Austere August 2023

• Brush: >!REDACTED!<
• Razor: Munnin Woodworks Forest Moss Sextoblade
• Blade: Kismet (15)
• Lather: MdC Vetyver Brain Bowl (Day 111)
• Post: CB V splash

A sleepy shave, but a good shave. I got too much water in the brush and I had bubbly water running down the brush and my arm almost the entire shave. This knot hold water better than most sponges I have used.

monthofweckoning

August 15, 2023

• Brush: Zenith 508 Moar Boar
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade
• Blade: Kismet hair shaper (99)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Sheep
• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - unscented balm
• Post Shave: Olay Complete

I was getting bored with this stuff about a week ago, but I'm back to really enjoying using it. The mutton tallow is getting it done in high fashion for me. I can see me someday getting rid of all/most of my scented soaps and just using unscented bases. It really simplifies things.

#Monthofweckoning

The Fifteenth Day Of Weckoning is upon us

• Brush: Rubberset 400-3 with a 26 mm unbleached Zenith boar knot at 56 mm loft
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade Med Prep
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei, Polymer beschichtet (21)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Oceana
• Post Shave: Ralon – Original
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Island Man

I finally caught up and watched one of u/sgrdddy's slurry lather videos, but I didn't fully manage to reproduce it. Nothing that a bit of additional water and some scrubbing wouldn't fix, but I clearly have some more experimenting to do.

#Monthofweckoning

August 15, 2023

• Brush: Zenith 31mm MOAR BOAR
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade
• Blade: Personna Hair Shaper (15)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Sonder
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Sonder

Couple positives and a negative. Switched to morning shaves from evening shaves since school starts tomorrow and I want that morning pick me up of shaving before work. First positive, 15 days in and I’ve got the process for a 2 pass Weck shave down to a solid 25 minutes from the 45ish it was taking at the beginning of the month. Second positive, Sonder is a much better morning scent than evening scent. It’s great at night, but man do I feel ready to go today in a way I haven’t yet this month. Only negative, 10 hours between shaves is not enough time for this razor. My face is going to dislike me today.

AA Mileage: 64 miles. Since I’m switching to morning shaves this will now reflect the prior evening’s ride. Going to do 5 miles tonight to get the week started, but can’t log it yet.

Tags: #Monthofweckoning #MammothMafia23

Aug 15, 2023 - A Wecked Mammoth August

• Prep: CeraVe - Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps Grant w/Maggard 26mm Boar

• Razor: Weck Sextoblade

• Blade: Kismet Hair Shaper

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Dammusi

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder

Cheeks & Neck: WTG/ATG, chin: WTG/XTG/ATG(kinda)

Got a semi ATG pass on my chin since I’m still working on that. But I got a really nice almost BBS shave everywhere else!

Remembered to weigh my tub this morning before the shave and used 11g this week and 18g total in two weeks. Stark increase in usage from last week but still a fairly reasonable 1.3g per day.

Raw Hoggin album

Daily tags: #RawHoggin #MammothMafia23 #MonthOfWeckoning

August 15, 2023

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks w/AP Shave Co 24mm Titanium Synthetic
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade (Straight Shave 296)
• Blade: Kismet (15)
• Lather: Saponificio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Soap
• Post Shave: Saponificio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Fragrance: Saponificio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Eau de Parfum  

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

Kismet Blade - Losing My Edge
#Monthofweckoning

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I did a timed shave today using my normal lathering method. u/sgrdddy tried this method in the video he posted yesterday.

My shaving time was 15 minutes. This included Thayers, cleanup, aftershave, and EdP spritzing. More importantly, the shave lacked for nothing. I had two perfect (for me) lathers providing the elegant scent of 70th Anniversary and the light, slippery face-feel of the Beta 4.3 vegetal base. Lather that accumulated on the razor would easily slide down the razor and fall off cleanly, and it would rinse cleanly with no effort. I had enough lather in the brush for a third pass, and I only had a little lather falling off the brush while building it for the first pass. This is ideal for me; the full richness of lather for all passes of the shave without too much time spent to build it, or much lather wasted.

I often get carried away while shaving and take longer than I did today. Because I was aware I was timing, I did not rush, but I kept my focus on each part of the process. I allot 30 minutes for shaving normally, and always expect to be done around 20 minutes. This time includes straight razor cleaning and stropping. (I strop after shaving.)

I included a microscope photo of an area near the heel in the album today. I haven't shown this area of the edge for a while. Excellent blade condition continues. The other day u/_walden_ asked how large a beard hair would be in these photos of mine. Apparently beard hair can vary from 17 to 180 microns. Gillette says that beard hair averages 100 microns. In my photos, at the bottom left, you'll see a scale that shows the distance of 50 microns on vertical and horizontal axes. As you can see, a beard hair is quite large at the magnification I'm using.

August 15, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co Gold Flakes with Oumo 30mm Boar
• Razor: Diane Hair Shaper – Patent 33095 78145
• Blade: Fromm Hair Shaper Blade (15)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Sheep
• Post Shave: Declaration Ghosting – Unscented Aftershave Liniment

I wouldn’t call today a “good shave” and certainly not a close shave, but maybe “good enough” would be appropriate. Gets a little better every day. #unscented #Monthofweckoning #RawHoggin

August 15, 2023 - Almost Halfway

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (15)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder Splash
• Daily Tags: #Monthofweckoning #RawHoggin #MammothMafia23
• Passes: Face - wtg/atg Neck - xtg up and down

Brush before shave 15

A shave before seeing the Barbie movie. My daughter is making me wear pink.

August 15, 2023

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps 28mm Synthetic
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade
• Blade: Personna Glide-coated Hair Shaper (15)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder
• Post Shave: Stirling - Unscented - Balm
• Fragrance: Kenneth Cole - Reaction

#MammothMafia23
#Monthofweckoning

Passes: (Face) WTG, XTG
Passes: (Neck) WTG, ATG
Cuts: 0 (Running total: 20)

I think I've hit a rhythm. Another enjoyable close shave.

How long until the blade starts to get dull and the shaves get bad?

2023-08-15 - Day Fifteen

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade
• Blade: Kismet (15)
• Brush: Omega Pro48
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - War
• Aftershave: Lucky Tiger Splash
• Balm: Nivea Cooling Balm

Austere August:

• Day: 15

*MRTNG's Ultra Nightmare Mode * #RawHoggin - Brush Pics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 * #MonthOfWeckoning

Dear u/PrideTwo

On this fifteenth day of Austere August, as I took up arms for my daily #WAR, I couldn't help but notice a subtle change in the razor's behavior. The blade, having endured fifteen encounters with my stubborn whiskers, bore the marks of its battles. While still efficient at its duty, there was a newfound hint of tugs and pulls, as if the blade itself was starting to bear the weight of this relentless war.

The shave unfolded with a mix of familiarity and a subtle discomfort. The razor, my trusty companion, glided across my face with its usual precision, yet there was a sensation of resistance, a reminder that time and use were gradually taking their toll.

As I stood there, razor in hand, I couldn't help but draw parallels between this battle and my own journey. It's as if the razor and I are growing intertwined, marked by the challenges we face. The scent of the soap, that overpowering aroma of #WAR, no longer felt foreign; instead, it had become a part of this daily ritual, a strangely comforting presence.

As the fifteenth day draws to a close, I'm not blind to the evolving bond with this #WAR, the gradual acceptance of the struggle. The razor, once an adversary, has become a part of my routine, a familiar companion in this journey. Tomorrow, as I step into the sixteenth day, I'll carry this evolving perspective with me, a mix of acceptance, attachment, and a hint of that unexpected connection. Onward, my journal, through the ever-deepening complexities of this path.

August 15, 2023

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: AKA Brushworx- 26mm Boar
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper
• Blade: Kismet (15)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag

I've broken in a couple boars like this at this point, but it always surprises me how much I end up liking each one. #RawHoggin #Monthofweckoning

August 15, 2023 – “All the rest have 31″

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps “Dundy” Maggard Boar 26mm
• Razor: Marianna #310 Hair Shaper
• Blade: Personna Hair Shaper (15)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Dammusi
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Dammusi

Thirty days has September, April, June, and November, all the rest have 31 except February…” that’s how I learned it, anyway. All that means is we’re not quite half way because this is one of those extra long months.

Shave was fine. Dundy was weirdly still damp from last nights shave, guess I didn’t fling the water out of it enough when I was done. It’ll be nice when I can towel dry the knot again. Dammusi is still great and aside from accidentally scraping a bit off a cut from a few days ago this was pretty much a bloodless shave. I’ll take it.

As always, the two pass hybrid method works well and I seem to still be improving, even if this blade sucks. Not brave enough to try a 3rd pass, but, improving.

Also - wetshaving database constantly auto adjusts my blade number of uses to the wrong number and I can't figure out why. Anyone else?

Tags: #MammothMafia23 #RawHoggin #Monthofweckoning