More DOC Recovery Shaves

Still recovering from that disastrous series of shaves initiated with the Gillette Slim and a new Personna Red blade, I've taken the 8th, 9th, and 10th shaves with the blade in my Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements' (PAA) double-open comb (DOC) razor.

Today's shave was the best of the three, and nearly as good as I can get with any razor. This proves that a really good shave can be had with even a very mild razor when properly wielded.

I used the DOC at its maximum mildness (that is, fully snugged up), and did a two-pass shave and some touch-up strokes. My initial pass was largely against the grain. My second pass was also largely against grain, but also included other stroke directions as necessary on my chin, lips and below the jaw line. Touch-up strokes focused on under jaw line and on my neck.

Happy shaving!

It's Not Apollo 13, but We're Working the Problem(s)....

Recovering From a Bad Shave

Yesterday I continued my alternating-razor experiment, but I made a boneheaded move. Instead of taking my usual conservative, multi-pass shave, I instead dialed my Gillette Slim up to three (of nine), and resolved to do a one-pass, with-grain shave.

Bear in mind that I already had numerous small wounds from the maiden shave with the Slim and a new Personna Red blade, and these wounds were getting daily irritation in subsequent shaves.

This one-pass shave was a disaster. Maybe I became cavalier and therefore careless. I'm not sure. But in any case, I opened up some fresh wounds. So one thing I've learned is to leave the $%^&*@ Slim in the shaving drawer until my blade is nearing the end of its useful life.

However, there is some good news. What I wanted from today's shave was a shave that looked good, but wasn't going to freshen or rile any existing skin insult. So I installed my Personna Red blade into my Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements' double-open-comb razor (a.k.a. the DOC). You may recall that this razor is a mild shaver, despite its open-comb design. It can also be made more aggressive by not tightening the handle all the way, but for today's shave, I wanted a lap cat of a razor.

The original, nickel-plated DOC razor.

Another wonderful characteristic of the DOC is that its combed top cap leaves a good deal of lather on the face after stroking. This is especially true when using reciprocating (that is, buffing) strokes. This razor allowed me to get, essentially, a three-pass shave with only a single lathering because I used reciprocating strokes for the entire shave.

The shave was close enough, and importantly, did not open any new wounds and left the old wounds alone to continue healing. Mission accomplished.

De-stinking the Soap of Many Samples

My cream-cheese tub of shave soap accumulated from many samples that offended my olfactory, resulted (as I've previously written) in an easy-lathering, slick soap that smelled like dead flowers, an old lady's bath powder, or potpourri -- all of which I strongly dislike.

Initially the plan was to let it air out for as long as it took to attenuate the stink. I grew impatient, however, and tried splashing in some Aqua Velva Ice Blue aftershave, which helped temporarily; but that's all.

So the other day I added some menthol crystals, some peppermint oil, a bit of water, and carefully re-melted and re-stirred the soap. The result was an improved bouquet. It's still not my favorite, but I now find it acceptable -- though I continue to leave it in the open air. Anyway, mission accomplished for the time being.

Happy shaving!

After Six Shaves Alternating Between the Slim and the Variant Adjustables....

Today was the sixth shave on my current Personna Red blade. Starting with that initial, rough shave using my Gillette Slim and the fresh Personna, I've continued to alternate daily between my Parker Variant and the Slim. Since that first shave, which, despite my careful, conservative approach, opened many weepers and a couple of tiny cuts, I've been shaving with an eye to still get a close shave, but one that didn't too much interrupt the healing of those first-shave-in-this-series wounds.

The Variant has been the superior razor every time so far. It offers the ability to shave as closely as the Slim but with less irritation and out-right wounds. I've been using very mild settings of these razors, but the Slim still tends to offer more risk of skin insult. Today's shave with the Variant did re-awake a few of the pre-existing wounds from that first Slim shave, but all cleared up without needing any alum or styptic.

My thinking is going toward the idea of always choosing a razor (and razor setting, for an adjustable) that best fits where the currently-in-play blade is in its life cycle. For example, as far as the Personna Red is concerned, I would never choose the Slim as my preferred razor for at least the first six shaves with the blade. (In fact, this current experiment is intended to find out at what point of blade usage does the Slim become a desirable razor option.) Clearly, when a blade nears the end of its useful life, for me, the Slim does actually become a viable, good-shave, low-insult razor choice -- as evidenced by my good shaves with the Slim and a 23rd- and 24th-use SuperMax Titanium blade.

I also remain convinced that an adjustable is a great razor option because one can adjust the razor to better suit the blade characteristics. This adjustability has its limits -- obviously. The Slim is limited in that its design just doesn't work well for me even at its mildest setting, when paired with a newish blade. Yet the Slim is further hampered by its discreet adjustment options, rather than the infinitely adjustable designs of other contemporary, truely-adjustable razors such as the Merkur Futur (and Futur knock-offs), the Merkur Progress, and the Parker Variant. Today, for example, my Variant was set to one for the first pass, but then dialed up slightly to about one and a half for subsequent strokes.

Stay tuned: more to come.

Happy shaving!

Blade Matters: Usefulness of Adjustable Razors

My most recent SuperMax Titanium blade gave me 24 good shaves before being retired to the recycle can. The last two shaves of those 24 were done with my Gillette Slim Adjustable. Those shaves among others recently caused me to re-think my use of the Slim for only commemorative occasions.

Previously, I've tried the Slim on various settings of the nine available though I've never shaved above six, and infrequently at or near that aggressive of a setting. I got my good, recent shaves varying the setting between one and three -- depending on the area being shaved as well as the stroke direction in relation to beard grain and also what pass I was making. Generally I'd make first-pass strokes across grain, with the razor set to one, although I stroked with grain on my upper lip. Then the second pass, again on one, was largely against the grain except on my upper lip, which was across the grain. My final pass was with the razor set to two and was again against grain. Final clean up strokes were done as needed with a razor setting of three.

When I replaced the recycled SuperMax blade with a Personna Red, I took its first shave using the Slim. I did the first pass on one and the second on two, with clean-up strokes also on two. That maiden shave with the Personna Red was a bit rough, leaving irritation and a number of small weepers in its wake. The second shave with the Red on the following day had it installed in my Parker Variant. I followed a similar process, with the idea in mind to go easy and not irritate the previous day's injuries. I was somewhat successful, but not perfectly so.

Then this morning I again used the same Personna blade for its third use back into the Slim. Another conservative, careful shave again gave poor results with unacceptable irritation and blood letting.

I'm starting to see a trend here. With a fresh, sharp blade, the Slim is too aggressive on any setting to give me both a close and comfortable shave. If I keep it set to one, I have to work very hard to get a reasonably close shave; but if I set it beyond that, the razor begins to attack my skin along with beard. My initial thought is that for old-but-still-usable blades, the Slim may be a great razor option. It allows dialing in the blade-bar-gap that may be just right for getting an optimal shave with a blade that isn't itself optimally sharp. However, with a new blade, a more skin-friendly razor such as the Variant may be a better choice.

I'm going to continue using the same blade and alternating daily between the Slim and the Variant for the useful life of this blade. Three shaves in, I've gotten off to a rocky start with that first shave with the Slim, and my skin is still recovering. However, as I continue this two-razor shimmy, I'll let you know at what point the worm begins to turn, when the Slim begins to offer a good, close, comfortable shave and how that compares to the Variant as the blade ages.

Happy shaving!

New Appreciation for an Old Classic: Gillette Slim Adjustable

Years after discovering my dad's long-abandoned Gillette Slim, I have learned to use its adjustability for optimal effect on my beard, and finally, finally like the instrument enough to include it as a regular for use in my daily shave.

I have a difficult time getting the lighting right
when I photograph my Slim. It is actually in good
condition, with an intact, uniform plating, though
my photos often look otherwise.

Long relegated to the back of my bathroom razor drawer as a special-occasion razor -- ceremonial, if you will, for days like Fathers' Day and my dad's birthday -- I always appreciated it for its quality and durability, but not its shave. Made of brass and plated with nickel, the potential reliability over the years if properly looked after as well as its flexibility due to its adjustable blade-bar span has made this workhorse a respected and collectible shaving icon.

I previously never had much love for the Slim, however. Yet something changed over time. Perhaps a combination of things. I know my shaving pressure has gotten lighter over the years as my razor choices have evolved and influenced my shaving technique. Perhaps my skin is less sensitive as well. Yet for whatever reasons, I have been using the Slim for several days now, getting rewarding shaves that have caused me to completely re-evaluate my perspective on this vintage instrument.

My Current Process with the Slim Fully Uses its Adjustability

This classic razor, manufactured in 1963, is a one-piece design
(a butterfly type), with an adjustable blade-bar gap. This may
be my best photo reflecting the good condition of my Slim.

Lately for my morning shaves I've been heating a Greek-yogurt cupful of water in the microwave for a minute, and using that to make lather. So this means that I'm back to doing warm-water shaves. Also, with the Slim, I've been using my soap of many samples, which has remarkable slickness. My beard prep is perhaps simpler than most others may use. I do my first warm-water lathering on my dry beard. Then I set out the remainder of my gear for the shave. After that, I re-lather once or twice before actually beginning the shave itself.

I start with the Slim set to 2 (out of 9). My first pass is largely across grain, though on my upper lip and on my chin it is both across and with grain.

Then for my second pass, I set the razor to 1 and shave my upper lip against grain. Then I set the razor to 3 and shave shave the remainder of my beard against the grain.

Final clean-up strokes on neck, chin and jaw line are done simply by adding warm water to the residual soap on my skin, and with the razor still set to 3, re-touch those areas that are not quite smooth enough.

This morning, once again, I got a very good shave that was about as close as I can get without insult to my skin. 

Happy shaving!