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 - 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

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

• Brush: Summer Break DeMaranville B15
• Razor: Ever Ready Streamline
• Blade: GEM PTFE (33)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

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

I'll be honest, I've actually been looking forward to this. Hygge is one of my favorite scents, and using it for a month sounds pretty pleasant especially since I used TO S and Proraso the last couple of years. I will also still be switching up razors, brushes, and frags. Basically, this is AA on super easy mode.

Now for any of you ~~brave souls~~ idiots attempting the unscented challenge. Please remember to use the #unscented in your shaves. I'm really not looking for any extra work here. Here is a link to the full rules. You also still have time to turn back and you absolutely should.

#MammothMafia

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 1, 2022

•   Prep: Water
•   Brush: Chisel and Hound 26mm
•   Razor: Blackland Era Level 3 plate
•   Blade: Feather (1)
•   Lather: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite - Soap
•   Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite - Aftershave Balm

Attempting this challenge for the first time this year. I’ve mostly been a lurker for two years. One pass shave today as I don’t really have a thick beard or a lot of hair on my face. I absolutely love Kryptonite as the smell is wonderful and the cooling isn’t extreme so it doesn’t bother my skin and still feels great.

edit not sure which tag is correct

MammothMafia

“#MammothMafia”

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August - Day 1

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Maggard 2-Band Fan Badger 26
• Razor: Maggard MR-18 with V3 head
• Blade: Feather (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite - Aftershave

And away we go in MRTNG's Ultra Nightmare mode! Going with Kryptonite this year!

#MammothMafia

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

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August Sonder

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Paladin Chief 26mm
• Razor: Merkur 34C
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

Being fairly new to this, and admittedly having jumped head first down the rabbit hole. I’m really glad to start Austere August. I have been rotating soaps, brushes, and blades since I started using them and, while I truly enjoy the variety, I’m not sure I’ve really got any one specific piece in my setup dialed in. So with that in mind I got myself some HoM Sonder.

I have used HoM soap before, but I trusted other uses on this scent and started a simpler (easier) path to better shaves. I must say I am quite happy with the decision to pick up Sonder. To me, the scent is a fairly delicate, clean citrus. It strikes a nice balance that is not overly powerful, yet not so subdued that you wonder if you shaved at all. The most pleasant surprise for me came in the aftershave. I blindly bought the accompanying splash and had no idea it was mentholated (synthetic), you can imagine my surprise, but it really fit the fragrance well. I’m quite sure this will be an enjoyable month.

Tags: #MAMMOTHMAFIA #UNCHALLENGE

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?

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August - Z

• Brush: Declaration 28mm B14 Jefferson Artisan’s Choice
• Razor: Blackland Era lvl 3 oc
• Blade: Personna med prep (1)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Z - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z - Splash & Balm

Well, I took a break from shaving for most of this month. I caught Covid and had to quarantine for a while, so I decided to grow a beard until the end of the month. Anyways, I’m back for Austere August. I think I may have gone a bit crazy, because I decided to go scentless this year. Of course I had to go with my favorite Tusk base, it is Mammoth month after all. I’m also using the gentlest razor I own for this month, in the Era. I’m already looking forward to the end of this month, but I’m hoping it will give me a greater appreciation of my den. Todays shave went well, the Era mowed down two weeks of growth without an issue.

#MammothMafia #Unchallange #unscented

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 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.

Aug 01, 2022 - Getting Sidetracked while searching for the Wisdom of a Mammoth

• Prep: Hot shower and CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: Maggard Green Handle 2 Band Badger 24mm

• Razor: GEM - MMOC

• Blade: Personna GEM Stainless (1)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder EdP

#Sidetracked u/Teufelskraft

Life is a Highway -Cars Soundtrack version

So this might be a weird one but stick with me and I’ll explain why this is my most listened to song lately.

It all started a little over 3 years ago when my wife said “let’s have a kid!” That mug be going a little too far back with a little too much personal detail…lol! Anyway, I have a 3 year old son who, like most kids, gets absolutely obsessed about one thing for a while. Over the last few months it’s been Cars, specifically the soundtrack to it. Literally any time my wife or I put any song on or drive anywhere with him he demands “Cars Song!” To be played. To be totally honest, this totally pissed me off at first. There’s nothing like pulling up your favorite playlist just to be overruled by a toddler. I finally started to come around to it when I realized that this little thing brought such joy to my son. The look on his face, how it lights up, when it comes on is worth all of the annoyance of not getting to listen to the song I wanted to. I guess this is a great lesson to learn in life, sometimes bringing joy to someone else(even at your own expense) can be so rewarding!

#GEMsofWisdom u/EldrormR u/Semaj3000

I have u/OnionMiasma to thanks for this beautiful razor from the PIF he ran and sent razors to all three who entered. He went way above and beyond by not only buying a razor just for me, but buying a replacement from eBay after the first was unusable due to a broken blade guide. He also sent me a blade in a separate package complete with a wonderful Christmas card! I about died laughing when I saw the card but TBH its a brilliant way to send a blade!

I’ve been kicking myself after passing up a beautiful one early in my wetshaving career and finally got too try this out.

This was my first ever use of a MMOC and boy does it earn the reputation it has! I’m super happy that I’ve gotten to use some more aggressive razors lately and didn’t jump into this blind. This is definitely going to be a challenge to use every day for a month!

#MammothMafia u/JoboozeRum

I was on the fence about using Sea Spice Lime again this year after throughly enjoying every second of it last AA but this pushed me over to HoM Sonder. I have been blessed in too many ways to count so to help support the great causes that Ben helps support in RestoreNYC and Love146 was too good to pass up. I did have to source a HoM balm but thankfully Maggards helped me out there with their WWTBDWSSITW sale. I went back and forth about using the Alive soap too but decided to keep the Sonder Soap and EdP together.

I will also be matching u/JoboozeRum’s donation (up to $100)

Aug. 1, 2022 - SOTD Austere August Extreme Mode

• Prep: Splash of cold water
• Brush: SummerBreak 26m SHD
• Razor: Merkur Progress
• Blade: Wizamet (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Zingari - Rescue Potion - Serum
• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Eau de Parfum

August is here already and decided to go with sonder this time around. Almost went with krytonite but realized I had the edp to go with it so might as well. I alao decided to learn the progess as it was usually my least picked razor of my collection. I also considered doing ultra nightmare mode but decided I still have a lot to learn before going for a high use count on blades. Have a great day and shaves all

MammothMafia #MammothMafia

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

Austere August 1 2022

• Brush: Zenith B28
• Razor: GEM MMOC (Gen 1)
• Blade: GEM PTFE (4)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo

I’m excited to embark on my second Austere August MMOC Mammoth Month. I was seriously considering going with Seville in Reserve but I realized my Mood Indigo has a crack in the lid and I think it is making the soap dry out so I’m using it this month to put a dent in it. Plus it’s one of my top three scents in the wetshaving world so using it all month will be a treat. Last AA I used a Gen 2 MMOC; I have only used this Gen 1 a handful of times so I’m looking forward to getting to know it more. Of course I’ve already had a head start on AA since I’m traveling so we’ll see if this blade is up for 34 shaves. Good luck to all the first time MMOC participants. Time for tags and hashtags:

#MammothMafia

#GEMSofWisdom (not sure I’m in this one since I’m not raw-hoggin’)

u/JoboozeRum

u/Semaj3000

Aug. 1, 2022

• Brush: Maggard Razors 30mm Synthetic
• Razor: Leaf
• Blade: Voskhod (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

I am excited to finally be participating in one of these challenges after lurking for awhile. Hygge is one of my favorite scents and I do not find myself using it enough.

#MammothMafia

u/Enndeegee

u/Marquis90

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

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Raiser Pinsel Simfix SF1 Synthetic
• Razor: Van Der Hagen
• Blade: Voskhod (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive - Balm

#MammothMafia

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August

• Prep: Warm shower
• Brush: Zenith B2 Boar
• Razor: Feather Artist Club SR
• Blade: Feather Professional (1)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Aftershave

• Post Shave: Alum

Shave of austerity #1. Let us bathe in the glory of predetermination of our daily shaves ✌️ 2 pass shave to start the week and get back into the swing of daily shaves.

#MammothMafia

#HeadlessHorsemen u/Marquis90 but count me out for prizes

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.

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

1 August 2022 - Austere August

Prep: morning shower Brush: Sterling boar Razor: Maggard V3 Blade: Derby Extra Lather: House of Mammoth Fu Dao Post Shave: House of Mammoth Fu Dao splash

First Austere August. The brush isn't raw but very lightly used; I figured this would be a good time to break it in and get some experience with it.

mammothmafia