Aug. 2, 2022 - Headless Mammoth Hoggin' Day 2

• Brush: Proraso Professional Boar
• Razor: Feather Artist Club SR (Kamisori)
• Blade: Schick Proline (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive - Balm

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

In my hurry to soak my brush so I could get my shave on before getting the kids ready for school, I forgot to take a picture of the brush before the shave.

This is what it looks like after the second second use

Yesterday I had trouble picking up soap after running low after the first pass, so today I decided to try scooping out a generous amount and loading it in an empty tub before proceeding with the face lather. When the brush dried after the first shave I was somewhat surprised by the transformation that the brush had gone through and the tips looked noticeably better like they might actually be pleasant to use. But that was a lie. Today's face lather wasn't much more enjoyable than yesterdays, but I did end up with a more respectable amount of lather. I'm finding that the boar brush doesn't hold as much water as I expected, but thinking about it it makes sense because the bristles of the brush are much thicker than synthetic/badger fibers so water has much less overall surface area to adhere to. #pHySiCs #ICouldBeFullOfSh1t

After using this boar, I'm starting to remember some of the qualities that I liked about boar brushes from using them maybe 7-8 years ago. One thing I seem to recall is that boars seem to skip to foamy phase of lather and goes right to the yogurty good stuff. My guess is the lower density of fibers ends up introducing less air into the lather, but I haven't used denser boars so I could be wrong on this. I also like that the backbone of boar brushes isn't evenly distributed due to the hairs being thicker closer to the base of the knot than the tips, allowing for a nice combination of good backbone that doesn't splay wildly while being able to flex and split near the tips. Natural 2-in-1 fibers, if you will. Amazing stuff.

I was half expecting the lather to disappear by the time I was ready to do my second pass but fortunately the boar did not eat the mammoth today and I had enough lather to do a normal second pass without reloading, but I'm a 3 pass shaver and the boar had nothing left to give after the second pass. The brush had much less lather inside the knot than I expected, but I didn't feel like loading again so I just scraped the little lather that was left off the sides of the brush with my hands to complete a third pass. Fortunately this Tusk base is amazing so even with almost no lather I was able to do an ATG pass with the shavette, buffing certain areas with the residual slickness. My face felt great after applying the Mammoth balm.

Seeing everyone and their mothers with brand new Zenith boars yesterday definitely gave me a bit of brush envy but using this cheap Proraso brush also seemed fitting given how similar it is to my first brush ever, the Omega 48. I have a cheap Zenith on the way so I'm looking forward to trying that out as well.

In preparation for AA I purposely used mostly DEs the past few weeks knowing that I wanted to use a shavette for August and I'm finding a lot of joy in using the kamisori again. The Feather SR + Schick Proline combo has been giving me fantastically smooth shaves and I'm glad that my proficiency with the shavette has given me the opportunity to focus more on the excitement of breaking in the boar without worrying about destroying my face. I've never counted blade uses with the shavette but I know I haven't taken a blade to 31 shaves before so it will be interesting to see if the blade performance starts degrading in the second or third week.

#RawHoggin #MammothMafia

Aug. 2, 2022

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Raiser Pinsel Simfix SF1 Synthetic
• Razor: Van Der Hagen
• Blade: Voskhod (3)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive - Balm

#MammothMafia

Aug 2, 2022 - AA: MA-RH-MM - Almond Leather - Day 2

• 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 (2)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Aftershave

The lathering process went about as expected. I managed to load a little longer this morning, and I had just enough for all three passes. The knot is already showing some signs of break in, so that's encouraging. The scritch was not as welcomed this morning with having just shaved yesterday, but it was not unbearable. I did finally end up modifying the face lathering process this morning, using far less circular scrubbing and more paint strokes to get the lather where I wanted it, especially for subsequent passes. It took a little longer, but the final lather results were better than yesterday.

I angled the MMOC cutting edge slightly steeper, and it helped reduce some of the drag. I took the passes slower with a focus on light pressure and stretching the skin. After three passes, I had a moderately close shave with zero nicks. It was a definite improvement over yesterday, but I could tell there were a few areas where it was still irritated. I didn't realize how extensive the irritation was until after I applied the aftershave. The burn was proof that I'm still a long way from my goal. Luckily it's only the second day.

Tomorrow I'll focus on the movements of the passes (especially around trouble spots), maybe adjust back to a slightly shallower angle, and start setting an expectation that I may have some visible stubble left over afterwards–for now at least. Not shaving as close should help reduce irritation and let my skin recover a little.

#GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin #MammothMafia

Rating: 3/5

Aug. 2, 2022 - Austere August shave two

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Omega Pro 48 Boar brush 28mm
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

Brush still stinks. I always prefer subsequent shaves to the first GEM blade use. Today was a better. Smooth like a baby’s bottom. Still a little irritation on the neck however. I wonder if it's bad to mash stinky boar hair directly in to your face. No skin breakouts yet...

#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

Man, boar brushes are thirsty buggers. My lather was on the dry side yesterday so I used more water today and the lather was much better.

Austere August Day 2 https://imgur.com/a/BmSywwG

2 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

When I started shaving with soap and a brush (and a mach 3) ~21 years ago, I used a boar brush for the first couple of years. My biggest struggle with the boar is it seems to absorb/disolve the lather on the brush after the initial face lather, this requiring a full new load and lather for any additional passes.

mammothmafia

Aug. 2, 2022

• Brush: Summer Break GP B11
• Razor: Charcoal Goods Brass Level 2
• Blade: Personna Super Stainless (12)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

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

  #MammothMafia

August 2, 2022

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Razor: Blackbird Era Level 3 plate
• Blade: Feather (2)
• Brush: Chisel and Hound 26mm Fanchurian V10
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite Aftershave Balm

Another quick one pass shave. I’ve got it down to about 5 minutes for the lather and shave and around 15 minutes total for after shave and cleanup. Far quicker than I used to be but I like to take my time and enjoy the process. Have a great day everyone.

MammothMafia

Edit already failed and forgot the tag

Aug. 2, 2022 - Austere August - Day 2

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

Got the brush a little too wet this morning so I had to work a little more to get the lather right. Still had a great shave though!

#MammothMafia

Aug. 2, 2022

• Brush: Grey Chubby - Zenith B37
• Razor: Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM - PTFE Coated Stainless Steel (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Z - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z - Aftershave

The razor I'm using is of the gen 1 variety. I got a gen 2 as well, which was motivated by reports of the latter being nicer, but when I tried them both out last month, I found that I had a better experience with the former. Granted, it was in the first couple days of trying them out, and I think I only tried the gen 2 one once... I also don't care for chrome. I really don't see the appeal at all, but that's obviously a matter of subjective taste.

I wonder if chrome in modern razors is just kind of a vestigial relic from days past, which has stuck around. For example, chrome is forever in my mind associated with the 50s (though these particular razors pre-date that, I believe), during which time I have the impression that chrome seemed to have been slapped on everything, particularly cars. Perhaps razors, as time went by, never really shook free of times when chrome was so fashionable.

Or maybe it's just a production cost thing.

#GEMsOfWisdom
#RawHoggin
#unscented
#MammothMafia

Aug. 1, 2022 - AA Day 2 - Better than Day 1

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Zenith B34
• Razor: MMOC (Gen 2)
• Blade: GEM PTFE (2)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Thayer's Witch Hazel - Lavendar, Osma Alum
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Admiral - Eau de Toilette

Well, Day 2 was much better than day 1. For starters, instead of precision bowl loading (not to be confused with bowl lathering and/or GUTL), I tub lathered (as seems to be the spirit of the law in the rules). It brought me great emotional pain to go back to tub lathering - leaving all that protolather on top to sit there for the whole day... every day... all month. Pain. My wife, though, will be glad that my reindeer bowl doesn't have to sit on the bathroom counter anymore. Maybe my gift to myself for completing the challenge will be a new lather bowl that I can break in next month.

I have to say that my lather was greatly improved this morning over yesterday and, to be honest, it was one of the best lathers I've had in a long time. Given that I'm using a now 2 use brush, it makes me wonder if I've been underloading for a long time and need to load more soap when I go back to GUTL after AA. Something to keep in mind anyway. Moar lather is better lather with a new boar, that much is obvious. Scent - on point. My only ragret is that I didn't buy the Frag to go with this for the month. I paired it with Admiral today, which works great (and is one of my favorite scents, anyway), but - full trifecta would have been better. Still competing on nightmare mode, but, you know. I'd rather have the Frag. Next time.

The Zenith performed better than expected for a 2 day used brush - it splayed significantly better than yesterday and whipped up, as I said, an excellent lather. By the 3rd pass it was thinning out a bit, but that could be because I only soaked it for a couple of minutes (forgot to throw it in water while I showered... synthetic and badger are my go to brushes), but even still, the lather was slick and worked great. I stuck my finger in to see how dry it was after a day of sitting out and it was still a little damp deep in the middle of the bristles, but, overall not too bad. I assume it's going to continue to be a bit wet all month, but, maybe as it splays out and splits it'll be more open and dry a little easier. Guess we'll find out. Overall, though, I'm really liking this brush. The thick handle works with my gorilla paws really well and the 28mm brush doesn't seem to be too big at all; I usually prefer 26mm and didn't like the G5C in 28mm at all, but so far I'm really liking this. Boar is just a different beast, I guess.

After reading this amazing guide to GEM razors, I determined that what I was PIF'd is a Gen 2 MMOC - it's got the 2 little bumps/dots on it. Today was, again, better than yesterday. I was able to complete the whole first pass with no nicks and no irritation at all. Second pass went alright, a couple small nicks. Third pass? Well, I should have skipped the 3rd pass and the buffing, for today. Several bleeders and some razor burn later, it was finished. Osma, again, to the rescue on the bleeders, but, not a fan. Not only was my skin totally done by that point, but I found that quite a bit of against the grain was very tuggy - particularly on my chin and upper lip. I'm not sure if it's because I'm going slower there and need to have some quicker swipes or if that's just normal for GEM blades, but I can't imagine it's going to get better as the month goes on. Speaking of - other MMOC users - are you flipping your blade daily to try and get even wear? Or is that a fools errand? I thought I saw that mentioned at some point in a daily questions or MMOC challenge thread, but I don't know if it's worth it. Thoughts?

Post shave was great - a little witch hazel to sooth the skin, alum to stop the blood, and the excellent Sonder Mammoth Magic Splash - just a bit of alcohol burn to start and then a wonderful synthetic cool down to soothe the face. I don't know why I don't have more Mammoth Balms, but that needs to change.

Yesterday I talked about part of my reason for choosing Sonder being the concept of Sonder having challenged me all Summer long, so, I thought I'd include a Sonder thought of the day (perhaps daily, we'll see) in my SOTD posts. Today I'm thinking about my relationship with my wife. I love her and we've got a strong, solid marriage. However, I don't consider often enough her perspective on things or care for her as gently as I used to. I tend towards frustration and minor inconveniences and while I don't typically lash out or say anything about them, they mess with my attitude towards her and, rather than considering why she may have made a certain decision or not finished a task or whatever, I get irritated at how that action impacts me. I need to do better to consider that maybe she didn't get something done because she was feeling overwhelmed by 3 needy kids and needed a 20 minute mental break to make it through the day. Maybe she really wanted to have a good time while we were on that day trip but she was sensory overloaded, under rested, and stretched too thin by the constant demands of being a mom and a wife, and her husband should have been a bit more patient and understanding and supportive (no... this definitely isn't a real experience from 2 days ago.) My wife is amazing. She cares for our family so well, she loves deeply, she has her own thoughts and feelings and emotions and desires and difficulties and cringe moments. I need to do better and loving her and supporting her and setting her up to succeed every day. Today, that means when she needs help after I get home from work, I take a breath, I give her a hug, and I help. I remind myself of the long day she had, too, and I think about what it would be like to have lived her life today. Sonder. Her life, her experiences, her day to day are not less important, less vivid, less real than mine. She's my partner and if I can't even wrap my head around the fact that her life is as vivid and real as mine, this person who I love more than anything, then what am I even doing?

Well. There you have it, internet strangers, my personal challenge for today. Maybe you'll be encouraged by it to consider a loved one in your family and how you might help and love and serve them today.

Have a great day, all!

mammothmafia

RawHoggin

GEMsOfWisdom

Edit: fixing # formatting

#mammothmafia

#RawHoggin

#GEMsOfWisdom

A Mammoth Micromatic Raw Hoggin’ August

Day 1 Prep Video

Setup Pic

RawHoggin Unboxing Pics

Brush Progress

• Brush: Zenith B26 #RawHoggin
• Razor: GEM MMOC #GEMsOfWisdom
• Blade: GEM (2)
• Lather: House if Mammoth - Hygge in Tusk
• Post Shave: Hygge Splash & Balm
• Fragrance: Hygge EDP #MammothMafia

Couldn’t resist doing some cleanup today and I’m BBS all around. No irritation! However I did feel quite a burn applying the alcohol based splash.

Brush still smelled, but less than yesterday. I imagine a few more days and it may be gone. Still not a great brush feel, but that’s part of the deal right!?

MammothMafia

Aug. 2, 2022 - Austere August - Day 2

• 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

It’s been months since I used the same product twice in a row, so it was a little strange to use the same soap again this morning. I assume by day 31 I’ll either be used to it, or completely insane. Either way I’m still enjoying the Sonder. #MAMMOTHMAFIA #UNCHALLENGE

Aug. 2, 2022 - Austere August Day 2

• 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 (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

🐗Raw Hoggin' Progress🤮:
•Unused
•Shave 1
•Shave 2

Thoughts for the day:
The Sonder, it does nothing... 🤢😩

Day two of Eau de Pig Ass. I really wish I could do something to knock this smell back. The hair is starting to split and it is performing great, but that smell...

On the MMOC side, two passes and done. No drama.

Mandatory Taggage:

#GemsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

Aug. 2, 2022 - Austere August Day 2

• Prep: Hot Shower, Stirling Soap Facial Soap
• Brush: Zenith 508A SE 28mm
• Razor: GEM Micromatic OC Gen 1
• Blade: GEM PTFE (2)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Restore - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Restore - Balm
• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Grey Vetiver

Well Day 2 of AA, and you guessed it; I used the same gear from yesterday. Boar brush doesn't smell like pig ass anymore. So that is good. Still is a hungry lather eater though so I am loading pretty heavy. I barely had any left for my third pass this morning so I need to make some adjustments. MMOC is the MMOC and was very comfortable and gave me a BBS. Grey Vetiver was nice and pairs well with Restore. Holy shit this has already gotten monotonous, 29 days left.

Mandatory Tagging:

#GEMsOfWisdom

#Rawhoggin

#MammothMafia

Aug 2 2022

• Prep: Mineral oil massage

• Brush: Wenghè Pure Bristle 🐗

• Razor: Brassbird head CG brass bishop

• Blade: Voskhod

• Soap: Mammoth Z

• Balm: Mammoth Z

You know any kids who signed up for [sport] and wanted to quit after one day? But [parent] said suck it up? Hi. I’m Kid.

Your pal Pigface is back to tell you all about Day 2. I got my fistful of ham hock wetter today. Yesterday was a bit pasty, and I wanted to thin it out. It’s hard to do it on my Canvas, so I figured I’d use a wetter tool. Much slicker this time, and the third time I’ve ever said “Best Shave Ever!” I just wish I couldn’t smell a horde of dead orcs all day long.

The brush is ugly as sin, but I might actually like it’s feel the best. On Sept 1, this Bad Larry is getting the bath of all baths. The next one I buy will sit in a bath of lemon juice and baking soda for a week. I will never smell like this again.

But yeah. BBS. Thanks Blackland. No thanks r/rocketk455.

before shave

after shave

Z FIGHTER

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

#Unscented

Aug. 2, 2022

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Semogue 1460 Boar Brush 21mm
• Razor: Razorock GameChanger .84
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (2)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Balm

Another good shave. This brush is a little small, so I seem to run out of lather and have to go back to the tub after a pass or two. If I can remember to load more from the start, this should be a good month of shaves.

Tags:

#Rawhoggin

#MammothMafia

Aug. 2, 2022 - SOTD AA Sonder 2

• Prep: Splash of cold water
• Brush: SummerBreak 26m SHD
• Razor: Merkur Progress
• Blade: Wizamet (2)

• 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

Have a great day and shaves all

MammothMafia #MammothMafia

2 August 2022 - Austere August

• Prep: splash of warm water
• Brush: Zenith B33
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (2)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo - Balm

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

2022-08-02 - Austere August - Raw Hoggin' Mammoth MMOC

Prep: Warm Shower
Brush: Semogue Torga - C5
Razor: GEM MMOC version 2
Blade: GEM Stainless (2)
Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap
Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave
Fragrance: Issey Miyake -L'eau d'Issey pour Homme

https://imgur.com/a/a2QSVLb

A nice shave today. As shown in the photo the Torga -C5 started to open up a bit after yesterday's shave. lt felt similar to yesterday, no stank and performing well for a new brush. It already feels pretty good and it should get nicer as it breaks it. The razor and the software is awesome, l will be happy to use them all month.

#GEMsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

Aug. 2, 2022

• Brush: AP Shave Co 28mm A3 Fan
• Razor: Henson Al-13 ++
• Blade: Astra SP (2)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

Day two of Austere August, as primarily a head shaver I have to remind myself not to push for BBS if shaving every day. Luckily the Henson is pretty forgiving.

#MammothMafia

Aug. 2, 2022 - Take two

• Prep: Warm water wash
• Brush: Zenith B33 Copper Boar Brush
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: Persona GEM PTFE Coated (2)

• 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

This was a quick shave, I was running a little late.

The brush did shed 3 hairs today. The brush smelled good, until I soaked the brush. Then it was back to its stinky-self. The brush has a pretty strong backbone, more than I prefer and more than any of the Badger brushes I have used. It eats up soap pretty quick. The way it holds water is different too. It seems to keep the water in the base of the brush and does not want to load soap into the part of the knot, closest to the handle.

I think this shave could have easily been accomplished with just a single ATG pass; however, for fake internet points I did two passes.

House of Mammoth rocks! #RawHoggin #GEMsOfWisdom #MammothMafia

August 2 2022

• Brush: Zenith B28
• Razor: GEM MMOC (Gen 1)
• Blade: GEM PTFE (5)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo

A fine two pass shave, the blade still feels a little nippy where in most other GEM razors, including the MMOC Gen 2, this would be in the smooth stage by now. I wonder if that is this specific blade or the nature of the Gen 1. Either way I hope it bodes well for the longevity. Mood Indigo rules, Tusk base is the jam, ‘nuff said.

#MammothMafia

#GEMSofWisdom

August 2nd, 2022 - Will it break in, or break me?

• Prep: warm water

• Brush: Zenith B36 “Copper Scrubby!”

• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb Gen 2

• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Splash

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Balm

#GEMsOfWisdom

#MammothMafia

#RawHoggin

For todays shave no surprise, same as yesterday. I loaded about 25% more soap in the brush this time. For now, that was the right amount to load for 2 passes. Not used to face lathering, and having trouble getting the hydration right. I’ve been dipping the brush in the water it soaked in and trying to get more water worked into my face. I think I was better on pass 2 with that. Definitely slicker on the second pass. The brush is showing some wear already, but still it earns its scrubby name. Here’s a pic of it from the side. It looks about the same as yesterday. Tomorrow will see if any hairs are splitting. I think I saw 1 that split maybe 1mm of the tip.

The set for this month is still a very refreshing Alive. Once again, opening the tub I can get the fruit and floral notes, but once I get the lather wet, the “greenery” elements and musk come out to play. For the MMOC (today I’m naming it Bitey), day two and still a bit harsh, especially the neck. Got a nick and some weepers on the neck. From my first shaves after I got it, I remember it taking a few shaves for the blade to smooth out. I hope that is the case again. The previous blade was in the teens for shaves, and was a lot kinder to my face (unlike teenagers who can be a bit snotty). Maybe I should have held onto that one and see if I could get to 40+ shaves. No weepers on the face today, but the splash let me know the blade was rough there too. The balm definitely helped to sooth the sting. After seeing pictures of the MMOC instructions saying to hold it flat to the face, I did alter my angle. That seemed better on the face, but felt like it tugged on the neck. Probably need to get my skin tighter on the neck.

Got to say, I really like the Alive scent. I was torn between it, Sonder, or Hygge. In the end Alive won by a nose. I write this, I’m starting to get the apple scent more. Maybe the balm is helping that. Trying to think of what will go good with Alive after AA. It might be a good compliment to Rope Swing, perhaps Bell Ringer, or maybe Sonder might play well with it.

A bit of a rough start, but I think things will settle in soon.

Aug. 2, 2022 - Austere August - Z

• Brush: Declaration 28mm B14 Jefferson Artisan’s Choice
• Razor: Blackland Era lvl 3 oc
• Blade: Personna med prep (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Z - Soap

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

Well, I can’t believe it happened this quickly. I think that by day two I have gone noseblind. I can no longer smell any of the lovely fragrance that this soap has to offer. I am honestly kind of worried and I am considering consulting my local physician to see if something is actually wrong with my nose. Other than not being able to smell anything, I had a great effortless shave.

Happy shaving everyone!

#MammothMafia #unchallange #unscented

Aug 02, 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 (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder EdP

Every day tags: #MammothMafia #GEMsofWisdom

#Sidetracked u/Teufelskraft

Sadie Hawkins Dance - Relient K

The second #Sidetracked song for the month is the one that always brings me back to my Elementary & Middle school days. Back when getting in the car meant spending 15 mins combing through one of these before hitting the road. It was the sacred duty of whoever has shotgun to provide the correct tunes for the ride and totally justifiable reason to kick someone to the back row if they didn’t perform!

Every time I hear this song I am transported to times of sitting in the carport of our old house doing whatever stupid shit my siblings and friends could think up. It was a simpler time and TBH I miss it a little bit.

Good shave today! This razor is definitely not the one to chase BBS with but I got a closer shave than I expected given only doing two passes and not going ATG.

Aug. 2, 2022 - Austere August

• Prep: Warm shower
• Brush: SBS 28mm B10
• Razor: Feather Artist Club SR
• Blade: Feather Professional (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Soap

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

• Post Shave: Alum

Shave of austerity #2.

2 pass shave. It is not until I am typing this that I realized I was going to use the boar brush all month. Whoopsies.

Tags and challenges: #MammothMafia & HeadlessHorsemen

Aug. 2, 2022 - AA 2: Sonder Seville

• Prep: Cold Water Splash
• Brush: Semogue 1305 Pure Bristle 22mm
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gen 2
• Blade: GEM PTFE (8)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Balm

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

Day 2, another evening shave.

Here’s the progress album.. SOTD in title pic.

Pretty scratchy on day 2 still, no surprise. The brush does fan out though some even after these first couple uses. For a brush on the smaller side it can use a fair bit of soap, a true latherhog if you will. I find myself using the vast majority of said lather on the first pass though, it doesn’t like to hold much in the knot currently. I can see myself revisiting the tub between passes this month. Also, as for the GEM, def get a little razor burn here and there, hoping this improves with the learning curve. #GemsOfWisdom #RawHoggin #MammothMafia

Aug. 2, 2022 - A Sad Day For AA

• Prep: Wet face
• Brush: Semogue Torga C5 #rawhoggin
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb #GEMsOfWisdom
• Blade: GEM PTFE (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo - Soap

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

• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Aftershave

It's day two of AA, and regrettably I've decided to throw in the towel. It turns out #rawhoggin + #GEMsOfWisdom = Nightmare Mode Prepare to Die Edition. I picked a scrubby brush to attempt the rawhoggin challenge and it only took two shaves to realize I'm not going to make it to the end of the month. The brush is hungry. The soap is thirsty. It's not a good combination. I spent 40+ minutes face lathering two days in a row and it messed up my face. I kept adding water trying to get the lather hydrated. As water was added, lather would get lost in the knot, the sink, my neck, etc. So, I'd load more soap which needed more water. It was a lot of scrubbing. The shave was rough the first day with multiple nicks. I chalked it up to my lather being under-hydrated.

Today, the scrubbyness of the brush was enough to open some cuts back up. I hadn't even started shaving. The lather was better today, but my face was already hurting before I had begun to shave. The razor hurt. There was more blood. I haven't had such a rough shave since the broken Clog Pruf I mentioned yesterday. I'm wondering if I got a bad blade, or if it's just from my face being scrubbed raw. Either way, I didn't complete the second pass. The skin around my chin was red and too sensitive to shave. Last year, the shaves started to get uncomfortable during the third week. That was using a Synbad knot. I knew the end was near, and pressed on, then. I shudder at the thought of scrubbing my face again tomorrow. I don't want to shave for a few days. Having this much discomfort this early is a clear sign I need to quit. Sadly, quiting rawhoggin means I've broken ultra nightmare mode and can't complete GemsOfWisdom, either. I'm disappointed I won't be upgrading my flair. I feel like I should resign my MMOCWhisperer out of shame. I don't know if it's possible to change hardware and complete /u/JoboozeRum's #MammothMafia challenge.