22.05.2025

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: Perma-Sharp half DE
• Lather: Australian Private Reserve - Raconteur
• Post-Shave: Moon Soaps - OldSchool "balm"

-> 2-pass head shave and a very great one if I may add.

Even though I wanted to drop out of BVWSC until further notice, @walden@sub.wetshaving.social generously provided me with a sample too. Maybe he knew this scent is right up my alley? Anyways, I couldn't let this generous opportunity pass even though my shave got delayed quite a bit by studying and beard trimming:

I had no problems to lather the APR base, perhaps this one likes soft water. My experience with APR is extremely limited, but I once got a small sample for the Lather Games '21 (IIRC it was "Fenchurch"?). It left my skin a bit dry after shaving, though that's not uncommon for me. Overall it was pretty slick.

Now the scent is the real star: a great blend of leather and woody notes, generally a warm scent IMHO and somehow very comfy. Like driving around while wearing your favourite leather jacket. The runny Moon Soaps "balm" kinda fits nicely, even though it's way sweeter than Raconteur. I know you folks like kinda bizarre comparisons, so here's one: I think Raconteur is the well-groomed, toned down cousin of Midnight Stag and Valley of Ashes. Does a solid and stable job and won't overstay it's welcome. Also definitely more of a people pleaser than the aforementioned "fuck you, I wear this for myself"-scents.

Have a good time, everyone. 👍🏻

18.05.2025

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: Perma-Sharp half DE
• Lather: E&S Rasage - Shaman
• Post-Shave: Lavera Men sensitive ASB

-> 2-pass head shave (WTG, ATG) and 1 (WTG) around the beard. Good shave but very sloppy lather.

Initially I couldn't even get any lather going with this soap, but I refused to give up and it kinda paid off. I don't know if it maybe is due to the many oils E&S uses in their soap, but at first it only produced a watery mess with a deep brown tinge (I'll keep any comparisons to myself for the sake of you fine folks keeping your lunch in). I actually had to really grind my brush into the tub and swirl it like I was stirring up something to get it to something useable. While I really enjoy this one's tobacco heavy scent, lathering it is no pleasure compared to my other soaps.

Not shaving for 5 days meant that I had a considerable amount of stubble to knock down, but I am pleased that the Thorn does it quite effectively.

I used this shave to calm down, atm the stress of studying is really wearing me out. I think I need to slow things down a bit, the last four days (including the weekend) have been nothing but writing tons of stuff down.

Nevertheless, have an amazing day ✌🏻

I am deeply sorry to everyone involved. I don't know what kind of dumbfuckery is going on with DHL/Deutsche Post, I put the letters into one of their old yellow mailboxes near the end of February and it seems like no one received theirs yet, not even sahenders who's residing in Germany. Even though it's not my fault directly, I wish to apologize to you all for ruining BVWSC. 😥

As for my personal situation; I want to inform you that I had a massive load of shit happen to me recently and so, my depression is back at full force. Therefore I won't be able to participate in any shave events in the foreseeable future - atm, it's very hard to just get everything in my daily life under control and my final exams for the RN are coming up in early June. My appearances here will be sporadically at best during the whole spring and summer months, I hope everything will look better & brighter once September rolls around and I hopefully passed everything. Shit's though.

Due to some technical problems with my smartphone and certain apps, I also lost my Lemmy login info around my birthday and was just recently able to retrieve it via Windows password manager. Thanks for those who inquired about me - I'm not dead (yet), but I'm seriously struggling mentally. (Proof being that writing this took me way longer than usual and tons of edits).
Again, sorry everyone for all this mess. I seriously hate how this turned out

28.01.2025 - Tuesday Bourbon Mood

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop Fan hybrid knot
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: Perma-Sharp half DE
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - King of Bourbon
• Post-Shave: Moon Soaps Old School "balm"

-> single pass head and face shave. Rather good, some minor irritation on the face but nothing serious.

King of Bourbon is a great soap, but as I rarely use WK I had a bit of trouble building a good lather at first. However once I got it right, it was great.

Those Perma-Sharp are new. I thought they were made in Turkey, but wrong - it's Russia again. Granted, either country is run by a dictator, but it seems like I can't find something made in the EU that doesn't suck. These here are really good and tbh, I don't think the russian people are to blame for their shitty government. The blades did a very solid job in the Thorn, that's for sure.

Still only one pass on the face. It has healed for the most part. There was some slight irritation right next to the left side of the goatee, but nothing extreme. Kinda what I expected. The pseudo-balm takes good care of it, but I suspect it slowly starts to go rancid... granted, with that awful consistency it's probably a given thing.

Hope the job interview went well!

15.01.2025 - BVWSC in 2025

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop Fan hybrid knot
• Razor: RazoRock Cyber Medium
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
• Lather: Los Jabones de Joserra - Noir
• Post-Shave: Moon Soaps Old School "balm"

-> 2 pass head shave, 1 pass on the neck.

First Buena Vista Wetshaving Social Club shave of 2025! Today we used a great european artisan in the form of LJdJ. I was already familiar with the base, as I already own Masala Connection from my exploration of european artisans last year. I know it's quite rich despite not getting a very thick and foamy lather.

Today's offering is a green scent, but without the usual "freshness" or cologne levels to smooth it out. No, this one was earthy, damp and a bit smoky. I couldn't make out any of the individual notes, but according to gcgallant's post, that might be just right. In any case, it kinda reminded me of the current times where people put their old Christmas trees on huge piles to burn them. Maybe that's an event only known around here, but I am pretty sure it's inspired by swedish traditions of the Knutfest. I certainly liked the scent, especially those smoky undertones. Plus activated charcoal is wonderful for my skin, so seeing someone use that in an actual good shaving soap is great. I can definitely see that getting more LJdJ is on the menu someday. Really great soap made by someone from the EU as a passion project.

I still have to admit though, I loaded the whole sample without any second thoughts and I don't regret it. This soap rewards heavy loading and seems to like softer water (mine's good enough to drink right from the faucet, a true luxury compared to other places).

Congratulations! Hope your renovations will go according to plan and your child will be healthy and strong. 🍀

09.12.2024 - New Glasses celebration shave

• Brush: TGS Galaxy 26 mm
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: Derby Premium half DE
• Lather: Noble Otter - Neon Sun
• Post-Shave: Moon Soaps - Old School "balm"

-> 2 pass head shave and 1 on the neck. Very close & comfortable.

Today I could already pick up my new glasses - well, they were actually done by Thursday. Extremely fast work & great service. Blue light filter, absolutely no reflections, well-fitting. I am beyond satisfied!

To celebrate, I picked a great soap with a pleasant scent. Neon Sun is a delightful, timeless fragrance and NO knows how to produce a quality product. The otter mascot on the tub even wears glasses! Sunglasses, but it still counts.

Otherwise, today was more of a chill day to relax. Starting tomorrow, I have another bout of early shifts until the weekend. Not quite my strong suit, but I'll power through...

Here's a pic of my new glasses (the frames at least):

20.11.2024 - BVWSC: Travel Edition

• Brush: Omega Roma Colosseo 31 mm
• Razor: Headblade S2 Lunar Eclipse
• Blade: HB 2 cartridge
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Oro Valley sample
• Post-Shave: Capanova Natural aftershave repair balm
• Fragrance: Tom Ford Ombré Leather EdP

2 pass head shave with the Headblade. A very luxurious shave to end a great day for me.

For today's edition of Buena Vista Wetshaving Social Club, we use Oro Valley by Stirling - a very faithful dupe of Tom Ford Ombré Leather . I was really looking forward to this, as the original TF fragrance is one of my absolute favourites (together with its sibling Tuscan Leather ). OL is more unisex than TL though: it's the smell of luxurious new car seats made from the finest italian leather. It's the new leather jacket fresh out of its packaging. In general, it's a scent of fresh, new luxury items made from leather.

Stirling's dupe is very faithful and that's very great. Of course, the base is one of the most often recommended starting points in the hobby and it works fantastic. My only gripe is that Oro Valley is one of the few Stirling Soaps who aren't available in the EU. Otherwise, it would be totally great to combine with the little travel decant I have of the original TF.

Very busy vacation day for me, first a visit at the Kyffhäuser-Denkmal and then the Panorama museum with a huge 360° painting. This shave topped off a very successful time. Hope you're all well, happy Hump Day and all that jazz... I'm off to the hotel bar now ✌🏻

First off, massive respect for helping your wife with such a sensitive issue. 👍🏻

Now, if she actually wants to shave with a DE or SE razor, it's generally recommended to start with a less sensitive area than the groin for body shaving. The legs are a really good starting point, alternatively the armpits are also rather tough.

However, in your/her case, if it's just to get a close shave before a laser hair removal... I seriously wouldn't bother with a DE. A basic electric body shaver should be mild enough to get rid of the hair but don't hurt the follicles. Alternatively, there are disposable razors by Wilkinson Sword (Schick in the USA) with a flexible head - means it doesn't only pivot, but actually adapts to the contours of your body. These here are what I mean. Don't let her pay the "lady razor tax" though.

As for lather, I'd recommend a brushless cream, shaving oil or a transparent gel to see better. It might also come in handy to use (shower) mirrors. Best of luck!

I personally got myself a no-name round fogless shower mirror from amazon. It is shatter-proof and has a twist-action suction cup, making it suitable for a lot of different surfaces. Since you seem to be based in the US, this one here seems to be like the one I got. I personally like that you can twist it 360°, personally I use it regularly to trim my beard and occasionally to shave my head.

As someone who suffers a receding hairline since he was 19 and is now 30, shaving my head at 20 was one of the best decisions of my life. It's mostly a confidence issue, as others have already stated. Look at some bald celebrities like Dwayne Johnson, Patrick Stewart, Jason Statham and so forth... They own their look and they look good. If it's only a temporary thing for you, know that hair will grow back soon.

How to deal with it?

• Sunburn and skin cancer risk is a big issue. Always use sunblock, I personally prefer spray and gel over cream.
• Headwear is obviously important too for protecting your scalp. Whatever you prefer: caps, bandanas, different hats. Choose one that fits well on your bald head, that means a little smaller than those you used with a full head of hair.
• Exercise is, as someone else already pointed out, very important when you rock a smooth dome. Looking fit and improving your posture can do wonders for your self confidence.
• Accessories and jewelry play a very big role too for bald people. Bracelets, necklaces and big aviator sunglasses usually look great.
• Social: according to a study, fully bald people are usually perceived as taller, more aggressive and dominant than their counterparts. This isn't only positive as it means a lot of people could feel intimidated by you too. Smiling and a helpful, open-minded attitude do wonders there.

In general: if it's only for treating a medical issue and therefore temporary, don't worry too much. You're so much more than just your hair! And hair will grow back with enough patience.