2023-07-14 My nose is froze and my ears are froze...

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps - Custom
• Razor: Phantom Blue Open Comb Slant #RAINBOW
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Rope Swing
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Menthol Witch Hazel
• Fragrance: Davidoff - Cool Water
• Blade: Feather (3)

Rope Swing features the synthetic cooling ingredient WS-23

Relevant Post-shave and Fragrance: Keeping it frosty with Stirling's menthol witch hazel, because more menthol is always better—as long as you don't care about having feeling in your skin. Cool Water as today's fragrance keeps with the "cool" theme and matches the aquatic notes of the lather.

Obviously, I had to break out the beautiful SBS brush. u/rocketk455, everybody!
(also pointing out the hardware point; not sure if I should see it counted as such after the last use)

Challenge Accepted: I thought this razor might handle today's challenge well, and its color fits well in the photo. I've only used this razor a couple of times. I find it to be much better than the only other slant I've tried, and it doesn't have the alignment problems that I hear are so common. Let's, uh, let's not talk about where this razor comes from. K? Cool.

I wasn't worried about my neck with this challenge, but it'll be a cold day in hell that I go ATG over my philtrum, which I never do even under normal circumstances (on the other hand, I can grow a mean moustache). So I didn't ATG there or the corresponding area below the lower lip for the same reason.

All else was only ATG for each pass (3?). I don't often think about what the first WTG pass does, but it is evident that clearing that bulk of hair is quite helpful. Add on top of that that I'm not very familiar with how the slant handles, so a pass of alum was called for. Alum even looks like ice, doesn't it?

#FOF
If I'm being honest, the SBS branding theme doesn't land for me. Thankfully, though, last year's Games compelled me to try them, and I am incredibly glad for it! I grabbed Valedictorian and Rope Swing, and they both blew me out of the water. With Rope Swing, I get aquatic off the puck, and woodsy floral notes that are emphasized in the product description open up in the lather.

After the unscented menthol interlude, courtesy of Stirling, I delight in following this up with Cool Water. I love aquatics, largely due, I'm sure, to the fact that I took a liking to one as a young lad. Cool Water is a quintessential aquatic in my mind, and it triggers all kinds of pleasant brain-chemicals.

#photocontest
Photo: Sports
I'm no fisher—wait, is that something people say? "Fisher"? Fisherman is more specifically vocational, no?
Suffice it to say, I don't fish, but my understanding is that it's a sport (no less so than bar sports) and swaths of anglers will argue vehemently as such.

If you're at a "pristine mountain lake" with a rope swing (a category of which I figure a tire swing is a subset), it may well be likely that there's going to be fishing happening, as well. But probably don't jump where the lines/hooks are.

July 14, 2023 – Cool Summer

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Badger
• Razor: Gillette Tech #Regus
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (6)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Rope Swing
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Prom King
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive – Sun Soaked

Picture for Regus hash. https://i.imgur.com/l1gXDMY.jpeg

Totally by coincidence I had to remove the tech from my Spearhead Shaving khaki kit. So I’m also involving today’s sponsor. It’s a great kit of you have a 3 piece and travel at all. Also helps me store my tech when it’s not in use.

Summer is an excellent time to use my 1 cooling soap. It’s not as hell here (already feels like 85F at 7:30) and it’s nice to cool my face. Rope swing is supposed to smell like jumping into a river. I prefer it it cannon ball, probably because I spent more time in rivers and creeks as a kid than at pools. Might as well do stuff out of order and finish my #fof here. I went with Prom King Next. Obviously, they’re both SBS products, but they both have cedar undertones and the grassy notes of Prom King compliment the aquatic notes of Rope Swing very well. Like the shore of the river. Lastly, Sun Soaked. This describes the summers of my youth. It also has a cedar undertone. I pick up pine perhaps too? When I put it on I was immediately transported to rolling up to the campsite and getting ready to have a weekend by the river. (the citrus notes are coming through to me as bug spray, but not in a bad way, in a “memories are better in black and white” way.)

Today’s challenge was rough. What to say about it. Well, for starters, when I started wetshaving I got horrible burn on my lower neck. Took me weeks to figure out my hair changed direction in the last 2-3 inches of my neck and grew up. So I had been unintentionally shaving ATG there causing problems. So I start each shave going up on that part of my neck. Starting with the aggressive Parker 96R, ATG was just a nonstarter. I tried it with the tech and SuperSpeed and frankly, the irritation wasn’t worth the minor increase in smoothness. But for lather games everything is worth it. The rules say half the face, I chose the left, sinister, half in honor of this challenge. Used the tech to minimize the harm. I’m also still using GUTL, which I just now realized rhymes with scuttle. Appropriate. Leaving proto lather on my face while I built my bowl lather meant I was pretty num from the coolant, and so I didn’t feel horrible during the shave. So score one more for GUTL and another selling point for u/merikus. I felt a lot of tugging, no nicks. But since I don’t go ATG normally, I couldn’t get the angles right and the shave was not good. Not even socially acceptable. I did my right pass normally, confirmed the suckiness by comparison, then basically started over with my normal routine. But the pass was completed, so rules followed with no loopholes (sorry u/airbudruler.) I have some irritation, but less than expected.

For #photocontest, entering in sources of light. My bathroom has a 4×3 window in it (yes feet not inches) that faces west. Making it easy to get this picture with back light the evening before.

Getting closer fellow #ROTY

Edited: added Regus hashtag. I already have the ones for the C&H so it's fine to let those go. Fixed tag

2023-07-14 Lather Games SOTD

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY St Vincent (26x55mm Synth)
• Razor: Feather Artist Club SS
• Blade: Kai Captain Mild ProTouch MG (12)
• Pre-Shave: Proraso - Crema pre Barba (Rinfrescante conolio di eucalipto e mentolo)
• Lather: Proraso - Sapone da Barba (Rinfrescante conolio di eucalipto e mentolo)
• Post Shave: Mennen - Skin Bracer
• Fragrance: Paco Rabanne - XS

Proraso's original product was pre-shave cream - 1947 or 48 I think? Commercial soap wasn't great in those days. It was designed to add glycerin and potassium stearate to your choice of soap to make the lather more stable, creamy, and slick - all those things we look for in a good shave soap. And then when they released their shave soap the following year, it was formulated to be used in conjunction with that pre-shave cream. Modernized preservatives, fragrances, and chelating agents aside, both products are... more or less the same today as they were 75 years ago.

Modern shave soaps, on the other hand, are already formulated with healthy doses of stearic acid and glycerin, making Proraso's pre-shave creams a little pointless if you're already using modern soap. But that's not what I'm doing today, is it?

Today's ~~heavily~~ thoroughly mentholated shave was actually pretty slick. Good shave. Crema and Sapone together with a synthetic brush (almost a perfect color match for Proraso Green (the color)) works about as well for me as most late-2010s artisanal soap bases. My only complaint is that this pre-shave smells Weird. I don't know if it's something in the fragrance that the soap's base funk covers up, or if it's something weird in the pre-shave formula that adds an unpleasant element to the fragrance, but I'm not a fan of the scent.

Anyway: chilly pre-shave, chilly soap, and chilly aftershave (with EXTRA menthol added to it, just like old man NeedsMoreMenthol taught me years ago)... I was even going to wear some BRUT because it's one of the only perfumes I know that includes straight up menthol in its formula, but I needed to save it for later in the month so instead I went with XS, the fragrance that Creed ~~ripped off~~ definitely didn't ever smell before they released their "mountaineering-inspired" Himalaya. I was underwhelmed the first time I tried it because it's so linear, subtle, and almost insubstantial in some ways, but I've come to appreciate it over time - it's like wearing fresh alpine air on a late winter/early spring day with snow melting off the trees and little streams running down the rocks. #fof for wally.

LG23-14: 🍌🥶 Frigid Friday 🧊🍌

• Brush: Shore Shave “Purple Ribbon” 24mm Motherlode
• Razor: Blackland Sabre
• Blade: GEM (4)
• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia - Don Jose - Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Boat Drinks - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Blackbird - Y06-S
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: West Java. Cijapati, Garut - v: Typica. Tim Tim. Catimor - p: Triple picked. Washed.
• Music: Señor Coconut - Around the World
• LG Tags: #FOF

I was going to skip today’s challenge in favor of an unscarred visage for the next few weeks, but then storms kept the dog up, which meant the dog kept me up, which meant I’m bleary-eyed and got up an hour later in an attempt to feel like a functioning adult, and now I’m way behind today and needed to make my shave quick. What was I talking about? Oh, right, shaving.

I grabbed a beloved GEM razor to maximize my chances of a smooth shave (more rigid blades than DEs), face lathered the cooling Don Jose, and skipped straight to the ATG pass. It went surprisingly well. I started at the bottom of my neck (WTG up until my Adam’s apple) and then kept going straight up ATG, upper neck, then cheeks, then chin and upper lip. The cheeks were a breeze, but the Sabre struggled with my chin and lip, leaving plenty of unevenly-cut stubble for my XTG pass. The Don Jose features an at best above-average soap base; I suspect a top-tier performer would have allowed me to chew through that hair more efficiently. No cuts and no obvious irritation by the time I finished up, rinsed, and splashed on the Stirling aftershave. I don’t plan on shaving like this again unless challenged, but it’s good to know I can without issue when I’m in a rush.

While this shave wasn’t sponsored by /u/J33pGuy13, it should have been, since it’s all-banana-everything. Everything you say? Oh yes, EV-RY-THING.

Up first, Don Jose, with its cheery mix of coconut, banana, and “menthol crystals.” It’s not a dynamic scent, but it’s a super fun one, the banana and coconut candy-like in intensity but without much sweetness. The menthol is light enough to show up as you’re lathering like a cool breeze, but not so strong as to make the whole blend smell like menthol. (And while I’m using samples today, the packaging for Don Jose is beautiful, so that’s another perk.) I followed my shave up with a splash of Boat Drinks—more banana and coconut, plus flowered rum. The combination smells a lot like boozy bubblegum when I first put it on. Give it time to breathe and it’s easier to pick out the notes, but still a cohesive blend. I like the smell on its own, but I rarely think to use my tub, and I find the aftershave difficult to wear.

I finished things up with Y06-S, which (unlike Boat Drinks) Nicole Miller stresses “is not a novelty scent” and “not a gourmand perfume,” even though it’s all creamy, metallic banana. The banana here is more Gros Michel than Cavendish, but it’s a mix of the two; ripe banana just opened, though not as artificially-intense smelling as straight-up banana ester. The electronics sizzle that crackles around the banana in the opening is attention-grabbing, olfactory sleight of hand to surprise you when the banana resolves into a jasmine and oud floral. Y06-S is like a reverse Magic Eye, starting with the banana floating out in front, then suddenly collapsing into a collage of indole, cream, and wood when you focus on it long enough.

July 14, 2023

• Brush: Boti Stump 28mm Synthetic
• Razor: Star – Silver Star
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Captain’s Choice – Nor’easter Soap
• Post Shave: Captain’s Choice – Nor’easter Splash
• Fragrance: Issey Miyake - L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme EdT

Real talk: Who enjoys menthol? Like, who are the crazy people seeking this stuff out? I struggle to see why any sane person enjoys the feeling to coldness on their face. Maybe it’s because I live in the Northeast United States and the winters are brutal, and I seriously dislike the feeling of cold, but why is this a thing? I’m just glad the Lather Games is happening in July, but if it was occurring in January, I’d probably sit out Frigid Friday. Okay – That’s a lie. I’m too competitive to sit anything out. But I wouldn’t like it!

I’ve never used Captain’s Choice before, but this soap smells cold as soon as I open the top of the sample tub. They supposedly scented this like amber, spicy berry, lavender, and citrus. Not sure why they’d include stuff like that in a scent named after Winter storms. I’ve lived through enough Nor’easters to know that they don’t smell like berries or lavender. They smell like the diesel fumes coming from plows, with a hint of body odor of people crowding the grocery store to stock up on bread and milk. And don’t forget about the sweet scent of seasonal depression that comes from the sun rising after you get to work and the sun setting before you leave the office. F all that. And I don’t know who the people who make Captain’s Choice are, but if you’re going to make a scent and name it after a Blizzard’s little brother, at least make it so it smells like a real Nor’easter!

For the cologne, I chose Issey Miyake - L’Eau d’Issey. It’s citrusy with aquatic freshness and I thought the citrus would go good with the citrus in Nor’easter. And I wasn’t wrong. All sorts of great smells today, even if it doesn’t smell like a real Nor’Easter. #FOF

CHALLENGE

I was originally going to shave with a straight today to pick up a hashtag, then I saw the challenge and said “F THAT NOISE”. Shaving against the grain with a straight is a challenge for me on a good day. Starting off with that. No thanks. I’ll pick up that scavenger hunt item later in the Games. Used this vintage Star Silver Star and went against the grain first, then with the grain for a two-pass shave. Honestly, wasn’t as bad as I feared.

July 14, 2023 – Freeze! I said freeze!

• Brush: Ap. shave Co. – purple Haze
• Razor: Razorock – Eco
• Blade: Permasharp (3)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Rope Swing
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Rope Swing
• Fragrance: Davidoff – Cool water wave
• Song to hype myself up: Amon Amarth - Embrace the endless ocean (Metal)

I knew this day would come. In anticipation of this challenge, I trained myself one year.
After last years frigid friday, it became clear to me that I have to go lower.
I started my work in home office before 7 in the morning so I could sneak outside at 8 when stores open. Not many people around at this time.
Here I was looking for something that would top my shave in comparison to last year.
Weeks before I scouted the fridges if they have it. Yes, they do.
When I am already in the store, lets get some breakfast, something for my 3pn coffee and cake and some sweet milk for my escalation gaming friday.
The crushed ice is in a box to keep it cool, while I walk home.
My girlfriend already made me a nice tub of cold water. Mmhhh, just the way I enjoy it. No better way to start into the day. I take cold showers for a few years now(except my head). Since the start of the Ukraine war, I only use warm water to make tea.
soaking my brush
I lathered outside the tub. On my way to the store, I became a bit anxious, back at home I was hyped and was looking forward to freeze myself off.
4 kg of crushed ice in my bathtub
Mr. Ice bath Link giving me a judging look
“Why doesn’t he wear his hat?”, asked my girlfriend
“It will get wet” said Mr. ice bath Link
“But the ducks still have their hats?”
“They are ducks! The can swim with their head above the water”
After we cleared that up it was time to get to business!

Even 4 kg of ice cooled the water down by a good amount. Hurry up!
The following pictures show me in bath shorts!!! NSFW!!!
Lather into my face
Ohh, Marquis is really enjoying the scent of rope swing. He closed his eyes, so he can focus even more on that nice dandelion ozone. Hrm
Scent becomes more and more enjoyable
Starting with an ATG shave. I have never done it, but thought about it often. Why do we do the first 3 passes, although they never leave us clean? Thanks lather games to give me the opportunity to explore.
ATG as first pass picture proof You can see some 7 o clock shadow as beard.
Going ATG from the start is so enjoyable
First pass done. The legs are getting numb. At least they do not feel that cold anymore. Did it hurt to start ATG? I don't know. I feel like in the Major Pain movie and I cant feel my face
Well, if only I don’t have to get that lather out of my face.
Deep dive. I took my hands off later, but then had some ice water run into my nose.
To do the dive, I had to tug my legs , as I do not fit in this tub. Thanks mom
So the legs were exposed to fresh warmer air. When they got back into the water for the second pass, I felt the cold of my bath again.
I want to get out. But Lathergames rules are two passes (except for u/airbudruler). Speed lather for the second pass. It’s runny crap. As a mirror I used the shower head like last year
My brain seemed to be freezing, as I did a WTG pass now. Out, out out! How was the WS-23 in the soap with the cool water? I felt nothing. When everything is that cold, you barely feel the cooling agent.
After I got dry and applied the aftershave, I was able to feel the cool breeze from it. Got back to my desk and felt slightly nauseous. Thats what the r/coldshowers talked about. It might happen. After afew hours it was gone. The shave was not good. It looks clean enough, but does not meet my standards. The aftershave was more heavy on the dandelion, and less on the woody parts in it.
Did I mention we have a LG tub kill?

FOF

Because of the theme I went with Davidoff Cool water waves. I heard there are a million successors to davidoff cool water. This one is my jam. Fruity and bitter grapefruit with maritime notes fade down to a over fresh evergreen notes to classic sandalwood and patchoulli.

July 14, 2023 – LG 14: Frigid Friday

• Brush: CaYuen Cosmic Abalone 24mm Maggard SHD Fan
• Razor: Space Ice Kamisori #YTHO #KAMISORI
• Blade: Feather FBS10 (2)
• Lather: Noble Otter – Northern Elixir
• Post Shave: Dr. Jon’s – Flowers in the Dark
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors – Every Storm A Serenade

Mid month lull, nah, let’s turn up the heat, or in todays case, turn it all the way down. Let’s jump straight into a razor making story, which I guess technically began last night. Today I join the ranks of homemade kamisoris, pioneered by u/impressive_donut114 and his chopsticks last year, someone did a fork along the way (edit: credit to u/mrtangerinesky)and most recently in spatula form by u/onionmiasma for his kitchen shave. Thanks for being trailblazers in this space. Today, in honor of frigid Friday, I made my razor out of ice.

Now, this wasn’t my first idea initially, as showcased by whatever the hell this kitchen thing is. Those pics show it clearly wasn’t going to work. Then, a lightbulb went off, and I had my idea – ice ice baby.

I searched for handle shaped things, like aforementioned kitchen device, to try to freeze to no avail. Then it me, let build a mold from LEGO.. I wedged the blade in between some bricks, and filled with water. I was clearly getting some leaking but it was still worth a try. I def lost some volume, but it was at least frozen!. So I topped it off and back in the freezer it went. This morning, I got the brick separator and was ready to carefully remove the mold. First few pieces gone, minor cracking sounds. Making good progress, I had one layer down with integrity remaining. My next speed bump, the initial leakage made for a healthy ice seal along the edges. Ran a little water carefully on seams, and looking better and cleaner at the seams. I can taste it now, almost there. Couple careful slick Jimmys and the space ice kamisori was ready!.

I had to move quick for my SOTD. Thankfully I’d prepped the other components in place. Then I went to put my razor on ice while getting my other gear to the bathroom. If you actually want to watch me miserably fail at shaving today, that’s the video. Upon watching myself, I came to the realization I might have been using the ~~wrong side~~ non-traditional side of the blade for portions of passes, but that’s neither here nor there. That fucker was slipping around left and right.

As for our #FOF I love NO Northern ElixEr, that’s right, I have one of the cool misspelled prints. Loads of eucalyptus, mint, and herby lavender up front, with some woody undertones. It’s for sure the first 2 that are most prominent and remain throughout to my nose. Followed with the lightly mentholated Dr Jon FitD (RIP). It’s a fresh but dark, crisp but murky, stringent but soft – a really neat take on lavender. The cedar wood and ozone make it match and build on NO NE perfectly. Lastly, to keep with a sort of dark/night theme, I went with every storm a serenade. Off the bat, it was hard to smell as my nostrils were heavily mentholated, but I did pick up more eucalyptus and sort of green pine. It also has that ozonic component due to the calone. About an hour later, and as the NO and FitD gave way, I get loads of damp green forest, curtesy of the spruce and vetiver. It has some aquatic saltiness to it as well, similar to the smells of coastal NW forests I leave nearby.

Last but not least, #PHOTOCONTEST, going with the space theme who seemed fitting for a northern lights inspired soap. Complete with Women of Nasa and cool space spray paint graffiti art. Now if only I had contacted Cosmo… that can be for cosmos and not just cosmetology.

soap brands 14/30, post shave 14/30, frag 14/30, post/frag linked 14/30, software sponsors 8/13, hardware sponsors 2/2, razor hashtags 8/15, brush hashtags 8/15, photo contest 14/30, daily challenges 12/25, special challenges 2/5

DAY 14 LATHER GAMES! FREEZE YOUR BALLS OFF DAY! LITERALLY!!!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: DS Cosmetics 30mm Tuxedo Knot
• Razor: Blackland Vector
• Blade: Chinese(4)
• Lather: Kanatitsa(Канатица) - Wild(Див) with Menthol and Eucalyptus
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Cryogen balm
• Fragrance: Hermes - Terre d'Hermes

​

PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

​

DAILY CHALLENGE+EVERYTHING ELSE

​

YOU GUYS WANNA SCRUB IT UP!?!?! LET'S FUCKING GO!!!!

So to be in the spirit of the theme of the soap today, I took a cold shower today, and I mean COLD, as cold as it could get, it took me around 15-20 minutes to get the dial to the coldest point it could get, BUT I GOT THERE! Having in mind it's 90 F in the apartment it was pleasant to go out of the bathroom shaking like I'm about to have hypothermia and be welcomed by nice and pleasant apartment heat....

Let's get one thing straight, I don't do cold showers, the amount of times I've had cold showers I can probably count on the fingers of both of my hands, so it's a very rare occasion!!

Now I wanted to use Cryogen soap, cause it's wicked sick, buuuut I had other plans for CF so had to opt for a Bulgarian artisan, which is of course, COCONUT BASE... Funnily enough, MUCH BETTER than ABYLM from yesterday....

NOW! For the challenge!

Here's a video(warning, cut my lip and it got bloody) of my challenge(don't worry it's short)

So you know, habits are a great and terrible thing. Usually I start WTG and then whatever else follows, and when you're starting WTG, your hand always goes down towards the floor, right? RIGHT! And when reading the challenge yesterday I was thinking "Wow.... How am I gonna be able to do this, I mean my habits won't let me start moving my hand towards the ceiling....", but then I HAD A GENIUS IDEA! What if I shaved ATG while doing a headstand, that means my hand will go towards the floor and I'll be able to complete the daily challenge and get the points. So that's just what I did and recorded it, for the sake of science and facts!

It went kind of like what I'd expect to happen, but I was reminded, that maybe I should strengthen my neck....

BONUS ROUND(YUP THERE'S MORE) WARNING NSFW

​

Now last year(link to my post from then), when we did this they had a different daily challenge and a lot of people moaned about it, buuuuuut I shared a colourful story there of how I once used Cryogen on my privates, and u/Marquis90 just wanted me to suffer by insisting I should re-create that. And as stupid as I was I of course promised him, I remembered today that I did promise but did not deliver, well so I shaved my privates today and then made a video:

Video of me from the torso up with a shirt talking about the LG so far while I put ULTRA MENTHOLATED products on my freshly shaved privates and experience their effects to the MAX!

Yup this was definitely an experience I did not enjoy at all, but I wanted to go all out on the daily theme and challenge so yeah, hope I managed to do that!

​

#FOF

Nothing really goes with mentholated products so I just used Terre d'Hermes, which is a wonderful all round fragrance! You like oranges! Well this is having an orange thrown at your face while someone sprinkles black pepper on your head! It's just good!

• Daily Lather Themes: 14/30
• Daily Challenges: 14/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 12/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 1/2
• Software Vendor Points: 6/13
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 0/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 14/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 14/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 14/30
• 30 Different Fragrances Bonus Point: 14/30

u/Enndeegee WHERE'S MY NO SCRUB AT, SCRUB!!!

July 14, 2023

• Brush: Yaqi – Evil Zebra 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Rockwell 6s
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Zingari Man – The Socialite
• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger - Aspen
• Fragrance: Boucheron – Jaipur Homme
• Music: Foreigner - Cold As Ice

Brrrrr…. It’s cold in here! There must be some menthol in the atmosphere! It’s Freeze Your Face Off Frigid Friday. Today, we have a day dedicated to being frigid, so let’s ice this shit up today! When I was thinking of what to do for today, I was talking to Mrs. Priusaurus:

Me: “I need something fun to do for our menthol theme day. Something to make my post stand out. Not sure how to show a best show the coldness of mentholated soap.”

Her: “Can you even see menthol?”

Me: “No…. But you can see ice.”

And that’s when this idea was born.

Because I don’t want to be remembered for just doing interviews every day, or getting asked to leave restaurants for shaving in them, I decided to bring the heat to this shave. And by heat, I mean cold. And by cold, I mean shaving in an ice bath. Since a gag like this could be easily faked by just taking a picture or two and calling it a day, I’m including a video as proof of this stupid idea. And sitting here, a few hours later, I can definitely say, this was a stupid, stupid idea. Warning: A lot of NSFW language was said throughout this video and it was all inadvertent. Sorry to all the children watching. In the interest of time, I sped my shave up 1.5x, because I really only wanted to use the video as proof that I was dumb enough to actually do this. I’m not trying to become the next geofatboy or ScoobyShaves with this one. But if you want to see a dude suffer in an ice bath, while trying to shave, and struggling to put together coherent thoughts because his brain and appendages are frozen, do I have a video for you!

Not one 10-pound bag... Not two 10-pound bags... But three 10-pound bags of ice! 30 pounds – that’s 13.6KG for those not in America – of icy, cold, torturey, goodness. Hey u/Marquis90 – Get.On.My.Level. And final temperature reading of 36.7F – that’s 2.6C for those not in the USA. I not only froze my face off, but I think I may have frostbite.

Not gonna lie. Mistakes were made. I thought it would be extra fun to make lather on a bed of ice chips, but that just made the lather too watery, so I abandoned that idea after the first pass. If I had unlimited time and a tub to load from, it could have potentially worked better, but given the icy circumstances, my pain threshold, and just using a sample jar, the ice-bowl lather was a bad idea. Also, I’m pretty sure the two bags of ice would have had the same effect. I probably didn’t NEED bag number three, but now I can say that while u/Marquis and I had the same idea, I went 3x as hard. Also, I have a MASSIVE headache right now. Apparently, that can happen with ice baths. AND BTW, there are people out there that do this on the regular! Ummmm… No f’ing thank you. #neveragain #itsbeen6hoursandimstillcold

Let’s talk about the shave: The first pass was a bit to watery, as we’ve discussed, but the 2nd pass was great. The Socialite smells like a gin and tonic with lime. It’s extraordinally unique and phenomenal. I’m glad this was not the first time I used this sample because I really didn’t get the chance to enjoy it much for this go round. The menthol is present but not overpowering (but that could be because the rest of me was freezing). This is such a refreshing scent. Perfect for summer. The Lucky Tiger Aspen splash sucked. Smells like a hospital room and looks like Windex… But it has menthol! And to close out the ice bath shave, I sprayed a couple spritzes of Jaipur Homme by Boucheron. Originally, I picked this frag because Aspen says has “a fresh, spicy aroma”. WRONG! But I didn’t know that until I put it on my face. Jaipur Homme actually has a nice spicy amber scent to it and was just enough to cover the smell of the splash. Most days, I want the frag to compliment the splash, but today, the great feat for this fragrance to do is eliminate the stench of Aspen. #FOF – not every day can be a winner!

Originally, I was going to use a different razor today, but then I saw the challenge and when going against the grain first, in a bath of ice, I opted to go for the mildest plate on the Rockwell 6s. Call me wimp, but we aren’t yet halfway through the Lather Games and I’m not about to make my face and neck look like a r/wickededge post on day 14. No thanks. Live to fight another day. Shaved Against the Grain, then with the Grain for a extremely cool two pass shave.

And for #photocontest: Water. In its solid form.

And, of course, we have an interview today! I was fortunately enough to touch base with Heather Melton, the founder of Zingari Man. Zingari Man’s soaps are great, and her post shave products are even better, in my opinion. I have yet to find a post-shave balm I enjoy more than her unscented balm. I use it most every day. Heather was kind enough to take the time and put some real thought to my questions. Thank you so much u/ZingariMan (but really a woman). I really appreciate you taking part and thank you for being such a great member of this community. I’m so looking forward to seeing what you release next!

10 Questions with… Zingari Man

1) How often do people assume that Zingari Man is owned by a man?

ALLLLLL the time! I actually have "but I am really a woman" under my reddit name because of this. I’ve tried posting on the lady wetshavers sub and was mansplained by a man that women do not need a man telling them how to shave or what to use. Ummm hello sir, I have a lot of personal experience here haha. I have been called bro more times than I can count. But I just laugh at it anymore, it is an easy assumption.

2) What is your favorite scent that Zingari Man has put out?

My all time favorite scent would be Watchman. I believe it has been out for almost 3 years now and I love it as much as I did when we released it. Shawn Maher really did an amazing job nailing exactly what I wanted in that scent. The runners up would be Coconut Nanas and Mousse Illuminee.

3) Where do you get inspiration for the names you come up with for each scent?

I like to tell a story and make scents about a person/job/action. I want the copy, label and scent to tell a story and use all 3 to pull it together. The Watchman, for example, is a dark and stormy aquatic. We paired that copy with the lighthouse and a stormy coastline visual on the label. But the lighthouse has to have someone that works it, aka The Watchman. The hard part is when I make a scent that I really like but It was not intentional(no plan) so I have to create something that will go with it. I have a group of testers that is great with giving ideas and helping me brainstorm if needed.

4) If you had to live the life of one of your scent names, which one are you choosing?

Hmmm... let's see. The Royal would be nice. Being pampered and having all the wine I can drink sounds pretty tempting. The Watchman sounds exciting but I think my fear of heights would be an issue. So I am going with The Explorer. We have always been an outdoor family-camping, hiking, archery etc so I think that would be a great fit.

*We’ve named this scent for he who dares to venture into the unknown in search of new takes on tired ideas, in search of novelty in the familiar: The Explorer.

(INTERVIEW CONTINUES IN THE REPLY)

July 14, 2023 - Frigid Friday

• Brush: Yaqi Dandelion Green 24mm Cashmere
• Razor: GEM Junior Chain Handle #TWINS
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Iced Tea
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder EdP

FOF

Today’s theme:

I paired up a mentholated soap with a splash that also has coolant. I looked up the ingredients to be certain. The soap has menthyl lactate, which is made from menthol and lactic acid. It is primarily used as a coolant in cosmetic products. The splash has the WS-23 synthetic coolant. My face is definitely freezing today.

Today’s challenge:

Ok, shaving with ATG on the first pass is contrary to all the recommendations on how to wetshave. Still, points are at stake. I used the second half of my twins set today. At first, I was apprehensive about using a GEM and starting ATG, but the 1912 head design is a very mild shaver for me, plus the blade has a few shaves on it. No worries about the new blade harshness I sometimes get. Even though not really part of the challenge, but in spirit of the theme, I decided to really freeze my face (helps that it is quite hot outside today). I have a couple menthol droppers that I got with Declaration Grooming splashes. For the first pass, I added a drop of menthol into the lather (made with cold tap water). I proceeded to go atg for the entire first pass (yes, even my neck). This GEM razor handled the atg pass very well. A little tricky on the neck, but no real issues. My beard growth is mostly centerline out on my cheeks and neck. Going ATG on the neck meant finishing around the Adam’s Apple where I am most likely to get a nick or weeper. Not today, no nicks or faults.

A rinse with cold water, and added another menthol drop for the next XTG pass. This one I did top to bottom. Really starting to feel the coolant. I think last time I used Iced Tea, I didn’t really feel freezing until rinsing the third pass. Today, those two drops really brought the chill faster.

Another cold rinse, and another drop of menthol. Pass three was XTG bottom to top. Did I say it was getting cooler, now we are getting frosty. Still, awesome lather out of the Siero base. Third pass verdict, cold and face getting as smooth as ice.

Still I felt there was more to do. Rinse with more cold water, and add another drop of menthol to the lather. It was a 4 pass shave today. Finally going WTG giving me a nice and smooth shave. 4 drops of added menthol was crazy strong now. My eyes were stinging a bit. Gotta say, my cheeks are the smoothest they have been all month. My neck is almost bbs, some more ATG buffing and touch up could get it there, but DFS is plenty for me. The splash added another wave of chill to the face. No burning from the alcohol, just the tingling cold of the WS-23.

Today’s Fragrance:

I am a tea drinker, so picking up tea themed soaps is an easy choice. However, currently living in the South, and seemingly a lifetime ago outside New Orleans, I have never liked sweet tea. I know, so blasphemous. Adding sugar to tea really changes the flavor. I’m not a coffee drinker, and for the longest time my caffeine delivery was from Coca-Cola. A while ago, I had to cut down my soft drink consumption. I can’t stand the flavor of artificial sweeteners, so no diet drinks. Tea became my new habit. Started with lots of lemon, but quickly got to drinking black tea. Not liking sweet tea kept me from picking up Wholly Kaw - Iced Tea for a while. I feared it would come off too much like sweet tea. I didn’t need to worry, it is more a citrusy tea scent, but not getting that sugary tea I don’t like. To pair it with splash and fragrance, I went to House of Mammoth for the wonderful Sonder. It gives me a creamy lemon scent. Kind of like a nice lemon curd filling (I finally learned how to make some for a cake last week. Yum!). I also get a bit a vanilla in it. So today I smell like a fruity iced tea served with the lemon bars my mom makes when we visit. Feeling pretty good.

Today’s Haiku:

A cold frozen face,

Lemon freshly brightens things,

Perfect for summer.

Day 14 -Frigid Friday * Brush: Maggard Razors - Black Resin Handle Synthetic Shaving Brush
Razor: Karve - CB * Blade: Astra - Green
Lather: Noble Otter - Orbit * Post Shave: Noble Otter - Orbit * Fragrance: Seaforth - Heather

It is a nice day for a frozen shave, we are feeling the heat outside. The shave was slower, with a LOT smaller strokes going against the grain. I will probably change out the blade today.

For the fragrance, I went with the sponsor spotlight, Spearhead. I went with Heather. I was concerned by the description because I love oakmoss. But it is definitely still there. I think it paired well with the Orbit.

ROTY #FOF

July 14, 2023 – Frigid Friday

• Brush: APShaveCo w/ 24mm Cashmere Fan
• Razor: Muhle R41 Grande
• Blade: Wizamet (9)
• Lather: Gillette – Pure
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Chaipre

Challenge: I shaved against the grain on the my sideburns, cheeks, and around my chin which was the most difficult part.

This is the APShaveCo brush available at the razor company.

Gillette Pure is marketed as a “soothing shave cream with aloe” on the label. Menthol is among the listed ingredients. I’m not sure if Gillette still sells this. It’s not on their website. This was their premium shave cream that could be found in Walgreens. The instructions say to rub the cream on your face and lather with your hands or a brush. It doesn’t say anything about adding water, but I decided it needed some. It didn’t begin to lather until i had worked some water into it. Like canned goo, this dried out quickly on my face, despite my efforts to hydrate it. Slickness is better than Barbasol, but there’s not really any secondary slickness; not ideal for today’s challenge.

There’s nothing special with the fragrance of Pure. It’s a generic powdery barbershop that smells like baby powder. It smells clean.

This is an older Declaration Grooming splash that includes menthol in the ingredients list. It's a pleasant level of cooling for someone like me who isn't a Cryogen masochistic. Chaipre is an awesome fragrance, probably my favorite original fragrance from Scott. I get a mixture of cardamom, citrus oil, fresh green notes similar to eucalyptus, moss, sweet citrus, and tea. This bottle goes with a tub of soap in the Icarus base. I think that makes it the OG Chaipre. I’m curious how V2 compares.

I don’t know if there’s such a thing as cooling cologne. If there is, I certainly don’t have any. Instead, I’ve chosen something thematically chilly, Snowy Owl. There’s a note in this that’s meant to smell like snow. I kind of get that, but there’s a honeydew melon quality to it. The fragrance right now is soft and clean, with slight vanilla sweetness. I detect a bit of a musk, and a hint of an animalic note.

After drydown, the musk and animalic notes are easier to smell. Some amber and incense come out. It’s a nice fragrance. It’s somewhat feminine. It feels elegant.

#FOF

July 14, 2023

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic Li’l Brudder
• Razor: Gem MMOC
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
• Lather: K Shave Worx – Snow Dog
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Co. – Seaforth! Sea Ice Lime – Splash
• Fragrance: Bon Parfumeur – 803 Sea Spray, Ginger and Patchouli

Today’s theme and challenge were clearly combined for the express purpose of torturing Lather Games participants and entertaining the djudges, like the jesters we are.

Are you happy now? Happy that we’re playing your little games, like toys for your amusement?! Hmm?!!!? Are you?!?!

Despite menthol indeed being in the ingredient list for Snow Dog, it’s not at all the chilliest soap I’ve used. I would have used Arctique if I hadn't already used B&M another day this month (gotta chase that 30 brands point). The shave itself, although not that cold, was a bit rough with having to go ATG on my damn head, something I never do (a normal shave for me is WTG and XTG). I hope it’s not off-challenge that I didn’t shave off the beard I’ve had for the last ten years. Maybe I wasn’t extra kind to myself by picking the MMOC as my razor for the day, but go big or go home, you know?

I certainly made up for the lackluster chilliness with Sea ICE Lime. Sea Spice Lime, the scent I love so much that I bought the cold version, too. The WS-23 is very effective at creating frigidity without forcing the menthol scent which I can easily take or leave (but certainly does not make sense in tandem with all fragrances). Thinking about the mint notes of the soap and then using a splash that’s generally a summer grab for me, I immediately thought about winter walks on the beach, something my partner and I love to do. 803 is described as a “frosted patchouli,” but the other notes of the fragrance were what really brought together my lather and splash. The aquatic/marine accord, what 803 uses for its “cold” notes, was evocative of my lather, while the ginger, pink pepper and juniper felt like they worked beautifully alongside the notes in Sea Ice Lime. With the warmth of patchouli representing the scarf, sweater, and coat that are necessary for a winter beach walk in Maine, the end result was just what I was hoping for. #FOF

July 14, 2023 – Cry-ogen

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Declaration Grooming B16
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Cryogen
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Cryogen
• Post Shave: Stirling – Glacial Unscented Balm

I’m crying. I shaved 10 minutes ago and here I am, crying. I can’t stop it. It’s not sadness, or anger, or pain – it’s just – I’m crying. This unholy trinity comes on slow but strong. My oh my – I thought it was going to be fine. I saw the crystals and I know there’s so much menthol in here that if Ron adds another measure the soap falls apart. Still, I was so brazen I shaved with cold water. Foolish boy. Here I sit, menthol leaking from my pores, snot from my nose, and tears from my eyes. This stuff packs a punch.

As for the quality? Well – somehow the CF base is still among the easiest and quickest to lather, even when it’s loaded with all that menthol. Smooth shave, easy.

As for the challenge, well, I forgot. See – I was planning it all out, I got out of my cold shower, I was ready to boast about how the Blackbird Lite is undefeated in smoothness and it wasn’t an issue. Then, as I was building my lather, the last 1000 shaves came into play, my mind drifted to the fact that my daughter broke her arm tonight and I relived that, and wouldn’t you know it I finished a whole first pass before realizing what I had done. I did shave the second pass against the grain and the third across the grain, but, I don’t think that’ll net me any challenge points.

So, like the rest of my evening, this shave was quite discombobulated. What can you do, such is life, on and on.

FOF Haiku of the day

Menthol smells real clean Some hate it, but not this guy Will my wife? We’ll see.

I still don’t understand Haikus and these rarely have a lot to do with in depth details of the scent so I’m surely not going to win any FOF prizes, but, if I’m honest I’ve really enjoyed coming up with these 17 syllables every day.

• Brush: Naked Armor Mahogany Wood Shaving Brush

• Razor: Gillette Travel Tech

• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum

• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Co. - Seaforth! Sea Ice Lime

• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Co. - Seaforth Sea Spice Lime

• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Falling Into the Sea

Today's Theme: Sea ice Lime has a nice cooling agent

My theme for today's shave: Aquatic Citrus, overall a good fragrance progression. #photocontest #FOF #ROTY