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.