Hope you'll have a speedy (and smooth) recovery. One of my very first shaves with the Wilkinson Classic and the included blades went like this too. Hopefully this won't dissuade you from safety razors - I promise not all of them are as harsh!

Also, greetings by a fellow german!

23.06.2024

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Bullet Tip/Flying Wing, gold
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Brush: AP Shave Co. 30 mm Tuxedo Fan w/ black & clear handle
• Lather: Jean & Len - Fresh Menthol Rasierpaste (shaving cream)
• Post Shave: Thayer's Cucumber facial spray; Jean & Len moisturizer

A short head shave I did before departing for a final time to my internship place. One pass and done.

This shaving cream in a glass jar arrived together with the Feather Popular I could finally get yesterday, so today was a first experience. Jean & Len make interesting skincare products that I really dig, although this shaving cream is not available on their website anymore. It still was there on Amazon, so I grabbed one. They advertised it as "made in Germany"; so I believe it's made for them by Meißner Tremonia. MT also uses glass jars and also has a scent of the same name in their line-up. Actually, the smell is pretty much all eucalyptus and rosemary - kinda like a sports cream. It is nice to spread around and easy to lather though, no complaints here. The glide is pretty good, not as great as for example the WK Siero base, but still very useful for shaving...

Using a GEM again after a long time, at first I thought it'd turn out bad. To my pleasant surprise, it was a very good and comfortable shave!

I'm really sorry that I missed your comment!

PM is on the way, I'd gladly partake 👍🏻

We have quite some spillover from Reddit to our lemmy (Lather Games, AA, Theme Thursdays) – and if I remember well, someone complained about this [...]

You remember very well. It was me who complained about this 😅
The problem is, in my personal and honest opinion, that random visitors from other federated instances will be simply dumbfounded by reading something like "totally on theme today" in a SOTD post on Thursday. Which theme? Unless you know that it's something from Reddit, you'll simply be perplexed. Hell, even I am confused since I don't look at Reddit anymore since I've deleted my account. Personally I don't believe we will have much turnover from old members of the subreddit - most aren't really keen on the idea of a new platform. There was already controversy when, god forbid, someone opened a Discord server for the sub instead of relying on the old internet chat giant ICQ.

I totally agree about periodical events that don't clash with the Reddit sub. Maybe we could try Wednesday or Friday, Saturday? The only titles I can come up with are atrocious though 🤷🏻‍♂️
"Lemmy do it for you" 😂

There was also the discussion that we need more unique and informative standalone posts - like articles, reviews, essays, etc.
But I honestly don't have the time, commitment and energy atm to produce something worthwhile here. But for a single themed day I could definitely get my shit together and participate regularly even with a busy life currently.

That seems like snobbery to me. Your posts are well readable and more people should realise that there's quite a sizable difference between British English and American English.

Oh, definitely not. I just thought it was an interesting tidbit since this was completely omitted in the movie scene. Didn't really think that the vain yuppie psycho killer would recommend a shaving brush - then again, it's set in the 80s where brush use was far more common. Also, no offense meant since I am also guilty of this: the way we describe our routines in wetshaving down to the smallest detail is very akin to Patrick Bateman's inner monologue - at least the one in the book.

18.05.2024

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: Leaf Thorn (Fig)
• Blade: Derby Premium half DE
• Brush: RazoRock 400 Noir SE 24 mm
• Lather: Ariana & Evans - Boca Negra
• Post Shave: Moon Soaps Old School balm

One pass head and neck shave. Slowly getting around to try out more of my new soaps...

Boca Negra is very pleasant. I think Peter actually took customer feedback to heart and didn't add too much fragrance here. I personally don't know how much of an upgrade the K2e base is compared to Kaizen 1/2, feels pretty minor since the other bases were already good too. The scent is very coffee and spice forward, so it pairs well with Moon's Old School. The Thorn continues to impress, now it's a tad milder since I got a few turkish barber blades for it. Glad to now have another modern SE razor in my arsenal that feels as good as the vintage razors.

Originally I wanted to take some vacation time to have next week off... But unfortunately, due to a staff shortage I need to work for two days, starting tomorrow. To make matters worse, it's the early shift. Well, FML. But somebody's got to do it.

10.05.2024

• Prep: cold water
• Razor: RazoRock Hawk V2 long handle
• Blade: KAI Captain Protouch MG
• Brush: TGS Galaxy 26 mm
• Lather: Wickham Soap - Magnum
• Post Shave: Thayer's Cucumber facial spray; Natura Siberica ASB gel

2 pass head shave and beard contouring. Good shave.

I haven't posted in a few days since I bought a RMX5 dry head shaver for a hiking & camping trip that I plan in the fall and did a test shave with it on Tuesday. Unfortunately like many dry shavers, it gives me a bit of irritation. I actually can shave my head in 5 minutes with it, but nowhere near as comfortable as with a safety razor. Judging by the marketing, it should also work with shaving soap - but since the space in my backpack is limited and running water is hard to come by in the wilderness, I think it will be limited to dry use.

Anyways, back to today's shave; Wickham Magnum rocks. It's not as slick as other artisan soaps, but definitely does a good job in the lather department. The scent is a really nice blend - can't quite make out individual notes, but it's a very masculine scent with a focus on comfortable notes. Meaning, it's not as much "in your face", a bit more subtle and nuanced.

I guess my package from Spain will arrive around next week, so I stuck with the Hawk. While AC blades are wider and therefore should allow you to be done faster, this isn't the case when dealing with a curved terrain like your scalp. It does a great job at the neck, back of the neck and for cheek lines though.

02.05.2024

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: Greencult GC 2.0 II-plate
• Blade: BIC Chrome Platinum
• Brush: AP Shave Co. 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid w/ Snakeskin handle
• Lather: Stirling Soap - Gin & Tonic on the rocks
• Post Shave: Thayer's Cucumber facial spray; Natura Siberica ASB gel

Late night head shave. 1 pass just to clean the dome, one weeper behind the right ear suffered. I think I have something called revenge bedtime procrastination. I should be asleep by now, but there's simply no way I can see myself go to bed earlier than shortly before midnight in my time zone.

So today's shave wasn't so great. I thought I could now try different things out, see what sticks and what I could weed out. Unfortunately, both the soap and the razor didn't have their best days. I know that the biggest margin for error is usually the hand wielding the brush or razor, but considering that yesterday's MMOC shave felt milder than today is quite disappointing. I have decided that it's time to get rid of the Greencult. My experience with it was mediocre at best from the start, so - no need to cling to it any longer. Gin Tonic on the rocks wasn't really bad, but also not really stellar either. I like the scent, but unfortunately those big Stirling soaps are like a bottomless pit. I enjoyed the menthol though, even though we actually got "May showers" around my area this evening with thunderstorms and hail. I was just vaping on my balcony when all hell broke loose. Bees were flung out of the air onto the floor of my balcony from the heavy rain. I tried my best to get them to a dry area near my wall, hopefully this helped them survive.

17.04.2024

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: RazoRock Hawk V2
• Blade: KAI Captain Protouch MG
• Brush: RazoRock Beehive 28 mm
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Tobacconist
• Post Shave: Natura Siberica ASB gel

Wednesday head SOTN. Still trying to get into the habit of shaving/posting more, but today's shave was a good boost to that.

1 pass plus cleanups. It's so great to have those guarded KAIs back - they really turn the Hawk into an easy mode razor.

To get off cigarettes again, I lately acquired a few MTL focused vape setups with tight airflows and I use very dank tobacco focused liquids. I really never was the usual vaper who likes bubblegum or cookie flavours (each to their own, ofc). I like heavy, dark and spicy stuff. So today I've chosen my most matching soap: HoM Tobacconist. Tbh, I don't really like most scents of Mammoth (judging from scent descriptions alone so take it with a grain of salt). I mean, yes he has a terrific soap base that even my irritated left ear agrees with. But I'm not keen on Lavender, Citrus or smelling like Mango sticky rice. Again, each to their own... But Tobacconist?! That's what I love to smell like. It's not wet cold smoke. It's actually like one of those old fashioned tobacco stores with wooden furniture. The soap alone takes me on an olfactory journey and I'd love to have the matching EdP (not in the EU sadly, but one can dream). Plus it always treats my skin well. I kinda want to try Shire and Fu Dao in the future, but so far this and Indigo will be among my top scents of all time.

Today I went out and bought myself clothes and shoes - unfortunately for a funeral that I need to attend at the end of April. While it was a sad occasion, seeing myself in the dressing room mirror gave me a lot of confidence back. In the past, I'd have looked like a fat bald guy in a suit. Nowadays it's more "Agent 47 with a short beard" vibes. While I'm usually not a suit guy, I seem to rock formal wear now. Even in dark times, there's often a little ember of hope. Ok, enough rambling - have an awesome time everyone!

SOTD 01.01.2024

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: RazoRock Gamechanger 0.84 OC
• Blade: Voskhod
• Brush: RazoRock 400 Noir SE
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Unscented soap
• Post Shave: Thayer's Aloe Vera toner; Aloe Vera moisturiser

First head shave of 2024! 2 passes, WTG and ATG/XTG. No scents, but a very comfortable shave.

I'd like to wish everyone here a happy new year! As for myself, unfortunately not so much happiness... Since it finally sunk in that I will not only leave my old job, but also my most precious favourite colleagues behind there's not been a single day where I haven't cried at least once. It's hard to understand for others - but nursing is one of those professions where you really grow together: you're working weekends, holidays and different shifts together. You'll start to know each other very well and you stick together. Hell, 4 of them have grown so close to me that I would consider them a second family... So it's really hard for me. Even though it's the right decision, as one of them who was my mentor will also leave the place at the end of January. So the collective would have been broken anyway...

But my heart still aches, even though we will all keep in contact and will hopefully meet up in private. Tomorrow I will have my first early shift at my new nursing home - I try to focus on the positives and will try to present myself as motivated as possible, but currently it's harsh times for me emotionally. But I refuse to give up - better days will be coming, hopefully soon!

SOTD 21.12.2023

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: Stando Perun
• Blade: BIC Chrome Platinum
• Brush: RazoRock 400 Noir SE
• Lather: Noble Otter - Neon Sun
• Post Shave: Thayer's Aloe Vera toner; Aloe Vera moisturiser

Headshave at night. Still really in the honeymoon phase with this NO soap - the scent is like 80s music, a timeless classic with a nostalgic vibe.

One pass plus cleanups on the dome. My skin on the scalp seems to not respond too negatively to the scented soap, so I theorize that it really was the alcohol aftershave that was always the irritating factor. I'm glad that there's a plethora of alcohol free options like toners and balms nowadays. The milder razors seem to help too.

Tomorrow will be the last day of my internship at the place for disabled parents with children. It was only two weeks, the shortest internship we have. But nevertheless interesting. I found out that I can get along way better with children than I thought... Maybe one day I will finally have a family of my own.

SOTD 01.11.2023

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: Pearl Flexi
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
• Brush: RazoRock 400 Noir SE
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Unscented
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Samhain; Stirling Glacial Spearmint ASB

Two pass head and face shave since lo and behold, I was able to score an appointment for a job interview tomorrow. I want to look as good as possible, even if it's after nursing school.

Adjustable razors are great for changing the aggressiveness between passes - that is, if they're evenly aligned. This Pearl Flexi is like a differential razor, one side is always milder than the other. I always end up using the more "efficient" side, especially on the lower settings.

That aside, this was a good comfortable shave. Haven't shaved my head in ages, so it feels really good. Still used the Samhain AS since it was standing around and it's just such a great scent 🎃