SOTD 31-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

That was a thoroughly enjoyable AA, despite the self injury midway through.

The brush has been a pleasure to use and develop. I had expected, with this being an untreated boar, that I was going to be in for a rough ride and a slow development. Luckily though no such thing happened. After the first few days of lather hogging it got into the swing of it and has gone from strength to strength. I'm now left with a very soft brush with good backbone that whips up an amazing lather, this will continue to be used in the rotation. There's still some room for development but I am thoroughly pleased.

Using this Friodur throughout has been a joy. The stigma around stainless straights, certainly for well made ones, is unwarranted. The blade has excellent edge retention and takes down the whiskers with the best of them. This has only encouraged me further to try and get that elusive 14!

Mammoth was an excellent choice for your month, the performance is undeniable and the scent is great. Sure, I'm after something else for a change now, perhaps something with a bit more punch, but I still wouldn't hesitate to replace this when I eventually see the bottom.

Hope everyone has a great final shave and a grand day!

Cheers

Marc

Tags
$MammothMafia24
$Honemeisterschaft
$FriodomRiders
$RawHoggin

Brush and Software Progress Final
Zenith Unboxing, Day 1, Day 31
Soap Day 1 vs 31 - I really should have weighed this thing, ah well, next year.

Aug. 31, 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

Straight shave thirty-one and this one feels like a bit of Lather Games crept into Austere August. I have to leave for the airport by 4 AM this morning, so I believe that a 3:23 AM shave may be my earliest ever. Three passes this morning to send the month off right. I’m super smooth and not bleeding, so I’ll call this victory.

I have absolutely loved this month. I had never used a straight before Aug 1 and was honestly always a little intimidated by them, but I’d say after a month straight (see what I did there) of using one, it’s verging on becoming comfortable.

And the brush is a dream now. Soft and finally done eating lather, so I didn’t have to reload at all.

Alive was the first House of Mammoth soap I ever bought, and it was pleasant to spend a month with it. I never tired of it and enjoyed using it each day.

Tags: $FriodomRiders $headless $RawHoggin $MammothMafia24

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

August 31, 2024

• Prep: House of Mammoth Embrace Doppio Bath Soap
• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts 26mm APSC Pure Bliss
• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 17 15/16
• Edge: u/whosgotthepudding (42)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Spearhead - Sea Spice Lime - Eau de Toilette

My144th SR shave to wrap up Headless Friodom Mammoth Riders 2024. 42 uses on this pretty sweet JNAT edge by Pudding. Still keen enough to give a BBS shave. My stropping got up to 30 on flax, 40 on leather. I started off much lower but went more on draw feel than count. That's something I picked up along the way to keep myself from understropping and having a rough shave. Worked out, but wtfdik. I also stopped stropping immediately after shaving and started just drying it off with a cloth. Did this contribute to my success? Probably not, but it saved me time which meant I was more conscientious when I did get around to stropping.

The Frio 17 retains it's place as one of my favorite razors. It really is just about perfect. Stainless has been great for daily use. YMMV, of course. This held a shaving edge quite well, but I frankly have no other point of reference as I've never pushed a carbon blade this far. Maybe next year. For now, this is going to get cleaned up, packed up, and shipped out for some "science," and some new scales.

The knot hasn't won me over, but I've learned it well enough and it's loosened up a bit. Once it's actually loaded and hydrated, its fine, but the journey to get there is less enjoyable for me. I imagine the folks who will try this after will enjoy it more than I have over the past month. Some knots are like that. I'm going to change it out when it comes back. I may end up going back to a Synbad or soft tux for the lulz.

The software was great, tbh. This is the first year I didn't get tired of any of it. While I didn't weigh or really do much metrics wise this year, it's really because I didn't think I'd need to again... I also had much less time, as evidenced by my posts this month. I will say I think my soap consumption was up, just based on excess lather in the knot after my 3 passes.

Here's to tomorrow's shave of whatever the fuck you want. You've earned it. 🍻💚🦣

Final Posts from Previous Years:
•AA 2023
•AA 2022
•AA 2021

$MammothMafia24
$FriodomRiders
$headless
$Discord

August 31 , 2024

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Stirling 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland - Blackbird SS
• Blade: Personna Lab Blue
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Embrace
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Embrace Splash
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Embrace Balm
• Fragrance: 345 - hometown

We did it!! I was able to finish it!! What a challenge! Congrats to ya’ll who stuck to it! I didn’t kill the tub but did kill the cologne bottle. Ya’ll have a good day.

$MammothMafia24

$Discord

August 31, 2024 – Final Austerity

• Brush: Stirling “Less Boar” 28mm x 46mm
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector (31)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Smash
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Smash (Splash)
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Smash (Balm)
• Fragrance: Creed – Aventus Cologne

Well that was fun. Except when it wasn’t. The blade started shitty, cleaned up in the middle but has been bad the last several days. The brush broke in nicely but as you can see from the Moar Boar comparison Pic still has a bit to go. I find these brushes never really dry fully in AA so it’ll break in better when it’s use is more spread out. I still am meh on smash, not getting a lot of the notes. It’s more than half gone though. The ring at the bottom is about the size of a silver dollar. Balm is half gone. Splash about 1/4. I’ll come back to it at some point to keep going.

It’ll be good to get back to having to choose again I think. At least it’ll be good to go back to DEs. Well except Monday when I’m gonna try the straight again. $Mammothmafia24 $rawhoggin $discord

August 31, 2024

• 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

We made it to the last shave for August. I definitely need more practice honing, but happy that I didn’t make the razor worse. Straight technique has gotten more comfortable, but wouldn’t consider it mastered or even a good journeyman in the skill. Maybe rank myself as advanced novice. Sonderhas been a joy to shave with for the month. I was surprised I didn’t kill the tub. I tried to pick up the sandalwood more. The citrus and vanilla like notes are right on top, but the sandalwood takes longer to emerge. I’m thinking if there is another sandalwood theme day, use the splash with my selection. The brush has been stubbornly slow to break in to a level similar to my other Zeniths. I took a picture with it next to my Semogue 1800, SOC, Moar Boar, and Copper Scrubby. The 1800 was kind of soft day one. I think that’s because it is not as dense a knot as the others. If I break it in more fully, it will be a soft pouf of a brush. The Copper Scrubby and Moar Boar have a similar number of split bristles, but the raw Zenith seems to be stiffer from the start. Lots of black bristles are scattered throughout the knot. I will let this brush dry completely over several days before going back to it. I think my Yaqi Cashmere will rotate into the den for a while. I’ll add in a badger too so I can have some extra variety.

Small album to be added when I upload it to imgur.

Here it is.

August 31, 2024 - AA24 Day 31

• Brush: Zenith 507N XSE 27.5mm x 57mm Unbleached Boar Bristle w/ Retro Black handle
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: Personna PTFE Stainless Steel GEM (31)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Rumble (37)
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Rumble AS Balm (35)
• Tags: $Discord $RawHoggin $MammothMafia24

Precision Load; Face Lather; WTG/ATG/Cleanup Passes; BBS Result; 61st Consec / 457th Overall SOTD; MRTNG's Ultra Nightmare Mode AA rules

AA D-Day has arrived! For 30 days I've avoided razor burn, but not today. The irritation was minor compared to some of the self-mutilation I've given myself shaving, but relative to my previous AA shaves, it was a stark difference. Today's irritation was worth it because now I know that I can push a blade 30+ shaves if I consistently use the short stroke/light touch technique I developed this AA with the MM24. I'm looking forward to further developing this technique with my injector and AC SE's and my DE's.

The breaking in of the Zenith unbleached boar is coming along nicely. IIRC, someone commented that it takes around 60 shaves for an unbleached boar to fully break in, and considering how far along my Zenith is to being broken in, 60 shaves seem about right.

I started AA with 95.5g of Rumble and after today's shave I had 39g remaining. I used 56.6g of soap during AA, which averages out to 1.82g of soap per day. For comparison, when using synthetics like the G5C I typically use 1.5g of soap per shave, and when using SHD's like the Fanchurian I typically use 1.7g per shave. I'm curious to see how much soap the Unbleached Boar will need once it's fully broken in, but for now I'll continue with the heavy loads to ensure I have sufficient lather for the shave.

Here's the Day 31 bristle break-in progress pictures taken just before the shave. Happy shaving and have a wonderful day.

August 31, 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Good Gully Maggard Black and White Synthetic 26mm
• Razor: Razorock Game Changer .84
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (Green) (31)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Ausflug
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Smash

$MammothMafia24

Goodbye, Austere August!

2024-08-31 Austere August Day 31, Final Shave Day of the Month

• Prep: Face wash soap/warm water, and stropping, and stropping
• 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)

Last thoughts on Austere August...

On Raw Hoggin:

I broke in a brush. A blond boar on a Shore Shave handle. This boar has become much more enjoyable, no longer eats lather, and while it has softened quite a lot at the tips it still has amongst the most backbone of any brush I own. I like the brush now that it has had some time put into it. I think the handle was a good creative purchase as well. I still love where Bill Reid of Shore Shave concealed his coin in the handle.

On Headless:

This year I really took on Austere August for it's basic premise. Spend time with a part of your collection and really learn it. The challenge of a straight every day was something to really bite into.

I had up to this point made use of a straight only occasionally and was never fully comfortable and always very wary (I actually have a small scar from the first time I ever used a straight).
But, repetition does allow skill to develop. Simply stated I now feel comfortable with a straight and I'm happy with the effort in learning this month. I only had a few days where it looked like I tangled with a grumpy domestic house cat. But those were few and enriching of skills made that "tax" paid worthwhile. I went in with a reasonably good edge that had some use on it that is now in need of some work. I guess my next task would be to buy a gold dollar and stones and learn to hone. I may send this one out for honing though in the meantime.

On Mammoth Mafia:

Mammoth's Uitwaaien was a great pick for a month of shaves. I love a lot of the Mammoth products and selected this particular one because it was a cologne type scent that I thought would work well for a whole month. It did well on that count and my new boar brush certainly is scented by it. But it is now time for other scents and soaps. All that said - I enjoyed the soap for the month and it is not being locked away. It will see a shave from time to time. I almost went with Mammoth's Shire, which I love, but decided on a more cologne type scent as it is more IDK neutral? Anyway, a great soap and I enjoyed using it.

So, I think this Austere August was put to good use for me. I certainly developed more skill with a straight razor.

Or as Stan Lee often said in the Marvel bullpen bulletins:

'nuff said!

Take care and have a good one.

-PZ

$MammothMafia24

$RawHoggin

$headless

Aug. 31, 2024 - ZERO!
Brush: The Ca Yuen Workshop (Etsy) Blue Meany
Razor: Razorock Game Changer .84-P
Blade: Gillette Nacet [31]
Lather: House Of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap
Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave
Post Shave: Osma - Alum Block
Post Shave: Neutrogena - Hydro Boost
Fragrance: Christian Dior - Sauvage

In recognition of the last day of Austere August, I declare today’s shave a DFS.

This was a fun experiment, and I learned a ton. Looking forward to next year, kinda.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Face WTG ATG Neck WTG WTG

$MammothMafia24

August 31, 2024 – AA Day 31

• Brush: Zenith 505BC SE 28mm Bleached Boar
• Razor: Razorock Hawk v3
• Blade: Schick Proline (31)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Dammusi
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Dammusi
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Dammusi

AA complete! It was an fun time, but I’m glad I’ll be able to use different stuff tomorrow. Honestly, I’d be fine with the same software, and even brush, but I really am itching to use a different razor.

Final software level. The frag has a good bit of usage before this month, but most of the soap and splash damage was from AA.

Brush unboxing vs after 31st use. It has turned into a great brush. Highly recommend if you need a boar.

$RawHoggin $MammothMafia24 $Discord

Aug. 31, 2024

• Prep: CeraVe - Hydrating Facial Cleanser
• Brush: Chisel & Hound “Rob’s Finest” Boar 25mm X 56mm
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (31)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Everett
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder

Finally reached the end of AA for this year! I’m not sure why but it felt more of a drag this year, my whole setup was amazing and I wouldn’t change a thing but I severely lacked motivation this month. Now back to variety which I am very much looking forward to! I just might take tomorrow off though…just to give myself a break

$MammothMafia24 $RawHoggin $Discord

Aug. 31,2024

• Brush: Summer Break Steinauer 26mm Zenith Boar
• Razor: Thiers Issard Evide Sonnant Extra Hollow 6/8
• Blade: Edge By u/whosgotthepudding [41]
• Lather: House Of Mammoth - Indigo - Soap
• Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Indigo - Aftershave

Day 31!
I’ve leaned a number of things over the last 31 days.
I learned that I can use the same set up for 31 days and it’s made me rethink my purchasing habits.

I learned that I really don’t like breaking in a Boar knot for 31 straight days and after 30 shaves I could see the bottom of a new tub of soap. I averaged 2.5g of soap per shave and that seems a little high. I am 99% sure I will not raw hog in 2025.

I learned that I can use my opposite hand for the first pass. I learned the proper angles for my jaw line and for the month I nicked myself 3 times.

All in all I am happy I participated in AA but I am looking forward to variety.

Here is today’s brush pic

$Discord
$RawHoggin
$MammothMafia24
$headless

Brush Progress Album

Austere August - Day 31 - Shelving the Fridodur

• 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

---

The Black Boar knot goes to the trash.

Welcome the September diversity.

.#NoStrop day #13

$Honemeisterschaft
$FriodomRiders
$MammothMafia24
$RawHoggin

---

Aug. 31, 2024
Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Fly Fishing
Razor: Schick Injector
Blade: Schick Injector [31]
Lather: House Of Mammoth - Kryptonite - Soap
Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Kryptonite - Aftershave
Post Shave: GreenBox - Alum

$MammothMafia24

Zero regrets for my choices this year, especially for the choice of the soaps. I will be tossing this razor in my dopp bag for traveling. I have 2-3 nice synthetic brushes for travel.

I am not shaving tomorrow. I’m not shaving Monday either. After that, something with Sandalwood.

3 passes. No problems.

Aug. 31, 2024
Brush: Zenith 505BC
Razor: Maggard V3M/MR5
Blade: Astra SP [6]
Lather: House of Mammoth - Everett
Post Shave:* House of Mammoth - Everett

$RawHoggin

$MammothMafia24

• Brush: Yaqi - Mew Brown Synthetic, Purple Haze.
• Razor: Gem - Featherweight.
• Blade: Blade:** Personna - GEM ptfe coated.
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Everett.
• Post: House of Mammoth - Everett Balm.
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Everett EDP.

We did it!! We’re done- so long August ! It’s been fun, but ready to move on. Finally. $MammothMafia24

8/31/24

• Brush: Farvour Turn Crafts w/ C&H v12 Fanchurian
• Razor: Raido Star Kamisori 8/8, Full Hollow Barber's Notch
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite Aftershave Splash

$MammothMafia24

$headless

Last day of AA. About 3/4 into the month, I forgot to post my shave in time. I sucked it up. I still shaved daily but didn't bother posting.

Kudos to everyone that finished by MM and Headless. It was awesome to watch so many new straight shavers wrestle with technique, and eventually, start to get it dialed in.

HALF AARSED

August 31, 2024 * Preshave: Hot Shower
Brush: Chisel & Hound “Rob’s Finest” Boar 25mm X 56mm
Razor: Henckels Friodur 451 No Stain
Edge: Pudding (31)
Lather: House of Mammoth Everett
Post Shave: House of Mammoth Everett Splash
Post Shave: House of Mammoth Everett EDP

It's done. Brush pics in Album.

This month has been full of learning. I can now competently and confidently shave with a straight razor. That's sick. And a skill not a lot of people have. I don't know a single person outside you lot who know how. It'll be my new "fun fact" in those silly meet you games.

And, at one point this month I was considering buying a very expensive and nice new Raido or Raido Kamisori. And I still might. It's been really a good month.

All that said, do you know what shaves closer, smoother, and quicker than a straight? Virtually every single DE razor I have ever used, even the ones I didn't like.

So. Yeah. I'm very much looking forward to getting back to my Yates tomorrow and using something that isn't so dang sweet (though I do still like Everett).

Cheers, folks.

$MammothMafia24

$RawHoggin

$headless

$FriodomRiders

$discord

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

End is nigh! This month I learned that boar brushes aren't that bad, my soap lasts me forever, and I shouldn't use straight razors at this age because of my acne. I think at least one of the judges forgave me for the one day that I posted on the wrong thread but hopefully theres an appeal system or something for the others, I'll dm them tonight. Today was one of my rare 3 pass straight razor shaves and it feels and looks really nice to be this smooth. I somewhat have tomorrows shave planned but that's only if I even get to shave tomorrow because all my shave stuff (except AA stuff) is at my moms so I would have to stop there and tomorrow I'm busy doing stuff for my brothers birthday. I'll probably use this boar brush as a talc brush because I prefer my badger brushes.

$MammothMafia24 $RawHoggin $headless