Reflecting: How did we get here?
Since it is the first week in the new year i found myself reflecting back on many things including why i started wet shaving. Upon thinking of how and why i got started wetshaving i thought i would love to know what inspired my friends on SRP to start wet shaving too! Heres my story, start to finish. I hope to hear your story too! Happy New Year!
When i was a kid lets say 8-10 years of age i always wondere what it would be like to shave. I think all boys wonder this prior to the first time they actually need to shave and if many of you were like me as a kid i know i was getting in to shaving cream and wiping it off my face with my finger. When my fuzz started to turn to whiskers my father baught me a gillette disposable and put it in my christmas stocking with a can of barbasol. The next day after christmas i remember asking my dad to teach me how to shave. The 'talk' lasted all of 2 mins. My father sprayed some barbasol in his hand, took my hand and gave it to me and said "now out it on your face and take the razor and go at it untill the creams gone." "dont go at it too much or youll end up like swiss cheese." So i said thanks. shortly then after i grew a goatee, shaved about once a month and wore a goatee for the next 15 years.
During those 15 years of shaving with an old dull disposable my face hated the idea of having my whiskers removed in any fashion- except one.
*the barber*. when i would get a hair cut i would also get lined up in the back, i would also get a hot towel, hot lather a straight razor shave and some nice after shave. At that time i had never thought to shave with a straight razor. I would have gathered that such a thing would have been reserved for barber's use only. The beard growth continued to adorn my face.
One day, not even too long ago, i lost my job. I had been working at the same place for 8 years and i knew that i was about to be subject to finding another job and therfore interacting with the judging eye of john Q public. I knew i had to keep a good shave to go on interviews, and i had no more barbasol left. Being jobless i could not afford to go the barber and get shaven to get the clean look i was going after so i did what any other american man in his late 20's would do.... Go off to the drug store.
At the drug store i found the usual products, but one in particular caught my eye. It was a shaving brush next to a puck of williams mug shave soap. I figured what the heck, looks better then the stuff in a can! So i bought it, brought it home and tried to make a lather.
Now i didnt know this at the time, but i had no idea how to make a good lather, but i tried, and i let the mach3 with the old blade do its job. Now i cant say that this was a good shave, but it did stick out in my head. The shaving brush felt nice on my face and the shave soap was a nice change from the goop in a can. The next day my skjin was irratated as usual and then it occured to me..... If a barber can shave with a straight razor and people in the last century could shave with a straight razor than why cant I? So i looked in to straights. It was very expensive to get started but then i got to reading.
I found that Wetshaving is what i was yerning to do and that a DE can give a prettyy darm good shave over any old cartridge razor. So i picked on up with some blade and started to learn. What i learned is shaving prep, how to build a lather, how to NOT use so much pressure as you don need to and how the hair direction of growth on my face was an importent element of a great shave. Armed with a little bit of expieriance i splurged and baught a shave ready (thanks lynn) dovo 5/8 pearlex, strop and some srd soap. It had been more then a year and i now get supreme shaves. no irritation and bbs almost each and every time, thanks to forum and months, days and hours of lerking. i now have a bad case of RAD/SAD/BAD and do restorations, custom scales and brush resorations. I have also learned so much history on the sheffield blades i collect.
Sorry for the typos i just posted it wioth out proof reading. bc i have run out of time and my wife want me to do chore rather than sit on the lap top.
Happy new year!!!!
Reflecting: How did you get here?
Well, you see. My mum and my dad got together and had themselves a little fun, and nine months later the little miracle that is Mick was born. And the world became a better place for it. :)
Now to go back and read past the title of this thread.
Mick