2008.06.25 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	De Vergulde Hand	Shave Soap	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Pinaud Clubman	Citrus Musk Eau De Cologne	4	[Link]

Slight left neck hollow irritation. Too much pressure. My bad. The soap did it's job. I didn't.

2008.06.24 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Kent	Lanolin Shave Soap	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Pinaud Clubman	Classic Virgin Island Bay Rum Aftershave	4	[Link]

Result: Nice think lather. Have to work at it with this type of soap. No
other issues.

2008.06.23 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Tryphon	Medici Glycerin Shave Soap	3+
Aftershave:	Pinaud Clubman	Citrus Musk Eau De Cologne	4	[Link]

Result: Need to try the Tryphon soap again. It's a typical melt and pour glycerin soap. It seemed a little weak to me in the lather department. Not as much cushion as I would have expected.

2008.06.23 Setup for the Week

*Setup for the Week*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
	Shower
Bath Soap:	Issy	Bay Rum and Guiness Stout Bar Soap	5	[Link]
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Avalon Organics	Lemon Clarifying Shampoo w/Shea Butter	4
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Avalon Organics	Lemon Clarifying Conditioner w/Shea Butter	4
Facial Wash:	Burt's Bees	Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream	4	[Link]
Deodorant:	Crystal	Stick Mineral Salt Body Deodorant	4
Floss:	Tom's of Maine	Naturally Waxed Antiplaque Spearmint Flat Floss	4
Toothbrush:	Swissco	Badger Bristle Tooth Brush	5
Toothpaste:	Tom's of Maine	Orange-Mango Whole Care Toothpaste Gel	4
Mouthwash:	Listerine	Vanilla Mint Less Intense Mouthwash	3
	Shave
Razor:	Feather	Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor Blades:	Feather	Pro Guard Blades for Feather ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor:	Merkur	500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome	5	[Link]
Razor Blades:	Derby	Double Edged Razor Blades	4
Brush:	Edwin Jagger	Limited Edition Finest Silvertip Badger Faux Ebony Shave Brush
	Post Shave
Aftershave Balm:	Lucky Tiger	Mint & Menthol Vanishing Cream	4	[Link]
Moisturizer:	Thayer's	Witch Hazel Moisturizing Lotion	3+
	Other

2008.06.20 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Mäurer & Wirtz	Tabac Original Glycerin Shave Soap	4	[Link]
Cologne:	Mäurer & Wirtz	Tabac Original Men's Cologne	4	[Link]

No issues, love the scent, lot's of lather. A little drying but not a biggie.

2008.06.19 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Erasmic	Glycerin Shave Soap	3+
Aftershave:	Pinaud Clubman	Citrus Musk Eau De Cologne	4	[Link]

The Erasmic is not C & E for sure. I got a decent shave though. It did a bit of a fade but the glide was there to compensate.

2008.06.18 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Crabtree & Evelyn	Sandalwood Glycerin Shave Soap	5	[Link]
Aftershave:	Pinaud Clubman	Citrus Musk Eau De Cologne	4	[Link]

Day three of fine shaves with the C & E Sandalwood. In case you were wondering if I took advantage of C & E's sale, the answer is yes. I bought 2 bowls of Sienna and 2 Bowls of Nomad and 2 tubes of Sweet Almond Oil.

2008.06.16 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Crabtree & Evelyn	Sandalwood Glycerin Shave Soap	5	[Link]
Aftershave:	Old Spice	Pure Sport Aftershave	4	[Link]

Result: Can't go wrong with C & E Shave Soap. Make sure to add a touch more
water since it will dry up a little quick if you don't. No nicks, cuts or weepers.

2008.06.16 Setup for the Week

*Setup for the Week*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
	Shower
Bath Soap:	Epicurean Shea Butter Co	Shea Butter Fresh Soap (Tea Tree & Lime)	4
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Avalon Organics	Tea Tree & Mint Treatment Conditioner	5
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Avalon Organics	Tea Tree & Mint Treatment Shampoo	5
Facial Wash:	Burt's Bees	Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream	4	[Link]
Deodorant:	Crystal	Stick Mineral Salt Body Deodorant	4
Floss:	Tom's of Maine	Naturally Waxed Antiplaque Spearmint Flat Floss	4
Toothbrush:	Swissco	Badger Bristle Tooth Brush	5
Mouthwash:	Listerine	Vanilla Mint Less Intense Mouthwash	3
	Shave
Razor:	Feather	Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor Blades:	Feather	Pro Guard Blades for Feather ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor:	Merkur	38C Classic HD Long Handled Doubled Edged Safety Razor Chrome	4+	[Link]
Razor Blades:	Personna	Double Edge Super Platinum Chrome Razor Blades (Comfort Coated)	4	[Link]
Brush:	Crabtree & Evelyn	Edwin Jagger Made Brass & Faux Ebony Best Badger Shave Brush	4	[Link]
	Post Shave
Aftershave Balm:	Lucky Tiger	Mint & Menthol Vanishing Cream	4	[Link]
Moisturizer:	Thayer's	Witch Hazel Moisturizing Lotion	3+
	Other
Shaving Other:	Technique	(Feather WTG)/(DE 45XTG/ATG Cleanup)

2008.06.17 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Crabtree & Evelyn	Sandalwood Glycerin Shave Soap	5	[Link]
Aftershave:	Aqua Velva	Classic Ice Blue Aftershave	4	[Link]

Same soap as yesterday, different aftershave, same shave result. No nicks, cuts or weepers. I'm getting better at the approach angle change. I'm thinking of going with the C & E Sandalwood for the rest of the week since I have like 4 bowls of the stuff and planning on taking advantage of the 50% off sale someone mentioned when I go home tonight. We'll see if the local store has anything interesting.

2008.06.13 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Wilkinson Sword	Glycerin Shave Soap Stick	3+	[Link]
Cologne:	Mama Bear	Spellbound Cologne	4	[Link]

Result: Small weeper on left side. Still working out approach angles. Doesn't take much to lather up the Wilkinson Stick. Need to put a cover on the stick for storage. Cardboard box it came in doesn't cut and the wrapper that was orginally on it is long gone.

2008.06.12 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Truefitt & Hill	Truefitt & Hill Luxury Shave Soap	5	[Link]
Aftershave:	Master	Musk Aftershave	4

Result: Very easy on the face. One difference was I was in a real hurry and used the Feather ACD-N razor for the first pass and finished up with a Sensor Cartridge Razor. The ACD-N mows enough whiskers in the first pass that the second razor doesn't have to work as hard.

2008.06.11 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Pre de Provence	Shea Butter Shave Soap	4
Aftershave:	Pinaud Clubman	Classic Virgin Island Bay Rum Aftershave	4	[Link]

Result: 4.1/5.0 A little closer than I wanted on the left neck hollow. Touch
of irritation. Playing with approach angles with a Feather ACD-N can do that
to you.

2008.06.10 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Honey Bee Spa	Issey Miyake for Men Glycerin Shave Soap	3+
Aftershave:	Floid	Italian Style Aftershave	4

Result: Another nice shave. One of the better scented soaps I have. The Italian Floid Aftershave is used sparingly. It's expensive but very nice scent and treats my skin well. I'm experimenting with the approach on my left side. I shave with my right hand so sometimes the crossover can be an issue with the Feather ACD-N razor. Instead of a north/south approach, I using more of a NE/SW approach with a little more stretch. Seems to have cut down on potential irritation issues and less stubble to clean up. Also, I ATG under my chin with the ACD-N. Much better that way but I have to be more careful not to get too close or I'll scrape myself or create a shave bump.

2008.06.09 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Institut Karite	25% Shea Butter Shave Soap	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Pinaud Clubman	Classic Virgin Island Bay Rum Aftershave	4	[Link]

Result: 4.6/5.0 Very nice shave. The Institut Karite Soap is neutral scented so I could use a heavy hitter aftershave like the Pinaud Bay Rum. I applied the aftershave after the balm and delayed a little bit. No burn that way. I shaved a little more careful today due to nicking some kind of bump yesterday. No blood today.

2008.06.09 Standard Setup for the Week

*Standard Setup for the Week*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
	Shower
Bath Soap:	Epicurean Shea Butter Co	Shea Butter Fresh Soap (Tea Tree & Lime)	4
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Lucky Tiger	Super Dandruff Shampoo	4	[Link]
Facial Wash:	Burt's Bees	Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream	4	[Link]
Hair Tonic:	Lucky Tiger	3 Roses Hair Tonic	4	[Link]
Floss:	Tom's of Maine	Naturally Waxed Antiplaque Spearmint Flat Floss	4
Toothbrush:	Swissco	Badger Bristle Tooth Brush	5
Mouthwash:	Listerine	Vanilla Mint Less Intense Mouthwash	3
	Shave
Razor:	Feather	Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor Blades:	Feather	Pro Guard Blades for Feather ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor:	Merkur	34G Classic HD Double Edged Safety Razor Gold
Razor Blades:	Derby	Double Edged Razor Blades	4
Brush:	Shavemac	23mm #157 Handmade Black Brown Finest Badger Shave Brush	4	[Link]
	Post Shave
Aftershave Balm:	Lucky Tiger	Mint & Menthol Vanishing Cream	4	[Link]
Moisturizer:	Thayer's	Witch Hazel Moisturizing Lotion	3+
	Other
Shaving Other:	Technique	(Feather WTG)/(DE 45XTG/ATG Cleanup)

Shave Musings

I'm pretty much at a standstill right now shave wise. The economy sucks and therefore I'm not spending money on shave items. At $600 a month in gasoline bills, I need to cut back on everything. So where does that leave me? Well if you look at my shave locker, that leaves me with only 20 years worth of shave goodies instead of maybe 25 years to explore. Geez, I'm so deprived. I think I have 2 years of C&E creams and soaps alone. Poor me huh? OK, I admit if I see a great deal on one of my wish list soaps, I might break down and get one. Other then that, I'm settling down to a standard setup a week with change in soap/cream and post shave products only. I will say this. My prep routine and shave technique is spot on. I consider this the most important part of the shave. Get it right and the range of equipment that will do a decent job will increase dramatically. I know I need to get rid of a few items. I just cleaned up the garage I see I have like 3 huge containers full of stuff that has many items I probably will never use or I found to be not to my liking but others may like.

I now know I made a mistake in how I bought things. I should have bought one example from each manufacturer instead of 5-6 from the same one only different scents. I wasted a lot of money doing that. Blade sample packs should have been the rule instead of 200 blades of one type. Collecting Merkur razors was probably not the smartest thing do after the first 3 razors that shave me so well. Straights at this time are not for me except the Feather ACD-N, which I will never stop using and the Bill Ellis Custom which I will lovingly care for and use on occasion until I die. I don't have the time, patience or money to pursue that side of shaving, especially, since I can get almost near BBS with no irritation with a 2 1/2 pass combination shave with the ACD-N and a DE razor. So, str8 razor shaving is out. Long live DE shaving! I'm still dedicated to soaps and creams with soaps being more emphasized. Put the two together and wow! In truth, I figure 3 razors, 4 blade types, 3 brushes, 5 soaps and 5 creams with an assortment of aftershaves and a couple of colognes is all I really need. Sad huh? Will I get it down to that? Hell no but all that means is that I will be very very choosy on what I buy in the future and they will be limited to soaps, creams and a brush or two with a rounding out of the Merkur Razors. I reached my goals in shaving and now I can reap the benefits. What does it mean for this blog? Well, it means I can do a little more in depth analysis of the products I have and so on with ratings and pictures and such with the occasional posting on some industry or technique observations as I have time but for the most part, my journey is winding down. This was never the intended as the end all for wet shaving or anything like that. I will never write a book and I won't do a video. It's just me and a couple of hundred different shave items exploring the world of wet shaving with a lot of YMMV and IMHO thrown in for good measure. If you having been reading any of this you will know that I have been cutting back for about a month now. I'm going into shaving maintenance mode so there won't be much to report. Feel free to email me with questions. Maybe I can be of some further help but I'm just like any other guy that just wants a decent shave and enjoy myself while doing it.

2008.06.06 Shave of the Day

This one is easy. 4.5/5.0 result. Prorasso Wheat Germ (Red Tube) Shave Cream, followed by Pinaud Musk Aftershave. Couple of old time products. I wish they didn't get rid of the Red Tube product. It's pretty decent stuff. This is the last shave of the week for this standard setup. I'll probably shave once this weekend using my luxury items at home. Probably C&E or TOBS Soap with the Shavemac Custom Fan Brush. Unless I do lot's of yard work before the shave it should come out as a 4.6/5.0. Wish me luck.

About Scents

One of things that come up frequently in the forums is scents in shave products, aftershaves and colognes. Everybody has their favorites and then there are the ones that some people despise. Very much IMHO if you ask me. Sometimes you want to pair up sandalwood with sandalwood or citrus with citrus. Sometimes you want to be a little more subdued like when you are going to a big meeting and you don't want to knock anybody out with that ounce of your favorite aftershave you just splashed on your face. Some scents last 10 minutes while others last all day long. Usually the scent lasting factor is based on what it is. The usual sequence is aftershave, EDT, cologne where aftershave lasts the least and cologne lasts the longest. YMMV. For me, I tend to rule out the shave soap and cream in the equation. The scent is normally so fleeting it does matter what scent use. There are exceptions of course. I then us a neutral scented aftershave balm followed by the true scent I wish to linger on my face. If the shave soap and aftershave match up, it's just a bonus. If I'm going to use a cologne, I'll use a neutral aftershave like Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave. No matter what you do, start with a little. You can always add more. You use too much and you might hear people start to sneeze around in the workplace or you might get a phone call from your boss or HR telling you that you need to tone down your scent. In other words, more is not better especially if you use something like Pinaud Bay Rum. Not only do you get a big aftershave burn but the scent will stay with you all day long. So, for me, scent is not that big a deal. It's the finishing compliment to a great shave. The healing and skin properties in the aftershave is just as important as the scent.

2008.06.05 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Mäurer & Wirtz	Tabac Original Shave Cream	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Thayer's	Witch Hazel Aftershave	5	[Link]
Cologne:	Mäurer & Wirtz	Tabac Original Men's Cologne	4	[Link]

Result: 4.6/5.0 Tabac Day! One of my foavorit creams/soaps. Love the scent even though many hate it.

2008.06.04 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Mama Bear	Doc's Northern Dragon Glycerin Shave Soap	3+	[Link]
Aftershave:	Aqua Velva	Classic Ice Blue Aftershave	4	[Link]

Result: 4.5/5.0 Tribute to "Doc" a.k.a. Mottern Man Day. Doc put together a real nice combination on this on. The lather was decent too. Yes, I did use AV, please don't hate me!

2008.06.03 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Truefitt & Hill	West Indian Limes Shave Cream	5
Aftershave:	Pinaud Clubman	Citrus Musk Eau De Cologne	4	[Link]

Result: 4.6/5.0 Lime Day! Lot's of great lime lather topped off with a citrus afershave. Great summer combination.

2008.06.02 Shave of the Day

*Shave of the Day*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
Shave Cream/Soap:	Mama Bear	Marauder's Citrus Bay Rum & Tangerine Glycerin Shave Soap	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Ogallala	Bay Rum Aftershave	5	[Link]

Result: 4.5/5.0 Slight fade on the lather. Used above average amount. Bay Rum Day!

2008.06.02 Shave Setup for the Week

*Shave Setup for the Week*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
	Shower
Bath Soap:	Epicurean Shea Butter Co	Shea Butter Fresh Soap (Tea Tree & Lime)	4
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Lucky Tiger	Super Dandruff Shampoo	4	[Link]
Facial Wash:	Burt's Bees	Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream	4	[Link]
Hair Tonic:	Lucky Tiger	3 Roses Hair Tonic	4	[Link]
	Shave
Razor:	Feather	Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor Blades:	Feather	Pro Guard Blades for Feather ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor:	Merkur	37C Slant Bar HD Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome	4	[Link]
Razor Blades:	American Safety Razor Co	Crystal Double Edged Platinum Chrome Razor Blades	4
Brush:	Patrick Camara	24mm Custom Afzelia Burl Wood Silvertip Badger Shave Brush	3+	[Link]
	Post Shave
Aftershave Balm:	Lucky Tiger	Mint & Menthol Vanishing Cream	4	[Link]
	Other
Shaving Other:	Face Prep	Mild cleanser begin shower. 45-60 sec HOT water end shower 20-30 sec splash begin shave.
Shaving Other:	Lather Prep	Lather building directly on face.
Shaving Other:	Technique	(Feather WTG)/(DE 45XTG/ATG Cleanup)

This is the standard setup I'm using for the week. The Epicurean soap doesn't have much of a scent. The performance and skin properties are very good. Everything else is part of standard rotations of equipment. Need to dig out sme staches soon to change a few things.