Aug. 2, 2022 - Austere August - Raw Hoggin' MMOC Ultra Nightmare Mode
Day 2 proved to be a far better shave than day 1. The brush seemed a tad bit softer than yesterday (placebo?) and I was able to better hydrate my lather making for a more comfortable shave. As u/Semaj3000 pointed out yesterday, the extra hydration eliminated the suction effect the razor was having on my face yesterday, making for a more comfortable shave.
The Brush: With the brush fully dry, I was surprised to see the hairs were already starting to split on my B37. The brush also felt slightly softer while running the bristles through my fingers. After showering, I soaked the brush for exactly 4 minutes (for consistency) and attacked my puck, this time without shaking out the water. While it did make a bit of a mess, the brush was nicely loaded and ready for action after about a minute of loading. I think the extra water in the brush also made the initial painting of the lather much more comfortable. The brush is still somewhat stiff and scratchy, but it seemed to splay a lot easier and made faster work of building the lather. I kept adding more water, painting it one, splaying and agitating until the lather was so shiny my face was glowing.
The second pass was also easy to lather. The brush had plenty of lather that if I had chosen to go for a third pass, it would have been no problem. As with yesterday's shave, the second pass was better hydrated than the first.
Today, I also had another unexpected surprise. The smell! It has arrived. The brush came packed with a sample of Lavender Lemongrass and during yesterday's shave I didn't notice any strange smells coming from the brush. Today, rawhoggin was in full effect. So much so, that I could smell it on my skin after I was done lathering. I can't say it's horrible, but it's distinct and not pleasant. I guess that's why we're here. #RawHoggin
Brush Picture Pre-shave: Side Top
Brush Picture Post-shave: Side Top
The Razor For only my second shave ever with a GEM, it was a good one. I went into today's shave with less fear and proper respect for the razor. As was recommended, the better hydration of my lather allowed for me to keep a better angle with the face of the razor without experiencing the suction effect. I was more confident in my passes and used only the weight of the razor to do the work. I held back from going over areas over and over again and surprisingly ended up with a clean, first pass - no cuts or knicks this time!
The second pass was just as good. The cheek and sideburn areas were a breeze but my chin is still a challenge. No cuts or knicks, but not a perfect shave as I'm still using extreme caution in those areas. I'm definitely enjoying using this razor way more than I thought I would. #GEMsOfWisdom
The Soap and Aftershave Since I went with more of a "Marco Method" style loading, I think I was able to get a better head start on hydrating the lather. I'm still trying to figure out Stirling soaps and today's shave was lightyears ahead of yesterday's. I've spent so long not using enough soap that a lot of my focus tends to be around loading as much as possible. Maybe too much? Either way, there much more room for improvement as I have to keep telling myself, "add more water!". It seems like I'm barely making a dent in this puck and my concerns about not having enough to finish off the month is quickly fading.
Day 2 Puck Picture
sotd.djudgement_invitations: [<DjudgementInvitation 90>, <DjudgementInvitation 2538>]