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 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

Where did the idea of shaving come from?  After all a shaved face is not man’s natural state is it?  Unfortunately the guy who first thought it up hasn’t been around for about 100,000 years or so.  We can only guess, but it may have had something to do with hygiene or, more likely, a request from a charming Neanderthal lady that started the whole process.  With the why lost in the fog of history, we can trace shaving accessories and trends well back in time. 

The first shaving devise was a couple of clam shells used as tweezers to literally pluck each hair.  Not a good way to go IMHO and was eventually replaced with flint blades.  The oldest date back to about 30,000BC. Depending on where you live you might also use a sharks tooth or volcanic obsidian glass to perform the task.  The first major breakthrough happened in and around 3,000 BC with the development of metalworking.  Copper razors were frequently found in India and Egypt around this time period.

Greece

The guy who really gave shaving its’ first real shot in the arm was Alexander the Great and it wasn’t at the request of a charming lady, Neanderthal or otherwise.  He did believe that shaving gave one a tidier appearance but the real motivation was likely a deadly one.  He strongly recommended that his troops shave before combat to eliminate the enemy’s ability to “beard grab” during battle.  Alexander’s subjects use a novacila (see picture), to get that smooth clean shave.

Rome

Around 300BC Publicus Ticinius Maenas, a wealthy Greek businessman brought professional barbers from Sicily to Rome.  This introduced a whole new Roman craze for shaving.  Soon the wealthy had a skilled live-in servant to shave them.  The less well-off visited the tonsor, or barber.  They use thin-bladed iron razors, which are sharpened with water and a whetstone.   This type of shaver corrodes quickly and becomes blunt, so customers often got cut.   The tonsor fixed this by applying the world’s first styptic stick, a plaster made from a perfumed ointment and spider webs soaked in oil and vinegar. Even then the barbershop was the preferred meeting spot of the day, with Rome’s men flocking there daily to get the latest updates in gossip and news.  Young men about age twenty-one were required to have their first shave as part of an elaborate party-like ritual where the young man’s bead shavings were offered to the gods.   Scipio Africanus and Julius Caesar both preferred the hairless face look, although Caesar reverted to the old fashion plucking routine.  Julius’s army, unfortunately, had to rub theirs off with a pumice stone.   As shaving spread throughout most of the world, men of unshaven societies became known as “barbarians,” meaning the “unbarbered.”  The positive shaving trend endures until the days of Emperor Hadrain (76-138 A.D.); who would revive the fad for beards to hide some nasty skin problems.

Through the following centuries shaving goes in and out of style with some noted improvement in shaving accessories and materials.  The next big mile stone was the development of the precursors of the safety razor in the 1700 but that’s a story for another day.

Technorati Tags: Alexander the Great, barber, Ceasar, razor, shaving, Shaving Accessories

Hey its’ happened to us all.  We get up early in the morning, still half asleep.  We start shaving and #@!!? we cut ourselves.   Blood running everywhere.  It always seems to happen when we’re in a hurry or have an important meeting that day, doesn’t it?  Early on many of us learned that the quickest way to stop the bleeding is to apply a small piece of toilet paper, right?  Yes, that usually does the trick until such time as you remove it from your face.  With the paper usually comes the scab and it starts bleeding all over again.  Or worse yet you forget it’s there and you show up for that important meeting with a wad of bloodied toilet paper stuck to your face.  Not quite the impression you were looking for.

There are better ways you know.  Probably the most common method to stop the bleeding from a razor nick is the good old fashion styptic stick applied directly to the cut.   A styptic or hemostatic pencil is a short stick of medication, usually anhydrous aluminum sulfate (a type of alum) or titanium dioxide which stops the bleeding by constricting the blood vessels and promoting coagulation at the site of the cut. Readily available at most drug stores.  It will put you back about $1.75 or so.  A shaving accessory that should find a home in every bathroom drug cabinet.

But just suppose you’re on the road and forgot to drop it in your dopp kit.  What then?  Well there are a couple of lesser known but effective ways to approach the problem.

• Try applying an ice cube to the cut.  The ice will  cool the affected area, constricting the blood vessels and stem the bleeding.

• Apply a dab of Vaseline jelly to the cut.  This serves to clog the cut allowing the blood to coagulate quickly.

• Apply witch hazel.  Apply with a Qtip or cotton ball.  Witch hazel is an astringent which,like a styptic stick and ice constricts, the blood vessels.

• · Got a tube of Chapstick around?  Try that.  It works like Vaseline jelly clogging the cut.

• · Check your deodorant.  Many contain aluminum chloride or a derivative like aluminum chlorohydrate.   It helps a blood clot to form quickly.

• Although I’ve not tried this one, I’ve heard that applying a bit of sugar to the cut will stop the bleeding immediately.  Not sure what it is about sugar that makes it so, but worth a try if nothing else is available.

• · What if you don’t have any of the above handy, then what?  Take a dry wash cloth or towel and apply pressure to the cut.  It will stop eventually but your significant other may not be too pleased with to find the towels spotted with specks of blood.

Of course, the best way to solve this problem is to prevent a nick from occurring in the first place.  Slow down and pay attention to what you’re doing whenever  you shave.  If you are nick prone try moisturizing  your face before you shave.  That may help lessen the occurrences.

Pick you poison.  There are a lot of different shaving accessories that will help to avoid nicks and the dreaded toilet paper fix.

Technorati Tags: chap stick, shaving, Shaving Accessories, shaving nick, styptic stick, vaseline, witch hazel

Came across this shaving accessories item the other day and thought it was interesting enough to post on the blog.  It’s an item called a Razor Pit.  What does a Razor Pit do you might ask?  It’s a product designed to extend the life of your razor to about 150 shaves.  That’s about 5 months.  Kinda caught my eye.  Always looking for ways to save a buck so I took a look.

The product is based on research that the company did into why blades get dull.  Much to their amazement and mine I might add, they didn’t get dull at all.  What caused a razor to stop cutting well was the buildup of shaving “residue” i.e. skin, soap, hair, etc.  These leftovers would cling to the razor’s edge significantly diminishing its’ effectiveness.  Using the Razor Pit cleans the blade and prolongs its’ useful life.

It’s a simple case with a silicon pad in the bottom.  You add a bit of shaving foam to the pad.  Push you razor down against the pad with a constant pressure and push the razor up rather than you usual downward stroke.  This action removes the entire shaving residue and you left with a clean sharp blade again.  It seems to be compatible with most Gillett and Wilkson razors.

The trick is that it’s made in Denmark.  Although they appear to ship to the US it’s always a bit more costly and complex when getting products from overseas.  At an exchange rate of $1.51 to 1 British Pound it will run about $30 plus freight and duty if any.  But if a set of eight replacement blades cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $25, this little shaving accessories gizmo will pay for itself in pretty short order.

Technorati Tags: razor, shaving, shaving accessoires, shaving foam

Shaving oils are well-kept shaving accessories secret.  Not many know about them and even fewer use them.  However for those few, their trusted shaving oil is a critical component allowing them to achieve a complete, comfortable shave.

Oils are massaged into the face prior to the lathering and the shave.  Their primary functions are three: to help soften the beard, protect the face and lubricate the shaving action.  They accomplish these goals by providing an extra layer of skin protection keeping the active ingredients in shaving creams, soaps and gels, designed to soften your facial hair, from being too harsh. Using shaving oil provides protection from razor burn by allowing blades to run over your skin more smoothly, and thereby preventing irritation to areas like dry patches and bumps.  The principal components of oils also provide conditioning properties that are absorbed by and soften the whiskers.

At a very basic level shaving oils are simply oils with a touch of glycerin added.  But they can expand well beyond that, as a quick review of the wide array of product currently on the market will attest. If you’re simply interested in the face protection and lubrication benefits, literally any old oil will do.  Baby oil, Olive oil or even vegetable oil will give you adequate protection.  If you’re looking for a bit more, and the idea of eating what you shave with puts you off a bit, then we need to dig a little deeper.  Most if not all shaving oils are composed of three elements.  The first is what’s called a “carrying oil”.  The second is one or more essential oils and the final component is glycerin.  The “carrying oil” is just that, a vehicle that carries the other ingredients.  Different manufactures employ different ones.  Some examples are almond oil, coconut oil, palm oil and jojoba oil.  Too this are added the essentials oils, a highly concentrated extract of the source material, usually a plant of some sort.  The list here is virtually endless.  Three of the most common are sandalwood, lavender and orange.  Many of the essential oils do possess some conditioning properties in addition to their pleasant and/or invigoration aromas.  The final ingredient, glycerin, is really the work horse in shaving oils.  It lubricates and moisturizes by actually drawing moisture up from and attracting it to the skin.  Plus it slows the rate of water evaporation.

There are a wide array of shaving oils on the market.  I took a look on Amazon and found that the top three selling brands in the category were “All Natural Shaving Oil” followed by “The Art of Shaving Pre-shave Oil” and “The King of Shaves for Men Kinexium Shaving Oil”.  Prices on these three range from $7 to $22.

If you have dry skin or frequently suffer from razor burn, do yourself a favor and try one of these shaving accessories out and see if it doesn’t give you a better more comfortable shave. 

Technorati Tags: glycerin, shaving, Shaving Accessories, Shaving Cream, shaving oils, shaving soap

What’s the key to a great shave?  Can anyone guess?  Simply put, it all starts with a great lather.  Why? Because the basic function of the lather is to moisten the whiskers and lubricate the face for a nice, smooth razor pull that gets the entire beard quickly and effectively. 

What medium works best?

Opinions differ between the chief shaving accessories contenders: cream, foam, gel or soap.  My personal opinion?  It’s creams and soaps hands down.  With foams and gels you really can’t affect the outcome.  You get simply whatever comes out of the can or tube.   Since creams and soaps need to be whipped into lather, they can be manipulated to deliver the maximum benefit.  Performed correctly a well whipped soap or cream lather can dramatically impact you shave’s comfort and results.

Preparation

The first phase is the warm up.  This is a key step toward enhancing the basic comfort of your shave.  Two basic items need to be warmed in preparation for a shave: the brush and the mug.  Insuring that both are warm, will ultimately result in a warm comfortable lather applied to your face….one of the truly pleasurable aspects of a classic wet shave.   If you use a cream heat the bowl and brush in hot water for 30 seconds, the hotter the better. If you are a soap user and employ the same mug for soap  storage and lather generating, add hot water to the mug  and soak the brush and soap, again for about 30 seconds or so, remember, the hotter the better. Some suggest that the soap be kept in a container other than the one in which it’s lathered but I’m not quite the purest.  Shaving cream users should add a small dab of cream (about the size of a pea) to the warm mug.  

Lathering

After the preparation soak, empty the bowl and shake off the excess water from the brush.  Be sure to give it a good shake.  Too much water in either the bowl or brush will give you a runny lather.  You can always add more water if necessary.  Whip the soap or cream by turning the brush in a rapid circular motion, alternating clockwise and counter clockwise.  Continue this for about 30 seconds or so until the bristle tip of your brush has a ¼” layer of foam, covering it completely, and the lather is stiff enough to come to a nice peak.   If you’re having difficulty getting enough lather, try adding a tiny bit more water to the mug.  A tiny splash will do.

Application

The final step is to apply the lather to the face.  The best results are achieved by rubbing the foam onto the face is a circular motion, again alternating between clockwise and counterclockwise motion.  Work it in.  If you’ve got a warm lather the experience will be worth spending a little time at it. Massaging the lather into the face enhances the beard moisturizing, acts a mild defoliant and opens pours and cleans the skin. Don’t apply the lather in a paint brush fashion you won’t get the in-depth coverage you need for a great shave.  Once that’s accomplished it’s on to the shave.

A good shave starts with a good lather.   I’ve found he best lather comes from a shaving soap or cream.  It takes a bit more time than pressing an aerosol can button but as shaving accessories go the results can’t compare. 

Technorati Tags: brush lather, How to Shave, mug, shaving, Shaving Accessories, Shaving Cream, shaving soap, Wet Shaving