u/cowzilla3's SOTDs for challenge 'Lather Games 2023'

July 1, 2023 – A Mea Culpa

• Brush: Heritage Collection 26mm C-Mon #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Gillette Old Type #REGUS
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (2)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: The Village Soap Smith – Old Spice Type
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

As many of you know, last year I created the Air Bud Rule in which I argued that one did not have to shave in order to earn points in the Lather Games as the official rules did not state anywhere on the rules page that you needed to do this and thus “there ain’t no rule.” It was a roaring success with almost everyone except the judges, who tried to crush it under their limited worldview of shaving. It sparked a near revolution in the Lather Games and almost toppled the judges off their high tower. However, despite all this, this year there will be no Air Bud Rule.

I know many, if not all, of you are saddened and shocked. The Air Bud Rule has come to mean so much to so many who struggle to shave every day and still be counted as here. The simple fact of the matter, however, is that the rules have been rewritten – to the extent that they specifically call out the Air Bud Rule in them in order to point out that there are no “loopholes” to the games. That the judge’s laws, as unfair and cruel as they might be, are the true law of the land and that there is no place here for friendly golden retrievers who can shoot a basketball into a hoop. The judges hate cute animals. Here is the full text denying the Air Bud Rule:

Regardless how hard you try to read between the lines, there are no loopholes in the rules. There are no tricks of language to unravel. There are no “Airbud rules” to discover. None. No amount of arguing semantics will win an argument or brownie points with LG Staff if you try to play outside of the spirit or word of the games, so please don’t bother engaging in such disagreements. The Judges would much rather see you spend your creative energy on something positive or constructive to entertain your fellow Lather Gamers.

Because of this very clear and explicit rule, I see no way in carrying on the Air Bud Rule or the Air Bud Revolution. It was clear last year that I had upset many of the judges but this rewriting and full recognition of the Air Bud Rule makes it impossible to carry on doing so. While it is rewarding to know that the Revolution was powerful enough to warrant a direct call out, there is no fight left in me. I have shut down r/AirBudRule and will carry on in my normal Old Spicey manner with these Lather Games, all hope and dreams crushed from me. I fought the law… and the law won.

Ultimately it comes down to not being able to put the effort into convincing the judges that the Air Bud Rule is more than just a “loophole” but a true way of life that all wet shavers who gain wet shaving enlightenment are part of. As I stated in my original thesis for the Air Bud Rule, “shaving is more than merely the removal of hair from the body with a sharp blade. It is a way of life and we are all shaving all the time in a great community of wet shaving glory." I just can’t make the judges see this.

Don’t be angry at the judges about this, though. After they sat me down in a loverly theater and held my eyes open to watch 48 straight hours of Lather Games propaganda videos I can tell you that they are some of the best people around. The Air Bud Rule was really just a silly little thing and not anything anyone should care about. No, this is for the best. After all, there are so many folks in the Lather Games putting forth a full effort without even knowing what the Air Bud Rule is. We shouldn’t allow them the liberating knowledge of knowing that you can indeed be shaving even when you’re not technically shaving.

Let us then all come together – judges, me, and the other Air Bud Revolution acolytes – to become one community once again. I know many of you have spent all year training your dogs to carry pitchforks in hopes that this would be the year that the revolution took hold but put them away, lock up your set of golden retriever puppies you thought you’d be using for the Air Bud Rule sequel for it is not coming.

It may seem to some of you that I am being facetious or sarcastic here. It’s possible you are looking for a hidden code somewhere in this message that could give you hope. Some first sign that I will not be following the letter of the law. But I can tell you that every word in every paragraph here is true. The judges have nothing to fear from Cowzilla3, hear you me. This is the end of the line for my shenanigans and on the days I don’t shave I will simply not post. I will, of course, participate in these games but not to win, just for fun.

Victory belongs to the judges.

Evidently, I will just be spending these games doing regular posts earning regular points, and not arguing about the very foundations on which our shaving beliefs are built. As such, I should probably end this by actually talking about the shave today. Yes, believe it or not, there are Old Spice dupes I have not used yet and this is one of them. I won’t be lathering it again for review for a while but I will be getting a point as this is the first time I’ve ever used it.

So there it is. The end of the Revolution. The end of the Rule. Done. Finito. Fin. It turns out I was Snivley all along and now the judge(s), sitting in their weird outdoor court chair, have ruled against me.

July 2, 2023 – Now cows, huh?

• Brush: Paragon Plisson Type 28 mm
• Razor: Gillette Old Type
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (3)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Ginger’s Garden – Old Spice Type
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

Am I not allowed to participate today? You call out the Air Bud Rule and crush me and then the second day of the Lather Games is all about not having cows around? I can take a hint. I know when I’m not wanted. And yet, I stick around like that guy who won’t leave your part and keeps trying to talk to you about this great shaving soap he found and you’re like, “Dude, I don’t care about shaving” but he’s all like “And the lather was just crazy.” and you’re like “Who cares?” but he keeps talking. That’s not something that’s ever happened to me, of course, but other people you know… definitely other people.

Anyway, clearly I am shaving today again and there is no Air Bude Rule shenanigans. Just an Old Spice dupe with a Vegan base and a lovely photo that everyone should check out or not… since clearly the judges don’t want me here. Don’t have a cow… I’ll show you a cow. Razzafrazza mutter grumble.

July 5, 2023 – A Can and a Man with a Plan

• Brush: Omega 11126, Ovangkol Wooden Handle
• Razor: Fatip Piccolo
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (1)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Old Spice – Can
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

I really have to apologize for that Air Bud Rules guy. No idea what’s going on with him but hopefully he doesn’t crap up anymore.

Today I am 100% using canned shave goop but I am not 100% sure I’ll be getting any credit for it because this is a truly ancient can of Old Spice’s shaving foam, which they no longer make. I’m not sure one should actually something like out loud and make the judges DQing your points easier but let see what happens here.

This can of Old Spice shave soap is probably ten years old and possibly one of the last of its kind on planet earth. While you can pick up some vintage ones for far more than one should pay for canned goop on eBay I’ve never seen one from the last run on there. I honestly only use it once in a very, very little while because it is almost empty. In fact, every time I use it I’m pretty sure it will be the last time I use it because it must be empty, but it miraculously has one more shave in it each time. I picked this can up probably over ten years ago before I started wet shaving and right around the time I heard they were going to discontinue the Old Spice canned goop for good. I bought 12 cans at once from some supplier in Canada (I think) because even then I was a bit obsessed.

This can is the last of those 12 and I, honestly, was probably never going to use it again, letting it sit in the back corner of my bathroom cabinet like an old friend. I used Old Spice shaving foam since I started shaving and its discontinuation and the slow death of this can actually led me to wetshaving and this wonderful community where, despite my best efforts, I’ve made some great friends. This can, sitting there, represented a bit of that, not to mention a whole slew of shaving memories. But I pulled it out, cleared of the dust, from the lid, popped it opened and prayed that I’d get “just one more.” And I did. Old Spice canned goop lives to shave another day!

Of course, the issue is that while this canned goop was once prevalent on any and every store shelf in America that supplied the world with goopy cans of shaving foam it is no longer. You can’t pick it up and the rules (damn them) say that it needs to be geographically close. Obviously, most people don’t hold on to long discontinued cans of shaving foam or if they do find one they throw it the fuck out because why would you keep it? I think the rules were written around that assumption and laid out this way to ensure no arguments for what is canned goop.

Yes, the ex-Air Bud guy, is once again eying a loophole but not one that will shake the very foundations of the Games themselves as before. One built out nostalgia and a serious issue with throwing once ubiquitous shaving foam away.

A perfect original scent? Hmmmm, it would have top notes of citrus and spice, floral mid notes, and a musky base of sorts. I'd probably brand it with a boat or something and call it something Spice... or Old something. Something like that.

July 6, 2023 – An Easy Win?

• Brush: Omega 11126, Ovangkol Wooden Handle
• Razor: Fatip Piccolo
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (2)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Old Spice – Old Spice
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

You’d think today would be an easy one for me, right? Old Spice Cream and Aftershave and I’m locked and loaded. Hell, if the brand rule wasn’t in place I’d be fulfilling this challenge in 75% of my shaves. But, alas, even the easy ones aren’t actually easy.

I’m not sure why I’m admitting this as I’m pretty sure most of the judges would assume that Old Spice cream is scented like Old Spice but I believe in full honesty with the Lather Games so let’s just shoot myself in the foot. As you can tell from this far too detailed review, Old Spice cream doesn’t actually smell like Old Spice in any real way. Is it supposed to? I don’t know. Maybe they gave up and just went with soap for some reason. Or is the scent still Old Spice scent because it was scented as such by a company called Old Spice? If that’s the case are these both the same scent despite not being the same scent? They have the same name, are made by the same company, and are branded with the same brand. It’s like the inverse of a “rose by any other name.”

These kinds of questions are obviously only to be handled by our esteemed and wise judges, who probably think I’m even more annoying after spending two days in a row basically arguing I shouldn’t get points. Strong LG strategerie right here. Really going to rack em' up.

As you can see from the photo, I took things one step further. I did not just stack my shaving stuff, but instead stacked the entire world. You may have felt the earth turn sideways (relative to your normal alignment, we’re all floating in no direction in the middle of space in reality) for a moment this morning. That was when I snapped this photo of nearly my entire collection stacked on top of each other. How does one “stack” the earth? It’s a complex mathematical equation that I can’t explain here, but if you’ve ever seen that scene where the math numbers fly around the guys head in that movie it’s a lot like that. Once I had all those math numbers I just took my camera out and snapped the stacked photo before making the math numbers go away and turning the earth the proper way again. This is just as scientifically accurate as flying around the earth in the opposite direction of its rotation in order to rewind time. We’ve all seen how that can be done as well so I don’t think we need anymore proof that I rotated the earth and “stacked” everything in my bathroom.

July 7, 2023 – The Greatest of the Scents

• Brush: r/wetshaving Zentih MOAR BOAR 31mm
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Clog-Pruf
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (2)
• Lather: Soap Commander – Endurance
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

(A note: to save time and organize things better I pre-took all of my photos for the week and then promptly did not organize things better and messed up by putting today’s photo yesterday. So here’s yesterday’s photo today complete with strange non-shaving inclusions!)

Finally, one I don’t have to argue against myself on. In fact, I have it on good authority that this day was, at least partially, a bone thrown my way so I could ensure the scoring of at least one point during the games. Yes, Old Spice has them Spicey Scents… thus, you know, the name having spice in it. To be specific, in case you were wondering just which spicey spice scents Old Spice spices with, they are: Nutmeg, star anise, cinnamon, vanilla, and tonka (some also claim frankincense as well). Mix that together with some citrus, some of those weird scents that aren’t actual things like musk, and a bunch of florals and you’ve got the scent that everyone loves even the people who say they don’t. Those people just can’t handle the spicey spiciness of Old Spicing spicy fellows. So spicy.

I picked Soap Commander because, to my nose, it is the most faithful recreation in soap form. Yet… is it the spiciest of the soaps? No, definitely not. There’s dupes where the spice scents are far more forward, especially the cinnamon. In fact, I’d say Soap Commander blends the spices into the overall scent so well that it becomes something not spicey… and so… maybe I have yet again talked myself out of points for a third day in a row. I should probably stop typing… it’s like… like someone is causing me to sabotage myself. But who would do such a thing? Are they the ones making my photos look like this.

Other hobbies, huh? Some might accuse me of making up entirely different profiles to create an elaborate AR game within the Lather Games a strange hobby. But I haven't done that so that's clearly not a thing. How about movies and video games then? I know, that's like everyone's hobby but I do take it another level and actually get paid to write about them... which I'm realizing makes it not a hobby either. Fuck... ummm... oh what about watching po... I mean... ummm... shit.

July 12, 2023 – Yulay, of the Gods

• Brush: MRed 26 mm Badger
• Razor: Focus Tritok R63 Slant
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (1)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Van Yulay -Spicy Man
• Post Shave: Old Spice – European

First, this is the best of the best movie quotes and I say it all the time. I think we all forget how truly enjoyable and good Despicable Me was after the memification of the Minions and their eventual overtaking of that franchise. But that first movie was a geniune, heartfelt, and funny film. Part of that was the fact that while the supervillain storyline was outlandish the three girls were not and that’s epitomized the amusement park scene this quote is from. OK, film critic hat off now.

I chose this soap because as I was digging through my bin of Old Spice dupes this was the first one that I hit that had coconut in the first three ingredients. I’m pretty sure I have four or five more that would qualify but given the ease with which I could find one in my bin I didn’t look any harder. Clearly, I am putting as much effort into these games as the likes of u/OnionMiasma, u/tsrblke, u/pridetwo or any of the other top contenders are. I expect to be awarded with a coveted judge’s weekly post point in no time.

Though, now that I look at the back label while writing this I’m realizing that the third ingredient is not either “Coconut Oil or Potassium Cocoate” but instead “Coconut Fatty Acids.” I honestly just grabbed it and saw the word coconut in the first three ingredients. I’m pretty sure that Coconut Fatty Acids are the same thing as those other things but knowing how truly important the exact wording of the rules are and never wanting to Air Bud Rule anything ever again I believe I have yet again managed to screw up getting points! I feel like I’m cursed for some reason... but only the judges can decide if I have failed.

Speaking of being cursed, this soap is not of the gods, especially when you face lather it and you haven’t face lathered since sometime around your second ever wetshave three-ish years ago. Then, for some reason, you choose a slant razor you suck at using. Not… not my best day, friends. Not at all.

July 13, 2023 – Old Spice: The Hippiest of Spices

• Brush: Chisel and Hound False Kamani Fanchurian V18
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (2)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Mystic Water – Windjammer
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

When you think of Old Spice you probably don’t think of hippies considering its prevalence amongst the generation who looked down on them damn stinking hippies and their anti-war notions. But Old Spice still sold like gangbusters in the 70s and if you’re of a certain age your parents were possibly hippies and I know a lot of us grew up with Old Spice scents in our house. Ubiquity means that Old Spice is the scent of everyone.

Of course, it’s not about if hippies wore Old Spice it’s about having either patchouli or incense scent prominent. Most Old Spice dupes do not mention frankensence in their scent list even though it is considered a part of the scent. However, Mystic Water’s Windjammer specifically mentions Frankincense as one of the many prominent spices in the Old Spice scent. Frankincense is, in fact, some of the best incences as Wikipedia tells me that it comes from the French language and means “high-quality incense.” Of course, we all know that everything in Old Spice is high quality so this makes total sense.

As for my music? Here’s the Old Spice whistle on loop for one hour. Judges, I expect you to listen to the entire video before deciding my points. That’s truly the only fair way to judge this one.

July 14, 2023 – In for a P(AA)enny…

• Brush: PAA Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (3)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements – Cold Spices
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

If there was every a time I’d truly regret saying “There Ain’t No Rule…” it’s today. As the only mentholated Old Spice dupe on the market, this is my only option for shaving today despite the subs valid distate for the brand. I am, actually, shocked there is no rule against using PAA soaps in the games, though I suppose it leaves it more open for those that do choose to buy from them since not buying from them is simply suggested not a rule in general. I figured if I was going in on the soap I might as well use the brush I bought from them before realizing they suck as well.

Still, I feel like it’s an unstated rule to not use PAA stuff. Doing a quick search through I’m not finding much of it at all and I know judges DQ things just for being lame AF and there’s nothing lamer than PAA so… another day with no points? Who knows! Am I that one negative guy they mentioned on he podcast? Is there a prize for the lowest score ever? How long can I keep self-sabotaging? Answers to these questions and more on the next exciting installment of Cowzilla3’s Lather Games Posts!

Good thing is I don’t even especially like the soap. The menthol shave is not for me and their base, despite the bold proclamations on their site, is middle of the pack. Still, it held up fine to an ATG shave. My hair isn’t all that stiff not was it all that long from shaving so much so going ATG on the first pass wasn’t all that horrific for me. Neck is fine and dandy and maybe even a bit closer than usual?

July 18, 2023 – You Said the Word Spice!

• Brush: r/wetshaving Zentih MOAR BOAR 31mm
• Razor: 1940s Star DE
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (2)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Obsessive Soap Perfectionist – Old Gold
• Post Shave: Old Spice – European

Is Old Spice a fall scent? I dunno. Maybe? I think it qualifies for every season because it goes so well with every facet of life at any time. That makes it a year-round scent, right? If something is year-round does it then not qualify as a specific seasonal scent? These are tough questions to answer and may disqualify my points again but it must be said that in the description of the day the word Spice is used. Sure, it’s woody spicey but Old Spice gives me one hell of a woo…

What’s that? oh, it’s… it’s not that kind of woody…

You mean getting one during your shave isn’t normal?

I’ll… I’ll see myself out.

July 19, 2023 – Cream… again

• Brush: Heritage Collection 26mm C-Mon
• Razor: Hoffritz of New York OC
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (3)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Old Spice – Old Spice
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

I tell you what, this Old Spice Cream is getting a workout this Lather Games. Maybe it’s because I just didn’t plan so well. It’s definitely not because I’m busy doing Air Bud stuff.

July 20, 2023 – Paradox of Choice

• Brush: Paragon Plisson Type 28 mm
• Razor: Gillette Old Type
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (1)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Stone Field Shaving Co. – No. 37

Easiest day is the month for me, right? Wrong. When your have an entire bin full of the same dupe you freeze. What, of all the soaps should I shave with? Go with a favorite? Give one a second chance? Just hate myself and go with one that totally sucks. I spent all day deciding, staring blankly into a bin full of Old Spice dupes. My wife yelled, my son cried, my father called from his death bed and yet I could not tear myself away from sheer indecision. Soon I became weak, unable to even think of anything but dupes, my mind whirling in a hallucinogenic blur of artisan soap makers and their “clever” riffs on the name Old Spice. Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing mattered. A golden retriever shot a ball into a hoop and became a major Hollywood star. Someone released a Barbie movie on the same weekend that one about that atomic bomb came out and it all made sense. Clearly, I no longer lived in the real world. My mind broke.

Then at the last possible moment, I heard a whistle. As if the sea and manliness were calling. Short. Sweet. A siren call of sorts. I came to my sense and just shoved my hand in and pulled this one out. Maybe some of you stressed over finding obscure items but just remember those of us ( only me) who suffer from the opposite issue and it nearly destroyed me.

July 23, 2023 – That Smell Again?

• Brush: Chisel and Hound False Kamani Fanchurian V18
• Razor: Hoffritz of New York OC
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (2)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Trade Winds
• Post Shave: Old Spice -1980s

My wife married me and we’d been dating for a good long while so she knew what she was getting into in terms of the constant smell of Old Spice after shave even before I was wet shaving. To that end, she clearly likes the smell of Old Spice so I could pick up any tub out my bin and be in the free and clear today.

Then again, at this point it could all be some sort of Stockholm syndrome where she’s just suffered through Old Spice for so long she thinks she loves it. I haven’t especially gotten a compliment on the scent in a long while. In fact, the last time I recall one was with Chiselled Face’s Trade Winds, which tosses in a bit of cucumber to the fun. She definitely smelled it and asked if I was wearing something different. I explained that it was still Old Spice but a bit mixed up and then began diving deeper into it until I noticed her eyes had glazed over. Glazing over from enjoying the scent of Old Spice so much, no doubt.

July 26, 2023 – Nearly Every Old Spice Dupe on the Market (and some that aren’t) Stacked On Top of Each Other

• Brush: Chisel and Hound False Kamani Fanchurian V18
• Razor: English Flat Bottom Gillette Tech
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (3)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Obsessive Soap Perfectionist – Old Gold
• Post Shave: Old Spice – European

Well, I wasn’t even going to shave today assuming that given the choice of any soap/scent ever everyone would be shaving with Old Spice dupes but evidently NO ONE CHOSE AN OLD SPICE dupe (unless someone does after this). What is wrong with you heathens? I judge you all.

To truly show you the power of Old Spice, I present to you my shave den and its TOWER OF OLD SPICE(tm). A feat I should have done on stacking day now that I think about it. Before you, though some labels are obviously not visible, is nearly every single Old Spice dupe on the market, some that aren’t, and a few Old Spice adjacent scents. There are, as far as I know, two currently sold dupes not there and only three no-longer-made missing from the entire pantheon of artisan Old Spice dupes. That’s not to mention the mug of 1940/50 Old Spice soap and the puck of 1970s soap. Quake in its glory.

Next to the stack you can see a collection of Old Spice aftershave (from left to right: 1940s, Indian Atomizer, U.S., Indian plastic bottler, Dollar Store knockoff, and 1980s. Not pictured: European because it was sitting in a different drawer… it knows what it did.). Then some other soaps that are a thing I suppose that one may use every so often. These include my collection of James Bond-inspired scents, especially r/wetshaving exclusive Shaken. Finally, in this second pic, you’ll see my razors. The most coveted of which are my grandfather’s Gillette Aristocrat and then every razor James Bond has used in both writing and film (except Brosnan’s electric razor in Die Another Day).

Player creates a tower of all available old spice dupes (plus some that aren't available).