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BOTL UPCOMING MAINTENANCE
Hi Everyone, as mentioned in my introduction post, BOTL needs quite a bit of updating, patching and whatever else I might come across. Over the next few weekends BOTL may be unreachable on occasion as I do migrations or updates, etc. Just be patient - we'll be back! I'll generally try to keep these maintenances until later in the evenings.
Post your shave of the day here
- Thread starter Hot_Sauce
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1,387
If I were to recommend any AF Aftershave it would be my WHISKEY Aftershave from Portland General Store. It utilizes sea minerals & has a very earthy manly scent. It also lasts. Had it over a year, use it every other day, and not even halfway gone.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
For me it would by Myrsol Blue and Pinaud Clubman.
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1,387
LOL well i got one out of two of those in my sample bomb (Pinaud Clubman). I like the scent of it but the alcohol admittedly isn't my favorite part. I think I'll try it without the Alum next shave, since the alcohol works as an astringent (basically pulling double duty with my trusted ALUM)
Here's the link to the Whiskey AF, in case you wanted to scope it out
https://www.portlandgeneralstore.com/products/whiskey-after-shave-splash-pgs-bestseller
Here's the link to the Whiskey AF, in case you wanted to scope it out
https://www.portlandgeneralstore.com/products/whiskey-after-shave-splash-pgs-bestseller
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1,387
A Newbie's Wet Shave Journey - Review # 4
Prep: Cold shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar (only have one brush at the moment so sorry for the lack of a rotation)
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Blade: Voskhod Teflon Coated (2nd Attempt)
Soap: Mystic Waters Jeff's Lavender then Stirling Sharp Dressed Man Croap
Review:
You're probably wondering just why do I have 2 soaps listed above. I'm very new to hard soaps; only having used Williams Mug Shave soap, with very little success. So I was a bit hesitant stepping off into the unknown with Mystic Waters. Plus I read online that this particular soap is very finicky to get a good sturdy lather, especially those with hard water. In NJ we have water that is as hard as Iron Mike Tyson's right hook. I watched about 30 minutes worth of tutorials before attempting and found a very decent video
I tried my best and didn't want to give up that easily. However even following all the steps I was still left with a lather that dissipated quickly, even though it gave off the impression of a pillowy soft feeling. Not sure what i'm doing wrong. Plus I'm not too much of a fan of soaps that requires such effort to get an optimal usable lather. This is why I bless Stirling so much and firmly believe I found a new home in their extensive small batch lineup. So thank you @UPTOWNSMOKE for introducing that to me. I ended up ditching my attempts at Mystic Waters , plus I already knew I had a blade that already caused irritation, so I wasn't gonna take anymore chances. I then turned my attention to Stirling Sharp Dressed Man which livened up the shave completely. Really loved the scent pre/post lather, didn't dissipate at all in aroma. The lather held true through all 4 passes and was as slick as ice. The Voskhod's were unfortunately not much better than when I first tried them. Not much irritation this time but they were quite dull and required that 4th pass.
Disregard Rapira's, I only included then in the picture because I thought I wouldn't be able to shave with the Voskhod's for a full shave. I decided to tough it out though
Prep: Cold shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar (only have one brush at the moment so sorry for the lack of a rotation)
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Blade: Voskhod Teflon Coated (2nd Attempt)
Soap: Mystic Waters Jeff's Lavender then Stirling Sharp Dressed Man Croap
Review:
You're probably wondering just why do I have 2 soaps listed above. I'm very new to hard soaps; only having used Williams Mug Shave soap, with very little success. So I was a bit hesitant stepping off into the unknown with Mystic Waters. Plus I read online that this particular soap is very finicky to get a good sturdy lather, especially those with hard water. In NJ we have water that is as hard as Iron Mike Tyson's right hook. I watched about 30 minutes worth of tutorials before attempting and found a very decent video
I tried my best and didn't want to give up that easily. However even following all the steps I was still left with a lather that dissipated quickly, even though it gave off the impression of a pillowy soft feeling. Not sure what i'm doing wrong. Plus I'm not too much of a fan of soaps that requires such effort to get an optimal usable lather. This is why I bless Stirling so much and firmly believe I found a new home in their extensive small batch lineup. So thank you @UPTOWNSMOKE for introducing that to me. I ended up ditching my attempts at Mystic Waters , plus I already knew I had a blade that already caused irritation, so I wasn't gonna take anymore chances. I then turned my attention to Stirling Sharp Dressed Man which livened up the shave completely. Really loved the scent pre/post lather, didn't dissipate at all in aroma. The lather held true through all 4 passes and was as slick as ice. The Voskhod's were unfortunately not much better than when I first tried them. Not much irritation this time but they were quite dull and required that 4th pass.
Disregard Rapira's, I only included then in the picture because I thought I wouldn't be able to shave with the Voskhod's for a full shave. I decided to tough it out though
A Newbie's Wet Shave Journey - Review # 4
Prep: Cold shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar (only have one brush at the moment so sorry for the lack of a rotation)
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Blade: Voskhod Teflon Coated (2nd Attempt)
Soap: Mystic Waters Jeff's Lavender then Stirling Sharp Dressed Man Croap
Review:
You're probably wondering just why do I have 2 soaps listed above. I'm very new to hard soaps; only having used Williams Mug Shave soap, with very little success. So I was a bit hesitant stepping off into the unknown with Mystic Waters. Plus I read online that this particular soap is very finicky to get a good sturdy lather, especially those with hard water. In NJ we have water that is as hard as Iron Mike Tyson's right hook. I watched about 30 minutes worth of tutorials before attempting and found a very decent video
I tried my best and didn't want to give up that easily. However even following all the steps I was still left with a lather that dissipated quickly, even though it gave off the impression of a pillowy soft feeling. Not sure what i'm doing wrong. Plus I'm not too much of a fan of soaps that requires such effort to get an optimal usable lather. This is why I bless Stirling so much and firmly believe I found a new home in their extensive small batch lineup. So thank you @UPTOWNSMOKE for introducing that to me. I ended up ditching my attempts at Mystic Waters , plus I already knew I had a blade that already caused irritation, so I wasn't gonna take anymore chances. I then turned my attention to Stirling Sharp Dressed Man which livened up the shave completely. Really loved the scent pre/post lather, didn't dissipate at all in aroma. The lather held true through all 4 passes and was as slick as ice. The Voskhod's were unfortunately not much better than when I first tried them. Not much irritation this time but they were quite dull and required that 4th pass.
Disregard Rapira's, I only included then in the picture because I thought I wouldn't be able to shave with the Voskhod's for a full shave. I decided to tough it out though
Yeah, Mystic Water does take a bit of an effort to get a lather. Nice review.
PetersCreek
Brother Borealis
Nothing really exciting about this morning's shave, other than it being the last day of our Leavenworth/Seattle trip. Merkur 34C HD with an Astra premium blade; Art of Shaving lemon shave cream in the every so travel-friendly squeeze tube; and Woody's 2-in-1 beard conditioner for the goatee, 'stache, and face.
The handlebar was style with the usual Elmer's glue stick but the goat got something new to me: a "dry oil" from Can You Handlebar in the Initiative flavor. I've used their mustache waxes for a couple of years but I hadn't got around to try their beard balm until now. Nice stuff. Citrusy and almost woodsy. Fingertip heat makes it almost greasy in the tin but it works in immediately and leaves a soft, silky feel while controlling the fly-aways well.
The handlebar was style with the usual Elmer's glue stick but the goat got something new to me: a "dry oil" from Can You Handlebar in the Initiative flavor. I've used their mustache waxes for a couple of years but I hadn't got around to try their beard balm until now. Nice stuff. Citrusy and almost woodsy. Fingertip heat makes it almost greasy in the tin but it works in immediately and leaves a soft, silky feel while controlling the fly-aways well.
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1,387
A Newbie's Wet Shave Journey - Review # 5
Prep: Cold shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar (only have one brush at the moment so sorry for the lack of a rotation)
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
Creams (plural): St. James of London - Mandarin & Patchouli / Taylor of Old Bond Street (TOBS) Sandlewood / TOBS Grapefruit / Palmolive Classic Cream
Review:
I chose to do a quadruple shaving cream review for several different reasons. (1.) I wasn't sure which one I would like (2.) After my last few failed attempts with creams I wasn't really that confident which one would suit me best (3.) The aromas were all over the spectrum, from pleasantly fresh to kinda strange HAHA. (4.) And finally I wanted to really give it my best effort to really like shaving creams and get a better feel for the technique of loading & lathering.
I also chose to take the ultimate risk and use a completely new blade with these new creams, especially being I sure wasn't all that confident from past experiences and my unmemorable time with Voskhod's (which come from the same manufacturer as Rapira). I will start this off with a question: why does it say "Do Not Wipe Blades" on Voskhod & Rapira blades? This goes against everything I was taught in blade caring (disassembling razor and wiping off blade so no rust forms)
First off, was the St. James of London in Mandarin & Patchouli. I'm familiar with that last word as it appears in my Soap Commander "Respect"...smells like Lime Jello to me. Unfortunately this cream made my nose itch so bad that it turned red...LOL. It lathered very easily but dissipated easily as well. It wasn't enough to inspire much confidence to use it for my shave. The lather was also a non-slick one, which might have something to do with NJ insane Hard Water problems.
Second, came the TOBS Sandlewood which I was very excited for, as that name really calls to me growing up near wooden boardwalks. I cracked the container open thinking I would be greeted with notes of cedar spice and tannin's. Boy I couldn't have been further off...all I got was a mixture of Pantene shampoo and high quality dog shampoo. I know I know that last one sounds bad but you have to understand that I once worked at a Canine Salon and that was the first thing that came to mind in my long list of smell index. Lets just say that I wasn't really that excited to coat my face with this stuff, so moving on.
Thirdly, came Palmolive Classic Cream. I saw many rave reviews on this squeeze tube cream and I was excited to try it, even though its a popular dish soap brand and I never heard of it for wet shaving, but I digress. With this I got a nice soft lather but on the thin and dry side. I applied more cream to the brush with some more water dabs but strangely that didn't solve anything (could be another hard water issue). I'm certainly not knocking any of these creams as I've read that very hard water can be a kryponite for attaining a solid/soft lather from these artisan creams and soaps.
Lastly, came the TOBS Grapefruit, something I was dying to try as I'm a grapefruit nut. I used to down cartons of straight grapefruit juice and eat whole grapefruits on the side. I don't mean to sound like a broken record because I really did try with all these creams. I spent roughly about 3 hours in the shave den immersed, working on lather techniques and really putting my best foot forward for this review. I saved this for last because I was almost certain that I would enjoy it and most importantly have a solid technique down from the previous three creams. Unfortunately, I didn't get that far as this cream gave me an allergic reaction
LOL. My face broke out in very sensitive red bumps and rashes....that burned like a MOTHER EFFER. Oh well at least it smelled nice.
When the bumps and rashes subsided some, I nervously decided that my little experiment was over but still had about 5 days worth of growth that needed to be removed at once. Since I gave away my electric razor, because I wanted full commitment from myself in this hobby, I didn't have any other option...I had to focus. Out came the RazoRock XXX that was also included in this bomb (@UPTOWNSMOKE you're a lifesaver for including that). However, I wanted to still attempt to use the Rapira's, so I chanced it. I found them to be smooth as silk and provided a very close shave. I even was able to achieve against the grain (in my current condition no-less). Miles better than Voskhod and I didn't have to over-tilt the razor to achieve cutting. I did find them to be on the not-so-sharp side so that's my only knock.
****I just wanted to say that for every product (soap, cream, blade, aftershave) I don't end up liking or using I am planning on giving to my friend who is just getting into the hobby, after some convincing on my part LOL. So they are not gonna go to waste****
Prep: Cold shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar (only have one brush at the moment so sorry for the lack of a rotation)
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
Creams (plural): St. James of London - Mandarin & Patchouli / Taylor of Old Bond Street (TOBS) Sandlewood / TOBS Grapefruit / Palmolive Classic Cream
Review:
I chose to do a quadruple shaving cream review for several different reasons. (1.) I wasn't sure which one I would like (2.) After my last few failed attempts with creams I wasn't really that confident which one would suit me best (3.) The aromas were all over the spectrum, from pleasantly fresh to kinda strange HAHA. (4.) And finally I wanted to really give it my best effort to really like shaving creams and get a better feel for the technique of loading & lathering.
I also chose to take the ultimate risk and use a completely new blade with these new creams, especially being I sure wasn't all that confident from past experiences and my unmemorable time with Voskhod's (which come from the same manufacturer as Rapira). I will start this off with a question: why does it say "Do Not Wipe Blades" on Voskhod & Rapira blades? This goes against everything I was taught in blade caring (disassembling razor and wiping off blade so no rust forms)
First off, was the St. James of London in Mandarin & Patchouli. I'm familiar with that last word as it appears in my Soap Commander "Respect"...smells like Lime Jello to me. Unfortunately this cream made my nose itch so bad that it turned red...LOL. It lathered very easily but dissipated easily as well. It wasn't enough to inspire much confidence to use it for my shave. The lather was also a non-slick one, which might have something to do with NJ insane Hard Water problems.
Second, came the TOBS Sandlewood which I was very excited for, as that name really calls to me growing up near wooden boardwalks. I cracked the container open thinking I would be greeted with notes of cedar spice and tannin's. Boy I couldn't have been further off...all I got was a mixture of Pantene shampoo and high quality dog shampoo. I know I know that last one sounds bad but you have to understand that I once worked at a Canine Salon and that was the first thing that came to mind in my long list of smell index. Lets just say that I wasn't really that excited to coat my face with this stuff, so moving on.
Thirdly, came Palmolive Classic Cream. I saw many rave reviews on this squeeze tube cream and I was excited to try it, even though its a popular dish soap brand and I never heard of it for wet shaving, but I digress. With this I got a nice soft lather but on the thin and dry side. I applied more cream to the brush with some more water dabs but strangely that didn't solve anything (could be another hard water issue). I'm certainly not knocking any of these creams as I've read that very hard water can be a kryponite for attaining a solid/soft lather from these artisan creams and soaps.
Lastly, came the TOBS Grapefruit, something I was dying to try as I'm a grapefruit nut. I used to down cartons of straight grapefruit juice and eat whole grapefruits on the side. I don't mean to sound like a broken record because I really did try with all these creams. I spent roughly about 3 hours in the shave den immersed, working on lather techniques and really putting my best foot forward for this review. I saved this for last because I was almost certain that I would enjoy it and most importantly have a solid technique down from the previous three creams. Unfortunately, I didn't get that far as this cream gave me an allergic reaction
LOL. My face broke out in very sensitive red bumps and rashes....that burned like a MOTHER EFFER. Oh well at least it smelled nice.When the bumps and rashes subsided some, I nervously decided that my little experiment was over but still had about 5 days worth of growth that needed to be removed at once. Since I gave away my electric razor, because I wanted full commitment from myself in this hobby, I didn't have any other option...I had to focus. Out came the RazoRock XXX that was also included in this bomb (@UPTOWNSMOKE you're a lifesaver for including that). However, I wanted to still attempt to use the Rapira's, so I chanced it. I found them to be smooth as silk and provided a very close shave. I even was able to achieve against the grain (in my current condition no-less). Miles better than Voskhod and I didn't have to over-tilt the razor to achieve cutting. I did find them to be on the not-so-sharp side so that's my only knock.
****I just wanted to say that for every product (soap, cream, blade, aftershave) I don't end up liking or using I am planning on giving to my friend who is just getting into the hobby, after some convincing on my part LOL. So they are not gonna go to waste****
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1,387
A Newbie's Wet Shave Journey - Review # 6 "Mystic Water Redemption"
Prep: Cold shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar (only have one brush at the moment so sorry for the lack of a rotation)
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
Croap: Mystic Waters Frankincense & Myrrh
Review:
I decided since I didn't have any luck with their hard soap that I would try the croap that @UPTOWNSMOKE provided. I figured since I've had nothing but luck with croaps that it would turn things around for me, with regards to how I feel about Mystic Water (so far I'm 5/5 in croaps). The scent was very interesting; smelling like Necco Wafer candy chocolate & cinnamon. I soaked my Omega for the usual 20 minutes in hot water and started lathering with a fairly damp brush. I thought I was on the right track but soon found myself in a very similar situation with the soap being so pasty that it clogged the brush up. I could immediately tell I was barking down the wrong tree when I applied it to my face, felt like paint LOL. The picture I chose for this review is that very same paint lather. So I squeezed out my clogged brush and rinsed out my shave bowl and gave it another crack. Only this time I started out with a soaking brush (knocked out twice), that must do the trick....NOPE lol. I was left with a very light and dissipating lather with massive bubbles. There was literally no point in continuing to face lather has I knew my outcome. So back to the drawing board I went. Rinse Rinse..shake shake. Finally I went with the only method I could think of, which was to go with a fairly damp brush (3 knocks this time), this worked but didn't give me my usual pillowy soft & slick lather I've become use to with Stirling. Since I was giving the Rapira's another go-around I wasn't chancing having a a lightweight lather, so I chose to pack it up.
There I found myself an hour later, without a clean shave and it was getting late. The next day my sister was taking me to VegFest (a vegetarian festival) in NJ, as a Birthday gift and I certainly wasn't going with my 3 day usual growth, or a face that looked like I shaved with Freddie Kruger's gloves, so I wasn't playing around anymore. Can you guess what I reached for? Duh!! RazoRock XXX but chose to stick with the Rapira's. Something I regret doing as I was left with terrible razor burn on my chin. I wish I had better luck with these new blades and soaps, gonna be trying out Shark Super Chrome next so hopefully I'll have better luck. I'm just glad that at this point, not only have I found a new soap company; Stirling (as XXX is the only croap I know of that RazoRock makes), but I also found a new blade as well that I love equally to my trusted Lab Blues, which are the PermaSharps. Luckily by the time of the festival, I was able to get the razor burn down to a minimum, simply by using the method of: Alum, Whiskey Mineral AF, Pacific Balm (once at night and once in the morning) then coating the area with shave oil.
Prep: Cold shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar (only have one brush at the moment so sorry for the lack of a rotation)
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
Croap: Mystic Waters Frankincense & Myrrh
Review:
I decided since I didn't have any luck with their hard soap that I would try the croap that @UPTOWNSMOKE provided. I figured since I've had nothing but luck with croaps that it would turn things around for me, with regards to how I feel about Mystic Water (so far I'm 5/5 in croaps). The scent was very interesting; smelling like Necco Wafer candy chocolate & cinnamon. I soaked my Omega for the usual 20 minutes in hot water and started lathering with a fairly damp brush. I thought I was on the right track but soon found myself in a very similar situation with the soap being so pasty that it clogged the brush up. I could immediately tell I was barking down the wrong tree when I applied it to my face, felt like paint LOL. The picture I chose for this review is that very same paint lather. So I squeezed out my clogged brush and rinsed out my shave bowl and gave it another crack. Only this time I started out with a soaking brush (knocked out twice), that must do the trick....NOPE lol. I was left with a very light and dissipating lather with massive bubbles. There was literally no point in continuing to face lather has I knew my outcome. So back to the drawing board I went. Rinse Rinse..shake shake. Finally I went with the only method I could think of, which was to go with a fairly damp brush (3 knocks this time), this worked but didn't give me my usual pillowy soft & slick lather I've become use to with Stirling. Since I was giving the Rapira's another go-around I wasn't chancing having a a lightweight lather, so I chose to pack it up.
There I found myself an hour later, without a clean shave and it was getting late. The next day my sister was taking me to VegFest (a vegetarian festival) in NJ, as a Birthday gift and I certainly wasn't going with my 3 day usual growth, or a face that looked like I shaved with Freddie Kruger's gloves
, so I wasn't playing around anymore. Can you guess what I reached for? Duh!! RazoRock XXX but chose to stick with the Rapira's. Something I regret doing as I was left with terrible razor burn on my chin. I wish I had better luck with these new blades and soaps, gonna be trying out Shark Super Chrome next so hopefully I'll have better luck. I'm just glad that at this point, not only have I found a new soap company; Stirling (as XXX is the only croap I know of that RazoRock makes), but I also found a new blade as well that I love equally to my trusted Lab Blues, which are the PermaSharps. Luckily by the time of the festival, I was able to get the razor burn down to a minimum, simply by using the method of: Alum, Whiskey Mineral AF, Pacific Balm (once at night and once in the morning) then coating the area with shave oil.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1,387
A Newbie's Wet Shave Journey - Review # 7
Prep: Cold shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar (only have one brush at the moment so sorry for the lack of a rotation)
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Blade: Shark Super Stainless Steel.....PermaSharps
Croap: Route 66 .....Stirling Executive Man
Review:
You're probably use to this format by now of having 2 soaps in the description, but in this case I had to add two different blades. I have heard very great things about the Shark Super Chrome's, however I think that the Stainless Steel versions missed the mark with me almost entirely. It was skipping & dragging all over the place. I couldn't even do a "with the grain pass" on my sideburns/cheeks, which is my favorite part to shave. I can normally achieve an "against the grain" pass in this area, and on my 2nd pass at that. Oh well. like I said previously, I'm just very happy I was able to find a 2nd reliable blade from this bomb, as you can tell my face is rather picky. Although shaving with an electric razor my whole life probably has something to do with that. The only 2 things these PermaSharp's fail at are cutting the thick beard hair and travelling over my weird chin patterns (which is thanks mainly to when I was a kid and had chin reconstructive surgery from a bad biking accident). They also need work on my neckline in regards to my "against the grain" pass along the center of my throat, which is the most sensitive part of my shave. Luckily the Lab Blues can achieve this.
I was really looking forward to the shave where I got to use the Route 66 Croap. I've never heard of this company and it had a very masculine & incensey aroma to it. I was able to whip up a beautiful lather with almost minimal effort with a damp brush (squeezed out). It was pillowy soft with plenty of peaks. Unfortunately it too dissipated easily and on the other side of the spectrum, also dried and flaked. It wasn't my usual croap consistency that I am used to with Stirling; it was very sticky (like melted marshmallow).
After trying a few more loading techniques, I then switched over to Stirling Executive Man. This just might be one of my new favorites next to Lemon Chill. It had a fresh FERRARI Italian leather aroma to it (both pre and post load). Is that why they call it "Executive Man" ? It was a very familiar scent to me and a nice reminder of something from my past. I can't praise Stirling enough, I am just in love with this stuff.
Prep: Cold shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar (only have one brush at the moment so sorry for the lack of a rotation)
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Blade: Shark Super Stainless Steel.....PermaSharps
Croap: Route 66 .....Stirling Executive Man
Review:
You're probably use to this format by now of having 2 soaps in the description, but in this case I had to add two different blades. I have heard very great things about the Shark Super Chrome's, however I think that the Stainless Steel versions missed the mark with me almost entirely. It was skipping & dragging all over the place. I couldn't even do a "with the grain pass" on my sideburns/cheeks, which is my favorite part to shave. I can normally achieve an "against the grain" pass in this area, and on my 2nd pass at that. Oh well. like I said previously, I'm just very happy I was able to find a 2nd reliable blade from this bomb, as you can tell my face is rather picky. Although shaving with an electric razor my whole life probably has something to do with that. The only 2 things these PermaSharp's fail at are cutting the thick beard hair and travelling over my weird chin patterns (which is thanks mainly to when I was a kid and had chin reconstructive surgery from a bad biking accident). They also need work on my neckline in regards to my "against the grain" pass along the center of my throat, which is the most sensitive part of my shave. Luckily the Lab Blues can achieve this.
I was really looking forward to the shave where I got to use the Route 66 Croap. I've never heard of this company and it had a very masculine & incensey aroma to it. I was able to whip up a beautiful lather with almost minimal effort with a damp brush (squeezed out). It was pillowy soft with plenty of peaks. Unfortunately it too dissipated easily and on the other side of the spectrum, also dried and flaked. It wasn't my usual croap consistency that I am used to with Stirling; it was very sticky (like melted marshmallow).
After trying a few more loading techniques, I then switched over to Stirling Executive Man. This just might be one of my new favorites next to Lemon Chill. It had a fresh FERRARI Italian leather aroma to it (both pre and post load). Is that why they call it "Executive Man" ? It was a very familiar scent to me and a nice reminder of something from my past. I can't praise Stirling enough, I am just in love with this stuff.
Last edited:
A Newbie's Wet Shave Journey - Review # 7
Prep: Cold shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar (only have one brush at the moment so sorry for the lack of a rotation)
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Blade: Shark Super Stainless Steel.....PermaSharps
Croap: Route 66 .....Stirling Executive Man
Review:
You're probably use to this format by now of having 2 soaps in the description, but in this case I had to add two different blades. I have heard very great things about the Shark Super Chrome's, however I think that the Stainless Steel versions missed the mark with me almost entirely. It was skipping & dragging all over the place. I couldn't even do a "with the grain pass" on my sideburns/cheeks, which is my favorite part to shave. I can normally achieve an "against the grain" pass in this area, and on my 2nd pass at that. Oh well. like I said previously, I'm just very happy I was able to find a 2nd reliable blade from this bomb, as you can tell my face is rather picky. Although shaving with an electric razor my whole life probably has something to do with that. The only 2 things these PermaSharp's fail at are cutting the thick beard hair and travelling over my weird chin patterns (which is thanks mainly to when I was a kid and had chin reconstructive surgery from a bad biking accident). They also need work on my neckline in regards to my "against the grain" pass along the center of my throat, which is the most sensitive part of my shave. Luckily the Lab Blues can achieve this.
I was really looking forward to the shave where I got to use the Route 66 Croap. I've never heard of this company and it had a very masculine & incensey aroma to it. I was able to whip up a beautiful lather with almost minimal effort with a damp brush (squeezed out). It was pillowy soft with plenty of peaks. Unfortunately it too dissipated easily and on the other side of the spectrum, also dried and flaked. It wasn't my usual croap consistency that I am used to with Stirling; it was very sticky (like melted marshmallow).
After trying a few more loading techniques, I then switched over to Stirling Executive Man. This just might be one of my new favorites next to Lemon Chill. It had a fresh FERRARI Italian leather aroma to it (both pre and post load). Is that why they call it "Executive Man" ? It was a very familiar scent to me and a nice reminder of something from my past. I can't praise Stirling enough, I am just in love with this stuff.
Executive Man is one of my faves also. BTW Nice WHIP.
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- Feb 2, 2015
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LOL Thanks!! Go to work on my dream car that day, a 1992 Ferrari F40. That one was worth near $1 Million. Do you also get that leather smell with your Executive Man?
Yes I do.
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- Feb 2, 2015
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A Newbie's Wet Shave Journey - Review # 8
Prep: Hot shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
Blades: Personna Lab Blues
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Croap: Stirling Ozark Mountain
Review:
Had a little bit of an accident with my rescue dog so i haven't been able to shave for the past week (will explain below). So there I was minding my own business (HAHA kidding). To make a long story short I have a rescue dog named 'Chance", he was beaten, starved to near death and imprisoned for the first 5 years of his life. He was rescued and his abusers saw their day in court. He has a severe form of PTSD as a result, that has more triggers then I can possibly count. He's made such great progress over the years but some things are irreversible unfortunately. My entire family has been bitten at least once, but I have felt the worse of it. Funny thing is that me and him are the closest, behind him and my mom (who he looks at as his mom), but even then I've been bitten 6 or 7 times (5 in the face at that). The most important thing we've realized is that it's not personal and we don't really take it that way. Our patience muscle has really strengthened over these past 4 years (this October 28th).
Since I had to wait a week for it to heal some, I couldn't partake in my new favorite past time (wet shaving). I finally just said to hell with it and went for it yesterday. (I shaved the bite area with foil shaver attachment on my beard trimmer..still hurt like a SOB). Funny. I actually thought I was shaving with "Stirling Spice" because the aroma I pulled off this smelled just like Christmas Time (gingerbread spice). This was actually the most difficult croap from Stirling so far. It was really weird. I started out with a damp brush which is pretty normal for Stirling, and it produced a brush clogging pasty paint lather...hmmm. Rinse and repeat only this time I started with a soaking brush just to experiment. This produced a bubbly thin lather (duh) but the weird thing was that once I applied it to my face it became very pasty and flaky even. Now I'm really stumped...where to I go from here? On top of that the aroma post lather turned kind of stinky LOL...like week old bath soap that I left in a puddle of water. Luckily for me Stirling makes more than a couple of croaps...so I'm still loving my Stirling. Even with this stinky, dry and pasty lather I was able to achieve a smooth shave, and even went against the grain on my neck. Just my sample of Stirling Spice to go.
Sorry forgot to take a photo of my shave so my bite mark will have to suffice HAHA. Luckily for me, Chance is our smallest dog in our Families history. At 40 LBS he's a fraction of the normal weight of our other dogs, which were mainly Belgium Tervs (100 lbs +), & with huge bite capacities. The bleeding was pretty severe still and I had a small hole on my cheek. Lucky chicks dig scars lol
Prep: Hot shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
Blades: Personna Lab Blues
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Croap: Stirling Ozark Mountain
Review:
Had a little bit of an accident with my rescue dog so i haven't been able to shave for the past week (will explain below). So there I was minding my own business (HAHA kidding). To make a long story short I have a rescue dog named 'Chance", he was beaten, starved to near death and imprisoned for the first 5 years of his life. He was rescued and his abusers saw their day in court. He has a severe form of PTSD as a result, that has more triggers then I can possibly count. He's made such great progress over the years but some things are irreversible unfortunately. My entire family has been bitten at least once, but I have felt the worse of it. Funny thing is that me and him are the closest, behind him and my mom (who he looks at as his mom), but even then I've been bitten 6 or 7 times (5 in the face at that). The most important thing we've realized is that it's not personal and we don't really take it that way. Our patience muscle has really strengthened over these past 4 years (this October 28th).
Since I had to wait a week for it to heal some, I couldn't partake in my new favorite past time (wet shaving). I finally just said to hell with it and went for it yesterday. (I shaved the bite area with foil shaver attachment on my beard trimmer..still hurt like a SOB). Funny. I actually thought I was shaving with "Stirling Spice" because the aroma I pulled off this smelled just like Christmas Time (gingerbread spice). This was actually the most difficult croap from Stirling so far. It was really weird. I started out with a damp brush which is pretty normal for Stirling, and it produced a brush clogging pasty paint lather...hmmm. Rinse and repeat only this time I started with a soaking brush just to experiment. This produced a bubbly thin lather (duh) but the weird thing was that once I applied it to my face it became very pasty and flaky even. Now I'm really stumped...where to I go from here? On top of that the aroma post lather turned kind of stinky LOL...like week old bath soap that I left in a puddle of water. Luckily for me Stirling makes more than a couple of croaps...so I'm still loving my Stirling. Even with this stinky, dry and pasty lather I was able to achieve a smooth shave, and even went against the grain on my neck. Just my sample of Stirling Spice to go.
Sorry forgot to take a photo of my shave so my bite mark will have to suffice HAHA. Luckily for me, Chance is our smallest dog in our Families history. At 40 LBS he's a fraction of the normal weight of our other dogs, which were mainly Belgium Tervs (100 lbs +), & with huge bite capacities. The bleeding was pretty severe still and I had a small hole on my cheek. Lucky chicks dig scars lol
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A Newbie's Wet Shave Journey - Review # 8
Prep: Hot shower
Pre: American Crew Shave Oil
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar
Bowl: Old RazorRock XXX Dish
Razors: Merkur 34G & Merkur 23C Long Handle
Blades: Personna Lab Blues
After Shave: Alum, Whiskey Sea Mineral & Pacific Coast Balm
NEW PRODUCTS:
Croap: Stirling Ozark Mountain
Review:
Had a little bit of an accident with my rescue dog so i haven't been able to shave for the past week (will explain below). So there I was minding my own business (HAHA kidding). To make a long story short I have a rescue dog named 'Chance", he was beaten, starved to near death and imprisoned for the first 5 years of his life. He was rescued and his abusers saw their day in court. He has a severe form of PTSD as a result, that has more triggers then I can possibly count. He's made such great progress over the years but some things are irreversible unfortunately. My entire family has been bitten at least once, but I have felt the worse of it. Funny thing is that me and him are the closest, behind him and my mom (who he looks at as his mom), but even then I've been bitten 6 or 7 times (5 in the face at that). The most important thing we've realized is that it's not personal and we don't really take it that way. Our patience muscle has really strengthened over these past 4 years (this October 28th).
Since I had to wait a week for it to heal some, I couldn't partake in my new favorite past time (wet shaving). I finally just said to hell with it and went for it yesterday. (I shaved the bite area with foil shaver attachment on my beard trimmer..still hurt like a SOB). Funny. I actually thought I was shaving with "Stirling Spice" because the aroma I pulled off this smelled just like Christmas Time (gingerbread spice). This was actually the most difficult croap from Stirling so far. It was really weird. I started out with a damp brush which is pretty normal for Stirling, and it produced a brush clogging pasty paint lather...hmmm. Rinse and repeat only this time I started with a soaking brush just to experiment. This produced a bubbly thin lather (duh) but the weird thing was that once I applied it to my face it became very pasty and flaky even. Now I'm really stumped...where to I go from here? On top of that the aroma post lather turned kind of stinky LOL...like week old bath soap that I left in a puddle of water. Luckily for me Stirling makes more than a couple of croaps...so I'm still loving my Stirling. Even with this stinky, dry and pasty lather I was able to achieve a smooth shave, and even went against the grain on my neck. Just my sample of Stirling Spice to go.
Sorry forgot to take a photo of my shave so my bite mark will have to suffice HAHA. Luckily for me, Chance is our smallest dog in our Families history. At 40 LBS he's a fraction of the normal weight of our other dogs, which were mainly Belgium Tervs (100 lbs +), & with huge bite capacities. The bleeding was pretty severe still and I had a small hole on my cheek. Lucky chicks dig scars lol
DAMN, that a nasty looking bite mark. Don't know how you were able to shave with that. It's a very kind thing you and your family are doing for these precious and loving creatures. Bless your family.
Now on to the soap. Sorry to hear you had problems with the soap. Ozark mountain is my favorite soap. I have had no problems with it and love the scent. Just keep experimenting, you'll get it down.
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1,387
HAHA yeah I was pretty nervous approaching anywhere near it with a sharp blade. I appreciate the kind words, we're just following the example of many other families kinder and more giving then we are. I will say that nothing is more satisfying than taking in an abused or neglected dog and nurturing it back to the life it was meant to be living.
Since you're clearly more advanced than I am and also are a huge fan of Stirling; what methods do you use for prepping your lather? I think you said you face lather (as do I) but how to you approach the puck? Dry, damp, or soaking brush? Do you pre-soak your puck or just add a couple of drops of water on top of it? I've found that Stirling has a sweet spot but can be somewhat finicky if missing one of the steps.
Don't get me wrong here, I did enjoy Ozark but I guess smells are subjective. Take Bourbon for example, not only is it part of my name, but I truly have not tasted anything like it. Most people for arguments sake, prefer Scotch over Bourbon and the market certainly concurs with that. To me it tastes like liquid band-aids HAHA. I'm still waiting to try something I actually like let alone picking a favorite. I've tried at least 6 different Scotch's and all fall way short of the mark. Whereas Bourbon is concerned; I've yet to taste one that didn't (to some degree) blow me away. I've tried at least 30 different bourbon's too.
This is was Chance when he was rescued, 15 pounds & severely emaciated & terrified (2013)
Fast forward 4 years (2017) and here he is at 40 lbs and full of life and love
My usual place in his life, he's a very loving member of the family, even when I snore lol.
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Matt, that first pic brought a tear to my eye. Great to see where he's at today. I can see the love and happiness in his eyes in the second pic. In my country we would strap that owner to a tree and take a machete to him. Heartless bastard.
As far as my routine, I usually sprinkle a few drops of hot tap water on the soap, and soak my brush in hot tap water while I'm showering. I give the brush three shakes and start working the soap. Its takes about 30 seconds then I have enough soap on my brush to start. If it needs more water I just add a few drops at a time. If there is too much water I just keep working the soap until I have enough on the brush. I work the soap on my face until a nice thick lather develops, about 1 minute or so. To be honest with you I have never had any problems with my lather. I have gotten beautiful, thick, creamy lather from all my soaps.
I just let the weight of the razor do all the work. I never press the razor into my face. I think I've only had razor burn two or three times and this was in the beginning when I was starting out.
Stirling soaps are great and usually take very little effort to get an excellent lather.
Keep at it.
As far as my routine, I usually sprinkle a few drops of hot tap water on the soap, and soak my brush in hot tap water while I'm showering. I give the brush three shakes and start working the soap. Its takes about 30 seconds then I have enough soap on my brush to start. If it needs more water I just add a few drops at a time. If there is too much water I just keep working the soap until I have enough on the brush. I work the soap on my face until a nice thick lather develops, about 1 minute or so. To be honest with you I have never had any problems with my lather. I have gotten beautiful, thick, creamy lather from all my soaps.
I just let the weight of the razor do all the work. I never press the razor into my face. I think I've only had razor burn two or three times and this was in the beginning when I was starting out.
Stirling soaps are great and usually take very little effort to get an excellent lather.
Keep at it.