Razor: Merkur (?) NOS Bakelite Slant
Blade: Shark Super Chrome
Brush: Artesania Romera Manchurian Badger, imitation horn
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: Sample – Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood Shaving Cream
Aftershave: Sample – Saponificio Varesino Cubebe
Additional Care: Alum Block
Sample September is half done, and I’ve been enjoying it a lot so far.
Humans have shaved since – I strongly suspect – we were able to make a sharp edge. Some years back I posted about bronze age razors. Quite a few more years before back Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tut’ankhamūn, an Egyptian pharaoh from the late bronze age. More importantly for us, Carter discovered Tut’ankhamūn’s razor-box as well as a few razors among the contents of the tomb.
Continue readingRazor: Phillips Philite
Blade: Shark Super Chrome
Brush: Brush Experimental Alpha
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: Sample – Geo F Trumper Rose Shaving Cream
Aftershave: Sample – Saponificio Varesino Dolomiti
Additional Care: Alum Block
More or less halfway through my Sample September. Not halfway through my collection of samples.
Fingerspitzengefühl [ˈfɪŋɐˌʃpɪtsənɡəˌfyːl] is a German term, literally meaning “finger tips feeling” and meaning intuitive flair or instinct, which has been adopted by the English language as a loanword. And what can be more intuitive than running your fingers over your face? At least that seems to have been the logic of James D Millar, who was granted a patent on a fingerspitzengefühl razor in 1910.
Millard’s razor can be described as lacking a handle, like the better known Gronbech razors1 do. But like the later, it does have a handle – just not a normal one.
The razor is interesting in it’s own right too. With a more normal handle, it could have done well. Or perhaps not – competition was fierce in the early days of safety razors.
Continue readingRazor: Phillips Philite
Blade: Shark Super Chrome
Brush: Vie-Long #12705B
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: Sample – Pereira Experimental Hemp Shaving Soap
Aftershave: Sample – Saponifico Varesino Dolomiti
Additional Care: Alum block
A good start to the new week, continuing my Sample September. The aftershave isn’t half bad 😉
Razor: Merkur (?) NOS Bakelite Slant
Blade: Shark Super Chrome
Brush: Vie-Long #14033
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: Sample – Pereira Powdered Shaving Soap
Aftershave: Sample – Epsilon Amber
Additional Care: Alum Block
Keeping on with my Sample September. The soap powder I got a few years back, but I believe it is available from Pereira these days.
Some times you need to shave on the Go. That means that sometimes you will need a safety razor in your pocket – a pocket safety razor if you like. And while a great many have been patented, Mr P A Benet’s pocket safety razor is one of the earliest I am aware of. It is a neat little Single Edge razor too, just in time for Single Edge September
Continue readingRazor: Merkur (?) NOS Bakelite Slant
Blade: Shark Super Chrome
Brush: Wilkinson Sword Badger
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: Sample – Dr Harris & Co Luxury Lather Almond Shaving Cream
Aftershave: Sample – Epsilon 03 Amber
Additional Care: Alum Block
Continuing my Sample September. Today’s aftershave certainly had enough alcohol, and the scent – after being on my skin for a while – reminds me of baby powder.
Everyone likes to store their razor somewhere. Some likes a cabinet on the wall. Some likes a smaller container you can’t get your blade out of. And some like to keep a sanitary case in their pocket. And it was the last group Mr Stephen Woods targeted with his 1909 patent application.
Touted as a “new and useful Improvements in Sanitary. Cases for Toilet Articles and other Uses”, the invention is reminiscent of the WW1 Service Sets and the Gillette Khaki Kit in layout. It differs in how it works though.
Continue readingRazor: Merkur (?) NOS Bakelite Slant
Blade: Shark Super Chrome
Brush: Vie-Long #13051M
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: Sample – Pereira Shavery Experimental Mint & Menthol
Aftershave: Sample – Saponifico Varesino Tundra Artica
Additional Care: Alum Block
Continuing my self-proclaimed Sample September. So far the aftershave is a favourite of both me and my wife, and I may have to get a full sized bottle.