Don't worry, there are still a few days left before November actually starts. IIRC, the original "Movember" starts by shaving everything off on the 31st of October and then shave everything but the upper lip during November, giving you ~ 4 full weeks of growth. I didn't really like the concept as I was younger and had slow growth and no one cared for the fundraising in my circle back then, but if you just want to see how you look with a 'stache, it's a funny challenge. I actually plan to do something similar this year: trimming the moustache short and shaving off everything else on Halloween and then letting it grow during all of November. Now that I am in my 30s, I could probably get something better going than in my mid-20s. π₯Έππ»
DaveWave94
joined 4 months ago
25.10.2025
- Brush: TGS Galaxy 26 mm
- Razor: Ever-Ready 1912 SE razor
- Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
- Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag
- Post-Shave: Zingari Man - The Master recovery splash; Lavera Mikrosilber Akut Creme
- Passes & Info: 2 passes on both the head and around the full goatee on the face. Lo and behold, minimal irritation on the face in the form of just 4 blood spots!
So this was a pretty good shave in general. I was kinda bummed that I didn't get around to using some of my darker scented soaps, so when I rummaged through my cupboard and found the glorious Midnight Stag, the game was on.
Stag isn't the slickest soap ever, but it works perfectly fine. Honestly, some may see it as a meme soap, but this one actually fits great for autumn/fall season IMHO. Unfortunately I don't have anything alcohol-free to match it as a post-shave. I used to own the balm, but that stuff had silicone oils and went bad quickly.
It was nice to use a SE/GEM-type razor again and since this one is my mildest one, it gave a comfortable shave. As my face isn't used to regular shaving, I probably should ease back into it with mild razors. The only problem spots were 4 tiny blood spots, all around the beard outlines. I applied some aloe vera gel before shaving my face and I suppose that helped too. The Lavera cream contains micronized silver, and from what I know about wound care, silver coatings help really well to fight bacteria. I actually got it last year to treat the severe skin breakouts I had behind both of my ears which have all but vanished recently. Maybe it was something like a conditional neurodermatitis due to all the exam stress?! Who knows, but I'll gratefully appreciate the healthy skin.
I'm seriously a bit overwhelmed by my job atm, it feels like time's just flying by right now. Case in point: Autumn is my favourite season and October is one of my favourite months, yet we're already at the end of both and there were very, very few opportunities to actually enjoy the season. I rarely get anything that I've planned a long time ago done and I can't really tell if it's a sign of exhaustion, ADHD or depression. Oh well... I hope this gets a bit better soon.
This sucks even more if one factors in DHL being notorious to lose packages... Personally I'd "live the crime life" and concealed carry π
The notorious New Kids Turbo look. Or alternatively: every second twenty-something video essayist on YouTube π
22.10.2025
- Brush: TGS Galaxy 26 mm
- Razor: Headblade S4 Lunar Eclipse; KAI Captain J-7 kamisori shavette
- Blade: HB 2 (S4); Feather ProGuard
- Lather: Wholly Kaw - Vor V
- Post-Shave: Osma alum block ; OAM - Oli del benessere sensitive skin toner; benecos 2in1 soothing ASB
- Passes & Info: 2 passes with a cartridge on the head and the shavette on the face. Unfortunately, lots of irritation despite the shave feeling good at first. Weird...
So I thought I could focus better on my kamisori shavette endeavour if I am using a razor on my dome that takes skill out of the equation. The Headblade razors are unfortunately very gimmicky and the inventor didn't take shaving behind the ears into account. While the 2-blade cartridges are probably the best, I got a small nick behind my left ear.
Speaking of nicks, today's face shave was crammed with irritation. I actually looked at different videos of experienced users with kamisori-style shavettes and thought I could put some things right into practice. However, I made the mistake of putting a new ProGuard blade into the J-7 since I thought they were only sitting around in my drawer. These are way less mild in comparison to the KAI Protouch MG - the teeth of the safety comb are spread wider across the blade while each individual tooth is much thinner. This was a weird case where the first pass felt alright, even almost good - but it went downhill quickly on the second. Tons of little blood spots around my circle beard; one weeper on the cheek; big red splotches of razor burn sprinkled on my neck. The alum was already burning and it didn't get much better. I'll probably need to use some antiseptic cream before bed and omit any face shaving tomorrow.
Well, live and learn - at least now I know these blades are definitely not for me. I can't even remember having so much irritation from the unguarded Captain Pink Mild by KAI...
I still cannot shave the moustache area as well with a straight as with a DE
As November is near, the obvious solution to this problem is to not shave it at all and grow a moustache. You're welcome π₯Έ ( /s , in case it wasn't obvious)
21.10.2025
- Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
- Razor: Leaf Thorn; KAI Captain J-7 shavette
- Blade: Derby Premium half DE (Thorn); KAI Captain Protouch MG (J-7)
- Lather: Barrister & Mann - The Full Measure of Man
- Post-Shave: Zingari Man - The Master recovery splash
- Passes & Info: 1 pass + buffing on the head; 2 on the face around a full goatee. Minor irritation on the face, otherwise ok.
Finally a use of the kamivette again, even though my technique is still lacking. I've come to terms with the fact that a circle beard/full goatee/doorknocker is the fullest beard I'll ever be able to achieve, so it's back to this finally after growing my stubble out. The tamed variant with hard edges is my preference though, so this was a good use case for the shavette.
Unfortunately, my face already felt a bit rough after the trim earlier today. So I gave it some time to recover before actually shaving. I picked a soap that's very slick and went to work. One theory of mine was that I should treat my head and face shaves like different entities altogether, even if I do them at the same time. The lather on the face should be more hydrated/thin than what I prefer on the dome. Unfortunately, my lather was a bit too wet in general today and not up to my usual standard. I don't put the fault on B+M, as it was clearly my user error. While the head shave was done rather fast, I had to take my time on the face. Especially since I currently still try out different techniques of holding the kamivette - the FAFO period, as walden dubbed it. First pass wasn't bad, but then I dropped the kamivette and the blade had to be binned. So I finished my 2nd pass with the Thorn, who is thankfully also nimble enough for good contouring.
End result: a few blood spots, some minor redness on the neck. But nothing that the recovery splash and a soothing moisturizer couldn't fix. I should actually be able to shave again tomorrow and that's a bit of progress!
18.10.2025
- Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
- Razor: Leaf Thorn
- Blade: Derby Premium half DE
- Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber
- Post-Shave: Zingari Man - The Master recovery splash
- Passes & Info: 2 passes, head shave; good shave.
Again a head shave I did before my late shift. Almost forgot to post this one.
This is a great combo that works very well for me. Chiseled Face's base is as easy to lather as Stirling for me. It's a bit annoying how fast my leftover hair regrows - I suspect it's the biotin supplement I take. Unfortunately neither that nor any other treatments showed any effect on the bald/patchy spots in my beard. π΅
No worries, just wanted to let everyone know there's no expectations on my part.
Oh I know that feeling. Sometimes I see the nomination threads and I'm like "can't think of a good one rn, gonna come back later" but if I do, it's already too late...
Sure, there's lots of automated routines to avoid if you actually want to try it. I'm sure you'd manage it though ππ»