Thread: What's your favourite aspect of shaving?

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?

The concentration and relaxation of a nice long shave. Almost meditation. Feel better aafterwards.

A delicate one pass BBS shave with a freshly JNat-finished razor.

-john

Getting Done

Face lathering with a big badger brush.

Lathering. Lathering. Shaving is great. Honing is relaxing lathering with a badger silvertip that is fantastic

Second place goes to a luxurious face-lathering with a well-broken large boar brush. But first place goes to applying a soothing no-alcohol balm to a smooth, freshly cold-water-rinsed face and neck.

Learning something new. Every time I prep and shave, I learn something....sometimes big, sometimes very minor...sometimes it is by making a mistake, sometimes by trying something new, maybe by accident, and finding it works better. But it's the learning (including on the forum) that I enjoy the most.

I enjoy the entire process. Buying the razor (vintage, in poor but restorable condition), honing, stropping, loading the brush, washing my face with a face friendly soap, determining whether I want a pre-shave oil, lathering my face and then..........taking my time enjoying the glorious experience of shaving my face with a straight razor. It's such a wonderful experience, I'm surprised the Government doesn't tax it.

It's the honing.

I love the honing!

Shaving is great but it's mainly something that needs to be done to justify the honing!