Aug. 1, 2022

• Prep: Water
• Brush: Zenith B10
• Razor: Gillete Single Ring
• Blade: Gillete Nacet

• Lather: Noble Otter - Barrbarr - Soap

• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr - Aftershave

Hey y'all, I am excited to challenge myself to shave everyday with the same soap, brush, blade, and splash. This is my first time using a boar brush, so I figured the Raw Hoggin' challenge would be perfect for me. I soaked the brush for 4 minutes and then rung out some water and went straight into the practically new Barrbarr puck, weighing in at 194.86g (something I'll check every Friday or so.) It wasn't as scratchy as I expected, I suppose that's the advantage of a bleached knot like the B10. Unfortunately, I will also be the first person to fail AA nightmare mode, as I'm switching my Razor to the Karve CB SB-D for the next 30 days, my face was absolutely destroyed by my single ring, I probably should've done a few shaves last month before just diving into it.

Best of luck, everyone.

/u/EldrormR #RawHoggin

Aug. 1, 2022 - Better and worse than expected

• Prep: Soaked brush for a few minutes
• Brush: Proraso Professional Boar
• Razor: Feather Artist Club SR (Kamisori)
• Blade: Schick Proline (1)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive - Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Alive - Eau de Parfum

Brush unused

Brush after first use

My very first brush was an Omega 48 around 10 years ago and I used boars for the first few years before switching to badgers and synthetics. There wasn't anything wrong with boars but I fell in love with the softness of my synthetics and the ease of use, particularly not having to soak the brush before use when I need a quick shave before going to work. I moved on and I never looked back... until probably a year ago when I saw u/VisceralWatch breaking in his Zenith. Then came along the raw hoggin' challenge and I'm at a point where thrill is dropping again due to being out of the country and not having easy access to all the artisan goodness in the US. However, what I could find in Taiwan is some of the classics, like Proraso, Tabac, and Omega, so I decided to go for it and get a Proraso boar brush to try the challenge for fun. I don't have the energy to do the Lather Games, but AA was always a better fit for me.

Today's inaugural shave was definitely a bit different than I had anticipated. My biggest fear was that face lathering with a brand new $15 boar was going to be a very unpleasant experience, but that turned out better than I expected. The brush wasn't as scritchy as I feared, and a lot of that fear was probably due to my experience 10 years ago trying to face lather with the huge Omega 48 and having no idea what I was doing at the time. What I didn't expect was how much the boar would eat lather. Using a stiff brush on a softer soap (Tusk) I was worried that I would pick up too much soap, and it was a bit hard to gauge because I'm so used to seeing proto lather building very quickly as I'm loading the brush and that didn't happen with the boar. After I thought I had enough soap, I went to the face and made a pretty solid lather pretty quickly. The lather seemed to skip the foamy stage and went straight to yogurt consistency and I was not really able to build volume no matter what I tried, so I decided that was good enough and went to the shave.

Fortunately, I'm now experienced enough with the shavette that a subpar lather didn't affect my shave negatively. However, after I finished my first pass, I noticed that the brush had pretty much eaten all the lather and there was not much left to shave with so I decided to go back to the tub which resulted in something I've never experienced before. I had seen people throw around the word marshmallow to describe soap before but it was not something I had experienced until now. For some reason, the boar brush refused to pick up more soap and just ended up pushing the soap around in the tub until a thick layer of goopy marshmallow developed on top of the tub while at the same time refusing to get onto the brush. I decided I didn't want to kill this tub of soap before the end of the month so I gave up loading more soap and just worked with what little it had picked up and what was left in the brush. Normally I'm a daily 3 pass shaver but I had to skip the XTG today and go straight to ATG with what lather I could squeeze out of the knot. I could have used a bit more lather to clean up a bit more, but in the end I got a solid shave without much irritation so I'm happy with that.

I might try scooping tomorrow to see if I can load the brush more effectively before face lathering. I'm definitely excited to see how this brush develops knowing that each shave should be better than the previous.

u/Marquis90 (Headless Horsemen)

u/EldrormR #RawHoggin

u/JoboozeRum u/mammothben #MammothMafia

Aug. 1, 2022 - Stag Day 1

• Brush: Zenith B26 Retro
• Razor: Merkur 34C
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1)

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum

• Wallows: Sidelines

Let the fun begin.

Speaking of fun, here's an album of the new brush being unboxed

To my Newcomer Stag Brethren and Sisters: Welcome

Tagging u/EldrormR

#RawHoggin

Stag Day 1

Edit: Somehow missed that #SubstantialStag was a thing. Thanks for the heads up u/SirKravsALot

Austere August Day 1 SOTD

Brush: Rubberset 400-3 w/ Unbleached Zenith 24mm knot set to a 56mm loft 1st use

Razor: Gem MMOC, gen 2

Blade: PTFE (1)

Lather: NO Monoi de Tahiti

Post: NO Monoi de Tahiti Splash

This year's AA is going to be epic! After last year's amazing show of MMOC force, I decided to add another challenge to foster the love of boar brushes. The Raw Hoggin' Challenge rules state that "unboxing" pics must be provided. I have the documentation of the knot's unboxing and installation, packaging of the finished brush, and finally the long awaited unboxing below.

Unboxing and setting of the knot.

Boxing up of the brush.

Finally getting to open the box and gaze lovingly on this beauty.

Having to wait as long as I did to use this brush for the first time was so damn difficult. Since I set the knot back in June I've been dying to use it and caught myself on several occasions going into the shop just to hold the box the brush was sealed in.

Well, the opening of the box released a wave of pig stank that lingered, even with the brush dry. One of the first thoughts to course through my mind was "here we go again" and that was immediately followed up with all the times u/Semaj3000 has told me to "drink the boar water". Today I hope everyone imagines the great and thirsty u/Semaj3000 watching the sun come up in his little window seat, gingerly sipping his own morning brew as he relishes in the gentle yet penetrating aroma of his own kettle warmed hog water.

A short soak while I showered prepared this mightly and stanky brush for its first taste of soap ever. I knew in my heart of hearts that the tropical and subtle Monoi de Tahiti was going to be no match for the visceral and potent fetor of this new unbleached knot. Bringing the brush towards my face unleashed tears. Not tears of joy for the potential this brush has, but tears that my body pumped out to protect my eyes from whatever danger lurks within the recesses of the olfactory hell that is this knot.

The gentle exfoliating sensation of a new slightly low lofted unbleached boar knot is something not easily forgotten. I know at the end of the week the scrub will lessen and by the end of the month I will have an amazing brush, but holy hell was use #1 intense.

Thank the gods that my lather was good even after having to go back to the tub between passes and the gorgeous gen 2 MMOC is such an efficient razor. It took little effort and little pressure to remove 2 days worth of growth in my 3 passes to get my face ready for the day.

This first week is going to be a rough one but once these tips split slightly and the bloom begins, I'll be riding smooth to the end of the month.

RawHoggin

GemsOfWisdom

Austere August D1: Boars, horses and stags

• Prep: cold water
• Brush: Tadé NOS vintage boar, 22 mm knot
• Razor: KAI Captain Standard CAP-J7 kamisori shavette
• Blade: KAI Captain Titan Mild Protouch MG
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - shaving soap
• Post-Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave
• additional care: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - ASB
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Valley of Ashes - EDP

And so it begins, my friends. Austere August is upon us!

Challenge tags: * HeadlessHorsemen for Horseman Captain and Commander u/Marquis90
* #RawHoggin for u/EldrormR, plus album link for unboxing my NOS Tadé boar, measuring it up and after first shave pic * #SubstantialStag for SirKravsALot (hope he'll allow us europeasants without the Stag EdP, I want some donations to wildlife funds in my name!)

The Tadé feels like you're wielding a door knob, it is fitted with a small knot (22 mm at best) with a normal/medium loft and already had a very sour and spicy vintage smell to it when I unboxed it. After soaking it for five minutes, only a bit of boar funk came out. This could be gross if my soap of choice wasn't the mighty Stag.

It totally covers up any boar smell, or any other scent for that matter. The soap lathered up great and I quickly got a very shiny, slick lather on my face. The KAI shavette was very mild today, I hope I'll become more proficient with using it after this month. Already switched hands a bit more than usual, except for the moustache - I still don't trust my left hand when it comes to contours.

Two pass face shave, DFS. Some weepers and minor irritation due to being a bit hurried.

Sidetracked

I'll give y'all an example for my #sidetracked challenge.
Here's my song of choice: Motörhead - I am the Sword. This song fits both my SOTD picture with the giant Snaggletooth flag as a background, as well as the challenges I've chosen to participate in. If Stag doesn't make you think of Rock'n'Roll, there's something wrong with you! Plus, Snaggletooth is a war pig - what better fit for Raw Hoggin' it?! Finally, the Headless Horsemen wield swords. Did I feel like a badass Hessian swordsman today with my kamisori shavette? Hell yeah!

So yeah, I wish you all good fun and great shaves during this month. Death or Glory!

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August shave one

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Omega Pro 48 Boar brush 28mm
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

Wow, August already. This year I will do 3 challenges: Second Annual International MMOC Appreciation Austere August Challenge, Raw Hoggin' Challenge and Mammoth Month.

Here is an unboxing pic of my beautiful Omega 10048 Pro 48 chrome brand new boar brush. The loft on this thing is huge! I went cheap, in that, this brush was very inexpensive, but one can see why right away – although a good size and decent shape, the handle is way too plastic and light weight feeling. You get what you pay for, I guess. Still excited to break this sucker in.

Last year I received a broken MMOC off of eBay and by the time the seller could do me right and replace it, we were already well into August, so had to skip the challenge. Excited to complain to you for the month how awful the MMOC is and how painful the GEM blade becomes past fifteen uses. Today I am starting with a fresh GEM blade. The first shave is never a great one, but I do have almost 3 days of growth to mow down.

My choice of soap and splash for the month is House of Mammoth Hygge. Just one of many fantastic HoM scents, I am hoping that I don’t burn out on the scent over the month. Last year I used Mood Indigo for the month and I still love it, so am hoping the same will hold true with Hygge. At the end of the month, I will make my own donation to the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking (as I did last year). Human trafficking is also a problem in Canada, and is an important cause to support, just as Ben does in New York. I challenge any other Canadian shavers participating in Mammoth Month to do the same. Hit me up if you need details on how to do so.

And now for the shave: The brush came out of the box not overly stinky, but once wet you can identify the pig stink a lot more. I love the ‘pro’ designation on the brush and the “special brush for barber” description on the back of the box. Makes me feel important and professional. The MMOC is a fine razor and I do not find it overly harsh. I do have to stay in the moment when using it, and be more deliberate with my moves, as compared to a DE. But it always gives me a close, fine shave and today was no exception. A little irritation on the neck, but that’s no surprise to me. The brush was not comfortable but got the job done. For the second pass I really painted on the lather as the loft on this thing is huge. Overall, a decent shave. And the blade will only get more comfortable, at first…

Tagging  u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000 one time!

#GEMsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

• Prep: warm shower
• Brush: Semogue 1250
• Razor: Novelty Cutlery Co straight razor
• Lather House of Mammoth - Z
• Post Shave: Equate witch hazel
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - unscented aftershave balm

Headless Horsemen

• #RawHoggin
• #unscented
• #MammothMafia

My first shave with a boar was ... interesting. It doesn't smell as bad as I thought it would, but there's a definite scent. I can see it getting more noticeable as the month progresses.

Austere August 2022 brush unboxing https://imgur.com/a/NTiNYgw

Austere August 2022 - Day 1 https://imgur.com/a/2R0eTZg

Time to tag some folks! u/EldrormR u/rocketk455 u/Marquis90

July 31, 2022 - Raw Hoggin Day 1

• Prep: Warm water to the face
• Brush: Omega 10098
• Razor: Maggard Razors - V3 Head
• Blade: Voskhod (1)

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Island Man - Soap

• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Reserve Waves - Aftershave

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Natural - Balm

I usually give my new boars an overnight soak and some exfoliating in a towel before their first use so I was a bit nervous going in without any of that. However I’m happy to say it wasn’t as bad as I feared, though this brush brought the funk that the sunny scent of Island Man struggled to overcome at times. It’s gonna be quite a journey getting this thing broken in but I think I’m ready for it! #RawHoggin

Hope y’all have a good day!

u/EldrormR

Aug 1 2022

• Prep: Mineral oil massage

• Brush: Wenghè Pure Bristle 🐗

• Razor: Brassbird head CG brass bishop

• Blade: Voskhod

• Soap: Mammoth Z

• Balm: Mammoth Z

oh gosh. um. siiiiiiiiiiiigh. HUR DUR. I AM GOING TO DO UNSCENTED WITH A BRAND NEW BOAR. I AM CLEVER.

Fucking idiot. It’s sooooo fun to smell like Trash Ham. I am a genius for being a Mustache Guy. I’d be pissed to have pig farts directly under my nose.

The lather was my best ever! I feel like i could get rid of my lather bowl. was it the soap? was it Porky? Shrug City, y’all. We’ll see how it goes.

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

#Unscented

u/Rocketk455 u/EldrormR https://i.imgur.com/XjJQaIh.jpg

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August Ultra Nightmare RawHoggin Stagpocalypse

• Prep: Midnight Stag liquid soap and bar soap
• Brush: Semogue 1250
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Balm

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum

It’s officially fucking August now, bitches and that means it’s time to bust out my second favorite scent, not only in the wet shaving world but PERIOD. Sorry fellow followers of The One True Stag, but Valley still takes number one. Anyway, since I sprayed roughly 45ml of the EdP last year, I absolutely had to up the ante this year, so I got everyfuckingthing that has the Stag and this shall I subside.

The Silk soap base is a LOT softer than the original base and I can see how it’ll disappear a lot faster, especially during the break in process of this new Semogue brush. Keeping in mind the brush didn’t want to cooperate today, it still finally whipped into a nice and creamy lather that performed well. I’ve never had much of an issue with the MMOC and I love SE razors, so that’s not very challenging.

Post shave was neat because I got to follow up the aftershave with the beard oil on my beard, then aftershave balm on my face, then finally the beard balm. Finishing off with 7 sprays of Stag EdP just because makes me feel like a walking fucking Stag bomb! This will surely be an interesting month and I have no doubt in my mind that I will be tasting Stag in my mask all day.

Paging: u/EldormR u/Semaj3000

And now for the damn hashtags:

SubstantialStag

GEMsOfWisdom

RawHoggin

Aug. 1, 2022

• Brush: Omega 10005
• Razor: Karve Christopher Bradley
• Blade: Astra Super Platinum (1)
• Lather: Noble Otter Orbit
• Post Shave: Noble Otter Orbit Aftershave

This is my first AA so I decided to go extreme. Orbit has been my favorite soap since I started wetshaving about two months ago so I figured it would be great to use for the whole month. I’m used to shaving every other day so I’m definitely gonna need a technique adjustment to shave daily. I’m hoping this month helps me get more comfortable finding the right angles and minimizing irritation.

Now onto the brush… Since I got into shaving I’ve been using a Maggard Synthetic brush and I see now how spoiled I was. The brand new boar brush was easily the worst part of the shave today. As soon as it touched the water it started to stink, turning my beautiful orbit into a sickly stench. When it touched my face it was like the bristles were glued together and the damn thing just refused to splay naturally. On top of that my soap, face, and sink were all covered in boar hair. I’m already looking forward to going back to synthetic next month but I am hopeful that this knot will break in nicely.

RawHoggin

#rawhoggin

/u/eldrormr

Aug. 1, 2022 - Primera oveja eléctrica

• Brush: Zenith 505BC 28mm Boar
• Razor: Kai Kasho Western Style Shavette
• Blade: Kai Captain Pink Mild (20)

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Electric Sheep - Soap

• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Electric Sheep - Aftershave

• Mosquito Bites: None

My initial plan for AA was to join the Order of Stag. But this August will be a very round birthday of my father. While my wife is a very tolerant woman, the same cannot be said about my mother. She has very clear ideas about what is proper behavior, and while I haven't consulted her on the issue, I don't think that she would consider smelling like a workshop proper behavior. Therefore, I dumped my plans and aspirations and chose to use Stirling's Electric Sheep for AA. But then – two weeks ago, my mother got COVID. Just as any concerned son, I had only one thing in mind. Hopes were high. "How are you mum? It must be pretty hard to lose your sense of smell." - "Well, it's like a bad cold, but I smell things just as before". ~~Dammit!~~ I was a great relief to learn that my mother got away lightly, and I will stay on track with Electric Sheep.

So why Electric Sheep? Here in France, citronella is marketed as a scent that keeps mosquitos away (but in a gentle, organic way): for instance, you can buy citronella-scented anti-mosquito candles nearly everywhere. Is this accurate? I don't know. But here my plan for finding out. Guess what contains plenty of citronella? ~~Arko~~ Electric Sheep! Since I will spend nearly 3 weeks in one of the worst mosquito-places of Europe, this provides us with the ideal opportunity to settle once and for all whether mosquitos are repulsed by citronella or not. I also got the aftershave, since the solution might involve MOAR CITRONELLA. I hired my son as my control group, who will be joined by my wife and my daughter next week.

Furthermore, I will be using my Kai Captain AC blade with already 19 shaves on it – and there will be no backup until the 21st of August. So I register for Enhanced Ultra Nightmare Mode.

Moving along now to the shave. I was worried about the first shave with the Zenith, since breaking in the SOC was one of the more painful experiences in my shaving life, but I was wrong. While the Zenith RawHoggin splays for the moment as gracefully as me doing splits, I did not get the impression of getting my face flayed. And although the brush still has a good way to go, that's not too bad! Otherwise, I lost about 5 bristles, and debated with myself whether a longer handle would have been better (probably it would have). This is what the brush looks like after one use.

As for Electric Sheep: it is what it is. I knew the soap, but the aftershave is new. It is less strong in scent than what I had anticipated, and it started to burn after 20 seconds on the skin. So far (20 minutes after the shave, no mosquito has tried to approach me, and my family is away, but I will report tomorrow on that.

I had not used the Kai shavette for a while. It was not the smoothest or the closest shave, and I managed to give me a big weaper on the chin on the 3rd pass. But all in all, my face feels ok. I shaved on Midday today in order to give the brush enough time to shave for tomorrow's travel – then I will see you in the evening.

Pinging u/EldrormR for #RawHoggin

Pinging u/Marquis90 for #HeadlessHorseman

#ProScientia

August 1, 2022

• Brush: Zenith 506U XSE
• Razor: GEM MMOC gen 2
• Blade: GEM SS PTFE (35)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Sheep
• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger
• Post Shave: Olay Complete
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - unscented skin salve

Tagging u/EldrormR & u/Semaj3000

So this is what I’ll be using for the entirety of August. I have a lot more time with the Gen 1 MMOC so this month with the Gen 2 will be enlightening. I can tell already that I prefer the Gen 2. No shit. This is way more comfortable than my Gen 1. Maybe it is confirmation bias. Maybe it is just the difference between my two razors in particular. Or maybe the slight design change actually was effective at smoothing this razor out.

I was planning on participating in the rawhoggin’ challenge, but I didn’t wait. I have been rawhoggin’ this brush since it arrived. I am up to 22 uses with it and it is awesome. One of the easiest boars I have ever had to break in.

I will have to open a new bottle of Lucky Tiger. This one is just about gone. The soap tub is new with only one use before today, so running out of this won’t be an issue. The blade is the only question mark. The farthest I have ever taken a GEM blade is 50 and I am starting out with 35 after using it today. That may prove to be a bridge too far. We’ll see. I am no stranger to getting a lot of shaves out of blades.

#GEMsOfWisdom

Aug. 1, 2022 - Day 1-AA

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Zenith Gray Chubby (B37)
• Razor: Wolfman Razors WR2-SB Razor Head (0. 95mm Blade Gap), WRH7 Handle (90mm Solid)
• Blade: Nacet (1)
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Waterlyptus - Soap
• Post Shave: Proraso - Menthol and Eucalyptus - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Osma Alum Block
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Eau de Toilette

Have not posted SOTD in a while, but figured I will participate in AA!. Got myself a Zenith boar from from gentleshave. Was not the most comfortable shave of course, brush was quite elastic, scritchy, hopefully it will ease with time as it breaks in (on my face). The bowl in the background is not in use, and won't be used this month (I am mostly a face latherer now anyways). First time using Proraso Green Aftershave, it is quite nice. Nice mild scent, with the menthol I like. Also, sticking with one pass shaves, as my face can not take multi pass for 31 days.

UNCHALLENGE

RawHoggin

Paging u/EldrormR and u/Endeegee and u/Marquis90

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August Day 1

• Prep: House of Mammoth Almond Leather Bath Soap
• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Mire 26mm Zenith Unbleached Boar
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb Gen 1
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

Day 1. After all that waiting, here we are.

My Austere August plan:

1. Level up MMOC flair by completing Nightmare mode with the setup above.

2. Complete Raw Hoggin' challenge by breaking in this unbleached Zenith knot with nothing but soap and my face.

3. Represent the 🦣 Family and use Tusk for my second Austere August in a row.

What you should not expect from me:

1. Incessant wit- I did GEMs of Wisdom last year. I'm using the same razor. I expect epiphanies to be relatively few and far between. Provided I don't drop my blade again, anyways.

2. Novel takes on the gear- aside from this knot, this is old hat. This is even the same handle I used last year.

3. Remorse- I swear as soon as you belt strop that blade, u/Semaj3000, I'm going to lose my shit.

🐗Raw Hoggin' Progress🤮:
•Unused
•Shave 1

Thoughts for the day:
Damn that really did smell terrible. The knot was fine dry, but smells like complete ass when it's wet. Otherwise the shave was fine. Lost approximately 10 hairs so far and expect to loose more. Splay seems decent so far. No issues loading or face lathering. Hopefully I can keep that trend.

3 passes today to kick things off but I expect to run 2 pass shaves for the majority of the month.

Also, shout out to the Family. I'm chasing that mystery Mammoth flair... Woo!

Mandatory Taggage:

#GemsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

u/EldrormR

u/Semaj3000

August 1st, 2022

Prep: Warm water

Razor: Gem MMOC

Blade: Gem Blue Star (1)

Brush: Omega Model 13564 23mm boar

Soap: LA Shaving Soap Co. Black Void

Post: Noble Otter Bare

Comfort: 6/10

Smoothness: 8/10

15 second load.

2 pass shave XTG/ATG.

Was expecting a much stronger smell off the brush, but was almost non-existent. Not the most comfortable on the face, and first time face lathering so ended up a bit dry on the first pass. Now just to do this 30 more times.

#GEMsOfWisdom

unscented

RawHoggin

u/EldrormR u/Semaj3000

Aug. 1, 2022 - Glow in the dark Austere August Raw Hoggin’ Challenge

• Brush: Omega 20102 - 28mm
• Razor: Karve Bronze SB - B
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1)

• Lather: Red House Farm - Lumos - Shave Soap

• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. (Formerly Oleo Soapworks) - Irving Park - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Tobacco Vanille - Parfum

Thanks /u/EldrormR for the idea. Never been overly interested in boar, but…. Giving the Omega 20102 28mm a whirl for fun.

Mostly participating for the “love of the game” rather than for the contest (can’t promise a pic each day for example), but we’ll see how it goes.

Lumos is the shit by the way. I plan to use it for at least half of August, peppering in other stuff along the way. If the boar glows in the dark by September, I will consider that a plus

Tags: #Rawhoggin

Aug. 1, 2022 - Rawstere Hogust Day 1

• Brush: RazoRock 506CK / 26mm boar
• Razor: GEM OCMM (Gen 1)
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Zingari - Rescue Potion - Serum
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum
• Pomade: Nostalgic Grooming oil base - Midnight Stag

Welp, here we are. Embarking on some challenges that I've never done before in all of my 7+ years of wetshaving. This should be a fun (or torturous) ride. I'm not sure yet. The fresh boar was stanky as fuck. The fresh GEM blade was a little harsh in the OCMM (that's right, OCMM). I had a couple small weepers, but nothing the Osma couldn't take care of. Stag was staggy as usual. It's a good thing I enjoy this scent :)

RawHoggin

(unboxing)

The brush feels pretty soft and kinda floppy right out of the box. As I already mentioned, as soon as it got wet, it stunk to high heaven. Zeniths (this is a rebranded Zenith) usually don't smell too bad in my previous experience. This one bucks that trend lol. No problems making a nice first pass lather, but thin lather on subsequent passes is where I've struggled with boar brushes before. This shave was no different. I'll just have to load more I guess. I'm not a fan of going back to the tub in between passes.

GEMsofWisdom

I'm no rookie to GEM razors, so the OCMM is a razor I've used before. That experience a few years ago was not good however and I swore it off. Fast forward to a few weeks ago where I picked up a Gen 1 and a Gen 2 for the handsome sum of $10 off Etsy. Neither of these are as harsh or aggressive as I remember. I think I just got better at shaving because truthfully, it doesn't feel aggressive at all. After using DEs like the R41, Stirling HA, or Yaqi Slant, this thing feels like a Tech. Okay, maybe not that mild, but you get the idea. I know that the fresh blade will smooth out and I hopefully won't end up with any weepers or irritation until the latter half of the month, but we shall see.

Stag spray vid

​

u/EldrormR u/Semaj3000 u/djundjila

August 1, 2022 - Austere August Ultra-Nightmare Mode

Brush pics for RawHoggin challenge

• Brush: Zenith B07-EURO / E aka B10
• Razor: Gem MMOC Gen 2 Ex-Watson
• Blade: Personna PTFE (1)
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Washington's Blend - Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Executive Man - Balm

Two-pass shave per the requirements of the challenges. (Also, my normal shave is a two-pass shave— WTG, XTG.)

I’ve owned two Semogues very briefly in the past, but have never stuck to a boar brush past the break-in period. I’ve been wanting to for a while, so hopefully this one will work out. The first shave was good— it ate a lot of the lather, but it was softer out of the box than any boar I’ve used— even more than the Semogues I’ve tried to break in.

I shave in the shower. I soaked the brush for a few minutes while showering, loaded wet so I didn’t have to face lather as long (although that wasn’t necessary), shaved, rinsed, and shook a few times to dry.

#RawHoggin

#GEMsOfWisdom

/u/EldrormR

/u/Semaj3000

August 1, 2022 -The Nightmare Hog

• Brush: Semogue 820
• Razor: Merkur 34C
• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum
• Lather: Barrister and Mann Eigengrau
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann Unscented Balm with a drop of Eigengrau splash

Two and a half pass shave, I was feeling confident day 1.

I owned one crappy Pure Badger brush before this and that's it - so day 1 the 820 was more pleasant on my face than what I've been using. Insane backbone compared to what I'm used to. I will also have to relearn lathering, I transitioned from under loaded over hydrated to over loaded, thick, blade sticking lather by the end.

Still felt great though. Very close very smooth shave. Omnibus rescued me today.

Good luck to all!

RawHoggin

/u/EldrormR

Aug. 1, 2022 - AA1 #RawHoggin

• Brush: Semogue 2000
• Razor: GC84
• Blade: Gillette nacet (1)

• Lather: Taylor of Old Bond Street - Cedarwood - Cream

• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Texas on Fire - Toner

• Post Shave: Nivea balm

U/eldormr #rawhoggin

Started off easy today with a cream. Had to reload after two passes. Even the Nivea burned. Here’s to august (raises seltzer)

August 1, 2022

Brush: Omega 10049

Razor: Rockwell 6S Plate 5

Blade: Astra SP

Lather: Stirling Vanilla Sandalwood (sample puck)

Post Shave: Stirling Vanilla Sandalwood Splash

Post Shave: Stirling Unscented Balm

I expected the worst part of the new boar brush to be the stiffness of the hair. Wrong! The smell was pretty bad starting with the loading. It definitely overtook the scent of the soap. I got a few pokes from the brush and it felt like I should be using it to clean off home plate rather than using it on my face. 30 more to go. It will only get better.

/u/EldrormR

#RawHoggin

/u/Enndeegee

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August Day 1

• Prep: Hot Shower, Stirling Soap Facial Soap
• Brush: Zenith 508A SE 28mm
• Razor: GEM Micromatic OC Gen 1 - Patinaed
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Restore - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Restore - Balm
• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Grey Vetiver

Well here we are, the first shave of Austere August. Going to be a great. So I am using an MMOC again this year, switching it up to the Gen 1 though. I did a force patina on it this weekend and it turned out quite nice. Next up is the raw hoggin' challenge. I am a big boar fan, so this was a nice excuse for another Zenith. The brush I am using is one of the mistake brushes from Gentle Shave, when they sent out mini B35's instead of the real deal. No matter, the handle is comfortable and it is the same knot that is in my B28 (28mmx57mm). Typically with boar brushes I use an A&E soap that I received as part of a lot, it works well because the concentration of frag burns out pig stench as well as it does skin. So this is the first time I am using a boar straight out of the box, and well it was just what I expected. It smelled like wet pig ass. I am lucky enough to be doing Mammoth Month, so I get the luxury of using Tusk all month. Restore is my weapon of choice to fight the stench. Restore is a lovely honey rose scent that has some earthy notes that keep it grounded and a fairly versatile rose scent. How did it pair with my pig ass brush? To quote Outkast - "Roses really smell like poo-poo-ooh". Yeah, it was rough; rosey hog ass is still hog ass. Good news is, Tusk loads like a champ and even though boars are really thirsty a 35 second load was plenty for a three passer. The Gen 1 MMOC adds a bit to the aggressive scale compared to the Gen 2, but there isn't that big of a difference between the two imo. I am pretty well versed in the MMOC so I doubt I will be providing any groundbreaking GEMsOfWisdom, it is a great razor. Post shave was great, Restore balm is really nice. Settled on Grey Vetiver for the frag for the month, see if I can put a dent in the bottle. Looking forward to see everyone's posts this month. There are some awesome side challenges, as well as some not so awesome ones.

Mandatory Tagging:

#GEMsOfWisdom

#Rawhoggin

#MammothMafia

u/EldrormR

u/Semaj3000

A Mammoth Micromatic Raw Hoggin’ August

Day 1 Prep Video

Setup Pic

RawHoggin Unboxing Pics

• Brush: Zenith B26 #RawHoggin
• Razor: GEM MMOC #GEMsOfWisdom
• Blade: GEM (1)
• Lather: House if Mammoth - Hygge in Tusk
• Post Shave: Hygge Splash & Balm
• Fragrance: Hygge EDP #MammothMafia

This is my first Austere August, and let me just say this concept goes against everything I believe in as it relates to my wetshaving journey. But, I’m also curious, and it’s been forever since I exerted any level of austerity, and 6 years in, I thought what the hey. Let’s fuckin do it.

So I’m basically going all out folks. What you see here is what I intend to use all month. Unless I give up or something 😅.

Notes

Brush is stiff as expected, here’s the splay post first shave. I couldn’t really smell the soap over the “hog” smell. So consider us off to the races!

Never really experienced harshness with this MMOC, it’s in really good condition. The challenge is gonna be the number of shaves on one blade. So I’m gonna try and take really good care of it, drying after the shave etc. Also gonna pace myself, just two passes daily no major cleanups or going for BBS. I’m pretty much there usual except trouble spots on neck.

Here go the formalities:

✅ MMOC Apreciation Challenge Accepted u/EldrormR u/Semaj3000

✅ Raw Hoggin Challenge Accepted u/EldrormR

✅ Mammoth Month Challenge Accepted u/mammothben u/JoboozeRum

MammothMafia

August 1, 2022

• Brush: Zenith B15 (506 U/L) 27.5mm Boar
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gold Gen2
• Blade: Personna Gem PTFE (1)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap
• Post Shave: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum  
• Challenges: #GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin #SubstantialStag

2 passes. Face lather. Good shave. 

• Tags: u/EldrormR u/Semaj3000
• Brush Unboxing Pics and brush top before first use
• Fragrance video
• Blade Edge before use

First day of Austere August. Surprisingly good shave for me. The brush was more gentle than I expected both in feel and in scent. I loaded from the tub for each pass, painted water into the pasty lather, and splayed the brush to build volume. Not great volume, but I got a thin, protective, hydrated lather. This is my first time using a boar brush. It went much better than I expected.

I've used the MMOC before, so no issues there.

Now that I'm going full Stag, I expect a complete return of my youthful vigor (or, maybe, get me a job as a car mechanic).

The hardest part of this shave is getting all of the media together to satisfy my different challenge requirements. :-) I hope I got it all.

An edit to talk a bit about edges. The GEM blade edge (itself) is similar to machined edges on other blades, but appears to have a primary and secondary bevel. which I find interesting and did not expect. Here is a post that contains microscopic images of some other edges. In that post, there is a photo of a straight razor edge. In that photo, I rolled the razor up so that incident light would show variation in the edge, itself. The condition is pretty typical for a freshly stopped edge. The manufactured edges all have coatings on them to mollify edge variation.

Oh, and apologies to u/djundjila. I'm not sure I'll be able to do much "Finding Serenity in Austerity Side Side Challenge". Writing something interesting isn't my strong suit.

Aug 1, 2021 – Austere August. Day 1.

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Zenith - B16 24mm Boar
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb Gen 2
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Sheep
• Post Shave: Zingari Man – Unscented - Aftershave Balm
• Post, Post Shave: Zingari Man – Rescue Potion

It’s gonna be an interesting month. On the one hand using an MMOC and breaking in a boar brush is going to spice up my shaving life a little bit, but I’m also going to be living a boring, unscented life for the next 31 days. I’ve used this soap literally twice since I bought it, so it’ll be good to make a dent in this 5.8 oz tub. I documented on Second Chance Day why I dislike this soap, but the long and short of it, is it’s no fun using unscented products. Imagine having a bunch of wonderful nose-flavors at your fingertips and choosing this? No thanks. However, that changes today. I opted to buy Zingari Man’s post shave products because I believe they put a ton of effort into the skin care aspect of shaving and Lord knows my face is going to need all the help I can get this month.

I was fortunate enough to get to use this MMOC about 7 or 8 times prior to today, because otherwise, today's shave would have been bad. My first time using it about 2 weeks ago was somewhat of a bloodbath and I had about a dozen nicks/cuts. Fortunately, I’ve learned I need to use a light touch at a good angle. I’m still very much at the point where the goal of every MMOC shave is to not need to use a styptic pencil. I was confident heading in, but today I had 5 or 6 nicks at the end of my 2 passes. Most of which came from my first pass, and the sub-par lather that came with it.

At first, I really struggled building up a good lather with this new brush my first pass. Of course, most lathering issues can be fixed by adding more soap and more water, so I went back and really, really overloaded soap between passes, which helped on the 2nd time around. I’m looking forward to seeing this brush progress, because if I didn’t trust this would be worth it, I probably would’ve given up on it after one shave. The brightside is I think I found a loophole to u/rocketk455’s unscented challenge: while all the software I used was unscented, my brush provided my face with a stench of wet animal, so I have that going for me! #winning

After the shave and balm, I also used Zingari Man’s Rescue Potion. I didn’t plan on having to use it (which is why it’s not in my SOTD pic), but I’m thankful I had it ready, because my face was pretty irritated coming out of the bathroom. Can't wait to try this again tomorrow! One day down, 30 to go!

#sidetracked: u/Teufelskraft had the great idea to ask us to include a little bit of music in our SOTD posts. I’m kicking it off with the band Guster, and their song “This Could All be Yours” from the album: Easy Wonderful.

Because my two-year-old daughter likes the album cover, she requests this album literally every day. So, I listen to this song every. Single. Day. And I’m not tired of it yet, so at least she has good taste! Every morning she says “Flower music, Dad!”, because the cover looks like a flower to her and then she stares at the album cover on my phone. One time, I tried to play something different, but still show her the Guster album cover, but she wasn’t having it. She has to listen to this Guster album and look at the “flower”. The song is uplifting and will remind me to keep looking toward the future, as Austere August may start to drag on at some point!

Tags:

#GEMsOfWisdom u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000

#RawHoggin

#unscented

Aug. 1, 2022

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Semogue 1460 Boar Brush 21mm
• Razor: Razorock GameChanger .84
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Balm

Let's get this party started! It's been a bit since I've used a new boar brush and I did not expect it to go well. I was pleasantly surprised, and this brush is actually really nice and not terribly scritchy out of the box.

I think I might have too many HoM soaps at this point - they're nearly half my den now - but Ben just can't stop hitting it out of the park. Overall a very good shave, and I expect that to continue through the month.

Tags:

#Rawhoggin

#MammothMafia

u/EldrormR

1 August 2022 - Austere August

• Prep: splash of warm water
• Brush: Zenith B33
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo - Balm

#RawHoggin u/EldrormR

#MammothMafia

First time using a boar brush, it's actually softer than my badger one but I had to go back and reload more soap. Wondering if it's normal for my lather to just disappear in boar brushes?

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August Day 1

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Zenith B34
• Razor: MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

Today's shave kicking off AA begins with the first use on (almost) everything for the month. Zenith B34 - new. MMOC - new to me courtesty of u/oswald_heist. HoM Sonder - brand new tub, and I've only used a smush 1 time for Lather Games - never before used the balm - so my tub and splash are brand new and with only 1 trial of a soap, does it really count as not new? So - this month is all about breaking in and using new stuff.

How'd it go, you ask? Well - it went fine. Sonder is fantastic - I'm so glad to be using this great scent all month. When I had my wife smell my face she kind of shrugged and said, "it's fine," but what does she know anyway? My 6 year old daughter, on the other hand, gave a great positive reaction and loved the scent, so there's that. I chose to use Sonder this month for a couple reasons. First, my smush for Lather Games smelled great (at least my notes told me it did), and I figured it'd be good to go for the whole of Mammoth Month. But, perhaps even more than that, I've been off work for the last 8 weeks (good, not bad) and during that time I was really confronted with the concept of sonder. I initially investigated it because of u/mammothben and his description on the HoM website and it intrigued me. Then, because targeted ads, I learned that a guy that graduated with one of my siblings from my hometown is in an up and coming band called "The Wrecks" and they have a song called "Sonder" that I listened to several dozen times and, again, it intrigued me. I think people generally have an awareness of sonder - the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own - but to consciously consider that reality in as many human interactions as you can is really life changing. No longer are people fools who are just making stupid decisions (though they exist), they become something more. They're people, just like you. Every single one of them, they idiot who cut you off, your kids, the store clerk, your spouse. All of them. People, with vivid lives. That's what I'm taking back to work (which started again today) and I think it's going to make a big difference as I interact with people on a regular basis, especially the people who make decisions that I don't like or that offend me in some way. They've got a million factors and experiences that led them to where they are just like I do, and, gasp, they may use their life experiences to conclude differently than I would in any given situation.

The MMOC was wonderful and horrible. Thank goodness for Alum. I really enjoyed the razor and feel on my face, but it sure is different than any of the DE razors I've been using. Aggressive? I don't know. Sharp? Yes. Lots of nicks? Yes. But, I think it's more my fault than it is the fault of the razor, I just don't know how to use it; fortunately I've got 31 more shaves coming to hone it in. I think my problem was I just went into default mode and shaved as I would with either of my DE razors. I paid almost no attention to pressure, and, while I did try to adjust my angle, I have struggled in the past to ride the cap (my Karve CB was sold because I couldn't figure it out), so I think that's going to be a big learning curve. Less pressure, better angle control, and hopefully less blood. We'll see. You can learn along with me, unless, of course, I cut myself too badly and bleed out.

The B34 initial run was also pretty suspect. Loading was not easy and lathering was even worse. I got almost no splay during the face lather and that made building anything of substance pretty tough. I initially loaded as much soap as I normally do and ended up with an extremely thin lather that was not going to cut it, especially with the MMOC. So, I went back, loaded more soap, and tried again. And - well, it still wasn't great but it was better. While building the lather was a challenge, painting was not. The beauty of an unbroken in boar brush is that it paints like a freakin' dream. Due to that, I was able to get sufficient soap on my face that I can't blame bad lather for the nicks and cuts. Just myself. I'm excited to watch this thing open up over the month.

Post shave feel today was excellent - the cooling in the Mammoth Balm really helped calm down the burn of the new razor/blade combo.

Really going to enjoy the software for this month. The hardware - well, the boar will break in and here's hoping the MMOC gets better as I learn how to use it. Thankfully the legendary Osma cleaned up almost all the nicks very quickly and you can't really tell that I had a mediocre at best shave this morning. Anyway - hope y'all are kicking the month off well!

Tags:

mammothmafia

RawHoggin

GEMsOfWisdom

u/EldrormR u/Semaj3000

u/djundjilla - is this all I need to do for your mouthful of a combination side challenge?

August 1st, 2022: AA Day Numero Uno

• Prep: warm shower with Stag bath bar

• Brush: Vintage Rubberset 400-3 with 24mm unbleached Zenith knot

• Razor: MMOC

• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap

• Post-Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave

• Post-Shave: Chiseled Face - Natural - Balm

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - EdP

And so it begins, the month of Texas Stink Pig Massacre and Stag.

My prep started months ago when I purchased my stag trifecta and the CF natural balm, along with the infamous tub of Banana soap I immediately started killing. Before that I had purchased a gen 1 MMOC to partake in it's AA challenge. Last month with the help of /u/EldrormR and /u/djundjila I was able to secure this gorgeous Rubberset 400-3 that Eld restored and DJ provided the knot for.

I set out all my gear and then remembered I was missing something... I promised Eld that I would do an unboxing video and the idea seemed to excite him, I will save the surprise and let you all experience it as I did, with a little video recording of the occasion! Thank you Eld for putting this amazing brush together for me and for the surprise 😁

As for the shave, I recorded a video at 5:20ish this morning of my shave, my first "public" wetshaving video! /u/mrtangerinesky encouraged me to continue doing videos after seeing my LG content so I figured AA would be a good start! Video link here Hopefully y'all enjoy!

Luckily my unbleached Zenith didn't seem to be as bad as others, as the smell didn't knock me on my ass when I got the knot wet. A couple hairs were shed during the shave, which is to be expected, and efter all was said and done I sniffed the brush and was greeted with some strong (but not killer) pig stink. Looking forward to see if the Stag overpowers the pig over the course of the month!

I will add brush break in pics when I get home, and my stag EdP sprays are at the end of my video here. (I need to check the atomizer when I get home!)

#SubstantialStag /u/SirKravsALot

#GemsOfWisdom /u/djundjila

#RawHoggin /u/EldrormR /u/Semaj3000

#UNCHALLENGE /u/cowzilla3

Aug 1, 2022 - AA: MA-RH-MM - Almond Leather - Day 1

• Prep: Warm Water Wash
• Prep: Klar - Activated Charcoal - Face Soap
• Brush: Zenith Cobalt Blue 28mm Boar Knot (505BC SE)
• Razor: GEM Open Comb Micromatic (2nd Gen.)
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Aftershave

Introduction

This is my first time participating in Austere August. I skipped last year because, being new to wetshaving, there were so many scents that I still wanted to try and AA seemed counter to that—at the time. Looking back, I really should have committed to some form of AA to improve my overall shaving techniques. This year I'm going all in, and trying out a few of the side challenges:

• Second Annual International MMOC Appreciation Austere August Challenge #GEMsOfWisdom (Tagging u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000)

• Raw Hoggin' Austere August Challange #RawHoggin (Tagging EldrormR)

• Austere August Mammoth Month #MammothMafia (Tagging u/JoboozeRum)

I knew that today's shave was going to be challenging: using a razor for which my technique is still problematic, a fresh GEM blade, and a brand new boar brush was just the start. Of course, challenges are just opportunities for growth.

Scent Selection

Actually, the hardest part of this whole shave was selecting the software I wanted to use all month. I had initially wanted to try the Stag challenge, but getting a hold of the required Stag EdP is difficult in Europe. Next on the list was to use my B+M 42 set. Since my wife is not a fan of 42, it would have been like my own personal Stag challenge with a scent that is the polar opposite of Stag. However, the lure of Mammoth Month was just too great.

Which Mammoth soap to use out of so many great scents available? I had initially considered killing my tub of Mood Indigo, but my concern was that there may not be enough to last all month, especially while using such a large, hungry boar brush. My family put their vote in for Almond Leather, and I had just purchased a new tub on sale at the Shave Supply. In the end though, I'd like to say that I used reason and wise discernment to select the perfect scent for this month's shaves, but as I was still indecisive even this morning, I put four HoM scents and 42 into a random number generator and Almond Leather was the winner.

RawHoggin' Brush

To prepare for all the ~~challenges~~ opportunities I was going to have with this shave, I put off shaving for two days. The new Zenith boar brush was relatively soft, but still had scritch and lots of backbone. Honestly, it felt great lathering over two days growth. Tomorrow may be a different story, but the first lather is done. Today's lather was adequate, but far from what I know Tusk can provide. Since I'm still gauging the soap to water ratio needed for this brush, I did end up going back for more soap on the second pass.

MMOC Appreciation

The MMOC was practically buzzing this morning with feedback from the extra growth. The first pass was effortless and offered zero resistance. I probably could have stopped there, but I knew I needed to get at least two passes in. My biggest problem with the MMOC is that I can either have a decent shave or a close shave with irritation and possibly some nicks. I ended up with the latter. I really only have the issues around certain parts of my neck. I think that I will need to really stretch the skin in those areas to get the best outcome, so that's what I'll focus on this week.

Summary

Despite all my troubles with selecting a scent, after using Almond Leather this morning it was clear this was the correct choice for this AA. The orange, almond, and leather notes are blended together so well that this classy scent fits easily with any season or any occasion. I can already see this brush is going to be a wonderful addition once it's fully broken in. My goal for the MMOC is to get consistently near-BBS shaves without any irritation.

Getting Sidetracked

Finally, for the "Let's get sidetracked AA Side-side Challenge," I'd like to call out the song Lucky by Radiohead. I heard this song one night in 1999 while heading back to my dorm room at college, and even though it might seem inconsequential, something about hearing that song at that moment has stuck with me ever since then. #sidetracked (Tagging u/Teufelskraft)

Rating: 3/5

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August Unscented Raw Hog Madness (questioning my sanity)

• Prep: Cold water
• Brush: Ever-Ready 200 - Zenith 27mm unbleached boar knot
• Razor: GEM MICROMATIC OPEN COMB 2nd gen
• Blade: PERSONNA GEM Stainless Steel (1)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Unscented - Soap
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Incorporeal - Aftershave (Alcohol-Free)

I could say that has been the weirdest shave of my life and thinking about doing it for 30 days more gives me goosebumps. The only thing that comforts me is that it will be really scentless with the passing of days.

RawHoggin

I've knotted an Ever-Ready 200 with an unused Zenith 27mm unbleached boar knot. I left it in the sun to accelerate drying and prayed for the knot not to get loose during the shave.

I have to say that despite my best efforts to make this shave unscented, following all the requirements dictated by u/rocketk455, it was like shaving in a pigsty romping with hogs in the mud. I hope that doesn't DQ from the unscented side challenge.

Fragrance rating

• Scent: Overpowered "cortezas de cerdo", like eating pork crackling snacks on a farm surrounded by pigs
• Longevity: eternal
• Sillage: strong

(Doggies stare at me, and come to sniff my face)

Knot rating

• Shedding: 9 bristles
• Scent: 31^(*)
• Pricky: 31 ^(*)

^(*Higher) rating that hopefully would decrease

GEMsOfWisdom

This is the second time I use the MMOC and I love it, the first one was on the past lather games. It seems smooth but mows the beard unceremoniously. I have felt the blade a bit harsh compared to the one I used the first time (PAL Hollow ground). I'm intrigued to see how it progresses.

Blade rating

• Nicks: 4
• Cuts: 0
• Roughness(0..11): 7

Sidetracked

u/Teufelskraft There's only one thing I can think of PIGS, Jane's Addiction one of my favourite bands playing Pigs in Zen. The first time I heard their first album in '87, they blew me away.

#unscented

#RawHoggin

#GEMsOfWisdom

#sidetracked

u/EldrormR

u/Semaj3000 u/djundjila

Aug. 1, 2022

• Prep: Exercise and shower
• Brush: Semogue 1438
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM blue star

• Lather: Noble Otter - Thé Noir et Vanille - Soap

• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Thé Noir et Vanille - Aftershave

Well this is going to get worse before it gets better day one was a real treat. Irritate my skin face lathering with this brand new boar brush that is super stiff. When my skin was finally red and irritated from building a good face lather I whipped out the MMOC to really slice up as much as possible. This is only my third single edge mmoc shave and it definitely drew the most blood. Osma alum block to the rescue what a nightmare this will be for the next 30 days. I do love this scent and I am interested to see if I get sick of it before the end of august. included a picture of my fancy new semogue 1438 with the rest of my gear that I’m stuck with for August. I am happy to have a MMOC to use for this challenge as it almost didn’t work out u/xgoldenjackalx was very helpful and I appreciate his gracious donation to my shaving journey. Hopefully I stop destroying my face before the end of this. u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000 #GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin

https://i.imgur.com/EdEPWKg.jpg

Post Shave Pic

• Brush: Zenith Boar - 505NK 27mm
• Razor: GEM - MMOC
• Blade: Gem PTFE (1)
• Lather - Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag Soap
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag Splash
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag Edp

Let's get the tags in first

Someone pull me up if I miss something out please.

MMOC Guys First u/EldrormR & u/Semaj3000 #GEMsOfWisdom #Substantialstag

u/EldrormR again for the #RawHoggin

My parcel got delivered to work and sume chump part opened it but I rescued it to get the unboxing video and a pre SOTD picture complete with its virginal pig bristle before I took it to task.

Had to have a real quick shave tonight as my dearest wife wants some respite from the little terrors and apparently kids come before shaving contests.

The Zenith really shocked me for a first use and was really quite soft, I only gave a 5 second lather and that was plenty. Already I can see this knot will eat soap so I need to be gentle.

The MMOC was a dream like always but I'm already dreading that blade blunting and just destroying my dome.

Quick shave with the obligatory Edp video

Words or wisdom today, if you are desperate for a number two use another bathroom the scent of ass and stag really don't mix on a warm day.

Aug. 1, 2022 - AA - Day 1

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Zenith Boar - Short & Scrubby
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM Blade (1)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Ferox - Soap
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements - L'Orange Noir - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive Post Shave Balm - Aftershave

Brush Unboxing - https://imgur.com/KzH1Q9D

Got the Zenith Short and Scrubby to do face lathering and it has been okay. No real stink and really stiff and eats lathers like crazy. I had very little soap for the second pass. Also one of the reason i chose the Excelsior base as it will be easy to lather. Razor was able to smooth for 2 pass shave. The L'Orange Noir pairs well with the soap and finished off with the balm. Good start to the week and month.

#GEMsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

Tagging u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August Day 1

• Prep: Warm water wash
• Brush: Zenith B33 Copper Boar Brush
• Razor: GEM MicroMatic Open Comb
• Blade: Persona GEM PTFE Coated (1)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Aftershave

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Eau de Parfum

Today I unboxed the brush I have been hiding from myself for a month. The new Zenith Boar knot smells good actually! It smells like Lemongrass! I was excited about it smelling like something other than a pig. I soaked the new brush while I washed my face and then I realized I had not taken the SOTD picture yet. So I had to shake the water out and setup the picture. It’s crazy to see the difference in the knot shape just from the short soak and fresh out of the box.

I tried to overload the brush with soap, but it just took all the soap! I loaded it with about 4 grams of soap and it easily held the soap. I then tried to over hydrate the soap and well, the soap took all the water without running off my face or making bubbles. The lather performed, as always, excellent!

I did WTG and ATG passes. Tomorrow I am going to try XTG and ATG. The shave was 2 days of growth and the blade felt a little grabby. The MMOC is quite efficient. I look forward to mastering this setup.

I will be traveling most of the month so the first week is going to be my get into a rhythm before the storm week. I am happy with my choice of Fú Dào, it’s an excellent fragrance. I am happy for the months worth of acquaintances who will get to enjoy the scent.

edited to add link to unboxing

u/EldrormR u/Semaj3000 #RawHoggin #GEMsOfWisdom #MammothMafia

2022-08-01 - Austere August - Raw Hoggin' Mammoth MMOC

Prep: Warm Shower
Brush: Semogue Torga C-5
Razor: GEM MMOC version 2
Blade: GEM Stainless (1)
Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap
Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave
Fragrance: Issey Miyake -L'eau d'Issey pour Homme

The first shave with the Semogue Torga C-5. My reference boar brush is an Omega Professional. The Torga is smaller and has good backbone. Not to scritchy right out of the box. I counted 2 bristles lost. The soap might have taken a little longer to lather as it took a minute to get the water right with the new brush. Excellent performance from the soap and aftershave. The Issey Miyake is also excellent. Awesome performance from the MMOC as was expected.

u/EldrormR & u/Semaj3000 #GEMsOfWisdom

u/EldrormR #RawHoggin

u/JoboozeRum #MammothMafia

https://imgur.com/a/c3KvdT0

https://imgur.com/a/50WeQdG

Have a good day everyone.

August 1, 2022 - AA Day 1

• Brush: Zenith B34 (break-in photo album)

• Razor: Dubl Duck 5/8 Satinedge

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Z - Soap

• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Balm

First off I have to give tons of credit to this B34 for a great lather today and say that I'm so excited to see this thing break in. Brush was phenomenal out of the box and I can say that I enjoyed it much more than my Semogue Owners Club. Honestly just a nice all around brush that could paint or splay with no issues. Hopefully this opinion remains throughout the month.

As for the unscented challenge as soon as I started shaving with this new boar brush I stumbled upon the slightest of regrets. I get to smell the full strength odor of this boar brush for who knows how long with no scent to cover it up. While not really the worst smell I can definitely tell something is there.

Hopefully I've got this razor in a position to make it the full month, but if the shave today is any indicator then I should be fine. Glad I'll get to practice with a straight for a month to try and get a little more proficient.

Challenge Requirements:

#unscented

#RawHoggin /u/EldrormR Zenith unboxing video

Headless Horsemen - /u/Marquis90

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere Hogust, Day One

• Brush: Zenith B36 "Copper Scrubby!" 28x50mm Boar
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM (1)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Lime - Soap
• Post Shave: Porter's Lotion, WSP - Neroli - Aftershave Balm
• Fragrance: Berceuse Parfum - Minneapolis 5.3
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Leftovers Blend, Chilled
• Music: The Long Winters - The Worst You Can Do Is Harm
• August 2022 SOTD Photo Album: https://imgur.com/a/7shDpdl

It's August already? What happened? I'm still recovering from the Lather Games and some late-July travel, so I'll enjoy some simplicity for the next thirty-one days.

Let's start by breaking down my hardware and software selections. I'm doing the full Ultra mode this month:

• Brush: For Austere Hogust, I'm breaking in this raw Zenith Scrubby. I opened up the box, plopped the brush in water for a bit while I poured my coffee and loaded my MMOC, and then went to town.
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb. I got very comfortable with this razor last August, and I pull out my new-to-the-den Clog Pruf weekly since I got it earlier this summer, so I don't anticipate any issues with the MMOC. Starting with a brand new blade I'll use all month.
• Lather: Stirling - Lime - Shave Soap. This boar knot is unused and the break-in won't be accelerated at all—plus it's a stubby loft—so I anticipate this Zenith eating a ton of soap. I never reach for this tub of Lime soap, so this is the perfect time to do some damage. Also, if I can only use one scent all month long, I'm sticking to something simple and easy to love.
• Aftershave Splash: Porter's Lotion. I've been trying to kill this bottle for ages and want it off my counter. I'm using this for skincare purposes—as far as I can tell, it's unscented, though whatever is in it smells medicinal. I think it's a toner, despite "lotion" suggesting a moisturizer or balm. That it ain't.
• Aftershave Balm: WSP - Neroli - Balm. This stuff is strongly scented and tenacious. I rarely use it, and when I do, I cut it with some unscented moisturizer (and it still lasts all day and throws way out into the room.) Honestly, I don't like this stuff very much and want it gone.

How did the shave go?

Lathering with the raw Zenith went about how I'd expect. It's pretty rigid right now and felt less like lathering with a shave brush and more like lathering with a scouring pad. The resulting lather was bubbly and not as cohesive as I'm used to. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover no pig-stank; this knot smells neutral, or not at all, which is a lot more than I can say for many of the costly badger knots I've used for their first ten lathers (at least). Kudos to Zenith for making my month more pleasant.

Also, this brush ate a ton of soap. I weighed the puck before I started, and weighed it after, so I can safely say I used about three grams of soap. Assuming I'm not still losing weight in this tub from evaporation, three grams feels like a lot to use in a single lather, especially with a 28mm knot. That's big, but not gigantic (or ultra dense). I definitely under-hydrated, due to the stiffness of the brush (which made it difficult to work added water into the lather), but I had very little lather left over after the second pass (instead of at least one more pass worth like I would with any other brush and 1-1.5 teaspoons of soap). I'm going to continue loading heavily and stick to Sourav's method all month long, adding a ton of water while I'm still loading from the tub.

The shave went alright. I managed to cut myself with a thin sweep across one cheek, which I haven't done in ages, and I didn't even notice while I was shaving. Weird. I also had a few weepers, which I expected considering the less-than-hydrated lather and brand new GEM blade, which can be pretty gnarly at first.

I'm looking forward to a better shave tomorrow.

⁂

I also want to tag u/Teufelskraft and start the Let's get sidetracked side challenge off with one of my absolute favorites.

"Johnny & Mary" is the highlight of Todd Terje's 2014 release It's Album Time. Terje and Bryan Ferry completely transformed Robert Palmer's '80s-styled, bouncy, synth-pop single, creating the canonical version of this song. Terje's narcotic production renders the bleak lyrics in a more fitting, dreamy light; it's a coldly beautiful recording, cavernously spacious and dance-floor thumping, yet simultaneously both sensual and profoundly sad. It sounds like the final dance of lovers that both know they'll be spending the evening together, but will go their separate ways in the morning—this time for good. It's also Ferry's best work in years, his mournful vocal made reedy by age, hanging in the air like yearning memory and remembered heartbreak. As a fan, it's satisfying to see Ferry's many artistic evolutions reach their final form, having started by parodying a mousse-coifed and suited lothario as part of Roxy Music, then fully inhabiting the character by the mid '80s. "Johnny & Mary" gives us a snapshot of that persona years down the line—still polished, but haggard, and hardened by time, experience, late nights, and thoughtful regret.

YouTube: Bryan Ferry & Todd Terje - Johnny & Mary [Official Video]

#sidetracked

⁂

Tagging u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000 for EldrormR's and Semaj3000's Second Annual International MMOC Appreciation Austere August Challenge. I gotta score that sweet 💎🗡MMOCtamer🗡💎 flair!

Also, tagging u/EldrormR for the Raw Hoggin' Austere August Challenge. 🐷🤢🪒

#GEMsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August - Raw Hoggin' MMOC Ultra Nightmare Mode

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Zenith Boar - B37 - Gray Chubby
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gen2
• Blade: GEM (1)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Margaritas in the Arctic - Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Glacial Margaritas in the Arctic - Aftershave

I’ve been very excited to kick off AA as it will be my first. While variety was the theme for the LGs, I only had a couple razors in my arsenal and used my Simpson T3 for pretty much all of it so in a way had some austerity with my razor and brush. During my last month of shaving freedom, I’ve acquired a beautiful C&H Fancurian badger brush that I absolutely love as well as a Gillette fatboy that I’ve been dialing in. While these aren’t part of my AA gear, they definitely taught me a thing or two in preparation for the challenges I’m signing up for.

With that out of the way, I’m planning on using AA to document the following:

1. The break-in process of a new boar brush #RawHoggin (thanks to u/EldrormR for hyping up the boar)
2. Learning to use a GEM MMOC #GEMsOfWisdom u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000
3. What kind of dent I can put in a brand-new puck of Stirling Margaritas in the Arctic (btw, I just realized it’s arctic and not attic) by loading off the puck with brand new boar.

A couple things to note: I have never used a GEM MMOC, so today was day 1. I’ve also only used a crappy boar brush that came with a VDH set a handful of times and never had any luck with it. Stirling soaps have also been a challenge in the lather department for me, but the last couple months has taught me that I just don’t load enough soap and I am going to try to destroy this new puck by the end of the month – wish me luck!

With all that said, onto the important stuff:

The Brush: The brush I chose for AA came highly recommended by u/EldrormR and who am I to not listen to a RawHoggin expert?? I purchased the Zenith B37 last month and have been patiently waiting to unbox it. I was expecting to be met with the raw, unadulterated scent of hog musk, but The Gentle Shave threw in a generous smoosh of Shannon’s Soaps Lavender Lemongrass, so that helped take the edge off. The brush itself was very stiff and dense compared to my crappy VDH brush while being incredibly soft while lightly brushing it across my skin.

As a bit of a control, I’ve decided to soak the brush for 4 minutes each day to stay consistent. Once soaked, I gave it a few shakes and began loading. The brush seemed to have no issues picking up the soap off the puck and after about a minute, I moved to my face.

I thought the soak would soften the brush quite a bit, but it was still pretty stiff and scratchy as I painted the lather on. There is definitely a learning curve here as it did take me a while to build a decent lather. I also had to add quite a bit of pressure to get the knot to splay. The first pass was a tad dry, but the second pass seemed much more hydrated and did a better job protecting my face from the GEM.

Brush Picture Pre-shave: Side Top

Brush Picture Post-shave: Side Top

The Razor For my razor, I scored a pretty nice Gen2 MMOC off of eBay with some guidance from u/OnionMiasma as well as some Gem Super Stainless Steel Blades off of Amazon. As I mentioned, this was my first shave with this razor and it was intimidating. It took me a minute to figure out how to load the blade and the first sight of the blade poking through the open comb made me rethink my decision to use the GEM.

The angle of the razor is definitely the trickiest part to nail down. Following the GEM instructions and some guidance I’ve seen on this sub and others, I tried to keep the face of the razor against my face, using almost zero pressure and tiny little quick strokes. I had about 3 days of growth and the GEM did a great job at mowing through. I did get a strange, suction type feeling from the razor which kind of bugged me out but seemed to disappear when I pulled the face of the razor slightly away from my face. Towards the end of my first pass, while shaving around my Adams apple, I got a little over-confident and the razor made me pay for it. I did a couple fast strokes and got a little bit of bloodshed and a tad of burning.

The second, ATG pass went a lot better. Moving east to west seemed like a more natural angle with the GEM and I was able to dial in the angle. Again, I used almost zero pressure and let the razor do the work. I took special care around my chin and neck and was rewarded with an awesome shave.

I will be holding off on a 3rd pass for a while but for my first shave with the GEM, I’d say it was a good one. I have a few areas where I didn’t get as smooth of a shave as I usually do with a 2 passer, but overall, it was surprisingly a great shave. Also, the razor was nowhere near the beast I’ve seen it made out to be. Aggressive for sure, but easy to use. Looking forward to really dialing this bad boy in.

The Soap and Aftershave I’ve historically had a lot of trouble dialing in the lather with Stirling. There was a time that I thought it was just overhyped and not the awesome soap base that everyone said it was. I’ve learned over time, that I’ve just not been using enough soap (user error) and precision loading helped me solve this problem. The RawHoggin challenge had me a bit concerned that I would be going back to square one by puck loading. Fortunately, I now know what a properly loaded brush looks like and it didn't end up being an issue. My challenge now is going to be to dial in the water. While I did load enough soap, I ended up with a slightly underhydrated lather for my first pass. I’m really loving Stirling more and more every day and looking forward to using this every day.

Day 1 Puck Picture

Aug. 1, 2022 - AA Day 1 - Unboxing, weighing, and the start of breaking in

• Brush: ShaveForge 28mm Boar, 3d Printed Handle #RawHoggin
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb #GEMsOfWisdom
• Blade: Personna GEM Stainless (1)

• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Soap

• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Eau de Toilette

Day One of AA.

For my Austere August I'm going with the following items.

Razor: Micromatic Open Comb, Gen 2. I picked this up in May, but haven't gotten a lot of quality time with it due to the Lather Games and wanting to use some other stuff in July. So far the shaves I've had with it have been adequate even though they required more attention to detail than normal. My actual razor is pretty ugly, but structurally it's sound.

Blade: I had ordered some PTFEs for August, but they didn't arrive. So, I'm using a Stainless instead. This is unfortunate, but rules are rules, and a PTFE blade is arriving tomorrow, a day late.

Brush: There has been lots of talk about how finding a bad boar is a lot harder than finding a bad badger, because boars are so much cheaper that even the cheapest brushes are generally acceptable or better. I'm putting this to the test - I found and bought two very inexpensive boar knots from Shave Forge (they were ~$5 when I bought them, they're now about $15!!!), and 3D printed two handles. Why two you ask? So we have a control and a test brush. I'll be able to compare on a daily basis the brush I'm using vs. what it started out like. I knotted the brushes last week, and then boxed up the brushes until today. I'll be leaving the control brush in a ziploc bag so that it doesn't air out, so I can compare the aroma of the control vs. test. I also have a well-broken in (probably 50 shaves) Stirling Boar that I'll periodically show in comparison to highlight the changes of the brush throughout August. I won't compare the smell of the Stirling brush, because it still smells like a mix of spinach baby food and gasoline.

Soap: Sea Spice Lime is getting the nod, due the fact that I really like it, and since I won a trickhole of it during the Lather Games. I don't like to lather directly on my soap, so I've scooped approximately half of my container into an empty tin I have, and will be working from this tin during AA. I will be logging weights at the end of my shave each day (after the soap has had a chance to dry) so that we can see how much soap I'm burning on a day to day basis. If I need to refill the tin, I can. I started today's shave with the tin weighing 54g.

AS/EDT: SSL Toner and EDT.

Today's Shave: I unboxed my brush, and set out all of my accruements for the day's shave. Smelling the brush, there is a definite stink. I noticed when I first used my Stirling boar that there was almost no smell, because I was ready for it - with this brush there is a distinct heavy smell. That smell intensified 3 fold when I ran water on the brush to get it ready for shaving. I hope the scent goes away quickly, because it's stomach-churning bad. Almost like the smell of beef bouillon. Not what I wanted to rub on my face.

I'm typically a scoop-and-precision-lather guy, so face lathering is relatively new for me. I lathered the soap for 30 seconds, and was amazed at how much soap seemed to be used up. Moving to my face, I started to build a lather, and found that there was very little splay with this brush unless I really put pressure on it. That in turn dug the bristles into my face, which was quite unpleasant. The smell of the brush is overwhelming, and SSL does little to mask it. If anything, the porky/lime smell just made me think of some tacos I had in Mexico City and started my stomach growling. However, I was able to get a good lather up, and moved to the shave.

I've used the MMOC before, and this blade before, so I knew what to expect. The other blade I have I've taken to about 15 shaves, so I'm expecting to double that this month. Honestly, this is the part of AA that has me most worried, but for today, I had a good-but-not-quite-BBS two pass shave.

Shave weight after the soap drying for a couple hours is now 50g, so 4g of SSL went into today's shave. That's an insane soap usage - if the soap usage doesn't drop I'll definitely have to restock SSL before month end, but I suspect that as the brush becomes broken in, the soap usage will drop.

So, I am planning to log my thoughts on the shave each day, and compliment those with daily progression photos of the brush against the control brush and my broken-in Stirling. I'll also keep track of soap usage by day, to see if it remains constant or drops as the brush starts to soften.

At the end of August, one lucky Xir can win the control brush via PIF. Let Austere August begin!

Tagging u/EldrormR, u/Semaj3000, u/djundjila

austere August tortoise race 20

• Prep: shower
• Brush: SOC Boar
• Razor: GEM OCMM GEN 2
• Blade: GEM PFTE (20)
• Lather: signature soaps unscented goats milk shaving soap

The return of the gen 2 and a painful realization that the blade degradation is real. Also over the last couple of shaves ice had a lot of hairs come free from the brush. I guess some part of the knot is a bit weaker - it's about 20 in the last week which for a brush used every shave since last Dec is a bit weird - u/eldrormR any ideas?

So everyone else is into the austere august and I'm now on the home straight. I'm already planning what I'll use for my first shave. #notgemsofwisdom #rawhoggingerale #lastnightadjsavedmylife

Finding Serenity in RawHogginy on the road to the GEMtury Pt. 1

• Prep: Klar Activated Charcoal facial soap
• Brush: Rubberset 400-3 with unbleached 26 mm Zenith knot set at 56 mm loft (1)
• Razor: GEM - Micromatic (open comb, first generation)
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE (70)
• Soaking Mug: Seaforth! - Scotch Heather - shaving mug
• Bath Soap: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - bath soap
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Ice Lime - Soap
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Eau de Toilette

Here we go! The SOTD picture shows the boxed brush. And here is the knot setting and boxing video, which I had to do before leaving for vacation. The unboxing video and my improvised tamper proof design of the box should convince the Djudge that the brush wasn't used in the meanwhile. Finally, here's the mandatory picture of the new brush.

It's never too early to explain your little ones the importance of Austere August, so I took Djunior to his first traditional first of Austere August Concert in the morning 😄

The shave:

This brush is unlike any Zenith brush I've ever had. I've opened the ferrule just enough for the glue bump of the knot to pass through, and as a result it doesn't splay at all (at least not yet) , giving it a bit of the original Rubberset 400 look. I was ready for a repetition of the Texas Pig Stink Massace (it should read "Massacre" but I made a typo in my side side challenge announcement and now I have decided to commit to this.) , but this one has a very tame boar funk by comparison. The narrow, unsplayed shape give it a strong backbone which reminded me a bit of u/EldrormR's great B36 brush. In typical Zenith fashion, the tips are already very soft, and the brush is not too lather greedy.

It lathered up Sea Ice Lime without complaints, and while I did get whiffs of funk, this face lather was a mostly pleasant affair. The Blade That Won't Die did an admirable job on its 70th shave, and I got a comfortable and close shave. The (MM[OC)MM] is a fantastically efficient and comfortable razor, perfect for squeezing 31 final shaves out of this grizzled veteran of a blade. It looks like I'm doing Austere Hogust in easy mode this year, and I'll end on 100 blade uses.

I got the bath soap to bridge that awkward scent gap during the shower between shave and post shave, but the scent of it is a bit different, leaning towards sour. I'm not sure I'll use it every time. The toner felt good on the skin and the frag is one of my favourites. The only problem I can see possibly manifesting itself is that my wife might tire of SSL. I got the comment that I've sprayed on too much 😬

Happy Austere August everyone!

#GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin

Edit: guess I shouldn't forget to tag the honourable u/Semaj3000 and u/EldrormR

Aug. 1st, 2022 - What have I got myself into now?

• Prep: Warm water

• Brush: Zenith Copper B36 Boar “Copper Scrubby”

• Razor: GEM MMOC

• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (1)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Splash

• Post Shave:: House of Mammoth - Alive Balm

#GEMsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

So I unwrapped my new Zenith brush. While I was getting ready, soaked it in warm water about 5 minutes or so. The copper handle got warmer from that soak. No surprise as copper is a great conductor of heat. I put a generous smear of Alive in an IKEA plastic kids bowl, and loaded the brush just until the soap was picked up. On my wet face, started to build a lather. Calling this brush scrubby is no joke. Had to add water a few times, but built up a decent lather. I put a new blade in the MMOC for the month. Oh did I forget new blades bite. Pretty strong feedback on the shave. Lathered on the face again, but had more trouble getting enough soap out of the brush. I squeezed out more lather out of the bristles a few times. Second pass felt ok, but after I rinsed off, about 4 weepers on my cheeks. The splash was a bit stingy, so decided to go double on the post shave and applied balm.

I really like the scent of Alive, but when I smell it in the jar, I get more apple and floral. Lathered, I noticed the muskier, moss, and woody scent. The splash and balm was similar for me. Skin feels nice after applying them. I think I was getting a bit complacent with the MMOC, and got a lesson today in making sure to pay attention to my technique. After rinsing off the razor and blade, flipped the blade over. I’m going to use GEM side on odd days, and stainless on even. Going to see if that helps keep wear even and maybe have the edge last longer. Probably not much difference, but maybe I’ll see shave 31 being as good as shave 5 or 6.

For the brush, here it is before, and this is the brush after day 1.

Hope I remember all the tags:

u/JoboozeRum u/EldrormR u/Semaj3000

Aug. 1, 2022

• Prep: Splash of cold water
• Brush: Zenith B16 24mm
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM Stainless PTFE (1)

• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Fougère Angelique - Soap

• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Fougère Angelique - Aftershave

I am sick as a dog today (not covid, but still sucks) so I finally dragged my ass out of bed after 10 am to shave and shower. I'm participating in Raw Hoggin' and GEMs of Wisdom, so I unwrapped my shiny new Zenith B16 to use. It has been difficult to resist the temptation to try this brush since I got it a few weeks ago. I noticed with my second pass that I definitely did not load the new brush with enough soap. I use synthetic brushes 99.9% of the time, and this is my first time using a boar. So I think there will be a learning curve with figuring out how much to actually load. My shave with the MMOC went well although I got a tiny nick on my chin. These fresh GEM blades can be just a little rough, so that's not a big worry for me. In my experience they even out around ~5 shaves.

Tagging u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000. #RawHoggin #GEMsOfWisdom

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August 1st With Serious Jetlag

• Prep: Cool shower
• Brush: Semogue 610 Boar
• Razor: OCMM Gen 2
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: Noble Otter - Firefighter - Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Lime - Aftershave

After 5 glorious days in London, I landed in Boston at noon and was home here in the great state of Maine by 3. I had 36 hours of growth to kill off so the #GEMSofWisdom was the perfect way to make me look more human. Gem of Wisdom #1- Using an OCMM or MMOC or whatever the hell you want to call it when you are battling jetlag is a huge friggin' challenge. I would dare call it a bloody challenge. Because bloody hell, while I have pretty good control over a razor most days and nicks and weepers are a rarity, I looked like a scene out of Sweeney Todd by the time I was done with this shave. All of the issues were mine. Of course, since I'm also #RawHoggin for the month, this was the first day with a brush I am not familiar with and the lather showed, in that it was less than hydrated.

#RawHoggin (paging u/EldrormR and u/Semaj300) with the Semogue 620 (unboxing pics here- https://imgur.com/a/Gr3gy9B) will be entertaining. On the plus side, there ain't no real stink to this brush (hallefuckinglujah). On the less than plus side, this is a small knot. On the plus side, I'm probably going to destroy this tub of Firefighter trying to get enough lather going during the month. I like the way Semogue's break in so I suspect that in a week or so, I'll have a good handle on where this brush is going to go.

#Sidetracked u/Teufelskraft has added a musical component to this month and I am more than happy to oblige. I'll start the month with one of my all-time favorite albums from Boston's Only Living Witness. Jonah Jenkins is one of the best voices in metal and OLW was the starting point. This is a band that should have been huge but their record company didn't know how to market them and essentially fucked them over. They left us with 2 amazing albums but Prone Mortal Form, today's selection is a banger. I've worn out several copies of this album. I saw Witness back in the day in clubs in Rhode Island, Boston and here in Maine. I got beat to hell in the pits and dropped more than my fair share of elbows in return. Jonah has gone on to several other projects including Milligram and Raw Radar War and has dropped vox for a bunch of other bands. So yea, I'm kicking Austere August in the ass and throwing elbows and windmilling my way around the house. Enjoy this one and stay away from the razors while doing so- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsQcQpJrP6w

If none of this made sense, blame it on jetlag and let's hope that tomorrow I am far more coherent. Have a great rest of your day everyone!

Aug. 1, 2022 - RawHoggin MMOC

• Brush: Zenith B37
• Razor: Gem MMOC Gen 2
• Blade: Personna PTFE (1)

• Lather: Strike Gold Shave - Kennedy

• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Blu - Aftershave

• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Balm

RawHoggin

GemsOfWisdom

Wow I can’t believe the turn out for AA this year. I don’t remember it being this popular last year. On top of that, it seems like every other person is RawHoggin it. I’m curious to see how many people actually stick with it. Either way it looks like u/EldrormR and u/Semaj300 are going to have their work cut out for them.

I owned a couple boars before this one (Omega 100098 & Zenith New Titanio) but they just didn’t do it for me. Don’t get me wrong, the little Zenith is a good little brush, I actually have been using it a good amount up until now, it just seems to really lack the density I’m wanting. After these two brushes I kinda wrote boars off as not my style, but then I saw this challenge and decided I’d give another boar a chance, just so I can get that flair. I find it absolutely hilarious. Now on to the shave.

Upon unboxing this B37, I was very surprised by the lack of stench. I was dreading the wretched smell that I have been reading about all day. So I drop my brush into a bowl to get a good pre shave soap, and begin to set up for my shave. I’ve been reading all day about people not loading enough soap and getting a sub par lather. So I scooped a silly amount of soap and got prepared to lather. I pulled my brush out of its soaking bowl, and to my surprise, still no funk. I thought I must have been lucky after all the stories of no stink until the water touch the brush. So I loaded up, and began face lathering. No joke guys, I immediately knew I had a fantastic brush. Was it a little scritchy? Of course, it’s a brand new brush. But still, this chubby knot felt great on the face. I can’t wait to see what this brush evolves into in the coming month.

As far as the shave? It was just alright. The new GEM blade was a little rough and bit me a few times, but it’ll smooth out and be just fine.

Aug 1, 2022 Trickhole Stag + MMOC + RawHog

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Dogwood Unbleached Boar
• Razor: MMOC MM24
• Blade: GEM (3)
• Lather: Chiseled Face Grooming Midnight Stag
• Post Shave:Chiseled Face Grooming Midnight Stag Balm
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face Grooming Midnight Stag

GD Knot came off within the first 10 seconds of lathering. Had to hold the knot in my hand and lather. That's what a Knight of Stag does, I suppose.

MMOC Appreciation - Tagging u/EldrormR, u/Semaj3000 along with #GEMsOfWisdom

Rawhoggin - Tagging u/EldrormR along with #RawHoggin

Cheers

Aug. 1, 2022

• Brush: Grey Chubby - Zenith B37
• Razor: Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM - PTFE Coated Stainless Steel (1)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Z - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z - Aftershave

#GEMsOfWisdom

I had my first MMOC shave just a few weeks ago. I really wanted to do today as a first-time MMOC-user, except that I had no idea if any type of single-edge blade would be friendlier with my skin, or whether they'd even be capable of making it through the month. After testing the blades available from tryablade, I'm glad I did (test them, that is), because the ones not labeled as stainless demonstrated very quickly that there is a reason that are not so labeled. The plain-ol' stainless seemed to hold up well enough, but then I settled on the coated one for a while before switching back to my Rockwell for comparison and to see if DEs have been ruined for me forever.

Anyway, yes, today was not my first MMOC shave, because blades. My first MMOC shave was, as you might imagine, a very different experience than it was today. Here's a few things that I though about, if memory serves (and it most certainly does not), as I first tried this infamous razor.

1. I had come across a Badger & Blade thread in which someone shared an MMOC that bore the words "hold flat against face" on the top, much like one that u/EldrormR (tag for Raw Hoggin', along u/Semaj3000 for MMOC) purportedly has. If I hadn't happened across that, I might have taken a very different, bloodier approach to the first shave with this thing. it also helps to make sense of the angle of the head of this razor, which I had found odd with my DE-heavy frame of reference. With the top of the razor head held as such, it makes for a very natural-feeling angle and much gentler experience with the razor.

2. I was glad to have tried a shavette a couple times in June. While that's obviously a wholly different kind of thing, having experience with an unprotected blade was helpful in handling this infamously-aggressive razor. There was a time or two that I might not have known to stop the movement of my hand, if I hadn't had the experience of reaching that point--and going beyond--with the shavette. Thanks to that, I have not had any cuts with the MMOC.

3. The first few times with the MMOC, I couldn't get a reasonably close shave, much like I haven't gotten a reasonably close shave in the few times I used the shavette. This was simply a side-effect of being unsure of how to effectively wield the MMOC. After a week, I was able to get wonderfully smooth shaves out of it.

4. Alum was a must at the start. It almost seems strange that I wasn't able to get close enough to cut the hairs down while simultaneously wreaking havoc on my skin. But my skin wasn't feeling super-awesome, the alum helped, and I resolved that it would be a necessary component as I subjected myself to this treatment during all of August. That need dissipated, but I did kind of get in the habit of using the alum in that way, which I've never really done.

5. I use the alum for its other purpose more with the MMOC: i.e. finger-non-slip for skin-holding. The necessity for holding one's skin taut seems to be greater when using the MMOC. Is that just a clumsy segue into clumsily mentioning that the razor requires more attentive care? Maybe. Probably. Blah, blah, the razor shaves differently from DEs and takes some getting used to.

I would have liked to have address these points as I naturally progressed through them, but alas it did not come to pass (no pun intended).

Having had the motivation to subject myself to this razor in the interest of this month's challenge, I can say with confidence: using this razor for a month is going to be a breeze.

#RawHoggin

The razor is going to be easy-breezy, but I foresee a rough month with face-lathering for this challenge. Obviously, no prep or practice was allowed with the brush, but I did practice face-lathering with other brushes, and I can also say with confidence: face-lathering sucks. It is the worst. Why the hell would anyone choose to do this unless there was literally no other option. Hell, even the chest-lather is better.

But not the knee. Fuck that.

The above-linked hopefully counts for "unboxing"; it's a pristine brush, box(es) alongside, and with the rest of what I've committed to for the month. I have a feeling it'll be a few days before I figure out a good angle for progress pics, though. That's post-shave, in case that's not obvious from the the now-used brush. Once wet, it was much more pliable than I had any reason to worry it wouldn't be.

Also, I knew that boar-smell was a thing, but I naively thought I'd be spared from that, due to the absence of such a smell from the box. I have no idea why I didn't consider that the stench would be unleashed once it got wet. Perhaps this normally would be easy enough to ignore, but not so much when you're going...

#unscented

for which I'm using House of Mammoth's Z soap and aftershave, which are also for...

#MammothMafia

Aug. 1, 2022 - 08.01.22 - Austere August #RawHoggin'

• Brush: Omega 10048
• Razor: Henson Ti22++
• Blade: Gillette SuperStainless
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Daemon
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Daemon Splash

Welp - Time to enter my first Austere August! And also time to use my first Boar brush (#RawHoggin - u/EldrormR and u/Semaj300) I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong right??

Todays shave wasn't as bad as I was expecting - a bit less scritch than I had anticipated, but then I've also read that Omega and Semogue have somewhat "soft" bristles so perhaps thats why? Either way this was an okay shave, not my best but not my worst.

All in all I'm really looking forward to this challenge!

Aug. 1, 2022 - AA Day 1

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: AP400B XL Handle (AP ShaveCo) - 28mm Maggard Boar Knot
• Razor: GEM MMOC - Gen 1
• Blade: GEM PTFE (70)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum

Between getting my blade to where its at now and wishing I could use the brush everyday for almost a month I have been way more excited for today than I would like to admit. I even decided to pick up an extra tub of Stag to make sure I don't run out because I have the feeling this brush is going to eat through soap like a professional.

This isn't my first rodeo breaking in a boar brush and I have only ever just used them without all the recommended "techniques", but nothing this size before. I could tell the smell was trying to surface while I lathered, but the glory of the Stag kept it at bay and I have a feeling even the little smell I did get will be gone here in a couple days. This brush did seem a little more scratchy than others I have used and I did feel like I had a small bit of "brush burn" during my second and third pass. Nothing unbearable though and with the way this monster splays I have a feeling that won't be an issue for long. I normally bowl lather, but have been practicing with face lathering the last two weeks. Nothing prepared me for lathering with this beast, and even though I am fairly comfortable with the CF base, getting a good lather with this is going to take a couple days of practice. I ended up going back to the tub twice because I'm pretty sure this brush has a portal hidden somewhere near the glue bump. I looked and while I didn't see anything that's the only explanation as to where all the soap was going.

After doing the MMOC challenge last year and joking back and forth with u/djundjila about going to 100 in my quest to 50, here we are. 70 shaves on this blade as of today and honestly I'm not even worried. I haven't really noticed a difference between about shave 30 and where it is now.

#SubstantialStag #RawHoggin #GEMsOfWisdom

u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000

Day 1 Setup and Brush Break-in

Stay Spray

Aug. 1, 2022

• Prep: Hot Shower w/ Midnight Stag Soap
• Brush: Proraso Boar Brush
• Razor: Muhle R41
• Blade: Feather
• Lather: Chiseled Face Midnight Stag
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face Midnight Stag Aftershave Fragrance: Chiseled Face Midnight Stag EDP

RawHoggin #SubstantialStag

u/wallygator88 u/EldrormR u/SirKravsALot

https://imgbox.com/g/EAyJXNdRuL https://sendvid.com/ygwi2qgw

This year was a few firsts for me so I figured I'd celebrate with my first entrance into AA. Doing so with my first use of Stag, boar brush, muhle razor/feather blade, and shaving my head.

I'm posting this before I've finished my head but my face is done. I took the brush out and it didn't smell THAT bad until I got it wet. The stiffness of the bristles felt pretty good on my face and the lather I got out of it was wasn't too far off what I get with a normal face lather.

Please let me know if I need to add or change anything as its my first time posting on reddit. I'm gonna wait for the blood to dry before I finish the head.

Aug. 1, 2022

• Brush: Maggard 28mm Boar
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (1)

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Balm

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum

Ah shit, here we go again! We're back with another Austere August featuring the one, the only MIDNIGHT S.T.A.G. (Simply the Absolute Greatest). This time I'm tacking on a few of the side challenges, out of the 1,000 that were created this year. The greatness of Stag doesn't need my additional praise. We all know it's the best, and if you haven't tried it because you're scared, or "my wife will kick me out of the bed", etc etc, just nut up and try it. It's 100% stronger off the puck than how it lathers. I'm not exaggerating when I say the aftershave and balm smell AMAZING. Yeah, 5 sprays of EdP at the end of the month can be a bit much, but that can be said of any fragrance. This is the beginning of my 4th full month of stag and I couldn't be happier with my selection.

This was actually my first time setting a knot. So easy, I don't know why I stressed about it for so long, or the other knots I've put off setting. The new boar loosened up a ton after soaking. While I was setting the knot, I kept debating setting it higher and higher to give it more splay since it felt so firm. I'm glad now I didn't, and may even remove the quarter after the month. We'll see how it goes, too early to tell. This Maggard boar is seriously good to go right out of the box. I'm in for a real treat if it gets even better after 31 shaves. Previously I greatly enjoyed my Omega Pro 48, which has it's fair share of pokiness and scritchy. I wasn't sure how this brush would be in use, but I felt absolutely zero pokes or scritch. The first shave was 100% comfortable. I underestimated the hunger of this new boar and had to reload between passes. This boar is HUNGRY and I'm glad I'm not soap!

I've used the MMOC a handful of times. I enjoy OC razors a lot, so I'm looking forward to this month.

Boar setting and "unboxing"

Stag spray

#RawHoggin /u/EldrormR

#SubstantialStag /u/SirKravsALot

#GemsOfWisdom /u/EldrormR /u/Semaj3000

#UNCHALLENGE /u/cowzilla3

Aug. 1, 2022 - Raw Hoggin' Austere August

• Prep: Shower with Cheshire Bar Soap
• Brush: Zenith B33
• Razor: Baili BR171
• Blade: Personna Med Prep (1)

• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Cheshire - Soap

• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Cheshire - Aftershave

I'm taking u/EldrormR up on the #RawHoggin challenge and breaking in this Zenith B33 I bought. It was a comfortable first lather today, and this Zenith leaves up to the reputation of being pretty usable right out of the box. I can't wait to see what is like broken in.

Aug. 1, 2022 - AA 1: Sonder Seville

• Prep: Water Splash
• Brush: Semogue 1305 Pure Bristle 22mm
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gen 2
• Blade: GEM PTFE (7)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Balm

• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville - Eau de Toilette

Unboxing pics of the semogue. Accidentally took a 1 sec video instead of a picture. Oops. The AA set up, in case it was missed in title.

What better way to start the games than with a (NSFW? upper man skeletor bod) aggressive skidmarko method chest lather. to really try and beat the shit out of said boar brush. I forgot to take the pic until after I’d swiped my cheeks, but it gives the mirror selfie portrait some character. This is only my 2nd boar I’m breaking in myself, the other being a zenith, as 2/4 I have came with decent use. This one is pretty scritchy, my chest was a bit red. But honestly, a good exfoliation on the face is nice now and again, so hopefully I’ll be ok as it breaks in coupled with having to wear a mask again a bunch for work. I look forward to its progress, here’s day 1 post use.

Simply put, I still suck with the MMOC. I can do cheeks mostly ok, most of the neck ok, but the chin, mustache, and under lower lip will be a learning curve. Might be AA patchface edition for me.

Let’s get into the tags for those couple challenges. u/EldrormR, u/semaj3000. Thanks to u/djundjila too for the boys and side side judging. #GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin #MammothMafia

I thought the tags would be crazier considering it’s 4 (5 if we count the side side challenge separately?) challenges. Happy AA shaving fam.

August 1, 2022 First Augustere August Ever. First full Shavette Shave ever.

Prep: Hot Shower Brush: Burma Shave Boar Brush Razor: Kai Kasho Blade: Feather Proglide 1st use Lather: Stirling Sheep Post Shave: Stirling Barbershop splash and Nivea Sensitive Balm Fragrance: Halloween Man

Today was my first time posting here and participating in these challenges. I have watched by the sideline for a little bit and watched and learned from others. Today's shave was the first full 3 Shave pass I have done with a shavette as part if the headless horsemen shave. The shave was a little rough and I didn't get a close as I would have liked but here is to learning how to get better at it. Brush for these shaves will be a cheap $5 Burma Shave Boar Brush that I found at a local store. Man did this things shed a ton at the beginning. Hope I don't lose to many otherwise I will be lathering with a handle at the end. Unboxing and SOTD. Today's music is I get around by the Beach Boys. I really enjoy listening to this song because it was my late Grandpa's favorite song. Everything that I hear this song I am reminded of him and how much time I enjoyed with him. So if I ever need a pick me up I listen to it. Now for the tags u/Enndeegee, u/Marquis90, u/Teufelskraft, and u/EldrormR. #sidetracked and #RawHoggin.

Aug. 1, 2022 - AA Day 1

• Prep: Wet face
• Brush: Semogue Torga C5 #RawHoggin
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb #GEMsOfWisdom
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo - Balm

• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Aftershave

First day of AA! After much deliberation over boar brushes, I bought a new Semogue Torga C5. It was described to me as a SOC with more backbone, which sounded too good to pass up. After a 10 minute pre-shave soak I smelled a bit of new boar funk. I bought a new Omega 81052 at the same that smelled much worse. These are the first two boar brushes that I've smelled it, and it's an odd odor. I expected it to smell like an animal, and it does, but it's also chemical-y, which makes me wonder what kind of process is used to clean and treat these knots. I used this same tub of soap with a Synbad knot last year. The difference in soap consumption is dramatic. The Synbad only need 3-4 seconds of load time. It was difficult to not over-load it. This knot eats soap like Charlie Sheen snorts coke. Okay, that's an exaggeration. It eats a normal amount of soap for a new boar. It's still annoying. I spent a long time lathering and never got it where I wanted it. No matter how much soap was loaded, the lather vanished once it began to approach hydration. What I ended up shaving with stuck to the razor. Tomorrow, I plan to try loading soap multiple times in smaller amounts. The Omega 81052 is too floppy to be a good face lathering brush. This Torga has a lot of backbone. I struggled to get it to splay for the first ~20 minutes. The short loft makes it scrubby and reminds me of the 610. It was more exfoliation than I'd like because of how long I spent working on the lather. I think this brush will be amazing once it's broken in, though.

I was undecided on my choice of soap for the month right up until it was time to take pictures and shave. I figure I might as well do as many challenges as possible. So, I decided to join in on the MammothMafia and use this set for another AA. Plus, I can help boost donations to a charitable cause. I used this tub of Mood Indigo for AA last year and have only used it once or twice since. Tusk is so good. Just adding a splash of water to the tub while loading creates stringy elastic lather. I know this base can make amazing lather. I hope I'm able to achieve it with this brush. Indigo is one of my favorites. I was so happy when /u/mammothben partnered with Chicago Grooming (I think his name is Vida?) to meet demand and I was able to buy a trifecta when it first became widely available. I considered using Embrace or Hygge, but I went with Indigo because I know I can go a whole month and not get sick of it.

After a rough experience with a Clog Pruf I didn't realize was broken, I was ready to write off GEM razors. Last year's MMOC challenge convinced me to give it another shot, and I'm glad I did. I grew to love the MMOC. I'm not at all worried about using this razor on a daily bases. My only concerns are the quality of lather I'm able to produce with a new boar and the longevity of the GEM blade, which was an issue for me last year. I plan to strop the blade and use opposite sides each shave this time. Hopefully that will help.

---

Contests:

MMOC Appreciation - u/EldrormR, u/Semaj3000

Raw Hoggin' - u/EldrormR

Mammoth - #MammothMafia

edit: forgot the unboxing/sotd pics

August 1, 2022

• Brush: WW Aged Butterscotch Beehive 26mm Maggard's Boar
• Razor: Wolfman Ti WR2 .75
• Blade: Feather (1)
• Lather: NO - Thé Noir et Vanille
• Post Shave: NO - Thé Noir et Vanille Aftershave

First time ever using a boar and woof, can't say day 1 out of the box is a joy to use. I've heard the Maggard's boars are better than most too.

I promise I'll get my act together and edit my post with photos of the brand new boar in a hot minute! Just didn't want to miss out on the start of Austere August and #RawHoggin.

As for whether or not I'll actually be austere for August - no, no I don't think I will. I plan on using the same brush and razor for the full month, which feels like enough of a commitment to some austerity that I'll keep using my den like always. It'll be fun seeing how the boar breaks in with a month of use though!

Edited to include pictures of the new brush. I don't have an unboxing video because it was a separate handle and knot, but I do have the boxes of those!

And brush after first use!

RawHoggin /u/EldrormR

Aug. 1, 2022 - The start of the thing

• Prep: Quick splash of water
• Brush: Copper Zenith B28
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)

• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Soap

• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Aftershave

Late shave for me tonight to try to sneak in before the deadline. I forgot my new in the box boar brush for the #RawHoggin challenge at home while on vacation, but my wife mentioned that we would be flying in today, so I did a short two-pass shave this morning then another tonight with my AA set up.

Thanks to u/EldrormR for setting me up with this razor and some blades to get started. I am pretty much going into this blind about the best or proper technique to use this razor. It didn't go so poorly today but I didn't try to push it too far.

The brush on the other hand was a handful, I think it might be a bit before I am able to get some decent lathers out of this. After a 9 minute soak and a quick wetting of the face I loaded what I felt was about twice of what I would usually use for a badger shave (probably about 4x of what I use for my usual tux synthetic) but after getting started I could tell that wasn't going to be enough for this first lather attempt. I went back two more times after trying to build anything of volume. It just felt like the brush was devouring all thee suds, which I think is kind of normal for a "raw" brush. I wasn't happy with the result, a very thin lather on my face but it did the trick okay.

The brush right out of the box already feels much softer on my skin then no matter what I tried and many lathers with my starter omega boar, that is still (hopefully) on its way to Serbia, goo luck with that one u/duki92. It was tough to do anything other than painting strokes as the bristles were still pretty stiff. I know it will get better as the month goes on. I am looking forward to more shaves with this set up to dial in the perfect lather.

The shave itself was uneventful. I just tried to use my normal DE weight and angle and it didn't seem to bite me anywhere. I am feeling some heat on my cheeks as I write this up, but I understand that also might be from the new brush.

I am loving this scent of the soap, I hope I still do by the end of the month.

Tagging u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000. #RawHoggin #GEMsOfWisdom

Stag Hoggin' August Day 1

• Prep: Splash o' water.

• Brush: Zenith B33

• Razor: Cloud Shavette

• Blade: Cloud whatever that blade it is (6)

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag

Well, day 1 of the noble month. Zenith brush was easy on my face AF, almost nada of scritch, perhaps a bristle or two. I can only imagine how delightful this will be at the end. Chiseled Face is as easy as it gets for lathering. And this shavette is one of the 60-something mm blades I got some time ago off the 'zaar. Great shaver, and I get the closest shaves out of this. But it had been collecting dust.

.#Stagposting

.#SubstantialStag

.#RawHoggin

u/Marquis90

u/EldrormR

Day 1 of Austere August! Featuring RawHoggin, Straight Razor and THE STAAAAAGGG

• Prep: Water on Face
• Brush: Zenith 2004/B SE

• Razor: Filarmonica Sub Cero 14

• Lather: Chiseled Face Midnight Stag

• Post Shave: Osma block
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face Midnight Stag Splash
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face Midnight Stag Balm
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face Midnight Stag EdP

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Don't know why the soap got dusty...

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Hey all, sorry for the super late entry... I did shave, but yesterday I had to do crazy tavels all around my country and there were some events that really did anger me... One of them being the fact, that I lost the video I made, I was shooting a video of taking off a month long beard and everything was going well, but as soon as I stopped the video, there was no video saved on the device, which really did anger me, because I was looking forward to making a video of it and sharing it with the Bulgarian group and here... Also who knows when I'll have the chanve(patience) to wait for a whole month and not shave so that I can redo that... Really sad and bummed out....

Anyways it was amazing to get back in the game, so to say. I have 20 shaves on this blade and was a bit afraid that it might not go to 50(when the challenge ends) but after I stropped it, it was as sharp as ever. So I think there would no problem going the distance.

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Great feeling of the blade, I chose this blade because based on the feeling that I have from all my blades, I figured out that this one was the softest and most comfortable that would be able to give me smooth enough shaves and be kindto my skin on this 31 day challenge, which I've never done to be fair, the longest I've done with a straight is around 14-15 days, and different ones, so this will definitely be a challenge.

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The main thins that I think is going to be a challenge is the RawHoggin part. I have almost zero experience with boars, and I quickly found out that making a lather with Chiseled Face and a boar brush is definitely a different experience than the one I have had with my synthethics, So for the next 30 days I will have to adjust my lathering technique, also I forgot to mentions, I have maybe around 10 face lathers during my whole lifetime, soooo yeah, that kind of sucks in terms of my experience.

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I chose this Zenith brush, one because I knew Zenith boars are good, two because it was at a good price 10$, and three, because when putting the Zenith boars on my hand, testing how prickly they feel on the hand, this one was the softest and also had the weakest backbone of them all, so I thought it would perfect for face lathering. Indeed I was not disappointed, because after soaking it for 3-4 minutes it was very soft. The pig STANK was almost not noticeable if there at all. Soooo very happy to have a nice and soft brush to start with, I did not do any pre-break stuff as required. Also I opened it in the video, so I did not make a photo, aaaaaand yeah, no video and no photo of opening the boar. In general I am not in it for the prizes, so if I get disqualified, that's fine, but I will use the boar brush anyway for the whole month.

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Again sorry for the very late entry, here below I will do all of the tags, and hashtags.

• #RawHoggin u/EldrormR
• GEMsOfWisdom u/djundjila
• #SubstantialStag
• u/Marquis90
• #sidetracked I was listening this on repeat while the I was traveling, it made my sadness stronger, but it also made me stronger :D