July 4, 2023
- Brush: Yaqi 22mm Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
- Razor: Blackland Blackbird #CNC
- Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
- Lather: Noble Otter – Rawr Soap
- Post Shave: Noble Otter – Rawr Splash
- Fragrance: Giorgio Armani - Code
Happy Spring! The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the bees are buzzing. Spring is in the air… In July… Okay. Mentally, I’m channeling Spring today, and fortunately, I have Noble Otter there to help me out. Their spring-time scent, Rawr, smells amazing and has a cute little backstory about kids yelling RAWR to try to scare their dad when he got home from work. The soap smells great and Noble Otter was one of the first artisans I used after I fell in love with my wetshaving starter pack. Can't recommend this soap enough
It is spring in a shave – Bergamot, orange, dandelions, cedar, vanilla, and musk. The bergamot and dandelions really show through to me. (Sidenote: Did you know every part of a dandelion is edible?) I had an aunt that used to make dandelion wine and it was delicious!
I used Armani Code as my fragrance because it shares bergamot with Rawr and also smells like spring and citrus. They go great together and the Code really built on what Rawr left behind. #FOF
This was my first time using this brush is it has some serious stank to it. Like, a wet dog. Who is also homeless. And has been dead for a few days. And it wasn’t that soft either. I got in cheap from Yaqi and it shows. Hopefully once the funk comes out it, and it breaks in a bit, it will turn into a decent brush, but even if not, I got a hashtag out of it. I have a really nice Gelousy from AP Shave Co and this brush is clearly not in the same stratosphere as my Gelousy.
SCIENCE!
- Put 6 ounces of warm water in a mug and soak the brush for 10 minutes
- After 10 mins, remove an almond size chunk of soap from the jar (use an actual almond from yesterday’s shave if you have one for size comparison)
- Press the soap into the sides of a shave bowl.
- Swirl the wet brush into the bowl, occasionally adding a milliliter or two of water at a time until a nice lather builds up. This should take 2 minutes or so.
- The key to a good lather is hydration, so don’t be shy adding water. When in doubt, add water. If that doesn’t work, add soap.
- Rub the lather on your face and shave. Dipping your razor into the mug to rinse it off, when needed. The shaving part is the easy part. Let the razor do the work and don’t put any pressure on the blade.
- The razor should remain sharp for anywhere from 3 to 15 shaves, depending on your whiskers and your technique.
- And finally, if you have any questions about the science of shaving, or science in general, post a question on facebook. I’ve found that many of the people I went to high school with ended up being becoming science experts over the last 3 and a half years. It’s extra impressive because these are the same people who struggled with school when I knew them, so kudos to them for learning something new in their spare time when they aren't cashiering at the Walmart in town. It’s never too late!