Why are you interested in Shaving?

[Teddyboy]

Tell the truth. When someone asks why you are so interested in shaving, the act and the gear, don't you feel a tad uncomfortable? Don't you, down inside, know that something must be a tad askew to make shaving a hobby?

I do.

Thanks for listening.

[Frosty]

No one from my friends and colleagues has ever asked me about my shaving hobby nor have I gone out of my way to discuss it. The only people who know are SWMBO and my nephew, who I've encouraged to try out DE shaving. I'm not sure I'd ever "come out" and declare my hobby as I think it would be quite boring to most in the same way that I would find many hobbies that other people have as boring. The thing with hobbies- any hobby, is that they all seem odd and unfathomable to an outsider.

If however someone were to ask me why I did DE shaving my answer would be limited to explaining that (a) it's cheaper; (b) healthier for my skin and (c) more fun than cart or electric razor shaving. If they really pushed me I'd also admit that it gives me more time in front of the mirror to look at my wonderful face :-)

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

I have no problem stating what I believe in and it's kicked my shaving routine 'up-a-notch'. As for my other hobbies, I enjoy culinary arts, cigars & cognac, (the 3 C's of good living), the perfoming arts, goaltending (ice hockey), and family.

"Life is [like] a razor, you are always in hot water or a scrape”. Anonymous

[GDCarrington]

I have many hobbies this is one of them.

[dpm802]

I have no problem admitting to people that I have a weird hobby ... in fact, I usually put the words out before they even say so, because I know what they're thinking when I talk about collecting razors and brushes and soaps.

I don't try and justify it for other people ... they would never understand what draws people like us to a place like this ... nor would they understand the crucial differences between original recipes and re-formulated products, nor why we get so excited over little things like "Tallow First!"

I'm not even sure I understand it myself ... but I would no doubt drive myself crazy if I try to analyze the psychological aspects of wet-shaving ... and if I did ever figure it out, it probably wouldn't be fun anymore.

[Prof. Moriarty]

Nope, had many hobbies throughout my life, this is just another.

[Threeme2189]

I have many weird hobbies, most of my friends accept that I am an odd individual.
I also justify DE shaving because of the lower price, the better shaves, the manliness of it and the nostalgia factor (shaving with my grandpas old razor)

[eastrun]

Since when is learning something "weird"? A skill that strengthens your less dominant hand. People who question like that are lacking in social graces and do not think before engaging their mouth.

[thatsilverguy]

For me it's different, not weird. I'm old enough that, during my off time, I can tell anyone where to get off. I have too many reasons to keep shaving the ways I do and collecting various types of art that I collect. I'll stop commenting before I start being profane about "non-accepting" types.

[CharlieFoxtrot]

I have to shave and i hated it for so long. When I stumbled upon the traditional method, it was a game changer. My face healed and I was getting DFS's. Needless to say but I was hooked. So I spread the gospel of B&B when the opportunity presents itself. As far as the hobby goes, it's a part of who I am but it's not my only interest. My other hobbies/commitments are high dollar and this one can be done somewhat cheaply; not factoring in the AD's of course.

[RedRocks]

I'm not sure if I necessarily consider shaving a hobby any more than showering or brushing my teeth. I mean it's something I have to do, so why not enjoy it? I certainly don't mind this new DE adventure. But a hobby?

I know some of you guys really get in to the AD part, and maybe that's what makes it a hobby for you. I am trying to keep my purchases and acquisitions to a minimum, although I just couldn't resist that SS that Jake had up over the weekend!

I don't know, maybe it is turning into a hobby of sorts. If so, then my answer is *No-it's no different than any hobby*.

~Frank

[Codfish]

I shaved for over 40 years and never enjoyed or looked forward to it. Now I do. I like shaving for the first time in my life, and what's more, there seem to be an endless array of new things to try. Not only is it fun and interesting, it doesn't cost me any more than I used to spend on cart razors and canned goo.

[Bluebriz]

No more weird to me than other hobbies people have. Here in Japan, my students often tell me their hobbies are sleeping and driving....

[Blackbeard's Delight]

I don't think it's weird at all to consider any activity a hobby. Collecting vintage equipment? Pretty cool. Yeah, using a safety razor that was made 10 years before the Cuban Missile Crisis... who knows what that thing has seen? Getting the best shave of my life... definitely a side effect of a hobby I can live with. What does my old comic book collection ever do for me other than take up space, dammit??

Now that said, I do think my friends consider my obsession with traditional wet-shaving to be a little weird. My friends all suffer with shaving like I did, and they don't seem to believe this can be any different. If I can convince one of my friends to convert, my work will be done here (and I'll have a buddy to swap shaving stories with!). The closest I have come to a convert is a friend who read a wet-shaving online article I forwarded to him, and he is interested in some Kiss My Face products. It's a start, I guess!

[a Rose's thorn]

I don't want to come off as a curmudgeon, but I am soooo tired of feeling bad about something that may not conform to societies' norms. I guess I should do, or buy, what I am told to, without thinking (sorry, it isn't going to happen, Madison Avenue). I enjoy my shave, and if I find a sympathetic ear with an open mind, I will share what knowledge I possess. If others find it amusing, then so be it, life is too short to try and please everybody.

[Toxic515]

I don't know if it's a hobby, per se... I like to enjoy what I do, and I like to do well at what I do. This "hobby" fulfills that. It makes it enjoyable, and it does it rather well.

[PugslyCat]

I kind of like introducing primitive things into my life. Getting back to basics can be fun. That's why I garden, do home canning, and try to do a fair amount of cooking from scratch.

[srmd22]

It's a tad bit eccentric, but well within the bell curve when you look at the spectrum of behaviors out there. I don't think anyone really cares too much what others do as long as it doesn't directly affect them, with the exception of course, of politics and religion...and economics, which might explain a lot of the former two. But shaving falls in the non-political, non-religious, non-economic (at the level of vintage hobbyist) category.

[the_edski]

Shaving is a mastering of a particular skill-set, just like any other hobby or undertaking. Nothing wrong with taking a great interest and getting into depth and perfecting it!

[celestino]

i think it is a fantastic hobby if you want to call it that. Seeing as most men have to do it every day, i do not see it as a hobby, but as a task of personal hygiene. No different than brushing your teeth, taking a shower, etc.
Enjoy the pleasure if this compared to other things!