Shave of the day 27th April

Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint Soap
Lather: Crabtree&Evelyn Sandalwood
Brush: Semogue “The Shave Nook 2012 Limited Edition” mixed boar-badger brush
Razor: Merkur 25C Open Comb with a fresh Green Astra blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum Aftershave
Beard care: Big Red Beard Factory Oil and Big Red No7 Beard Comb

Shave of the day 24th April

Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint Soap
Lather: Mike’s Natural Soap, Peppermint & Rosemary
Brush: Vie-Long #14033 mixed horse-badger brush
Razor: Merkur 39C Slant with a Polsilver blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum Aftershave
Beard care: Big Red Beard Factory Oil and Big Red No7 Beard Comb

Shaving lather moistening and heating device

When the canned goo was the hot new stuff, people realised that unlike brush and soap – which you could use with a scuttle – the hot new stuff soon got cold… and cold lather can make for a miserable shave.

However Mr Henry Allen Wilson came up with a cunning solution, built into the very can of goo that the multinationals were pushing, without the clumsy contraptions that previous patents had relied on

To overcome all such methods and means as set forth above or other means of adding moisture and heat to the lather as it is dispensed from a container for use, I propose by the means herein disclosed and described to produce in a confined area properly heated and moistened lather from the ordinary and usual aerosol can or bottle, adequate moisture laden lather without adding to the expense or complexity of the ordinary aerosol dispensing container or to the lather-producing liquid within the dispensing container.

Or, as I see it, he floated the cap in the sink one day and realised that if he could keep it from capsizing, any goo added to the cap would indeed be heated up. Since plastic is less dense than water, stability can be achieved by adding water ballast to the cup without sacrificing floatation. Squirt some goo on top and it will indeed be heated (and dampened, which may or may not be a good thing). Or as Mr Wilson states it:

By reference to the sectional view in FIG. 2 it will also be seen that the body of lather L rests on the surface of the hot water within the cup by which it is constantly moistened and heated during use. It will be obvious that the quantity of moisture may be varied as desired by merely adding the hot water from the cup as the shaver successively dips into the lather and water as he applies same to his beard in normal preshave fashion.

I suspect the downfall of the patent lays in the last cited sentence – most “modern” shavers will simply squirt goo in their hand or face and rub it around, not “dip into” the lather. And thus they’ll have to deal with cold lather year round… poor fellows.

Shave of the day 22nd April

Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint Soap
Lather: Arko Cool Mint shaving cream
Brush: Vie-Long #13051M unbleached pure horse
Razor: Merkur 39C Slant with a fresh Polsilver blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Thayers Original Witch Hazel with aloe vera
Beard care: Big Red Beard Factory Oil and Big Red No7 Beard Comb

Weird Japanese shaving advert

Okay… I think this officially can ble classified as a “What Is This, I Don’t Even”. For us westerners, Japanese pop-culture is weird enough to begin with… but this takes things one step beyond what I’ve seen so far. Still, he ought to have gotten a brush and lathered up on the way down…

Shave of the day 20th April

Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint Soap
Lather: Mama Bear’s Awakening
Brush: Turkish No7
Razor: Merkur 39C Slant with a fresh Polsilver blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest 80 Below Aftershave
Beard care: Big Red Beard Factory Oil and Big Red No7 Beard Comb

Shave of the day 17th April

Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint Soap
Lather: Wet Shaving Products pre-production soap
Brush: Omega #10048 Boar Bristle
Razor: German (likely Merkur) Bakelite Slant with a Super-Max Stainless
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum Aftershave
Beard care: Big Red Beard Factory Oil and Big Red No7 Beard Comb

Art Nouveau Safety Razor

Sadly not mine, but… how does the modern, plastic razor compare to this work of craft?

Shave of the day 15th April

Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint Soap
Lather: Mike’s Natural “Mixed” Soap
Brush: Turkish No6 brush
Razor: German (likely Merkur) Bakelite Slant with a Super-Max Stainless
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and BodyShop Maca Root Face Protector
Beard care: Big Red Beard Factory Balm and Big Red No7 Beard Comb

More reasons for old fashioned shaving

Because we all know advertisements never lie to us, right? Right… ? Oh, they do, don’t they? Bummer…

Still; even if old fashioned shaving wont get you any more girls, you’ll get a better shave and a moment of zen in the morning. And two out of three ain’t bad, as Meat Loaf told us back when I was a wee kid.