Thread: Love At First Shave

Ladies and gentlemen:

Something extraordinary happens with the first straight razor shave. For some, the act turns into an instant love affair. It was for me.

Christopher Marlowe said in his poem Hero and Leander: “Who ever loved, that loved not at first sight?” Marlowe was not talking about straight razor shaving, of course, but what counts is that the truth of his remark well applies to straight razor shaving.

That first wet shave with the straight razor, despite a racing heartbeat, and a nick or two, becomes a reminder, a permanent stamp, of how enjoyable a daily activity that most men disdain can be. “You really like shaving?” “I love shaving.” What a difference in views. Jane Austen said in Emma: “One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”

Suddenly we cannot wait until morning comes and once again we strop a razor and wield the blade with the mastery of Cyrano de Bergerac. It’s a time of day when the world stops for a few minutes, and when nothing matters but a good shave.

What helps turn that morning love affair into a colorful ritual, with all its individualized idiosyncrasies, is the skill and the creativity pumped into whipping up a rich lather with brush and soap or cream, and then lowering the curtain after the last act with a touch of a favorite aftershave.

Like fingerprints, no two shavers are alike in their method, technique and ritual. What’s best for one is no guarantee of the same for another. Give one a 6/8” quarter hollow and another a full hollow, one a 5/8” and another a 7/8”, a Thiers-Issard for one and a Wacker for another, a Dovo here and a Boker there.

For this one, nothing beats a dense puck of Mitchell’s Wool Fat, and for the other, try to match a dense puck of Tabac. Castle Forbes or Trumper’s, Truefitt & Hill’s or Taylor of Old Bond Street’s? With the grain, across it or against it? To each his own.

The ritual fields a cast of dueling gentlemen where no one looks to settle score or take satisfaction, and where everyone’s choice is the best choice for him without dispute. Take a gentleman’s bow and smoke a cigar. The shave is what matters: that extraordinary feeling of a sharp blade skating across a carpet of rich and fragrant lather.

This complex love affair with the straight razor and a wet shave, with all its personal obsessions, reminds me of what Pierre Corneille wrote in his play Le Cid. The play was based on the legend of the Spanish hero El Cid (Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, 1026-1099), who led the Spaniards against King Boadbill’s invading Moors.

Corneille said: “Love is a tyrant sparing none.”


Regards,
Obie

Well said.

Obie, my friend, your mastery of the written word is an impressive sight. Your post makes me look forward to today's shave with even more anticipation!

Warm regards,

Larry

Obie, that sounds like my story as well, and kudos to you for explaining it so well. Unfortunately it seems for every "love at first shave story" there's three "what's wrong? My razor is pulling like mad and my face looks like hamburger" tales as well. For their sake I wish every newbie's first shave went as well as mine. Alas, it is not always meant to be.

Regards,

Ryan

Obie, You are truly a wordsmith.....

Obie - I have only one repost - brilliant!

obie, i hope everyone on the srp takes the time to read your post,i enjoyed it very much.

Obie,

What a wonderful post. It is truly a joy to read your post.

Lu

Obie,

Brilliant, as usual! If I only had a fraction of your talent my dear friend...

Greg

Hi Obie,

A great post as always, and a real joy to read! Its definately true for me that straight razor shaving has turned what was a daily chore into something I look forward to. I start the day in a totally different frame of mind when I get to enjoy a proper shave, I must admit!

Thank you for writing!

All the best,

Stuart