Shave Traditionally, You Should

{From Chris}

All right, gents (and all you lovely ladies who know a gent), let's talk about shaving.

Why?

Well, for obvious reasons.

First, shaving is one of the manliest manly pursuits and thus rises to a status worthy of discussion. Secondly, there's the little number of 100 -- as in days of his life the average man will spend just shaving his face. If you're going to spend that much time doing something, then perhaps you should spare a few seconds to consider whether you are doing it right. And finally, the act of shaving actually involves dragging potentially lethal weapons (just try telling an inmate that a razor blade ain't no thing) across your own face. How is this something to which you have given zero thoughts?

Now that we have the reasoning out of the way, let's travel back in time.

It rubs the shaving cream on its face

Ten-ish years ago, I was like you -- waking up every morning, slapping some Barbasol on my face, then hacking at my skin with whatever Gamer Edition Gillette razor I could find. I, too, was ignorant as to why I was experiencing facial irritation, why I was spending the serious bucks on new cartridges monthly, or why I was considering any shaving method used by anyone other than Bond.

I may not look like Bond, but at least I shave like him!

So, one day I decided to start looking into the history of shaving.  Why?  Because I have the Internet and because Humphrey Bogart never used a disposal razor.

Thus I discovered the world of traditional wet shaving, and the heavens parted, and my eyes were opened.  I ditched the plastic blades of the notorious corner drug store and replaced them with a gleaming new Merkur Progress safety razor.  I replaced the Barbasol with a badger hair brush and some very nice shaving soap.  I popped in a razor blade and had my first shave, and ...

It was awesome.  I had never gotten a shave that close before, and to top it all off, my face didn't feel like I had just slapped the crap out of myself.

Merkur Progress....oh my....

Eventually, I learned about all the customization I could pursue to make the shave just right for me. Turns out there are a variety of razor blades spanning the spectrum from "Am I even doing anything" dull all the way to "OH MY GOD THE BLOOD" sharp.

Once I had learned how not to slowly kill myself by a death of a thousand cuts, I moved on to shaving brushes and soaps.  And while there were some rules about the brushes and the types of soaps/creams to use, it was a wide world of scents and qualities that left me feeling like an Italian barbershop had made love to my face.  (It's a good thing)

Girl, look at those bristles....

So how do you get started?   Well, if you want to walk in my footsteps then then the first thing you need is a safety razor.

Of course, I recommend picking up a vintage one from a nice Etsy store, like mine.  But if you don't like my selection, there are tons of other Etsy sellers and shave sites on the Internet that Google would be happy to help you find.

Some tips: Make sure you're getting a safety razor, and make sure you read about the kind of shave the razor gives before you buy.  While you may think it's very alpha male to get an aggressive shave, there's nothing alpha about cutting yourself to ribbons and shrieking like a kitten when you do it.

Next, you're going to need some blades.  Some places will include a set of blades to get you off the ground. While just about any razor blades will be better than what you're currently shaving with, I recommend you find a place that will sell you a sampler pack.  That way you get get a nice set of blades  and get to experiment with what you like.

Finally, and this is essential, you need the brush and shaving soap.  The brush really needs to be badger hair. Do not go with synthetic unless you absolutely have to.  It doesn't function well, and you will hurt your starting experience.  Now, brushes can range in price from $20 all the way up to however much you want to spend.  I recommend starting out on the lower end side.  Amazon is your friend here.

As for the soap, this is the easy part.  It's really up to you!   Again you can hit up Amazon, or head to one of your local shops.  Lots of places will carry men's shaving soaps, including local soap stores and even some more mall-type shops like Bath and BodyWorks carry men's shaving soaps/creams. I like the C.O. Bigelow brand they carry.  It feels like shaving in the arctic.  Crabtree & Evelyn is a common soap brand that has a line of very nice shaving soaps.  Personally, I usually will use Taylor of Old Bond Street and Truefitt & Hill. But, as you'll learn, one can never have enough shaving options at your disposal.

After you have all that, all you really need to do is lather up and start shaving.  Make sure you shave with the grain of your beard and do not be afraid to re-lather and make another pass.  You can find fantastic videos of instructions up on sites such as YouTube.

Thus I leave you, with you being a little bit more manly. More assistance on that account to follow in future posts.