Shave Setup for the Week 2008.09.14

*Shave Setup of the Week*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
	Shower
Bath Soap:	Issy	Dragon's Blood Bar Soap	5	[Link]
Shampoo/Conditioner:	EO Products	Chamomile & Honey Shampoo	4	[Link]
Shampoo/Conditioner:	EO Products	Chamomile & Honey Conditioner	4	[Link]
Facial Wash:	Burt's Bees	Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream	4	[Link]
Deodorant:	Crystal	Stick Mineral Salt Body Deodorant	4
Floss:	Glide	Dental Tape	4
Toothbrush:	Swissco	Badger Bristle Tooth Brush	5
Toothpaste:	Tom's of Maine	Cinnamon-Clove 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	Super Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor:	Merkur	500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome	5	[Link]
Razor Blades:	Personna	Double Edge Super Platinum Chrome Razor Blades (Comfort Coated)	4	[Link]
Brush:	Patrick Camara	24mm Custom Afzelia Burl Wood Silvertip Badger Shave Brush	3+	[Link]
Shave Cream/Soap:	Musgo Real	Crème Para Barbear Shave Cream	4	[Link]
	Post Shave
Aftershave Balm:	Lucky Tiger	Mint & Menthol Vanishing Cream	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Musgo Real	Classic Scent Aftershave	4
	Other
Shaving Other:	Technique	(Feather WTG)/(DE 45XTG/ATG Cleanup)

Switching to a cream trend this week. First up is Musgo Real Shave Cream & aftershave. The Merkur Progress with the Personna Comfort Blade is a "safe" choice.

Last Week. A couple of small weepers at the very base of the neck and a nick in the middle of just under my lip that just wouldn't quit. It should have been just a weeper but I must have got it just right and it just coming and coming. The Institut Karite Soap was excellent as usual. Most of the shaves were in the 4.4-4.5/5.0 range.

Shave Setup of the Week 2008.09.08

*Shave Setup of the Week*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
	Shower
Bath Soap:	Issy	Dragon's Blood Bar Soap	5	[Link]
Shampoo/Conditioner:	EO Products	Chamomile & Honey Shampoo	4	[Link]
Shampoo/Conditioner:	EO Products	Chamomile & Honey Conditioner	4	[Link]
Facial Wash:	Burt's Bees	Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream	4	[Link]
Deodorant:	Crystal	Stick Mineral Salt Body Deodorant	4
Floss:	Glide	Dental Tape	4
Toothbrush:	Swissco	Badger Bristle Tooth Brush	5
Toothpaste:	Tom's of Maine	Cinnamon-Clove 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	Super Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor:	Merkur	700 Futur Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Satin	4	[Link]
Razor Blades:	Personna	Israeli Super + Double Edged Razor Blades	4
Brush:	Omega	6212 Elegant Silvertip Badger Natural Handle Shave Brush	3	[Link]
Shave Cream/Soap:	Institut Karite	25% Shea Butter Shave Soap	4	[Link]
	Post Shave
Aftershave Balm:	Lucky Tiger	Mint & Menthol Vanishing Cream	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Pinaud Clubman	Citrus Musk Eau De Cologne	4	[Link]
	Other
Shaving Other:	Technique	(Feather WTG)/(DE 45XTG/ATG Cleanup)

Pretty much a standard setup for me. I'm using the Institut Karite Soap since I was able to get to more pucks and it looks like it's available in the U.S. again. Great because this is really good stuff.

Last Week: Not much to report. A couple of weepers is all for the week. Feather ACD-N blades are sharp is all. I was using Mama Bear Mayan Gold Soap. It was OK. This week's soap is definitely a couple of steps above.

Shave Setup of the Week 2008.08.18

*Shave Setup of the Week*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
	Shower
Bath Soap:	Issy	Almond Exfoliating Bar Soap	5	[Link]
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Nancy Boy	Light Signature Scented Conditioner	4
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Nancy Boy	Shampoo	4
Deodorant:	Crystal	Stick Mineral Salt Body Deodorant	4
Floss:	Glide	Dental Tape	4
Toothbrush:	Swissco	Badger Bristle Tooth Brush	5
Toothpaste:	Tom's of Maine	Cinnamon-Clove 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	Super Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor:	Merkur	39C Slant Bar HD* Long Handled Doubled Edged Safety Razor Chrome (Barber Pole)	4+
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]
Shave Cream/Soap:	Pre de Provence	Shea Butter Shave Soap	4
	Post Shave
Aftershave Balm:	Lucky Tiger	Mint & Menthol Vanishing Cream	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Pinaud Clubman	Citrus Musk Eau De Cologne	4	[Link]
Moisturizer:	Thayer's	Witch Hazel Moisturizing Lotion	3+
	Other
Shaving Other:	Technique	(Feather WTG)/(DE 45XTG/ATG Cleanup)

Nancy Boy Grooming products this week. I didn't go with the shave cream because it's at home and I'm working through shave soaps right now. Creams will be used in a few more weeks. I went with the Merkur 39C again because it did so well with a Derby blade and I wanted to try it with another blade. Nothing else special going on this week. The Pre de Provence Soap should do
well. I'm using a smaller brush and that can limit the lather somewhat but maybe not with the soap.

Last week: I got over the hump. Down to 1 weeper with the Feather ACD-N and the Super Pro blades. I'm glad that's over. I don't think I could have handled any more blood loss. The Erasmic performed where I thought it would but I had to switch to a bigger brush in the middle of the week. It doesn't do well with the smaller brushes. Bigger brush (Edwin Jagger LTD Edition)
definitely helped. Still, the Erasmic soap could have been better. Bar soap as a face wash didn't work out too well either. I even tried oil or glycerin after washing with just soap to see if I could improve it.

Shave Setup of the Week 2008.08.11

*Shave Setup of the Week*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
	Shower
Bath Soap:	Issy	Almond Exfoliating Bar Soap	5	[Link]
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Lucky Tiger	Super Dandruff Shampoo	4	[Link]
Deodorant:	Crystal	Stick Mineral Salt Body Deodorant	4
Hair Tonic:	Lucky Tiger	Correct Way Hair Tonic	4	[Link]
Floss:	Glide	Dental Tape	4
Toothbrush:	Swissco	Badger Bristle Tooth Brush	5
Toothpaste:	Tom's of Maine	Cinnamon-Clove 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	Super Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor:	Merkur	39C Slant Bar HD* Long Handled Doubled Edged Safety Razor Chrome (Barber Pole)
Razor Blades:	Derby	Double Edged Razor Blades	4
Brush:	Shavemac	23mm #157 Handmade Black Brown Finest Badger Shave Brush	4	[Link]
Shave Cream/Soap:	Erasmic	Glycerin Shave Soap	3+
	Post Shave
Aftershave Balm:	Lucky Tiger	Mint & Menthol Vanishing Cream	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Old Spice	Pure Sport Aftershave	4	[Link]
Moisturizer:	Thayer's	Witch Hazel Moisturizing Lotion	3+
	Other
Shaving Other:	Technique	(Feather WTG)/(DE 45XTG/ATG Cleanup)

I'm not using a facial cleanser this week. I'm using Issy's Bar Soap instead. Mild and gentle enough without drying face out. Instead of a normal shampoo and conditioner, I'm using the Lucky Tiger Super Dandruff Shampoo and the Correct Way Hair Tonic. You wet your hair and massage your scalp with the hair tonic. Then, you apply the shampoo and create your lather.
Leaves your hair clean and tingly. You then apply a little hair tonic later just for control. I'm using the Merkur 39C for the first time this week. I'll report on it next week. I'm using my usual Derby blade for a reference test. The Erasmic Shave Soap is not one of the better ones (3+?) so we'll see if I switch it out later this week.

Last Week: OK, down to 6 weepers. That was a hell of a lot less then the disaster from the week before. Really tough going from a guarded blade to a much sharper one. I had been away from the Super Pro blade too long. It was like starting all over again with the Feather ACD-N. The Merkur 11C Open Comb performed very well with the Israeli blade. I tend to get closer shaves
with open comb and slant bar razors although, the teeth on the open comb can actually make you miss some whiskers and so you need to change the pattern a bit. The Honey Bee Issey Miyake for Men Shave Soap performed about where I expected. It will be interesting to see how this soap compares with the Erasmic this week. I might be changing a rating on one of them.

Happy Shaving!

Shave Setup of the Week 2008.08.04

*Shave Setup of the Week*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
	Shower
Bath Soap:	Issy	Almond Exfoliating Bar Soap	5	[Link]
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Avalon Organics	Lemon Clarifying Conditioner w/Shea Butter	4
Shampoo/Conditioner:	Avalon Organics	Lemon Clarifying Shampoo 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:	Glide	Dental Tape	4
Toothbrush:	Swissco	Badger Bristle Tooth Brush	5
Toothpaste:	Tom's of Maine	Cinnamon-Clove 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	Super Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor:	Merkur	11C Open Comb Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades:	Personna	Israeli Super + Double Edged Razor Blades	4
Brush:	Omega	6212 Elegant Silvertip Badger Natural Handle Shave Brush	3	[Link]
Shave Cream/Soap:	Honey Bee Spa	Issey Miyake for Men Glycerin Shave Soap	3+
	Post Shave
Aftershave Balm:	Lucky Tiger	Mint & Menthol Vanishing Cream	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Aqua Velva	Classic Ice Blue Aftershave	4	[Link]
Moisturizer:	Thayer's	Witch Hazel Moisturizing Lotion	3+
	Other
Shaving Other:	Technique	(Feather WTG)/(DE 45XTG/ATG Cleanup)

Going to try the open comb classic for the first time. The Honeybee Issey Miyake for Men Shave Soap is always nice. Yes, I'm using Aqua Velva. You see right. Right now, everything in the shave locker is fair game. I'm trying to use stuff up to make room for things from home. At this rate, I'll have some room in 2010.

Last Week:
Forget it. It was the shave week from hell. I wasn't awake, going too fast, blowing my angles and using an unfamilier blade. You name it, I blew it. I think the total for the week was a slice under the nose on a bad angle move, a grooved earlobe from the razor tip, a multi-nick on the jaw line, twice scaping under the jaw and about 16-20 weepers. It was horrible. I didn't respect the blade when I switched over from Pro Guarded to Super Pro blades in the Feather ACD-N. Huge difference in sharpness and angles. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. I went through a lot of paper towels and My Nik is Sealed.
Lesson learned.

Shave of the Week 2008.07.27

*Shave Setup of the Week*

Category	Mfg	Item Name	Rating 1-5	Blog Link
	Shower
Bath Soap:	Issy	Tropical Fruit Bar Soap	5	[Link]
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:	Glide	Dental Tape	4
Toothbrush:	Swissco	Badger Bristle Tooth Brush	5
Toothpaste:	Tom's of Maine	Cinnamon-Clove 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	Super Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N	5	[Link]
Razor:	Merkur	500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome	5	[Link]
Razor Blades:	Personna	Israeli Super + Double Edged Razor Blades	4
Brush:	Patrick Camara	24mm Custom Afzelia Burl Wood Silvertip Badger Shave Brush	3+	[Link]
Shave Cream/Soap:	Ogallala	Bay Rum Glycerin Shave Soap - New Formula	3	[Link]
	Post Shave
Aftershave Balm:	Lucky Tiger	Mint & Menthol Vanishing Cream	4	[Link]
Aftershave:	Ogallala	Bay Rum Aftershave	5	[Link]
Moisturizer:	Thayer's	Witch Hazel Moisturizing Lotion	3+
	Other
Shaving Other:	Technique	(Feather WTG)/(DE 45XTG/ATG Cleanup)

It's going to be a Ogallala Bay Rum week. The old formula was not very good but the new formula is much better. Make sure to load up the brush with plenty of soap. I'm working through different razors with the Israeli Personna blades like I did with the Derby Blades. I may go to Feather Blades next but that might be a little overkill. I'll have to bring in a couple of Gillette razors to test.

Last week were all decent shaves. Nothing special happened or any shaving disasters. The Tabac soap was right on all week with lot's of nice creamy lather. The scent is not for everyone. Just like this week's Ogallala.