2-band Prince vs. 3-band Prince with Dapper Doc

I mentioned in yesterday’s shave, when I used the WSP Prince at the left, a two-band brush, that the brush seemed rather too resilient—perhaps it’s the density of the knot and/or the stiffness of the hair, but the brush seemed almost to poke at, rather than brush, my face. But I recalled really liking the Prince, and so I tried the other, which as you’ll note is a three-band  brush—light, dark, light.

The difference is astonishing. The three-band brush is extremely comfortable and I think does a better lathering job, but I do like brushes that tend fluffy rather than stiff, so I might be attributing virtues simply because I like the brush.

I did go to the WSP website, and I note these two-band brushes, labeled “high-density.” They also label the current Prince as “high-density,” however, and it clearly has three bands. So perhaps it’s simply a difference in the hair. At any rate, the three-band version is the one I prefer, and it made a wonderful CK-6 lather from Phoenix Artisan’s Dapper Doc’s Old-Time Lilac & Fig shaving soap.

I did adjust the Rockwell Model T: 4 for the first pass, 3 for the second and third passes. The result as an extremely smooth (and comfortable shave). A splash of Dapper Doc’s aftershave, and the weekend is launched.

Phoenix Solstice today because equinox yesterday

Solstice is one of my favorites, and the fragrance doesn’t even include vanilla: “Sage, Sweetgrass, Cedar, Rose Absolute and Benzoin Resin.” The link is to the regular formulation ($15 for a tub), but Solstice is also available in the CK-6 formulation ($25 per tub).

I have two WSP Prince brushes, and this one is, I believe, somewhat stiffer: you’ll notice the knot is all dark except at the tips. The other has a band of dark, and I’ll use that one tomorrow to compare. This one did a fine job, just somewhat less fluffy on the face.

The Charcoal razor shown is an Edwin Jagger clone and it did quite a fine job, easily producing a smooth finish, to which I applied a good splash of Solstice aftershave.

Shave theme today: Mountain ranges

I thought about going with a cedar theme: Himalayan Heights (with essential Himalayan cedar oil) and Anthony Gold’s Red Cedar aftershave, but decided to focus on the ranges.

And a fine shave it was. My Rooney butterscotch Emilion made a really great lather from the Meißner Tremonia soap, and I did not have to add water as I loaded—I got the brush just the right amount damp. I did, however, add a little water as I worked up the lather on my face.

The RazoRock Mamba is a fine razor for me and this morning produced an exceptionally smooth result with no problems. A splash of Stetson Sierra to finish the job, and the day is launched.

Buttercream and Savory Rose, with the iKon open comb

Again a wondrous lather from a Mama Bear soap, though I caution that hard water would present a challenge. Our water here is quite soft, and with the Phoenix Artisan Starcraft shaving brush, the lather was everything that one could want. The iKon open-comb, which now I believe is sold only with their B1 coating, is a wonderful razor: very comfortable, very efficient. At the end of the thoroughly enjoyable (and effective) shave, a splash of Saint Charles Shave’s Savory Rose set me up for the day.

A spice shave with the iKon X3

I haven’t used this Catie’s Bubbles shaving soap for a while, and I had forgotten how much I like both fragrance and lather. My Maggard 24mm synthetic did a good job, and my iKon X3 (here on a UFO handle) is a favorite razor: extremely comfortable, extremely efficient: three passes, BBS, no damage. A splash of Old Spice after shave lotion from India (said to be the original Shulton formula, but I wouldn’t be on that) finished the shave.

The Dead Sea and Esbjerg

I’ve learned The Dead Sea shaving soap pretty well: use a brush that is just barely damp when you load the brush. I did this with this very nice RazoRock Keyhole brush, and it worked fine. Once I had brushed the loaded brush well over all my stubble, I added just a small dollop of water to the brush and worked that it: wonderful lather, and I do like the fragrance.

Three passes with the iKon 102 left my face perfectly smooth (and totally unharmed). A tiny dot of Esbjerg Sensitive aftershave gel worked as a very nice aftershave. I mentioned a few days ago that I purchased Mickey Lee’s Italian Stallion aftershave milk purely because of a sample. The same is true of Esbjerg Sensitive: I got a sample from Straight Razor Designs, and I really liked it. SRD has now, alas, closed up shop. So it goes.

Sandalwood morning

Art of Shaving shaving soaps are quite nice—at one time (and perhaps still) made by Valobra—and the lather this morning was excellent with a strong sandalwood fragrance. Maggard’s small synthetic shaving brush did a fine job, and the Fine Marvel head on my bronze UFO handle delivered a comfortable and highly efficient shave. A splash of Saint Charles Shave’s Sandalwood EDT as an aftershave finished the job and started the weekend on a good note.