The Joy of Shaving

 I know that it seems odd for a majestically bearded man such as myself to write a blog post about shaving, even more so the joy of shaving, but here we are - just another oddity in this crazy world.

I have been growing my beard for about 3 or 4 years now. I honestly cannot remember the last time that I trimmed it down before ultimately deciding to just let it grow and see what happens. And for a while whilst I was first bearded I still kept hair on my head doing the very opposite of what I said I would do when I noticed myself balding. I tried a few things to try to get the hair on top of my head to be thicker, including using shampoos and other things, but none of it seemed to work. I tried styling my hair in such a way that it wasn't as obvious that the top of my head had considerably thinner hair than the sides of my head, but that didn't work as I was low on money and did not have the opportunity to go get my hair styled very often otherwise.
 
So I started to do what many men who have gone bald before me have done, and what I swore to do when I noticed myself starting to bald - shave my head.

At first, I used an electric razor as it was the quickest way to shave and get out the door. However, this method left a lot of stubble, and by the end of the day it didn't even look like I had shaved at all to begin with.
Then, I started using a disposable razor to shave my head every other day, and the electric razor on the other days. This still left a lot of stubble at the end of the day, but the disposable razors appeared to do a better job.

Another issue with the disposable razors is that I have this bump on the back of my head that I would knick almost every time, and because it was an open wound on my head, I would bleed like the dickens.
When I moved this last time, I picked up a cheap straight razor and strop. And when I say cheap, I mean very cheap. It didn't seem to matter how much I lay that razor on the strop, the thing did not want to give a good shave.

So, I ordered a decent safety razor set from Amazon. This set not only included the aforementioned safety razor, but a new cup and brush (mine had seen better days), as well as some pre-shave oil and non-alcoholic aftershave.

Having never used an old school safety razor before, I looked up various articles on the proper shaving methods and quickly got to work slicing my head open until I got the hang of shaving with this wonderful device. And fellows, let me tell you that if you are interested in the slightest about shaving like your grandfather there are plenty of howto articles on the subject.

Using a safety razor was giving me the closest shave I had ever had! No more 5 o'clock shadow on my head by lunchtime! But it wasn't long before I was making yet another change.

When visiting a local tobacconist, I saw a straight razor that took the disposable safety razors - this means no need for stropping, and also lower upfront costs. A good straight razor can cost a lot of money upfront, but they do last a good while - like a lifetime or more if you take care of it. What I have will probably last a good long time as well, however I'm not expecting to be able to pass on this razor to my grandkids or anything.

Shaving with this new straight razor was amazing! So were the knicks I got learning yet again a new way to shave. But I have been getting even better, closer shaves than ever before. And the control I have is also amazing; I can get around my ears, along my jawline and neck to clean up my beard with amazing accuracy, and shape my beard the way I want it on my face. The stubble I have the next day is barely enough for my electric razor to cut.

The only real issue I had is how long it took to get a proper shave with the safety and straight razors. It is a bit time-consuming because you basically shave three times each if you want that majestic close shave feeling; once with the grain, once along the grain, and then once against the grain - or down, to the side, and up. Shaving this way means that between each shave you have to stop and lather up again to prevent razor burn and knicks. I still shave this way when I have time.

The least time-consuming way that I have found to shave my head is to use my electric razor first. Typically I put a bit of oil on my head and face/neck area I'm going to shave as I exit the shower (and it is important to shave after a shower because the hot water helps to soften the hair) and let that set in a bit. Then I use my electric razor, making sure to get an even shave all over my head. After that, I lather up with my shave soap of choice and my brush, and then I shave against the grain with my straight razor.

I get the same results doing the above method as when I do what I call a proper shave - a nice, close shave.

You might be thinking, big deal, I get a close shave using my Mach 87 razor with 1,000,000,000 blades. And my reply to you is that, no you do not - or at least not as close of a shave as you can be getting.

I used to use those triple and quadruple blades when I was shaving my face and even when I started shaving my head. I always had a 5 o'clock shadow by lunchtime in both places. I even used the triple shave method (with, along, against) on both my face and later my head with the same result - a lunchtime shadow. Also, a really bad amount of razor burn.

You just cannot get the same close shave with those multi razors as you can get with a single razor.

And also, the costs end up being cheaper - by which I mean more economically friendly to your wallet.

A pack of 4 of Gillette's Fusion razor heads is currently running on Amazon for $14.49. If you're changing your heads every week as you should be, then that pack of 4 will last you a month. A 50 count of safety razor blades from the same company that I purchased my safety razor from is running for $9.88 on Amazon. If I'm changing my razors every week as I should be (and I do, fewer knicks and less razor burn) that will last me almost a full year. So in one year, a person buying the Gillette Fusion will spend roughly $173.88 on razors, and I'll have spent about $20 (counting getting another 50 count pack to get me through the last two weeks of the year and then into the next year).

If you add getting the razor handle you are looking closer to $200 that first year - the handle and 4 heads can run from $20 up depending on where you can get the best deal. Whereas if we include the "luxury" safety razor kit I purchased for $59.88, and the straight razor I also bought for around $25 then I spent about $104 dollars.

Big deal, you say again, I spent about $100 more than you. Correct, because my upfront costs were larger. But after this initial year, I'll be spending $20 on razors a year, and you'll still be spending $173 on razors per year that aren't getting the job done and probably not as good for your face.

And this all ties in to how I found joy in my shaving experience. I found the closest shave I've ever had that leaves my head feeling great! And I found a way to save money year after year. Not to mention that the whole process is very therapeutic - something about using that brush to lather up, and then dragging what the TSA (and certain demon barbers) consider to be a weapon across my head and neck, and the aftercare of using witch hazel to close my pores and then an aftershave balm to soothe the head and face just puts me in a good mood and starts my morning right.