u/Environmental-Gap380's SOTDs for challenge 'Raw Hoggin 2023'

August 1, 2023 - Austere August Raw Hoggin Mammoth Mafia Weckoning

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder Splash
• Daily Tags: #Monthofweckoning #RawHoggin #MammothMafia23

One shave down and 30 to go. Two passes wtg and xtg took longer than I would for three with a de. Good news, I survived with just a little blood loss. A small nick at the base of my throat is all I did for damage. I will say the cheeks are 10x easier to shave than the neck. My left hand was the shakier one, but the nick was with my right hand. Hopefully I will settle down soon. Noise is about the same as an MMOC, but the shave was closer on my face than a two pass GEM shave would get me. I might watch some more videos and practice more with the dulled razor u/gcgallant sent me to try and get blood free experience. I did several practices with it in the last week, but I still felt so awkward. Having a blade than can bite increases the nerves. Also thanks to gc for the Kismet blade.

The brush I picked for this month was going to be my AA Raw Hoggin brush last year, but then I saw the copper handled Zeniths and got a bad case of the I wants. I left it sealed in box until today. Pics of my set, brush unboxing, and brush after 1 shave. I didn’t do a long soak of the brush, just put the brush in a small cup half filled with water while I set up. 2-3 minutes later, I started loading the brush. As soon as I could see the brush had picked up soap, to the face I went. I didn’t waste the water from the brief presoak; it was used to hydrate the lather. It took several dips to bring enough water to the paste on my face and get a pretty thick lather. Still was thicker than I’d have liked. More water for the second pass, but still was a little thick, but better. If I’d have gone for a third pass, maybe I’d have dialed it in.

My lather/post shave choice of Sonder will be a bit different than my Alive August last year. Both are great scents, and if I repeated Alive, I wouldn’t be disappointed. I decided Sonder about a week ago, and I think I am going to enjoy it. Sonder to me smells like a lemon creme sandwich cookie. If this year is like last, that impression will evolve over the month. I will go look at the scent notes again in a day or two, but for now just trying to see what I can get without any prompting. As it becomes increasingly familiar, I think more nuances will come out for me.

One time tags for the challenges: u/LaTuskFamilia u/EldrormR u/djundjila u/Semaj3000

August 2, 2023 - Austere August Raw Hoggin Mammoth Mafia Weckoning

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (2)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder Splash
• Daily Tags: #Monthofweckoning #RawHoggin #MammothMafia23

Today’s Picture - After 1 shave

Second day trying to learn this Weck. No blood, but my neck is not liking my shaky hands. The cheeks to jawline are going just fine with either hand. Left hand is slower though. The neck feels like I’m trying to do everything upside down and backwards, especially shaving up towards the chin/jawline. Two passes wtg/xtg on the face, and xtg/other xtg on the neck. I’m just shaving north to south and south to north on the neck. Splash gave me a bit of burning, but at least I didn’t get any nicks tonight.

Nothing new on the Sonder use. Still getting a lemon creme cookie scent. My wife says she smells vanilla, but didn’t get any citrus. She didn’t smell it very soon after I shaved.

August 3, 2023 - Austere August Raw Mammoth Weckoning

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (3)
• 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

Today’s Picture

Ugh, I forgot to take my pic before the brush was wet. Getting a bunch of split ends going now, mostly around the outside of the knot. I’m surprised at how few bristles have fallen out with no loss at all today. This brush is definitely stiffer than my two Zeniths. It took a while of face scrubbing with many splashes of water to get a decent lather tonight. I tried atg tonight for the second pass. That was too soon in this journey. Lots of burn from the splash. Just an ok shave, not super close, but unless I totally mess up, won’t do any touch ups with this razor. Maybe if I get to where I feel it is much easier.

Sonder is still quite nice. Just getting lemon and vanilla (I guess from the benzoin), but I think I’ll get more from it by the end of the month.

Gotta finish up some work tonight. Hoping to enjoy another “Summer Friday Hours” tomorrow, but half of the things I did today messed up. If I can get things to where they can be finished by 1PM tomorrow, I can cut out early.

Update: I didn’t notice it other than the burn from the splash, but I had a spot of blood on each side near the jawline. Cut total: 3. I think I’m still better than average for a newbie. Last year the MMOC took some blood several times in the first week. I think I was less cautious last year since it was closer to what I was familiar with in razors.

August 4, 2023 - Austere August Mafia Hoggin’ Weckoning

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (4)
• 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

Today’s Pic

Today I managed to finish work a little early. Instead of having an early shave, decided to run to Costco thinking it wouldn’t be busy at 3:00PM on a Friday. So it is an after dinner shave today. My wife thinks I’m crazy trying to shave with the Weck. She might be right. Cheeks and jaw are mostly problem free, but the neck is where all my coordination goes away. It’s like I mess up my depth perception when shaving there. I was going along cut free, but hit my neck just below my Adam’s Apple and drew some blood. Sonder is still performing well even if I’m not getting as wet a lather as I would in a bowl. Scent wise, I haven’t gotten past lemon and vanilla creme. The SOC is a pretty nice brush, but still very stiff. Definitely getting split ends, but I’d say this brush has the most backbone out of all my brushes.

If I win the Mega Millions, would it still count if I hired a barber to do my shaves? Not going to happen (hiring a barber, I’m totally winning that $billion+ jackpot).

August 5, 2023 - Austere August Wecked Mammoth Hog

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (5)
• 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
• Music: Dave Brubeck - “Take 5”

Brush before shave 5

I told my wife and daughter that there was no blood from today’s shave. My daughter said, “That’s because you didn’t shave your legs.” In the first 5 days that is just 4 nicks so far. I thought I was going to slash my neck tonight when I slipped, but somehow I stopped before the blade did a bunch of damage.

Busy day today. I got up, made breakfast for the family. Then I got some ribs going on the smoker. I tried a Costco rub I picked up this summer. I combined it with a glaze of peach bourbon bbq sauce. I should have made a Smash cocktail to go with it. Before dinner, we hit the community pool to cool off. The shave was a bit later than planned, but that coolant in the splash is feeling really nice tonight. Especially since I didn’t get much of a burn from the splash. Still loving Sonder, but after that dinner, was really tempted to get Smash out.

The brush is getting more split ends, but has a ways to go before I’d say it us soft. I can’t comfortably splay the brush, so I’m having more success with painting the lather once it builds up. When I try circular motions, it is like the brush pulls the lather off my face, but a couple paint strokes puts it back. Tonight I did get a better hydrated lather than the previous shaves this month. Might be able to take more water, but getting closer.

August 6, 2023 - Austere August Wecked Mammoth Hog

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (6)
• 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
• Music: Still Corners - “The Trip”

Today’s Brush Pic Before Shave 6

My shave was earlier today, plus I trimmed my hair and goatee first. Today’s lather was the best yet this month. Lots more water today, and spent 2x as much time working on face lathering. I got the closest yet to my normal bowl lather. Once again, the face shave wasn’t bad, but I have a hard time getting my neck skin tight, so I feel a lot of tugging on the neck. No nicks again today, but lots of stinging on the neck from the splash.

August 7, 2023 - Austere August Wecked Mammoth Hog

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (7)
• 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
• Music: Big Head Todd and the Monsters - “Bittersweet” - Live at Red Rocks

Pic of SOC before shave 7

The brush continues to get more split ends, but a couple bristles broke off tonight. Overall it has shed less than many new brushes I’ve tried. That cherry handle feels really good in the hand. The finish is sort of satin and while smooth, isn’t slippery. I’m quite pleased with the brush so far. It isn’t breaking in as fast as my Zeniths, but another 20 plus shaves hopefully will get it softening up nicely. I didn’t get as nice a lather tonight. I should have tried to load more soap than I did. I didn’t shake out as much water after soaking the brush, and it just didn’t seem to take up the soap as much. No blood again, but my neck really fought me tonight. Tried adjusting my grip more. It worked better going up, but the downward pass kept catching the edge. I am stunned I didn’t cut up my neck. Now the splash burned a lot, and not very close there, but my face I could probably get bbs with another xtg pass. I didn’t get to enjoy the Sonder much. My sinuses are a bit stuffy today, so not picking up much.

August 8, 2023 - Austere Hoggin Weck Mafia

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (8)
• 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 after shave #8

Another bloodless Weck shave. While no nicks of weepers, but I almost lost my right earlobe. I slipped and I felt the razor hit my ear, but it must have been the tip away from the edge of the blade. Tried a bit more adjustment to the blade angle. I think I was going a bit too shallow. Sometimes I feel like the blade is catching the skin. I got the lather well liaded and lots of water, but though to my fingers the lather felt very slick, maybe I can get it even more so?

August 9, 2023 - Weckoning Mammoth Raw August

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (9)
• 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 #9

I went into the office for the first time since May today. I’ve been staying at home to help my wife who is unable to go back to work yet. I got a lot done there at least. Today’s shave started with a drier brush for loading. It needed several additions of water to go from pasty to a nice lather. Again no nicks or weepers, and not a lot of burning from the splash. The coolant in the splash feels wonderful after a day wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt at a warm office. I can smell the scent better tonight, but still not getting any of the nuances beyond lemon and vanilla/creme. I think by this many shaves last year with Alive, I was getting a bit of apple out of it. Maybe I’ll try a spray of the EdP later, and see if I can get something else. Still really like this set though, but I’m hoping my nose will get more distinct notes at some point.

August 10, 2023 - Raw Weck Mammoth

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (10)
• 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 10

10 shaves down with the Weck. It is just the 12th straight/shavette shave I’ve done. No faults again, but still not a comfortable shave. When I bring out the safety razor again next month, they will feel easy. I’m getting more consistent with the face lathering though. I’m starting to get more than just the citrus and benzoin. I am starting to pick up something I’d just call green, fresh cut plants. Once the citrus fades, maybe I’ll get a bit of the sandalwood, but fresh after the shave and splash, the vanilla notes of the benzoin are covering it up I think.

I am wondering how well the blade will last. Now it is wider than a GEM blade, so the edge does less overall travel on the face. Maybe it will still feel ok when I have 3x the shaves on it.

August 11, 2023 - Raw Weck Mammoth

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (11)
• 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
• Blood: 1 weeper (total of 5 this month)

Brush inspection before shave 11

I planned to shave earlier, but I woke up with a headache this morning and stopped working at 11:00 to go back to sleep. Oh well, headache is mostly gone now. I thought the shave went ok on my cheeks, and a little improvement on the neck, but I had a weeper on my face. The splash didn’t stop it, so a spot treatment of alum to staunch the blood flow was needed. I am not getting the smoothest shaves yet. I am trying to keep my angle a little under a 30 degree angle. To shallow and the blade grabs, but much steeper and the blade feels like it scrapes more than shaves. Lathering is getting better, but is so much messier than bowl lathering. Not much new on the scent today. About an hour post shave the scent seems to be a creamy sandalwood once the citrus notes fade. Earlier in the month I’d have said the citrus was more lemon than bergamot or grapefruit, but while I don’t get a distinct bergamot yet, the citrus is more a general citrus scent. More like being at the grocer with a stand with a variety of the citrus fruits. It has been interesting how the scent has been evolving for me. Previously I’d say it was a lemon cream sandwich cookie, but while it still gives that, there is more to unpack. AA is similar to the LG Feats of Fragrance, but focused on learning one scent, instead of exploring various scents, and how they interact.

August 12, 2023 - Weck Hoggin Mafia

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (12)
• 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
• Blood: 1 weeper (total of 6 this month)

Brush before shave 12

I reopened the weeper from yesterday. Otherwise, it would have been a decent shave. This month has been teaching me that neck beards are underrated. If I was just doing the sides of my face, this would be pretty good. I feel like I’m getting the skin on my neck as tight as I can, but it just grabs the blade sometimes. I’m stunned I haven’t cut up my neck much. The weeper was probably just a little bump I shaved off. I think a little flinch sideways when the blade gets stopped would be a disaster.

Brush doesn’t seem much different the last few days. Still pretty stiff and scrubby. This Semogue is going to take more time than the Moar Boar to break in fully. On the plus side, my lather was really good the last couple days. I do make more mess face lathering, but I’m getting more patient about building the lather. My Weck has decided to start losing the chrome plating. It has a bare spot that flaked off, and the area with the engraving of the name is starting to look a bit off. Hopefully it is brass under the chrome. It looks like it might be.

August 13, 2023 - Weck Hoggin Mafia

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (13)
• 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 13

I got in my shave a bit earlier today. I tried a more acute angle. It did feel like it glides better on my face, but the neck is still tricky. I have creases at the bottom of my neck that are parallel to my pass direction. I can’t stretch my skin enough to flatten those bits. I’ll work on different angles and try having the blade skewed so only 1 point on the edge passes over those parts at a time. The last few days I’ve spent a lot more time on the lathering. I think I’m getting to about 80-90% of the way to how my lather usually comes out when I bowl lather. I think I’ll find my daughter’s water sprayer. I might get better control adding water that way, compared to dipping the brush in the mug of water. Soap and splash are still great. Nothing new today in the scent post shave. I might go out to mow now while the coolant is still freezing my face.

August 14, 2023 - Almost Halfway

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (14)
• 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 14

We took my daughter shopping for some shoes after I finished work today, so it was a fairly late shave tonight. We found a pair she liked at the Adidas outlet that were 50% off, so I’d say that was a success. While shopping, I popped into the fragrance outlet. I can’t recall what Polo Green smelled like. I haven’t had a bottle of it since the late 80s. So I spent a while giving a few a sniff. No testers of Creed were available, but they had a couple dupes to give it a sniff or two. The Aventus dupe smelled pretty good to me, but my wife didn’t like it. I did like Polo Blue and Armani Acqua di Gio. My wife liked Polo Green the best out of the sample sprays. Maybe some hints to my wife and daughter for birthday or Christmas.

Beginning to wonder if the blade will make it to 31. No nicks or weepers at least, but wasn’t the best feeling shave tonight on my cheeks. I still plan to tough it out, but I’d hoped I’d make it past 20 or more before I felt it was getting rougher. I spent a long time on lather for both passes. I don’t think the lather was on the dry side. I got it very slick feeling, and it had good residual slickness. I did try to get the blade at a more acute angle tonight. I’d estimate around 15 degrees for most of it. Surprisingly, though the cheeks didn’t go great, the neck went about the same, maybe a touch less feedback under the chin. I guess I’m just all over the place. This was my 16th straight shave ever. Probably never going to try the half de again, but might give the AC Kamisori Shavette another try after this month. Probably if I get some Feather or Kai guarded blades.

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 - Wecked Raw Mammoth

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (16)
• 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 16

Wow, got busy goofing around after work and almost forgot to shave. Still not getting the angle just right. Tried even shallower on my second pass. That seemed to work ok on my left side, but not as well on the right. My neck was about the same as usual. Just doesn’t matter what angle I try. So starting to change my pattern a little. WTG on my neck is mostly from the centerline to the sides, but that doesn’t work well for me with a blade wider than a de. Trying to give it a bit of an angle sort of mostly xtg but leaning wtg. I’ll try that for both passes tomorrow. Now the big question, does belly stropping do anything? If so, how many strokes needed?

I do think I got the best lather this month. I loaded the brush pretty quick and painted the pasty soap on my face. Many splashes of water, and whoa! My brush had extra lather after the first pass. I didn’t need to try and load any extra tonight.

Waiting on my code for my LG prize now. I’ve decided to go for soaps I’ve wanted to try, but balked at the price before. For a deluded second thought about getting a straight, but if I’m going to splurge, I want more attractive scales than black plastic. I’ll stick to the Weck for now, and try to continue practicing after this month is over. Maybe try straight Saturdays or Sundays.

August 17, 2023 - Wecked Raw Mammoth

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (17)
• 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 17

Wow! I finally got a pretty good shave. No nicks (not for a while really), but very little irritation on the neck. I ‘d say the neck was ok, but my face shave was great. Smoothest I’ve been all month. Lathering has definitely gotten to where I like it. No reloading even a little, and could have pushed for a third pass with what was still in the brush. Still not getting any new scents from Sonder, just been able to get the citrus, benzoin, and after a while the sandalwood. Maybe some summer allergies are messing with my sense of smell.

August 18, 2023 - Less Than Two Weeks Of Weckoning Left

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (18)
• 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 18

Have I reached the turning point on AA? I’m getting better at face lathering with the brush, though it takes me 3x as long as bowl lathering. I don’t think the brush is as well broken in as my two Zeniths were by the 18th shave. The SOC is a firm scrubber still, but it is holding a bit more lather now. Tonights shave on the face was as good as yesterday. Still just ok on the neck, but thinking about shaving my neck with a de, that us always worse than the face too. I’d still give the win on the neck to a de, but the face is getting closer.

My nose is being stubborn still. Have not gotten anything new out of the soap or splash this week. Maybe going for a swim this evening messed with my nose. It could be that the blend of scents is just difficult for me to get more individual notes. Sonder is still a banger of a scent though. The splash is feeling really good on my cheeks tonight. It was windy out at the pool tonight, and I’ve gotten a little wind and sun burned.

August 19, 2023 - Raw Weck Mafia

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (18)
• 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 19

I got a nice lazy Saturday afternoon shave in today. Did a little grocery shopping this morning, but otherwise, been relaxing. We did buy our tickets to go to Six Flags on Monday. I am hoping that a lot of kids are already back to school so it won’t be horrendously crowded.

After a couple days of good shaves, I got another good one in today. Probably 3rd best this month. Neck actually was less trouble, but overall not as close as the previous 2 days. Lathering went very well. I’ve found the brush picks up soap better if I get as much water as I can out of it after a 5 minute soak. I do have to add in more water lathering, but it ends up with a nicely loaded brush by the time my first pass is ready. Now that the shaves are going a bit smoother, I’m curious to see what a new blade would feel like. Oh well, I can try that on Sep. 1. After months of variety and a regular rotation of brands, I’m not getting tired of just using Sonder.

Today I put in my order for my LG prize. I ended up going over the gift card amount by a bit, but I have an interesting assortment of things coming now. Remote Learning is en route too. September will be full of interesting scents, plus the 4th will be daily shave 400 in a row, unless I miss a day.

August 20, 2023 - Mammoth Hog Weckoning

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (20)
• 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 Day 20 Before Shaving

Ugh. I had to get up at 4:30 AM to go pick up my wife after her sleep study. I had a hard time falling asleep, so got just a bit over 2 hours sleep. I’m trying to stay up until closer to normal bedtime so I don’t sleep all day and then not sleep tonight before our trip to Six Flags - Bowie. We haven’t been to this one before, but have been to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL many times when we lived about 15 miles north of there in WI.

I really should have tried to shave this morning when I was a bit more alert. I had to really focus and slow down a bit today, so the shave took about 10 minutes longer than yesterday. Still getting little improvements on my neck. Not feeling the blade catch as much. From my sideburns to the jaw I can almost do it in a single swipe on the XTG pass. I think I get my skin the tightest in that direction.

I tried scooping less soap for my brush. After a few good shakes to get as much water out after the soak, I got worried that I went to far in getting the water out. The brush didn’t put much lather onto my face to start. I shouldn’t have been concerned though. Once I started working water into the soap, the brush blossomed and started giving out lots of lather. Pretty pleased with it in the end.

Still not getting a great shave, but I am noticing little improvements still, so I might get there sometime.

August 21, 2023 - 3 Weeks of Weck

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (21)
• 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 21 after a 5 minute soak

Shaving early today before heading to the amusement park. I figured I’d shave before putting on the sunscreen.

August 22, 2023 - Weckoning Mafia Raw

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (22)
• 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 pre shave 22

It was a nice and slow shave on a day off from work. After spending yesterday walking all over Six Flags America in Maryland, I slept in a little today. I spent at least 20 minutes on the shave today. I got a good shave, but I think I need a sharper blade to cross into great territory. No significant irritation, but it wasn’t the closest shave. I tried different angles on my neck today. I had the blade skewed slightly on the passes and it didn’t grab or tug as much. The brush is still pretty stiff, but it is getting easier to build up a good amount of lather. I gave myself a dash more splash today. There was a bit of a green note today, not just the creamy(vanilla-ish) lemon/citrus I’ve been getting all along. Still liking this scent a lot.

August 23, 2023 - Almost a Week of Weckoning Left

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (23)
• 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 23

Today is my last day of vacation. I should have taken the whole week off. The brush is loading quite well now, but while I can splay the knot, it takes effort and is very scritchy. Lather tonight was great. Shave was pretty good on the face, but it remains just ok again on the neck. I should have taken the kitchen scale up to my bathroom to keep track of the weight left. I’d estimate between 1 and 2 grams per shave. By the end of the month, I think I’ll be down to half or so left in the puck. I’ve been using a dash or 2 more splash than normal, so making a dent on the bottle.

August 24, 2023 - Entering the Home Stretch

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (24)
• 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 24

Ok, I hit a new high with the Weck tonight. I wasn’t sure while shaving, but as I am drying off now, my neck turned out pretty good. I need to remember how I did it. I already hit a bit better than this on my cheeks and jaw. Maybe if I try a new blade soon, I’ll get to at least damn fine shave on two passes. The brush is getting easier to build a great lather. When I first brush the soap on my face, I think no way that will build a lather. So dry and pasty to start, but after several applications of water and scrubbing the face, the brush is full of lather even after the second pass. Still loving Sonder, and I don’t think a month of use is going to take that away.

August 25, 2023 - Mammoth Weckoning Hog

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (25)
• 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 25 and lathered after first pass.

Pretty good again today. Blade is feeling duller, but still shaving. I got a bit of irritation on my neck though. I spent a long time scrubbing my face and building the lather. I added lots of water and took close to 10 minutes working on it for the first pass. Very slow Friday afternoon shave, but was an enjoyable shave taking my time for both passes. Sonder has gotten me many compliments from my wife and daughter this month. They really like this one. Now some may question their judgement, as they both like Tabac, and my wife liked Midnight Stag when I sampled it.

August 26, 2023 - Mammoth Weckoning Hog

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (26)
• 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 26

Got in an earlyish shave today. We are heading out to do some shopping this afternoon. Been in a bad habit of takeout the last week. A Sonic Drive-In opened about 2 blocks away from us. Today I spent even more time building the lather. I have been trying to scoop a little less each day. I’ve gone from about an almond sized scoop to a peanut sized scoop. I am getting as much lather even using less soap. Even though it felt like my movements were better and getting a good angle, my neck is very irritated today, like I’ve scratched it in places. Not razor burn at least, but the splash did sting, but the coolant is taking the sting out now. Under a week to go. I don’t think this blade will stay in after next Thursday. I got more green out of Sonder today. I gave myself an extra splash after all the stinging. So I got the citrus, creamy vanilla and maybe sandalwood, and some green like a freshly cut plant stem. I don’t always get the green scent, but it was nice to get a different note out of the normal lemon creme sandwich cookie that I always get off Sonder. Like many of my favorites, there is always more to get out of it.

I am looking forward to next Friday’s Remote Learning. I’m curious to see how the soap scent will handle being lathered. Maybe it will be like my shave in LG with my smoosh of Shag. The smoosh totally made the room smell like patchouli when I got it. Opening the baggy, it was strong patchouli, but when I lathered it up, the patchouli disappeared almost completely. It came out much later after I dried off. Maybe the funky cheese will get killed by the water and soap (I doubt it, but I can hope).

August 27, 2023 - Mammoth Weckoning Hog

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (27)
• 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 27

I found the minimum to load the brush for barely 2 passes. It was a scoop of soap about the size of a Skittle or Plain M&M. The second pass had a much thinner amount of lather. Shave was not feeling great. I’d guess the blade is starting to circle the drain. I think I’ll get 4 more shaves though. Today had nothing new on the scent to my nose, but still liking it.

August 28, 2023 - Mammoth Weckoning Hog

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (28)
• 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 28

August is almost over. Just three more shaves to finish a month of this set. I noticed a few broken bristles after the shave. Maybe too much pressure working the lather.

August 29, 2023 - Mammoth Weckoning Hog

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (29)
• 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 29

I decided to stop seeing the minimum amount of soap to get a lather tonight. I scooped at least twice as much as yesterday. It took many applications of water to build it up, but I got the brush fuller than any shave this month. I could have done two more passes with what I had left. The blade is definitely showing wear. It is starting to tug when I’m shaving my neck. It is still cutting whiskers, but it is taking more strokes to finish each pass. I am starting to think I’ll miss Sonder when the month is over, but I have lots of new stuff to try.

August 30, 2023 - Mammoth Weckoning Hog

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (30)
• 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 30

1 more to go, then a new set followed by a three day weekend! Not the best shave again. Blade is feeling rough and is not leaving as close a shave after the passes. One more day of Sonder to go. Then I’ll join the crowd with a cheesy shave on Friday.

August 31, 2023 - The End of Austerity

• Brush: Semogue SOC Cherry
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper Glitter Scales
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (31)
• 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 the final shave of Austere August

In the picture you can see the tub is a bit over half used. Brush is still a hungry beast, and works best when well fed. It can make a lather with a small amount, but it is easier to get a good lather with a healthy scoop of soap. Tonight was not a great shave, but I got through it with no bloodletting. Plenty of sting from the splash confirmed it was a fairly rough shave. I went ahead and binned the blade when I was done. I only tookit out a couple times to clean up. I really should do it more frequently. It was difficult to get it moving. A plastic comb was used to push the blade keeping my digits away from the edge.

At the beginning of the month, I had a lot of trepidation at the prospect of a solid month of straight shaves. A bit of a bumpy start, but after a week or so, I started to notice improvement. Not even close to mastering the technique at this point, but maybe after another 30-50 shaves I could advance from a novice with the cut throat blade.

About the House of Mammoth - Sonder set, there is a good reason you see many SOTDs with this artisan’s products, and Sonder in particular. They are absolutely fantastic. Just like last year with Alive, I did not get sick of this scent. If this were the only base or splash I had to use, I wouldn’t be upset. However, a variety of wonderful products and scents are why we are here. I look forward to many interesting shaves in September. I won’t be doing 100% samples for the month, but will add in many first shaves with scents. I have the guest bedroom ready for after tomorrow’s shave with Remote Learning. I might not be allowed in the bedroom by my wife after that one. It will be interesting at least with the nacho cheese scented soap and EdP.

Congratulations to all that finished your challenges and unchallenges. If you started but didn’t finish, that is probably a measure of your sanity.