SOTD 01-Aug-24

• Brush: Zenith - Unbleached Bristle 506U
• Razor: Henckels - Friodur 17
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Beloved
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Beloved AS
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Beloved Balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Beloved EDP

A decent kick off to AA.

Starting with the brush unboxing, nice looking brush though I fear I should have gone for the other slightly longer one. Not to worry, still carry on. There's nowt like starting with a new brush though, spent a fair portion of time picking loose hairs out of the lather on my face. Needed to reload after the first pass as well, I can only assume the brush ate the first lot.

Lovely smooth run with the 17, looking forward to the rest of the month!

Have a good one all.

Cheers

Marc

$MammothMafia24 u/Mammoth_Don
$Honemeisterschaft
$FriodomRiders
$RawHoggin u/EldrormR

Austere August, Day 1 * Brush: Copper Zenith B36, bleached 28mm x 50mm * Razor: Ern 22 7/8 * Lather: Vintage Williams Tonsorial * Post: Proraso Red Aftershave * Frag: Ethos Mysore Santal

Here we go, Headless Hoggers or anyone else playing along in any capacity, day one of Austere August. As required, here is my unboxing proof. This stubby scrubby little brush is going to be tough to use for a while, but I know it will be fantastic once it breaks in. I had one many moons ago and regretted selling it, so now I start again.

I'm trying out a vintage scuttle this year as well, which when Mrs. Eld saw she asked, "Why is there a random old gravy boat in our bathroom?" Trying to explain what a scuttle was led to several funny looks, a loving headshake, and a "whatever floats your boat, I guess."

The brush is already a tight fit, so who knows how it'll go once the knot starts to open up. I might need to move everything back into my vintage Seaforth mug. Time will tell.

The shave went fairly well. I had some difficulty getting the lather where it needed to be due to the incredibly low splay of the brush and the fact that brand new boar brushes eat lather like I go after cookie dough ice cream. That said, I did eventually build a functional lather and got through the shave with no nicks, weepers, cuts, or feedback from the splash. Was the shave as smooth as I wanted, no. But as the brush breaks in, things will get better.

Required tags:

$Discord $Headless u/whosgotthepudding $Rawhoggin

2024-08-01 Austere August Begins - Boar Unboxed

• Prep: Coffee, Face wash soap/warm water, and stroping, and stroping
• Brush: Shore Shave - Player Custom with 24mm Blond Boar
• Razor: Ralf Aust - Ralf Aust 5/8" Round Point Straight Razor
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Uitwaaien
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Uitwaaien (Splash)

Breaking in a new brush is not a bad deal. I have a brand new Player Custom with a 24mm blond boar not from Shore Shave for the raw hoggin.

31 straight days of a straight? That is pushing into my uncomfortable territory. Which in all fairness is kind of what Austere August is about. With Discomfort comes learning. I do a straight shave every now and then but my comfort level is...eh iffy.

Always iffy.

Hopefully I can change that with this effort.

As always, take care and have a good day

$MammothMafia24 u/Mammoth_Don

$RawHoggin u/EldrormR

$headless u/whosgotthepudding

August 1, 2024 – Austerity

• Brush: Stirling “Less Boar” 28mm x 46mm
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Smash
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Smash (Splash)
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Smash (Balm)
• Fragrance: Creed – Aventus Cologne

We open today, as is appropriate with me begging for mercy from u/mammoth_don. Apparently there is some discussion if Nightmare mode requires only 1 post in total, or that your posts only be of one type. Frankly I need balm, and I’d like to participate in $mammothmafia, but there was a second reason I chose this setup. See smash and I have a complicated history. I was very excited for it. I liked what Will was saying about its creation, I loved Ben’s work! It’d be great. As I was new to wet shaving at the time, and better then about spacing out purchases, my wife got it for my Christmas present. So, it sat, unopened in a closet after she bought it in October. Meanwhile, my samples of the 4 Horseman came in and I thought “I don’t really understand Will’s work, oh shit, maybe Smash won’t be good!” But I knew I loved Ben’s stuff, I had also aquired Alive at this point, my favotire scent in wetshaving. So, I continued to have thrill.

Then…Covid hit me. Second bout I got, but this one took away my sense of smell, entirely. Just gone, couldn’t even smell War. It happened 2 weeks before Christmas. I couldn’t smell anything when I opened my present. It was disappointing (I also got this bottle of Aventus Colonge that year from my sister-in-law. I compensated by passing around other soaps for my family to smell for fun.

When my smell came back it was wrong, I was blind to a lot of things, notably, most of the scent make up of…bourbon. Including, especially, vanilla. So when I opened Smash, I got…cherries? That’s it. The extent of it. Cherry cough syrup. I put it away.

Eventually my smell came back a bit more (it’s still unbalanced even 3 years later and occasionally I can’t smell or taste anything in my glass of bourbon). Smash still smelt wrong. When Ben did his Black Friday sale, I grabbed the splash at 50% off because why not, and decided I was going to use AA to try and reset my nose (there’s mixed research on this, whether exposure to missing smells and thoughts of memory can “reset” or not. It seems the answer is no, but some evidendence supported the idea. It’s also entirely harmless so why not try.) The intent was to use it in 3 of the 4 forms (I don’t own the EdT) to basically provide extreme stimulus. I’m already getting more peach off the splash, so there’s hope.

In any case, if this use of 2 posts DQ’s me from the mafia, I’ll probably still continue?

Regardless of this, $rawhoggin means my Stirling Brush has finally come out. The SOTD pic has the brush in the box, but here’s a fuller album of the unboxing and a comparison to my Moar Boar. I told u/EldrormR, I held on to this since they launched in Feb to use it now. Zenith Brushes are easy to break in, it’s fairly soft, but I still had to reload after pass 1. I did 25 seconds (I usually do 15) and it looked fine, but it was not. I’ll up to 45 next time. Also, new boars don’t splay very much. It will change though.

Edit $discord

SOTD- 8/1/24

• Brush: Zenith Pro Aluminum Handle Boar Shave Brush. 26x64mm Knot B1
• Razor: Razorock GC .84
• Blade: Gillette Platinum
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge splash

Did my first lather games in June and now my 1st Austere August. I had 4 Mammoth tubs and decision came down to Hygge vs Embrace. Couldn’t go wrong with either but chose Hygge. Such a clean and pleasant experience.

Picked up Zenith Aluminum a few weeks back for the month. My first foray into non-synthetics. Definitely not as soft as I’m used to but it was day one. Excited to see where this goes.

$MammothMafia24 u/Mammoth_Don

$RawHoggin u/EldrormR

August 1, 2024 * Preshave: Hot Shower
Brush: Chisel and Hound - LG Brushes - Boar 3
Razor: Henckels Friodur 451 No Stain
Edge: Pudding (1)
Lather: House of Mammoth Everett
Post Shave: House of Mammoth Everett Splash
Post Shave: House of Mammoth Everett EDP

Second ever shave with a straight (I tried one shortly after AA last year and had too much Weck PTSD to enjoy it at all). First shave on this u/whosgotthepudding freshly honed edge for $headless. Overall it went significantly better than I'd expected. Really a very close and smooth shave. There certainly was some blood, both from a couple of nicks and from 2 or 3 little cuts, but, nothing close to how terrible the Weck was. Feedback from the splash was fairly burny but I expect that to get better as I get better at this razor. Fun to stack headless with $FriodomRiders and u/Djundjila - though I won't be honing part way through.

The hardest part was definitely the jawline and neck, for me. I did a 2.5ish pass shave - with the grain and across the grain with a couple very risky touch ups to try and get it smooth, which really worked well. My neck was 2 passes: down and kind of angled across - I don't know how I'm ever going to get a straight across shave on my neck, but, maybe by the end of the month I'll be singing a diferent tune.

I did briefly watch a couple of videos yesterday - less than 3 minutes total probably - and the most helpful thing I observed to start was that I don't need to try and be using the whole blade at one time for some kind of gigantic pass. I don't even need to be using most of it - just whatever works well on that part of the skin and go with it, even if it's a pretty narrow pass, that's ok. Which, in hindsight, makes a lot of sense; with all the different angles on a face it's silly to think that you're going to get a 3 inch stretch that is the same enough to use the whole blade. Maybe that was part of my weck problem, I don't know. That was a nightmare, but, this is better.

For the brush I am using the ever practically titled "Chisel and Hound - LG Brushes - Boar 3" made by none other than u/geekyoldrob. He made these thinking they'd fit a sponsor point for the Lather Games, but, joke is on him (or is it on me?) - three of us quickly scooped them up for $RawHoggin with u/EldrormR. After my first lather with it I'll say this: this knot sucks, I should have spent some extra money on a nice Zenith again. The handle is nice - the super hard wood he used is cool, but, yeah - there's a reason he called these "cheap ass brushes" when they dropped. Because, well, that's exactly what they are. But - the lather worked well enough and I am interested to see how a crappy knot breaks in after using a really nice Zenith year one and a stellar Maggard Boar last year.

Finally - the software: House of Mammoth Everett. Given my sub flair there was never really a question of what direction this would go. It's always going to be $MammothMafia24 - I wouldn't want u/Mammoth_Don to come bust my kneecaps and I think u/MammothBen and the giving back from HoM is an admirable and worthwhile endeavor; especially this one. My kids love to swim and we are very fortunate to have some great local swimming lesson options, but, I literally have nightmares about my kids slipping underwater at a lake and me frantically searching but being unable to find them (my stomach turns even typing that) and so the more kids that can learn to swim the better. That turning compelled me to donate to Live Like Jake and you can too by clicking that link. I did put $MammothMafia24 in the notes but it sadly did not show up on the actual donation. They'll probably be wondering what the heck is going on, at least I hope they do.

Anyway. overall a really good start to AA this year and I'm actually excited to keep honing my skill with the straight this month - maybe I'll even pick up another so I can continue to learn on a different kind of steel when the month ends (Ralf Aust carbon steel, anyone?).

Looking forward to a fun month with you all.

Finally - Tags again to make doubly sure I'm in each of these and to give myself a template for the month:

$MammothMafia24 u/Mammoth_Don

$RawHoggin u/EldrormR

$headless u/whosgotthepudding

$FriodomRiders u/Djundjila

$discord

August 1, 2024

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Grizzly Bay - Dark Magic - 26mm TNS Shoat Boar
• Razor: Blackland - Sabre
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen Soap
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Picture Day Splash

Up until yesterday, I was planning on joining the Mammoth ~~Mafia~~ Group of People Who Aren't Trying to Offend Anyone... But then I saw the $ShepherdsofStirling challenge, and with the help of the Discord Latherbot, 🐑 won out. I'm delighted to use this base for a month and happy to cause some dollars sent to 4-H. Growing up in a city, I had absolutely no knowledge of 4-H, but I wish I did and it's something that I can absolutely get behind now.

Now, for the brush. Breaking in a TNS Shoat knot this month. $RawHoggin required unboxing here. This was a loose knot from TNS and I installed it in a new Grizzly Bay handle, using Gorilla Tape - good test to see if this method holds up. When I bought the handle, I thought would look really good in SOTD pics with HoM Beloved, yet here we are using Varen. Adapt and overcome. Since TNS knots just come wrapped in this white paper, I hope this unboxing satisfies u/EldrormR's challenge requirements. I never thought to take a pic of the knot when it was loose or install pics, so no worries if it doesn't count. I'm using it all month long no matter what.

Happy Austere August everyone!

Aug. 1, 2024
Brush: Zenith B36 Copper 28mmx50mm Boar
Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 451 5/8 Stainless Full Hollow Square Point * Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive - Soap
Post Shave:* House of Mammoth - Alive - Aftershave

Here we go with day one of AA and my first ever straight razor shave. Two passes both with the grain while I get used to this thing, so not my best shave ever but perfectly acceptable and nearly bloodless (one small weeper on my chin). I even managed to shave the left side of my face holding the razor in my left hand, and still kept my ear attached. It’s definitely not comfortable yet, but that’s what the next 30 days are for. This new Zenith scrubby boar (unboxing video here) is indeed scrubby and ate about three shaves worth of lather, but that should settle down as it breaks in over the next month.

$MammothMafia24 u/Mammoth_Don

$headless u/whosgotthepudding

$FriodomRiders u/djundjila

$RawHoggin u/EldrormR

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

August 01 2024

• Brush: Omega 13732 24mm
• Razor: Solingen Best Silver Steel 6/8 (Straight shave #98)
• Lather: Stirling - Varen
• Post Shave: Stirling - Varen
• Fragrance: Ineke Perfumes - Idyllwild

Brush progress album

On the first day of my fourth Austere August, I'll explain my thinking on how I selected my setup. May as well say what I have to say while people are still interested and before monotony sets in.

This will be my first Austere August without using an MMOC. I do love the MMOC but the opportunity to improve my straight razor technique and contribute to what might be the largest Headless Horsemen class so far was too good to pass up. I'm using a 6/8 Solingen razor that I got from u/whosgotthepudding and that just recently returned from a touch up by straight razor savant u/gcgallant.

I was planning on using one of my newly acquired badger brushes for the month, but on my recent vacation I went to a pharmacy in Vancouver and was somewhat surprised to find a few Omega boar brushes in the shaving section. I took that as a sign to pick up a souvenir and to participate in Raw Hoggin' this year. Of course I have this same knot (I believe, same 24mm size and 55mm loft) in a different handle but I like it so that's no big deal. Tagging u/EldrormR for my first post, the brush is boxed in my SOTD pic and the first picture in the Brush Progression Album linked above shows it out of the box before the first shave.

The hardest decision for me was software. I had been waffling about doing another Mammoth Month or seeing if I could withstand a month of Terror or Northern Elixir, but then once the Sheep challenge was posted I knew a month of Varen would be fun. I'm familiar with the Sheep base but look forward to dialing it in this month. This morning the tub weighed in at 137 grams.

And for the fragrance, I'm not exactly sure if any of my three challenges requires the same frag every month, so I went with one that I will be happy to keep repeating if I need to. Idyllwild is a beautiful fougere and provides a lovely contrast to Varen.

And now on to the shave itself. This was a stupid shave! I've broken in three boar brushes from new before today, and always did a few test lathers with some towel stropping to get them opened up before use. The complete lack of splay made building a lather quite difficult, but I eventually worked in enough water with just painting strokes to get the job done. I had to reload and rehydrate between every pass, but the edge on this razor is so nice right now that I still managed a presentable shave without much irritation. Luckily what little funk this bleached boar has was overpowered by Varen.

$headless

$RawHoggin

$ShepherdsofStirling

August 1, 2024 – 2024.08.01 SOTD: AA Day 1

• Brush: Zenith 505BC SE 28mm Bleached Boar
• Razor: Razorock Hawk v3
• Blade: Schick Proline (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Dammusi
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Dammusi
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Dammusi

Day one of Raw Hoggin and Mammoth Mafia. Ended up going with Dammusi. I think it’s a smart choice. I’m a bowl latherer, so it’ll take me some time to get my lather technique down face lathering. Today was pretty good, though. Only problem I really had was that I didn’t load it enough. Barely got me through my 2-pass shave. Other than that, the brush as actually softer than I expected for being a brand new boar brush. If this is the starting point, I cannot wait to see what the finish line looks like.

Pictures of unboxing

$Discord

Required tags:

$RawHoggin /u/EldrormR

$MammothMafia24 /u/Mammoth_Don

August 01, 2024

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Omega 10098 27mm Boar
• Razor: The Holy Black SR-71 Slant
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Sheep
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Witch Hazel & Aloe
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Post Shave Balm

Shoutout to u/KerblimeySkal for helping me navigate this challenge and being there for my endless questions and changes.

boar brush - STANKY

mutton soap - SUPER STANKY

no scent splash AND balm - WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO

Super stoked for how this brush develops over the month as it felt very stiff but the face lather felt good and nicely whipped. Mutton soap was amazing and the smell was obviously there but it is what it is. Unscented boys unite and stay strong!

$RawHoggin u/EldrormR

$ShepherdsofStirling

$Discord

Edit: Added eldrormr and updated imgur link

August 1, 2024 - AA24 Day 1

• Brush: Zenith 507N XSE 27.5mm Unbleached Boar Bristle w/ Retro Black handle
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: Personna PTFE Stainless Steel GEM (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Rumble (7)
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Rumble AS Balm (5)
• Fragrance: Paco Rabanne - 1 Million EdT
• Tags: $Discord $RawHoggin u/EldrormR $MammothMafia24 u/Mammoth_Don

Precision Load; Face Lather; WTG/ATG/Cleanup Passes; BBS Result; 31th Consec / 427th Overall SOTD

Here's the unboxing picture collage of my virgin Zenith 507N unbleached boar selected for the AA24 RawHoggin challenge. Here's the Day 1 bristle break-in progress picture taken just before the shave.

I am also attempting to join the Mammoth Mafia. I chose Rumble for soap/post because it is the only Tusk soap I have that gives me difficulty when lather-building and AA is the perfect opportunity to figure out how to make a good lather with Rumble. In addition to the 507N unbleached boar, my MM24 with a new Personna PTFE SS GEM blade are my hardware choices. 1 Million is a fave of Mrs Worried so it gets the frag nod.

The unbleached boar behaved and didn't smell too bad. The GEM was a little rough, but I expect it to smooth out after a few shaves. An overall uneventful shave and good start for AA24. Happy shaving and have a wonderful day.

Aug. 1, 2024 - Let’s goooooo!

• Prep: CeraVe - Hydrating Facial Cleanser
• Brush: Chisel & Hound Tiny Boar
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Everett
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder

Raw hoggin brush unboxing album for u/eldrormr

Let’s do this u/Mammoth_Don!

$MammothMafia24 $RawHoggin $Discord

August 1, 2024 - AA24 Day 1

• Brush: Zenith - B07-P1 Boar w/ Wood Handle
• Razor: Yates Precision Manufacturing - 921-M
• Blade: Gillette - Silver Blue
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Tobacconist
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Tobacconist Splash

Here is my unboxing video and my gear I will be using for August. It was surprisingly soft and comfortable on it's first use. I've only used HoM soap two times before and it lathers and performs like a dream. I am psyched to use this gear for a month straight. I actually love the WS-23 in this splash.

Edit: Forgot to add that I am doing the MRTNG's Ultra Nightmare Mode.

$MammothMafia24 - u/Mammoth_Don

$RawHoggin - u/EldrormR

August 1, 2024

Brush: Semogue 830
Razor: Henson Ti22 Medium
Blade: Personna 74 (8)
Lather: House of Mammoth - Embrace
Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Embrace - Balm

I have several blonde boars. I bought this brush to try out a banded knot. The only other banded boar I have is an Omega 81052, which is very floppy. I do not like it. The 830 has a lower loft. It's difficult to splay. I had to mash it, which feels like it might damage the knot. I didn't have any full hairs come out, but several tips broke off. I'm guessing that's due to the way they dye/treat the hairs. I had trouble getting a lather going. I loaded my soap, but it still ended up a bit pasty. I didn't decide on a soap until I shaved. I'm thinking I should've gone with Catie's Bubbles. Hopefully it gets better.

$RawHoggin, tagging /u/eldrormr

$MammothMafia24, tagging /u/Mammoth_Don

AA24 - Day 1 - Shepherds of Stirling: Varen

• Brush: Zenith Multi-Color (2006 XSE) 21mm Unbleached Boar Knot
• Razor: Aylsworth Razors Drakkant Plus
• Blade: Gillette Platinum [1]
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Soap (Mutton Tallow)

• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Splash

• Tags: $ShepherdsofStirling $RawHoggin $Discord

I had everything setup this morning to join the Mammoth Mafia for another AA, but after u/hugbckt's call to join Shepherds of Stirling yesterday, I changed my mind at the last minute. A month of Varen and the Mutton base in support of a 4-H charity and a cool new flair was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

I've managed to take this razor with a Gillette Platinum blade to 23 shaves before, so I'll see if I can push past that number for all 31 days this month.

For u/EldrormR's Raw Hoggin' challenge, this new Zenith boar brush is unbleached, which is new for me, and the stank on this knot is potent. Right now the knot feels good. However, it's not very dense, so hopefully it won't become floppy during the break-in.

Brush Break-In Progress Album

Tub Weight: 201g

Aug. 1, 2024 Day 1 of Raw Headless Mammoth

• Brush: Summer Break Steinauer 26mm Zenith Boar
• Razor: Thiers Issard Evide Sonnant Extra Hollow 6/8
• Blade: Edge By u/whosgotthepudding [11]
• Lather: House Of Mammoth - Indigo - Soap
• Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Indigo - Aftershave

Well this is going to be a challenge for me. I’ve used the same razor days in a row but I’ve never used a soap 2 days in a row. Here is pic proof of new knot here and here I’ve learned today on day 1 of Raw Hoggin that this is going to take some getting used to. The loft on this brush is 66.75mm overall 133mm. I had to go back to the tub for more soap for the second pass. I’m going to have to load for longer.

Even though there are now 11 uses on this edge, 9 of them are not mine. The Thiers is very light and I can see me mistakenly going to fast or getting too comfortable with it. I’m going to have to adjust to it.

That’s all for day 1.

u/whosgotthepudding

u/Mammoth_Don

u/EldrormR

$Discord

$RawHoggin

$MammothMafia24

$headless

August 1st, 2024 - Stagalicious

• Prep: warm shower

• Brush: Vintage Rubberset Double Stamp with TnS HTB

• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 17

• Blade: /u/whosgotthepudding edge (1)

• Pre-Shave: Ariana & Evans - Pre-Shave - Serum

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap

• Post-Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Splash

• Post-Shave: Chiseled Face - Unscented - Balm

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - EdP

This shave barely came together in time but my man Milton from Turn N Shave pulled through with the next day USPS shipping on the brush. Razor hit my mail Tuesday after getting a fresh edge from Pudding this weekend. Stag had to be located in my boxed up shave den.

All that being said here we are, day one of Austere August. I always look forward to this month because it's an excuse to leave all my gear on the sink and not think about what I'm using. I'm excited to give it an honest go with a straight razor all month, I've done long stints of open blades shaves but not a full month with a straight. I 100% anticipate struggling to post every, struggling to want to strop my razor, and lastly brutalizing my face. I wish everyone the best of luck in this month-long marathon in Austerity!

Album of the months setup which includes my boar brush unboxing.

$SubstantialStag

$Honemeisterschaft

$FriodomRiders

$RawHoggin /u/EldrormR

$Discord

Austere August - Day 1

• Brush: Ever-Ready 200 - GDMG Black Boar 27mm
• Razor: Zwilling J.A. Henckels - Friodur 14
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder (Aftershave Splash)
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder Edp

---

u/Mammoth_Don I pay my respects to you, sir. That's my first try to enter $MammothMafia24 ranks.

Second AA taming hogs, the first was an unbleached Zenith that became a star. For this AA, I'm using an old Ever-Ready 200 handle(red one) with a GDMG Black Boar, which when wet smells awful, The stiffness is noticeable and the tips are quite smooth except for some pricky bristles. u/Eldrorm $RawHoggin

The beautiful heavy blade of the Friodur 14 manufactured for the Japanese market, is a superb shaver, surpassing many of it carbon steel sisters. I agree with u/djundjila the have bad reputation. I think it's because they're more tricky to hone than carbon ones due to its hardness. Anyone who dislikes and disparages stainless steel razors is because he has never tried a properly sharpened one. $FriodomRiders for rust free!

$Honemeisterschaft

Tomorrow I'll talk about the nice edge I have put in the Friodur today, one of the best I remember. So good that I almost made a bad cut in the moustache area.

---

Aug. 1, 2024

• Prep: Shower, Baxter Shave Tonic
• Brush: Semogue Torga C5
• Razor: Focus Slant
• Blade: Personna Platinum (1)
• Lather: Tabac
• Post Shave: Old Spice Classic (US)

You ever do or say something and then instantly wonder why you did or said that thing? I did. I entered a PIF for a brush from u/35048467 and won and suddenly found myself having to do Raw Hoggin for AA when I wasn't planning on even doing AA. So here I am. wooooo.... so excited. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but fuck this gift horse's mouth... or whatever you do with gift horses.

I decided I'd use the Focus Slant for the month and go on hard mode as it's a razor I've never been able to master but after today's shave and the new boar scratching up my face I've decided to not do that for the sake of my face and my own sanity. So It's Tabac (randomly selected from a spin of a wheel) and this brush.

To be fair, it's a very nice brush. Dense and plenty of hair that would be great to to break in if I wasn't forced to face lather (I have never done this) with a brush that soaks up all the soap and rubs off all my skin. Hopefully my tune changes by the end of the month but for now... fuck AA. Fuck u/EldrormR's Raw Hoggin. Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. You're cool (you know who you are). Fuck you. I'm out. (But still in for 31 days).

Here's a video.

$RawHoggin

Thursday, Austere August 1, 2024 – SOTD

• Prep: Cold water rinse
• Brush: Omega 11137 Ash Wood Handle 24mm – Boar (1)
• Razor: Gillette Tech – Pre-War
• Blade: Rainbow Super Stainless (1)
• Lather: Arko – Shave Stick
• Post Shave: Lilac Vegetal – Aftershave
• Tags: $UltraNightmareMode $RawHoggin u/EldrormR

New boar brush unboxing and daily progress photo album.

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Day 1. Austere August. Wishing everyone a fulfilling Austere August filled with mindful shaves, personal growth, and the joy of simplicity. May each stroke remind us of the beauty in our craft and the camaraderie we share! Peace. 🪒 🙏

August 01, 2024

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• Prep: cold face wash
• Brush: Omega 21762 27mm Boar
• Razor: Fatip Il Piccolo Storto Gold
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox (1)
• Lather: Abbate y la Mantia - Crumiro
• Post Shave: Abbate y la Mantia - Crumiro splash
• Tags: $UltraNightmareMode $RawHoggin $Discord

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Hello everyone, and Happpy AA! First off, I would like to shout out /u/FastBreakSloths . Welcome to the community finally and very happy to see you jumping in deep. Good luck!

Next, paging /u/EldrormR for the first and only RawHoggin entry tag

First impressions of this setup: "Crap guys". I definitely should not have shaved as close as I did yesterday. I am far and away from a good shave as it stands. This HAS to improve as the month goes on, right? This is my first time with a lofty boar and I've got mixed first impressions. Very mop like as if I am slapping my face with wet straw, but also still surprisingly soft. Excited to see how this develops! I had to keep going back to load more soap, which I'm not too surprised by, but its also a little tough at the same time because I'm still a noob to the AYLM base. Once the ratio started getting proper it was pretty nice! Just hoping that I'll have enough soap to make it through the month. And also hoping this blade holds up especially since I'll have to travel with it later on this month. Very excited for this, good luck to each and everyone of you participating!
P.S. Definitely watch the video in the album with sound and maybe headphones.

Day 1/31 of Looking for Serenity in Austerity

• Brush: Semogue Owner's Club (cherry wood and boar) (1)
• Razor: Zwilling J. A. Henckels Friodur 50 (7/8", hollow ground, stainless steel, masonic deco) (1)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Roman Spice
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Roman Spice
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Roman Spice

This is my fourth AA and the first one I'm not doing in Mr One More Time's Ultra Nightmare Mode. I like the nightmare mode for trying out new hardware with disposable blades, because it lets you concentrate on technique and let's be frank, 31 shaves on a blade isn't a big deal. It's perfect for something like GEMs of Wisdom or the Days of Weckoning, but I am less of a fan when it comes to straight razor challenges, in particular if the goal is to make it easy for new straight shavers to join. It's not because I think it is particularly difficult to do 31 shaves on an edge, but because meistering straight razor maintenance is as much a source of satisfaction as perfecting the shave technique. This was my idea behind creating HoneMeisterschaft, the AA challenge that requires you to hone your edge and to discuss your process and its effect. Since this is a niche (straight razor honing) within a niche (straight razor shaving) within a ..., I wasn't sure this would attract any participants, but I'm delighted to see that a bunch (6 at the time of this shave!) of you decided to join the fray, thanks! 😊.

I decided on my beautiful and mysterious Friodur 50 for $FriodomRiders. Ever since I bought a Friodur 472½ two years ago (for The List) I was curious about why stainless razors have a bad reputation. They can clearly be fantastic, and not having to worry about every last bit of moisture with a straight is pure peace of mind, so it never made sense to me. I've shared my theory in the announcement post and I'm confident that everyone who took this ~~opportunity~~ excuse to use a quality stainless steel razor will be appreciate the shaves, and the confidence that the blade won't rust.

Ironically this shave sucked 😄. What happened is that I had planned to hone it before leaving for vacation 2 weeks ago, but 4 days before the travel, we had a (in hindsight minor) health emergency which meant that I had to rush Djunior to the hospital and take care of him instead of important things like honing this razor or going to work. So instead of just packing my razor, my RawHoggin' brush and my software, my AA setup now also included my stones, and I didn't want to schlepp all that stuff. Instead, I sent it ahead to the place I knew we'd be at on Aug 1. The plan almost worked, but our flight got delayed and we arrived super late. I honed the thing, but clearly didn't take enough time because it was quite the tuggy affair. Luckily the rules of HoneMeisterschaft allow for (and even encourage) corrective measures in this situation. I'm off to bed, and I'll hone this thing better tomorrow.

The SOC gets such contradictory ratings in this community that it intrigued me. From "favourite brush" to "forced bloom makes it feel empty" it spans the entire range, so I'm really curious to experience this new-to me brand of piggy.

Tagging Hog Daddy u/EldrormR as per rule #6 of Rawhoggin. The SOTD pic includes the (still packed) brush, and here's the unboxing video.

$FriodomRiders $HoneMeisterschaft $RawHoggin $Discord

August 1, 2025

• Brush: Zenith 507u xse unbleached boar
• Razor: Friodur 72 1/2
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder Splash

$RawHoggin $FriodomRiders $HoneMeisterschaft $MammothMafia24

Hopefully got all the tags straight. After a good clean, my new to me, but definitely not new, Friodur was already pretty shave ready. I decided to not hone, but just did about 20 or so passes on a buffalo hide strop. This is first time breaking in a new unbleached Zenith boar. My previous Zeniths were my Copper Scrubby and Moar Boar. Both of those have bleached knots. Already this new brush has shed more bristles that either brush did in the first week. It was really difficult to build a face lather. I loaded from a scoop in my bowl with as much water shaken out. Fairly dry really, but once it picked up some soap, I applied the pasty soap to my face. Many dips in the water to get that built into a lather. It took over 15 minutes to load the brush and make an acceptable lather. Not the best, but my face is very scrubbed at least. I did passes wtg, xtg for the face, and two passes xtg on my neck. I did much better on the cheeks, but the neck was not close.

I’ll post a picture of my tub kill progress soon. I think I have between 1/4-1/3 of the tub left. I have a refill to finish the month with Sonder, so not going to try and stretch it all month.

u/Mammoth_Don

u/EldrormR

SOTD 08/01/24

https://i.imgur.com/PPOeQhv.jpeg https://imgur.com/a/6FDD4i5

• Brush: Bristle Brushwerks w/ TurnNShave Shoat Knot

• Razor: Henckels Friodur 472

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder

• Post: House of Mammoth - Sonder

Off to a good start! May have set the knot too low, it's quite scrubby but we'll see how it breaks in.

Tags: u/Mammoth_Don u/whosgotthepudding u/EldrormR $MammothMafia24 $FriodomRiders $headless $RawHoggin $discord

Austere August Day 1

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Chisel & Hound Government Issue with 28mm Turn-N-Shave Shoat (Boar)
• Razor: Atelier Durdan Le Maurice 1.4 (SS Premium Polish)
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium (Edge 1 - 1st shave)
• Lather: Gentleman's Nod Mushashi Soap
• Post Shave: Cold shower, Gentleman's Nod Musashi Splash
• Tags: $UltraNightmareMode $RawHoggin $Discord

Well, this is my first Austere August and my first ever shaving challenge (started wet shaving in September 2023 and skipped the Lather Games this year because I wanted to allow /u/bacconchop a fighting chance at ROTY).

Normally, I don't think I would take part in a challenge like Austere August, partially because I don't normally shave every day, and partially because I don't like the idea of restricting myself... But, the Great Wall of Badger was breached earlier this summer when I let a Wald A1 synthetic into the den, so I decided I needed a boar, and /u/geekyoldrob is a literal crack dealer and won't stop dropping fire and I keep coming back for more, so I had a few handles that were gonna need knots. I purchased a 28mm shoat (boar) knot from Milton at Turn-N-Shave (along with his excellent ~~off the shelf~~ Chinese hand-tied Tip V8 also in 28mm for another Chizzly & Hizzly handle I had ordered.

Here is an album containing pictures of the new Shoat boar knot in its shipping material, the empty handle, the unused knot set in the handle, as well as the packing slip, knot, and shipping material. I've also included a picture of the knot after the first use today as to show the difference between from it's unused state in my SOTD photo. Tagging /u/EldrormR for the first and only time to enter Raw Hoggin'.

Further, /u/archsoup1 generously let me borrow his rather newly received Le Maurice 1.4 earlier this summer and I fell in love with it after putting it through a little over a week's worth of use in different shaving scenarios, so I ordered one. It is my Swiss Army razor, good in every situation for me. It is probably the most comfortable razor I have used over almost the last year of wet shaving, and I've put a rather lengthy list of razors though my den in that time. The razor in premium polished 316L stainless is a sight to behold and the finish is on par with that of Wolfman's mirror polish, and James set the bar. This razor quite literally arrived today at 2:55pm. Much like the Americans arrived in France at the last minute, this razor returned the favor. Sadly, I found that when I opened the box, I had misunderstood the configuration options, so the handle is not exactly what I had in mind, but that will be fixed.

I decided that Austere August was the perfect time to accomplish three things: * Kill some soap (I have too much) * See just how many shaves I can put on each edge of a Wizamet (I usually toss them after 10-12 shaves, but not really out of necessity) * Further refine my technique to see if I can achieve daily BBS for a month straight (if I start getting irritation, I'll drop to WTG and XTG, and if I need to, drop to two WTG passes)

I figure getting to the point where I can comfortably shave daily and get the results I want will also help me kill more soap, so Austere August here we come!

August 1, 2024 – Everyday We Shepherdin’

• Brush: Semogue Torga C5
• Razor: Karve Christopher Bradley B plate Aluminum/Maggard Handle
• Blade: Wizamet (1)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Varen

Well it looks like there’s more than just the three initial shepherds along for this monthlong ride on the mutton train. And for good reason, this mutton base is so slick for me and Varen is just so wonderfully dank and lingers. Paired with the Orbit it just sits underneath that cool woody rose. I can’t wait to see how this Torga develops alongside it this month. I had to reload a bit but it was pretty soft out of the box. I can’t imagine using the more common Semogue knots that are taller and skinnier, this Torga splays well fresh. Unlike u/cowzilla3 I am grateful for you and this challenge u/EldrormR. $RawHoggin

Cheers to great rest of the month of shaves and all the challenges and challengers!

Unboxing with the rest of the crew.

Before and after shave 1.

🤙🇳🇱🐑🇳🇱🤙 $ShepherdsofStirling

Photo Album

• Brush: Omega 10098
• Razor: Panhandle Barbershop Company Tonsorial Gem
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Indigo
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Indigo
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Indigo

Photo album has the boar pictures. I'm tired from marching band. This isn't my first time using a straight razor but I'm no expert so it was just a mediocre 2 pass shave, maybe this weekend I will post a video of my strange technique.

u/Mammoth_Don u/EldrormR u/whosgotthepudding $MammothMafia24 $RawHoggin $headless

August 1, 2024 - AA Day 1

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Semogue Torga C5
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper
• Blade: Kismet (1)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag

Challenges/Tags: $SubstantialStag $RawHoggin $headless $Discord u/EldrormR u/whosgotthepudding

Unboxing Album

Let the Stag Spray Begin

I was planning on using a straight this month, but with work and school, I was never able to get it sent out to be honed. So, hopefully, the Weck meets the intent of the headless challenge. After today's use, you would think I didn't use it for AA last year. I ended up with a pretty nice cut under my lip, but the technique should come again quickly, so I'm not too worried.

I'm super excited about the annual month-long use of Stag. Stag combined with today and tomorrow being days of leave for me, I'm living on cloud 9.

August 1, 2024

• Brush: Chisel & Hound ""Rob's Finest"" Boar 25mm x 56mm
• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 451 5/8 Stainless
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Everett
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Everett - Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Everett - EdP

$Discord $Rawhoggin $FriodomRiders $MammothMafia24 $headless

u/Mammoth_Don u/EldrormR u/whosgotthepudding

Welcome to Austere August, where the ~~hashtags~~ moneytags are anything but austere.

I think I've done all the right tags and called out the three individuals who asked.

On to the pics.

My setup with the brush still in the box, digitally edited to remove addresses.

The note on the inside of the box explaining how the brush got its name.

Close up of the unused brush on day one.

The shave was rather unremarkable. Pudding did a great job honing this razor. So much less dramatic than the first use of the Weck.

August 1, 2024

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps Pierce w/ Maggard 26mm Boar
• Razor: Blackland Vector Lite
• Blade: Schick Proline (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Shire
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Shire
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Shire

Decided I can’t commit to doing a straight every day this month. Too much irl shit happening that might mess me up. So, instead, I’m going to commit myself to daily headshaves. Normally I shave my head like once or twice a week. I tried to do daily headshaves last month and gave up almost immediately. This month will definitely go better.

Pics for the hog challenge: handle and knot in the box, set the knot yesterday here it is this morning after setting, lastly use number one from tonight.

Tags: /u/EldrormR /u/Mammoth_Don

Dolla Bills: $MammothMafia24 $RawHoggin $discord

Aug. 1, 2024
Brush: Stirling Boar 24mm
Razor: Parker 78r
Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome [1]
Lather: Noble Otter - Lonestar - Soap
Post Shave: Noble Otter - Lonestar - Aftershave
Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented - Balm

Had probably 20 hairs fall out on the first shave lol. Album below.

https://imgur.com/a/Zdhz8zE

$RawHoggin u/eldrormR