Thread: New and not afraid to get knicked

Hello,

I'm a recent UofT grad living in Toronto and I registered with SRP earlier this year, when I bought my first blade off of one of the members. I also bought a decent strop and badger hair brush on line from Fendrihan. I've been practicing alot, spending--I kid you not--an hour shaving in my first attempts. I have been getting better though, which I find comes from gaining confidence (I do need to sharpen my razor though). Even with my poor technique it feels better than any other shave I've had--probably due to the ritual and the calm it generates. Straight razor shaving is like meditation almost, forcing me to slow down and focus on something private and simple.

All in all, I'm glad this place exists. It is sad that no one in my family can pass this knowledge on to me (I blame WWII and communism); in a way, this place is helping me salvage a sence of my grooming heritage--the things my father would have learned from his father, which I would learn from him.

Thank you for maintaining this site. I am sure to have many questions.

-Oliver

It is sad that no one in my family can pass this knowledge on to me (I blame WWII and communism); in a way, this place is helping me salvage a sence of my grooming heritage--the things my father would have learned from his father, which I would learn from him.

More likely, blame Gillette and Shick !!!!

Charles

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

More likely, blame Gillette and Shick !!!!

Charles

That's who I blame for my dad not teaching me the right way to shave. I laugh to myself every time a see a Gillette comercial, "the best a man can get," what a bunch of crap. It has been through the unending support and encouragement from SRP that now I enjoy the daily ritual of shaving.

enjoy the hour long shaves while you can before too long you'll start doing two passes just to stretch it out then when you get quick enough at that you'll start thinking about doing three because it just doesnt feel like you shaved long enough to have really done a good job at it.

Welcome Oliver. Read my sig below and you might avoid any nicks.

Gillette did a mass marketing scam.

Most would go to the Barber to get a good shave, having their own Straight razor, strop, soaps, aftershaves, was not a common man thing.

Gillette gave the razors away, and then sold you the blades that go in them. You got a deal, and really didn't need much training to use it. The gals were happy as you could shave every morning.

I still don't see Straight Razors replacing all the mass marketing I see out there, and not everyone will take the effort to learn SR. But there is a solid nitch happening.

It is kind of depressing how much marketing has crapified everything. You don't even have to stop at proper grooming. Think shoes and clothing: There's a neverending marketing campaign to convince people that ready-made, disposible items are the proper way to dress (or groom for that matter) and are in some way more of a value. They change the style every year so that you throw out what you just bought and buy the new items so you will be 'in style' for the current year. This is like the Mach 2, 3, 4 ... editions that come out periodically. I would love a few well-made bespoke shoes, classical tailored clothing, a straight razor and a strop and the ability to employ them all with assurance and pride. All in all, I'm sick of being stuck in a cycle of consumption and disposal.

I've learned through much reading how things were, how things used to be done properly, and how it is an investment and assumption of responsibility to care for well-made, sometimes bank-bending items. I never had this conception before--I always just went with the flow. Teaching myself to shave properly is one step into reclaiming that lost heritage of manliness (as funny as that sounds) that has been marketed out of me. I like having to tend to the sharpness of my straight razor, and lathering properly, and stroping properly, and all that goes into a good shave. I like assuming the consequences of my poor maintenance and learning that lesson by wearing a tiny scar on my cheek. With time I know they'll go away, especially with such helpful advice as I'm getting here, but I figure intelligent risk and responsibility makes the man. I'm in my late twenties learning things I should have learning in my early teens. This is humbling to say the least.

Thank you all for help and inspiration!

Hey LiverO,

Well you've got all the right attitudes. It's a battle out there in the marketplace, but the SRP is a great refuge. Welcome home.

You might enjoy a book Susan Faludi wrote about 10 years ago. It's called _Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Male_. It's more a very large piece of journalism than a book, and it's about different generations of men dealing with promises implied by their societies, economies, or employers--but broken. Overall, it's about the "lost heritage of manliness" you so aptly mention. There's a great chapter about marketing, too.

Yeah, marketing and disposability was Gilette's schtick. He's to blame. I don't know if there's anyone in SRP who was lucky enough to learn from a parent or grandparent. It seems like we're all resurrecting this fine old technology together. And therein lies the adventure.

In shared ritual,
Roughkype