Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Liquid Eucalyptus
Lather: Mike’s Pine & Cedarwood shave soap
Brush: Vie Long 14033 mixed horse/badger brush
Razors: Merkur 25C Open Comb and Gillette ’58 TV Special TTO, both with a fresh Feather blade
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, Alum and Kramperts Finest Bay Rum
It’s good to have choices for the shave again – a DFS all told.
The last few days I have been on the Go, shaving out of my GoBag and sharing a bathroom with two dozen or so other guys. The downside – apart from being away from my den – is that I have had to pack my kit up and down each time I shave. The upside is that at least two of the guys now are pondering switching from canned go and multiblade horrors to more traditional wetshaving gear.
I would call that “mission accomplished”
Pre-shave: Travel size Dr Bronners Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Lea shave stick
Brush: Body Shop synthetic
Razors: Merkur 985CL travel razor
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, travel sized Alum stick and Kramperts Finest Bay Rum
Very much on the Go, so shaving from the GoBag.
Sharing a bathroom with lots of guys can be a test of patience – or sometimes a test of how much warm water there is.
On the bright side, a ice cold shave really wakes me up.
Pre-shave: Travel size Dr Bronners Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Lea shave stick
Brush: Body Shop synthetic
Razors: Merkur 985CL travel razor
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, travel sized Alum stick and Kramperts Finest Bay Rum
Very much on the Go, so shaving from the GoBag.
Pre-shave: Travel size Dr Bronners Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Lea shave stick
Brush: Body Shop synthetic
Razors: Merkur 985CL travel razor
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, travel sized Alum stick and Kramperts Finest Bay Rum
Very much on the Go, so shaving from the GoBag.
In my line of work I often have to get on the Go – usually for training or exercises – and as such I keep my GoBag packed at all times.
A major issue when it comes to the GoBag is space; if something don’t fit in the bag, it means it either dont come with or something else must be taken out… with that in mind, and after a bit of experimentation, I have put together a small yet comprehensive travel kit that not only fit in there, but gives me a DFS too.
While I might still change a thing or two, this is what’s in my GoBag:
All in all a fraction of the stuff in my den, but I still get better shaves than the electric and cartridge crowd.
Pre-shave: Travel size Dr Bronners Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Lea shave stick
Brush: Body Shop synthetic
Razors: Merkur 985CL travel razor
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, travel sized Alum stick and Kramperts Finest Bay Rum
Very much on the Go, so shaving from the GoBag.
Some time ago a new, old razor surfaced and got everyone excited – a stash of new old stock of bakelite slants, probably from the dusty shelves of an old abandoned warehouse or something.
Well, the truth of how they were sound is probably less dramatic, but they did cause a stir and suddenly everyone wanted one. I was lucky to get one through my favourite shaving forum, thanks to a fellow shaver who found it too mild for his taste.
The manufacturer of this razors are unknown, although speculations abound. A popular theory seems to be that they are from Merkur, based upon the similarities to the Merkur 45 in the handle.
The razor itself is very lightweight, due to the all Bakelite construction – the only metal parts are the blades and a small brass nut. This makes for a very manoeuvrable razor, while the small blade gap and large blade angle makes for a reasonable mild razor.
This is not an aggressive slant – but it is still a slant and as such well suited for going through several days worth of beard. If you can live with the idea of a mild slant, and like owning a small piece of history, I can strongly recommend this German Bakelite Slant – if you can find it.
For those curious, bakelite – formally known as polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride – is the first synthetic thermosetting plastic. Invented in 1907 it has found use in everything from saxophone mouthpieces to heatshields for Soviet ICBM warheads… and razors.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Liquid Eucalyptus
Lather: Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood
Brush: Semogue TSN 2012 LE
Razors: Racer and Yuma, both with a unmarked blade
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, Alum block and Kramperts Finest Bay Rum
Last shave in my den for a while, but it was a DFS. Both the Racer and the Yuma are great performers considering their price.