Shaving … A daily ritual that can be of mind numbing repetitiveness.   We push a button on an aerosol can and outcomes a fluffy cloud of god knows what chemical composition.  We carelessly slather our faces trying to cover all the targeted, bewhiskered areas.  We grab our multi bladed shaving accessories (what are we up to 5, 6 blades?) and begin to hack away as quickly as safety allows.  Once most of the foam is removed, with or without all the available whiskers, we splash on a bit of water, dry and head for the door.  Mission accomplished.  Only to be repeated the following day and again and again all the days of our lives.

Let’s do a little math.  Say a typical shave takes 5 minutes from beginning to end.  You shaved 7 days a week.  You begin regular shaving when you’re what? 16 years old? You live to be, say, 80. Thirty five minutes a week times 3,328 weeks equals 116,480 minutes or 1,940 hours or 80 days.

We will spend nearly three months of our lives shaving.  Surely an investment of that kind of time and effort should be undertaken with more care and have a bit more payout on the back end. No????

That’s what the Symphony of Shaving Accessories is about… The Zen of Shaving… Shaving as a Metaphysical Act…. The Quest for the “Perfect Shave”.

How would one define the “Perfect Shave”?  Hard to say.  I suppose I’d have to paraphrase the famous dictum from Justice Potter Stewart regarding pornography.  In this case … “It’s hard to define but I’ll know it when I feel it”.  Having said that, I believe we can we create a short list of critical features to help us zero in a bit.

• First and foremost, the end result. The shave should end with a smooth, clean face free of any trace of stubble.
  
• In addition, the “Perfect Shave” should be comfortable, nick and pain free.  No razor burns or excessive tugging and pulling.
  
• I believe it should have a comforting quality to it, the same way a warm blanket is comforting on a cold day.
  
• The shaving accessories employed should be “exactly right” for the task: the razor sharp, easy to handle and a lather that softens and lubricates.
• As your first assertive act of the day, the “perfect shave” should leave you invigorated, ready to face all oncoming challenges.

A highly subjective list  I admit, but all necessary to achieve that transcendent experience.  If anyone has any additional thoughts on this subject let’s hear from you.

So that’s the task we have before us.  We’ll explore wet, classic wet (soap, mug and brush) and dry shaving in all its’ manifestations.  Note:  I’ll have to fess up to a certain biases here.  I’ve been a classic wet shaver for 20 plus years.  So don’t be surprised if we focus a good deal of attention in that direction.  We’ll examine at all manner of shaving accessories, accouterments and techniques.  Conduct an exploration of the cultural issues surrounding shaving both now and in the past. Truly, a celebration of all things shaving.

So won’t you come along and join me as we begin….. The Quest for the Perfect Shave.

Technorati Tags: dry shaving, perfect shave, shaving, Wet Shaving

Well here’s one for the books that only the Chinese can write.  An absolute must for the man on the go.  It’s something designed with the multi tasker in mind (I think I’ve run out of inane platitudes for the moment).  What am I talking about? The Shave Mobile Phone of course, what else could it be?

I’m not making this up.  A Chinese firm name Todemoketai (don’t even ask me to pronounce it) came out with this little shaving accessories beauty.  Apparently the idea came from the popular RAZR phone made by and marketed in China by Motorola.  RAZR…Get it?  At any rate with the Shave Mobile you get the best of both worlds an electric shaver and a mobile phone.

What more could you ask for?  Well how about, a 2 megapixel camera and an FM tuner to boot.  For you techies, the phone incorporates a 2.6 inch touch screen, 506 KB of memory and SD card slot for 8GB.  Oh I almost forgot, its’ also got Bluetooth support.

Owning this truly revolutionary, breakthrough  new product means that you can leave you razor,  , camera and radio all behind when you’re on the road, leaving space for that extra pair of socks.  Or it can be used for that quick touch up to rid yourself of the 3 O’clock shadow right before that big meeting.  At the same time making a phone call to let them know you’ll be late.  Yes,  the Save Mobile has it all covered.  You can save tons of time by talking to you friends, family or closing that big deal, all while you save.  I know that that’s something that I’ve been looking for.  Not certain whether or not the noise level of the shaver running would present a problem or not.

Some additional thoughts.

• You could down load and watch a video while you  shave
• You could listen to the radio
• You could even take picture of yourself shaving and send it to all your friends
• Hell, you can do all of the above at the same time

This little beauty retails for only a hundred bucks.  An investment that will surely pay rich dividends as it saves you more and more time and makes traveling less and less of a hassle.

This one gets classified under “Silly Shaving Accessories”

Technorati Tags: electric razor, mobile phone, razr, shaving accessoires

Well here is something quite out of the ordinary for a blog on, all things shaving accessories.  But to keep one’s perspective it’s important, once in a while, to look on the other side of the street and pay a bit of attention to our bearded brethren.  With that in mind I’d like to draw your attention to the First Annual National Beard and Moustache Championship scheduled to take place between June 3 and June 5, 2010 in Bend Oregon.

The competition is sponsored by the Beard Team USA, a group dedicated to the appreciation and promotion of all facial hair.  By definition facial hair includes beards, mustaches, sideburns or goatees.  From the looks of what I assume to be member photos on their web site, they are truly dedicated to their craft. It’s unlikely that anyone who has not nurtured their facial hair for decades will be able to effectively compete in the Championship.

Categories

The competition will be in five separate categories each with a cash price of $1000 awarded to the winner.  The categories are: the best moustache, the best partial beard which includes goatees, van dykes, sideburns and musketeers (?), the best full beard, a freestyle category and finally a random selection from all the contestants.

Events

Along with various recreational activities, largely dominated by brewery tours are float trips and dances.  There will be various styling clinics, a press conference, a contestant processions and of course the contest itself.  The preliminary judging to begin at 2pm on the 5^th with the finals and award ceremonies at 7pm.

While I don’t anticipate the art and practice of shaving and shaving accessories to be much in evidence, if you find yourself in central Oregon in early June, it might be worthwhile to check out the First Annual Beard and Moustache Championships and see what you’ve been missing.

Technorati Tags: beard, moustache, shaving, Shaving Accessories

What is aftershave all about anyway?  Is it just an effort to smell a bit better?  To give off those notorious pheromones that reportedly sends the women over the top?  Well perhaps, but there are other issues at play here, including cleanliness and skin health, appearance and “feel”.

Cleanliness and Skin Health

Two issues here.  The act of shaving with warm water opens the pores of the skin.  Overall this is a good thing since it allows more of the whisker to be exposed to the blade, helps prevent nicks and serves to clean out the accumulated dead skin, oils and debris from the affected area.  But after the shaving process is complete you want to close them back up again to inhibit the re-accumulation of the same grit and grim.  The astringent nature of most aftershaves does just that, close those pores back up.  Nicking eventually becomes a problem for everyone.  I’m not only talking about the bloody ones but those that cut the skin but not deep enough to draw blood.  Everyone gets them.  Since many if not most aftershaves have antiseptic properties, they help protect those areas from infection.  A bit of a rarity but it does happen.

Skin Appearance and “Feel”

The antiseptic properties of an aftershave also help accomplish two other tasks.  It generates that “tangy snap” feeling you get upon applications and gives you skin a bit of a “glow”.  While both are short-lived and don’t  effect any concrete benefit, it is a fitting end to the shaving ritual which provides a bit of a boost, energizing  and helping prepare one to meet the awaiting challenges of the day.

Other Aftershave Issues

Most aftershaves are alcohol based which provides some of its antiseptic properties.  But it also dries out the skin.  If you have a problem with dry, flakey skin, it’s best to select an aftershave product composed of predominately moisturizing ingredients.  There are many available so read the labels.  An alcohol based product may not be the best for those that have sensitive skin or suffer from acne.

Aftershaves come in many forms and formats: liquids, gels, creams and balms.  As a side note, I’m continually confused about the differences between the last three.  IMHO it’s more or a marketing distinction than one of any real substance.  After you’ve resolved any ingredient issues you may have, the form that the aftershave takes is completely one of personal preference.  I’ve yet to be able to determine any difference between a liquid or “semi-solid” aftershave regarding their performance or durability.  If someone has a different opinion or experience, love to hear from you.

The next issue is fragrance.  Here we have an extremely subjective and contentious issue.  From my personal experience it’s best to let the person who has to smell the fragrance pick it out.  Namely your significant other.  My taste in fragrance often doesn’t mesh well with others’, so I typically don’t pick out my aftershave.  Due to the fact that a few minutes after you apply an aftershave you’ll no long be able to detect its’ presence, the particular fragrance really shouldn’t be a big concern of yours.

Finally is more expensive, better? Not really. It might give you some sense of pride or accomplishment to wear a $100 a bottle aftershave but it only meaningful to you. With the exceptions of a few “experts” with an exceptionally keen sense of smell, will ever know.

One Last Note: No matter who picks out the fragrance, not matter how good it may smell or how may compliments your get, please, please use it sparingly.  A little bit goes a long, long way.  Too heavy an application can make you a social pariah in quick order as well as trigger coughing and sneezing fits from those around you.

Technorati Tags: aftershave, shaving, Shaving Accessories

Shaving Cream and April fool’s Day seems to go together like ham and eggs.  (Do people still eat ham and eggs?).  Anyway.  It seems like 90% of the April Fools jokes revolve around shaving cream in one way or another.  So in the spirit of the day and because there is still time to put one of these in play, I thought I’d list a few.

• Covering the head of a sleeping victim with shaving cream.
• Putting shaving cream in the hand of a sleeper and then tickling their nose.  Makes for a great YouTube vid.
• For the sports minded, shaving cream in the jock strap is always a crowd pleaser
• Fill a folder with shaving cream.  Put the open end under the door of an unsuspecting target and stomp on the cream filled end.
• Fill a school locker with shaving cream.
• Shaving cream in shoes, socks or pockets works well
• A shaving cream pie sure to get a laugh.

In 1978 Australian businessman had long been discussing a plan to tow an iceberg from Antarctica so he could sell ice cubes.  Sydney residents got really excited when on April 1 of that year a barge towed a large white object into the Sydney harbor.  But when it started to rain the “iceberg” quickly dissolved.  It was made of shaving cream and firefighting foam

Did you know? No one really knows how or where April fool’s Day began. On theory suggests that it started with people being confused by the transition to the Gregorian calendar.  Some think that it has something to do with people’s lightheartedness at the start of spring.

So be sure you have plenty of shaving cream and enjoy the day.

Anyone have any other Shaving Cream Pranks they would like to share?

Technorati Tags: April Fool.s Day, Shaving Cream

I recently came across this study and thought that it might be of interest to many of you who experience irritation and/or discomfort when shaving.  A kind of How to Shave. While I had a couple of problems with how the study was conducted (more on that later), the overall conclusions about shaving accessories are certainly worth noting.  The study was conducted by a dermatologist at Wake Forest University, financed by Gillette (ne Proctor and Gamble).

The Study

The study was composed of 40 men who reported that they suffered from sensitive skin and irritation when shaving.  Two shaving regiments were designed.  The first was composed of regular bar soap to clean the face, canned shaving cream for beard prep and a popular razor.  The second was composed of a proprietary pre shave cleanser, a gel type shaving cream, a high end razor and a post shave balm.  The study participants shaved half their face with each shaving regiment for a period of 14 days.  The results of the study showed that the second regiment produced a significantly more comfortable shave.    They based it on three measures: the participant’s reports of less irritation, their skin was more hydrated and when skin samples were examined under a microscope, less flaking was in evidence.

Although I’m neither a demonologist nor a researcher there do appear to be a couple of things about the study that give you pause.  Fact that P&G financed the study.  Different razors were used in the regiments.  The same razor was used throughout the 14 days.  But in spite of these issues the results do pass the basic logic test.  If you prepare you face by cleansing it properly, use  high quality beard softening/ lubrication soap, cream or gel, use a hydrating post shave balm and you employ a high quality, sharp razor you will get a more comfortable shave, guaranteed.

Conclusions

The result of the study clearly demonstrates the following:

• Cleansing the skin prior to shaving removes all the dirt, oils and dead skin cells from around the hair follicle.  This improves the  hair water absorptions properties, i.e. fatting  and softening it up, enabling the razor to cut the hair closer to the skin without excessive tugging and pulling.
• Using a high quality lubricant (cream, soap or gel) will minimize tugging and pulling and will help hold moisture in hair during the shave.
• Along with the beard, skin cells and moisture is removed during the shaving process which can lead to dry irritated skin.  A quality moisturizing balm will assist and re-moisturizing and protecting the skin.

Although significantly increasing the time spent and the expense of your daily shave.  Paying attention to these extra steps will surely ensure that you get the closest most comfortable shave possible.

Technorati Tags: pre shave cleanser, razor, Shaving Accessories, shaving balm, Shaving Cream, shaving gel