Thread: What have I gotten myself into?!!

I have for many years sported a beard. I am not for or against them but just hated shaving! At age 62 I finally realized their must be a better way of removing facial hair then just taking a couple of swipes with a Bic throw-away once or twice a week. I was puttering around on YouTube and saw someone explaining the virtues of shaving with a DE. Being the curious type I researched it a little and thought this would be something to try. Little did I realize... anyway I bought a nice Edwin Jagger razor and an assortment of blades and actually began to look forward to what had become a shaving ritual! I should have known something was up when I noticed there was now a second razor in the cabinet and the container of shaving soap grew to two, then three, then four, etc...

Waking one mourning the thought of shaving with a straight razor was on my mind. I tried to shake it but the more I shook the more it grew!! Now, you have to remember I just started with the first DE about four weeks previous and now I have a shavette in my hand brandishing it like a Samurai sword! The next evening with my shavette in one hand and a brand new styptic pencil in the other I preceded on to my second shave with the thing (the shavette that is). About two weeks later, and several shaves with the DE while my face healed, I found a new Dovo Shavette in my hand! This was followed by a few more shaves with the DE.

Up until this time I had never heard of SAD, or RAD, or HAD or... the list goes on. Now I find out I have these maladies and there seems to be no cure! I woke up this morning in a panic realizing there was a real straight razor on its way and I came home this evening after work to find a strop and two more containers of shaving soap/cream!!! I have even caught myself playing in the soap and practicing building lather!! What have I gotten myself into?!

My mind is now cluttered with things like hones, and lapping, and stropping compounds, and the virtues of horse hide over cow leather, and Russian leather vs English leather... MY MIND IS A MESS!! WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?!!

My wife is in rehab, at the moment, after having two knees replaced but what is going to happen when she gets home and finds out the truth?? If she gets home before the new razor gets here and I don't get a chance to hide it, I will be in big trouble and am afraid I will not be the first one to use it!

Can someone help me?? What have I gotten myself into??


Jim

I think it's best if you don't know what you've started. Just hide your head in the sand & pretend nothing is happening. Then you can suddenly wake up one day proud of your awesome & borderline obsessive collection of shaving implements/accessories!

Gawd! You've got it! It will be OK!

Jim,

I am so sorry. No, we cannot help you. The ADs, the anxious mailbox-watching, the inexplicably long times in the bathroom, the unprecedented obsessions with minutiae, the strange new passions for shiny sharp things and rectangular abrasive things and floppy stroppy things, these are your life now. It is an irreversible curse. The first inkling of curiosity, the first swipe of the badger brush, and you were a lost soul. And you must feed all these new addictions, because of course you cannot go without for so long that your hands shake!

At least you have found us, your bretheren.

We can help you with all the shaving-related stuff, of course, evaluating new blades for purchase, recommending nice soaps or good strops or any other sort of mechanical/logistical stuff. But the social and marital ramifications are all you, man!

Welcome, condolences, congratulations, etc.

Where do you live? There may be a support group we can hook you up with. We tend to avoid the agencies; nobody understands, as you can well imagine.

I hope your wife recovers comfortably and in a place out of view of your new passion.

What kind of straight razor are you waiting on?

We're here for you. And we like pictures of razors.

Sorry to say this is an incurable obsession. My wife has started looking on line for a 12 step program to cure me on my affliction. What started out as curiosity has now become a full fledged obsession for me. First it was just one more, now I wonder where I will stop. The straight razors, DE razors, soaps, sticks, and aftershave, all mount up. I suggested we add another room, and she asked: what will happen when that get full. Like other addictions the first step is admitting to your wife you have a problem. After the initial yelling and screaming, ask her if she wants to kiss a bearded cheek or a smooth nice smelling cheek, that should bring her around. Or you can do like I do and deny, deny, deny.

the original post was hilarious... my GF was gone today when i received another shipment of soap haha

Congratulations, Jim and welcome.
I congratulate you for taking the first step - admitting that you have addictions.
Unfortunately there is no cure, however, you have found the support group.
One advantage of your wife being in rehab is that she probably won't be able to chase you tooo far when she gets home....
Glad to have you on board

It won't be long till you're at the post office getting a po box. I'm lucky to have family close by that I can quickly change the ship to address though my mail lady is usually good about placing boxes to me inside the grill

Welcome!

Well......should it get too bad and you decide to do something rash like leave town to go into hiding..........don't forget to pack a good razor and brush.........and soap and aftershave and....................................

Congratulations Jim and welcome to the club!
Don't worry about anything and just enjoy great shaves. It started like that for everyone of us. Look at me: I just wanted to try my father's old double edge razor (also because of sentimental reasons) and now I am a chronic straight razor collector/restorer.
I don't complain: I love it and I think to all those guys out there who still use a disposable plastic thing, even worse an electric shaver. They do not really know what they're missing!!! :-)

Enjoy and enjoy every small aspect of this noble art. Long live the Straight Razor!