What soap/cream did you use today?

Musashi No. 2 (Gentleman’s Nod) yuzu wood
Shave 1 ・ 148 g left ・ $25 / shave

The only thing I don’t like about wet shaving is picking a soap each day. I mean, I do like it, immensely. Otherwise I would never have collected over two hundred tubs of the stuff. But I don’t care for the indecision and all the time spent wondering what I will leather up each morning. I suppose I could just stick with one soap like any other normal human. But in practice that’s dreary. Same old, same old every day just drains the joy out of a shave. So I’ve been looking for a compromise, something between flitting from soap to soap day by day on the one hand and stolidly plowing my way through an entire puck week after week on the other. The answer came to me this morning when I remembered a thread Nero posted years ago on another forum. He suggested picking one soap for an entire week, and then sticking with it. He let his subscribers define ‘week’ any way they wanted to. Very generous, that.

Since I’m hooked on the Amakuni razor and the Kai blades, I figure I need a Japanese-inspired soap to complete the theme. So, for the next ‘week’ you’ll be reading about Musashi No. 2, named after the great swordsman from Japan’s samurai era. After one shave I can happily report that the base is brilliant. Philly cream cheese thick and as slick as a river rock. The cushion’s about as solid as the earth’s crust. Smells good too – citrus and wood, not really breaking new ground, but clean and easy on the nose. It’s going to be a good week.
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Brush Phoenix Shaving Peregrino (715) ・ Razor Tatara SS Amakuni (3) ・ Blade Kai Captain Titan Mild (8)

My solution is one soap for each day of the week.  Perhaps not much variety, but Bedlam Cottage is already crammed to the gills with razors and brushes.  There is a way to institute a rotation if that's an option for you.

Tuesday, February 25, 2025 - ETHOS Peppermint

 

  
Brush .... Tatara Muramasa
Soap ..... Mike's Natural Hungarian Lavender
Razor .... Alpha Spirit
Blade .... Kai ProTouch MG
Post ..... ETHOS Lavender Suprême SFS
Finish ... Dior Homme Intense EDP

Musashi No. 2 (Gentleman’s Nod) yuzu wood
Shave 2 ・ 147 g left ・ $12.50 / shave

Last January I set a goal to reduce my soap hoard by ten percent in 2025 – about three kilos. Surprisingly, I’ve already done it. I never finish anything, so this feels strange. Where did it all go? Some I gave away, some I tossed. If it sat untouched for two years, it was binned or boxed for piffing. Feels good.

Another goal was to read all the Sherlock Holmes stories. Just finished “The Adventure of the Retired Colourman,” the last story in the last book. After a year of nightly Holmes, I feel a bit lost. But time to move on.

Dave (Whiterook), your rotation system is solid. I admire that. Might give it a go – Sandalwood Sunday, Musashi Monday, Tuberose Tuesday …

Oh, and the best thing about the Amakuni razor? The magnets. Blade changes are effortless – no fear of stripping threads, no lubrication needed. Brilliant!
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Brush Phoenix Shaving Peregrino (716) ・ Razor Tatara SS Amakuni (4) ・ Blade Kai Captain Titan Mild (9)

Shave Soap: DLC-YAQI The Green Artisan Shaving Soap

Tuesday February 25, 2025
Razor: Stando Mokosz
Blade: Wizamet
Brush: Turn N Shave/Badger
Soap: Barrister and Mann Ubrique
AS : Witch Hazel + Barrister and Mann Ubrique Splash
Fragrance:
Consecutive Daily Shaves - # 2,302