I mentioned that I was going to start wet shaving about two weeks ago. I have obviously dedicated a few posts to my hatred of shaving. So you would think that I would be against a shaving system that takes longer and is much more complex. However, that is just not the case. Wet shaving is tricky, but definitely fun. You spend the time building up the lather, then apply it to your face with an old fashioned brush. Yes, it is scary at first shaving in this manner. You can definitely feel the blade against your skin. But once you do it a few times, it is no less scary than the old method.
Okay, I need to backtrack a second. What prompted this change? Most of you are probably saying “Josh, you have a beard, how much do you really shave?” I still have to shave my neck and cheeks on a regular basis for work. Usually get away with every other day. Since my hair is fairly coarse, I burn through razors. I was using the Mach3. I used to buy four or five blade Fusion or whatever, but the cartridges are so expensive. A few years ago I bought the disposable Mach3 packs, they are like $6 for four razors. Unfortunately, I only get about three, maybe four shaves with one before it starts to cause me to break out on my neck. You may recall my almost religious experience of being shaven by a professional barber. I loved that feeling and started researching wet shaving. Then one day my friend Dave posted about West Coast Shaving and gave them a glowing a review. I decided to ask him about wet shaving and he was more than willing to point me in the right direction (he even sent me a nice sample of blades to try!).
One of the things he recommended was watching Nick Shaves tutorial videos on YouTube. If you are considering making this switch, definitely sit down and watch these videos. Here is the how to shave with a safety razor.
If you want to watch something impressive, check out this video of him shaving off a beard with a straight razor.
The first time I shaved, I decided to keep just a goatee because I wanted to get some practice. I actually did that first three times. The last time, I shaved around my beard, just shaving the neck and cheekbones. I will not lie, I am not perfect at it. I keep forgetting that it is different than shaving the old way. I have this habit of trying to go too fast. However, the last time I shaved was pretty perfect. I have given myself little cuts, mostly on my neck where I always have little bleeders.
There I am pre-shave.
I decided to use a big coffee cup as my shaving bowl, one that we got from work that says something like “It’s Morning Again!” The first time I shaved, I definitely did not use enough cream and therefore did not get a very good lather. It was pretty runny. Subsequent shaves have been much better in that area.
The end result of that first shave was pretty smooth. The cool thing is the post shave hot water/cold water rinse, then applying the aftershave. When I am done, my face feels great. Nothing like when I would shave with a Mach3 and wonder if my skin was going to catch fire OR break out.
So if you are considering trying shaving with a safety razor, feel free to send me a message. I definitely recommend it, especially if you hate shaving because it irritates your skin. It sounds crazy, but this method is actually better for you.
