 |
| My Van Der Hagen safety razor, badger hair brush, shave soap, and bowl |
When I started shaving, half my life ago it seems, I used a typical electric shaver. It was a good start and at the time not anything time consuming. I was in high school and was merely concerned with making sure I at least looked "cleaned up" as possible. I was also known for occasionally being one of those guys who used Axe body spray if I was in a hurry. Yeah, thank God I am much more organized now!
So for many years I used an electric razor. It wasn't until ~2009 when I started thinking, "gee, I wish there was a better way to shave in the morning." I was tired of shaving only to find that by lunch time I was already developing a 5 o'clock shadow. Most of all, I was tired of having to constantly shell out tens of dollars on new blades for my electric razor. If that wasn't enough - I've had at least a couple of electric razors short out which means if I didn't have a back up razor, then I was just out of luck and up the creek without a paddle. Worst yet, is that I'd have to spend money on a new electric razor; good one that was reliable and get a close enough shave would end up setting me back at least $75 or more depending on availability. Plus there's the whole having to ask a store attendant to unlock the case.
Simply put, I was just done and looking for a better shave that had a lot more bang for my buck.
I switched to a cartridge razor and Barbasol shaving cream and loved it. However, as the years went on I began noticing that the cost effectiveness of the cartridge razor was really not too different from when I was using an electric razor. Yeah, I mean it was a lot less expensive overall, but I just can't justify dropping $15 bucks on a five cartridge pack that I'm just going to be buying the next month anyway. Sure, I tried stretching my cartridges until the aloe strip (a great innovation, by the way!) as long as they could go, but as any one can tell you - shaving with a dull blade is not ideal.
So, I made the decision to go on the market for a safety razor. But before that, I made a crucial switch. I switched to shave soap, and as much as I did love my can of Barbasol, I could not help but notice my face just felt a bit smoother and cleaner. It was bittersweet, but it was time to say good bye to the way I had shaved before.
While looking around for safety razors I found that Van Der Hagen (which makes my shave soap) also makes safety razors. So I dropped the $15 dollars on a safety razor kit that included the razor and 5 fresh blades. So far I was impressed. That's very cost effective.
But I was a little concerned that I would slice myself open. So I decided to do my research. A Google search shows several results for how to guides for safety razors. I read my usual go to on Wikihow. It proved useful, and I definitely was confident that I was very likely not going to slice up my face like I was performing surgery. So I decided that I wanted to find a useful video to reinforce what I was reading. I knew I could shave with a safety razor just fine (it's a safety razor afterall), but really wanted to cross reference my research to make sure my first shave was as enjoyable as possible.
I decided to search YouTube for an instructional video, and I struck gold.
If you're thinking of shaving with a safety razor, you must watch this video and subscribe to Geofatboy on YouTube! Geofatboy explains perfectly how to use a safety razor. Best of all he offers little practical hints and advice that before I saw his channel I had no idea I was missing in my shaving routine. Little things like "clearing the run ways" and "pinching your brush" are a couple seemingly insignificant tips, but just altering what I do before I take the blade to my face has made all the difference in starting my day with a good shave.
Since watching a couple instructional videos I've noticed my shave in the morning is just better. It feels good and my face feels clean all day long - something I haven't had before, which I would say is an added benefit. I emphatically recommend giving a traditional wet shave with a safety razor and shave soap a try. If you don't like it, that's fine, but at very least give it a chance. I'm glad I have.
