Shave of the Day Jan. 6, 2011

Razor: 6/8 Wacker
Cream: Crabtree & Evelyn Sienna
Brush: Shavemac 177
Aftershave: Nivea Sensitive Balm
Cologne: Crabtree & Evelyn Sienna



Once upon a time, shaving in the north Alabama area looked to be on the upswing with the introduction of a Crabtree & Evelyn store in the Bridge Street Town Center shopping plaza. Unfortunately, the company fell on hard times and eventually the store closed. The closest one is in Nashville, TN. A bad loss for the area because it was the only shop where one could get truly high end shave gear and their Best Badger brush at only $35 was one of the best bargains available. I hope we eventually get something similar in one day.

Sienna (and all Crabtree & Evelyn creams I've used) is a great shaving cream in both performance and scent. The website describes it as "A masculine blend of leather, citrus and spice - with just a hint of fire and herbs" and they're exactly right! It smells warm and spicy! The cream is thick in the jar with a consistency similar to Noxema cleansing cream and a little definitely goes a long way.

New razor on the way.

Just snagged this nice old 5/8 George Wostenholm & Sons straight.

Shave of the Day Jan. 5, 2011

Razor: 7/8 Henckels Friodur
Cream: Kiss My Face Peaceful Patchouli
Brush: Badger & Blade Essential
Aftershave: Thayers Witch Hazel & Nivea Balm

I began the new year with shaves featuring soaps, creams, aftershaves & colognes that I purchased locally. Although Huntsville doesn't have much, there are some good things to be found out there. Kiss My Face is marketed as a brushless cream but I've found that it does indeed work nicely with a brush. I picked it up at the new Earth Fare market on University Dr. (Kroger also carries the line although I've not seen this scent in any of them) and it's very slick and moisturizing. I picked up the bottle of Thayers witch hazel at Earth Fare as well. Witch hazel has long been a go-to of traditional barbers due to it's toning and antiseptic properties. This particular bottle contains a slight bit of alcohol and is unscented but there are others available that are alcohol free and scented (rose petal, lavender).

Introduction to Traditional Wetshaving, Part 1: Concepts

Here's a GREAT video to introduce you to the concept of traditional wetshaving!

Traditional wet shaving

I thought I'd start off the new year by blogging about one of the unlikeliest activities you'd ever believe could be enjoyable... Shaving! Up until two and a half years ago, I did what most of you probably do. I'd wake up in the morning and after a hot shower I'd grab a metal can of goo and a horribly over-priced cartridge razor and go at it. I can remember back then that I would only shave three or four times a week at the most because it was such a hassle where redness, irritation and ingrown hairs were a common occurrence.. Basically it was a chore that I did only because I had to.

Then I began searching the internet for a better way to go about it and in due course came across the concept of traditional wet shaving. Now it's a given that any shaving in which water is involved can be considered "wet shaving". Traditional wet shaving on the other hand incorporates tools and techniques that haven't been commonly practiced since the introduction of the Trac II razor by Gillette in the early 70's (and earlier considering that canned foam was introduced in the 1950's). Traditional wet shaving requires the use of items such as a shaving brush, a mug or shave scuttle and some form of shaving soap or cream. In a very short time I had acquired myself a Merkur safety razor, some blades and cream and never looked back.

Two-and-a-half years on I'm still enjoying a wonderful shave every morning. In that time my tools have changed somewhat but the core elements are still there; a razor (straight razor), creams, soaps and a brush and I am now getting the best shaves of my life! So from now on I'll post my daily shaves and comment a little about them, the equipment that I use and why I like them so much.

7/28/2010 Disappointing ride.

Went riding yesterday and it wasn't the greatest experience. Chain came off about 5 mile into it which took me quite a while to get back on. After, when it was back on and I began riding again, I realized I still had my Garmin Forerunner 305 still in the paused setting so it wasn't registering any of my riding data. So, at the end of the ride I only showed a little over seven miles ridden.

7/21/2010

12 mile bike ride this evening. HOT & HUMID! A few others on the trail was a surprise. 93 degrees when I got there. Wasn't too bad. Thermometer on my watch read mid to high 80s. The breeze from riding helps. Feel good. Guess there's some sort of endorphin thing going on because I'm really feeling mellow. Afterward I came home and had a dinner salad of various greens, egg whites (hard boiled) and honey mustard dressing. Time to hit the shower!