Oh those blah, blah shaves

I'm not sure what it is that didn't work. I was so looking forward to another shave with new-to-me Acqua di Parma in the tub, craving its light refreshing scent and refinement. Taking a break from the E2 injector I put a Polsilver Super Iridium (a good blade!) in my Slim, dialed to 8 (great setting before!). I loaded less cream this time, since last time was too much. Everything was going to be great.

But: no. Thinking I was being clever I loaded too little cream and had to go back for more twice. The razor/blade felt sort of blah (where was that chomp?); the cream hadn't really come together into a good lather; halfway through I saw two weepers, and at some point switched to the injector for the second pass on one cheek just to remember what it does for me.

At the end of my second pass, two more weepers showed up, and I pretty much gave up, splashed, ran alum, rinsed it sooner than I meant to, and stumbled drying the styptic. So much for the Saturday luxury I was looking forward to. Even my Shavemac silvertip looked disappointed.

Ah, those blah shaves. When everything comes together to go not-quite-right. It wasn't awful. Objectively, it was actually pretty good (close, no irritation). But it did not satisfy. It was not the treat I so wanted from my day. All I want now is to rewind it all and start again from the top.

So let's hear it for those moments when all our best gear and product conspire to leave us with one vaguely frustrated sigh. Because damn, it happens. Then we're left waiting a long, long 24 hours for the stubble again.

Oh boy, been there, done that! (Tomorrow will be so much better. )

Been there as well. Lather looks good, feels good but doesn't have enough water in it. Half way through it looks like snow is falling from face Do I stop, rinse and try again? Nope, too stubborn, I forge on and end up with "meh, at least it's done" shave.

But as Freddy said, try again the next time

We've all been there, if we care to admit it. Fortunately my really bad shaves were when relearning a routine long forgotten. My technique sucked so bad that I felt like a fish out of water. But unless one is ineducable, we learn and get better. Thank God!

Usually when a lather goes bad for me I wash it off and grab another soap.

Usually when a lather goes bad for me I wash it off and grab another soap.

Man, that wisdom would have corrected many of my bad shaves so far. Committing to get my lather right is a fundamental to me getting a really good shave.

You call them blah, I call them train wreck shaves. My wife even knows the term. She can read my face when I re-enter the world from my little shave cave. I must look like disappointed kid or something. At least they are becoming rare now.

This happens to me whenever I try a new artisan shaving soap. Ergo, I don't try new artisan shaving soaps very often.

This happens to me whenever I try a new artisan shaving soap. Ergo, I don't try new artisan shaving soaps very often.

Do you have any artisan soaps that you do like and use? I've tried a ton of soaps from all price ranges, both artisan and commercial brands, and I find good ones and bad ones in all but all of my favorites happen to be artisans from the US and other countries as well.

My shave is better when I wait a little past 24 hours.

This is what I believe.

Then the shave seems excellent.