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.