A Close Shave

I’ve never been a fan of shaving.  I think I’ve been doing it since the age of twelve, but it may have been a little later than that.  I always hated it.  Even now, if it looks like I won’t need to care about my appearance the next day, I won’t shave.  I’m also one of those fully grown adult males that can get away with not shaving every single day.  By the end of the second day, I look like many men do after only one day’s facial growth.  And to make things even worse, my skin really doesn’t like razors.  If I do an every day shave, my skin bleeds, gets red, gets full of puss and hurts like hell for several days after.  Even if I use an electric razor.  So I usually don’t shave every day.  Because of how my face reacts to shaving, I’ve got permanent razor burn on my neck, my chin is always red and full of dried, flaky skin, and I occasionally have shaving burn marks going around various places on my face.  I’ve tried growing a beard and facial hair.  It is something a person in sales can get away with now that they couldn’t do even fifteen years ago.  But it interferes with my trombone playing, so that’s out too.  I don’t know how many other male adults have this problem, but shaving has been a horrible experience for me.

Like many people, I started out on an electric razor when I was a child and I graduated to a blade.  Over time, I tried different razors, buying into the marketing hype that my real problem is I’m either using the wrong brand of blade, or not enough of them.  I mean, just look at this commercial.  How can you possibly have a shaving problem when there’s a solution like this around:

Or this one:

And then, of course, there’s this one:

Yeah.  Right.  So here’s the thing.  To me, it’s all total, complete, utter bullshit.  I got just as close a shave with a 30 cent disposable Bic shave as I got with a $40 Gillette Fusion razor or my $80 Norelco electric which I take on trips with me.  The results: one or two patches that never seem to get shaved completely and a red, tender face for three days after the shave.   If I shave every other day, I still had to give my face a three day break at some point during the week because my face just can’t take it.  Even with an electric.  And before you ask: I have the same problem with a fresh blade as I do with a used blade in both the electric and the manual razors.  The freshness of the blade ain’t the problem, people.

A couple of years ago, I was at a company convention in Las Vegas when I chanced upon an outlet store by one of the casinos called The Art of Shaving.  I was a little intrigued, so I went in and spoke to them for a few minutes.  The end result: they insisted it wasn’t the razor so much as it was what I was using on my face.  They suggested (here’s the big surprise) I try their pre-shave, shave cream, and after shave.  I thought it was a little on the pricy side, but I decided that if it would end my torture, it was worth a little money.  So I tried it.  And they were right, partially.  Basically it doesn’t matter which regular blade I use, with The Art of Shaving supplies, my face is a little less bloody.  Although if I use a Gillette Fusion along with it, the pain during the shave is also gone, but my face still hurts like hell for several days after the shave and is still very, very red.  I swear, sometimes it looks like I’ve got Scarlet Fever after shaving.  The Art of Shaving products haven’t helped there.  Although a huge kudos for them developing a real after-shave that does soothe and moisturize.  Again, didn’t solve the problem but it bought me a little comfort.

So I go on, for a couple more years using the Gillette Fusion razor and The Art of Shaving supplies; dreading each shave and looking forward to whenever I don’t actually need to beautify myself for the public [insert joke here].  And then about a month ago, I don’t remember how I first came across it, but I came across a support forum for people who shave with a straight razor.  The forum is called StraightRazorPlace.  For those of you who don’t know what a straight razor is, here is a picture:

An example of a straight razor

Yeah.  That thing you saw men shaving with in the old movies.  The thing barbers used to shave with.  That thing that gangsters used to slit their victims throats with.  That’s a straight razor.

So I started reading up on these things.  Apparently, I’m not the only one who has problems with bloody faces, razor burn, pain in the face, and constant redness from the so-called “safety-razors” on the market today.  Reading a little further into this, I learned why razors are what they are today.  Apparently, Mr. Gillette discovered he could make more money if he sold a razor that requires blades that wear down and can be thrown away.  People then have to buy new blades.  He marketed it as fast and cheap to replace (not mentioning the amount of markup he made on each blade).  And you know the American mentality: if it is faster and cheaper, WE WANT IT!  And so the current razor industry was born, along with the problems I mentioned with shaving.

Here’s what I discovered about the old straight razors: One razor, if properly maintained, might be the only razor you ever own – no need to replace it (which is why Mr. Gillette came up with an alternative business model).  You must be careful with it, since it is a single, unaltered, actual razor blade.  You must develop a new skill set to use it or you’ll come out of your shave with a really bad cut.  It takes MUCH LONGER to shave, including multiple passes.  And the blade must be maintained to keep from going dull.  That means you must strop before each shave, and you must hone it yourself or have someone else do it every few months to keep it “shave-ready.”

But I’ve heard this song before, and I wasn’t impressed.  Everyone says their system will end my suffering and I’ll finally have a good shave.  I didn’t believe this was any better.  But, it couldn’t be worse, so I decided to study and try it out.  Normally, a straight razor costs well over $100.  I didn’t feel like blowing $100 on a razor that might not solve any of my shaving problems, so I did a little research and found an alternative.  The founder of the Straightrazorplace forums own his own shaving supply store and sells straight razors that takes disposable blades.  By the way, when I say disposable blades, I am referring to a disposable blade that you can purchase in any hardware store.  His site is called Straight Razor Designs.  I haven’t been there yet, but he’s only about 50 miles from where I live.  It really is a small world!  The “trial” razor I got is called the Shavette by Dovo.  I spent about 2 weeks studying technique before I worked up the courage to scrape a razor blade against my face.

But I finally did it.  And you know something: it actually worked.  Yes, I cut myself (including a couple that I think were rather deep) and I started off with a  bloody mess for a face after the first few shaves.  But on the other hand: my neck, which has always been red and pockmarked from razor burn is no longer red.  It cleared up.  My chin, which is also not only red but constantly shedding dead skin is also clearing up, or at least it’s better than it was.  My face hurts like hell for a couple hours after the shave but then no longer hurts.  And–this is the best part–as my facial hair grows back, it is coming back lighter and softer.  By the end of the second day after a shave, I don’t need to shave!  I could actually wait until day three.  Because the results are so much better, I actually enjoy shaving for the first time in my life.  After I finish up these disposable razor blades I got, I’ll actually look to invest in a real straight razor and a strop.

As I said, there’s still some pain, but the amount of blood (except for a couple deep cuts during my learning period) is actually no worse for me than I have with a safety razor.  To me, after I shave, I always look like I went three rounds wrestling a cat.  This is no different.  And I’m still learning how to give myself something more consistent than a half-assed shave, but the skills are coming.

So, if you’re a disgruntled shaver like me, check out the Straightrazorplace forums.  And then, if you’re looking for some supplies, check out the forum founder’s shop: Straight Razor Designs.  If you want some very good (albeit expensive) shaving cream, pre-shave oil, and after shave that won’t burn like your balls are on fire, check out The Art of Shaving after shave balm.

If you’re curious about the proper technique for straight razor shaving, here’s a 2-part video of a good demonstration.  I hope your experiences with it are as good as mine have been.  Sometimes, the older methods are better.  In this case, technology has actually made my life worse.  I didn’t know it until I tried an older method.  This might be your solution too.

Part One:

Part Two:

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