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Razor & blade - Lord Fatboy & Treet Carbon Steel "Black Beauty"
Brush & Creme - Vie Long 4105 & Vicco Turmeric Shave
Aftercare - same see my second post
Balm & scent - Arko oily balm & Duru Limon
So, with less than a week to go now, I feel really quite differently to the way I did at the beginning of the month. My skin has toughened up immensely, but there is a trade off for that. I now don't feel irritation in the same way. I can see it, but it is surface deep. Perhaps I am mistaking the cause for the effect. Perhaps my technique was REALLY bad to begin with, and it's now just bad enough to be only skin deep.
Shaving as a hobby is (almost) unique, in that it is one of the few hobbies that you can only do once a day (twice max
). If your hobby is glueing model planes together, by the end of the first week, you'll know the basics, and after six months, you'll be just about as good at gluing model planes together as you're ever going to get - this is not true of shaving. Doubling the shaving productivity make a big difference. Shaving so frequently has allowed me to experiment with different techniques, and has certainly (re)opened my mind to the benefits of the three pass shave (WTG XTG L-R, XTG R-L). I have also, on a few occasions, gone against the grain. With my beard pattern, it's really quite hard to go with the grain on my neck - as it mostly splits down the middle of my face, both sides going horizontal from chin to ear. It means the North / South method, with a sharp blade & aggressive razor, twice across the grain, causes the least irritation. But also gets me less close.
I started this topic on another board "Irritation or no close shave, which is worse?", and most of the posters said "Irritation is worst", but eventually some came out and said "I prefer a close shave, irritation be damned". If experience has taught me anything, it's that I'm almost always going to get some irritation, no matter what I do. There have been times when I have had zero irritation, but they are rare, and usually accompany a shave that was not as close. I've always had very sensitive skin, ever since I was a child, and irritation is something I get on my face: clean shaven, bearded or with a three day growth. Often, if I pause at a pretty good shave, then the whisker stubble left behind causes more, and more painful & unsightly irritation - catching on collar etc - than if had gone for a more close shave. It's a balancing act. Further, if I have a bit of stubble, the moisturisers and medicated cremes I sometimes have to add to treat my sensitive skin, will not reach the skin itself, or reach it unevenly, lingering on the stubble, rather than getting deep down to the source. If the area will suffer whether I shave or not, I'd rather be shaved close.
Aggression is another thing. If there were ever a shaving Lao-Tsu, he might say "Aggression is a matter of what one is willing to tolerate". About 6 months back, on a shaving forum, I found the following exchange
(I paraphrase from memory).
Poster A
"The R41 is way too aggressive. Every time I use it, although I get a close shave, I always get 2 weepers on my neck and 2 on my chin"
Poster B
"I don't think the R41 is overly aggressive. When I use it, the worst that happens is I get 2 weepers on my neck and 2 on my chin"
Today, for the first time, I used a Treet "Black Beauty" carbon steel blade (made in Pakistan), in the Lord Fatboy frankenrazor. It's the first time I've used a carbon blade that was not 65-70 years old (Wardonia / Gillette Blue etc). It felt thicker than a stainless steel blade and maybe slightly less flexible - though the Rapira Swedish Supersteel feels thicker, and it's stainless steel. The guy who sent them to me said he felt they were more like a single edge - like a Gem or Ever-Ready. I can feel this too, a little, but really I was surprised at the smoothness. It's my understanding that all blades used to be carbon steel, and that they did not hold an edge as well as stainless. I'm a "one-n-done", fresh blade ever time shaver, but part of me wants to see how many shaves I can get out of this blade. The first pass it was a little tuggy (only a little). The second was very smooth, and the third was excellent. I decided to really push it, and did a fourth clean up/down pass and, wow, it's a darn fine shave. I may hang onto it, and see if I can repeat the quality of shave in a more aggressive razor. If carbon steel blades were the norm when razors were more aggressive, will it suit a more aggressive razor better? I realise that this blade is more like a carbon (No-pun-intended) copy of a modern stainless blade, and probably has little in common - in terms of bevelling - with the old blades. It looks cool, grey black. Which is half the battle really. I may also try half a blade in my Single Edge blade holder, in one of my Gems or Ever-Readys.
I used Vicco turmeric shaving creme again, my favourite shaving creme, by a long way. A little of it goes a long way, and the lather just JUMPS up, thick and slick in seconds, quite unlike any other tubed creme I use (and so inexpensive too). I also used One Planet shave oil. Now, I'm no fan of shave oils, but I'd never used this blade before and wanted to give it all the help it could get. It's nice, tingly on the skin (as is the Vicco, though it was hard to feel on the first pass, through the oil), but you usually have to use a little more than the more expensive shave oils. Hey, at six 1 ounce bottles for 12 dollars, I'm not complaining. Both the creme and oil were sat in hot water while my brush soaked, and this method not only warms the creme and makes it even faster to lather, but it makes the oil a little more runny.
The brush, always a pleasure, is going through it's second break-in period - as horse hair does. It now needs to be shampooed and conditioned, which I will do tonight.
Altogether a good shave, and because I'm experimenting, I used my usual alum water, witch hazel, lavender water then rose water aftercare, but added a cold towel, and only applied the balm a few minutes ago - about an hour after the shave. It's very oily, so needed to be rubbed in quite a bit, and I'm glad I didn't do it right after the shave. Maybe shave talc would go well with it..? (there has got to be some excuse to use it. Lol). I would recommend a pea to almond sized amount. Rub it between your hands and then apply evenly to the skin. Then I would wait and let the heat of your skin warm it up a bit, then rub it in thoroughly (with the grain!). Otherwise it will pull or drag a bit (I keep all my balms in the fridge, so yours will probably spread more easily). The smell reminds me of barbershops - Turkish ones, and the old fashioned Nivea creme and talc (and something else...hmmm...?)
So, into the final week. I'll post two or three times more and some final thoughts.
The Lord Fatboy
Treet - a treat for your face
Arko oily balm
Brush & Creme - Vie Long 4105 & Vicco Turmeric Shave
Aftercare - same see my second post
Balm & scent - Arko oily balm & Duru Limon
So, with less than a week to go now, I feel really quite differently to the way I did at the beginning of the month. My skin has toughened up immensely, but there is a trade off for that. I now don't feel irritation in the same way. I can see it, but it is surface deep. Perhaps I am mistaking the cause for the effect. Perhaps my technique was REALLY bad to begin with, and it's now just bad enough to be only skin deep.
Shaving as a hobby is (almost) unique, in that it is one of the few hobbies that you can only do once a day (twice max
). If your hobby is glueing model planes together, by the end of the first week, you'll know the basics, and after six months, you'll be just about as good at gluing model planes together as you're ever going to get - this is not true of shaving. Doubling the shaving productivity make a big difference. Shaving so frequently has allowed me to experiment with different techniques, and has certainly (re)opened my mind to the benefits of the three pass shave (WTG XTG L-R, XTG R-L). I have also, on a few occasions, gone against the grain. With my beard pattern, it's really quite hard to go with the grain on my neck - as it mostly splits down the middle of my face, both sides going horizontal from chin to ear. It means the North / South method, with a sharp blade & aggressive razor, twice across the grain, causes the least irritation. But also gets me less close. I started this topic on another board "Irritation or no close shave, which is worse?", and most of the posters said "Irritation is worst", but eventually some came out and said "I prefer a close shave, irritation be damned". If experience has taught me anything, it's that I'm almost always going to get some irritation, no matter what I do. There have been times when I have had zero irritation, but they are rare, and usually accompany a shave that was not as close. I've always had very sensitive skin, ever since I was a child, and irritation is something I get on my face: clean shaven, bearded or with a three day growth. Often, if I pause at a pretty good shave, then the whisker stubble left behind causes more, and more painful & unsightly irritation - catching on collar etc - than if had gone for a more close shave. It's a balancing act. Further, if I have a bit of stubble, the moisturisers and medicated cremes I sometimes have to add to treat my sensitive skin, will not reach the skin itself, or reach it unevenly, lingering on the stubble, rather than getting deep down to the source. If the area will suffer whether I shave or not, I'd rather be shaved close.
Aggression is another thing. If there were ever a shaving Lao-Tsu, he might say "Aggression is a matter of what one is willing to tolerate". About 6 months back, on a shaving forum, I found the following exchange
(I paraphrase from memory).
Poster A
"The R41 is way too aggressive. Every time I use it, although I get a close shave, I always get 2 weepers on my neck and 2 on my chin"
Poster B
"I don't think the R41 is overly aggressive. When I use it, the worst that happens is I get 2 weepers on my neck and 2 on my chin"
Today, for the first time, I used a Treet "Black Beauty" carbon steel blade (made in Pakistan), in the Lord Fatboy frankenrazor. It's the first time I've used a carbon blade that was not 65-70 years old (Wardonia / Gillette Blue etc). It felt thicker than a stainless steel blade and maybe slightly less flexible - though the Rapira Swedish Supersteel feels thicker, and it's stainless steel. The guy who sent them to me said he felt they were more like a single edge - like a Gem or Ever-Ready. I can feel this too, a little, but really I was surprised at the smoothness. It's my understanding that all blades used to be carbon steel, and that they did not hold an edge as well as stainless. I'm a "one-n-done", fresh blade ever time shaver, but part of me wants to see how many shaves I can get out of this blade. The first pass it was a little tuggy (only a little). The second was very smooth, and the third was excellent. I decided to really push it, and did a fourth clean up/down pass and, wow, it's a darn fine shave. I may hang onto it, and see if I can repeat the quality of shave in a more aggressive razor. If carbon steel blades were the norm when razors were more aggressive, will it suit a more aggressive razor better? I realise that this blade is more like a carbon (No-pun-intended) copy of a modern stainless blade, and probably has little in common - in terms of bevelling - with the old blades. It looks cool, grey black. Which is half the battle really
. I may also try half a blade in my Single Edge blade holder, in one of my Gems or Ever-Readys.I used Vicco turmeric shaving creme again, my favourite shaving creme, by a long way. A little of it goes a long way, and the lather just JUMPS up, thick and slick in seconds, quite unlike any other tubed creme I use (and so inexpensive too). I also used One Planet shave oil. Now, I'm no fan of shave oils, but I'd never used this blade before and wanted to give it all the help it could get. It's nice, tingly on the skin (as is the Vicco, though it was hard to feel on the first pass, through the oil), but you usually have to use a little more than the more expensive shave oils. Hey, at six 1 ounce bottles for 12 dollars, I'm not complaining. Both the creme and oil were sat in hot water while my brush soaked, and this method not only warms the creme and makes it even faster to lather, but it makes the oil a little more runny.
The brush, always a pleasure, is going through it's second break-in period - as horse hair does. It now needs to be shampooed and conditioned, which I will do tonight.
Altogether a good shave, and because I'm experimenting, I used my usual alum water, witch hazel, lavender water then rose water aftercare, but added a cold towel, and only applied the balm a few minutes ago - about an hour after the shave. It's very oily, so needed to be rubbed in quite a bit, and I'm glad I didn't do it right after the shave. Maybe shave talc would go well with it..? (there has got to be some excuse to use it. Lol). I would recommend a pea to almond sized amount. Rub it between your hands and then apply evenly to the skin. Then I would wait and let the heat of your skin warm it up a bit, then rub it in thoroughly (with the grain!). Otherwise it will pull or drag a bit (I keep all my balms in the fridge, so yours will probably spread more easily). The smell reminds me of barbershops - Turkish ones, and the old fashioned Nivea creme and talc (and something else...hmmm...?)
So, into the final week. I'll post two or three times more and some final thoughts.
The Lord Fatboy
Treet - a treat for your face
Arko oily balm
