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I have been shaving for easily 55 years. I am a lazy shaver, usually replacing the blade after its time.
I am still struck, as if anew, after all this time, by how much easier it is to shave with a fresh blade. Hmmmm... maybe I should replace the blade more often.... hmmmm.
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04-12-2024 08:37 AM
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Switch to straight razors and you can have a new blade every day. A few strokes on the hone or strop and voila! new blade!
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Having had a beard for most of the last 40 years, I am not the one to ask about shaving details. Though I do shave my neck almost daily.
I have a Gillette Fusion that vibrates, and I replace the blades when I notice it irritating my neck. Those things last forever. Good thing, cause each blade is several bucks.
I have a buddy who collects vintage shavers and brushes. He probably has a hundred or so. He is OBSESSIVE about shaving. Ironic, since he has a beard as well.
My grandfather was a barber. His shop was old-school. He did a hot shave on most customers. There was a shoe-shine guy there. His shop just across the border from Chattanooga in GA was very cool and still used as a barbershop until recently (though he passed away in the 60s).
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I tried a straight razor, because I loved the idea of it. Had a strop hanging from the bathroom doorknob, the whole thing (antique razor, modern strop). Also had couple of very cool "safety" Rolls Razors, with the strop and sharpening stone built into the case. Those worked very well; but I got tired of nicks and scratches. I have a great deal of admiration for those who can always shave with a straight razor without resulting in blood; but it's the modern replaceable-blade razor for me. And if you use the blade for 2 or more weeks, it is cheaper. But then I get the revelation with the new blade...
I do shave without shaving soap, preferring only hot-as-I-can-stand water. So I save a tiny bit of change on the soap (I still have Williams shaving soap in a mug, though, which I use when I have neglected shaving for too many days).
And Doctor Jeff, Perry Como was also a barber, giving an occasional shave to a few preferred customers almost to the end of his life.
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Wow - you got 55 years from one blade? I thought it was a big deal to get 18 months out of a set of TIs
Originally Posted by Ukena
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I hate shaving, which is why I always have a beard. My clumsiness and a straight razor sounds like a trip to the hospital.
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My skin hates it even more Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Somewhere in the late 80s or early 90s I read that the average male wastes at least 200h of his life trying to conform to pointless beauty ideals imposed by others (mostly the women, back then and where I lived). I'm pretty certain that result was based on the use of electric and multiblade safety razors.
I'd probably have a Gandalf beard by now if only I could stop myself from plucking and pulling hairs that are just a bit longer (or worse, aren't perfectly smooth).
Funny enough I enjoy taking a straight razor to my cheeks from time to time. I found a nice balm that works nicely as a shaving cream too and that's supposed to prevent hair in-growing (it's got Australian tea tree extract in it IIRC, and is actually meant to be used in that other area that current beauty ideals apparently need to see shaven
)
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I hate shaving, but for most of my life I had jobs that demanded that I stay clean-shaven, so I never had a beard. After retirement I thought about it, but my wife unequivocally vetoed it. Some things are worth fighting about, some aren't, so I shave. I keep it down to about once a week, though. She lets me get by with that, although she's not happy about it. I get a couple of months out of a set of blades (I find the razors with multiple blades are more comfortable) that way, sometimes much more. I tried one of the vibrating Gillette razors some years ago, and found it just wasn't worth it. I used it for awhile with no battery, before getting a new one with more blades. With the Gillette business model, you can get a new razor for very little money, sometimes for free, just so they can sell you the blades. Printer manufacturers follow the same model. I could buy a brand new inkjet printer for less than the cost of a new set of ink cartridges back before I gave up on inkjet printers entirely. But there are excellent reasons why straight razors went out of favor about a hundred years ago. Build a better mousetrap and you can make lots of money, and the safety razor is exponentially better than the straight razor.
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I was a musician for 20 years and then did build/design of mostly kitchens for 30+. I've been married for 46 years and have a 100 year old mother that I spend a good amount of time trying to keep happy. And I like the feeling of a nice clean shave. Originally Posted by RJVB
It's almost as if my whole life's been about pleasing women! Is there something wrong with this? There's some pretty solid pay-offs in my experience :)
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That's something that never ceases to flabbergast me, beyond jobs in the military (if you can call them that) or maybe if there are technical reasons a beard interfere with. There are limits to what employers can ask re. the looks of their employees - here at least. Originally Posted by sgosnell
(Just imagine the outcry if they demanded a clean-shaven, bare head of all women too.)
You clearly found a calling pleasing them in more substantial, useful (etc.) departments! Originally Posted by ccroft
A short beard (say <5mm) isn't noticeable, and I get exactly the same feeling of a clean shave (minus the skin irritation) from a hot damp cloth.
My experience with women who insist on pre-pubescent faces is that they won't accept similar demands on their own looks.
My partner would balk if I decided to get rid of my beard, she'd (probably) respect my choice.
If not, I had her pay for one of those permanent laser epilation jobs. I like how my beard gives some protection against sunburn but ultimately don't care about how I look or how it hides certain things and would prefer not having to get a daily reminder that I really should get out the trimmer most of the year.
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Harry’s Shave Club for me. I don’t have much of a beard but two maybe three shaves is all I get out of any disposable blade. Harry’s is good quality but every once in a while you get a bad cartridge and a few nicks will ensue.
Love this stuff
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This is the stuff I mentioned:
(quite a bit more expensive in the US than here!)
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For me, the morning shave is more like a brief morning spa, a little self-pampering. The blazing hot water, whipping the soap and cream mixture, the thick, warm lather, the whole process to me is very soothing and makes for a happy transition into the day. I don't waste the time, I take my time, and make the most of it. Women get to spend an afternoon at the hairdressers, and men before WW2 regularly enjoyed the facial treatment of a barber-shop shave. I think it's a nice custom and I have an admittedly abbreviated, but still most enjoyable version of it. Originally Posted by RJVB
My skin hates it even more
Somewhere in the late 80s or early 90s I read that the average male wastes at least 200h of his life trying to conform to pointless beauty ideals imposed by others (mostly the women, back then and where I lived). I'm pretty certain that result was based on the use of electric and multiblade safety razors.
I'd probably have a Gandalf beard by now if only I could stop myself from plucking and pulling hairs that are just a bit longer (or worse, aren't perfectly smooth).
Funny enough I enjoy taking a straight razor to my cheeks from time to time. I found a nice balm that works nicely as a shaving cream too and that's supposed to prevent hair in-growing (it's got Australian tea tree extract in it IIRC, and is actually meant to be used in that other area that current beauty ideals apparently need to see shaven)
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In terms of self-pampering I prefer to sleep a bit longer and/or spend more time on breakfast. I can understand the soothing effect of rituals but self-grooming and ablutions are a sadly necessary nuisance in my book. I'm beginning to understand why some people do all this at night before going to bed (besides shaving, which I also did in the evening, way back when).
I was hoping I didn't take after my grandfather in terms of keeping a (really) head full of hair until the end, but no such luck... (and yes, I know that's got nothing to do with beard growth, biologically speaking.)
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I spent a number of years in the military. Afterwards I flew helicopters for offshore oil and gas, and the reason for banning beards there was that it was possible we would have to land on a rig with hydrogen sulfide gas, or that the gas might appear while we were on one. I spent several years staying offshore for my entire time on duty. On one job I flew we actually had gas masks onboard the helicopter, because of the real possibility of drilling into hydrogen sulfide. TBH, it was mostly a way of exerting control over us, not a real danger, but fighting the policy wasn't a viable possibility. When I flew EMS later, the need to be able to fit and wear a mask for protecting against disease organisms was more of a threat. My need for a beard just wasn't nearly strong enough to make me rebel against policy. My need for a beard rated, and continues to rate, at perhaps 2, while my need for a reliable income rated at 100. And now my desire to keep my wife happy continues to rate at far above 2. YMMV. Originally Posted by RJVB
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I think all reasons cited are covered by the exceptions I listed
(though I didn't add that I personally don't condone the military one - but of course I come from a country that allowed long hair in its army long ago.)
No, but I wouldn't be with someone who refuses to accept me as I am cq. prefer to be. It also wouldn't occur to me to demand a partner to shave in places where she'd rather not (including a moustache). There are less superficial (or self-sacrificing) ways of keeping each other happy. Originally Posted by sgosnell
I guess the foundation of my attitude is the fact that I prefer things to be natural. If we have beard growth, it's because we're wired to be that way, and obliging someone to shave it off is ultimately (qualitatively) not any different than obliging a left-handed person to write right-handed or a homosexual to "be normal". Plus, I'll have to admit, the culture around clean-shaven, groomed & perfumed males evokes aspects of certain German culture in me that my upbringing has taught me to dislike profoundly.
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Beard preference had nothing to do with my falling in love with my wife 50 years ago. The subject never came up, because having a beard was forbidden. Now, it's still less important than the years we've spent together. It's just not worth arguing about, at least to me. A reasonable man must pick his fights, and I'm not prepared to die on this hill. Your relationships are your business.
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Marine Corps = no beards, because beards are fun, and Marine Corps = no fun. As a civy uxo tech working Chemical Weapons remidiation = no beards unless you want a to risk a reeeally bad day when a whoopsie happens and have a poor mask seal because of your Grizzly Adam face. Both opportunities for super cool mustaches though. Originally Posted by sgosnell
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The rationale for banning beards in the military is straightforward. With a beard, it's not possible to get a good seal with a gas mask, and various armies around the world have large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. If a gas attack comes, a beard will kill you, and losing soldiers to that is not acceptable to any military force I know of. Dying from a nerve agent is not fun.
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For those of you who avoid shaving at all costs, may I suggest the Bond method:
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Clean-shaven, bearded, in-between with a few days' growth, mustachioed, or with sideboards – these are all perfectly fine ways to face the world. The way you choose isn't the best – it's just what works for you, for whatever reason. A personal choice – even if the choice is to keep one's job.
I don't understand why there has to be any "attitude" at all. No one's coming to take away anyone's facial hair.
I've had more than one professional shave, butI've never felt entirely comfortable having someone with a straight razor at my neck. Too many movies, I suppose.
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Me too. Even if I'm the one doing it. Too much Elliott Smith I suppose. :P Originally Posted by Ukena
Last edited by Jimmy Smith; 04-13-2024 at 01:54 PM.
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Unless you're in the hairy back killer club. Then the combat beard is clout. Originally Posted by sgosnell
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That's a good way of looking at it that I can agree with. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
I also enjoy shaving. I go for the wet shave with shaving soap or cream, shaving oil, a bowl and brush, warm lather, an old school double edged safety razor, alum block, and shaving balm. It's a ritual.
The multiple blade disposable razor cartridges are a profit driven misleading marketing campaign. The old fashion double edge razers are better for your skin and you can get a better barber shop quality shave with them but there is a little bit of a learning curve to them. Also, the double edge blades are better quality steel.
I change my blades after about 3 shaves and a I shave about every 3 days (the blades will last much longer but they are so inexpensive that I change them frequently anyways). 100 quality blades can be purchased for about $10 and that will last me over 2 years. I like the Astra Super Platinum blades. I use a Rockwell 6c razor which lasts for a lifetime.Last edited by fep; 04-13-2024 at 02:49 PM.
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Am I the only one who, seeing the thread title, has thought that Ukena just received a Blade RH4 and was ready to share his first impressions with us ?
After all, you can play jazz on a Strat-like guitar
As for the beard, look at my avatar, that's me 11 years ago, and haven't shaved or cut since
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