LGSOTD 03-Jun-24

• Brush: Oumo - 'Big Hand' Ex ST-1 27 Bulb #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Atelier Durdan - Vestige ++ #CNC #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Shire 2
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Shire 2 AS
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Shire 2 Balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Shire EDP

Never really looked at the tusk base in detail before, so was delighted to find Duck Fat sitting proud amongst the ingredients. I realise there is the good ole beef tallow sitting right there, but I'll take it as acceptable based on advice, though I did do my best to try and find a cat fat soap, sadly I failed.

I was determined to get Shire into my calender this year one way or another. The tusk base is great, and Shire is my favourite of their offerings, with Beloved coming in a close second. I'm a fan of the hobbit and lord of the rings, have been since I was a kid. Even managed to convince my 5 year old to let me read the hobbit to her as a bedtime story, sadly she hasn't caved and let me read her the rings just yet... I'll get her there.

With some tremendous luck I also managed to get my hands on some of the EDP from Anticatura. He's had two stocking instances and both sold out in minutes, really is fastest finger first, but well and truly worth it! I really wish there was more of a supply (I'm assuming there's demand) of US matching scents, I've been begging for SBS and Chiseled Face (just so I can go whole hog with the stag) stuff to make it this side of the pond, with luck the market grows...apologies I digress.

Quick note on the razor, if you get a chance to try the Vestige (and you're a fan of the GEM format) I highly recommend it. The razor is lighter than I would normally go for, but it is exceptionally maneuverable and gives a very close finish. Despite the lack of blade stops I've never caught myself with the ++ baseplate - if you go for the +++ be a bit more careful!

Challenge OnionMiOsma Day

I've got a block of this stuff that I've had since just after the last lather games. To be fair I rarely use it. I tend to find it quite drying, so only use it when I've been a bit cavalier using something overly assertive. So not really needed here, but the mammoth balm makes up for any drying effect!

Cracking shave with one of my favourite setups!

Photocontest

Aiming squarely at the Animal (not alive) theme today, had to match the animal with the fat!

Hope everyone has a cracking day.

Cheers

Marc"

June 03, 2024 – Lather Games!

• Brush: Cayuen Abalone w/ 28mm Timberwolf Synthetic.
• Razor: Rex Supply Co. – Konsul #CNC #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Gillette Winner Stainless (1)
• Lather: Purely Skinful Handmade Essentials – Bar-bear-ic
• Aftershave: A&E – Ultima Unmasked Unscented Splash

Well, you wanted a non-beef tallow soap today, so here's Bar-bear-ic by the late Purely Skinful in Canada!

The original notes are: Ripened blackberries are intertwined with well-aged southern Bourbon, cherry tobacco, cedarwood, patchouli, Redwood and oakmoss, all on a base of smoked vanilla, Amber, and musk. It's a shame it's discontinued.

The Rex continues to impress. The shave with the Konsul keeps getting better as I use it more. I'm glad I can experiment with this. A fine shave finish for Monday morning.

#Challenge : Alum I don't care for because I think the splash does a remarkable job of doing what I want it to do. No muss, no fuss. I had an alum block but I PIF'd it away many moons ago. Ironically, as a kid my dad would give me alum lumps to put in my mouth against the occasional canker sore I'd get from biting the inside of my mouth (e.g, from chewing gum). It worked well for reducing the irritation in that application.

#LatherGames

Bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZLeMPTwWNs ← Razorock Mamba 70 | Head Shaving Easy Mode, w/ Purely Skinful Bar-bear-ic (feat. Excessively Happy Subie!)

LG Day 3 - Where's The Beef

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG24 w/26mm Oumo Synthetic
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (3)
• Lather: Grooming Dept - Mallard Corretto
• Post Shave: A whole faceful of OSMA
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Clara Peller would have been seriously disappointed with this shave. I know I was. Look, I love duck. A lovely roasted duck in some fruity sauce is fantastic. I've whiled away hours of my life playing Duck Hunt. I spent any number of hours of my youth stoned out of my mind watching Howard the Duck. My hockey-playing stepson loved watching The Mighty Ducks. Duck, Duck, Goose was a great way to show how much of a crush you had on a girl in 3rd grade. It was the only way I could get any girl to chase me, but therapy and time have addressed those issues. But duck in a shaving soap just doesn't work for me.

Thanks to u/Tetriside for this smoosh (and a couple of others). But on smoosh alone, I don't think I need to try another duck base. I remembered using a WCS soap sample a few years ago and thinking their duck tallow base was kind of meh. Forget "Where's the Beef?". Where's the residual slickness? Where's the post-shave? What's that quacking I hear in the distance? Oh, it's the ducks in the pond behind my house flying away laughing at my duck tallow using ass. Even they know their fat doesn't come close to rivalling cows.

I did like the scent of the smoosh, however. It's a light but complex scent. But I had a new problem on my hands- What splash to pair it with? I had a secondary problem- My sister-in-law who is visiting us and staying in the upstairs bedroom where my splashes are? Yup, she tested positive for COVID. What's a guy to do when Shaving Glory is on the line? Read the Daily Challenge, of course, and find out all you need to do is rub that sexy OSMA alum block all over your face. And I have OSMA. Do I use it much for shaving? Not really. Do my wife and I use it on bug bites or the on the dogs when their nails get clipped just a bit too short? Absolutely. It's a fabulous thing to have around for first aid purposes and the random shaving need. Today fell into the random shaving need category and onto the full face it went. The stinging was expected. My face trying to turn itself inside out from the drying of the salt...probably not expected. Yes, I left it on for 45 seconds and then washed it off. I debated sucking one up for LG and walking away with a tight face for the day, but my common sense kicked in and I balmed myself up. Between the Duck and the OSMA, this is about the driest my face has felt in a long time. The only combo that could make my face tighter would be a Cella (red) and OSMA combo.

On to this Monday where my coworkers are going to wonder if I've had Botox because my face is pulled tightly from this combo. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Stirling Two Band Synthetic
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85mm Safety Razor
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Gratiot League Square
• Post Shave: Van Der Hagen - Unscented Aftershave Balm

June 3, 2024

• Brush: Semogue Galahad C3 Premium boar
• Razor: Mongoose Alumigoose
• Blade: Kai Captain Mild
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Electric Sheep
• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger AS
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - unscented balm
• Post Shave: Olay Complete

Stirling mutton tallow is an apex base IMHO. It likes my hard water and more importantly my skin likes it. Mutton tallow could very easily be my one and only.

This brush is fantastic. I have just over 40 shaves on it and it's fully broken in. It doesn't struggle to make lather with any soap I've used with it.

Off to go to the farm market.

LG SOTD 03Jun2024

• Brush: AP Shave Ocean Waves - 26mm synbad fan synthetic
• Razor: Henson - Ti22 Medium
• Blade: Clifton - Classic (1)
• Blade: Muster - Shaver (1)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming - Armonia
• Bowl: CaYuen - Dark Nebula, large
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Shave Balm, Embrace

Happy Monday, beautiful people! Welcome to the third shave of the 2024 Lather Games. Today's theme is "Where’s the Beef?" where the goal is to shave with something using an animal fat other than the usual beef tallow. I am shaving with Chicago Grooming’s Armonia, a collaboration between them and House of Mammoth in CG’s Darkwing base that uses duck fat as its source of animal fats.

This is my first time with either the base or the scent. I am shaving today courtesy of u/schontzm, who generously provided me with four smushes of soaps last month to round out some categories.

The razor is none other than my numero uno, the head horsemen, the Henson Medium Ti22. Other than the Overlander, nothing is in the same tier for me. Reliable AF. From the first time I held a Henson in my hand my perspective on DE razors was altered permanently.

The brush is the premier brush in my collection, a handcrafted brush from Andrew’s periodic drops, I had it set with a 26mm synbad set low to give some backbone and it is fantastic. I love this thing, it’s why it’s the Monday brush - distracts a bit from, well, Monday.

Onto the shave. I got these smooshes last month and have been waiting to dig in. This was the most promising smelling off the smoosh and happy can work it in on day 3 (and score another software sponsor while at it).

The base was very good, reminded me of tusk (no surprise there) and I would definitely try Chicago Grooming soaps again. Fragrance off the puck smelled more pure tobacco leaning but lathered there’s a spice-wood undertone that comes out as strong as the tobacco. I’m not convinced it’s tub worthy based on this shave but I enjoyed the first impression. Post-shave was good, suspect I could have skipped the balm.

——

This is not the part where I write about my Osma block for the daily challenge. Alum (aka aluminum sulfate) is a metallic salt and chemical irritant that is used to treat sewage, purify water, make paper, and tan leather. On a smaller scale, it can be used to pickle food and can be used to control localized bleeding with pinpoint application via a styptic pencil. It stops the bleeding the same way it makes your skin feel tighter (or aids in tanning leather for that matter): by denaturing proteins in the contractile fibers of the tissues so they contract tightly and don't release.

As a kid, my dad had a box of powdered alum from the kitchen section in the medicine cabinet to deal with small cuts - this is the single legit use of alum with shaving. I don't know why alum bars exist.

Start at the top since already mentioned it:

• It makes your skin feel better and tighter... yes at the expense of a damaging, irritating, chemical pulling of moisture out of your skin and denaturing of structural proteins in the skin. Saying alum is good for skin is approaching saying pirahna solution is good for weight loss. There are a gazillion products out there that are actually designed to improve your skin condition and any of them are better than alum. The "it's been used since ancient times and is considered safe" is an "appeal to antiquity" and is only evidence it isn’t acutely dangerous. I don't care how long people have been mildly poisoning themselves, this is straight from the safety data sheet for aluminum sulfate: In case of skin contact: Take off immediately all contaminated clothing. Rinse skin with water/ shower. It's particularly called out for danger to the eyes with this, Immediately call in ophthalmologist". But lets rub it all over our faces and wait a minute for it to soak in before rinsing, ugh

• It has antimicrobial properties... yes, technically true, and still a terrible argument. If you washed your face before shaving that was anti-microbial. Shaving with shave soap? Yep, anti-microbial too. Alcohol splash? You know it, anti-microbial. And if you left the alum on your face, it might even be good at it (why it can be used as "natural" deodorant), but even the snake-oil businesses pushing this stuff know that would be too irritating for most people, so they tell you to rinse it off and therefore it's doing next to nothing to kill microbes. Of course, the notion that much of anything in our shave routine should be anti-microbial is itself a stretch. Our skin should have a healthy biota of skin commensals living on the surface (source - am senior microbiologist at large biopharma).

• It aids the newer shaver by providing feedback... sure, so wouldn't gasoline. I have this amazing evolutionary adaptation called nerve endings and when my face is genuinely irritated those nerve endings do their job and let me know I went too ham. There is something sublimely stupid about encouraging people to slather their skin with a chemical irritant to find the irritation (hint - it's coming from inside the house!). If you have to use any irritant, including alcohol, to detect the sort of micro cuts and abrasions that shaving can cause, they weren't serious enough to worry about detecting in the first place.

• It stops/prevents razor burn... by dehydrating to death the nerve endings that would have complained at your poor shaving technique. Someone saying alum prevented razor burn means they used a very crude anaesthetic to stop them from feeling the effects of irritation which in turn prevented the inflammation that would have otherwise resulted. A witch hazel including splash would give a similar temporary anaesthetic effect without the degree of persistent damage.

Of the arguably positive things that some users might like about alum, there are better alternatives. Witch hazel also provides skin tightening, anti-microbial & anti-fungal properties, and shaving feedback without the deliberate slathering of chemical irritants on your face. But better yet, figure out how to shave without leaving so much irritation. Technique and/or gear make a lot of products pointless, especially alum. No idea why this continues to be a LG category.

NOTE: LG judges may disregard the below, or not, do what you want, you’re the judges.

——

The Tournament of Blades Fight 419, Round 1. Clifton - Classic (Bangladesh) vs Muster - Shaver (Turkey)

Both blades were good and perfectly shavable. The Muster had slightly better glide and more comfortable on chin and jawline.

Winner of R1: Muster - Shaver

June 3 - A RAWRing Good Time - Day 11

• Brush: Semogue 610 21mm Boar

• Razor: Gillette Flare Tip Super Speed F1

• Blade: Sharp Star Platinum

• Lather: Noble Otter - RAWR Soap

• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger Splash

• Post Shave: Pinaud -Clubman Splash

• Fragrance: Catie's Bubbles - Blugère EdP

---

This brush is just eating soap, cos I'm finishing this quicker than expected yet again. I'm not complaining, just surprised.

The powdery goodness of Clubman goes so well with the blueberry fougère of Blugère, and I am all for it. This combo brings about a casually classy vibe; refined, but easygoing.

#FOF

Edit: typo.

Jun. 3, 2024
Brush: Wilkinson Sword OUMO Tuxedo
Razor: Green Cult GC 2.0 II
Blade: Tatra Platinum [5]
Lather: House Of Mammoth - Indigo - Soap
Post Shave:* Osma - Block

I stand with u/crossan1983 ‘s research and agree that duck fat there is good enough.

Was thinking of using wholly kaw’s donkey milk formulation but honestly I’m like a baboon in a lab coat, not like I understand any of it.

I unearthed my OSMA block from it’s 3d printed coffin, and while it was fun to glide it across my face, it didn’t really do anything. I do still remember a time when I learned how to shave via negative reinforcement from the stinging… fun times.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

June 3, 2024

LG SOTD, DAY 3: DUCK, YOU SUCKER!

(A SPAGHETTI SHAVER EPIC)

Daily theme relevance: my beef tallow alternative (or surrogate, if you are a beef suprematist) is duck.

PHOTOCONTEST - ANIMAL

Mexican painted ceramic duck (tribute to today’s MOTD setting) and Yellow rubber duck (tribute to AdP yellow faux-leather fantasy of a sophisticated shatter-proof life)

Special theme: As a tribute to u/OnionMiasma, my SOTD pic includes the actual envelope he used to send me smushes, as well as an Italian spaghetti-alum block: we reinvented westerns, think we can't do a decent OSMA dupe?

OPENING CREDITS SEQUENCE
-> Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone here

--THE CAST

Pre shave: Acqua di Parma - Bagno alla Colonia Bath and Shower Gel, Acqua di Parma - Deodorante alla Colonia Deodorant Spray

• Brush: Muhle – Anodized Aluminum Travel Brush Black 21mm #HOLLOW
• Razor: Henson AL-13 Medium blue
• Blade: Silver Blue [2]
• Lather: Chicago Grooming - Shiloh (Canard base)
• Post Shave: Ethos Grooming - DFS Colonia Skin Food Lotion
• Fragrance: Acqua di Parma - Colonia Assoluta EdC 30cl

Additional Post-Shave: Acqua di Parma – Barbiere Emulsione Rinfrescante Dopobarba

--THE SCENE

Yesterday’s gunpowder scent trail takes us back to Andalusia, today a cinematic stand-in, or dupe, for 1912 revolutionary Mexico.

We are here for a story of undaunted dupes and surrogates, an epic of reluctant reinventions and revolutions, a fable about heroes who stand broken but not defeated.

Duck, you sucker is the title of Sergio Leone’s penultimate film, a film he didn’t mean to direct. It was released in 1971, three years after Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), thirteen years before Once Upon a Time in America (1984).

After using the alias Bob Robertson to make his early films sound more “international”, the director returned to his real Italian name, Sergio Leone, after he reached global success with the so-called Dollars Trilogy, the cornerstone of the spaghetti western genre.

As film heroes are defined by conflict, here are the links to dig into the genesis of the MOTD (parts 1-3), and to the SOTD it inspired (part 4):

parts 1 and 2:
- THE HERO'S (UN)ORIGINAL SIN: KUROSAWA’S BEEF WITH LEONE
- NOT IN ~~KANSAS~~ ITALY ANMORE: LEONE'S BEEF WITH THE AMERICANS

parts 3 and 4:
- A STUBBORN LION, PRONE TO BEEFS AND FIXATED WITH DUCK
- DUCK, YOU SHAVER! MY SOTD WITH DUPES, SURROGATES AND THINGS THAT GO BOOM

part 5: FOF WRITEUP
Today’s FOF is a journey that spans from well-groomed city brightness of the AdP products I used for the pre-shave, to the dustier notes of CG’s Shiloh soap, that feel as if it has been seasoned by the experience of some tough travels across a Mexican desert. Compared to its fragrance inspiration (re-tested through prep with two AdP products: shower soap and deodorant), and in particular to AdP's signature opening, a bright lemon/verbena and Spring rose accord, my tub of Shiloh leans toward a more powdery floral/orange smell with just a hint of nutty-ness. Dunno if it is a problem with my tub being kinda "seasoned" before my recent purchase, in any case it’s still very pleasant per se – just not an accurate dupe if you make a back-to-back comparison with the original.

Having been broken similarly to Rod Steiger’s character in a painful sequence of DYS, my flacon of Ethos DFS Colonia remake still shines for excellent qualities of its own, just like Leone’s For a Fistful of Dollars when compared to Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. Actually, compared to AdP mildly scented aftershave emulsion, Ehtos’ reinvention stands out as a more punchy reinvention, like spaghetti westerns when they “exploded” against the all too familiar backdrop of Hollywood stories of the old frontier.

For the finale, I didn’t want to backtrack to the original AdP Colonia. Instead, I explored the self-remake/reinvention of AdP Colonia Assoluta, a fragrance created by Bertrand Duchaufour and Jean-Claude Ellena in 2003 and discontinued a few years ago. While Ellena is widely known for his signature “transparent” aesthetic (mostly evident in his Hermès creations), AdP Colonia Assoluta conquered me for its oakmoss-heavy and spicier drydown, reminiscent of old-school, old-world perfumes. On a Cary Grant scale, AdP Colonia is like watching him in the light sophisticated 1930s comedy Bringing Up Baby, AdP Colonia Assoluta feels more like 1950s North by Northwest, where he keeps being charming and cool, but is also shown doing more "mature" stuff (by that time's sensibilities: today these are just SOP for college kids) like being drunk in public and having casual sex with a stranger.

Yes, DYLF Colonia Assoluta is Dad's spaghetti, way cooler than plain vanilla Colonia.

FOF

Edit 1: links added
Edit 2: hw scavenger hunt hashtag added

ROTY

If your content doesn't fit in a single Reddit comment, you're probably writing too much.

SOTD - 2024-06-03 Osma day

• Brush: Semogue 830
• Razor: Gillette New Improved Tuckaway
• Blade: Dorco ST-300 (3rd use)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Gratiot League Square
• Post Shave: Osma

It's Monday. Again.

But it's Lathergames Monday.
Excited are we?
That's the spirit!

You know what the greatest invention in wetshaving is?
Osma.
Use it; you'll understand.

The legendary brick of salt,
Hewn from the from ancient natural deposits in Craponne France
Oh don't be childish! (I know you read it as "crap on")
Under watchful eyes are those secrets,
Guarded by the mythical knights of Osma.
Highly sought after are their secrets,
Those secrets learned from ancient Egyptian papyruses

You don't believe me do you?
Osma's website; read it. It's all there.
Uncouth masses.

Well on to today's theme of "where's the beef?"
Even if the ads are from 40 years ago, the phrase stuck.
Really, who hasn't heard of it before?
Everyone should know this bit of pop culture.

Getting to the meat of the matter,
Even if we've been chewing the fat a bit,
There was still the matter of choosing the soap:
Tallow it must be since I'll use some non-vegan soaps.
It could have been vegan if I continued only using vegan.
Now I searched through my cabinet and found one:
Gratiot League Square, by Declaration Grooming.

Of course, it should've been obvious with a bison on the lid.
For my defence, I thought it was a cow.
Forgive me.

Excited I was to learn I didn't need to buy another soap.
And so I shaved with said bison tallow soap.
Splashed water on my face and rubbed it with Osma.
You don't need aftershave if you have Osma^TM

2024-06-03 Where's the Beef? Oh, Lardy I Need A Vacation

• Prep: Coffee, Face wash soap/warm water
• Brush: Shore Shave - "Chubster Martini Olive" with 26mm T4 Fan Synthetic knot
• Razor: Above The Tie - Windsor SSRH2, OC Base Plate, DE - (original version not Windsor Pro)
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum, DE
• Lather: Lakewood Soap Co. - Lard Lass: Two Weeks With Pay
• Post Shave: GBS - Alumn Block of unknown quality and station.
• Post Shave: Talent Soap Factory – Echo Beach
• Fragrance: Alvarez Gomez Perfumes - Agua de Colonia Concentrada

The Lather:

With Lakewood soap's Lard Lass: Two Weeks With Pay The first ingredient listed? Yup - Lard! No beef follows. Even stearic acid is relegated to fourth on the list.

Full listing of ingredients is as follows:

Lard, water, shea butter, stearic acid, potassium hydroxide, castor oil, sodium hydroxide, fragrance.

Post Shave:

Pulled out the alum block (no, not a block of such high station as Osma) so never having driven a Rolls Royce so to speak I cannot extol the virtues...but it did it's job giving me two small pings one one my neck and one under my left nostril. Neither cut visible but just reminding me of where I need to better mind my manners with a sharp small peice of steel.

For those interested in the scents:

Lard Lass: Two Weeks With Pay -

• Scent profile: Passion fruit, jasmine, sweet citrus and florals

Echo Beach -

• Scent profile: cactus blossom, coconut, musk & sandalwood

Agua de Colonia Concentrada -

• Scent profile: lemon, bergamot, geranium, lavender

Take care and have a good one.

Ed: Date typo

LG2024 SOTD- June 3rd “ Beef, it’s not what’s for shaving”

• Brush: Frank Shaving Pur- tech 28mm synthetic #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Razorock GC .84
• Blade: Astra Green (3)
• Lather: HAGS- Darkside mutton tallow base- base not scent description
• Post Shave: HAGS- Creatures of the Night splash, Maggards- Alum block
• Fragrance: Bleu de Chanel EDP

Darkside 1 (HAGS released this last year and released a second Darkside scent that is completely different) is one of my favorite soaps I own due to performance, scent, and artwork. I mean it’s just awesome.

Challenge: Do I have an alum block? Yes. Do I ever use it? No. But it’s lather games. Ok I guess I will. Does it add or enhance my shave in any way? Not really.

Today’s installment, could obviously be this. As I am assuming this is where the name for today’s theme actually came from. Thing is I don’t actually ever remember seeing this commercial.

I do however, remember fondly this series of commercials which feature the work of composer Aaron Copland.

I somewhat attribute watching them for my lifelong enjoyment and appreciation of classical music, particularly American classical music. Copland has composed many pieces whether you know it or not you have certainly listened to. Such as this. The featured piece comes from the fifth of his 5-part Rodeo ballet entitled “Hoe-down” and is quintessentially American, with its combination of lively strings and rampant use of percussion ie the woodblock it’s one of his most well-known pieces.

ROTY

June 3, 2024 - Monday

• Brush: Chisel & Hound "The Duke" / 27x61 Omega boar
• Razor: Yates 921-H
• Blade: Gillette Rubie (6)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Morir Soñando
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. - Morir Soñando splash
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Nordost EdC

This old Canard base is still awesome, but not quite as good as Darkwing. My face likes them both. This scent always puts a smile on my face face too. Nordost was the obvious pairing so now I'm smelling like orangey goodness all around. Also, Osma++ Of course I used it :) It's a crucial part of my everyday post shave routine.

June 3, 2024 – 2024.06.03: Lather Games Day 3 – Where’s the Beef?

• Brush: AKA Brushworx Blues Stanley Cup with 26mm Turn N Shave Quartermoon knot #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 #FLIPTOP #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Dammusi
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Dammusi
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Dammusi

---

Daily Theme: Where’s the Beef?

(It’s Arby’s. Arby’s has the beef)

Theme justification: House of Mammoth soaps contain Duck fat.

Relevant Post Shave & Frag: I went easy today, since it’s Monday. Today’s theme is Dammusi. First ~~dickhole~~ trickhole of the Games. I just love Dammusi too much to not use it all.

---

Scavenger Hunt Justification:

Razor facts: The MM24 is a Modern Gem. They started production in 2021. It is also a flip top due to having the head of an EverReady Shovel-Head razor.

Brush facts: The brush has a handle created by AKA Brushworx and knot from Turn-N-Shave.

---

Daily/Special Challenge: OnionMiOsma Day

To start off with, Osma is the GOAT alum. I even bought a second block at the Maggard Meetup since I was already there. Always need to have a backup, am I right? Going from Maggard brand alum to Osma was a total game changer in my shaves. Don’t know how my face survived using such a poor quality alum. This is not Maggard’s fault at all, it’s just that all alum is poor alum compared to Osma.

Osma was used on this shave despite it not being listed in my shave log. This is to not annoy the robojudge.

Now, as for /u/OnionMiasma, I’ve got to say he’s a pretty cool dude too. I can even look past his error in being a Cubs and Blackhawks fan. He was one of the first people to reach out to me when I joined this community and treated me (a total stranger at the time) as a friend. He offered to drive a few of us to and from the Maggard meetup from Chicago this year. Without that offer I wouldn’t have been able to attend. I’m extremely thankful of this gesture, as a great time was had all. Meeting y’all at the meetup was a lot of fun. I also got this great picture of the convoy (us along with /u/hugbckt & /u/fuckchalzone) when he dropped me back off at O’Hare (he’s the one in the Blackhawks shirt under the yellow arrow, I’m in the Blues hat with the blue arrow). I did edit the photo for privacy a bit.

Seriously, /u/OnionMiasma++. If you’re ever in OK for some forlorn reason, let me know and I’ll buy you a beer.

---

Frag description

House of Mammoth Dammusi

I love this scent. So much so that it was the first ever HoM EdP that I purchased. It beat out Rumble to earn that honor. The first note to hit me is the citrus. As a citrus lover, this is what drew me in (which is the point of that note). After that, the pine really comes forward. It’s quite relaxing.

I’d like to point out at this point I really have no idea what I’m talking about most of the time when it comes to frags. The main reason why I’m doing the FoF is to force myself to articulate what I’m smelling. I’m hoping that my later posts will be much better than these early June ones.

---

Now onto the shave!

This was my first time using a MM24, though I have used a shovelhead in the past. Much better experience than with the vintage GEM I used previously. I think with some proper practice it could be a very nice daily shaver. However, I’m not sure I will be putting in the time. It’s nowhere near the level of a weck, but I just have too many nice DE razors that it doesn’t really make sense.

The brush might be my favorite handle of all time. It’s a Stanley Cup handle in the colors of the St. Louis Blues. I felt this handle was appropriate for today since the Stanley Cup Final has been set (I'll be rooting for the Panthers). I currently have a Fullmoon knot in it and I really like the knot. It’s super soft and feels fantastic on the face. I’m debating about putting it in a new handle where I can set it a smidge lower, but I’m not too sure. I think it would improve with just a touch more backbone (seriously, not much at all).

The soap, as we’ve all come to realize from HoM, is spectacular. Top teir soap.

---

Totals:

Razor Hashtags: 4/10
Brush Hashtags: 4/10
Hardware Sponsor Points: x/2
Software Sponsor Points: 2/16
Number of Lather Brands: 3/30
Number of Lather Scents: 3/30
Number of Post Shaves: 3/30
Number of Frags: 3/30

---

Contest Hashtags:

#FOF

#ROTY

Today I shaved with Stirling Electric Sheep and an APShaveco handle with Maggard SHD knot. I used a Gillette old type with an Astra blade. I followed up with Atomic Holiday aftershave and a spray of Passiflora edt.

• Alum has been used in traditional medicine to treat canker sores, hemorrhoids, and vaginal infections. ...

That’s what came up first when I googled the benefits of alum. Have fun rubbing your hemorrhoid blocks on your faces, weirdos.

** 3.06.2024 **

• Brush: AP Shave Co 28MM G5A SHD #FAUXFUR #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #TOLL
• Razor: RazoRock Game Changer .84-P
• Blade: Gillette Minora
• Lather: Bundubeard - Boomslang
• Post Shave: Brut - Original After shave
• Post Shave: The Bluebeards Revenge alum block

I have Osma. A 5 of them. Just like every Bulgarian I must be opposition. It is stupid Balkan part of the character but I am obligated 🤷‍♂️. And because I have to write something for today challenge. If I use Osma I can't write this unnecessary sentences. Love you u/OnionMiasma ...... forgive me. But if you remember last year i have this suspicion that Osma make blocks for Bluebeards.
For today shave I'll use Razorock Game changer .84. Definitely one of the best safety razors. Cost/quality Razorock is unbeatable. I use it more and more often. From last year i reduced my safety razors. Now I call them Holly Trinity. Razorock Lupo .95OC , Game Changer .84 and Mühle R41. And add few straight razors.

You might be interested to introduce you this brand Bundubeard" from South Africa. Member of my shaving club found them. Jako (owner of Bundubeard) introduced the scent near to famous "Brut" but I'll be honest with you base is the real treasure here. Sheep tallow base. One of the best maybe the best I ever use! The scent is not so strong. The smell of base is feeling more and prevailed. But if you are one of this guys that quality of the soap is more important definitely have to try it. I am not one of them but still I am fan. Amazing slickness, foam density and cushion. Not easy to break. And of course blade is sliding like "between legs of horny college girl".

Bulgarian lesson 3 or how to swear if judges don't give you desire points and they still love you!

June 3 Lather: Grooming Dept. - Amare

• Brush: Semogue 1305 Boar
• Razor: Henson AL13 - Medium
• Blade: Astra SP
• Lather: Grooming Dept - Amare - Soap
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - Amber Bomba - Splash
• Music: Disco Duck - Rick Dees

TODAY’S THEME: No beef tallow here. Only Duck. This base is quite nice. My favorite bases typically include beef tallow. But the duck is solid. Scent is also nice-a kind of tropical. This is my only Grooming Dept tub (I PIF’s away my tub of Tobacco Oud). Good soap.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: I don’t use Osma/Alum. But I tried it. Twice. It made my face sting and go red. Which is weird, because no soap or aftershave has ever done that. Must be the salt or whatever, I don’t know. Reaction both times was enough to toss it.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: I don’t have much Wholly Kaw. I have a King of Bourbon set (assumed I was getting a whiskey smell, but it is a bourbon vanilla). And an Amber Bomba set. I quite like them both, though. Especially the Amber Bomba. I nominated it for scent of the year last year, and then found out from someone else that it was actually a dupe and not an original, which bummed me out a little. But a scent is a scent. And Amber Bomba is a nice date night option. Warm, sensuous.

Quote of the Day: “If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.”

—Douglas Adams

LG23-03: Where's the Beef?

• Brush: Semogue Owner’s Club “Taj” 24mm Boar #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Wolfman Razors WR2-DC 0.95 SB / 1.25 OC #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Voskhod (41)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming / Chatillon Lux - Vide Poche - Icarus Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: 345 Soap Company - White Buffalo - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes - Beaver
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Honduras. Cabañas. La Paz Dedertment. v: Lempira. Catuaí. Ihcafe 90. Pacas. p: Natural. r: 2024-03-14
• Music: Pink Floyd - Animals

Icarus is one of my favorite bases. This week I discovered it includes both bison and lamb tallows. Shaved off that lovely lather with my dual-gap aged bronze 2022 prize razor—gorgeous.

Regarding post shave, I have a neglected block of Osma, and used it today (rinse, apply alum, clean up brush, rinse off alum), but gave up on it ages ago. It doesn't improve my skin. If anything it just dries it out. Rinsing all the soap off thoroughly after the shave seems like a more important and beneficial skin-care step to me.

I followed up my shave with a splash of White Buffalo, to get more bison in the mix. For my fragrance, I looked at the Zoologist lineup and thought which of these animals (A) isn't endangered and (B) would be nice and fatty? Everyone's favorite oily dam-building rodents were at the front of the pack.

• Brush: Maggard Razors Timberwolf
• Razor: Maggard Razors MR14 with Ikon Bulldog handle
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Convergence
• Post Shave: Barrister and Man - Reserve Cool

This may be my first time using Convergence. I can’t smell anything right now and don’t remember what it is supposed smell like, but it is bison tallow, so checks the box for today. Declaration always lathers so well.

And I used what is probably my next to last time for my last square bottle of Reserve Cool. I also only have one non-square bottle left, which makes me anxious

* June 3

• Brush: Chisel and Hound – Maggard Razors 26mm SHD knot #SHD
• Razor: Baili TTO #ZAMAC #STAINLESSLESS
• Blade: Treet Classic Carbon Steel
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. – Montrose Beach
• Post Shave: Pinnacle Grooming – Virgin Islands
• Fragrance: Chicago Grooming Co. – Montrose Beach

A perfect shave for a hot summer’s day. It smells like I’m at the beach, sipping a drink out of a coconut. This shave wasn’t just any shave, but a luxurious journey to the serene shores of Montrose Beach. Are the shores actually serene there? I hope they are, because it smells like they should be. And the soap performs beautifully, thanks to the sacrifice of some ducks!

Yes, you read that right. Duck fat. The secret weapon you never knew you needed. Why duck fat, you ask? Because have you ever tried to catch a duck? Well, I haven’t either, but I imagine they are quite slippery and that’s why shaving soaps made with their fat are tops! The glide of this soap is among the best I’ve tried.

When I shaved, I imagined I was standing at the beach, the early morning sun casting a golden hue over the water, the air filled with a crisp, refreshing breeze. That’s the sensation this shave soap brings to every fiber of my being. Hints of oceanic notes, with a subtle touch of earthy undertones, instantly transported me to above mentioned serene shores.

As I worked the lather onto my face and the glide was unparalleled. The carbon steel blade effortlessly glided across my face like a surfboard cutting through the waves, leaving behind nothing but perfectly smooth skin and a lingering scent that’s as rejuvenating as a morning swim in the ocean. No nicks, no irritation—just a flawless shave that speaks volumes about the quality and craftsmanship behind Chicago Grooming Co’s creations. Behold! The magic of duck fat and the essence of Chicago’s finest beach turned my morning shave into a trip to the beach.

I kept that energy going with Pinnacle Grooming’s Virgin Islands Splash, which is like being served a sweet, fruity drink at the beach by a guy with a bunch of coconuts, a machete, and a bottle of rum. And finally, to bring myself back to the shores of Chicago’s finest Beach, I sprayed on the Montrose Beach Fragrance. Such an absolutely beachtastic shave for a Monday morning. If today’s shave is any indication, it’s going to be a great week.

🌊🪒

Challenge: I don’t have Osma and never tried alum. I read about it when I was first getting started and their seemed to be a big divide over whether or not it was recommended, so I skipped it altogether. Did I make a mistake? Should I be using this stuff?

ROTY

Lather: Stirling Soap Co - Electric Sheep
Osma

Delightful.

I think Jeff's dedication to as little effort as possible in the LG's is to be commended.

5 out of 5 - would judge this post again

June 3, 2024 – LG Day 3 – Where’s the Beef?

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving Exclusive MOAR Boar 31mm #SUBBROOSH #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Karve CB SB-C #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY #STAINLESSLESS
• Blade: Treet Classic (1)
• Lather: Red House Farm – Nine Days Up Nort’
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Scots Pine
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors – Cape Heartache

Between the theme and the challenge today, we’re in for a journey of a culinary conversation. No beef to be seen here. Tallow is rendered from suet, which is the hard fat found around the kidneys, loins, and other organs in particular animals, traditionally cows (beef) and sheep (mutton). Suet is also the term used for the fat in the same area within wild game, but as the Lacey act prohibits the sale of “wildlife”, this is generally moot except in rare cases such as PIFs by u/grindermonk. Hard fat similar to suet is also found in pigs, but is called leaf lard for reasons that are largely unclear and can probably be attributed to the fact that language is weird.

Nine Days up Nort’, as featured in u/OnionMiasma’s underrated SOTD for the fall theme last year, uses deer tallow and has a requisite gaminess to it which I quite enjoy. There’s a hefty amount of woodiness, sure, but the natural scent of the non-fragrance ingredients is what makes this special. This is much harder to recreate in an aftershave, so doubling down on the pine note with Scots Pine (no sheep in the aftershave, at least per the label) seemed like my best option. Rod writes that it’s “nothing like a pine oil used in cleaning products,” which I don’t entirely agree with, but it’s not bad, just not particularly complex. Then, to entirely divert the vibe, Cape Heartache comes along. The blast of fir and pine at the top are welcome additions, but as they dry down to a sweet amber, it’s a strange combination with the Nine Days funk that I can still smell. The Scots Pine has completely faded just two hours after using, but this soap has some oomph to it, and would have benefitted from a more complementary frag today. In the journey of fragrance, we live and learn. #FOF

Now, back to our culinary journey. Let’s talk about salt. Samin Nosrat tells us all about the importance of salt in her book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat as well as in this gifted article (you’re welcome). Salt aids in enhancing flavor. It reduces bitterness – hence why dark chocolate and sea salt are a wonderful pairing. Try a sprinkle of salt in black coffee. Taste is weird. Salt also enhances sweetness, which is why Maldon salt belongs on cookies after baking, and why classic cookie recipes typically need more salt than what is listed. Salt, through various chemical reactions, improves the taste and texture of food, such as its work drawing out moisture from meat and vegetables through osmosis, which then dissolves the salt and allows it to be reabsorbed into the food. On a molecular level, salt ionizes when it dissolves in water, breaking into sodium and chloride ions; then, these ions interact with the flavor compounds in food and our taste receptors, making flavors more pronounced and enjoyable. I prefer Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, just like many chefs and recipe developers, because it’s easy to pinch and sprinkle and is far more forgiving than Morton’s or especially table salt. Take a look at some of Kenji Lopez-Alt’s work for more about salinity by volume among common culinary salts.

This is all to say that I love salt, my doctor tells me I consume too much of it, and I don’t need to rub it on my head after shaving. (Yes, I know it’s a different type of salt. No, I don’t care).

OP talks up the culinary merits of sodium chloride instead of using Osma.

Hugbckt is doing well this year. Informative post and a funny setup to explaining why they didn't use alum.

June 3, 2024 - Salty Duck  

• Prep: House of Mammoth Embrace Doppio Bath Soap 
• Brush: Summer Break Soaps Crofton 26mm AP Shave Co. MiG Hybrid #PremiumPlastic 
• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 17 15/16 Full Hollow Square Point #Str8Snob 
• Edge: u/whosgotthepudding (9)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - AG 1889 - Soap 
• Post Shave: Osma Luxury Alum
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. - AG 1889 - Aftershave     
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Anthropophagy - Eau de Parfum 

Duck fat soap and a frag inspired by a true pioneer in the "alternative tallow" game. IYKYK.

And yeah, I used Osma. It's ok. It's better than other alum, IMHO.

Monday--

June 3rd, 2024 - Lather Games Day 3

• Prep: warm shower

• Brush: WW DWW-3 with Rhodium HT knot #FRAKENBRUSH #SHD

• Razor: Rex Supply Konsul (loan) #ADJUSTABLE

• Blade: Polsilver (4)

• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Gold Coast - Soap

• Post-Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. - Gold Coast - Splash

• Fragrance: Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Baccarat Rouge 540 - EdP

Decided to rep some duck fat base today with CGC, darkwing being one of my personal favorite bases on the market currently. The scent on the soap is wonderful, but today all I could detect from the splash was alcohol and ws-23 🤷‍♂️

I went into this shave with low expectations of the Konsul given how much I didn't like the Sentry but was wildly surprised. I had an absolutely incredible shave with this razor, minimal irritation when I used the Osma™️ block and I hit all my trouble spots for a 100% BBS finish. I believe this is the first modern adjustable I've tried and I'm very impressed. I'm looking forward to playing with the different settings on this razor!

2024-06-03 - Soylent Green

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Glacial Electric Sheep
• Razor: Clix E-Z Flo #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Brush: Yaqi Metal Timberwolf
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - D-503
• Post Shave: Alum, definitely not Osma
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Telegrama

Where's the Beef: Mutton
Side note: Check out this rust-free patina. No rusty butts here!

Unifying Theme: Literature
The title of the novel is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Dude, people aren't even said to dream of sheep. You're thinking of "counting sheep"; the dreaming part comes later. You should know better than that, Dick.
::ahem::
Philip K. Dick, of course.

Speaking of dystopian-future novels that I've never read, D-503 is the name of the protagonist of Мы (We) by Yevgeny Zamyatin.

I wish I could have kept the dystopian-future thing going, but I had to widen the scope to literature in general, which is fine because I make the rules! Even if Imaginary Authors almost feels like cheating, the aethetic of Telegrama seems at least vaguely appropriate.

#photocontest
Steampunk is an aesthetic genre that answers the question, "What if technology was only hot water and clocks and we dressed up all horny about it?" (paraphrased from u/BennyFeldman @1:25)
I didn't think I was going to have an opportunity to organically incorporate this into any photo during the Games, but I think it happens to fit, also vaguely, with the dystopian-future element of much of my setup today, so that works out. Serendipitous!

#FOF
Are you familiar with mosquito-repellent candles? I am not. If you're unfamiliar with Electric Sheep, it's worth noting that Stirling has a WARNING on the product page imploring people to try a sample before a full tub. I'm pretty sure I dove straight into the latter when I bought this.

I don't know what the fuss is about. It's strong, but refreshing. Like Lemon Pledge, maybe? I don't know what Lemon Pledge smells like. It's intense, and the Glacial menthol kicks the entensity levels up to Awesome. "Not for the faint of heart," indeed.

A dupe of Legend by Mont Blanc, D-503 transitions smoothly, perhaps thanks to its citrus notes, although those same citrus notes are the reason (maybe along with the purported 'dried fruit') that I opted to target the D-503 soap that I had in order to use it up and get it off my shelf. It's not that I don't like it—quite the contrary; tonka and light florals effectively mute the citrus—but it's not a contender for being among my favorites.

Telegrama deviates sharply from D-503, coming in firing on all cylinders with powder and linen, falling away to a firm assertion of vanilla. It's a very clean scent that, in retrospect, actually makes for a pretty excellent pairing with the sharp cleanness of Sheep. Serendipitous!

I suspect it would also tightly intermingle with Maggard's Barbershop and such soaps that use that scent mix. But I digress.

OnionMiOsma Day:
I've noticed a tendency in jobs that I've had, in which I inherited some task—a report or the like—and I later discover that the person I inherited it from hadn't developed a good understanding of it. Not only did that person not know the "why," but it later turns out that the exec or whoever who originally asked for it never really even cared that much about it, not then and especially not now.

I'm convinced that this challenge is the same. Alum is handy stuff, but no one really gives a shit about Osma. For example, consider this pristine block of Osma. I'll never need it, because the giant, chemically-identical rocks of the stuff that I got for a fraction of the price of that tiny block will last me forever.

OP sacrifices brand new block of OSMA in order to prove a point.

Jun. 3, 2024 – trois fois

• Brush: Omega Pro 48 #HOLLOW
• Razor: Blackland Vector
• Blade: Feather Artist Club Pro Guard [3]
• Lather: Red House Farm - No Scrub - Soap
• Post Shave: Proraso - Green - Aftershave

Really nice head shave today with a really nice blend of lavender and sandalwood in this sub-exclusive masterpiece made by our own u/grindermonk. Happy to have a tub of this one. where's yours? This soap uses North American black bear tallow, so totally on theme, of course. Thanks as well to u/Enndeegee and u/OnionMiasma for helping to make this happen.

Despite my choice of soap today, I am just going to sit on my broke ass, here at my mother's house hangin' out.

2024-06-03 LG SOTD

• Brush: Semogue 2015 HD (22x55mm Badger)
• Razor: Wolfman WR1
• Lather: L&L Grooming / Chatillon Lux - Catalan's Prairie*
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Catalan's Prairie
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - La Petite Prairie

Behold, my beef-free shave: beef-free brush, razor, blade, soap, aftershave splash, and fragrance

Things native to my part of the planet:
- Badgers
- Wolves & Man
- Bison
- Prairie
- More Prairie
- Even More Prairie (so much prairie)

Things not native to my part of the planet:
- Beef

Footnotes
*(Old bison base)

Jun. 3, 2024
Brush: AP SHAVECO AP400B XL 28 mm (G5C)
Razor: Karve CB SS SB (D Plate, First Pass; B Plate, Second Pass)
Blade: Astra Superior Platinum [2]
Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - AG 1889 (r/wetshaving exclusive) - Soap
Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. - AG 1889 Aftershave Skin food (r/wetshaving exclusive) - Aftershave
Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented (Sego) - Balm

Darkwing Shaving Soap Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Vegetable Glycerin, Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Kokum Butter, Mango Seed Butter, Duck Fat, Murumuru Butter, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lactate, Argan Oil, Silk Amino Acids, Vitamin E (Tocopherols), Willow Bark Extract, Jojoba Oil, Daikon Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

June 3, 2024

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Badger brush I've had forever with the maker's mark rubbed off #RUNT
• Razor: Muhle Companion
• Blade: Astra Green (Indian)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Smash

According to the web listing, this soap has Mammoth tallow (checks notes), ahem, duck tallow. You know, I can't help but think this was a missed opportunity. And it's not like you'd need a regular supply of Mammoth. One must be enough. (Frantic typing.) According to the interwebs, a Mammoth is roughly 4,571 times larger than a duck. Is this soap made with duck genocide (speciocide?)?! Stop the speciocide, use Mammoth tallow!

OnionMiosma day challenge: I didn't use any alum today because, like most days, I'm a wussy and don't want to deliberately cause myself even more pain than I usually do in the shaving process.

ROTY

June 3, 2024 – Fever Dreams

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 22mm Faux Horse w/ Ruby Ripple Handle #Fauxfur
• Razor: Weck Junior #weckonista #rustybuttrusty
• Blade: Personna Hair Shaper (1)
• Lather: Areffa Soap – Agave
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Smash
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors – Saint Julep

I make bad decisions when I have a fever. This is known. Once, when I had an ear infection, I decided to drive to Walmart in a snow storm to get formula for our son. (He needed special stuff and only Walmart had it.) I didn’t get home for 7 hours.

So, it’s no surprise when looking at my options this morning for shaving, I opted for the weck. On Osma day, so I’ll know exactly how bad I did. But it’s also “OnionMiOSMA” day so I used the Personna blade in honor of u/onionmiasma’s suffering for AA.

This thing came pre-patina’d and needed to good scraped out of it so I could get the blade in. More patina pics. Is it supposed to hinge by the serrated part? No time, I’m getting tired must shave!

This was not a good shave. I only drew blood in one place, just below my ear where I tried to go XTG, and hit the angle wrong. But it’s OK, I HAVE OSMA! I “finished” the shave (such that you can call being still scruffy finished) and applied the Osma.

Now a note about my Osma, if you look it a chunk is missing from the top, that’s because I broke some of it off and sent it to u/AdWorried2804 so he had Osma today. It looked like I sent him Crystal meth. Anyway, we wanted to test the idea that since Osma comes from a shared block, sharing part of that would transfer some of the feel of the shave. Basically all Osma is connected! If so, I’m sorry, he’s in for some stinging. When I hit that part behind my ear it stung something fierce, I think blacked out, and when I woke up, I tasted…saltwater and coconut? He has nicer weather than I do.

Now while u/grindermonk is only aware of 1 bear tallow soap (that is a prize for best shave in scuba gear or something, I dunno I didn’t read the whole post) there is in fact at least one more. I commented once to u/bmac92 my thrill didn’t extend to odd Ukrainian soaps made with bear tallow, but then when he offered to send this for shipping only I said, “why not, maybe it’ll be useful for LG.” Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

My #photocontest here “animals (dead)” But how you ask? Well, that Tupperware container contains the missing beef tallow! Theme question answered.

For #fof, I’m going with an all-drink theme here, Agave (famously used in tequila), Smash, which is a peach bourbon cocktail, and Saint Julip which is a nod to Mint Julips. Fittingly the description of St. Julio mentions “bear” (though in verb form) bringing us back around to the tallow! Go theme! The smells are interesting, I get a slightly chemical smell off the soap, smash smells like cherries to me, and Saint Julep is supposed to be like mint. The soap did not improve upon lathering, the smash clashed a bit with the Julep, which did not smell like mint to me, but maybe that’s the tangerine? It was ok. I’m going back to bed and hoping that area behind my ear stops stinging by tomorrow.

OP gives fellow Redditor a taste of Osma, delivered in the most incriminating way possible, and elevates consciousness to a higher plane.

OP gives fellow Redditor a taste of Osma, delivered in the most incriminating way possible, and elevates consciousness to a higher plane.

June 03 2024: Where's The Beef?

• Brush: AP Shave Co Beehive w/ 28mm G5C #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Mühle - R41 #ZAMAC
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (9)
• Lather: Purely Skinful - Bar-Bear-Ic
• Post Shave: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Embrace

I have this soap courtesy of the passaround sample box, it was contributed from esteemed tallow connoisseur u/Engineered_Shave and like the name implies, was made from bear tallow. The sample took a fair bit of water and a good amount of brushwork to get it lathered, but once it got going the lather was creamy and slick. After I shaved I did feel like I had absorbed some of the power of the bear, so whatever hoops the soapmaker had to jump through to source bear tallow was worth it.

My scent theme today was berries. The soap has a nice blackberry note with amber and vanilla coming on when it was lathered up, the splash features blueberry over a woody base, and the frag has a nice berry, coffee and patchouli notes. And no notes of beef anywhere in the shave, even though it is one of the most prevalent base notes in modern perfumery.

I have never tried Osma, nor any other alum, nor do I ever intend to. It's not that I'm an anti-alumite, I've just never had any curiosity about it.

I couldn't work any Wholly Kaw into my shave today, but am looking forward to using one of their soaps tomorrow, which is one of my favorites.

No Tallow SOTD:

• Razor: Charcoal Goods Brass Level 2
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (4).
• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Kyle SHD #SHD
• Lather: Stirling - Scots Pine Sheep
• Aftershave: Stirling - Scots Pine
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - ROTY 2022

I'm willing to take a stand right here right now, Stirling's sheep base is the best bang for your buck out there, no exceptions. This is an absolutely phenomenal base, it's just too bad they aren't able to make it in more scents.

Challenge:

For some dumb reason you guys made me rub some Maggard brand salt on my face for the first time since you made me rub some salt on my face last July. A few years ago we all pretty much agreed that alum was something noobs were tricked into buying.

Jun. 3, 2024 - There was only one choice

• Prep: Shower, Baxter Shave Tonic
• Brush: Dogwood Maggards 26mm SHD
• Razor: Heritage Collection Gibbs 15
• Blade: Personna Platinum (3)
• Lather: MERShaving Old Timer Spice
• Post Shave: Old Spice (Indian)

Believe it or not, I don't actually plan ahead all that much to shave with only Old Spice dupes all month, which led me to today as I frantically searched through my bin of dupes for something that wasn't vegan but also wasn't beef tallow. I was about to give up and grab Bundubeard, which I'd just shaved with, when I flipped over MERShaving and realized it was a Duck Fat base! Ducks are not cows. That's just a hard science fact.

I did not use Osma. Why? Is it because I don't own any? Is it because I don't want to? No. It's because u/onionmiasma is the worst kind of friend. The kind of friend who turns his back on you just because you forget one tiny little smush one time! The kind of friend who writes a mean song about you just because you didn't put some soap in the mail. Well, I've got a song for him now.

You Suck, A Song About OnionMiasma

LA LA LA LA You Suck.
LA LA LA LA You Suck.
LA LA LA LA You Suck.

That's the song.

User trolls Onion with a simple refrain of "La la la you suck"

User wrote a song about Onion - short and funny.

June 3, 2024 – Lather Games 2024 Day 3: Where’s the ̶B̶e̶e̶r̶ Beef?

• Brush: Omega 10049 Pro #HOLLOW #OLDWORLD
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 #FLIPTOP #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (70)
• Lather: West Coast Shaving – Oriental
• Fragrance: Ted Lapidus – Lapidus Pour Homme

Welcome to Lather Games 2024 Day 3

Use of Theme: Where’s the Beef?

My beef is usually on the smoker or on weck, or corned on rye, but today it ain’t in my soap. The West Coast Shaving Duck Fat Shave Soap rules the day and it’s a beautiful duck base from Vida at Chicago Grooming. The scent profile is a pleasant one for summer.

Carrying the oriental scent into post-shave comes Avon Tai Winds. From 1972, Tai Winds has a Brut-y take at the outset and is quite musky. I bought this decanter just for the novelty and nostalgia, as my mom was an Avon Lady when I was a kid and my dad used the various aftershaves before that. This is a pretty marvelous scent that you youngin’s might think is dated. Be that as it may, I really don’t give two shits. I made a decision to wear what I like.

The fragrant finish today is from Ted Lapidus. There are too many notes to compare, but my nose picks up on the spicy and woody notes that I detect in the soap and aftershave. A very delightful non-dickhole combination.

Daily Challenge: OnionMiOsma

Did I thank u/OnionMiasma for being an all-around great guy? I think so, but let’s thank the wonderful people at Osma for creating their luxury alum. The only alum you’ll ever need. So I rubbed some mineral salt on my face today.

Have a great day and be kind to one another.

Edit: Formatting/Hashtag

Mutton Fat' Day

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks - Oumo 24mm Manchuria M4 Two Band Fan #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: Gem Micromatic OC #FLIPTOP #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Blade: Fresh Personna GEM
• Lather: Brand - Stirling - Electric Sheep
• Post Shave: Brand - Tüff - Herb
• Fragrance: Pino Silvestre EdT

Today, this beautiful Muninn's brush arrived just in time for LG. There's nothing to say about the MOOC it performed like a monster, probably the best safety razor. I paired the medicinal scent of ES, with the spicy, wood , herbal taste from Tüff and rouded it with Pino Silvestre Edt. #FOF

Happy monday! The Cure - Friday I'm in Love

I forgot about the Osma thing, who needs to use such a thing? Rubbing a piece of aluminium salt on your beautiful skin, Ohh no!

Informative post

July 3, 2024 - Where’s the Beef?

• Brush: Shave Forge Horsehair, 20mm #HORSESASS #HOLLOW #RUNT
• Razor: Muhle R89 #TWINS #ZAMAC
• Razor: Edwin Jagger DE89 #TWINS
• Blade: Gillette Platinum
• Lather: Red House Farm - NoScrub
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavanille - Splash
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Company - Sandalwood

Daily Write-Up
When I saw this day on the calendar, I never thought I’d be celebrating the lack of COWtallow while simultaneously hoping that COWzilla3 leaves the sub. But, unless he apologizes for what he’s done it’s either him or me.

Speaking of cows… they’re delicious. Per the EPA, a single cow produces between 154 to 264 pounds of methane gas per year. Not counting for the emissions of any other livestock, 1.5 billion cattle, raised specifically for meat production worldwide, emit at least 231 billion pounds of methane into the methane into the atmosphere each year. Granted, no one is raising cows specifically for making soap, but if you believe in climate change, it’s probably best if we process less beef.

Similarly, a single Cowzilla3 produces between 154 and 264 hundred words of garbage for the sub each year; words that metaphorically smell about as bad as methane. He’s ruining the sub, just like we’re ruining the planet.

Did you see his song today? Embarrassing. Just as embarrassing as his misshapen eyebrows are.

Today I switched razors halfway through the shave. Yep. They’re the same razor, but I prefer the handle on the R89. It fits in an Altoids tin, whereas the DE is a smidge too long.

This brush though is one I only keep around because of the Lather Games. It's terrible and smells... well, again, not quite as bad as Cowzilla3. But similar. Very, very similar.

Soap Theme Justification
This soap has bear tallow. Bear! Play hard, post well, and either u/Enndeegee or I might send you a tub of your own.

Unlike Mr. Zilla3, it smells great.

Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
Riffed around with the scent notes in the soap, which are sandalwood and lavender. I pulled in the lavender for Lavanille, and then finished it off with Stirling Sandalwood.

Edit: Oh, shit. Yeah, I used Osma. It's fine. About as pointless as the 41st edition of TGSO.

Put Cowzilla on the grill.

Put Cowzilla on the grill.

June 3, 2024 - Where's the Beef?

• Brush: Rubberset 400 w/ Maggard Synthetic #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: Yates Precision Manufacturing - Merica
• Blade: Gillette - Silver Blue
• Lather: Murphy & McNeil - Gael Laoch Orange
• Post Shave: Proraso - After Shave Stone
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr Splash

Today we must all ponder the question: Beef, where art thou? In my case today, our beloved beef tallow is still there with the addition of "Duck Fat Potassium Hydroxide" in Murphy & McNeil's Gael Laoch Orange, an homage to Creed's Viking Cologne. I actually blind bought this tub and its a very nice scent. However, I think this Aon base is one of the better bases I've ever used in terms of slickness. I am ready to engage in verbal warfare with anybody who disagrees.

Today was exactly my fourth time ever using alum, but have never used Osma specifically. I can't tell yet if it makes any difference for my routine or not yet, but it does feel nice applying the block tactilely.

I definitely like onions more than alum, that's for damn sure. A robust fragrance, antimicrobial, and improved skin appearance? Sounds like u/OnionMiasma needs to cash in on this new wetshaving breakthrough and make some onion scented aftershaves and balms. PM when you are ready to send me my royalty checks.

ROTY

June 3, 2024

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Red/White w/ Maggard SHD #SHD
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade Med Prep #WECKONISTA
• Blade: Fromm Hair Shaper Blades
• Lather: Hampshire Wool Fat - No 3
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Sego Aftershave Balm
• Post Shave: Osma
• Fragrance: Maison Alhambra - Bright Peach

Another shout out to u/infernalinternal for the unsolicited Hampshire Wool Fat, it's a super nice soap. The fragrance in it is very subtle, I'd describe it as a Stirling Sheep without the funk. I'm a big fan of Mitchell's Wool Fat already, so this was right up my alley, just with a more unique scent. Since today's theme is a question (i.e. Where's the Beef?) I thought it fitting to counteract the non beef tallow by answering the question with beef tallow balm. It was in my bathroom, so I found it.

But before the balm, came the Osma, which I own, but pretty much never use. I enjoy the feeling while applying it, but it is damn near impossible to wash off, which was the case today.

I haven't counted how many shaves are on this Fromm blade, probably \~5, but it's a crazy smooth blade, probably my new favorite hair shaper blade, I'll have to revisit a Kismet in the future.

I'm seeing many other interesting tallows, and definitely want to check out bear and duck in the future!

Jun. 3, 2024
Prep: Cremo - Coconut Mango Shave Cream - Preshave
Brush: Simpsons Chubby 1 Best Badger
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 72 OC #CNC * Blade: Personna Red [2]
Lather: House Of Mammoth - Dammusi - Soap
Post Shave:* Ariana & Evans - Pistachio - Aftershave

ROTY

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Prep: Prorasso White Pre Shave
Brush: Vielong Alter Brown Horsehair #HORSESASS
Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable #ADJUSTABLE #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
Blade: Gillette Perma Sharp  
Lather: Declaration Grooming - Vernal 
Post Shave: Alum + Taylor of Old Bond Street  - Royal Forest  
Fragrance: N/A

Today's lather has bison tallow, and yes I use alum (never used osma specifically though), because I'm new to shaving noob and there's always at least one little knick.

June 03, 2024 – LG24 Day 3 - Where's the Beef?

• Brush: Wild West Brushworks Slimer handle w/ C&H 26mm v21 Fanchurian Badger knot #FRANKENBRUSH #SHD
• Razor: Merkur 23C #ZAMAC #STAINLESSLESS
• Blade: Treet Classic Carbon Steel
• Prep: Stirling Soap Co. – Unscented Preshave Soap
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Weinstrasse
• Post Shave: Zingari Man – The Watchman Recovery Splash
• Post Shave: Osma - crystalline chunks
• Fragrance: OriginLab - Inspired by Silver Mountain Water Parfum
• Music: Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues

Daily Theme & Relevant Post/Frag: My tub of Weinstrasse is in the Icarus base, which features both Bison Tallow and Lamb Tallow. Weinstrasse's scent was created by Shawn Maher. While it is a very complex scent, my caveman nose locks onto the grape/berry (black currant) lead and woody/musky base notes. Another Shawn Maher creation, The Watchman, also features grape/berry leads with woody/musky bases amongst its scent profile so I chose it as my post. While Creed Silver Mountain Water forgoes grape, the berry/woody/musky notes are all there, and the citrus compliments nicely the lather/post's grape so I went with the Silver Mountain Water dup for my frag.

The Shave, Daily Challenge and PIF Acknowledgement: I find the 23C and Treet blades to be a bit mild for my taste, but since my face is still recovering from the 1st's Train Weck, the mildness of each was greatly appreciated. The lather was very protective, so no irritation was noted during cleanup, but a challenge is a challenge, so I broke out my Osma smush, grabbed a pinch and applied liberally to my face. All in all, my face appreciated the "Awesomeness of Osma", but I did receive some feedback in the areas damaged during my Train Weck. For some strange reason, while using the Osma it smelled like I was back home in the Midwestern America for a brief moment. Maybe there is some truth to u/tsrblke's theory that all Osma is connected!

I owe a big shout-out to The Tsar for generously gifting me the Osma and Treet carbon blade. In both cases I did not ask for them, he asked me if I needed them and (obviously) I said yes. When The Tsar was preparing the Osma "smush" he joked that it looks like dime-bag of crystal meth, and he's right. Good thing Philippine Customs didn't inspect Tsar's package to me, cuz I'd probably be singing the Folsom Prison Blues while rotting in a Philippine high security penitentiary if they had!

Alum Fun Fact: In the Philippines, alum is known as tawas and is used as a traditional antiperspirant and deodorant, and in traditional medicine for open wounds and sores. The crystals are usually ground into a fine powder before use.

June 3, 2024 - Where's the Beef?

• Brush: Brad Sears Gonzo Handle Manchurian Fan 24 mm #SHD
• Razor: GEM 1912 #TWINS
• Blade: GEM PTFE (14)
• Lather: Grooming Dept - Mallard Corretto
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Embrace
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - Treachery

Challenge: I won’t be rubbing a styptic pencil and cracking black pepper on my face this year. I’ve been converted. In ~4 years of wetshaving I’d never used alum. In September I decided it was time to see what the hype was about. I included Osma in a Maggard’s order. I’ve used it after pretty much every shave since. I haven’t included it in my lather games posts because I don’t want the bot picking it up. Hopefully labeling it “Alum” will avoid that.

I love coffee. I drink a cup of black coffee made from good locally roasted beans almost every day. Mallard Corretto is tailored for a different kind of coffee drinker. It's very sweet. The combination of brandy and honey smells similar to caramel. There a big note of vanilla, and a bit of cocoa. If you like sweet fragrances, this smells nice. It's enjoyable for the duration of a shave. But, that's all I can take.

This soap utilizes a duck fat base. It's not the easiest soap to use. The consistency is that of room temperature butter. It's tricky to load as it likes to stick to my scooping stick, my fingers, and itself. I had little globules of soap in my brush that had to be worked out by working the brush on my face. It took a good bit of soap to get a lather going. Thankfully, it's not particularly thirsty. The end result was good. The lather had a nice consistency, resembling face cream. Primary slickness was good. Secondary slickness was lacking.

I picked Embrace to go with the coffee theme of Mallard Corretto. The fragrance in House of Mammoth’s balms tends to be a bit muddled. Embrace is warm and friendly. The notes blend together well. Nothing really sticks out more prominently than the others. I smell notes of fruity berries, cardamom, a sharper spice note, and a general green woodyness. It’s an inviting fragrance that I could sit with for a while. I wish this came in a candle.

The cocoa and vanilla sweetness of Mallard Corretto lead me to the most decadent fragrance in my den, Treachery. I love the bold boozy whiskey note in this that walks up and jumps on you like a poorly trained dog. It's chocolatey with an accompanying bitterness. After dry down the tobacco spice creeps up on you (or was it standing there the whole time?). There's also a warm spice that smells like cinnamon. This is a fragrance you wear when you want people to take notice. It also makes me want to smoke a cigar.

#photocontest - an onion, because it’s OnionMiOSMA day.

#FOF

June 3, 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving 31mm x 57mm Moar Boar #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: Wolfman Razors WR2/WRH2 #CNC
• Blade: Personna Platinum (4)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Soap
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Aftershave
• Post Shave: West Coast Shaving - Alum
• Fragrance: Initio - Paragon - Eau de Parfum
• Talc: Pinaud Clubman Finest Powder
   

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AG 1889 has the Darkwing (Duck Fat) base. I like everything about this soap. It is one of several top-tier soap bases in my inventory. The fragrance has really grown on me. I really looked forward to using it today.

I used a West Coast Shaving alum block after the shave today. I got nothing. Why would I want to go out and buy Osma to get ... nothing.

I have no idea why people spread salt on their face after shaving. My advice (to u/OnionMiasma) is: don't cut yourself or irritate your skin. And, if you think of wetshaving as "traditional" shaving, then you should be using a full-strength alcohol aftershave like us vintage shavers do. A block of salt is what I leave out in the woods for the deer as a salt lick. .... :-j

User plans to poison local deer population with alum licks

June 3, 2024 - The birds are watching

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts w/ Declaration Grooming B10 #FRANKENBRUSH #SHD
• Razor: EldrormR Industries Two-Toned MM24 #FLIPTOP #MODERNGEM #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Rougere
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. - Rougere
• Post Shave: Osma Alum
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Rose Santal

This is the darkwing re-release of Rougere, so we're in duck fat heaven to be on theme. Splash connected by way of "it's literally the same thing" and frag connected by the rose note. I really love Rose Santal, it's one of my favorites, but I want a Rougere frag so bad.

This shave was great. Darkwing always delivers with the super slick lathers, and this gave me one of the better GEM shaves I've had to date. I normally only pull out the Osma if I get a shave with tons of weepers. That wasn't today, but I used it anyways just for y'all. The things we do for each other.

Photo theme today is Animal (not alive). My late grandfather used to spend his retirement making wooden birds, and this is one of them. It watches me shave every day and keeps an eye on my brush collection. #photocontest

June 3, 2024

• Brush: Zenith B16 #OLDWORLD #HOLLOW
• Razor: Ever Ready – 1912 #TWINS #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Razor: Gem - 1912
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Daveli Farms - Cranberry, Pomegranate, Vanilla Sheep Fat Shave Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Pinky Swear Splash
• Alum: Exotic Blend of Salts from around the World
• Fragrance: Clinique – Cocoa & Cashmere EdP

🎵Mary had a little lamb🎵
🎵Little lamb🎵
🎵Little lamb🎵
🎵Mary had a little lamb🎵
🎵Whose fleece was white as snow… And whose lamb had sweet, sweet talloooooow🎵

Did you know the classic children’s nursery rhyme was about a real-life girl named Mary Sawyer? And you’ll never guess who followed her to school one day, school one day, school one day… It was a little lamb! No one actually documented the name of the lamb, so for the sake of this post, we’ll call the lamb: Porkchop. You can read the whole story here, but poor, little Porkchop was abandoned and Mary rescued him. And Porkchop pretty much became her shadow, following her around everywhere. The consensus is that one of Mary’s classmates wrote much of the nursery rhyme we know and love based on his eyewitness account. Now, there are some controversies about who actually wrote the diddy, but the story itself is believed to be 100% factual. Henry Ford, yes the car guy, even stepped in and purchased the actual Old School House that Porkchop followed Mary to and moved it 20 miles away from its original location to preserve the building. No word on what happened to little Porkchop or if they made shaving soap out of its tallow. But they should have. Because I’ve tried a few different soaps made from Sheep Fat and I haven’t been disappointed yet.

This Daveli Farms shaving soap performs quick well, especially for the price-point – I think it was like $8 for the tub. It’s definitely a no-frills soap. No fancy art, or layers of complex scent profiles here. Hell, it came in plastic wrap and I had to put it in my own tub. But at the end of the day, it smells nice enough and gives me a good, slick shave. I don’t know what it is about sheep tallow, but I really enjoy shaving with sheep fat soaps. To some noses, the funk of sheep can be a bit too much, but for me, the performance positives outweigh any slight sheep funk.

"Everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go." And indeed, everywhere my razor went, this soap provided the perfect cushion and glide. No nicks or cuts – just a smooth, close shave that left my skin feeling as pampered as little Porkchop The Lamb. The sheep fat tallow works its magic, creating a rich, slick lather white as snow that feels super smooth on my skin. It was a shave experience that will leave me with a DFS that’s bound to follow me to work all day, work all day, work all day. The DFS will last all day, because it’s was a good shave!

#FOF: The sweet, tangy notes of cranberry and pomegranate mingle with the warm, sweet aroma of vanilla in the soap. I quite enjoy it this scent, and building off the sweetness from the vanilla and finishing the shave off with Pinky Swear, which is comprised of Caramelized Sugar, Nutmeg, Cocoa, Cedar, White Musk, Tonka, & Vanilla sparks joy in my life. To triple the sweetness, I used Clinique’s Cocoa & Cashmere, which is almost like a simpler version of the Pinky Swear Splash, sharing Cocoa, Vanilla, and Musk notes. No surprise, a stellar gourmand day in the books! Together, this trio created a symphony of scents that harmonized pretty perfectly. The bright, fruity notes of cranberry and pomegranate, the creamy vanilla, the immediate sweetness of Pinky Swear, and the rich, warm embrace of Cocoa & Cashmere all blended into a magnificent fragrance journey from start to finish.

Challenge: Osma. No thanks. Never touch the stuff and probably never will. I’d rather grind it down into a powder and snort it before rubbing a dirty old block of salt on my face. And you shouldn’t either... HOWEVER, in the spirit of the Lather Games, I decided to try something today…

It's come to my attention that I can come across as a "Coastal Elite", or perhaps a bit "smug" or even "arrogant". Whatever. Just because I enjoy the finer things in life, doesn't mean I can't slum it with you commoners in r/wetshaving. So, imagine my surprise when I found out there are people who will take a basic block of salt and rub it on their face after shaving. Unbelievable! What will you poors think of next? But I digress... Priusaurus doesn't do anything basic and I'm not about to start today. I gathered a smattering of my artisanal salts, and mixed them together in a one-time-use crystal bowl. If you all do a basic block of salt, I'll do a blend of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, Black Icelandic Lava Salt, Icelandic Flaky Sea Salt, and Smoked Salt Flakes from the coast of Maldon, Great Britain... Because, it's truly the only civilized way. I rubbed this concoction all over my face and despite using higher quality materials, I don't see the appeal and have come to the conclusion that I am simply too high brow to understand this Osma thing. This will be the last time I rub salt on my face after shaving. My face feels like a freshly brined piece of Wagyu that I'm about to Sous Vide and serve with a glass of Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard 'Mundus Bacillus Terrae' Malbec. Ugh... I'll never live this stunt down with my friends at The Country Club.

Soap theme justification: The soap is made from Sheep Fat.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Everything tasty and sweet.

artisan salts in a fancy bowl instead of alum

artisan salts in a fancy bowl instead of alum

scruba games day 3

• Razor: Russian ruby adjustable
• Brush: yaqi 26mm faux horse rainbow synthetic #fauxfur
• Lather: red house farm x no scrub - no scrub shaving soap
• Post shave: allium

For the judges. Soap has bear fat in it (see the no scrubs announcement, the yaqi can be seen in the pic.

But today is about u/onionmiasma and just as cowzilla3 had to share his day with priusaurus, so onion has to share with u/jeffm54321 who loves all things allium.

It's a bit mean on poor onion. He's allergic to alliums and so they go and make his day allium day. Fucking typical of the 'humour' in this place.

But if I'm going to play I'm going to play properly. Now in the UK we do things natural. The idea of a block of allium crystal is pretty out there but I have had a jar of onion granules become solid and I can see the advantage there i suppose.

Anyway, I looked at the alliums that I had available and realized that I could pay my respects by not choosing onion and instead went for garlic which has all the same medicine qualities.

I did a two pass shave with this bloody excellent soap ( thanks again u/grindermonk) and then rubbed garlic over my fave like im some sort of bruschetta. It stings and the smell is Discordant but hey I'm now one of the allium gang.

June. 03, 2024 - SOTD 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Oumo O4 Venus SHD Badger Brush 26MM
• Razor: King C Gillette
• Blade: King C Gillette
• Lather: West Coast Shaving - Pear-Brrr
• Post Shave: Nivea Men - Sensitive Soothing Aftershave Balm

Just want to put out there it's made with duck fat. That is all. Thank you for your time.

6/3/24 Lather Games shave

• Brush: Trotter Handcrafts / TGN boar

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo

• Razor: Charcoal Goods everyday (brass) w/ Suneko

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo ASB

It’s an overcast day here so the duck-fatted goodness of Mammoth’s Mood Indigo seemed fitting. And the gray-handled Trotter brush also felt appropriate. This is the farthest I've pushed one of these Suneko blades (6th shave I think), this one is staying smoother for longer than the previous ones I've used but I can tell that sharpness is waning.

Make it a good week everyone.

June 03, 2024 – Lather Games! Head Shaves

• Brush: Custom Irish Bog Oak Handle w/ 30mm Synthetic Knot #TOLL
• Razor: Leaf Shave Co. – Leaf Razor #ZAMAC
• Blade: Durablade Sharp Titanium (8)
• Lather: Purely Skinful Handmade Essentials – Palo Santo
• Aftershave: Clubman Pinaud – Classic Vanilla After Shave Lotion

I needed a quick head shave, so the Leaf stepped in to fit the bill here. Palo Santo is a splendid soap with a light, airy and pleasant scent. This is a deer tallow shave soap, and like other offerings by by Purely Skinful it is also sadly discontinued. A review is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/comments/lrrink/sotd_02242021_shavent_palo_santo_voskhod/

Oh, and in moment of curiosity I grabbed the verniers and measured the loft on my custom bog oak shave brush: it comes in at a hair over ~64mm installed, thus qualifying for the hardware hashtag. Yay!!

Good times, and a great shave! (The half-blades are now retired for recycling.)

#LatherGames #HeadShaves

Jun. 3, 2024

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Strata W/TnS Quarter Moon Synthetic #COMPOSITE

• Razor: Blackland Sabre #CNC #MODERNGEM

• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE [16]

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co - Glastonbury

• Post Shave: MontBlanc Explorer

• Fragrance: MontBlanc Explorer

Where’s the Beef?

I am old enough to remember when that commercial was new. It was everywhere, T- Shirts, bill boards, I’m sure if I went through old photo albums there’s pictures of my Step- Father sporting a Where’s the Beef shirt. I’m also old enough to remember when Wendy’s was actually good.

So for my 3rd shave of my first LG I chose Glastonbury paired with MontBlanc Explorer. I love both of them and this month is going to kill me because usually use MBE 2-3 times a week. I have plenty of Frags but I reach for this one a lot.

I have really fell in love with the SE format. I use the Sabre more than any of my other razors. It just works so well for me.

I don’t use Alum. It’s a dumb reason why because I know it’s just in my head but I have to watch my salt intake because of my heart condition so even though I know I’m not absorbing it into my blood stream I just don’t want to take the chance of any extra salt. But I will say that u/onionmiasma is the perfect strawman. He did not know me from Adam but helped me score some Spearhead! that I was on the hunt for and I will always be great full for that.

Soap justification. Glastonbury is made with Mutton Tallow

Frag. Glastonbury is very Patchouli forward as is Explorer they go great together.

Photo Contest: Theme Money

#ROTY #FOF #photocontest

Where's the Beef?

• Brush: Chisel and Hound - Intrepid (26 mm Zenith boar knot at 53 mm loft) #COMPOSITE #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: Above the Tie - Calypso R1 #CNC #RAINBOW
• Blade: Feather - new Hi-Stainless
• Lather: YRFCE - Yard Raised Fresh Chicken Eggs
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Roam
• Osma: Osma - Osma
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Shire 2

Happy YRFCE day! Three years ago, u/pppork revived this mythical chicken tallow soap and published the best documentary in wetshaving history. Definitely worth a watch if you haven't had the pleasure!

The chicken tallow makes this perfectly on theme, and the relevant post shave and fragrance through-line here lies in three different versions of grassy scents of nature: YRFCE has notes of grass, dry hay, and vetiver. Not exactly clean, but light and subtle. Roam is the exact opposite: Wet grass, earth, smoke, dirt. This is the scent of a camp site that smelled like YRFCE three rainy days ago. When the weather turns good again and the land dries again cleaner, that's when it smells like Shire: violets and fresh air (= warm hay to my nose, but that's a side note), fresh vetiver. I like these happy roller coaster fragrance progressions that tell a #FOF story. I'm really looking forward to the Roam 2 splash, because the balm in the Covid era finger balm tub starts looking a bit sus.

Great shave with the blue AtT. It's a good razor, it's just not very exciting. As a result it doesn't tend to get a lot of use. Not sure why I find it boring, but I do.

For the #Photocontest, I first planned to do the Bird theme (obviously), but then I got in the mood of doing Fill the frame instead because I enjoy the perspective and calm a closeup gives, the details and imperfections revealed, the tricks of depth-of-field, the visceral experience of one's size, and, of course, the tiny bokeh balls.

The chicken with its piercing look is a fun subject for closeups, even getting very close. I also experimented with a shorter focal length macro lens, but it was a bit over the top.

Today's Sponsor Wholly Kaw is the maker of controversial Entropy Man, one of my all time favourite scents in ~~cough syrup~~ wetshaving, and for that alone I'll be forever a fan ♥.

Where’s the Beef? * Brush: Spokar Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
Razor: Muhle R41 #ZAMAC
Blade: Bic
Lather:* Areffa Soap - Smokey Midday

It is Bear tallow soap from Areffa Soap.

photocontest onions

Today’s Challenge: OnionMiOsma

Noname Alum Stick and onions in honor of u/OnionMiAsma!

• Brush: Stirling - synthetic 2 band. #composite
• Razor: Gillette - Lady Gillette.

• Blade: Gillette - 7o’clock.

• Lather: Mitchell’s - Wool Fat

• Post Shave: Proraso - alum.

Lunchtime shave! This challenge gave me trouble which could have been avoided with proper planning. After realizing I did not own non beef-tallow soaps I had 1 hour to get to the specialty shave shop before it closed on Saturday. I was ready to purchase Chicago Grooming’s Duck fat soap. Regrettably I did not make it in time and they are closed on Sunday. I frantically searched for other retailers, but there was nothing. How is that possible I thought to myself. u/OnionMiasma had answered my cry for help and generously offered a smush and even more incredible is local! Was it the notoriously horrible traffic that kept me away? The bad weather? Self sabotage? I’ll never know. I had to place an emergency order. Not ideal, but sometimes you gotta scramble and finally got my hands on the golden goose/mutton today. MWF was lightly scented , and very thirsty. Why I didn’t take up onion’s generous offer has me questioning my life choices. It could have been so easy. As for osma, sadly I have never used the brand. I did look at the fun alum matchsticks, but couldn’t justify them at the time. My alum is Proraso , but I prefer the Proraso gel. I don’t really use alum anymore, though it was nice when I was first learning. My daily driver Henson is low risk.

ROTY

LG24-03: Where's the Beef?

• Brush: Chisel & Hound The Diplomat 26mm v19 Fanchurian Badger Knot
• Razor: Blutt Rasur BR-1 0.99 #CNC
• Blade: Gillette Nacet [5]
• Lather: Areffa Soap - The Blackest Night - Soap
• Post Shave: Osma - Alum Block
• Post Shave: Catie's Bubbles - Retreat - Aftershave Lotion
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Confluence - Eau de Toilette

The Blackest Night by the Ukrainian soap makers, Areffa Soaps, is a complex scent, marketed as a woodsy fougère. The soap is made from bear tallow. The warmer tobacco and coffee notes paired well with the calming Retreat and the woodsy Confluence.

In honor of OnionMiOsma day, I found a block of Osma Alum in my medicine cabinet just for the occasion.

Edit: Osma Photo

03 June 2024 Complementary Non Dickkhole Grooming Dept After The Fire

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Prometheus Red Boti Fan 28mm
• Razor: Aylsworth Apex
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (35)
• Lather: Grooming Dept - After The Fire (18)
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Colonia Balsamica A/S
• Post Shave: Thayer's Concoction
• Post Shave: Good Oleo
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - 88 Chestnut Street

Forgot I had alum, until I saw the challenge today.

This GD AFter the Fire is the one with Duck Fat, back from the day when there was drama over duck fat in soap bases. I forget what the actual drama was.

I really like the scent in this base. It's a beautiful smokey green scent, with resinous tocuhes. I got a sample of this scent from the new base and sadly the scent in the new base is nowhere close to this, just sniffing without lathering.

I decided that I wanted to use 88 Chestnut Street again as my fragrance, because it was so hot and humid today. The only nice bridge in my aftershave was Colonia Balsamica, which to me has darker, perhaps slighly herbal green touch .

Cheers

Day 3

• Brush: DS Cosmetic – 26mm Horse #HORSEASS
• Razor: Blackland - Sabre #CNC #MODERNGEM
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. – Wayoh Soap
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. – Wayoh Splash
• Fragrance: Azzaro - The Most Wanted EdP

Boom Boom Boom - now let me here you say way-ooh – WAYOH!!!!

Boom Boom Boom - now let’s shave with WAYOH – WAYOH!!!!

Made with duck fat all the way, I could shave with this all day Maybe with a different brush cause this horse one really sucks Scratchy getting tangled too – For the hashtag, no thank you Used a modern gem today, cuts those whiskers every way

Shave shave shave – now let’s shave with WAYOH – WAYOH!!!!

.#FOF – Wayoh is a woody-spicy dupe of Spicebomb by Viktor and Rolf, so I used Azzaro’s the Most Wanted, which is also woody-spicy. Wayoh is more cinnamon and leathery and smells warmer, while the frag is more like vanilla and spices. The two scents complimented each other nicely, but not really the best combination for a day like today. An 80 degreee summer day is too hot for this, as the smell makes me feel like I should be sipping mulled apple cider. Either way, this would be a great combination for Oct/Nov.

Challenge: I have never used Osma or any other alum, for that matter. And honestly, never plan to. My shave routine is great as it is and I don’t think any amount of rubbing a salt block on my face would change that.

.#photocontest: Onion

imhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “Where’s the Beef?”… The Top 5 Best Ad Campaigns of all time:
5) Pepsi, The Pepsi Challenge – If we add more sugar to the sugary drink America loves, they’ll love the extra sugary version even more!
4) American Express, Don’t leave home without it – Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to NOT buy something? Grow up and get an Amex!
3) Milk, Got Milk? – Drinking the product of a lactating bovine is the best way to be successful.
2) Nike, Just Do It – Consequences be damned, live for the now!
1) DeBeers, A Diamond is Forever – Successfully convinced a population that your marriage doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t have a rock in which they control a monopoly of and artificially create scarcity in inflate the price.

June 3, 2024 - Where’s the Beef?

• Brush: Aurora Grooming Lather Games 2024 - Blurple
• Razor: Unbranded Solingen Silver Steel 6/8 #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co - Montrose Beach
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co - Sandy Cheeks Splash
• Fragrance: Noble Otter - Manoi de Tahiti EdP
• Alum: Osma and Green Block

FOF

Today’s Theme - Don’t have a cow:

First thing I thought of was the Darkwing base of Chicago Grooming Co. I got this soap in a generous PIF from Vida at CGC. Also included was the Sandy Cheeks splash. The Darkwing base shows that duck fat is good for more than just French fries.

Today’s Challenge:

Alum or potassium alum KAl(SO_4)*12H_2O has been a folk remedy for millenia. It is often the ingredient in styptic pencils and many antiperspirants. If you ever used the brand Certain Dri, it has a very high concentration of the alum which can last for days. There are 3 prevailing opinions in the group. Alum is great and Osma the best, ain’t nobody need that shit, and ehh? from the fence sitters. When I got my first sampling of blades, a free block of alum was included. I used it off and on, usually if I had weepers. I was in the ehh? camp.

I decided for today to unscienticianly determine if Osma was the aftershave GOAT (hmm any soaps with goat tallow?). From the Osma camp the claim was since it was cut from solid blocks of mineral alum, the smoothness made it miraculous. After spending Saturday evening honing a couple straights for the first time, some of my equipment was still out, and I got an idea. Now out of the box, the Green Block has a rougher surface texture. I actually opened this block yesterday, and it was pretty grainy, but pretty solid. Could I polish this ~~turd~~ alum block? Now I didn’t want to use my new Shapton ceramic stones, but I do have a fine/very fine Duosharp diamond plate. It is approximately #600 and #1200 grits. I got the Green block wet and started polishing all 6 sides of the GB. It made a milky swarf/slurry of alum pretty quickly. Once I got it smooth to the touch on fine, I flipped the plate over to very fine. On 1200, I could feel the stone was much flatter. It started doing that thing where flat ground surfaces can kind of stick to each other. I got out the Osma to compare. I learned a little lesson. If you put Osma in a plastic box wet, some of the salts will dissolve and crystalize on the surface. To the diamond plates with the Osma. It was quick work to remove the rough crystals from the surface. I dried both blocks, and I was ready for today.

To give myself the best base to test these, I decided I should either do a Weck shave, MMOC, or try my first self honed razor. The Nameless Solingen has a fair amount of character from the black iron oxide stains, and surface putting. Not sure why the tag is Rusty Butt Rusty, but I added it. I went with testing my work with myself as the 🐹. One thing that did happen from wet polishing alum for about 20 minutes. My fingertips are crazy soft today. Anyway, the shave was a bit crunchy, but did remove the hair. Back to the stones and strop before I try again. After a 2.5 pass shave wtg, atg, other atg cheeks only, I was sure I had a perfect test bed for a bit of alum sting. To my surprise, nothing. No stinging and both blocks felt pretty smooth on the skin. While I dried off the razor, I left the alum on my face. Still no stinging, so I washed it off. Then applied the splash. Now there was some stinging.

Conclusion: ehh, if you like it use it, if you don’t no big deal. It is this decisiveness that I’m known for after all. As for Osma vs. other blocks, buy the Osma if you can get it. Sure a cheap block made from crushed up alum can be smoothed, but that isn’t worth the time unless Osma cost 10x more.

~~Smelly feet~~ Fragrant Feats:

This set of smells is all about my wife’s least favorite food, coconut. Fun fact, when your wife hates a food, she assumes you should hate it too. I don’t get a lot of coconut here. Montrose Brach starts this tropical party with a pretty aquatic scent accented by coconut. It is quite a refreshing scent. Sandy Cheeks slaps you in the face with a sweet coconut with my mind thinking I spilled a piña colada all over my face. I was back on a cruise having my after breakfast piña colada. If you buy the alcohol package, you have to drink pretty steady while on the boat. I didn’t touch a drop for months after the trip. Manoi de Tahiti is a wonderful tropical fragrance with a base of sandalwood and vanilla. The floral tiara flower, coconut, and ginger mix well with the base notes. All said, it is a tropical gourmand scent combination that would be perfect for the sweet day.

I have pictures to add later tonight, but first I’m late for dinner now.

Uses honing stones to smooth alum blocks to compare osma vs generic alums

June 3, 2024 – LG 3: Where’s the Beef?

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts 30mm Synbad #FRANKENBRUSH #COMPOSITE
• Razor: Gillette Slim #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Astra Green (10)
• Lather: Red House Farm – 9 Days Up Nort’
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Northern Elixir
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Hygge

Video here Being the idiot I am and rushing, initially forgoing the climax and point of today’s shenanigans, I filmed it in 2 parts but did slap it together in iMovie sans editing for one enjoyable experince. As for today's sponsor spotlight, WK is a legit contender that probably doesn't get enough love in my den, they have like 17 fougeres alone.

I immediately knew I’d be using some Red House Farms 9 Days Up Nort’ today, made with deer tallow. This was made to honor Wisconsin deer hunting season. It’s woodsy with a healthy dose of pine, with slight herbal qualities from lavender. That said, picture walking through cold, frosty evergreen forest. Followed it up with another chilly northern scent in NO Northen Elixir. This takes the frost up a notch, and has much for prominent lavender and the oft pungent camphoraceous and medicinal eucalyptus. To round and mellow out today’s winter wonderland, we visit hygge. A barbershop at heart, but so much more. It too has sharp evergreen fur and a wintery freshness, kissed atop with sweet orange citrus. #FOF

In honor of u/onionmiasma today, what better way than to use an onion in the photo and in the shave. Why in the shave you say? Well, alum is pointless you see, and rubbing styptic pencil all over one’s face is so LG23. Of note, onion is part of the allium family, which is basically the word alum any way. So onion seems like a logical substitute. It makes total sense too, according to point number 7 in this article onions have antibacterial properties, just what you need to heal nicks and cuts. So today, onion was used in place of alum, which never needs to be used anyway. #PHOTOCONTEST Onion

soap brands 3/30, post shave 3/30, frag 3/30, post/frag linked 3/30, software sponsors 2/16, hardware sponsors 4/2, razor hashtags 3/15, brush hashtags 3/15, photo contest 3/30, daily challenges 2/26, special challenges 1/4

User explores alum substitutes.

DAY 3 LATHER GAMES! NO MOO!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: Wald Shaving - A1 #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD
• Razor: Blackland Razors - Vector SS
• Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Fake Yellow Light
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Fake Yellow Light splash
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Fake Yellow Light EdP

I had a really crazy and annoying day, but nothing can stop me. Here I am!

Today's challenge is quite interesting. Why? Well, do you remember the boom of exotic tallow bases? Duck, Goat, Bear, Platypus, Whale? No? Well neither do I, cause I hadn't started with this hobby yet. I say interesting, because there was, or still is(Areffa has badger and bear tallow soaps), this mania for using tallow that isn't beef, and some people try to sell it like it'll do your taxes. BUY OUR BEAR TALLOW SOAP, IT'LL MOW YOUR LAWN FOR YOU. Man get outta here. I want UNICORN TALLOW soap.

But on the more serious side of things reading up on the topic, Bison tallow(which is what is used in the current DG base) is quite beneficial. Since I don't want to plagiarize and claim it as my own, I found an article on the benefits of Bison vs Vegan Tallow. And for those who are curious, HERE it is! And there might be some truth behind that, because DG Milksteak is one of my frontrunner bases.

Because of the fact that today's theme fit one of my most favourite soap scents and soap bases I decided to pair it up with my most beloved brush, a Wald with an A1 knot and the Blackland Vector. As one can imagine, when using their best(so to say) setup, the result of the shave is phenomenal! Which by itself doesn't do me any favors, because in a way you are left speechless, only thing you can say is "WOW!". I could probably go into detail how the razor gliding over the slick and shiny lather was a reminiscence of your hand caressing the back of a naked woman under satin sheets. But I digress

Quick emphasis on the brush. It's super expensive, I. REGRET. NOTHING. Really, I know it's an absurd price for a brush, but if ever arose the question, even at gunpoint "YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE ONE BRUSH", It'll be the Wald A1. My suggestion to future buyers, talk with Jannik and try to make a nice combo of colours, cause the ones he generally makes, while nice, I ain't paying that money for a basic monocolour brush with some white on the bottom.

Due to Reddit being a butthole, comment continues below as a reply...(I really gotta figure this out)

Jun. 3, 2024 - Something smells like Onions

• Prep: CeraVe - Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: AP Shave Co Maggard Mixed #MISTURA

• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 #FLIPTOP #MODERNGEM

• Blade: GEM PTFE (5)

• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co - Gold Coast

• Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Z (uncool) Balm

• Post Shave: Osma - Osma

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Uitwaaien

Well I’m beat from an exhausting day dodging thunderstorms and keeping students from killing me so sorry u/OnionMiasma that I’m not going to sing a song about you or do a dance for you. You get a meme and I used the brush that you gave me today.

Daily Challenge: Yep, I used Osma the only LuXuRy alum today. I’m typically not a huge fan of alum as I find it super drying. I keep this block around just for the occasional weeper that pops up.

Daily Theme Justification: Ducks were harmed for the creation of this soap. .bef gang 4ever

Relevant Post Shave & Frag: I used all products (first post shave) that were manufactured and shipped by the one and only Vida!

03JUN2024

• Brush: Aurora Grooming Marquess w/25mm Paragon Boar
• Razor: GEM Pushbutton
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE [5]
• Lather: Bundubeard - Afternoon Tea
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo

Well I have reached am impasse. I did not participate in smoosh trading, (probably due to my laziness/stupidity/'tism), and therefore didn't have any sponsor soaps that were non-beef tallow. What I did have, however, was Bundubeard (again). So as my research has shown, Afternoon Tea is made with Sheep Tallow! Worked out in the end.

What to pair it with? Lather Games or not, Mammoth Monday must continue! Mood Indigo it was for me. It was my first time using this, and I must say as with all HoM products, I was impressed. It isnt the usual scent I go with, but it worked for me nonetheless.

Again I swapped the GEM blade back to the pushbutton for yet another excellent shave! And since I was using a smoosh in the old spice mug, I had to go with a taller handle. This time I opted for the newest shape I've released, the Marquess! Big thanks to u/jwoods23 for making me think about getting boar knots, u/EldrormR for supplying me with my first boar knot, and my own dumbass for becoming obsessed with them. I can't believe I ever had a prejudice.

Day 3 complete. I am so fucking tired today it's not even funny and I ALMOST didn't participate today. But the show must go on.

Edit: almost forgot. I don't have any alum blocks. Boo. Don't worry, not only have I been contemplating where I went wrong, I am also contemplating basically every life choice I've ever made to get me to this point.

ROTY

Monday, June 3, 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Seafoam - 28mm AP Shave Co G5c
• Razor: Karve Shaving Co. - Overlander (Matte Black Aluminum)
• Blade: Personna Med Prep
• Lather: Bufflehead - Fletcher - Soap
• Post Shave: Mickey Lee Soapworks - Jefferson Square - Aftershave
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z (Cool) - Balm

Bufflehead should do it for the theme...

Frankie out there really posting one-sentence SOTDs that end in an ellipsis...

6/3/24

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks w/ TNS 28mm M7 Fan
• Razor: Kampfe STAR Lather Catcher #REVENANT #FOREVERSAFETY
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Harmony
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Harmony Aftershave Splash
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z Aftershave Balm

Any excuse for me to use Harmony is a good enough one, especially in Bison. This is one of my favorite scents in wetshaving. It's simple and right to the point of one of the things I crave: Incense. It's incredibly straightforward, with the notes just being Dragon's Blood and Bamboo. The only drawback to this scent, whether in Bison or Icarus, is that it's a little spicy. I always follow this setup with Z. The menthol and frag burn seem to cancel each other out. Don't really get any cooling, don't really get any burn.

This Kampfe Lather Catcher is a favorite of mine. Ever since I laid eyes on one early in my wetshaving days, I've wanted one. I ended up lucking in to this one for a good price.

The razor was full of patina and gunk in the head. The wedge blade had minor rust issues and a dead, crooked edge. I cleaned and polished both the razor and blade. I squared the blade back and honed it up. It has been a fantastic shaver. Feels like handling a GEM with a tailored edge.

Why I don't use Osma, or any alum, for that matter? I'm not a boomer or boomer minded, and my technique doesn't suck. Why would I?

Just Ducky…Jun. 3, 2024
Brush: Omega 10049
Razor: Merkur 23-B
Blade: Personna Super [1]
Lather: Chicago Grooming Company - Shiloh - Soap
Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Company - Shiloh - Aftershave
Post Shave: Osma - Alum
Fragrance:* Aqua De Parma - Aqua De Parma

Bedtime shave, with the Canard base…..

Turns out, duck fat isn’t just for making “artisan french fries”. It makes pretty good shave soap as well.

I almost used Electric Sheep tonight instead. But I already cut the grass, so the citronella was lost on me.

Merkur 23-B was one of the first DE razors that I bought after returning to wetshaving. I like the long handle and it still fits in my shaving kit for travel.

2 passes. Alum is used always. Osma is a better product, but I drop it and break it like all the others.

June 3, 2024 – Lather Games: Day 3

• Brush: Shavemac w/ AP Shave Co 26mm Pure Bliss™ SHD Premium Synthetic Knot
• Razor: Blackland Osprey
• Blade: Astra SP (Green)
• Lather: West Coast Shaving Duck Fat Shaving Soap – Oriental
• Post Shave: West Coast Shaving – Oriental

I really like the scent of WCS Oriental shaving soap. It’s that has a manly and sophisticated scent. Honestly, It is one of my favorite spice scents. The lather it produces is thick and slick, taking very little work to get great results. I’m not sure if that’s due to the duck fat or not, but it works. To note, this is a collaboration with Vida Perez from Oleo Soapworks.

Today’s Challenge: When I first started wet shaving, I bought a block of Gentleman Jon alum. I used it for awhile, but noticed that it really didn’t seem to help. It burned when I applied it, and it seemed to irritate my face and neck. At first, I thought perhaps my shaving technique sucked so bad that the alum wasn’t at fault. That was partially true. However, even as my technique improved and my software/hardware was upgraded, my skin still felt raw every time I used it. Eventually, I just stopped using it. Then my problems went away. I haven’t used alum since.

https://imgur.com/a/pdG4HEC

• Prep: PAA - The Cube 2.0
• Bowl: Naked Armor - Silver Fox Scuttle
• Brush: Timeless Brush with PAA Roswell Grey Hybrid Synth Knot #FRANKENBRUSH #HOLLOW
• Razor: Blackland - Tradere #CNC
• Blade: Gillette - 7 O'clock SharpEdge
• Lather: Bundubeard - Lemoenbossie & Appel Mutton Tallow Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: PAA - Ciderhouse 5 Star Jelly
• Post Shave: Omega - Alum Stick

Straight from Africa, Bundubeard Lemoenbossie & Appel Mutton Tallow Shaving Soap. Great slick, abundant lather. It overflowed my scuttle and made a mess! I had enough lather to shave for a week. Maybe it was the mutton? It was my first time using this specific soap and it was a great shave. When I ordered from Bundubeard they sent many extras, including 2 bars of soap and some blades, highly recommended.

Today's challenge: My Blackland Tradere was smooth today, but I got a little careless and had a small nick. It burned a bit with my Omega Alum Stick, but what really burned me was that the Omega stick fell out separated from its base (see picture) and fell into the sink! I wish I was using an Osma Alum! It wouldn't have fallen into the sink!

My own personal challenge for the lather games is to use a different razor and soap each day! I will also try to use all of my brushes at least once!

Having a great time so far! Who knew shaving could be so much fun!

#ROTY

SOTD - 2024-06-03

• Beard Growth: 24 Hours
• Prep: None
• Pre Shave: None
• Brush: Yaqi - Mysterious Space Synthetic
• Razor: Henson AL13 + (Dr. Squatch/Green Edition) #RAINBOW
• Blade: Gillette 7 Black
• Passes: WTG x1
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Chaotic Nuetral
• Post Shave: Omega Alum Stick

• Fragance: Tom Ford - Costa Azzura EDP

• Comments: Dec. Grooming Chaotic Neutral - Bison Tallow, no beef here lol

Used the alum block, but was kinda unnecessary because the razor was so mild.

Tom Ford Costa Azurra - one of my all time favs, planning to buy a full bottle once I use up all the Tom Ford samples in my collection.

Also on a related note: I’m usually a vegan shaver but I had a tonne of samples lying around from a PiF, so decided to try out and go down the scent rabbit hole. Probably not gonna buy a tallow based tub but getting to try different types of soaps and scents is crazy!! Thank you gentlemen for organizing these games!!

#ROTY

June 3, 2024 – Beef Free DIY Onion of Pain

• Brush: Chisel and Hound “Acer Pearl” w/ V20 Fanchurian
• Razor: Gillette Tech Fat Handle
• Blade: Voskhod (3)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – Champs de Lavande
• Post Shave: Homemade OnionMiOSMA
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Troublemaker

There’s much to explain and much to describe but for tonight’s shave I present only my mathematical genius.

Styptic Pencil + Cheese Grater + Leftover Onion = Homemade OnionMiOSMA

Cheers.

grated onion and styptic pencil but no actual alum, lol

grated onion and styptic pencil

June 3, 2024

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG #COMPOSITE #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Karve CB SB-D #CNC
• Blade: Personna Lab Blue
• Lather: West Coast Shaving – Pear-Brrr Shoppe

Day 3 down memory lane. My on theme, duck fat based soap threw me for a loop. It was my first use and I knew I was recognizing the notes it but didn’t know why. Up front it’s very fruity, unsurprisingly peary. But with an undernote…what is it….I know it….spices? Yes! It is! It’s that first step into my grandma’s house when I was younger. Not pie but straining to be the filling, it’s the fresheners or candles she would have going. This soap’s pear and spices are not so strong that it’s overwhelming but actually a nice touch. After a pass and a half, the sharp pear fades to the ubiquitously recognizable geranium, oak moss classic barbershop. That’s grandpa – rubbing his knuckles together ready to tear my forearm apart with his patented Indian rope burn (sorry for any offense but that’s what we called it 20+ years ago). His ungodly old man strength defying logic to wrestle you down while he has you locked down as you are catching whiffs of that oh so familiar scent. Overall, perhaps a little to potpourri upfront for this to be a staple, but it was nice to reflect on those visits so long ago.

Alum – won’t use it. There is no “luxury” chuck of salt. It’s worse than sea salt varieties which at least captures other minerals to add some flavor into it. The alum salt is just a face burner that literally adds zero true health benefit (except when bleeding). I can’t describe it any better than u/kind_simian has already, who also provided the sample for today. Thank you!

Tonight I decided to fill the frame with soap, brush, and razor for the #photocontest

FOF

June 3, 2024 - Where’s the Beef?

• Brush: Declaration Grooming Another Blue Handle w/ Motherlode synthetic knot #FRANKENBRUSH

• Razor: Wolfman Razors 1.00 WR2/WRH2 #CNC

• Blade: Wizamet

• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Armonía

• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented Sego Balm

So this is SOTD post number 2 on the day and really within a few hours of one another. This one is far less entertaining given that it’s actually on theme whereas the other shave I assumed this to be a vegan soap day. Fortunately I was able to right my wrongs of trying to follow a vegan lifestyle and rub a little duck fat all over my face to finish up chasing the coveted ultra BBS. Honestly the most disappointing part here was having to use this abomination of a brush again tonight. Great shave(s) this evening though!

June 3, 2024 - Where’s the Beef?

• Brush: Aurora Grooming - Synthetic #SHD #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Gilette - Super Adjustable 109 #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Personna Platinum
• Lather: Chicago Grooming - AG1889
• Post Shave: The Holy Black New York - Galleon Splash
• Fragrance: Duke Cannon - Old Glory Edt

SOAP - Sweet LEATHER LATHER! Now that’s a mouth full to pronounce. How is this soap non-tallow and so leatherish! Big shoutout to u/onionmiasma for the smush. Super easy to whip up specially using my Aurora super dense brush from u/TheBunnynator10001 - dude your brushes rock! More on Mr. miasma later.

RAZOR - I bought this son of a gun for $5 bucks at a state sale and after couple hours of cleaning and disinfecting the 109 comes back to life. Now does it shave well like an adult film stars butler? I don’t think so but still pretty good. Speaking of adult film stars …. Nawhh let’s skip that story for another day…

THE THEME- u/onionmiasma!!! I must say when I actually google what the name means I was stumped! Why onion scent 🧅? Well to be honest I like everything onions! Raw, grilled, smoked, French style, rings, so good I wanna rub it everywhere…. Oh yeah…. Wow okay sorry where was I? Oh yeah deep respect for this dude! I am participating in LG2024 thanks to him. Thanks man!!!

Now I tied everything LEATHERY scented from soap, to splash to Edt and boy did it pay off. My work colleagues complained a crap load! “Oh it’s so strong my eyes hurt!!” I told them all to suck it! Real men smell like old couches and thick cow hide.

June 3, 2024 – Where’s the Beef

• Brush: Semogue - 2000
• Razor: Blackland - Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Personna Lab Blue (2)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. – AG1889
• Post Shave: The Holy Black - Galleon Splash
• Fragrance: The Holy Black – Galleon EDT
• The Lather: I really don’t know why I haven’t bought any Chicago Grooming Co. soaps. Not only did this soap lather up easily, it has a fantastic scent. The only downside was the slight onion scent my brush picked up from rubbing against all the onions during my photo.
• The Shave: Pretty straightforward and smooth shave today. Just managed to nick myself a little under the nose so regardless of the challenge I needed to use the alum block today. It took care of the bleeding quickly as always.
• Aftershave/Frag: Today’s theme didn’t really make a difference when it came to choosing aftershave and frag. Do any aftershaves/frags even have beef? So I decided to link my post shave by scent instead. To my nose I can really catch the leathery notes from both AG1889 and Galleon. They actually complement each other reasonably well with their warm leathery scents.
• Theme: Chicago Grooming Co. website claims AG1889 is made in the Darkwing soap base which lists Duck Fat as an ingredient, shoulda named it Darkwing Duck though. Guessing they didn’t want to take on Disney though.
• Challenge: Today I used my Omega Alum stick, and I wish it had been Osma. I mean I got the onions all together for my picture, I used a soap smush from u/OnionMiasma, and I even ended up with a slight onion miasma due to the comingling of my shave gear with the onions. Alas I could not come any closer to the perfect OnionMiOsma shave and the shame is heavy. I will try to be better prepared next year.
• Acknowledgement: Thank you u/OnionMiasma for providing the soap for today’s shave.

Where's the Beef?

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Vitae Taper w/AP Shave Co 26mm Pure Bliss™ SHD Premium Synthetic Knot #COMPOSITE #FAUXFUR #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #TOLL
• Razor: Blackland Vector #CNC
• Blade: Schick Proline P-30
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Scots Pine Sheep
• Post Shave: Parker - Alum Block
• Fragrance: Demeter - Mountain Laurel

Daily Gratitude
Thanks to my dad for the alum block. Thanks to ShavinginCT for the soap and fragrance sample. Thanks to our wonderful judges and other people for putting this whole thing together.

Daily Mistakes
I decided for OnionMiOsma day I would use only an alum block as aftershave; I ended up having some irritation for a while. You could also consider bowl lathering a mistake, I'll talk more about it in the writeup.

Daily Writeup
No video today because my mom is back to work today and she was tired and when I finally got home from seeing the Garfield movie she was already sleeping; I think I will limit the SOTD videos to weekends because my mom doesn't work weekends and we both have a lot more free time and energy. I decided to fully bowl lather today (I usually use the bowl just to load the sample); I used to religiously bowl lather until I learned how to properly face lather, this was like WAAY TOO MUCH FOR ONE PASS so it wasn't the slickest shave because there was an inch of lather between the razor and my skin and I had to rinse the razor every 0.5 seconds. I watched the Garfield movie today with my grandma, definitely not nearly as good as the original Garfield movies lol, but fun nonetheless. Also when I got done shaving I walked out just to find the smell of burnt plastic because my brother turned on the wrong burner when cooking and there was plastic on that one.

Daily Theme Points
Stirling's Scots Pine Sheep is indeed not beef but rather sheep. Where is the beef? I'm unsure, you better ask Wendy.

Daily Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance Points
I didn't have any sheep tallow aftershaves or fragrances so I decided to just relate them all in the way that they are different than the other traditinal stuff I have in my collection. For the aftershave I used just my crappy Parker alum block that also coincides with the daily challenge. For my fragrance the thing making it different is the label is just a simple label instead of listing the brand and perfumer or having a fancy pants logo. The fragrance is also called Mountain Laurel and mountain laurels, like pine, grow in the mountains, so I thought it would connect. Also for people saying that my alum block isn't a stand alone aftershave, it is, according to Parker it's "A Natural Aftershave with Astringent Properties to Soothe Skin & Treat Shaving Nicks".

Daily Challenge
Man this Parker alum sucks, I wish I had Osma. First of all, it was waay overpriced, I bought it for like $13 at my local shave store because I didn't want to wait for any online shipping. When the guy at the shop took it out of the case he dropped it but none of us thought anything of it but it turns out the case cracked, but I didn't notice until I had already gotten home and opened it so I just keep on using it like this, so what some weird alum crystal water seeps through onto my counter. And that alum block must have been sitting in that shave shop for years because the weird outer plastic wrapping had gotten all cracked and even started to stick to the block so the first couple uses of it had random plastic pieces falling off. Hopefully I get some Osma soon because I'm sick of this. Also to honor Onion I decided to use the Onion photo contest theme today to coencide with the daily challenge.

Hardware Scavenger Hunt Forgot to mention this yesterday but if you want reasoning for the hashtags on the brush look at my day one post because I just copy and paste the brush in everyday I use it but I don't want to remove the hashtags. As for the razor hashtag of today, the Blackland Vector is indeed #CNC.

Photo Contest
Included a really old onion from my fridge that seems to be growing inside, good thing I found it for this so I could throw it out afterwards.

TL;DR
Long post, no video, alum is an aftershave, I win rookie of the year, thank you.

Side Contests #photocontest #ROTY

SOTD June 03, 2024 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Stirling Synthetic 2-band 24mm
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85MM Safety Razor
• Blade: Sharp - Durablade stainless
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Tribute
• Post Shave: Nivea Men - Sensitive Balm

June 3, 2024 - Where's the Beef?

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: AP400B XL Handle (AP ShaveCo) - 28mm Maggard Boar Knot #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: GEM MMOC - Gen 1 #FLIPTOP #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - AG 1889
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. - AG 1889
• Post Shave: Osma Alum
• Fragrance: 345 Soap Co. - 1879 Prospector

This morning started like any other Lather Games morning. Confident in my predetermined setup, which was on theme and related to the play on years, I made my way to the bathroom to get my morning going. The shave went wonderfully, as would be expected from the wonderful duck tallow base, but what happened after was truly an experience for the ages. As I cracked open the Osma Alum, excited to try it this year for the first time, I was overcome with the feeling that something strange was about to happen.

As soon as I applied the alum to my skin, I felt a strange sensation. It was as if time itself was bending to my will. I looked around, and suddenly, I was transported back to the year 1879. Where I found myself in a bustling town surrounded by horse-drawn carriages and old-fashioned street lamps. I spent some time exploring the town, marveling at the architecture, and trying to get a sense of what life was like back then.

As I walked through the town, I stumbled upon a small shop selling all sorts of goods. The sign above the door read "Osma Alum: The Secret to Changing Lives." I chuckled, thinking it was just a clever marketing ploy. But as I browsed through the shelves, I noticed that every product had a peculiar date stamped on it: 1889. Intrigued, I asked the shopkeeper about the significance of the dates. The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Ah, you've discovered our secret! Osma Alum isn't just any ordinary alum – it's infused with the essence of 1879 and 1889. It's said that when you apply it to your skin, you'll experience a transformation that will change your life."

I was again skeptical, but I decided to take a chance. I applied the alum to my skin, and as I did, a strange sensation washed over me again. When I looked in the mirror, I couldn't believe my eyes—I had transformed into a confident, charismatic version of myself.

As I made my way back to my own time, I realized that Osma Alum was indeed something special. It is now my duty to spread the word about its amazing effects. Throughout the rest of my day whenever someone asked about the secret to my success, I simply said, "It's all thanks to Osma Alum – it's not just any ordinary alum – it's the secret to changing lives."

PHOTOCONTEST - An Onion

Jun. 3, 2024 Where’s the Beef? * Brush: Ever-Ready 100T #HOLLOW * Razor: Yates Winning Ti #CNC * Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen
Post Shave: Osma - Alum
Post Shave: Jack Black - Double-Duty Face Moisturizer

Went with Varen today which features Stirling’s amazing mutton tallow base. Polished it off with Osma to celebrate OnionMiOsma Day.

June 3rd 2024 - Where's the Beef?

• Soap: Stirling Soap - Glacial Electric Sheep

• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - Unscented Balm

• Razor: Merkur 34g

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps "Devaney" 26mm w/ Maggard SHD

• Blade: Kai Super Stainless

• Post Shave: Osma Pierre Alum

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder

• Brew: Onyx Coffee Lab x Pull & Pour - Anhydrobiosis 9% Ethiopia Halo G1 Washed

Not too much to say about today's shave, I always use osma as all people should, it's great and if you think differently you are wrong. Glacial Electric Sheep is a great soap but the scent isn't anything that will have your significant other begging for more. The scent is fine, but it's mostly citronella with some actual good smelling things to mellow out the scent of the candles you use to keep bugs away during the summer.

I'm normally a fan of these Kai blades but they work surprisingly well on the 34g, probably because it's gold and everything is better in gold.

The wholly Kaw balm is my favorite balm bar none.

Sonder is just an amazing scent and one of the few things that lives up to the hype. This will in fact get you laid, as long as your partners nose isn't sus.

As for the coffee, I used Lance Hedrick's Next Level Pulsar recipe and it was a damn good cup of coffee. Nothing that blows me away, but a delicious cup. I usually prefer fruitier coffees with more acidity and this one is really good but it doesn't hit all the notes I need to make me love it.

June 03, 2024

• Brush: Declaration Grooming Blood of Kings B3

• Razor: Razorock Gamechanger .84

• Blade: Gillette Silver BLue

• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Excursion - Soap

• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. - Excursion - Splash

• Fragrance: YSL L'Homme

Oleo Canard base with the quack fat. Damn good scent. I know this set is a dupe of YSL La Nuit De L'Homme and differs from the fragrance I've got, but I like both. Canard base surprises me every time I use it. It's no darkwing, but it doesn't slouch off either. Gamechanger could be my one and done razor. This is also probably my favorite badger brush. Yeah it's a touch on the small size, but it feels larger than it is while lathering.

I do not have Osama, but I am probably 40% through my Maggard alum block. I don't use it every shave. Really only if a shave felt particularly rough or my lather seemed subpar. I'm not truthfully convinced it really does anything. It'll sting in some spots sure, but does it actually do anything? Everyone rinses it off right away, right? Nobody actually leaves it on their face?

June 3, 2024

• Brush: Zenith Boar 24 x 48 mm #SMOLL #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Fatip Piccolo Slant Closed Comb
• Blade: Gillette Super Platinum (Black) (3)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Dammusi
• Post Shave: Master Soap Creations - Light Blue
• Fragrance: Chanel - Bleu de Chanel

For today's theme I'd planned to use Wholly Kaw, since donkey milk is listed as one of the ingredients. That would count, right? I was unsure. Milk has fat; but milk and fat aren't the same thing. Is donkey milk considered a tallow ingredient? I decided to play it safe, noting a number of posts featuring HoM soaps, but none featuring Wholly Kaw.

It was hot here today, so I went with Dammusi. The aftershave and fragrance were both chosen to complement the soap—though Dammusi has this great mineral or stone note that I don't associate with a lot of fragrances (Light Blue by Master Soap Creations is supposed to be a dupe of Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue). As for the Bleu de Chanel, I get a pronounced melon-y note that isn't listed.

I haven't tried using alum on my face. When I first heard of alum it was in art history class. The professor described alum as a fixative for dyes (used for sizing—preparing a paper or some other surface for drawing). A woman in the class said she used alum in cooking, to which the prof responded "I hope not!" as if to suggest alum is toxic. I learned later that alum is used in cooking, at least in small amounts. But yes, if you eat an entire bowl of salt it'll be bad for you.

Brush Strokes features two very different works of art on the theme of meat. First is Joachim Beuckeler's painting The Four Elements: Fire, a work from the 16th century that depicts various kinds of meat being prepared in a kitchen. Like many other works from the period that depict everyday life, this painting is often interpreted as a religious allegory—an interpretation bolstered by the presence of Jesus Himself, framed in the doorway in the background. It's a painting that contrasts the Flesh and the Spirit, with flesh given prominence, at least from the viewer's perspective.

The other work is this famous and tantalizing tromple l'oeil pork belly, made out of jasper, said to have once been in the Qing Dynasty imperial collection.

#ROTY

June 3, 2024  

• Brush: Dogwood – Badger  
• Razor: Merkur 34C  
• Lather: West Coast Shaving – Pear-Brrr Shoppe  

This version of their soap was from duck fat.

Challenge: https://www.reddit.com/r/Wetshaving/s/hYfYNd0Sbx

I humbly reference last year’s leg day where a few fools used alum on their legs and learned exactly why I don’t use it.