u/Tetriside's SOTDs for challenge 'GEMsOfWisdom 2022'

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.

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Contests:

MMOC Appreciation - u/EldrormR, u/Semaj3000

Raw Hoggin' - u/EldrormR

Mammoth - #MammothMafia

edit: forgot the unboxing/sotd pics

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.