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.
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.
Yeah, currently my default is a straight, and I’m using safety razors when there’s some external reason like MMMMFF, or traveling in hotels with Djunior. I’m just getting more thrill from the straights 🙂
And yes, my straight razor shaves are now as good or better than safety razor shaves.
But if I use the same safety razor twice or more in a row like now while travelling, my muscle memory returns quickly.
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.
Yeah, I’ve also been thinking I should sell or pif my Ralf Austs. I’m just not often in the mood to teach for a 5/8
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.
You’ll still have a decent number of straights😅
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.
Yeah, currently my default is a straight, and I’m using safety razors when there’s some external reason like MMMMFF, or traveling in hotels with Djunior. I’m just getting more thrill from the straights 🙂
And yes, my straight razor shaves are now as good or better than safety razor shaves.
But if I use the same safety razor twice or more in a row like now while travelling, my muscle memory returns quickly.