SOTD: Best Straight-Razor Shave to Date!

As the headline suggests, today I got my best straight-razor shave in memory. It was a two-pass shave that was close and low insult. That doesn't mean perfect, however. I did have about five pin-point weepers that disappeared with the application of alum (not styptic).

Here are the details of today's shave:

• Razor: Parker PTB 


Parker PTB "Push Type Blade Load" Straight Edge Barber / Shavette Razor with Stainless Steel Blade Arm and 5 Shark Stainless Blades (Amazon link)


• Blade: Shark half DE, second use, and was corked two strokes prior to first use

100 Shark Super Stainless Straight Edge Barber 
Razor Blades for Professional Barber Razors (Amazon link)

• Face prep: 

• Splash and light rub with cool tap water
• Application of Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements' (PAA) Scentsless pre-shave soap, which was then lathered with wet hands
• Application of vitamin E skin oil directly over the Scentsless lather; (then I set out the remaining accessories for the shave, towels, TP [on which to wipe used lather from the razor], shave soap and brush)
• Application (by rubbing) of shave-soap puck rubbed directly on pre-lathered, oiled beard
• Face lathering with cool tap water using my Omega Syntex brush

Omega Blue Handle Syntex Synthetic Fibre Shaving Brush Vegan Cruelty Free (Amazon link)

• The shave:
• First shaving pass in the downward direction irrespective of beard grain
• Second pass sideways (ear to nose or nose to ear) on cheeks, lower lip and chin; downward on upper lip and lower neck; upward on upper neck and below jawline
• Post shave:

• Rinsed with cool tap water, patted dry with towel
• Applied dampened alum to weepers, and then cleaned up put away shaving gear
• Applied a splash of common witch hazel that had been augmented with both peppermint oil and menthol 
• After the witch hazel air dried, I applied PAA Black Bot balm that had been augmented with menthol

A really rewarding shave! Hope yours was as good.

Happy shaving!