Aug. 9, 2022 - Headless Mammoth Hoggin' Day 9

• Brush: Proraso Professional Boar | Break-in photos
• Razor: Feather Artist Club SR (Kamisori)
• Blade: Schick Proline (9)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive - Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Alive - Eau de Parfum

AA Tags: #RawHoggin #MammothMafia

Soap Weight: 134.2g (0.8g used)

This hog sure is temperamental. It seems like each time I mention something about the brush not being comfortable, the day after the brush feels like it's behaving better again. I'm really starting to enjoy this brush and the face feel. The lack of density makes it easier to splay compared to the Zenith I've been playing around with doing a few hand lathers.

Yesterday a few people commented on my soap usage saying 80-90 swirls is too much so I tried 60 today and I had barely enough to complete my full shave (3.5 passes). What do these 2 pass (or in some cases, single pass) shavers know anyway? 😂 To me, those 20-30 swirls was the difference between a good shave and a great, luxurious shave and today I was left with slightly subpar lather for my cleanup pass. Also it turns out that a swirl is a very inaccurate measurement since u/RedMosquitoMM loaded far more with 40 swirls yesterday than I did with my 60 swirls today, so YMMV and all that. I'm going back to my luxury lather tomorrow. Wet shaving for me is a way of pampering myself so I'm not going to hold back to save a few pennies each day.

A few years ago I went down the path of weighing my soaps and trying to optimize soap usage but it was tedious and definitely took some of the fun out of the hobby. I'm revisiting soap usage right now mostly to get a feel for how the boar is breaking in and how its soap usage compares with other brushes. I've already confirmed that I'm not somehow using up a ludicrous amount of soap lathering this softer soap so I'll just get a few more data points and be done with this experiment.

I'm continuing to notice incremental improvements to my shaves with the shavette. The past few days I've been getting better results along my jawline and less irritation and not spending as much time getting there. The blade still feels smooth but it feels like it's taking more effort to get a close cut even going ATG.

Side Story

Since there are a lot of silly acronyms in our hobby, I thought I'd share an amusing story related to that from a few days ago.

August 8th is Father's Day in Taiwan, because the number 8 is pronounced "ba" in Mandarin so 8/8 is baba, which also means father in Chinese. This past Sunday we went to a nice shopping mall in Taipei with my parents to celebrate Father's Day early at a Japanese BBQ restaurant inside the mall. After the meal, we decided to walk around a bit with the kids and we passed by an area where they had a bunch of expensive ($2000+ USD) massage chairs on display for people to try out. The brand of these massage chairs is OSIM, which I wasn't really familiar with and I didn't think much of it as we walked past the display to head to the elevator.

Out of nowhere, my dad approached me and asked (in Mandarin), "Do you know what OSIM stands for?"

"I don't know." I responded.

"Oh shit, it's Monday." My dad said, with a shit eating grin.

The thing is, my dad is generally a pretty serious person. Before he retired he was a physician and it's very rare for him to joke around so this caught me off guard.

Not sure if I got the joke, he continued to explain with almost a whisper next to my ear since we were in public: "TGIF means Thank god it's Friday. OSIM is: Oh--- Shit--- It's--- Monday."

He seemed rather proud of himself and couldn't wait to share with my mom as well, so as we were waiting for the elevator, he walked over next to her and explained OSIM to her. My mom seemed unsure about what my dad said, and she repeated, "Oh shi... shi... shit it's Monday?"

My parents spent around 30 years in the US so they've seen enough American television to be familiar with the word and what it means, but to hear it from both of them for the first time in my life (and probably their lives as well) was such a precious and hilarious moment.

A belated Happy Father's Day to all the wet shaving dads out there.

Aug. 9, 2022

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Raiser Pinsel Simfix SF1 Synthetic
• Razor: Van Der Hagen
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword (2)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive - Balm

#MammothMafia

Aug 9, 2022 - AA: MA-RH-MM - Almond Leather - Day 9

• Prep: Warm Water Wash
• Prep: Klar - Activated Charcoal - Face Soap
• Brush: Zenith Cobalt Blue 28mm Boar Knot (505BC SE)
• Razor: GEM Open Comb Micromatic (2nd Gen.)
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (9)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Aftershave

Last week I was starting to get decent shaves, and this week everything seems to be on the decline. u/brienc23 offered some helpful advice yesterday. When things are not going as expected, it's time to get back to basics.

I really focused on the lather today, slowly adding water, building it up, and getting it to the desired level of slickness and protectiveness. It took much, much longer, but it paid off. Then I focused my attention on the razor: keeping the angle where it's most efficient, using very light pressure, and approaching each pass with the appropriate strokes. I'm still struggling with some tugging from the blade around certain spots.

After two passes, I could tell that was all my skin would allow this morning. It wasn't as irritated as yesterday, so I wasn't going to push it with a third pass or even a clean-up pass. Not a great shave, but it was close enough to look acceptable. I'm hoping that the blade will smooth back out soon.

#GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin #MammothMafia

Rating: 3/5

• Prep: warm shower
• Brush: Semogue 1250
• Razor: Novelty Cutlery Co straight razor
• Lather House of Mammoth - Z
• Post Shave: Equate witch hazel
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - unscented aftershave balm

Headless Horsemen

#RawHoggin #unscented #MammothMafia

Austere August 2022 day 9 https://imgur.com/a/v0fZxmw

Aug. 9, 2022

• Brush: Summer Break DeMaranville B15
• Razor: Gillette British Aristocrat #16
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (28)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Eau de Parfum

  #MammothMafia

Aug. 9, 2022 - Ninth day, eighth month, 8 am shave

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Omega Pro 48 Boar brush 28mm
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE (9)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

Autopilot shave today. Everything worked well. Is Hygge my favorite barbershop scent, or am I slipping into a Stockholm syndrome situation?

Who cares?! All I know is that good shaves are happening these days and this brush is getting better by the day. A terrific Tuesday to you!

#GEMsOfWisdom

#MammothMafia

August 9 2022

• Brush: Zenith B28
• Razor: GEM MMOC (Gen 1)
• Blade: GEM PTFE (12)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo splash
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Alive

I shaved with the MMOC and Mood Indigo, per the rules and stipulations. Three passes. The blade is smooth and effective, the soap smells good.

#MammothMafia

#GEMSofWisdom

Aug. 9, 2022

• Brush: Grey Chubby - Zenith B37
• Razor: Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM - PTFE Coated Stainless Steel (9)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Z - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z - Aftershave

The first usage of tools is generally regarded as a pivotal step in the evolution of human history. I'm no anthropologist, but I believe the appearance of stone tools in generally regarded as a mark of cognitive development in our species. It is necessarily the case that combining tools, i.e. using separate tools together such as with a mortar and pestle, came later, and perhaps marks further cognitive development.

Face-lathering, then, is clearly stuck in that earlier, more primitive stage. Face-lathering is literally more primitive than banging two rocks together!

^I ^jest.

Once again, throwing another #unscented thing I use into the photo (the presence of which is independently dictated by RawHoggin): Stirling Unscented Shampoo Bar.

I've long since switched to Stirling shampoo bars, but I found that any scent was easily missed. Even the mentholated Margaritas went fairly unnoticed by me while using it. So I've been using the unscented more. Whatever scent I intend to keep around is introduced after the shower, anyway.

#GEMsOfWisdom
#RawHoggin
#unscented
#MammothMafia

Aug. 9, 2022 - Austere August Day 9

• Prep: House of Mammoth Almond Leather Bath Soap
• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Mire 26mm Zenith Unbleached Boar
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb Gen 1
• Blade: GEM PTFE (9)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

🐗Raw Hoggin' Progress🤮:
•Unused
•Shave 1 through 7
•Shave 8
•Shave 9

*Edit: thanks to u/ChrisdaBombz for telling me my increasingly long list of photos was doomed to cross the character count. Cheers. 🍻

Thoughts for the day:
If you havin' GEM problems I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 problems, but my GEM ain't one. 💎

I am still liking everything, especially with the reduced stench, but damned if I didn't wake up wanting to use some other shit. My shave library getting dusty... 😩

Also, the Mammoth Mafia see you hating.

Mandatory Taggage:

#GemsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

A Mammoth Micromatic Raw Hoggin’ August

Brush Progress

• Brush: Zenith B26 #RawHoggin
• Razor: GEM MMOC #GEMsOfWisdom
• Blade: GEM (9)
• Lather: House if Mammoth - Hygge in Tusk
• Post Shave: Hygge Splash & Balm
• Fragrance: Hygge EDP #MammothMafia

Blade definitely not as efficient as I like, but not too uncomfortable. Need to try maybe flipping it, stropping on palm etc. tips welcome!

I think the hog smell is pretty much gone from the brush. And whereas previously it had smelled up my soap tub, I think it’s all Hygge now!

Day 1 Prep Video

RawHoggin Unboxing Pics

MammothMafia

Aug. 9, 2022

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Semogue 1460 Boar Brush 21mm
• Razor: Razorock GameChanger .84
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (9)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Balm

Tags:

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

August 9, 2022

• Preshave: Hot water
• Razor: Blackland Era - Level 3 plate
• Blade: Feather (9)
• Brush: Blackland 23mm synthetic
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Kryptonite Aftershave Balm

I’m actually surprised how much better I’m getting at shaving now that I’m shaving daily when I never used to. I thought I’d gotten decent, not amazing, in the last two to three years wet shaving. However the last nine days have had me learning more about how to cut the tricky spot on my neck then the last few years

Have a great shave all.

MammothMafia

9 August 2022 - Austere August

• Prep: long, steamy shower
• Brush: Sterling boar
• Razor: Maggard V3
• Blade: Derby Extra
• Lather: House of Mammoth Fu Dao
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth Fu Dao splash

Still under the weather. Saw a doctor yesterday at my nurse mom's insistence: flu is negative, strep is negative, covid is pending. The long shower was nice but exhausting. A quick, one-pass shave.

mammothmafia

August 9th, 2022 - Seeking the GEMs of Wisdom from Raw Hoggin Mammoths

• Prep: Warm water

• Brush: Zenith B36 “Copper Scrubby!”

• Razor: GEM (is truly outrageous) MMOC Gen 2

• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (nove)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Splash

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Balm

#MammothMafia

#RawHoggin

#GEMsOfWisdom

Before the shave and After the Shave

Didn’t mention it yesterday, but got out my Barrister and Man 42 Towel as a new backdrop for some pictures. I like the contrast of the blue background. I’ve been checking up on the verdigris developing at the base of the knot. I don’t think the blue/green has leeched up the knot any further, perhaps 1mm total. I do not think it is a problem, just noticing how quickly it showed up there. Maybe it will get more verdigris at the top of the handle transitioning to an old penny brown on the rest. That’s one of the fun things about every day items made from copper. They will keep changing as they age. I have a couple flashlights and a fountain pen made from copper. They are getting areas of that old penny patina, but not going to the blue/green.

Shaving today around my lunch break. Actually kind of working at the time as I have a forecast model running that takes around 2 hours to finish. Today I got my best lather yet. I load from a bowl after scooping a dollop of soap from the tub. I decided yesterday to not rinse out the soap the brush didn’t load. That loaded up pretty quick once the wet brush hit the bowl. The knot is getting easier to splay as well. Overall, I was satisfied with the lather, but have not been won over to face lathering full time. The GEM blade has been very consistent the last few days. Two passes and a little touch up completed the shave. I had no irritation again today. I just need to keep from relaxing and getting careless, or the MMOC will get its blood.

9 August 2022 - Austere August

• Prep: splash of warm water
• Brush: Zenith B33
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (9)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo - Balm

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

Aug. 9, 2022 - AA Day Niner

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Zenith B34
• Razor: MMOC (Gen 2)
• Blade: GEM PTFE (9)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Admiral - Eau de Toilette

AA Day Niner a solid start to the day.

Last night our local baseball team won their 53rd game of the season and set the record for most wins ever in the Northwoods League. That may not sound like a big deal, but some notable players have come through this league, guys like Ben Zobrist, Chris Sale, Brandon Crawford, Max Scherzer, Jordan Zimmerman, Mark Malancon, and Pete Alonso, to name a few. Pretty cool stuff.

Anyway, my daugher got free tickets to go to a game at the end of May for reading some books and it happened to be towel night so my SOTD Pic is brought to you courtesy of that. Rosco P. Rafter is the mascot of the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters and to be honest I have no idea the connection between Rafters and River Rats - but they're basically interchangeable around here - we say "Roll Rats" and " Go Rafters" so - whatever. They've got a stellar team this year and nobody is else really even close, but in the playoffs anything can happen.

Anyway - shave was an excellent start to an early day. The Zenith seems to be breaking in very nicely now and the hairs are splitting more by the day.

The MMOC performed beautifully this morning - I was able to do a full 3 pass shave with just one little cut on my jawline but that was cleared up quickly after some Osma. Nothing to see over here.

What is there to say that hasn't already been said about Sonder? It's great. Pairs perfectly with Admiral.

Sonder thought of the day: Even annoying people are living vivid and complex lives. This week is VBS at my church and there's a woman who is helping in a classroom (and who serves with preschool kids during the year) and if I've interacted with her 100 times, she's mentioned that she has "over 30 years teaching experience" a full 80 of those times. She's just one of those people who drives me nuts. And, because it's Sonder month, I'm trying to remind myself that even people that annoy me are valuable and worth knowing. We don't have to be best friends, but, she's got a whole life. She's raised kids, she's a grandma, she's worked (for over 30 years!) as a teacher, she has what seems to be a healthy marriage, she's someone's daughter. Her life is as full, or maybe even more full, than my own. Anyway. Annoying people are people, too. Doesn't mean she won't always get under my skin, but, does mean she's got dignity and deserves kindness.

Have a good one, y'all.

#mammothmafia

#RawHoggin

#GEMsOfWisdom

Aug. 9, 2022 - Austere August - Z

• Brush: Declaration 28mm B14 Jefferson Artisan’s Choice
• Razor: Blackland Era lvl 3 oc
• Blade: Personna med prep (9)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Z - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z - Splash & Balm

Happy Tuesday everyone!

#MammothMafia #Unchallange #Unscented

Aug. 9, 2022 - Day Nine - cloudy with a chance of sunshine

• Prep: None
• Brush: Zenith B33 Copper Boar Brush
• Razor: GEM MicroMatic Open Comb
• Blade: Persona GEM PTFE Coated (9)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Aftershave

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Eau de Parfum

We cannot have perfect weather everyday. Sometimes you have to have a cloudy day to make you appreciate the sunny days!

The brush is getting better. The lather came out great. It is becoming less scritchy when face lathering. I am figuring out that I have to add water in a different way.

The shave was a little better today. Less tugging and a little smoother with the 3 passes. I did get a couple of weepers though. Maybe I should try the “skin strop” that is allowed for this challenge. Would someone like to give me a brief overlook?

Brush break-in album #rawhoggin #mammothmafia #GEMSofWisdom

Aug. 9, 2022 - August Austere Day 9

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Paladin 26mm Chief
• Razor: Merkur 34C
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

Unfortunately todays shave was not quite as pleasant as the previous shaves. Not because I screwed up the lather, cut myself, or any other shaving mishap. On the contrary really. The lather was smooth and cushioning, not a drop of blood seen, and my face is as smooth as ever. It was, in fact, my damn allergies that reduced my enjoyment this morning. Due to some congestion I was unable to truly enjoy the amazing scent that is Sonder. Hopefully a little Claritin will bring tomorrow’s shave back in line with the first 8. #MAMMOTHMAFIA #UNCHALLENGE

Aug. 9, 2022 - Austere August Day 89

• Prep: Hot Shower, Stirling Soap Facial Soap
• Brush: Zenith 508A SE 28mm
• Razor: GEM Micromatic OC Gen 1
• Blade: GEM PTFE (9)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Restore - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Restore - Balm

• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Grey Vetiver

Good shave, busy day. Not much to say as it is all the same stuff from the past.

Mandatory Tagging:

#GEMsOfWisdom

#Rawhoggin

#MammothMafia

Aug. 9, 2022

• Brush: Oumo Pandora 28mm
• Razor: Henson AL-13 ++
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (3)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

Happy Tuesday everyone!

#MammothMafia

Aug 09, 2022 - Getting Sidetracked while searching for the Wisdom of a Mammoth

• Prep: Hot shower and CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: Maggard Green Handle 2 Band Badger 24mm

• Razor: GEM - MMOC

• Blade: Personna GEM Stainless (9)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder EdP

Every day tags: #MammothMafia #GEMsofWisdom

2022-08-09 - Austere August - Raw Hoggin' Mammoth MMOC

Prep: Warm Shower

Brush: Semogue Torga - C5

Razor: GEM MMOC version 2

Blade: GEM Stainless (9)

Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

Fragrance: Issey Miyake -L'eau d'Issey pour Homme

https://imgur.com/a/qjThNiX

Another day, another great shave. The brush is 9 uses in and it feels really good. Soap and razor work like a charm.

#GEMsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

Aug 9 2022

• Prep: Mineral oil massage

• Brush: Wenghè Pure Bristle 🐗

• Razor: Brassbird head CG brass bishop

• Blade: Voskhod

• Soap: Mammoth Z

• Balm: Mammoth Z

Barely a third of the way in, and I’m looking forward to September 1. A brand new blade. My Lambda Athena instead of the Brassbird. Drowning myself in fragrance like my mother in law.

I shaved every other day before AA. Shaving daily has helped me notice my consistent errors. It’s nice to get better at a thing.

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

#Unscented

#ZFighter

Piggy Gyllenhaal

Aug. 9, 2022 - Austere August

• Prep: Warm shower
• Brush: Zenith B10 Boar
• Razor: Feather Artist Club SR
• Blade: Feather Professional (3)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Aftershave

• Post Shave: alum

Shave of austerity #9

2 pass shave; shave 3 with professional blades always tends to bite me a bit. My daughter starts preschool tomorrow and I’m feeling pretty old tonight.

Tags and challenges: #MammothMafia & HeadlessHorsemen

Aug. 9, 2022 - AA 9

• Prep: Cold Water Splash
• Brush: Semogue 1305 Pure Bristle 22mm
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gen 2
• Blade: GEM PTFE (15)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Balm

• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville - Eau de Toilette

Break in album. SOTD in title.

As I mentioned yesterday, seemingly crossed a small threshold where the brush isn’t soft per se, but lacks some of its initial scratch. Lots and lots of soap and paint strokes helps too. #GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin #MammothMafia

Aug. 9, 2022 - SOTN AA Sonder 9

• Prep: splash of cold water
• Brush: Summerbreak Soaps 26m SHD
• Razor: Merkur Progress
• Blade: Wizamet (4)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

• Post Shave: Zingari - Rescue Potion - Serum

• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Eau de Parfum

Easiest and smoothest shave so far this month...I think Im getting comfortable with the progress and its very smooth and easy to transition between passes and numbers.. #MammothMafia