Welcome to another weekly reading session. I am 20 chapters in Tiamat’s Wrath which is book 8 of James S.A. Corey “The Expanse” series. The story got some new twists which is very exciting and new characters! A lot has changed and I don’t know where the main plot is going! But still keeping me at the edge of my seat….
Listening to Salin….
What ya’ll reading and listening to…
Share your shave of the day for Sunday!
This is the place to ask beginner and simple questions. Some examples include:
Please note these are examples and any questions for the sub should be posted here. Remember to visit the Wiki for more information too!
Share your shave of the day for Saturday!
Hey all! Hopefully this is flaired right, but I was talking to Vida at Chicago Grooming Co and she said she can make a batch of Polar Vortex in Darkwing base if there's enough commitment. Polar Vortex is an extremely cold soap that's been out of production for a bit, using both menthol and ws-23 (for longevity as well). Let me know if you're interested, and we'll see if we can swing it!
Share your shave of the day for Friday!
I'm going to try to keep this updated as we go, but here's a running list of AA challenges. Please see each challenge's rules to see what's compatible with what?
If I missed any please let me know. (I'm sure someone's gonna run stag and Mammoth)
Post any deals and new product announcements here or list anything you would like to sell! A few ground rules:
1. Only post an item once. If it doesn't move then take it to the bazaar.
2. No auctioning. You must include a list price.
The mods are not responsible for your transactions. Caveat Emptor! We suggest you only deal with established members of the community. It is strongly recommend not to use PayPal Friends & Family to avoid fees. This is against their terms and leaves you with no buyer protection.
Share your shave of the day for Thursday!
Have you ever found yourself curious about using an open blade? Asking yourself, "What's with all the hype and the steady increase in straights being used on the sub?"
Have you dabbled in open blades and found yourself bumbling around like the actors in infomercials?
Are you comfortable with your technique but wonder just how far you can push it?
This challenge is for you!
⚔️🩸💀Headless Horsemen💀🩸⚔️
The rules:
A straight razor, shavette, or kamisori of any kind
MRTNG's Ultra Nightmare Mode! That means one brush (or hand), one soap, one aftershave, one fragrance (if using one)
Additional postshave products are allowed and may be changed
You may NOT change the blades in a shavette style razor
Stropping your blade and razor is allowed
Honing is not allowed!
Minimum of two passes, daily, 31 days
Tag me in your first post
Include the tag "$headless" in every post
Upload at least one SOTD picture and tag me in the post
SOTD must be posted by 11:59 PM MST
Not required but encouraged:
Rewards:
What better reward for a straight razor challenge than... a straight razor! That's right, this year I will be offering up a vintage straight razor, cleaned, honed, and good to go.
Each player that finishes this challenge will be given a number, which will then be put through a randomizer to determine the winner.
As an added twist, please consider using any minor casualties from this journey as a reminder to donate blood.
If, at some point during the month, you include 1 piece of photographic evidence of yourself donating blood, you will be eligible for 1 additional entry for the prize (limit 1 per player). Be sure to tag me in this post.
So come and earn the coolest flair on the sub and see if you have what it takes to learn and master one of the most comfortable and unique ways to shave!
I, Drake Mallard, a close personal friend of St. Canard’s greatest protector, Darkwing Duck, have been personally tasked by the Terror That Flaps in the Night to deliver an urgent bulletin to the citizens of r/Wetshaving!
It seems the shadowy forces of substandard lather have met their match. Darkwing has demanded I spread the word about Chicago Grooming Co.’s legendary, eponymous Darkwing soap base. To aid him in this glorious crusade against stubble, Launchpad (bless his clumsy heart) and I are hosting the 1st Annual r/Wetshaving Darkwing Challenge!
The Mission (Should You Choose to Accept It):
For the entire month of August, shavers in the know will commit themselves to the ultimate test of discipline.
You will use:
• One CGCO Darkwing Soap
• One Splash
• One Fragrance (if applicable)
For 31 days straight. No swapping. No straying. Pure, unadulterated dedication to the craft.
"But Drake!" you cry, "That's Austere August! What about Nightmare Mode?!" Well, suck gas, evildoers, because we’re upping the ante!
• The Basic Flair: Anyone who completes 31 shaves with the same CGCO software will earn the coveted challenge flair.
• The Nightmare Draw: For those brave souls who complete the month using the exact same brush, razor, and blade, you will be entered into a drawing to win a set of your choice (soap and splash or balm) from CGCO!
A Quick Tactical Update: Gosalyn—who has been terrorizing my budget lately—has already bypassed my authority and contacted Vida directly. Vida has confirmed she is ready to supply any and all participants who still need to secure their gear. Just head over to her site and get your order in.
However, the SHUSH intelligence network reminds us that the USPS doesn't always fly straight (honestly, they make Launchpad look like a precision pilot). Order your sets immediately so you aren't left high and dry when August arrives!
Now, steel your nerves, prepare your mugs, and...
LET’S GET DANGEROUS!
Announcing snoo-ting's second annual MMOC Master Quest Austere August Challenge.
The GEM Micromatic Open Comb (MMOC) is one of the most feared and misunderstood razors in all of wet shaving. With a reputation of being too aggressive, people scoff at the idea of using it as a daily driver. I think that's bullshit.
Last year's cohort proved it can be done, and earned their ⚔️ MMOC Master ⚔️ flair the hard way. This year we do it again. New challengers can claim their place among the Masters, and returning Masters can level up their flair (more on that below).
##The Rewards
The winner will be randomly selected from all participants who finish the challenge in accordance with the rules and will receive an electronic gift card from a vendor of their choice worth $50 USD or it's equivalent in the winner's currency.
Every first-time finisher earns the bespoke, hand-forged custom flair — ⚔️ MMOC Master ⚔️
Returning Masters who finish again will ascend to ⚔️ MMOC Master II ⚔️ and the flair will continue to upgrade every year you clear the challenge.
Good luck to everyone who chooses to participate! 🫡
If you want to do the Headless Horsemen challenge this August, I'm offering honing services for the price of postage to send the razor to me. I'll accept razors from those new to straights and those who are already experienced.
Because of travel time through the post, getting this done early gives you the best chance of being ready on Aug. 1.
If this is of interest to you, just DM me, and we can take it from there.
Share your Shave of the Day
Now for the "June Soap Challenge sponsored by Whole Hog Shaving Co. in partnership with Cremo 2026" wrap-up. Since I'm marginally lazy, I'm going to combine a few posts into one, so bear with me.
What a month! Friends were made. Enemies were also made. Affinity for marksmanship was discovered for many. And it was a lot of fun to see SO MANY obscure soap artisans come out of the woodworks. And it was CRAZY to see how deep some dens go around these parts.
Without further ado, here's the wrapup:
I want to provide recognitions of honor (in no particular order) for those who continued to keep score each day, while the rest of us gave up and put blind trust in our AI overlord u/merikus.
u/Gerry7070
u/pi-rho
Props to you for your commitment.
There were two portions of this competition, the most points earned, and the Silly Goose™️ posts.
In first place for the points earned is u/frankieIVfingers! Congratulations! Your prize is fame, eternal glory, bragging rights, and you can customize your flair!
Please see u/merikus's more in-depth analysis and announcement here
Hopefully I didn't ruffle too many more feathers with my take on Smeagol as a Silly Goose yesterday! Too good of an opportunity to pass up. Aren't I a silly goose?
This month was an incredibly difficult one to judge. There were so many strong contenders, and a number of entries were SO LONG (looking at you u/Priusaurus 👀)
But, a winner must be chosen.
And that winner, and holder of the title of Silliest Goose for JSCsbWHSCipwC26 is:
u/jwoods23!
Here's a link to the winning post, eeking it out right before the buzzer: This silly shaver swooping in at the last second with a meticulous account of his shave(s?)
So, how many shaves was it, really?
u/hugbckt will be in touch with you once this tub of first production Whole Hog Shaving Co soap is ready to be shipped out!
That's all for now, folks! Thanks for joining this month!
touches earpiece what's that, Steve? Breaking news?
It appears that a generous and anonymous donor has swooped in at the last second to provide another prize for this silly goose competition. Another tub of WHSC soap, but not for the Silliest Goose, rather for the title of "Second Place is the First Loser" Goose.
And that prize goes to...
u/Priusaurus!
He made me wade through SO MANY words, whining tantrums, and awful punchlines. Most of his posts were so long, not even LatherBot could handle reposting them in their entirety to Discord. Since it's impossible to pick the best of his BS, here's a few notable ones:
Congratulations to the DinoMan for his new title of First Loser!
Another thank you to everyone who participated (knowingly or unknowingly). It was a fun month! See you all in Join Us July!
This is the place to ask beginner and simple questions. Some examples include:
Please note these are examples and any questions for the sub should be posted here. Remember to visit the Wiki for more information too!
It was a nailbiter ’til the end.
After Day 11, our top two contestants never fell out of the top three. Their battle continued to the end, until our second-place winner, /u/Just_Bit2968, suffered not one but two (count ‘em, two!) snipes to the head on the last day. One of the snipes was from veteran sniper /u/ChrisDaBombz, dropping some Bomb Drop - Dune Goblin on Day 30 that was Just_Bit’s Day 1 soap. /u/JoboozeRum then came in from the top rope for his very first snipe of the month with Soap Palooza - Hellbent Cherry.
At the end of the day, one stood alone.
Congratulations to /u/frankieIVfingers as the very first winner of the June Soap Challenge! Frankie won with a whopping 614 points, including 540 bonus points, after being sniped only three times.
There is no prize. I welcome you to change your flair to whatever you want, which you could have done anyway.
But Frankie isn’t the only one we need to celebrate. After spending the first part of the month comfortably in first place, /u/AdWorried2804 turned his precipitous drop into anger, spending the rest of the month blasting through the field and running away with 22 snipes. On the other side of the coin, along with helping lift Frankie to victory, /u/ChrisDaBombz also proved he had an eagle eye, coming away with the Zero win, with 9 zeros.
And, most importantly, /u/Priusarus lost! Thank you all for making that possible.
Thanks to everyone who played, to NDG for coming up with the game. Hopefully we’ll do it again next June.
In the meantime, help your team out in Join Us July(remember, all SOTDs count, no tag required), and get ready for Austere August in a month! After that, the portal takes a break as we tune it up for the October Lather Games!
The fun never stops here at /r/Wetshaving!
Share your shave of the day for Tuesday!
Blah blah blah I really just want to post about Join Us July.
Share your shave of the day for Monday!