Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting, Bernard, a 95 year old man who still shaves himself. Bernard was in a wheelchair and was with his attendant when I saw him looking at the shaving display in an AoS store. I started a conversation with him and he said he had used a straight for many years but for the last 10 he has used a vintage Gillette to shave with. He said the retirement (nursing) home he lives in won't let him keep a straight. The razor he described was a TTO and from his description it sounds like a Slim which his son picked up in a flea market. We talked about a number of things and I learned that he has a novel way of adding water to his lather. He said he has a "little spritzer" as he called it in which he can spray a fine mist of water to his shaving bowl. He said he started doing that because it was easier for him to control the amount of water he applies to the lather. He said he used to use his fingers to add the water to the bowl but as he got older he couldn't control the amount so he tried the "spritzer" instead.
I asked him where he gets his shaving goodies and he said his grandson buys him whatever he needs and that his grandson "belongs to some computer club that deals with shaving." I asked him if he meant Badger & Blade - and he said he thought that was the name. Bernard said he was "amazed" that his grandson has so many razors, brushes, soaps, etc. when "all you need is one." He was surprised that "youngsters" are using straights, DE, and SE razors and that there was a store like AoS that sells these things. I took out my iPhone and showed him all the items WCS carried and then he was really amazed.
Bernard's attendant said that Bernard is as sharp as could be, that he remembers everything, and takes great pride in his appearance. In fact, Bernard had a white shirt on and wore a tie which he had tied himself. He said the nursing home had worked a compromise with Bernard. He could use his DE instead of an electric but only if he allowed an aide to put in or change the razor blade. He said Bernard refuses to use canned shaving cream and still makes his own lather.
Makes one hope to be as sharp as Bernard at the age of 95.
I asked him where he gets his shaving goodies and he said his grandson buys him whatever he needs and that his grandson "belongs to some computer club that deals with shaving." I asked him if he meant Badger & Blade - and he said he thought that was the name. Bernard said he was "amazed" that his grandson has so many razors, brushes, soaps, etc. when "all you need is one." He was surprised that "youngsters" are using straights, DE, and SE razors and that there was a store like AoS that sells these things. I took out my iPhone and showed him all the items WCS carried and then he was really amazed.
Bernard's attendant said that Bernard is as sharp as could be, that he remembers everything, and takes great pride in his appearance. In fact, Bernard had a white shirt on and wore a tie which he had tied himself. He said the nursing home had worked a compromise with Bernard. He could use his DE instead of an electric but only if he allowed an aide to put in or change the razor blade. He said Bernard refuses to use canned shaving cream and still makes his own lather.
Makes one hope to be as sharp as Bernard at the age of 95.
