Has Your Outlook On Shaving Changed

I am wondering how many of you guys used to wake up in the morning and not look forward to the shave experience at all and now that you use a straight razor, can't grow enough beard because you look forward to shaving so much. I used to shave, shower and be out of the house in 30 minutes every day. I would start each day off at a really fast pace and it seemed like it stayed there. Once I went to the Straight and gave myself the extra 15 minutes, it's like therapy starting off every day in a much more relaxed mood. Lynn

For many years I was an electric razor guy constantly buying the latest and greatest. I don't think I would characterize shaving that way as an experience its just another chore to do every day. I agree that since going to a straight its is definately an enjoyable experience that I look forward to every day. It kind of makes for a positive attitude adjustment.

I just got back home after a vacation and though I took my straight gear with me the last two days I just was too rushed for time to use it so I used my son's electric and I really missed the usual routine on those two days.

I had to use a Mach3 recently due to time constraints. Yech! Nasty, not particularly close shave, just felt really unnatural. I love shaving with a straight razor now. The ritual, the experience, the overall focus that is required. It's really a Zen thing.

Shaving used to be like brushing my teeth. Just a "chore" . No pleasure, no reward.

Now I take my time during a shave. I focus on the ritual, experiment with something new once in a while, new soap, new strop, new razor. Stretch my skin a little better, use a face cream at a different stage of the prep process. etc. The shave is now something to look forward to, a pleasent part of my day!

The experience of using a straight razor has, somehow, someway, made me feel more a part of the men in my family. They all used straights at some time during their life and now thats what I am doing. I am just like them now.

The other change I have noted is that shaving with a str8 is a very masculine activity.
Women simply do not do this. It has defined me as a male, a man, with no gender bending possible. Ya, I know, that third eye with a pea brian is male defining but this str8 shaving is just about as definite. :)

Perhaps someday I will shave as well as I hone but I can say that I am glad I started this.

Thanks all you guys for all the help,

I can't wait till morning so I can shave particularly on the weekends where there is no pressure to get out of the house. Then I bring out the good stuff and take my time and enjoy every minute of it. What a wonderful experience when it all comes together in a perfect shave. It is like hitting the perfect golf shot. Nothing like it.

jmsbcknr

One aspect not touched on yet here is money. I hate spending 10 bucks for four disposable Mach 3 blades. I would think about that every time I would chunk a blade into the trash can. What a waste of money.

But now that I use a straight, I think I am actually (looking around for wife) spending MORE money! I mean, there are soooo many soaps to try, will that strop do better than the one I currently have, I promise my high bid on this ebay razor will only be 25 dollars, I still need a badger brush, and don't get me started on mugs, etc. etc.

The difference is the level of ENJOYMENT that is received living the straight-razor life. Each piece of equipment is a joy to handle and use. Taking care of and working on razors is like working on a classic car: anything and everything you put into it gives you happiness as you do it, then again when you use it. Straights are a hobby that keeps on giving.

Now, I seem to be OK nickel and diming my way in the world of straights but I do drool over the Maesto's custom blades. But, as long as we are on the topic of money, my wife would expect me to not only shave with one of those beauties, but to cut the grass, trim the hedges, and give myself haircuts with it. On the other hand, can she really tell the difference between a 2 dollar ebay special and a thousand dollar custom? I don't think so, hehehe. (But she can add and does keep track of the bank statements. Doh!)

showme, poor poor showme

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Originally Posted by adjustme69

I am wondering how many of you guys used to wake up in the morning and not look forward to the shave experience at all and now that you use a straight razor, can't grow enough beard because you look forward to shaving so much. I used to shave, shower and be out of the house in 30 minutes every day. I would start each day off at a really fast pace and it seemed like it stayed there. Once I went to the Straight and gave myself the extra 15 minutes, it's like therapy starting off every day in a much more relaxed mood. Lynn

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I must agree. I felt this way when I began wetshaving in general, with a M3P and fine english creams and a good badger brush. Once I started with a str8 last month, I got the bug. There is just something so relaxing and nostalgic about using a straight. It is a ritual I look forward to every single day...

I was like you Lynn, my bathroom routine was just a hoop to jump through. My shaving routine has expanded to so much more.

To start, I went and bought some real nice bath soap at Caswell Massey. I like this stuff that JFK used. So by the time I get out of the shower and start my shaving routine I'm already in the zone. I've been gathering up a nice little stash of creams, oils, balms and aftershaves so I try something different every morning. The concentration of shaving and the sensory enjoyment of the task leaves me feeling calm and confident.

I also notice that I have been putting alot more effort into the way I dress as well. Hell, I even bought a new car acouple of weeks ago and it smells like Pinaud Clubman already!

The other thing I like about this is belonging to this group. It has some great comraderie and advice. Thanks to you gentlemen that have been so instrumental in showing us the way.

I used to shave every other day. Routine was to wake up, drink my coffee, slap some cream on my face and rake it with a dull mach III. Give it a rinse and out the door with most of the stubble mown down on my "shave days" and, of course, never shaved on weekends getting enough of that three days during the week.

Well, now I've go to find more places to keep all the danged razors that keep showing up at my house. I've got great shavers and so-so shavers. I've got frame-backs, wedges, oblique points and spikes. I've got scales of ivory, aluminum, bone, tortoise shell, bakelite, horn, celluloid and Lord only knows what else.

I have a hard time deciding each day which razors to use. I always take two or three with me, strop them before each use, put the best aside and put the other two back for another pass on the hones.

I've got a number of brushes including my favorite Simpson, 5 hanging strops, two paddle strops, 2 diamond pasted strops, about a half dozen barber hones, ceramic hones, Chinese Weststones, waterstones and maintenace stuff from Flitz to Fabulustre.

I've replaced handles and restored some old razors to beautiful classic shavers that practically melt the hair off my face.

I've got a number of aftershaves, Taylor of Old Bond's Soap, Classic Shaving Soap, Vulfix Lavender cream (ooooh yeaaaaah), surrey, Williams and assorted other odds and ends.

And yes, I look forward to my time each morning getting ready for the day and restoring my face to a softness and smoothness I haven't felt since Junior High School but without the acne. I feel awake, envirograted and ready to start each day properly. And no one wants to barge into the bathroom on a guy with a big Wade and Butcher Meat Chopper in his hand. :)

Life is good.

I shaved for almost a year with nothing other than a straight, and a DE 5-6 months prior to that. When using the straight, I enjoy the experiences that the rest of you have already mentioned. A few weeks ago I overslept and had 25 minutes to get out the door, so I had to use my old Mach3 (I put a new cartridge in it) and Nivea gel... both of which had been gathering dust all this time. I was disappointed that I actually got a really good shave from this. Nothing beats the closeness of a straight shave, but I was shocked at how good my face felt after using the M3... blasphemous, I know.

regretably,
Andrew

So far, I seem to be the only guy who was an experienced DE shaver before using a str8. I started with a Gillete adjustable when they were still being sold commercially and have used every system since.

I received a Merkur Futur as a gift 40 years ago and have used it on and off since. I also had a str8 about 20 years ago but never really was able to use it, and I never really got started. I even tried brush shaving for a while, but it seemed like too much trouble. For at least the last 10 years I've been shaving with the Futur and disposables using commercial gel. I was pretty good at wetshaving, so it was a bit of a chore but not a drudgery, and it was definitely not uncomfortable. I was getting decent and fairly comfortable shaves.

Early this year I discovered the wetshaving sites which led me to a Vision, a Kent brush and all the fine shaving products. At that point, shaving became a pleasureable experienece I looked forward to it, just like Lynn explained. So, my major change of attitude about shaving happened before I started using str8s.

I discovered this site about three months ago and quickly decided to make a serious attempt at str8 shaving. It took about a month for me to start getting good shaves with a str8. Now I do most of my shaving with str8s, although I cycle in my Vision and a Merkur slant, and once in a while my old Futur. The str8s offer the best shave, except for the slant using Feather blades.

As far as str8s go, I now have at least 20, and I've finally learned to maintain them reliably. Although I get mezmerized by some of the great English creams, my greatest pleasure comes not just from shaving but from using an antique and work of art that has seen more history than me and feeling a part of it. Some of these razors are amazingly beautiful, and I just enjoy looking at them.

I had thought about the monetary savings of str8 vs. Mach3. Unfortunately, the razor-holics anonymous 12 step program isn't working for me. I've spent way more in the past year on str8's than on Gillette crap. That being said, I am getting a better shave, I have a nice 4-5 razor rotation, plus two that I'm working on restoring. I enjoy shaving, as compared to it being a chore.

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Originally Posted by sensei_kyle

monetary savings of str8 vs. Mach3.

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But will those Mach3's be usable by your grandson? Can you sell those disposable blades if you want to? Even the unused ones? The dollar sign isn't the only mark of value.

Being a new guy (shave number 9 comming up today) I'm actually eager for the wisker growth to get to where I can shave again. I'm starting to get better shaves which means waiting even longer till the next one.

I also like having controll over the sharpness and sanity of the blade. With a few good blades at my command, I'll never have to rush out to the drug mart because I have a job interview or an audition.

I used electrics up until I found this forum and it reminded me of the only shave that I could actually recall clearly: a classic barbershop shave with hot towels and the whole works. Now I've gotten competent with my str8s, there's no going back. I can't wait to shave tomorrow morning with the Filarmonica 7/8 and my new SMF brush that Fedex delivered today. Now I have the pleasure of deciding which cream to use with it for it's first outing. Come on, beard, GROW!




Wayne

Thanks to the great work by Lynn and the more experienced forum members, I went right from a Gillette "Good News" disposable to a 7/8 TI that I honed and stropped myself. It took a long weekend to get one good shave but I didn't touch my disposable razor after the first good pass with the TI!

Straight razors rock. Sometimes, the old ways are best. Now I start the day 20 minutes earlier but by 8:00 am I'm much more relaxed and ready for the day. Straight razor shaving is like a combination of Zen meditation and aromatherapy, except you get to play with sharp tools too!

Kevin

Kevin, you summed it up perfectly with the 'Zen and aromatherapy' remark. That's str8 shaving in a nutshell. Umm, a great blade, cream, and brush, what more can a guy ask for?




Wayne