This morning I used the third of my new boar brushes, the one I named “Aramis” because it is the most handsome and elegant of the three: a pretty boy in brush form. I again used a French shaving soap, though the trio will later work through other soaps on other outings. Still, for their initial forays, it seemed appropriate to respect the French context of their names.
l’Occitane Cade seems to work better with a synthetic brush, but certainly the first two passes today had plenty of fine lather. Lather in the third pass was somewhat sparse (but still adequate). The lather’s dropping off in pass 3 may have been due to the soap (Cade shave soap does not lather luxuriantly; in the past I’ve made a superlather by using both Cade soap and Cade shaving cream), or to the boar brush not being fully broken in, or both.
I like the way this brush’s nicely finished olive-wood handle feels in my hand, and I continue to find unbleached boar-bristle knots extremely nice in look and feel. I wish this knot had a longer loft, but certainly the brush does the job. I think the Zenith 507U XSE boasts a more striking in appearance with the same general idea (olive-wood handle, with a similar handle style), but its knot has the same loft: 56mm.
For comparison, the loft of my beloved (albeit bleached) Omega Pro 48 is 65mm, and the loft of the other two Zenith brushes I have now is 64mm. The longer loft produces a more springy and supple feel on the face, which increases the pleasure of the shave.
Today’s razor is an iKon Shavecraft Open Comb head on an iKon Bulldog handle. It’s an excellent razor that has good comfort and excellent efficiency. Three passes did the job.
A splash (i.e., several sprays) of Cade EDT, with a couple of squirts of Grooming Dept’s Aion Hydrating Gel, finished the shave.
The coffee this morning is Fantastico’s Sumatra Nusantara: “Deep and Full Flavoured. Chocolate Cake, Rum and Raisin, Dried Currants, Warm Savoury Spice.”
Today is a food-making day:
- Tempeh will be black bean and einkorn, 50/50 mix, and will be ready Tuesday. Beans are already cooked and drying, and I’ll start the einkorn now.
- Ferment will be diced redskin potatoes, Nantes carrots, and Cosmic Crisp apples, plus slivered fresh ginger root. That will be ready in three weeks: July 22.