and had a 'shave' with it. The blade reappeared once it reached level with my lip. I'll throw in a phantom pass as often as I can to get the muscle memory set.
 
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3P
Mystery Synthetic Brush
PAA Speak Easy
Ikon 102 slant
Schick Platinum Plus
Floid Black AS
Ed Hardy Villain EDT

Nice result today, can't remember how many shaves off this blade?
 
Razor: Barbasol 1934 Bakelite handle
Blade: Schick (Energizer) @2
Soap: LaToja shaving stick
Brush: Vie-Long 13061
A.F: Aqua Velva Original Sport

Shave notes: 5min prep with hot towel, WTG + ATG, did one nick on the left cheek. 2 pass with that thing and It feel almost as if I did 3, I can't even imagine how aggressive it would be with a feather blade : 0
 
#SOTD

Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica
L'Occitane Plisson
Muhle R89 on UFO TiTan handle
Vokshod
Myrsol Agua Balsamica
Creed Original Vetiver

I'm a little restricted in the Fern / Fougere fragrance department. The Creed OV seems to match up OK but I'd be keen to hear from the fragrance gurus out there about their recommendations. Penhaligon's English Fern and Creed Green Irish Tweed are clearly amongst the pricier choices to consider.
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Omega 10005
Fatboy
Aussie spoiler
Stirling glacial obsidian
Aqua velva

Keep forgetting how strong the menthol is in this soap after a few weeks off. Certainly cleared the sinuses and the cold water rinse after froze my face.
Brilliant.
 
Pre: Proraso Red
Razor: Edwin Jagger DE89L
Blade: Ladas Super Stainless
Brush: Vie Long 13061S(Horse Hair kindly on loan from @Draco Noir )
Soap: Speick
Post Shave: Proraso Green
Three pass shave today. First use of this blade and while quite smooth it left a lot behind so not very sharp. First use of a horse hair brush and it is quite firm and very exfoliating. Very enjoyable sensation on the face. The Speick cream is also a solid performing soap with a low scent strength but quite pleasant.
20150831_191926 by Osman Mehmed, on Flickr
 
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Face Wash : PAA Ice mentholated pre-shave soap
Pre Shave : Home made Bergamot & Neroli pre-shave Oil
Brush : Muhle Black Synthetic
Soap : eShave Orange & Sandalwood Cream
Razor : Bruce Gregory Kamisori
After Shave : Myrsol Blue

I don't know why eShave doesn't see more face time here. The Orange & Sandalwood is a delightful fragrance, backed up by first rate lather properties. Perhaps their other fragrances (which I haven't tried) suck. The Gregory Kamisori delivered the smooth, close shave I've come to expect of it. Having a symmetrical (Western style) grind does make shaving with it easier than with a traditional style Japanese grind. No guilty conscience about using the "wrong" side of the razor since there isn't one.

Today was the first time I've tried the Myrsol Blue aftershave. It has quite an olde world fragrance to me - somewhere between barbershop and floral. Pleasant but not exceptional is my initial reaction. I will certainly use it again, but it won't be a threat to my favourites.

Another enjoyable Kamisori shave, and a great start to the day.
 
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Pre-Shave: Occams pre-shave soap, cold water
Razor: Gem G-Bar (kindly loaned by bald as)
Blade: Gem Stainless Steel (2) (kindly loaned by bald as)
Brush: Vie-Long Epsilon 2-Band
Soap: Stirling Lavender & Sage
Post-shave: Alum, South Australian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Stirling Vetiver alcohol free Witch Haze
​
Today I finished my exploration of the SE world. It was a nice shave, smooth (for a SE) but definitely not as close as I like 'em...so it's time to move on/back to DE's.

The brush is now fully here - wonderfully soft with a good backbone and produces fantastic lather - but doesn't like to share it :D :D :D

Still easily 5 passes and more in there, so who cares that it eats half a tub of soap for it - it just feels great!
 
I didn't have a lot of time this evening for my shave so my straight education was limited to the cheeks and neck. A HELMAN Tanifuji arrived today so I cleaned it up and honed it for a small test shave. Very nice. Took an excellent edge.

My actual shave was one of my Tea Tree scented soaps I've made applied with a Plisson and then removed with a Schick adjustable, thanks to @khun_diddy I've slotted into evening shaves and for the time being I'm really enjoying them.

Steve
 
Razor: Ever-Ready 24/14
Blade: Personna Gem (1)
Brush: Omega S10108
Soap: Redgum Lemon Scented Myrtle Castile Shaving Soap
Aftershave: Redgum Lemon Scented Myrtle Aftershave

This shave was dedicated to @roger - thanks again for sending your products to sample.

Consistency: The soap is hard. It makes MWF feel like play dough in comparison. It is diamond-level hard. I suspect the puck will still be kicking on as the heat death of the universe kicks in.

Lather: It doesn't lather. My Omega synth can lather vodka but it couldn't lather this soap. It could create foamy suds but their lifespan was extremely short. Honestly, Williams look like a lather monster next to this. I believe you should make this very clear on your website or else shavers will be upset.

Cushion: Non-existent.

Glide: Not too bad actually given the appearance on the skin.

Scent: Extraordinary. I love the lemon scented myrtle. Really really nice. Definitely one of the best shaving scents I've come across.

Scent Strength: Very low. This doesn't bother me but it will bother a lot of shavers. If it was increased a smidgeon it'd be perfect.

Post-shave: Your soap destroys any other soap/cream I have used. Olive oil soap is a whole new paradigm as far as post-shave is concerned. I didn't want to apply aftershave which is unheard of for me. The post-shave is so good that I can overlook the lack of lather.

I finished up with your 'aftershave' which is simply macadamia oil and lemon scented myrtle. Here the scent strength is much stronger and oh so delicious. I've never used oils after shaving but I'm enjoying the sensation.

This is a controversial product Roger but I'm sure I'll use it quite a bit.
 
khun_diddy said:
Lather: It doesn't lather. My Omega synth can lather vodka but it couldn't lather this soap. It could create foamy suds but their lifespan was extremely short. Honestly, Williams look like a lather monster next to this. I believe you should make this very clear on your website or else shavers will be upset.[/QUOTE

G'day @khun_diddy, I assume you bloomed this soap first?
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I just revisited the Redgum Lemon Scented Myrtle Castile Shaving Soap by doing a test palm lather. This time I removed it from the tin (no mean feat!) and soaked the puck in very hot water for a good five minutes. Once that was done, I loaded the Omega S-Brush for way longer than I normally would and built a lather in my palm.

The result was better than last night but the lather dissipated rapidly as before. Now I wonder if something like a 65/35 olive oil/stearic acid mix would give a longer lasting lather without diminishing the wonderful skin conditioning that the olive oil provides?

Anyway, I'm going to keep experimenting with this stuff as I love the post-shave.

BTW, @roger - I used your 'just soap' to wash my face in the shower this morning. I never wash my face with soap as I don't want to remove natural oils but I had no qualms using this stuff and it's left my face feeling wonderful. In fact, I'm going to use it for a slick second pass one day to see how it performs.
 
@roger
I will try a test lather based on your 50/50 NaOH/KOH version in a warm, not hot scuttle based on the above note to @khun_diddy and report back. I am very intrigued by the "cream" version with 100% KOH as well. A friend of mine uses a commercial shaving cream/gel that has minimal lather but provides an excellent shave none the less. Mountains of lather can be a bit deceiving at times, a bit like pub goggles in a dark room.
 
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@bald as
I have been trying the K soaps with some success, there seem to be a few variables such as how dry the soap is from the last time you used it, brush type, and temperature and especially wait time.

All of these things might seem like a nuisance but we are committed to making soaps with as few additives as possible.

My research over the years suggests that Castile soaps were once favoured for shaving however this seemed to have changed when the marketing of "New and Improved" became more important than quality.

I am looking forward to your updates.
 
@roger
Would you suggest the 100% KOH gel type as more a small amount added directly to the knot of the brush and used as a face lather or also use it as a bowl preparation?
 
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