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Dr. Scholl's Custom Fit (CF440) Orthotics 

So, I have used inserts before.  I was diagnosed with ‘fallen’ arches shortly after my separation from the military.  I found that my feet were constantly hurting after a day at work, or even walking through a grocery store. 

Initially I tried several different brands of inserts, all of different styles.  I even had an expensive custom insert made by stepping in a box with a special material that molded around my foot.  They only last approximately one year before another pair is needed…and at well over $100 a pop, it can be somewhat cost prohibitive since you were not supposed to place these in multiple shoes ( I only assume that was because not all shoes are created equally).  My insurance paid for one pair, I had to pay for the other (work shoes, recreation shoes).  They worked and made my feet feel better. 

Then I changed employment and the insurance no longer covered the inserts.  So I went back to trying to find OTC inserts.  Ironically enough I settled on some of Dr. Scholl’s arch support inserts.

Figure 1 Somewhat used inserts from Dr. Scholl

Those seemed to work fairly well, except that if I had to walk long periods at once, my feet would begin to cramp.  That has been the only downside to those inserts to date.  Especially since, in an effort to get back into some semblance of shape, I have taken up walking.  My threshold has been no more than 4 miles in one stretch before my feet cramp up.  Plus, once they begin to cramp, my feet have a sprained feel for the next several days.  It is very frustrating to be trying to better myself and hitting a ‘wall’.

Now I get to try these custom fit (CF) orthotics from Dr. Scholl’s.  Now first off, the price is a bit daunting still, but at an average of $50 each, it is much better than $100+.  I have been wearing these for about 2 weeks now with no real issues or complaints.  I have not had the opportunity to go for a long walk yet, that will come in a few days.  However, while on a recent business trip I did have to do a lot of walking around.  I have been averaging about 11,000 steps a day for 6 days during that trip, and other than regular fatigue from the day’s events, my feet did not have that ache I experienced from the other orthotic inserts I had been using.

Figure 2  Unwrapping my Joyful gift!

 

That is not to say that my feet do not feel tired at the end of the day, but then again, these inserts are currently in my dress shoes and I have yet to meet a pair of professional dress shoes that have been comfortable for 12+ hours of continuous wear.  I do not wake up with achy feet though, which in my opinion is a blessing!

I do look forward to my next 4+ mile excursion.  I want to push myself and I do not want achy feet to be the reason I cannot meet any of my self-made goals. 

So far, the Dr. Scholl’s Custom Fit Orthotics (CF440) have been a miracle for my feet and I have no negatives to make about the product.  Even the price, which might be hard to swallow initially, is very reasonable when compared to the custom fit offered by chiropractors and medical centers.  Add in the free equipment use at many major retailers to find your perfect fit, and you are definitely coming out on top!  I am curious to see if my need in orthotics change as I continually wear these. 

The only improvement to the product that I could think of would to be to include a small piece of reusable tape on the heel of the insert.  This would prevent the ‘sliding’ of the orthotic through your shoe as you walk, jog, or run. 

My wife has a pair of the Dr. Sholl’s inserts for heels and they include a patch of tape.  That tape makes it the most convenient for using in shoes.  In the past I have used a small piece of duct tape that I had just made a loop with. 

Other than that one thing, Dr. Scholl’s seem to have come out with the perfect product with Custom Fit Orthotic line.  The coupons I have received has been passed out, and used by several of my co-workers (including some of the Nuns that work in my facility)!  The initial investment may be steep, but it is an investment for your feet and overall health by helping with foot pain and posture!

I have found my GoTo Orthotics!

Second Shave with a New Gillete Fusion ProGlide Flexball Razor

I am now wondering if maybe I have a bad batch of blades.  I mimicked the process of my last shave with totally different results.  I felt a lot of tugging, a lot of irritation.  I tried to go as easy as possible during my shave.  But regardless of how hard I tried to get that perfect shave, I just couldn't obtain it.  This time it looked like I ran a rusty 5 year old blade across my cheeks!

This was my most painful shave yet!  You can tell from the photo's that one side is much worse than the other. 

I still think that overall, Gillette puts out a great product.  After all, my last Fusion ProGlide blade was from a Christmas Gift Pack and it lasted from end of Christmas to almost the middle of February!  This has been my expectation from these higher end blades as my last experience with the regular Fusion blade was not a one time wonder.  I usually get the Fusion blades when I have a special occasion...interview for a new job, weddings, anniversary...type of events you want that extra confidence a good close smooth shave can provide. 

I refuse to believe that the quality of the blades are going downhill; especially with Gillette aggressively marketing this new FlexBall handle.  I am going to chalk this experience up to a "one-off".  I won't be rushing out to buy anymore of these blades for the heck of it, but I will not give up on the quality I have come to expect from Gillette.

Fusion ProGlide Shave with a new blade

So, I shaved last night with a new blade.  Showered in steamy water, working hard to soften the hairs.  Got out of the shower and applied some preshave lotion (also by Nivea).  I massaged that into my face and neck noticing how much softer and more pliable the hairs seemed.  I was taking the extra time to soften the hair and hydrate my skin as much as possible as advice from my doctor.

I visited with my doctor this past Wednesday (psoriatic arthritis checkup) and I brought up this raised area every time I shave.  It is likely that the area is a form of eczema do to the lack of moisture in my skin (a side effect of the psoriasis).  Top recommendations: Do not shave everyday (I had already come up with that one on my own), do everything possible to hydrate and lubricate the skin, both before and between shaves, and if needed, apply some triamcinolone ointment on the affected areas.

Which brings me to my most recent effort.

With my hairs soft and pliable, skin hydrated, I then applied my shaving cream.  I did a 3 pass attempt this time, using short overlapping strokes.

First Pass - Shaved with the grain, making sure to let the weight of the razor do the work.  Now this seems like a no brainer.  I make it a practice not to press on my razor...more on that in a bit.

Second Pass - This pass I went across the grain.  Again, with short overlapping strokes.  First, from my right ear towards my chin, then on the otherside of my goatee, from my chin to my left ear.  Then I reversed it...Left ear to chin, chin to right ear.  Letting the razor do the work.

Third Pass - On my final pass, I went against the grain.  It is worthy to note at this point, that in between each shave pass, I reapplied my cream.  I always start with my cheeks, leaving my neck for last so that the shaving cream can really soak into that area.

After I was done, I rinsed with cool water and applied my shaving balm.  I did notice a few nicks.  It turns out, that with the extra prep I put into the pre shave really did the trick.  The pressure I had applied was too much still.  It was a habit to apply some pressure, but every time I found myself 'forcing' the razor, I would stop and let the razor just glide over my skin.  I marveled at how effortless it really was.  I noticed the tiny nicks every place that I 'pushed' on the razor.

I still had that raised area, but it does go away quickly.

Overall I think this is a really good razor that provides a superior shave -especially with extra preparation before the actual shave.  However, do I think this razor is any better than a regular Fusion?  Marginally so...the roller feature of this blade made it much easier to get into the areas around my adam's apple.

Compared to my ShaveMob razor, the Gillette Fusion ProGlide with FlexBall is a much more superior product.  The 6 blades in the ShaveMob razor are nice, but don't clean as well as the Gillette, nor do they seem to be at an optimal angle compared to the Fusion's blades.  Sometimes I guess, more is not better!  :)
The only negative I have so far with the FlexBall razor system is the life of the first cartridge.  I only have one shave on the second, so I will give a few more shaves to see if that was just a fluke or whether these blades don't last as long.

Fusion ProGlide With FlexBall Shave #2 and #3

So, over the past 4 days I have had two more opportunities to try out the ProGlide with FlexBall. 

At this point I feel that that FlexBall version is not much of an improvement other than getting some of the harder to reach areas.  This morning's shave required considerably more pressure to get a good "one swipe" cut than previous shaves.

Now it may just be me, but I am normally able to make a razor cartridge last at the very least 5 shaves.  Even in the military, when I shaved every day, I would go through a single cartridge an average every week.  So I am sure you can imagine my disappointment at the feeling that this blade is going to need replaced already.

My reasoning is such, if a 2 or 3 blade cartridge can last a week, why would adding more blades shorten the cartridge life.  When the Fusion first came out, I received one in a Christmas gift basket.  That blade lasted me over a week before the nicks and bumps started showing up.  Why the change?

Regardless, after a hot shower, I decided to do shave #2 in the sink as opposed to in the shower.  The shave was a little rougher than the first time, though I was not expecting a "hot-knife-through-butter" experience after the first use. 

Again, the shave was relatively comfortable.  Just from the feel of the shave I did not expect to see any "angry" looking areas on my face or neck.  Plus, while I was shaving and running my fingers over the freshly cut areas, they felt smooth.  You can tell from the pictures there was still some longer stubble areas...this confuses me.  But as it is not visible, I did not let it ruin the experience. 

After rinsing off the remaining shaving gel, I was again greeted by the raised areas of skin on my neck:

 

 

Now even though there were the areas that look like razor burn, they did not, in fact, burn.  I applied my balm afterwards and there was no burning or tingling sensation.  That is good at least. 

 

 

Another thing I noticed, right before I shaved, was that the strip looked like it was falling apart - after only just one shave!  Now don't get me wrong, it still seemed to be doing its job, even leaving sticky residual strings as I lifted the razor away.

 

 

The next morning, after shave 2 and 3, I did not have razor burn as I expected.  So far, the after effects of the shave are not unpleasant.  I am a touch disappointed in the performance of the razor (except for the ability to get that location just to the sides of the Adam's apple), especially with the life of the blade so far.

Does this mean that this new blade from Gillette is now inferior to other blades?  I am not ready to make that call yet.  My next shave I will replace the cartridge and try again with a fresh perspective.

Gillette Fusion Proglide with Flexball

So, I tried this new razor out by Gillette, the Fusion Proglide with a Flexball -presumably to allow for smoother tracking over the contour of my face.  Let me preface this by saying, I am a fan of Gillette, have been since I was in the military and they came out with the Sensor and Sensor Excel.

I am comparing this shave with the Gillette to my current blade, The Caveman  from Shavemob (6 blades).  Now, I was not knocked head over heels with my Shavemob razor, but it beat the Gillette disposables I was using for a fraction of the cost.


Another factor I include when I compare my razor blades is how it affects my skin.  I have "sensitive" skin due to a condition known as Psoriasis.  Yes, I also have the Psoriatic Arthritis touted by Phil on TV.  Fortunately, I no longer have any scaly patches on my face, though my skin is very easily irritated.  I'll show that in a bit.

On with my review...

I had a few days growth on my face, mainly because I spread my shaves apart as far as possibly because of constant skin irritations.  So with this new razor, I decided to shave while in the shower.  I lathered up, using Nivea 3-1 Men's Wash for Sensitive skin, and allowed the suds to soak on my face while I washed my hair and the rest of me.  A good few minutes at least.

I then rinsed off the soap and applied some Gillette Fusion Shave Gel and massaged that into my stubble.  I then began to shave.

Since I did have a few days growth, I shaved in a two staged approach.  First pass, I shaved with the grain.  This of course makes the hairs shorter, and easier to get when I make my second pass.  After my first pass, I re-rinsed my face, and applied some more gel.  This time around, I shaved against the grain.

First thing I noticed during my first pass was the ease in which the Gillette cut through the hairs.  The remaining stubble felt shorter than when I do my first pass with the Shavemob razor.  If I was in a rush in the morning, I probably could have gotten by with just that one pass -even though I did not have smooth as a baby's ...you know...feeling.

During my second pass, I let the razor do the work.  I do not apply pressure to my razors unless I have to (skin irritation remember?).  The razor, to sound obvious, glided over my skin even against the grain.  It did remarkably well in the little areas right around my adam's apple, requiring only one stroke of the razor to get each of these trouble areas for me.

By the time I was done with my shave, I thought it was a rather pleasant shave.  I didn't feel any irritation with the actual shave itself, that is until I rinsed the remaining gel/foam off my face.  Then I was a bit disheartened.  I patted my face dry and went to look in a mirror.  What I saw was the same irritation that the majority of razors gave me:

So I applied my Nivea After Shave Balm for Sensitive Skin and let my face breathe.  As bad as the irritation looked, I did not get the expected razor burn I had grown accustomed to having.  My skin seemed to have recovered nicely.

I'm not yet ready to pass judgement on the Gillette Fusion Proglide as this was just one shave.  I will post an update after my next shave. 

My Psoriasis Journey

Psoriasis Journey

Even as a little kid, I would occasionally get these patchy, flaky rashes that would suddenly appear, and just as suddenly disappear.  Since the doctors were unable to see the flare ups, they just chalked it up to an allergic skin reaction to something.

Now, I don't blame the doctor's for that.  This started way back in the '70's to early '80's...a time where every man, woman, and child were bereft of a cellphone.  No digital camera's, no tablets...heck the smallest Apple device was able the size of desktop laser printer.

All the doctor's had to go on was what my mother and I were able to describe.  And since my mother only saw them once, and they were gone the very next day, it was hard even for her to accurately describe the look of the skin.

Fast forward a few years, to the mid '90's.  I was then serving on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, when these small skin abrasions started appearing on my hands and knees.  At first, I assumed it was just dry skin.  Especially when some of these raised areas became hard, flaky, and even split open.

Since my job required me to constantly expose my hands to various oils and compounds (I was an Electro/Environmental System Specialist on fighter jets) I figured it was the working conditions that was drying up my skin.  After a few months when the areas didn't exactly go away, but seemed to spread to other areas of my hands and even my eye lids, I figured it was high time I made a visit to a doctor.

Doctor looked at me for a few seconds and said confidently, "Eczema".  So, he provided me with some Aquaphor, and Eucerin.  It helped, but they never went away.  Plus, as a side note, my figer nails started to lose their round edge and became more rigid in texture.  If you looked closely, you could just make out a few little dots appearing on the nails...plus, they kept breaking at the slightest impact...usually to the quick.

Fast forward to the the early 2000's, and I am now a silly-vilian gain.  My hands look worse, large patches of raised ugly red, peeling, bleeding, scaly looking skin. I still get flare ups on my lids, cheeks, neck, scalp, elbows, knees...

Went to a dermatologist.  Looked at my skin and nails for several minutes.  Finally the correct diagnosis...Psoriasis.  He gave me some ointments and lotions.

So over the next several years, I had good days and bad.  I took to hiding my hands as often as possible.  I was tired of the looks I would get, like I was carrying some leprous disease that would infect the mass populace by my presence at work.  People would keep an awkward distance from me...even friends.  My self esteem would get lower and lower.  My kids even once made a comment about my hands, innocently, and I felt myself start to shrivel in embarrassment and shame.

Around 2010 I came to grips with the "look" of my skin.  I stopped carrying, to some extent, how others viewed or treated me.  That's when it got worse.