Why shave

I safety razor shave for a number of reasons. But to be clean shaven is not as common as it was in decades passed. As a bit of a rugged few day’s growth has become fasionable. Some men are very handsome and it doesn’t matter if they have facial hair. Other people are very ugly and having a bit of long stubble will make their face worse. An unshaven face represented the slovenly before now. I still maintain that only certain men can wear a few days growth well. I am not one of those men.

If I don’t shave I feel dirty and and greasy. As facial hair and particularly stubble isn’t cleaned properly. I heed warning to anyone who clippers there face with a trimmer set on grade three. These chin ornaments are rarely washed. Also I often sadly see friends of mine who look greasy as flip. Who rest on the laurel of fasion. Hiding behind the fact they can’t be bothered to wash and shave.

The world respond better to a tidy man. Also your future self will shudder to think how little you bothered. I get caught out, like the other day with not looking great. In my defence the builders had taken over my bathroom. But I am responsible for my own face. I had seen a attractive hairdresser that works near me. Whilst out to lunch we had a brief conversation but it was cut short.  By my introduction and by my unkept image. Not to mention her having eyeballs that presumably functioned.  However today I shaved with several strong passes with my safety razor of choice. Using a top shaving cream and brush. I also conditioned my hair adding a good paste into it as gel is for losers.

Safety razor

I walked passed her shop with a new confidence. To which she gave me a nice look. What a difference is made by a bit of traditional gent’s grooming. Also when you set a bar of good grooming. You set a standard for yourself that people will expect. To relapse into a grubby image is a bad move. Although you are only a few days away from it. My suggestion to most guys is shave or if you do have facial hair wash it.

Safety razor perfection

Safety razor

I have builders in my house at the moment which is an annoyance. My landlord too is seemingly not sorry about this. Sadly being a flaw of his personality. Also an electrician covered my current shaving kit which was the final straw. Cleaning the brush hard I managed to bring it back to life and he needs to thank his lucky stars my safety razor isn’t broken. Amongst all the dust and whistling from varius trades, I have found sanctum yet again In a great wet shave.

I have been meaning to shave with Simpson’s peppermint and rosemary shaving cream. It has proven a great experience. Previously I have enjoyed the citrus burst option, but I have been attracted to this one and was a pleasure to use. The peppermint provides a great scent and rosemary a nice undertone. It also has a pearly quality that gives a thick as you like lather.

Using a Edward’s shaving bowl. I submerge it in hot water and leaving a dribble in the bottom. I then after dabbing my brush in the shaving cream. Whip it clockwise and anti clockwise into the bowl. I also claw my fingers over the bowl making friction and thus more lather. Applying this to a my wet face I press hard into my cheeks creating more lather.

The shave

Using my new toy being a Muhle R89 safety razor that ploughs off the stubble. I tend to go down in a hard diagonal angle, which adds a little slice to the hairs. Always carefully with the mustache, due to me being prone to clipping the bottom lip of my nose. The neck and throat I take a little time and sometimes bull frog my chin as to add flexibilty. Hard to spot places are the backs of my jaw and along my jaw line. So my jaw basically. This has always been a place for people to make comments about if there is hair. Also someone who owns a shaving shop is often heavily scrutinised for any face fur. I usually just shave with the grain and down if I am shaving everyday. A Muhle head is really a great ally for a single pass shave so grab one today at Edward’s shaving shop.

Muhle R89 safety razor

Safety razor

I woke up this morning with one thing in mind. The battle between the double edged blade brands. Big Ben and Gillette’s 7 oclock. To perform a fair test, I shaved half of my face with each blade with two passes. One up and one down. I also used the same razor being biased, the Edward’s lifetime safety razor. Now just to further explain, I will be shaving my right side with Big Ben and my left with Gillette.

D.E blade history

Gillette bought the name as they often do with smaller companies and strangely they added theirs which is unusual. The company still resides in St Petersburg Russia which is a little known fact. The blades are super stainless and non coated made on Wilkinson machinery. A sadly dissolved English company that flogged all of their equiptment. They are made of Swedish steel.

Big Ben are a Egyptian company who bought Wilkinson machinery also. They use a London theme for added quirk,  although confusingly from Alexandra. Also stainless steel, although from Africa and a very similar thin flexibility to the 7 am’s.

The test

Approaching the bowl with a days growth I began. I filled my sink with hot water, which I applied to my face. Then I lathered using a Muhle shaving soap, which was Aloe scented. Firstly creating a thin lather all over my neck and face. I started on my right cheek with the Big Ben blade, which gave me a little drag. I found this nice though as it was clearly doing it’s job and also really ploughing off any hair. My neck was easily shaven with the grain and I was soon ready for the second pass. I felt very safe with the second pass and it very much smoothed my skin. The blade also makes a light ringing sound on my Edward’s razor. Being a nice novelty treat.

Now for the 7 am. Firstly there was no drag on the first pass on the cheek, which instantly made me think it was the sharper. I had a smooth chin and neck shave also that was uniformed. I then started the second pass obviously lathering first. The second pass created friction, which I was startled by. Certainly on the cheek and creating some bumpiness for the neck which I was careful with. I finished the shave and would have been happy with either blades. However I am a man of science so get ready for the following.

Assessing both shaves the Big Ben side was smoother. It was like they were opposite in practice as the Big Ben had drag on the first pass and the seven on the second. Now both blades are flexible so they would have a similar journey on my face. But I have been lead to the conclusion that Gillette is sharper but blunts quicker. Therefore Big Ben are less sharp but a hardier blade for the full shave. Big Ben wins guys not that I won’t use 7 am though.

https://edwardstraditionalshavingemporium.co.uk/product-category/safety-razors/

Safety razor perfection

Shaving since 14 or so I was initially given disposable razors that were always kept in my house. These were bought at Sainsbury’s in packs of 50 and were not great. Although not safety razor prices they lasted perhaps several shaves. Also embarrassingly enough they were used by the whole family some of which shaved their legs. I always had the same Gillette shaving foam that had a very light menthol scent. But there was a certain mustiness to it that was a bit rough. My families main gripe with my shaving was in my teenage selfishness.  I would not rinse the bowl of my hair. Which i can understand as being a bit grim for my sister. Saying that she put fairy liquid in a drink once and watched me down it.

I used to cain through these cans and use up to 10 a year which is clearly a consumerist ploy. As a Muhle puck will last 8 months on it’s own at the price of a modest 5 pounds. When i grew up and jacked in the disposable razors, I graduated onto the more expensive stuff. That’s right cartridge razors costing 18 quid for the refills. Safety razor blade packs just seem to last especially if you have a few packs you alternate through. A blade will last a week of shaving. I find a high quality stiffer sharper blade like a Muhle or Feather blade will last up to 10 days. Depending on what razor blades you prefer will determin what you use. I like flimsy blades like Lord or Crown as they possess a flexibility that helps me have more control over the shave.

I would also recommend these to any barber that provides wet shaves to the public. Knowing some hairdressers having a lot of trouble with not cutting clients to the point of taking wet shaves off the menu.

Shaving cream

Shaving creams or shaving soaps? I find that a shaving cream is considerably more luxurious providing a thicker lather that feels nicer on your skin. Lot’s of shaving soaps are glycerine and I am not to bothered about this chemical component to make it last longer. Even though we are in a age of veganism and being super careful about chemicals. I do enjoy handmade natural soaps but it is quite hard to find a trully chemical free shaving soap. You will also sacrifice lather and also the longevity as they seem to go down pretty quick . SLS is a foaming agent  that is present in a lot of things which lather, it isn’t the worst thing in the world. It could lead to an itchy scalp and possibly a bit of baldness worst case scenario. The ones you don’t want are Parabens it seems doing research also philates. Parabens are in loads of things so stay vigilante. Sadly these preservatives are carcenagenic so a bit more of a hazard than itchy scalps.

I tend to use a safety razor everyday as I can really carve hair off my face. Technique is very important in shaving with a safety razor but it is fun to learn I find. Finding the perfect shave is for the man who has nothing better to do. That must be me or do I just professionally seek perfection. I hope the later is concurrent with my chosen occupation as a gents grooming merchant. I love to shave with non aggressive razors as I feel I can get a lot of control over the shaver. But I am competent enough at shaving to use more aggressive razors like the Edward’s lifetime razor. It will eraze facial hair no matter how thick and wirey, given I use the a hot lather and maybe some shaving oil. Shaving oil is great way to make a barrier against any cuts from a blade. Making the hair more exposed to your razor of choice which hopefully is the Edward’s lifetime razor.

https://edwardstraditionalshavingemporium.co.uk/product-category/safety-razors/