July 29, 2023
- Brush: Stirling Soap Co – 24mm Synthetic Brush
- Razor: Rockwell 6s
- Blade: Wilkinson Sword
- Lather: Castle Forbes – Cedarwood and Sandalwood Cream
- Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Samhain Splash
- Fragrance: Kenneth Cole – Mankind Rise EdT
- Music: Dillon Carmichael - Sawin' Logs
For Sandalwood Day, I thought the best place to shave would be the woods and appreciate the natural sandalwood all around me. Then I googled where Sandalwood comes from, hoping to go to the local sandalwood forest, and quickly learned it comes from India, Australia, and Hawaii. And none of those places are driving distance to me. Dammit. Buuuuuut… Cedar is half of the scent notes in the soap I used today and we have White Cedar trees everywhere! Bingo! Let’s go hiking! It’s a great day to shave in the woods! So I woke up early, made myself a wonderful cup of Stirling Ethiopia Yirgacheffe with my v60, into a travel mug. And brought it hiking with me.
Today I’m working with Castle Forbes Cedarwood and Sandalwood, because it’s Sandalwood Day and it’s half of the soap. I used Southern Witchcrafts Samhain splash because sandalwood is the 2nd scent note listed on the bottle. Try as I might, the other scent notes certainly come in stronger, but the sandalwood is certainly there. This is such an amazing scent. Then my frag was Kenneth Cole Mankind Rise. It’s described as a deep woody amber scent. Perfect for Sandalwood Day, perfect for going into the deep woods, and perfect for a morning hike. #FOF
As I walked through the woods, I made sure to take the time to appreciate all the smells along the route. It absolutely downpoured yesterday, so it smelled a little damp and musty. The scent of pine surrounded me as I went further into the forest. A lot of the paths were muddy and smelled like a swamp. And of course, the smell of the wet rocks getting enveloped by the river around them. This. This is what nature is all about. And, unfortunately, mosquitos are also part of nature. I had to spray on bug spray which kinda messed with the nature-scents thing I was going for, but whatevs. I hiked along this path, listening to the sounds, thinking of the events of the last 29 days, and I came upon the opening to riverbed. It seemed so very peaceful that I decided this was the spot I wanted to shave at. No grand theatrics today, and no hyperbole or gimmicks. Just an old-fashioned, relaxing shave at this beautiful spot on the river, among the woods and nature, as I enjoy my coffee. Taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the world around us, taking about our next Lather Games Champion…
Here's the video.
For the challenge, as much as I’d like to be brash and say that I should win in order to fulfill my day one prediction of winning this whole thing, I believe one man has stood in my way. One man, has done it better than I have and has been a wonderful ambassador of the games to every single participant this year. That man is kind, funny, and one of the most creative people we have on this sub and he will make a great Lather Games Champion. He’s the only one person who I can say, I’ve looked forward to and read every single one of their posts. And that man is u/OnionMiasma. He didn’t initiate silly feuds, participate in Spite Shaves Wars, or get kicked out of any restaurants – because he didn’t need to. He stuck to what he is good at, did his thing, and did it better than anyone. While I was doing my best to be over the top, charismatic, and entertaining, trying gimmick after gimmick, he was just being himself and being damn good at it. I felt like I had to try to do SO MUCH to keep close to him. I believe the Legendary Post points will be what makes the difference and he currently has more than anyone. And rightfully so. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets another one before this thing is up. It’s time for Red to pass the crown to Onion, and I can only hope that next year, Onion loses internet for a couple days in June, because I think that is my only hope of beating him.
The winner of FOF has got to be u/RedMosquitoMM. His ability to detect scents and so eloquently and accurately write about them is unparalleled.
Photocontest: No clue. While I try to read as many posts as I can, more often than not, I don’t click on the SOTD pics. I’ve been trying with the scavenger hunt part, but no idea how anyone else is doing.
For my own #photocontest entry today: Scenery.
I feel very fortunate to have connected with Southern Witchcrafts for the final interview of my Lather Games series. They made the splash I used today - which happens to be one of my favorite scents in all of wetshaving. Southern Witchcrafts makes absolutely, unique, outstanding scents and great performing products. They have a wonderful vegan base, and most importantly to me, they don’t use palm oil in anything – including their bath soaps! I’m not sure any other artisan can say that. But if you’re reading this far, you already know all this. So, thank you u/Phteven_j for connecting me for Courtney for this series. I love what you both make, what you’re all about, and I couldn’t think of a better way to close out my interview series. Without further ado, the final entry:
10 Questions with… Southern Witchcrafts
1) How did you get started making shaving soaps?
I have strange taste in fragrances and choices of vegan soaps were kind of limited back then so I thought it might be fun to make my own. It wasn't supposed to be anything serious at first but we sent out my first try to some friends and they loved it just kind of grew from there.
2) All of your shave soaps are vegan, which is getting more popular, but even more impressive is that your bar soaps are made without using palm oil. Why is that important to you?
Palm oil is a big contributor to deforestation but also known for its production being riddled with human rights violations like child and forced labor. We always try to be as ethical as we can with our ingredients.
3) I really, really love how all of your scents are completely one of a kind. Which is your favorite?
I feel like Carpathia does the best job of getting across what I was going for. It smells like the wet bricks of a dilapidated castle in the Carpathian mountains. It's what I would imagine Nosferatu would shave with if he was homesick.
4) What surprised you most about starting your own shaving/grooming company?
Just that people would enjoy my weird creations.
5) I live in Massachusetts, which historically has not looked kindly toward witches. Do you think a company called “Northern Witchcrafts” would have been crushed like Giles Corey?
Thankfully things up there have improved since back then. I have visited a couple of times and at no point did anyone try to throw me in a lake or press me to death. I consider that a win for progress.
(INTERVIEW CONTINUED IN THE REPLY)