Shave of the Day 2015

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Face Wash : Razorock Menthol Lime Pre-Shave Soap
Pre Shave : Proraso White Pre-Shave Cream
Brush : Muhle Black Synthetic
Soap : Van Yulay Bay Rum
Razor : Kamisori Hybrid - Bruce Gregory
After Shave : Argan Oil
After Shave Splash : Floid Blue EDT

I approached today's shave with a little nervousness - the Bruce Gregory Kamisori was involved in a nasty episode last week that left a significant sized chip missing from the middle of the cutting edge. After telling its owner what a careless, irresponsible, clumsy fool he was, I decided to put it into Draco's Panel Shop for some major repairs. I'm pretty confident with maintenance and touch-up honing, but this was the first time I've had to go right back to a 400 grit waterstone and remove a substantial amount of metal.

It took longer then I expected to get the blade to the point where there was no visible evidence of the chip any more, then I started on a full nagura progression. I eventually got the blade to the final finishing stage, and tried the Hanging Hair Test.... fail!!! Then he who knows pinpointed the source of the problem instantly - I had taped the spine of the razor while honing, but hadn't changed the tape, which obviously wears much faster than steel. I put a fresh layer of tape on the blade and went back to the finishing stage. Success with the Hanging Hair, but not battle tested until this morning. Many thanks to @Mark (he who knows) for the brilliant moral support and mentoring.

The long and short is that the Kamisori shaved brilliantly. The face was buzzing nicely from the mandatory menthol in the Proraso, and the Bay Rum lather continues to please. After the rinse/alum/rinse, I tried some neat Argan Oil. Wow, that stuff gets absorbed into the skin really quickly and leaves it feeling supple and moisturised. A generous splash of Floid Blue EDT, which didn't sting at all after the Argan Oil, and a great shave was complete.
 
Another magnificent SOTD @Draco Noir .

Right from your rookie days I have followed your Kamisori / Straight razor journey with quiet admiration. From the days that you only dared to do your cheeks, the occasional accidents that put things on hold whilst the wounds healed, and now the way that you master that fine collection of blades to bring out the Holy BBS Grail.

They have been a joy to read (y)
 
Lifes a Peach said:
Another magnificent SOTD @Draco Noir .

Right from your rookie days I have followed your Kamisori / Straight razor journey with quiet admiration. From the days that you only dared to do your cheeks, the occasional accidents that put things on hold whilst the wounds healed, and now the way that you master that fine collection of blades to bring out the Holy BBS Grail.

They have been a joy to read (y)
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Thank you @Lifes a Peach - your comments about the "Kamisori Journey" mean more to me than you could imagine! And it really has been a journey of learning and skills development, complete with all the ups and downs that are the truth of taking on anything new and difficult in life. I just hope that my sometimes bumbling efforts act as an inspiration for others who are considering taking on something similar. Because the truth is that you can do it - You. Can. Really. Do it.

Happy shaves @Lifes a Peach :)
 
Kamisori: Inoue Fujisuke
Brush: Omega S10108
Soap: Bald Diddy V2 Cedar
Aftershave: Myrsol Agua Balsamica

I love the BD Cedar. Scent is mild but delicious. The next batch I'll experiment with one drop of EO per four grams of soap. It's currently dosed at one drop per six grams. In any case, the cedarwood/olive oil combo is lovely. Post-shave feel is amazing.
 
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3P
Razorock Chubby
Reef Point Espresso
Mongoose with Captain Sharp blade
Jürgen Hempel Ti
YSL Le Nuit De L'Homme balm and EDT

Nice lather from the Reef Point with a sweet coffee scent. This brush likes a lot of soap due to its size but it does have a nice luxury face feel to it.

Bit of balm to match the EDT and out the door today.
 
khun_diddy said:
I love the BD Cedar. Scent is mild but delicious. The next batch I'll experiment with one drop of EO per four grams of soap. It's currently dosed at one drop per six grams. In any case, the cedarwood/olive oil combo is lovely. Post-shave feel is amazing.
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@khun_diddy, after reading about your trials with blending fragrances, I had a little tip that might help you. Buy a box of old-fashioned wooden toothpicks and a few small ziploc bags. The idea is to dip a toothpick to a standard depth (say 1cm) in the EO then put it in the ziploc bag. If you decide you decide your blend needs a bit more of Essential Oil "D" just put another toothpick worth in the bag. Leave the bag sealed for an hour or so, then check your blend to see if it's pleasing or needs more tweaking. This way you don't spoil soap and you use a minimum of fragrance oil to get your formulation just right...

I can't attribute this, because I've forgotten where I saw it, but hopefully it's helpful.

Draco
 
Draco Noir said:
@khun_diddy, after reading about your trials with blending fragrances, I had a little tip that might help you. Buy a box of old-fashioned wooden toothpicks and a few small ziploc bags. The idea is to dip a toothpick to a standard depth (say 1cm) in the EO then put it in the ziploc bag. If you decide you decide your blend needs a bit more of Essential Oil "D" just put another toothpick worth in the bag. Leave the bag sealed for an hour or so, then check your blend to see if it's pleasing or needs more tweaking. This way you don't spoil soap and you use a minimum of fragrance oil to get your formulation just right...

I can't attribute this, because I've forgotten where I saw it, but hopefully it's helpful.

Draco
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Brilliant idea, cheers!
 
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Face Wash : Razorock Menthol Lime Pre-Shave Soap
Pre Shave : Draco Pre-Shave Oil
Brush : Antiga Barbearia Boar Bristle
Soap : Antiga Barbearia
Razor : Hoshi Tombo 6500
After Shave Splash : Antiga Barbearia

Rather a Portuguese inspired shave today. After the usual prep I reached for a shaving brush and ended up grabbing the Antiga Barbearia. I was just about to pick up another soap but thought there was a nice symmetry to using the Antiga Barbearia soap with the brush. I really like this soap anyway, so no big deal.

The Hoshi delivered a superb shave. I'm starting to get a feel for the nuances of the different razors in my shave dojo. They definitely aren't just a bunch of Japanese razors. Anyway, the Hoshi 6500 and I have become firm friends now, and the results are stunning.

The usual rinse etc followed, except that I couldn't go past the Antiga Barbearia after shave. Sunday, here we go :)
 
Draco Noir said:
@khun_diddy, after reading about your trials with blending fragrances, I had a little tip that might help you. Buy a box of old-fashioned wooden toothpicks and a few small ziploc bags. The idea is to dip a toothpick to a standard depth (say 1cm) in the EO then put it in the ziploc bag. If you decide you decide your blend needs a bit more of Essential Oil "D" just put another toothpick worth in the bag. Leave the bag sealed for an hour or so, then check your blend to see if it's pleasing or needs more tweaking. This way you don't spoil soap and you use a minimum of fragrance oil to get your formulation just right...

I can't attribute this, because I've forgotten where I saw it, but hopefully it's helpful.

Draco
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@Draco Noir That is an excellent idea. A thought, divide a tooth pick into 10 equal segments and use a combination of oils and toothpicks dipped to 1 unit, 3 units and say 10 units and sealed in a zip lock bag for the hour to get an idea of blends. Probably what you just said but I still need another coffee.
 
bald as said:
@Draco Noir That is an excellent idea. A thought, divide a tooth pick into 10 equal segments and use a combination of oils and toothpicks dipped to 1 unit, 3 units and say 10 units and sealed in a zip lock bag for the hour to get an idea of blends. Probably what you just said but I still need another coffee.
Click to expand...

Well, @bald as, either my self-expression skills have hit a very low spot or a long black is needed at your end...
 
Kamisori: Benkei
Brush: Omega S10108
Soap: Bald Diddy Lanolin V2 Patchouli
Aftershave: Redgum Lemon Scented Myrtle

I only added a smidgeon of lanolin to the soap but it seems that a little goes a long way. No impact on lather - if anything it seemed more stable - yet a gorgeous feel to the skin after the shave. The patchouli dosage seems about right but ideally it should be reduced a bit to make room for a splash of lavender and some sort of citrus.

Actually, my skin felt so good after the shave that I didn't want to wash it away with ethanol so I opted for the Redgum oil instead to help lock in the goodness.
 
Shave tonight was a bit different. Oil only, no soap. As I am a chicken by nature I opted for an SE as it would be more controllable if I got oil on my hands. It was really good and very smooth. I left a cheek and opened up a straight. Immediate feedback was it wanted to dig in and cut me. I was very surprised as the SE virtually slid over the face. @alfredus you wouldn't believe the post shave after an oil only shave :) All up a good shave. Cleaning the basin is a bit of a chore.

Steve
 
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Pre-Shave: Occams pre-shave soap, cold water
Razor: ATT R2 Kronos (kindly loaned by @Draco Noir)
Blade: Voskhod (1)
Brush: Vie-Long Epsilon White Horse Fan
Soap: Barrister & Mann Cheshire
Post-shave: Alum, Stirling Vetiver alcohol free Witch Hazel, South Australian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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The R2 plate is definitely a big step up from the M2. I am still not a fan of OC's - the rake feeling on my face is just too much - having said that: the razor is damn smooth! It bit me a bit - as the members of the Adelaide Meet-Up can attest, but it was more my pre-adolescent skin than the razor. In any case a damn close shave and ultra smooth skin.

The brush is definitely one of my favourites and I simply cannot understand why not more people love the horse...for all you non-believers a crappy phone picture - pure face-lather after the first pass with no tricks:

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SOTD Sunday, October 11
Cold water shave
Pre-shave: Bloom water
Soap: Shaver Heaven, Aladdin
Brush: Edwin Jagger badger
Face lather
Razor: Lady Gillette (1965)
Blade: Astra Green SP (3)

Soap performed as you would expect a Shaver Heaven soap to perform; top notch in lather, slickness/glide and moisture retention (not drying on face before pass complete). The Astra Green still sharp and cutting nicely. The Lady Gillette is tooooo mild. While the EJ DE89 & Muhle R89 I used the last two days behaved like well mannered gentlemen, they still performed efficiently. There was no doubt the Lady Gillette shaved but the blade was nowhere near aggressive enough and failed to provide a close enough shave. Less than one hour after my shave I could feel too much stubble reappearing. Because the blade is recessed a little too far into the razor head I found getting an efficient cutting angle a little more difficult than the last two days. I am going to attempt this combo again tomorrow morning.
 
Saturday night shave
Pre-Shave Proraso Green Pre/Post-shave
Brush The Grooming Co Synthetic
Soap Stirling Glacial Obsidian
Razor Ikon #102 Slant
Blade GSB
Post-Shave Stirling Margaritas in the Arctic Post-shave Balm

Hot and humid in Melbourne Saturday and after a busy day decided that a cold water shave with buckets of menthol was warranted. Remembered that I had a sample of Margaritas in the Arctic balm and it was a great menthol addition with an intriguing scent, mixed with the anise from the soap really well.

Sunday night shave
Pre-Shave Archo Brito Pre-shave Soap Glyce Lima
Brush Edwin Jagger Super Badger
Soap Cella Shaving Cream (thanks to @Osman for the loan)
Razor Ikon #102 Slant
Blade GSB
Post-Shave Argon Oil
After-Shave Myrsol F./Extra

Following standard Melbourne Weather patterns, Sunday afternoon turned cold and rainy so I dropped the menthol from the shave. Cella has an overly sweet smell in the tub but was a little better on the face. Lather was creamy and slick and the EJ super badger was soft on the face.
 
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