Thread: My Top 10 Shaving Videos on YouTube (with write-ups)

Oh lord, I feel like I should apologize already. When I first thought up the idea of this list years ago, I wanted to include at least one proper demonstration of a shaving brush, shaving soap/cream, and the tandem’s ability to whip up lather simply incomparable to the foams and gels of today. However, most of YouTube’s “proper” lather videos (and you’ll be amazed how many there are) just didn’t cut it for me. They were either too long, too drab, or starred creepos who I feared would leap through the screen and start making weird sounds at the family parakeet. And so… I had to settle with this.

Superlather in seconds! This is a very aptly named video in which the guy does everything in the book to create lather as quickly as possible. And does it all wrong. He showcases the brush, caressing the bristles as one would the hair of an impassioned lover. Not weird at all. He then dips the brush in a bowl of water and rinses out the excess… in another glass. Now hey, that’s fine; you’re supposed to shake out the excess, but why do it another glass? And then why LABEL that glass as “glass”? He’s using shaving cream. I prefer soap, but to each his own. However, he squeezes the cream directly on top of the brush, a practice I have never seen done before (it should be squeezed into the bowl). This maneuver backfires in spectacular fashion, as the cream hilariously falls off the brush as soon as the guy tries to do two things at once. He labels this mishap as “oops.” He then collects the cream with the same undeniable embarrassment in his soul as a father who has to speak to his son’s class about his career as an auditor right after Billy’s astronaut dad just talked.

And then, he starts to make lather. With all the gusto and disregard for civility of a heavyset woman who just found the fried shrimp at a seafood buffet… he starts to make lather. He is a machine, dripping and slipping everywhere. There is no method to his madness. His only goal – for SOME reason – is speed. And he is fast. The video ends with him showing off the lather on his hand and then setting the brash on its handle only for it to immediately fall down.

This vid must be a joke. There’s just no other possibility, and to its credit, it works. It’s just so damn ridiculous that I can’t help but laugh. That said, however, I sincerely do recommend shaving brushes and soaps/creams to anyone here who manually shaves. Brushes can be shockingly expensive, but you can get a perfectly decent one at Amazon for like $15. Basic soaps can be found in drug stores for like $2. It may take more time than your Gillette gels and Aerosol cans (unless you’re the dude in the video), but the difference in quality and experience is worth it. A proper lather done right is just better – thicker, richer, awesomer. Also, there’s a wonderful zen-like calmness you get (or at least I get) when taking the minute or two to build yourself a great lather. Spend a few bucks and try it. It’s good stuff.