Post Your Rotation System

[idjekyll]

After a while, with all the purchasing done, we all develop our own rotation system for using our razors, soaps and what have you. Mine is below:

- 3 razors in rotation. Razor choice depends on amount of growth and then I'll follow my mood.
- 16 active soaps. 3 soaps in rotation per week and I change 2 and keep 1 for the following week.
- 4 brushes in rotation. Bulb for bowl and fan for face lathering. Very mood dependent but my most luxurious Yaqi Bandstand silvertip for headshaves.

That is where I'm at now. Post yours.

 

[lasta]

No science, all mood!

 

[1e4]

Currently:

• Razor, blade and soap selections run from Sunday through Saturday. I make only one change, out of the three, for a new week. I’m not always faithful about the soap, however.
• Brushes rotate daily, in order. Current lineup includes Semogue SOC Boar, Semogue SOC Badger, Rudy Vey B&B group buy with Semogue SOC Mistura knot and a Semogue Pegasus Boar. But I’m thinking about getting rid of the Badger and Mistura.
• Aftershave, I’ll keep a primary bottle out and mostly use it until it’s gone, though I’m not too strict about it.
• Preshave is rarely neesed, but if used I’ll pick whatever looks right for the moment.

 

[silverlifter]

Mostly random...

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}

 

[m949]

My rotation:

Shaving four times a week, i.e. every second day starting Mondays + one shave on Saturday
- Five razors currently in rotation, four are set for each shaving day with the fifth being rotated in every other Saturday. A sixth razor may come soon.
- Currently three brushes (silver tip badger, synthetic, 2-band badger), a fourth synthetic arrived today. Brushes are also set on fixed days. With the fourth synthetic each brush will be used once a week. A small travel brush is only used on the road.
- Soaps, Aftershave and Fragrance; meticulously planned to each match each other in the scent category. I have a detailed handwritten table for each soap, each aftershave and each fragrance. I keep a shaving journal with each setup and make sure that each of those combinations rotates.

An example would be the following setup. Scent: Zino Davidoff, Soap: Barrister & Mann Spice, Aftershave: Old Spice Classic. All of those have a matching scent note to them. In the next rotation with that particular scent we would have Soap: B&M Fougere Classique A/S: 4711 Original Eau de Cologne.

If anything runs out, it will be replaced and again the scent profiles will be researched and matched to the new soap, aftershave or scent.

I even rotate some of my extra razor handles.

After I read this, I realize how pedantic this must all sound. But it's my process and planning my shaves is part of the fun to me. Maybe at some point in the future I'll throw it all over board and just grab whatever catches my fancy that morning. Until then I relish in the satisfaction of having established a routine which allows for even utilization of each razor, brush, soap, aftershave and scent.

I wouldn't recommend this "system" for a large den, the planning would be too time consuming, but for a small collection it's quite workable.

 

[Coler]

I stick with one Razor and brand if blade - Feather ASD2 and Feather blades, 2 shaves per blade.

I rotate lather based on my mood. Probably more likely to use a citrus scent in warmer months. MdC, Aqua di Parma and various rose/floral scents are constants.

I like a menthol blast in the heat too (Noble Otter Orbit current favourite). Sandalwood or Tobacco is a frequent choice in Autumn/Winter.

At home I keep about 10 or 12 soap/creams to hand. I don't use the same one 2 days in a row. If I go away for a week I'll bring 2 options, for 3 weeks I'll bring 4. I have some good travel sized options separate to the full size tubs/pucks.

I chose the brush based on what I'm lathering and how I like to lather it and I don't use the same one twice. I have two boar and 8 or 9 badger with varying knot size/lofts/backbone/scritch. Travelling for less than a week I bring a Mondiale synthetic travel brush. Longer, I bring that and a boar. 3 weeks I add a badger. I keep the travel brush in my Dopp so I don't have to pack a wet boar/badger on a travel day.

Post shave is always a splash and a neutral balm.

It's not very scientific.

 

[ajkel64]

I pick a razor and a blade and use them for one week. Seven shaves in a row. I start on a Monday morning and finish on Sunday morning. Software is different, I pick what I feel like using in the morning apart from specific days such as Tallow Tabac Tuesday and Palmolive Sunday. Aftershave is usually a balm and then an E.D.T. which I pick randomly.

 

[Andris83]

it is simple, I use whatever I fancy. sometimes I make a "plan" of what combos I want to try eventually, but there is no fixed rotation. of course some items are used more than others at each time, but there can be comebacks too the only "rule" seems to be that I will use a razor+blade combo until the blade is done (which is no more than 3-4 uses per blade)

 

[idjekyll]

Keep it coming guys. Good to know all the method to the madness!

 

[Whisky]

I’m trying to work through my soaps so I’m using a soap until it’s gone, starting with creams and softer soaps.

I use a razor/blade combination until the blade is no longer comfortable then switch the blade. Blade life varies depending on how long I go between shaves, if I’m shaving twice a week it seems that the blades dull faster.

I’ve been using a Game Change 84 pretty exclusively for the past year and a half.

 

[Alex Jr]

No science, all mood!

Me too. Sometimes I see an old Gillette ad and I go “ha! tomorrow is super speed and foamy time”.

 

[Eric_75]

No science, all mood!

Same here.

 

[Phoenixkh]

The only things I rotate are my brushes. I choose the razor on a whim, but tend to use blades in runs. Lately, I’ve been 3017ing my unscented soaps and creams for no particular reason.

 

[BigJ]

I pick appealing kit from the bathroom cabinet (often when I am only half-awake)!! Nothing formal for sure!

 

[helicopter]

I go by mood mostly. I usually have one soap, one oil, one splash etc. that I am trying to use up, but I am also sampling things, matching different combinations, and using what I feel like for the day, the B&B special event, the current weather or holiday, and so on. I do rotate brushes.

 

[Captain Howdy]

I simply walk into my den every 48 hours and ponder what I want to use that day.

Sometimes I'll think it's a Tabac day when I'm forecasting at work, but end up in more of a Mike's Naturals mood once I get home (shave in evenings), or vice versa. I didn't have a rigid schedule. I tried that and it I didn't enjoy it. I'd just end up mumbling under my breath about the stuff I wanted to use but didn't.

Edit- I do have patterns, though. Like, if a soap only has 1/4 left, I'm more likely just to 3017 it vs a newer soap. I also have seasons when it comes to brushes. My big Bruce is my overall preferred brush, but its use will be interrupted with two week long 'seasons' of me using assorted boar or badgers for a while. Stuff like that.

 

[shave/brush]

I alternate between two razors right now. I use the Leaf Thorn and a Parker SoloEdge. They both use a half DE blade.
Same with my brushes. I use a Muhle STF 25 mm knot and a Muhle STF 23 mm knot.
The soap I change every shave to whatever I feel like at the time. I use shave sticks, shave pucks and shaving cream.
After shaves I rotate also. I have 5 aftershaves.

 

[92percententropy]

I generally pick one of my razors (the Karve Overlander more often than not) and the next blade from the open tuck, if any, and shave with it all week, Sunday through Saturday. I use whatever soap I'm using until it's gone, then often another container of the same. Am I too boring for this forum?

 

[Raktajino]

Pretty much just Inshalla what I am in the mood for, and I’ll stick with the setup for a few days and then I’ll let the muse kiss me again.

 

[Welder310]

Here's what I'm starting to settle on: Slim sunday, Micromatic monday, Tech tuesday, whatever Wednesday, Thorn thursday, Fatboy friday, and finally, Schick saturday. I'm just using whatever for soaps and brushes that seem like they might complement the razor of the day. I also daily shave my head in the shower and I've been mostly waffling between a flair tip super speed and a 60s ball end tech with mug pressed Arko but I will sometimes mix the hardware up a bit of the mood strikes.