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A commenter mentioned he’d use his Wilkinson shave stick, and that reminded me that it’s been a while since I last used a shave stick, so I brought out the Wilkinson for today and lined up 6 others for next week.
In the past, although I love Grooming Dept Moisturizing Pre-Shave, I have not used it with shave sticks, since the pre-shave then mixes directly with the soap (as I rub the stick against the grain all over my wet and pre-shaved stubble). But today I felt very reluctant to skip the pre-shave. So I took about 1/10th of a smidgen of Moisturizing Pre-Shave on my finger — an amount much less than what I normally use — and rubbed with all over my wet stubble, continuing the rubbing to work the pre-shave into the stubble. Then I rubbed my stubble again after wetting my fingers. Only then did I take the shave stick and rub it against the grain all over the stubble to make a thin layer of soap on my face.
I wet my Simpson Duke 3 Best brush, shook it until it was merely damp, and started working up the lather. That seemed to go pretty well, but I did not get so much volume as I would like/expect, so I added a driblet of water to the brush and continued — and wow! that did it! The lather sprang forth and filled the brush and covered my stubble. I was totally satisfied by the lather, and pleased to learn that I could use the Moisturizing Pre-Shave even with a shave stick. The pre-shave really does make a big improvement in my shave.
But wait! There’s more! I picked up my RazoRock German 37 (which, truth be told, I find better than its ancestor, the Merkur 37, despite the German 37’s lower price (but superior design: 3-piece is better than 2-piece, in my book (literally))). Here’s what I was surprised to discover: the very small amount of Moisturizing Pre-Shave, and the resulting very thin layer of it on my face, produced (at least this morning) a better shave than I got when I used a full smidgen. Huh. That’s good to know.
When I used a full smidgen for each shave, my tub of Grooming Dept Moisturizing Pre-Shave lasted me 508 days (1 year 4 months 23 days). I presume that if I use a deci-smidgen, the tub will last 10 times as long: 5080 days (13.9 years — sometime in August 2036). I’m not sure I’ll last that long. I feel sheepish now that I bought two spare tubs, one of which I’m now using. I wonder whether I’ll get to the other. (I note that in 2036 I’ll be the same age as was Queen Elizabeth when she died.)
At any rate, I am pleased to make two discoveries in one shave: 1) I can use Grooming Dept Moisturizing Pre-Shave with a shave stick; and 2) the pre-shave works better if I use less.
The blade in the German 37 seems to be newish and still very sharp, as shown by how smooth and comfortable the passes were and how easily the razor wiped away the stubble, encountering no resistance at all.
A splash of Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet with a couple of squirts of Grooming Dept Hydrating Gel finished job. A great Saturday shave. I’m set for the weekend.
The tea this morning is Mark T. Wendell Organic Bold Leaf Pu-Erh Tea: “This offering is an organically grown, full leaf black tea version of Pu-erh tea. The dry leaf of this selection is dark and rich in appearance. Upon brewing, you will notice the unique damp, earthy scent characteristic of a fine black Pu-erh. Our Organic Bold Leaf Pu-erh tea has a smooth, deeply fermented flavor that puts this selection in a class all its own.”
