I shaved a good many weepers this morning, a very odd occurrence. I didn't see them, just smelled the blood. But I knew pretty soon into ATG that something was very wrong. At depth, the blade was finding resistance from something other than hair, which yet had point distribution like hair, and no sensation. Thickening of the follicle wall? Some odd developmental state of the root? I had to switch back to WTG to get it out of the buttresses.
Oh yes -- I shaved through it. No stabbing, I figured it couldn't be too bad, and kept my pitch low. (Numb fuck! But it actually did turn out okay, this time. Aftershave felt nicer than usual.) My lather was challenging me a little, my VDH/KMF croap, mixed a bit thin it seemed, and it wanted to dry out.
Then I have to think back to things I've done lately, in preceding shaves, of which this might have been the consequence. Wasn't it a cold water, PdP No. 63 shave, before this? And I put the Nizoral on my bald spot(s) before bed. Could that have come around to my chin, though?
I think the relatively high glycerin content of the PdP (my limit), maybe irritants in the fragrance. And propylene glycol in the croap couldn't soften the plaques of dried out shit It's not easy to track things down, when you change practically everything, every day. But maybe I'll figure out something new. Since I get pretty great shaves most days, maybe asking how -- precisely -- to screw up a shave is the most efficient experimental approach.
Clean, Comfortable Head Shaves
It's been better shaving since I left my nicks to recover, got caught up in a tight schedule, and found that the subsequent shave, after skipping nearly a whole day, was the best yet. Allowing 100% efficiency on the WTG pass, longer stubble shields the skin and ensures that every follicle gets a nice tug. Hysteresis may be real -- over the time span of several minutes between passes.
To be more specific, since I'm not in this for marketing, I think it takes 36 hours for my stubble to emerge completely, so I cannot get an ideally close shave every 24 hours. I have to save up my growth for special occasions, like Thanksgiving perhaps.
Getting a good few shaves -- top and bottom -- from Shark Super Chrome in the Travel Tech with Yingjili 8306-L handle. Holding nothing back, now, it is tremendously easy to generate leverage in a variety of previously very awkward positions around the back of my head. My thumb has taken the top spot on the handle, much of the time, ironically making me feel a bit like an ape. As long as it doesn't get too skippy, control is sufficient.
To be more specific, since I'm not in this for marketing, I think it takes 36 hours for my stubble to emerge completely, so I cannot get an ideally close shave every 24 hours. I have to save up my growth for special occasions, like Thanksgiving perhaps.
Getting a good few shaves -- top and bottom -- from Shark Super Chrome in the Travel Tech with Yingjili 8306-L handle. Holding nothing back, now, it is tremendously easy to generate leverage in a variety of previously very awkward positions around the back of my head. My thumb has taken the top spot on the handle, much of the time, ironically making me feel a bit like an ape. As long as it doesn't get too skippy, control is sufficient.
Brush is Not Acrylic
And not one fine artist shaver came forward to correct my mistake... what a cultured lot you are! ;) The YouTube search returns for brush repairs included the phrase "acrylic brush," but that actually means, brush for acrylic nail polish or paint, so... fine, I'm the dumbass. Also, eyeglass frames are made of acetate -- which does share two letters with acrylic, but no money from big wheel for me. I refer you to a more current-affairs shaving blog for further speculation on the "tuxedo" type brush material:
Been having some rather shitty shaves lately, but I believe all of my razors are back in rotation with respect to my head, at least. Baili BD-177 "Stella" made quick work of both shaving domains tonight with a Wilkinson Sword blade, but left a couple spots bleeding, some new kind of nick I don't get on my face. Earlier this week, some keratinous shit (solar keratosis) was erupting from both sides of my forehead, as far back as the right ear, and the razor showed no mercy. Well, I'm smooth now! I tried a 3-blade cartridge in the shower, and that went about how you'd expect. I'm really appreciating the covered blade tabs of the Baili razors, because I do like to go digging near my ears. When that tab hits, it feels like there's going to be a ruptured artery, with a painful, horrible POP! Hasn't happened yet, though.
My skin seems to have completed its toughening transition in about a month -- which is simply the turnover time for my shave-exfoliated epidermis, I suppose. I'll probably start growing hair back after Thanksgiving. The bald spots will still be there, though I do feel a nice little rough patch coming up from the southern hair jungle into the desert of my crown. I've dabbed with Nizoral now and then, when I get a shower, which they say is poor-man's Minoxidil. I also have that Dr. Miracles ointment from the Dollar Tree when I want some moisturizing. Coconut, jojoba... I play it by ear, so nothing like my usual bathroom research trials.
Black and White Knot is Heat Shapable Acrylic
I've been loosely following the introduction of Tuxedo et al. black-and-white synthetic knots, biding my time until prices come down to Earth. A makeup brush came to the Dollar General, largest retailer in my village, that matched the general description of the softer variety; indeed, it appears to be the same brush featured in one of my favorite lathering videos from YouTube.
Recently, a Virginia Sheng black-and-white brush dropped into my price range, and looked like a potential mate for my Armetale Williams cup -- fake pewter meets fake ivory. I knew it wasn't going to be authentic "Tuxedo," or as soft as the little kabuki I'd taken to represent that quality. I was surprised, though, to find it as stiff as my Pur-tech from the same vendor.
I now own classic and modern sizes of three distinct kinds of brushes, whose characteristics apparently have the power to reliably attract me: a soft synthetic type that holds water like a mop; a stiff synthetic type that acts more like a whisk, and a broomy boar type that gently scrubs. These form the cohesive heart of my collection, with just a couple (boar) outliers.
Until I noticed that my big, new black-and-white brush had a bad perm, flipped over to one side. It looked as though some chemical in my Williams enrichment scheme had permanently damaged the brush. But when I googled for other cases of brush damage, the hits returned a bunch of makeup and paint brushes being repaired by immersion in boiling water... and those brushes were acrylic. AH... yes, I had been using boiled water lately. And, as a lifelong eyeglass wearer, I've bent earpieces that way, intentionally, to make them fit better.
So I set out to "fix" my brush, on the assumption that it, too, was made of acrylic fibers. Nuked a mug of water in the microwave, and immersed my brush nearly up to the handle. Without thinking much, I did as the YouTubers did, and sort of shaped my brush manually, by running it between my thumb and index finger. Repeated a couple times, until I felt it was symmetrical enough.
As you can see in the photo, the brush now compares to my grandfather's StanHome mixed boar/badger knot, with a "flame" profile. That's his worn-out stub on the far right; I found a less used-up one at an antiques store. Not pictured: the little brush stand, not really a drying tool, so much as a shape retainer for the knot as it dries. Here, qualities of badger and boar are combined in one, stiff but non-absorbent, soft-tipped fiber type. Most notably, the extra tip density lets me dip for a precise aliquot of water to bring to my little Williams mug; where before, the brush took enough water for four shaves.
I unfortunately have to inform you that the glue bump on Vig Shaving synthetic brushes seems consistently sub-standard and very palpable. I never noticed it too much in my smaller Pur-tech, but with everything scaled up, it's right under my fingertips. I picked at this one with an acne tool to get it under control, and lost a few bristles in the process. Clearly, too, bristles that deform in very hot water could be perceived as a serious liability by many shavers. The heavy acrylic handle, while lending a quality hand feel, might tip balance the wrong way, in some setups.
But for me, this might be it -- The One Brush!
Recently, a Virginia Sheng black-and-white brush dropped into my price range, and looked like a potential mate for my Armetale Williams cup -- fake pewter meets fake ivory. I knew it wasn't going to be authentic "Tuxedo," or as soft as the little kabuki I'd taken to represent that quality. I was surprised, though, to find it as stiff as my Pur-tech from the same vendor.
Until I noticed that my big, new black-and-white brush had a bad perm, flipped over to one side. It looked as though some chemical in my Williams enrichment scheme had permanently damaged the brush. But when I googled for other cases of brush damage, the hits returned a bunch of makeup and paint brushes being repaired by immersion in boiling water... and those brushes were acrylic. AH... yes, I had been using boiled water lately. And, as a lifelong eyeglass wearer, I've bent earpieces that way, intentionally, to make them fit better.
So I set out to "fix" my brush, on the assumption that it, too, was made of acrylic fibers. Nuked a mug of water in the microwave, and immersed my brush nearly up to the handle. Without thinking much, I did as the YouTubers did, and sort of shaped my brush manually, by running it between my thumb and index finger. Repeated a couple times, until I felt it was symmetrical enough.
As you can see in the photo, the brush now compares to my grandfather's StanHome mixed boar/badger knot, with a "flame" profile. That's his worn-out stub on the far right; I found a less used-up one at an antiques store. Not pictured: the little brush stand, not really a drying tool, so much as a shape retainer for the knot as it dries. Here, qualities of badger and boar are combined in one, stiff but non-absorbent, soft-tipped fiber type. Most notably, the extra tip density lets me dip for a precise aliquot of water to bring to my little Williams mug; where before, the brush took enough water for four shaves.
I unfortunately have to inform you that the glue bump on Vig Shaving synthetic brushes seems consistently sub-standard and very palpable. I never noticed it too much in my smaller Pur-tech, but with everything scaled up, it's right under my fingertips. I picked at this one with an acne tool to get it under control, and lost a few bristles in the process. Clearly, too, bristles that deform in very hot water could be perceived as a serious liability by many shavers. The heavy acrylic handle, while lending a quality hand feel, might tip balance the wrong way, in some setups.
But for me, this might be it -- The One Brush!
 |
| Williams -- just Williams |
Blade Smoothness Revisited
Shaving my head has allowed me to see myself as a new student, going through the learning process from the beginning. First, it justified the endorsement I once gave in an Amazon review, mostly on principle, of the Merkur 41C, as a great beginner razor. Now, back to my preferred Tech, I'm getting re-acquainted with the pleasures of the smooth, less-picky blades that helped me learn to shave.
Today, with my last Baili platinum, I chose not to approach my beard with ginger precision, quick strokes and a lot of skewing, which has lately been leaving me with less-than ideal skin texture in the jaw corners, and more stubble than I would like at bedtime. This morning, following a cue from recent head shaves, I leaned on the top cap and plowed deep, just like I used to in the good ol' Personna days. I think that's the fundamental difference between smooth and sharp: the degree of leverage versus light touch. Then, subsequent to that choice, in the balance of angle selection, is a choice between slightly more burn and some missed hair. I did have to go back and dry shave the jaw corners, gingerly, to maintain my accustomed illusion of hairlessness.
No bumps, though, because no picking or stabbing. Those missed hairs seem pre-selected, not to pull the blade down into the skin when treated that way. I think they're the poorly rooted ones. A strong aftershave of 3-in-1 Lubricating Lotion mixed with Aqua Velva Musk gives a "healthy" burn, evenly distributed and not painful. The general inflammation level is slightly less than the ideal sensation of shrinking on drydown, but still completely neutral, not a "razor burn" in any degree.
Any creeping doubt in the back of my mind, that my habitual use of sharper blades, and daily BBS, would eventually justify the "no pressure" forum clown posse, is dead. This is absolutely how shaving works. Only the amplitude of the power changes, to a greater efficiency, when you move up to a sharper blade, and a lighter touch.
Twice Daily
Shaving, that is -- though Mo' Shave November is intimately concerned with glandular health...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VehHn55raYg (song by The Wurzels)
At night I shave my head, and in the morning, my face. All that shaving in one stand was getting tedious, even for one who enjoys it. The thrill of discovery has passed. I do still hope to become more efficient.
On the other hand, this is a great opportunity to use up those blades that I find less than ideal, as the scalp isn't nearly as picky, and my head hair will kill any edge before it gets broken in, anyway. I don't mind taking a few extra strokes, just for now. I'm still not modulating the pressure correctly (erring on the light side, I think), and struggling with hand coordination, too. Slowly, the position and direction of each hand, tracking over the back of my head, are coming into alignment, as I learn to shave blind. Good skill to have in the bank, I suppose; I've always admired the blind folks on the forums.
The best news, though, is that I'm back to my new favorite razor, the Travel Tech. I toyed with using separate razors, but it's cool; I'm finding new degrees of light touch, even with smooth blades. Which do stab and raise a bump here and there, and leave an odd stub or two under my jaw. Generally, l'm just as comfortable as when I had the straight-legit BBS. The only slight disappointment, is that I am resigned to bedtime stubble, once again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VehHn55raYg (song by The Wurzels)
At night I shave my head, and in the morning, my face. All that shaving in one stand was getting tedious, even for one who enjoys it. The thrill of discovery has passed. I do still hope to become more efficient.
On the other hand, this is a great opportunity to use up those blades that I find less than ideal, as the scalp isn't nearly as picky, and my head hair will kill any edge before it gets broken in, anyway. I don't mind taking a few extra strokes, just for now. I'm still not modulating the pressure correctly (erring on the light side, I think), and struggling with hand coordination, too. Slowly, the position and direction of each hand, tracking over the back of my head, are coming into alignment, as I learn to shave blind. Good skill to have in the bank, I suppose; I've always admired the blind folks on the forums.
The best news, though, is that I'm back to my new favorite razor, the Travel Tech. I toyed with using separate razors, but it's cool; I'm finding new degrees of light touch, even with smooth blades. Which do stab and raise a bump here and there, and leave an odd stub or two under my jaw. Generally, l'm just as comfortable as when I had the straight-legit BBS. The only slight disappointment, is that I am resigned to bedtime stubble, once again.
Mo' Shave November
I don't have a vintage Gillette New Improved. I do have a Rimei with a brass Razorock handle, that is similar to the later "NEW." The straight bar is just a little nicer to my skin and filtrum. That's the part under my nose. Oh, dammit -- I forgot to grow a moustache for Movember again. I blew all my donating money on non-Republican political candidates for last November, too. I guess that means I'll have to be the organized opposition to No-Shave November, then... ;-)
Participation entails trolling online bulletin boards and, of course, shaving your head. No moustache, but still pretty creepy. Isn't that true of any form of personal grooming, when turned to collective intents? Oh -- case in point: priests, which I think is the fundamental vibe my new look is tuned to. Took me awhile to pick up on reactions, but with the glasses, yep, I see it now. I'm Father McShavenhead. Friar Curly. I could have passed for Jewish before, but I'm like, extra white, now. (Jesus, am I empathizing with skinheads?) Definitely not Native American enough for my liking, at the moment.
Shaving my head has certainly been a learning experience, though. The Rimei had to be handled a little more carefully than the Merkur, but got it done almost as well. I got one nick on the top (where few will see it), and I can tell it's not quite even, though it was completely smooth initially. I guess this means I'm good enough to try the Tech again, but... do I really want to? I'll give myself the month to think about it. I still make odd errors of confusing left and right, working on the back of my head.
The Rimei face shave was a welcome step back to the familiar, at least. The skin-friendliness of the Merkur that I noted in the last post did not endure, unfortunately. Makes me think it was only good that time because of the prior, Ming Shi shave. If I shaved my head with the Rimei tomorrow, I bet it wouldn't be as good, either.
Tabac was the second reliable workhorse pulling today's shave, and I realized something. Witch Hazel is especially compatible with it, smell-wise. I think that if I worked with animals, and had more need of deodorant, Tabac would be my favorite over Williams. The "build-a-film deodorant" method reached the height of its power with Tabac as pit-wash, Witch Hazel and alum as dual astringents, and lanolin foot creme (I think) as the oil film. (It was either foot creme or hand creme, I stole from my wife some time ago in a little circular storage container for some forgotten purpose.) I guess I'm okay with lanolin, anyway.
Shaving -- The Facts
November: Time to STF Up
Cancer Isn't Real
Guns are for Everyone
Stop Playing With Your Balls
Double Your Prostate, Double Your Fun
Participation entails trolling online bulletin boards and, of course, shaving your head. No moustache, but still pretty creepy. Isn't that true of any form of personal grooming, when turned to collective intents? Oh -- case in point: priests, which I think is the fundamental vibe my new look is tuned to. Took me awhile to pick up on reactions, but with the glasses, yep, I see it now. I'm Father McShavenhead. Friar Curly. I could have passed for Jewish before, but I'm like, extra white, now. (Jesus, am I empathizing with skinheads?) Definitely not Native American enough for my liking, at the moment.
Shaving my head has certainly been a learning experience, though. The Rimei had to be handled a little more carefully than the Merkur, but got it done almost as well. I got one nick on the top (where few will see it), and I can tell it's not quite even, though it was completely smooth initially. I guess this means I'm good enough to try the Tech again, but... do I really want to? I'll give myself the month to think about it. I still make odd errors of confusing left and right, working on the back of my head.
The Rimei face shave was a welcome step back to the familiar, at least. The skin-friendliness of the Merkur that I noted in the last post did not endure, unfortunately. Makes me think it was only good that time because of the prior, Ming Shi shave. If I shaved my head with the Rimei tomorrow, I bet it wouldn't be as good, either.
Tabac was the second reliable workhorse pulling today's shave, and I realized something. Witch Hazel is especially compatible with it, smell-wise. I think that if I worked with animals, and had more need of deodorant, Tabac would be my favorite over Williams. The "build-a-film deodorant" method reached the height of its power with Tabac as pit-wash, Witch Hazel and alum as dual astringents, and lanolin foot creme (I think) as the oil film. (It was either foot creme or hand creme, I stole from my wife some time ago in a little circular storage container for some forgotten purpose.) I guess I'm okay with lanolin, anyway.
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