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Shaving back to being a chore?

For those of us who remember the agony of ingrown hairs & irritation from disposable razors no amount of time spent is time wasted.

Keep the DE and skip the useless brush/soap thing and you will shave faster than with a disposable or cartridge razor since the DE does not need constant rinsing.
 
Keep the DE and skip the useless brush/soap thing and you will shave faster than with a disposable or cartridge razor since the DE does not need constant rinsing.

Huh? What did you think I was talking about? I use DE/SE razors and a brush/soap is not useless.
 
When I first started proper DE shaving (about 3 months ago), I was excited to start the ritual everyday. Of course the process of learning to lather and handle the blade added to the excitement. I guess I've been lucky since I started with a razor+blade combo that worked for me, so I pretty quickly figured out how to give myself a painless BBS.

So now I find the excitement largely gone. I know I can give myself a very smooth shave when I take the 5-10 minutes to do it properly. But shaving is quickly reverting back to chore status. Last couple of days, I even found myself (gasp!) dreading it, specifically the tediousness and involved nature of traditional shaving: prep brush 5 minutes before, 2-3 passes with rinses in between, wash razor and brush carefully, dry brush, treat face post-shaving.

Any of you fall back into the rut of shaving being a chore? Did you get out? Any advice for my situation? Care to start a support group LOL!

You seem to have quite a bit of a routine. Try simplifying it.

No need for 5 min of soaking, 30 sec is good enough for boar. Just wet under the tap for synth and badger.

No rinsing between passes. Rubbing face with wet hand is sufficient.

Flick the brush and leave it to dry. No need to towell strop.

Simplify your post shave. AS splash or a balm and done. If you use an alum, I bet you can do without it.
 
As said already, you need more motivation and more variety. Variety is typically a rotation of soaps, blades, razors and brushes. Soaps can be very rewarding once you get into the top artisans with their elegant and distinctive scents.

Motivation is a bit more complex. For a lot of us, our obsessive hobbies go in cycles. May go though periods of things like cameras, bikes, coffee, audio systems, fishing, golf etc. If shaving is in a "down" period it may just stay there for a while and go dormant as far as curiosity and interest goes. But the usual reward for a binge period of interest is getting really good gear and technique so you're operating at a higher and fulfilling level. If you quit before getting to that, you're missing out.
 
Huh? What did you think I was talking about? I use DE/SE razors and a brush/soap is not useless.

Of course it is if TIME is off essense.

If you want to save VERY fast (like most people using modern systems do) a DE and a can of foam (combined with GOOD technique) is all you need for a smooth BBS five minute shave.

This also prevents DE shaving from becoming a chore (the whole.... 60 minute :001_302: preparation time with brushes,soaps and who know what that some people believe they HAVE to do in order to shave with a DE razor and not a cartridge)

Unless you are shaving as a HOBBY..spending too much time on shaving ,with a DE, will make it a chore in a few weeks,while if you can shave ultra fast and efficiently it won't.

Millions of men shaved with DEs and canned foam fast and efficiently from the mid 50s till the early 80s when modern razors became the norm.
 
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I have not experienced boredom yet. I mix things up by changing razors (DE/SE/SR), blades, soaps/creams, pre-shave and aftershaves. Never a dull day. If its speed you want for certain days then come up with a quick shave kit and process. For the more relaxing days mix things up.
 
I spend maybe 10 minutes getting a two pass shave. Wake-up time, really. If I'm pressed for time, I can skip the second pass and no one will notice.

It doesn't take much time to face lather.

It can be a bit boring though....
 
Some of us are minimalists (I am not). If you are shaving daily with the same brush, soap, razor, blade, and aftershave routine, I can see how the excitement would fade quickly. However, if you have a variety of products from which to choose, then every shave is different from the last. You do not need as large a collection as many of us have put together, but even having a couple of alternatives for each hardware and software category can provide variety to keep the daily shave interesting.
 
For those of us who remember the agony of ingrown hairs & irritation from disposable razors no amount of time spent is time wasted.

This is how I am. Carts didn't treat me well at all. I have been wet-shaving since 2011, and it has not become a chore. In fact, it is something that I look forward too.
 
I don’t know what your “triggers” are, but if I’m getting bored, it usually means I need to find better soaps that keep my attention. A good soap is just...

But seriously, 3 months and you can make a killer lather! I’m impressed! I say you take a dip in the river Straights for a while. If you master that in 3 months, grow a beard.

Anywho, there was this one time I started to lose interest and started to get lazy again, my wife noticed and gave me a strong talking to. She likes the groomed look, and loves the smells. Sometimes you just selflessly do it for the ones you love :)
Your post involving your wife made me think of something. My wife says I smell single, using the soap sand lotions and all of that stuff that we use.lol
 
I think between the goodness that is proper wetshaving, this forum giving me the RAD/SAD/BAD/CAD, and starting my day right with the shower and shave ritual I don't see this becoming a chore any time soon.
Things could get me in a rut I'm pretty sure. These things would be;
1. Using the same exact soap each time
2. Using the same exact blade each time
3. Going back to Cartridges
4. Going back to canned goo
5. Not being able to shave every morning
I'm pretty sure numbers three, four, and five would really get me in a rut. The first two I think I could live with, but not be fond of. There's just too many products out there to try. Blades and soap are cheap enough to be able to take risks and try them all. I'm pretty sure I have more soaps and creams than I will ever need. Thus I'm quick to PIF. It's a great way to make friends and acquaintances.
 
As said already, you need more motivation and more variety. Variety is typically a rotation of soaps, blades, razors and brushes. Soaps can be very rewarding once you get into the top artisans with their elegant and distinctive scents.

Motivation is a bit more complex. For a lot of us, our obsessive hobbies go in cycles. May go though periods of things like cameras, bikes, coffee, audio systems, fishing, golf etc. If shaving is in a "down" period it may just stay there for a while and go dormant as far as curiosity and interest goes. But the usual reward for a binge period of interest is getting really good gear and technique so you're operating at a higher and fulfilling level. If you quit before getting to that, you're missing out.

I'm kind of thinking of it like this post of @les24preludes . I think sometimes we have natural cycles/seasons in life. I'm thinking it's your time and energy, money etc... What do you want to do with this shaving thing? Sounds like you're getting good shaves sounds to me like jumped ahead of the curve in your abilities, maybe the challenge is gone for you.
I'd say it's up to you either Don't Force It or get some new shaving toys that excite you to use or are challenging if that's your mindset.
Myself I'm still trying to get good equipment to do the best shave with the least amount of hassle, and work on problem areas like below the jawline. That's my motivation. I'll sit back and watch Good luck OP
 
As said already, you need more motivation and more variety. Variety is typically a rotation of soaps, blades, razors and brushes. Soaps can be very rewarding once you get into the top artisans with their elegant and distinctive scents.

Motivation is a bit more complex. For a lot of us, our obsessive hobbies go in cycles. May go though periods of things like cameras, bikes, coffee, audio systems, fishing, golf etc. If shaving is in a "down" period it may just stay there for a while and go dormant as far as curiosity and interest goes. But the usual reward for a binge period of interest is getting really good gear and technique so you're operating at a higher and fulfilling level. If you quit before getting to that, you're missing out.

That's how I rotate through my hobbies and interests. Sage advice given here.
 
I'm a minimalist determined not to get any of the shaving addictions. I only started DE shaving to gain firsthand experience for a scene I was writing in a novel. I bought too much soap because I joined the Sabbatical on Dec 1, and I didn't realize how long soap lasts. I won't need to buy blades until 7/21/21 (accurate because I get 10 shaves/blade), and I won't need to buy soap until 11/3/2024 (maybe a year earlier as it's difficult to measure soap consumed).

My routine is simple, efficient, and effective. It takes about 10 minutes. Only one pass with soap and two quick passes with water. I'm not getting at all bored because I'm not seeking thrills from new blades, new soaps, new razors, etc. All the new things release dopamine until the thrill wears off. Then there is the guilt over spending too much. A set routine with long-term goals such as 3017'ing a puck of Williams or shaving every day for a year releases serotonin that makes a person content. (Source: The Pleasure Trap by Doug Lisle)

 
Shaving remains a ton of fun since I went back to DE! I enjoy rotating hardware and software and learning to get the best out of my kit.
So many variables, so little time!! :a29::a29:
 
All the new things release dopamine until the thrill wears off. Then there is the guilt over spending too much. A set routine with long-term goals such as 3017'ing a puck of Williams or shaving every day for a year releases serotonin that makes a person content. (Source: The Pleasure Trap by Doug Lisle)

Imagine if no guilt followed after the dopamin wore off. :bayrum2:

@Boar Fighter - What @GaryTha said sounds odlly familiar... :a16:
 
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OP: You need some excitement in your boring life. Have an affair with your boss's wife. Bet big on the ponies. Take up sky diving, or polo.

Seriously, this shaving thing is not for everyone.
 
Up until settling on my current setup, my shaving experience--from carts to electric razors to the learning curve here--could be described as traumatic. I have no desire to try additional products and don't know if I am currently, or will be, bored by the practice, but I will never resent the extra time wet shaving demands (30ish minutes vs 5 minutes tops). The act of shaving without turning my face into taco meat initially brought excitement and, while I no longer look forward to shaving per se, I now look forward to spending half an hour+ to myself.

Do you listen to anything while you shave? Sometimes I am content with the sound of silence, and on other occasions I yearn for music or podcasts.
 
@OP

I re-post a piece of good, old, italian wisdom:

A different look at shaving costs

Imagine if no guilt followed after the dopamin wore off. :bayrum2:

@Boar Fighter - What @GaryTha said sounds odlly familiar... :a16:

@GaryTha has the self-restraint of a Buddhist monk, for which i applaud him. However, being Italian, i can't follow a buddhist monk.

So i take the dopamine and the serotonine, without the guilt.

"Melius abundare quam deficere" (It is better to have abundance than scarsity). I apply this to brushes and blades. Should i feel guilty when most of my brushes were below EUR 35 and all of them lower than EUR 60? Of course not! Should i feel guilty that in total they are 50+? No! I could have bought 4 Chubby 3 with the same money! 4 brushes aren't a lot and my wife has certainly spent much more money on her frivolous purchases! I can prove to my wife, at any time and beyond doubt that i never bought an "irrationally expensive shaving brush", if needed. But i never had to "prove" anything. She can go herself to Amazon and look at brush pictures and prices, i don't have any Chubby 3... Hey, i even have EUR7 plastic Omegas!

Would my wife be ecstatic to have my shaving stash at plain sight, under her nose every day? Hell no! My wife regards my wetshaving items as "shaving garbage", caused by me "doing a regression to an earlier evolutionary stage" (probably out of old age) and she doesn't want them to occupy "useful house space" or "disturb order". So i stash them away in the most unuseful space there is to her! Is it guilt? No, it's wisdom. "Bene vixit qui bene latuit" (He has lived well, he who has known to live hidden).

I use for the 90% of the time, a sub EUR35 brush, a blade and a cheap soap. I have no guilt... My wife sees i use 5 brushes every month. To her this is excessive. But tolerable. We can all be happy! :a17:
 
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