To my fellows in shaving,
I have managed to evade the proper introduction before my first posts. Please accept my apologies as I give you - me;
I am a middle-aged, father of two, husband of one, engineer and part-time sports coach with a house loan and major shortage for spare time. Except when it comes to wet shaving!
Like many of you, my first encounters with shaving happened with my father. Standing side by side with him in our closet-size restroom when he showed me how to shave, was my proudest moment up until that! ... except when I realized what he shaved with.... The canned stuff, BIC single-blade cartridge and toilet paper to tie the wounds. My cheeks burned for two days. So, I was introduced to the electric shaver and off I went!
I used electricals all the way to my early 20s, afraid to touch the "normal shaving gear". To my understanding then, electricals did a good enough job. But, a conversation with my dad, how he felt like he was also cleaning his face when shaving (bearing in mind he was still with the same tooling...), made me decide to return to razors and foam. I bought all the technically most advanced cartridges and all the balms I could manage. The results were better, I wasn't walking around lobster-red. I was so happy to realize I COULD SHAVE LIKE A MAN!! But, The Light shined to my eyes LONG after this...
My journey in the world of wet shaving started in early spring 2022. I was shaving like I used to, thinking about my own stuff, when suddenly a line of thought went through my mind: You know, here I am, trying to clear my facial hair with this gadget. I could resuscitate it to last me maybe 2 or 3 shaves. After that, blades are dulled and clogged up with cutting debris. What do I do with it after that? The unholy matrimony of steel and plastics isn't easily recycled. And, at the end of the day, the result of the whole shaving process is average. At best.
I left the bathroom discouraged and somewhat baffled. Is this truly the best solution we have to present after decades of R&D? There HAS TO BE a better way.
So, I resorted to the Encyclopedia Britannica of our times - Google. I remembered seeing some old films and pictures where there were men shaving with something that resembled modern-day razors but they seemed to be made out of... metal...?? Looking back, this seems laughable since I didn't even know what it was called that I was looking for! I think I typed "old type razor" to it. Well, to my great surprise, these WERE available! And, there was an actual market for them!!
I ended up purchasing the Muehle Traditional R89. Still continued with shaving gel because of old habits. Once I got it, I rushed to the bathroom for a test drive. ... only to find out it didn't shave...?!?! But hey, luckily I had prepared myself and bought a pack of blades with it... Now reloaded, I went about the process. Sketchy at first but once I actually HEARD the beard getting mowed down, I was amazed. After I was finished and balmed up, I got out of the bathroom with a smile from ear to ear. When my wife looked at me, I said: " I will never shave with anything else ever again...!!"
Fast forward to spring 2023, surrounded by the solitude and empowered by the autonomy of the 2nd bathroom of our new house, I introduced myself to a proper shaving soap and wild boar brush. At this point, I went from R89 to R41 and furthermore, changed the handle to Razorock's stainless beast. I has since been a slow but steady descent to the blissful abyss of "The Rabbit Hole"...
Today, I am still amazed by this hole thing. Why wasn't I told about this as a young man?? Why was I made to cut my face with cartridge razors and electrical gagdets when there was a more economical, more stylish, eco-friendlier... and, all things considered, a BETTER way to shave??? My father did recognize the razor when I showed it. His late father had had a similar one but he had no knowledge of them anymore. When I suggested him to have my R89 (it's a very nice razor but I don't really need it anymore), he decided to stick with yellow and white plastic BICs. Didn't want the hassle of blades etc....
And, as an exclamation point to the hubris of modern-day man... I'd actually experienced wet shaving before, just didn't know about it!
At one time, I was a yearly member of a men's barber shop and they used to offer one classical shave - or "American shave" as they called it - per year for all members. Warm towels, preshaves, brushed lather, straight razor (didn't even know the name then...), cool towels, aftershaves, the hole nine yards. I remember relishing that experience everytime, feeling depressed because I could never get that at home....
I have managed to evade the proper introduction before my first posts. Please accept my apologies as I give you - me;
I am a middle-aged, father of two, husband of one, engineer and part-time sports coach with a house loan and major shortage for spare time. Except when it comes to wet shaving!
Like many of you, my first encounters with shaving happened with my father. Standing side by side with him in our closet-size restroom when he showed me how to shave, was my proudest moment up until that! ... except when I realized what he shaved with.... The canned stuff, BIC single-blade cartridge and toilet paper to tie the wounds. My cheeks burned for two days. So, I was introduced to the electric shaver and off I went!
I used electricals all the way to my early 20s, afraid to touch the "normal shaving gear". To my understanding then, electricals did a good enough job. But, a conversation with my dad, how he felt like he was also cleaning his face when shaving (bearing in mind he was still with the same tooling...), made me decide to return to razors and foam. I bought all the technically most advanced cartridges and all the balms I could manage. The results were better, I wasn't walking around lobster-red. I was so happy to realize I COULD SHAVE LIKE A MAN!! But, The Light shined to my eyes LONG after this...
My journey in the world of wet shaving started in early spring 2022. I was shaving like I used to, thinking about my own stuff, when suddenly a line of thought went through my mind: You know, here I am, trying to clear my facial hair with this gadget. I could resuscitate it to last me maybe 2 or 3 shaves. After that, blades are dulled and clogged up with cutting debris. What do I do with it after that? The unholy matrimony of steel and plastics isn't easily recycled. And, at the end of the day, the result of the whole shaving process is average. At best.
I left the bathroom discouraged and somewhat baffled. Is this truly the best solution we have to present after decades of R&D? There HAS TO BE a better way.
So, I resorted to the Encyclopedia Britannica of our times - Google. I remembered seeing some old films and pictures where there were men shaving with something that resembled modern-day razors but they seemed to be made out of... metal...?? Looking back, this seems laughable since I didn't even know what it was called that I was looking for! I think I typed "old type razor" to it. Well, to my great surprise, these WERE available! And, there was an actual market for them!!
I ended up purchasing the Muehle Traditional R89. Still continued with shaving gel because of old habits. Once I got it, I rushed to the bathroom for a test drive. ... only to find out it didn't shave...?!?! But hey, luckily I had prepared myself and bought a pack of blades with it... Now reloaded, I went about the process. Sketchy at first but once I actually HEARD the beard getting mowed down, I was amazed. After I was finished and balmed up, I got out of the bathroom with a smile from ear to ear. When my wife looked at me, I said: " I will never shave with anything else ever again...!!"
Fast forward to spring 2023, surrounded by the solitude and empowered by the autonomy of the 2nd bathroom of our new house, I introduced myself to a proper shaving soap and wild boar brush. At this point, I went from R89 to R41 and furthermore, changed the handle to Razorock's stainless beast. I has since been a slow but steady descent to the blissful abyss of "The Rabbit Hole"...
Today, I am still amazed by this hole thing. Why wasn't I told about this as a young man?? Why was I made to cut my face with cartridge razors and electrical gagdets when there was a more economical, more stylish, eco-friendlier... and, all things considered, a BETTER way to shave??? My father did recognize the razor when I showed it. His late father had had a similar one but he had no knowledge of them anymore. When I suggested him to have my R89 (it's a very nice razor but I don't really need it anymore), he decided to stick with yellow and white plastic BICs. Didn't want the hassle of blades etc....
And, as an exclamation point to the hubris of modern-day man... I'd actually experienced wet shaving before, just didn't know about it!
At one time, I was a yearly member of a men's barber shop and they used to offer one classical shave - or "American shave" as they called it - per year for all members. Warm towels, preshaves, brushed lather, straight razor (didn't even know the name then...), cool towels, aftershaves, the hole nine yards. I remember relishing that experience everytime, feeling depressed because I could never get that at home....
