July 4, 2023 – April Showers Bring May Flowers
- Brush: Semogue SOC Mixed Badger/Boar #MISTURA
- Razor: CJB Kamisori Shavette #KAMISORI
- Blade: Feather ProGuard (AC) (4)
- Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Field Day
- Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Tres Matres
- Fragrance: London Razors – Mountain Laurel
Challenge: in order to have a more controlled lathering environment I elected to bowl lather for the shave. This will make it easier to account for water added to the lather and reduce the loss of lather that typically occurs when face lathering. At multiple intervals I will evaluate the slickness of the lather on the /u/ItchyPooter scale. The lather will be evaluated visually and using a peaks test.
8:55 wet brush to soak.
9:14 1/4 tsp soap in Captain’s choice bowl.
9:16 spread soap in thin even layer in bowl. Shake brush to remove excess water. 5 ml water added to bowl. Swirl brush to load soap and begin building lather. Still in proto-lather stage. 1/10 Pooters.
9:18 incorporate 5 ml water into lather. 5 ml looks like a lot of standing water. Will add water in smaller increments moving forward. Need more precise measurement device. Lather still pasty. 3/10 Pooters.
9:21 search for medicine syringe with smaller units fails. Will guesstimate 2.5 ml using medicine cup.
9:22 incorporate 2.5 ml water. Starting to look like lather. Still pasty. Lather is in WCS territory. 5/10 Pooters.
9:23 incorporate 2.5 ml water. Lather is developing a noticable sheen. Peak test performed. Peaks still hold shape. Lather is in Ruds territory. 8/10 Pooters.
9:25 incorporate 2.5 ml water. Peak test performed. Peaks form and disipate. 9/10 Pooters.
9:29 wet face and work lather into beard.
9:31 begin shave.
Time spent building lather = 11 minutes
Total water added to bowl = 17.5 ml
I noticed a flaw in my methodology. The Pooter scale is a measurement of the messiness of a lather. According to Pooter’s wisdom, the sign of a great lather is seeing soap sling off the brush. However, it’s impossible for lather to sling off the brush when lathering in a bowl. All of the lather is contained in the bowl. It is only when face lathering that the brush is free to sling lather onto the walls, mirror, counter, floor, and elsewhere. Meaning, it is only possible to achieve a full 10/10 Pooters through face lathering. This is scientific proof that face lathering is superior to bowl lathering. I’ll be awaiting my nomination for the nobel prize in wet shaving.
Field Day is the first Summer Break soap I used. It’s the type of unique fragrance you only seem to find in wet shaving. Summer Break says this fragrance is inspired by the smells of a spring morning. When I was a kid I thought watching my dad cut the grass looked exciting. There’s a pull cord which starts a loud motor. Hovering just over the ground is a whirling blade of (hopefully not human) decapitation. The coolest part was the switches and levers that controled everything. When the job was done, the lawn looked nice and there was an oddly pleasant and distinct smell. This fragrance is a dead ringer for fresh cut grass. Now I’m old and I know cutting the grass can be a pain in the ass. At least I still get to enjoy the smell of fresh cut grass.
Tres Matres is one of my all time favorite fragrances in wet shaving. Southern Witchcrafts refer to it as a floral petrichor. I get light floral notes similar to lilac or mountain laurel, ozone, moss, and damp soil. It has more earthiness than other ozonic fragrances I’ve smelled. It reminds me of tilling a garden and smelling good moist soil. It evokes the feeling of fresh air and spring flowers in a way only a Southern Witchcrafts fragrance could.
Mountain Laurel is probably my most frequently worn scent. That’s because it smells really good and is very approachable. It’s a gorgeous composition of light, fresh, sweet floral notes. It’s like standing in a field of flowers on a nice spring day. It’s not the most complex fragrance. I don’t notice any differences over time. The longevity is excellent. It last a full day on my skin.
#FOF