7/2/23
- Brush: Muninn Woodworks w/ 24mm Manchuria Fan
- Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 #brassing
- Blade: GEM (2)
- Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Gravefruit II
- Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Gravefruit II Aftershave Toner
- Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Gravefruit II EdP
Vegan soaps are not a common thing in my den at all. One of the first tubs of soaps I had early in my wetshaving journey was vegan, and it was terrible. At first, I thought it wasn't bad at all. I thought the razor burn and uncomfortable shaves I was getting were a result of poor technique and an edge that lacked. One day, after posting a razor I'd made to r/woodworking, a random redditor suggested I cross post to r/wicked_edge. At that point, almost two years into wetshaving, I had no idea there was such a large online presence focused around shaving. I got a recommendation there for a tallow soap, and it just blew my mind. From then, I didn't look really at anything vegan as an option. Fast forward almost two years later, and I received a smush of GFII from u/schontzm. The scent was very unique for grapefruit. The underlying hint of decay was intriguing and complimenting. So I gave it a shot. My mind was, again, blown. By that point, I'd assumed from my experience that vegan wasn't a good performer. This smush changed my mind. Performance was on par with many tallow based soaps. This was a set I had to grab, and with the help of u/J33pGuy13, I landed a trick. I'm very happy to have this one in my den.
Only having used straights for a few years, I'd always told myself I'd try a safety razor if something unique came my way. Enter the MM24 (previously gold plated). I got this in a trade from u/EldromR. Unique and deserving of the hype. I immediately jived with this razor. Up until now, however, I used it in combination with a straight. Today marks my first full shave with the MM24. This razor also holds a very special place in my den for other reasons. During the last weeks of my fathers life, I'd given him a couple of shaves with it. Those proved to be some special and powerful moments for me. As Eld put it to me once, it was "something so profound in something so simple." The last time I used the MM24 was 12/30/22, the day my father passed. After his passing, my sister, a very close family member, and I got him cleaned up and changed so his brothers and closest friends could come say their goodbyes. That's when I gave him his last shave. Using the MM24 again today made this shave pretty emotionally charged. Bro was a fucking rebel to the end. I miss him.
#ROTY