It just loads slowly for some reason.

I found this to be the case as well. With the sample, I just put a 1/4 teaspoon in a bowl, used a damp brush to build the kind of paste I would get from loading directly off the puck, then face lathered normally. I remember thinking that the paste took a long time to develop.

July 26, 2024

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Classic 26mm V23 Fanchurian

• Razor: Iwasaki 13/16" Full Hollow Square Point Tamahagane

• Lather: Zingari Man - Mousse Illuminée - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: Zingari Man - Mousse Illuminee - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Floris of London - Elite - Eau de Toilette

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

I just started to see the bottom of the tub with this soap. I guess I like it a lot. I certainly enjoyed it today. Wonderful scent, and also a great soap base which provided a foundation for the Iwasaki to effortlessly slide through stubble.

Enjoy your weekend!

I’m sure it is if you have a water softener.

Nurses are special in my book. They see other people at their worst and treat them well anyway. Much respect.

Losing a parent is only losing them physically. If you were close, especially as adults, you know them so well they never really leave you. They stay in your thoughts; both present and past.

Hah! That crossed my mind😅 I’m also having more difficulty using safety razors (DE, SE) every week. My plan was to use them on weekends but my straight shaves don’t take longer, and are almost always closer and more comfortable these days. Same for you? We typically only have a small variance in number of straight shaves.

Please accept my condolences for your loss. As the oldest person in my family, I can say that having loved ones depart is a natural order of things. It is much more acceptable to the heart if a loved one lived a long and full life.

It may depend on water hardness. I used a little over a 1/4 teaspoon (1ml, 1g) and had plenty of lather. I’m on city water so the hardness is controlled to be slightly above neutral.

@djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social

Yesterday’s BVWSC shave was so nice

I agree. It’s a great idea, and it gives us a chance to try something new, and to compare reactions.

July 25, 2024

• Brush: Wald Nimbus Chryselephantine 29mm A1 Fan

• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 14 Full Hollow Square Point

• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Wood Shop - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Rose - Toner

• Aftershave: Summer Break Soaps - Wood Shop - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Oud - Eau de Parfum

2 passes. Face lather. Good shave.

A really nice shave today. Wood Shop is a wonderful scent and MFK Oud complements it very well. The Frio 14 was a joy to use but my shave today was not as close as with my other stainless razors. A quick records check shows that it has been 10 months since it was last honed, and I use this razor a lot. So, time to hit the stones with this one.

I’m using the Frio 14 today. I’m very concerned that if I use it all of August, I will sell or PIF all of my razors except the 14s.

Going from banana and coconut to pineapple and coconut

I was inspired to go in that direction as well. Awesome looking brush!

July 24, 2024 – BVWSC First Shave

• Brush: Wild West Brushworks Blue Space 26mm Cashmere

• Razor: Ralf Aust 5/8 Stainless Full Hollow Spanish Point

• Lather: Abbate Y La Mantia - Don Josè - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: Wholly Kaw - Hiatus - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Creed - Aventus

• Talc: Yardley Classic
   
  2 passes. Bowl lather. Excellent shave.

Today was the first group shave of the Buena Vista Wetshaving Social Club.

AYLM Don Josè was a great way to start things off. I had zero problems with the lather. I put about a 1/4 teaspon (1ml) in a bowl, heavily loaded a damp brush, and built my lather on the face; adding water there. I found the lather to be creamy and very slick.

And I like the banana and coconut scent. I found that the sweetness of this combination was toned down in a way that made me think more of a rum drink than a dessert. As such, Hiatus, with its leaning towards a Piña Colada, matched perfectly. Since Hiatus carries the coconut, but adds pineapple, I used Aventus with its pineapple note for the fragrance. Don Josè has menthol in it, and while I would have preferred that it wasn’t there, I did not find it objectionable.

This was another trial run with a stainless steel razor. Again, excellent shave. I find no fault with stainless. I prefer larger razors, though, and might not want to spend all of August using a 5/8.

I mentioned to Will (at the Maggard Meetup) that I thought the connection to Marilyn Monroe was a real stretch. He was born well after she died, but she was alive when I was young and I had the experience of her unique stardom on my generation. The fragrance has that mix of scents from a long romantic evening. It’s subtle and very nice once you glom onto it, and once you do, you can appreciate the soap and splash. This is a setup where I definitely recommend the trifecta.

July 23, 2024

• Brush: Brad Sears Arley 26mm Super Badger

• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 472 13/16" Full Hollow Square Point

• Lather: Saponificio Varesino - Cubebe - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Rose - Toner

• Aftershave: Saponificio Varesino - Cubebe - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Floris of London - JF - Eau de Toilette

• Talc: Yardley Gold
   
  2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

The SV soaps are really wonderful. I don’t know how to describe the scent of Cubebe, but it has that Italian signature to it. Absolutely refrehing and perfectly suited for a hot summer’s day.

Today, I tried my second of four stainless steel razors. Like yesterday’s stainless shave, this one was excellent. Again, I could easily use this razor for all of August.

WestMan feels a bit undiscovered and Tiago’s work is excellent. Perhaps Nirvana can be a suggestion for the October BVWSC.

Thanks for your comments on Roam Two. I have too many BaM soaps already and just wasn’t drawn to this one. The last BaM soap I purchased was Marilyn which I didn’t “get” until I bought the fragrance. Now, I’m happy to have it.

I can’t imagine Avocado as appealing for a shave soap. But Nirvana … Tiago created a wonderful, elegant scent imo.

July 22, 2024 – Morado Monday

• Brush: Brad Sears Arley 26mm Super Badger

• Razor: Dovo Facharbeit 6/8" Full Hollow Square Point

• Lather: Saponificio Varesino - Morado - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: Saponificio Varesino - Morado - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Initio - Paragon - Eau de Parfum

• Talc: Yardley Classic
   
  2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

Like my other SV soaps, I don’t use Morado enough. The scent works in late spring and summer, but I think it matches perfectly to the cooler part of the year. Wonderful stuff.

Today was my first trial of a razor for AA. The Facharbeit is a stainless steel razor and, therefore, not even worth purchasing, let alone using for a face shave. I should probably use it to open boxes or letters. Yet, I got an excellent shave from this razor. Probably a fluke since, again, it is stainless steel, and we all know that stainless steel razors suck. If I check back in my records I see that I have four stainless steel razors. I probably purchased them based on bling and didn’t notice the type of steel. Yet, my previous shaves with these razors were also excellent. I wonder if technique matters, or bias comes into play?

I don’t think it is particularly sweet at all. The earthiness and wood of an orange grove comes through. It is a citrus scent but has the brightness and crispness toned down.

July 21, 2024

• Brush: Truefitt & Hill Wellington 24mm Silvertip

• Razor: Tonsorial Gem 11/16 Full Hollow

• Lather: 345 Soaps - Undercut - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: 345 Soaps - Undercut - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Oud - Eau de Parfum

• Talc: Yardley Classic
   
  2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

Today is the Hungarian Grand Prix. A Formula 1 race just demands the use of Undercut (a F1 term), and I haven’t used this soap in a while.

This was a test shave with the little Tonsorial Gem razor and it was terrific. It’s a little sports car which is fitting for the theme of this shave. Anyway, in case you’re interested, I made a video.