Monthly Archives: October 2019

Reflections on my olive oil shave

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The sharp eyed reader no doubt spotted my alternative choice of lather yesterday… and for those who didn’t, here is a reminder:

While it was a spur of the moment thing to do it yesterday – not enough coffee and all that – shaving with oil in general and olive oil in particular is something I’ve been pondering for quite a long time. The logic is reasonable simple:

  • Shave oil is a thing, and a lot of guys swear to using it.
  • A lot of shave oils are expensive and contains things that may be less than ideal to smear over ones face – double so when one risk a cut and getting it into the blood stream.
  • Buying a bottle of shave oil just to learn that one don’t enjoy it would be a waste.
  • Natural oils – olive oil in particular – have a long history for washing, and the Romans allegedly shaved with it too.

…and…

  • Shaving with olive oil seems to be a minor fad among – and I feel slightly filthy just for uttering the phrase – “beuty vloggers”, citing all kinds of dodgy factoids about health benefit and clearer skin.

So having tried it, what do I think about using olive oil for shaving? Well, here is my micro-revies of olive oil as a shave oil.
After applying it, and washing my hands so I could safely grip my razor, the shave itself wasn’t bad at all despite the complete lack of cushion. I got no cuts, nicks or razor burns. Uins olive oil certainly gave a much better result than shaving using just water, and better than I recall using regular bath soap too. And unlike the canned goo and gel I ditched years ago, my skin wasn’t dry or itchy afterwards.
One might think that smearing oil over the skin would result in clogged pores, zits and all sort of problems, I must report aht at least my ugly mug don’t have any of those right now.
Downsides were the somewhat messy sink and razorhead, but nothing that hot water and a soft wash cloth didn’t fix. My goatee was also pretty greasy from the oil running along my skin, but since I shave before my morning shower that was pretty much a non-issue – I have to wash lather out of my beard after shaving regardless.
Was the experiment a success, in that I proved to my own satisfaction that olive oil is a viable alternative if there is no proper lather around? Oh yes, and a better alternative in my opinion than plain water or bath soap.
Will I repeat the olive oil shave? Probably not unless I had to; the lack of cushion and having to wash my hands before reaching for the razor makes it way less than ideal in my eyes.
Olive oil. It works, so don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it. Probably works better for legs and armpits than a well chiseled face though 😛

Shave of the day 2nd October

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Razor: Merkur 39C Slant
Blade: Treet Platinum
Brush: N/A
Lather: Uhm… yeah… about that…
Aftershave: BullDog Sensitive Aftershave Balm
Additional Care: Alum Block, BullDog Original Beard Oil, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb

Note: It seemed a good idea at the time, as many things do when still half asleep and not properly caffeinated. The shave wasn’t bad though, but olive oil have no cushion at all.

Review of the Spearhead Case – a modern Khaki Kit

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Bottom line up front? If you need a small, unobtrusive case for your razor and some blades, the only real competition to the Spearhead Case is the original Khaki Kit – and they are getting harder to find in good condition.
This short review requires a little bit of backstory.
A few years ago I bought one of the original US Army issue Khaki Kit via my favourite forum, and I’ve used ever since whenever I’m travelling either privately or for work. As such, it’s had showed up regularly in my Shave Of the Day, which is where a fellow shaver (Dennis, aka Ironbeard on twitter) spotted it and got interested in it.
In fact, he got interested enough to try to recreate it.
So much to my surprise and pleasure, he asked earlier this year if I would like one of his new cases. It arrived promptly and I’ve used it a fair bit the last few weeks, and I must say he got it pretty much spot on.

The case is about 5cm by 10cm – 2″ by 4″, same as the old Khaki Kit, and is of a more grey-green material than the old kit.

This is where I should have written a few paragraphs on how the new case is in use, but honestly there isn’t much to say.. it just works as intended, and takes almost no space in my GoBag – same as the old Khaki Kit. Simple, unobtrusive and reliable. Would easily fit in one of the pockets on my uniform if I needed to go really lightweight, although in such a case I might not have time to shave.
The old Khaki Kit was made from cotton weave, as was much of what we today would call the load bearing gear of the time. Keeping in the spirit of that, the Spearhead case is made from 1000D MilSpec nylon, much like modern load bearing gear is. The material certainly feels stronger than the old cotton do, but we’ll have to wait a century to see if it’s as durable as the original as well.

There is – apart from the materials – two noticeable changes from the old Khaki Kit to the modern Spearhead case: The straps for holding everything in is elastic bands instead of cotton straps, and there are two straps for holding the razor head instead of just one. Both changes are for the better; elastic straps means the case will hold a wider range of razors – and I suspect that Gillette would have used them in the original if they were cheaply available in 1917 – and the two straps keeps the head in much more securely since the threaded stud sticks up between the two bands, as can be seen in the photos
To me the Spearhead case is a perfect match for any shavers who wants or needs a convenient, neat, unobtrusive and reliable way to carry a three piece safety razor and a tuck of blades – be it military, law enforcement, first responders, blue collar or businessmen (or ladies; a safety razor works greats on legs too). If you carry your shaving gear, the Spearhead will keep it safe for you.
You can pick up one for yourself at spearheadshaving.com, for a quite reasonable price too, either by itself (25$) or along with a Parker 91R three piece razor (50$). Dennis don’t ship outside the US yet – international shipping is a hassle as I’m very well aware – but Maggard also stock the cases and will ship abroad. I would recommend buying direct from Dennis if you live in the US though, I’ve always preferred buying my supplies from as close to the source as I can.

For me the Spearhead case is a worthy heir to the Khaki Kit. It only took a century, but it turns out the best replacement is a recreation in modern materials… so now my original Khaki Kit will be reserved for more formal occasions and private travels, while the Spearhead Case will be on active duty.