The Merkur's campaign from Grandpa-land to the #1 spot in my routine came to a grinding halt this morning. Using my best prep, but tightening the blade down for all three passes, my skin was finaly able to breathe a sigh of relief, a perceptible feeling of "Ah..." after dry-down. I can still see chipping on the surface, but it's definitely on the mend, from the inside out.
The beard, however, was cut too sharp, and not "velvety." I don't think it's just the coarser hair of the goatee area, where I've been finishing WTG. All along the jawline is problematic, even up into the cheeks. The cleanest spot is, oddly, right in that starting area of the sideburn. I don't mind the CCS, that's not what I'm talking about. I almost shaved a second time last night, I so detest going to bed with stubble catching on the pillowcase. I think I definitely will shave tonight, now that my skin is good.
And the razor I'll be using for that, is the Rimei. When it comes to new, sharp blades, I need the extra reach. My hair's too bendy and flat-lying to try lopping it off at the top -- gotta chop it at the trunk.
Even less surprising news: with a little bit less water in the brush, I still couldn't get a 4-inch bowl to work like a mug with Williams. But I dumped the slosh (just like yesterday's) into another bowl, worked up what was in the brush on my face, and had extra lather to clean my pits with. Not super clean, but with the AV mixing with my own musk, definitely super sexy!
All you need to lather Williams is hot water and a toothpick!
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/reVeoZg555c
I've seen people use a stick to brush their teeth... more plausible than the mug!
DeleteThe only way I can get Williams to work for me is to dribble a small amount of Cremo Cream onto the puck before loading the brush. Thickens things up and provides a good cushion and slickness. However I prefer my melted mixture of VDH and one tablespoon of Cremo Cream. Doing this does not require the toothpick!
DeleteIt's like the surface of the puck needs some sort of protection from water. Anytime there's enough water present to foam the lather, there is also enough water to dissolve more soap. Most will end up with a foamed protolather, 5x more concentrated than it ought to be. I think that's what I saw in your video.
DeleteTo end up with something like what's pictured on the Williams package, a mug overflowing with finished lather, without wasting soap, face lathering, or using a second vessel, is a fascinating technical puzzle. I've opined it's the specific interaction of a floppy brush and a tall, accessible mug that has been lost to history, but they say the soap used to have more tallowate than stearate, also.
It's something I'll continue to play with, the next time I buy Williams. A fellow flea marketer sold me a divided mug with a narrow, fine-bristled brush with a handle sort of like Vie-Long's "Cachurro." I couldn't imagine how it would work, at the time.
For now, though, I am defeated.