Book titles were longer in the past. I suspect this was at least partly down to people having more time. That, and the fact that your book’s title was the first impression the potential reader got, so it better tell the reader what the book was all about.
Continue readingRazor: Yaqi Mini, red & black
Blade: Lord Classic
Brush: Omega #50014 Travel
Lather: LEA Shavestick
Aftershave: Krampert’s Finest 80 Below
Additional Care: Alum Block & BullDog Original Beard Oil
Thanks to a fellow shaver from the ‘Nook, I recently received a Schick E2 dated 1941. That’s right; the razor is eighty years old.
The razor looks really nice and is in excellent condition, and I’m looking forward to contrasting and comparing it to my Lady Eversharp and G4.
The box is also in very good shape, with nice and sharp text. The text on the underside is interesting; what company today gives a twenty year, no question asked warranty?
Razor: Yaqi Mini, red & black
Blade: Lord Classic
Brush: Omega #50014 Travel
Lather: LEA Shavestick
Aftershave: Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Additional Care: Alum Travel Stick
Razor: Gillette 1958 TV Special
Blade: “Normal”
Lather: Prep “The Original Formula”
Aftershave: Prep “The Original Formula”
Additional Care: Alum Block
As I’m writing this a few weeks before Christmas, there have been a volcano eruption going on at La Palma for more than a month. It is – quite frankly – a ongoing disaster. Thousands of people having to flee, earthquakes, lava flows, acid rain, toxic gases, and ash.
So what have that to do with traditional wetshaving, you ask? Or Christmas, for that matter.
Well… Gifts & Care, the well known (to some of us) Spanish shaving equipment store are selling a Solidarity Advent Calendar. For only 1€ / 1.16 USD / 0.85 GBP / 9.86 NOK a day, you can help the people of La Palma – all proceeds go to the many people going through a hard horrible time.
Oh, and you also get to enjoy a new sample every day in advent. With, as they point out, a final surprise on Christmas Day.
I’ve ordered one, of course. Which means that come December, I’ll have an additional post every day until the 25th with what is in the Solidarity Advent Calendar.
As a side note; Gifts & Care is also celebrating their anniversary these days, and are offering 15% of their entire store with the coupon code ANNIVERSARY. So it’s also a good time to pick up a seasonal gift to yourself in addition to the Solidarity Advent Calendar.
Razor: Gillette 1958 TV Special
Blade: “Normal”
Brush: Semogue TSN LE 2012
Lather: Asylum Shave Works Frankincense & Myrrh
Aftershave: Asylum Shave Works Frankincense & Myrrh
Additional Care: Alum Block
A few days ago I wrote about a disposable revolving razor from 1966. Unshockingly – since there is nothing new under the sun – I found a broadly similar idea patented a few years prior. Funnily enough, the patent filed by Mr Alfred Curci1 is – in my eyes at least – an improvement upon the idea patented later.
I guess the chicken came before the egg, in the case of disposable revolving razors.
Continue readingRazor: Gillette 1958 TV Special
Blade: “Normal”
Brush: Artesania Romera Manchurian Badger, imitation horn
Lather: CRSW Glide Morning Ghost
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
I’ve been wetshaving and enjoying the simple pleasures of a good shave for a while now.
Say… about eleven years and four-ish months. I’ve also been blogging about – and advocating for – traditional wetshaving for a while. This blog is nine years, six months, and twenty six years old today – or at least, that is how long it has been since the first post went live.
But this blog is not the first time I posted about the benefits and enjoyment of traditional wetshaving. The first public, on the net for all to see, post I ever made about wetshaving was eleven years ago today.1 I was in Africa at the time, in southern Sudan to be specific. In what a few months later became South Sudan, in fact. And below is a verbatim copy of that post, typos and all:
Simple pleasures
It is something very satisfying to whip up your own lather before shaving… to see a tiny bit of shaving cream and a few drops of water turn into a nice, thick, rich and nice smelling lather. The slightly cool feel as the eucalyptus and menthol lather first touches, and then covers, most of the face – and then taking it off with long, controlled strokes with my old fashioned safety razor. A quick splash of water, and then the sting of the alum as it finds the small nicks and scratches that I couldn’t see in the mirror.For those that are curious:
– Parker 22R safety razor – considered to be a somewhat aggressive razor, but it suits my face just fine. Nice long handle, easy to change / clean blades.
Copy of a post from my old blog known as “Blog From Unmis“
– Feather Light blade – claimed to be the sharpest blade there is. Might well be, todays blade have seen 10-12 shaves already and is still sharper than my gillete ever was.
– Proraso shaving cream w/ eucalyptus oil and menthol. Large tube, long lasting, smells and feels good.
– Piece of Alum on a string. Stings, but helps seal the nicks and cuts really good.
I still uses the Parker razor – in fact, it was the razor in my rotation this past week. Feather blades still features in my shaves, even if I only pair them with mild razors today. It’s not that long ago since I picked up a new tube of Proraso cream. And I still uses alum daily, but it stings a lot less now – since I don’t get as many nicks.
I have more than a few more razors than I did when I made that post all those years ago. I got more brushes too. And aftershaves. And a lot more soaps. I also have a significantly better technique then I had then
But one thing has not changed. There are still simple pleasures to be had in the morning, in between crawling out of bed and heading to work. There are still the simple pleasures of making lather, putting it on my face, and shaving. I still take that time to ground myself and enjoy a moment of zen.