Thread: What's your favourite aspect of shaving?

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

I love shaving. For me shaving has became an integral part of my life, a hobby and a bit of an obsession!
I enjoy every aspect from finding razors in antique stores, the anticipation of a bid on ebay, frustration and jubilation of honing to the smell of leather and stropping on that shell strop. To the quest for the perfect brush and the wonderful smell of bygone years in creams and aftershaves. But for me the magic is when I put my razor to my face and have that perfect shave. It doesn't happen every shave but when it does I am a very very happy man.
What is your beloved part of shaving?

Everything you just said

The ritual.

But, it also brings back fond memories of going to the barber as a kid with my Dad. And, the time the barber took the center out of my brothers hair, right down the middle, by being startled by a car crash in front of his building!

After shaving for years with dial hand soap I enjoy the many wonderful shave soaps out there and is my favorite part of the shave. I use a Daisy Cup Warmer for my lather bowl and get a nice hot scented lather that is simply luxurious. I just ordered 12 new soap flavors and should be here this week. bj

I like it all but, especially, the rapid "fwip-fwap" of steel on leather; that sound ties me to barbering of my childhood. I do like stropping.

The ritual. Aw man the ritual. I love it all. The biggest thing though is the connection. Feeling connected to something. The history behind every step you take in the process. The men who's footsteps you follow and the capsule of time surrounding them. Participating in something not bound by time. Everything in our world travels by time but this simple feeling doesn't. Just the simple feeling of being connected. A feeling so hard to explain but you'll know it easily when you feel it. The connection.

I thought I'd reopen this thread to hear newer members thoughts and wether those who've already posted opinions have changed.

Looking through the posts it's apparent that it is not simply about the shaving. The connection that is mentioned a few times is something I can identify with, the pull of being inextricably linked to the past, a centuries old tradition that has been past on from father to son, father to son. Indeed Rhensley touchenly posted that the simple aspect of his father teaching him how to shave with a straight razor and still using the same razor and brush his father used evokes powerful memories and again a connection with someone dear to him.

My opinion hasn't changed much in the last few years I still have the jubilation and frustration with honing, the meditative back and forth of stropping, creating the perfect lather and the squeegee shave with a piece of 150 year old Sheffield history or Japanese steel made by a master swordsmith with centuries old tradition. Finally the post shave scent, a very personal thing, my perfume of choice was created by William Penhaligon in 1872 for the Shah of Persia.

This simple task consumes us all in different ways, so in this many faceted hobby of ours what's your beloved aspect of shaving?...

Its an interesting thread. Varied things pull at varied folks. Reminds me of a thread from my DE days asking where do you spend your money — the brushes, the hardware or the soap, etc. It was the soaps for me.

My favorite aspect of SR shaving is playing with steel. I love the challenge of bring a 100 year old razor back to life, esp. the blade. And then being able to get a good shave with it!

Imagine being able to sharpen steel so fine you can slice hair with it — I can do that. Now, this sounds hokey to say on this site, because you are all tough masculine bastards. But I’d argue that there aren’t that many people in the world that can do it.

I am much less experienced than most of the veterans on SRP, but find it incredibly satisfying to bring a flea market rusty piece of metal back to the point at which I can get a really good shave with it.

It is wonderfully self-indulgent to spend 30-45 minutes just on myself prepping and shaving and then enjoying the facial feel after a close straight razor shave. After that, the rest of the day is quite easy to deal with.

Favorite aspect?

From a rational point of view, it should be the shave itself

but for me the favorite aspect after many years has been the collecting of razors for cheap and restoring them, I like my razors with character so restoring is mostly limiting to getting them functional rather than beautiful; pretty much like myself, although cleanly shaven I'm almost decent looking

Originally Posted by DZEC

I find it incredibly satisfying to bring a flea market rusty piece of metal back to the point at which I can get a really good shave with it.

Originally Posted by TristanLudlow

For me the favorite aspect after many years has been the collecting of razors for cheap and restoring them, I like my razors with character so restoring is mostly limiting to getting them functional rather than beautiful; pretty much like myself, although cleanly shaven I'm almost decent looking

Originally Posted by MrHouston

My favorite aspect of SR shaving is playing with steel. I love the challenge of bring a 100 year old razor back to life, esp. the blade. And then being able to get a good shave with it!

Imagine being able to sharpen steel so fine you can slice hair with it — I can do that. Now, this sounds hokey to say on this site, because you are all tough masculine bastards. But I’d argue that there aren’t that many people in the world that can do it.

Thank you.
Yes, "taking a rusty piece of junk" and giving it a new lease of life or honing a razor thats been sitting in a draw for over 100 years is a very rewarding experience. In this high tech, fast pace world we live in the simplistic act of honing a piece of metal to the point of shaving hair with it is not something many can nor want to do.