Shaving back to being a chore?
- Thread starter sextus
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Not yet!
"Mètron àriston" (Excellency lies in the moderation) - ancient greek.
"Aurea mediocritas" (Golden moderation) - Horace.
I leave the MdC to the French and the Chubby 3 to the British.
"Mètron àriston" (Excellency lies in the moderation) - ancient greek.
"Aurea mediocritas" (Golden moderation) - Horace.
I leave the MdC to the French and the Chubby 3 to the British.
Velocius quam asparagi conquantur.
You mockery of latin wisdom cannot hide your Simpson purchase disorder.
Don't listen to me. This beautiful successful orthopedic surgeon wearing an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch is telling us to buy it.
Variety tends to spice up my shaves. Being able to try out different soaps/brushes/razors/etcs. You don't have to go crazy but try couple of other products and see if that brings back the magic.
It's becoming a chore for me too, but the only thing that keeps me shaving and longing for it is that whenever i feel growth (even slightly) on my face, my fingers start scratching it (maybe subconsciously the feeling of rubbing fingers against something harsh and scruffy gives an interesting calming feeling like a fidget spinner), so the only way for me is to keep it smooth always
Sorry to burst your bubble, but if you have enough blades to last until 2021 and enough soap to last until 2024, I am not sure you quality as a minimalist. Of course, if all your blades are the same brand and all your soaps are the same brand and scent, then I stand corrected.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but if you have enough blades to last until 2021 and enough soap to last until 2024, I am not sure you quality as a minimalist. Of course, if all your blades are the same brand and all your soaps are the same brand and scent, then I stand corrected.
I bought 200 blades, but traded 100 for three pucks of WMS. I have 80 blades left. I have about 3 1/2 pucks of WMS left. I traded two pucks of WMS for a tub of Arco to give a friend starting out some variety. A jar of Cremo came "free" with my brush. I have a can of Foamy and a bit left in a can of Barbasol. I bought too much because I started the Sabbatical soon after I started shaving, and I didn't know how long soaps lasted.
Why should you use a cart when you are pressed for time?
A DE is SO much faster since it doesn't clog like a cart or a disposable.
It takes me almost double the time to shave with a cart/disposable than with a DE.
With a DE all I need is five minutes for a smooth four pass BBS shave (always with canned foam and no relathering just consequtive passes on the same area using residual slickness) while a modern razor drags,clogs and needs a million passes to actually cut as close as a DE.
That's why I never used them (started with a DE back in 1980 and still use a DE,unless I fly , which unfortunately happens often,where I have to use the "slow" modern disposables )
Comes down to speed of the passes -- carefree swiping vs. a measured slower approach.
Clogging is a non-factor.
I keep myself happy with new razors and soaps. And brushes. And blades. Did I mention scents? sigh...I rotate my soaps so I literally have a different one for every day of the month which keeps things fresh. I'm not so disciplined with razors, I just use whichever strikes my fancy.
Ever tried an adjustable? How about single edge artist clubs? Or vintage? Go hunt down a vintage Gillette in your birth year (which is exactly what I'm doing right now in fact). Or replating or gunkote'ing a fav razor? Or truly knowing a razor? I get my kicks from getting to know a razor as much as from the result of the shave. then when you have too much, just sell a few and do it all over again.
Oh there's also aftershaves and balms. Stick soaps too (I actually haven't tried one yet).
BTW I think all soap manufacturers should make 2 oz (or 4 for creams) 'samples' just like Silsiski Soaps. It takes so long to finish a single tub!
Ever tried an adjustable? How about single edge artist clubs? Or vintage? Go hunt down a vintage Gillette in your birth year (which is exactly what I'm doing right now in fact). Or replating or gunkote'ing a fav razor? Or truly knowing a razor? I get my kicks from getting to know a razor as much as from the result of the shave. then when you have too much, just sell a few and do it all over again.
Oh there's also aftershaves and balms. Stick soaps too (I actually haven't tried one yet).
BTW I think all soap manufacturers should make 2 oz (or 4 for creams) 'samples' just like Silsiski Soaps. It takes so long to finish a single tub!
It did become a chore after a while, but it also happens I like skin care products, hence I got excited again when I saw soaps that has a lot skin food ingredients. It kept the hobby interesting for me, but the consequence of having a higher expectations from my soaps quickly made a lot of my old stash obsolete.
Not only do I think of wet shaving as just shaving but also a skin care routine.
Not only do I think of wet shaving as just shaving but also a skin care routine.
After 12.5 years, my trick is shower shaving with different gear every single day. Keeps it interesting, and keeps it from being tedious.
prep brush 5 minutes before - I just bring a soap and a brush into the shower. It gets just wet enough to be prepped.
2-3 passes with rinses in between, - 1 pass with efficient razor + touchups. In shower = rinse built in.
wash razor and brush carefully, - I Just shake them off in the shower. done. (no problems in 12 years)
dry brush, - shake it off in shower. 3 seconds. done.
treat face post-shaving - aftershave splash at the sink before I do my hair. 5 seconds. done.
People accuse me of rushing and not enjoying it, but that's not true. I use a new combination of soap/blade/aftershave/razor/brush every single day to keep it fresh. The shower keeps my brush and face warm and steamy.
I don't have 30 minutes to burn 7 days a week with a 3 year old and a 4 month old.
I still love everything about this hobby. I just don't sit in front of the mirror playing with a lather bowl for a leisurable amount of time. That said, I wouldn't mind revisiting that ritual since I've been away from it so long.
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Nope.
But ... "5-10 minutes"?
I've reduced my time from 45-50 minutes to 35 or so. That includes a prep shower.
Even 30 minutes seems like rushing.
I am SOOO glad that I’m not the only who read that and was like
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I am SOOO glad that I’m not the only who read that and was like
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I couldn't image taking longer than 10 minutes to shave.
When I was in the army, thirty years ago, I would have said the same thing.
Now? What’s the rush? Work will still be there. Errands will still be there. Chores will still be there. I’m having much too fun playing with shaving to hurry it.
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I like rituals. When I used to smoke, I preferred pipe smoking. I find rituals relaxing and comforting. As @RumpleBearskin wrote above, it is "me time" . Not everyone is like that. Perhaps you are not the type of person for this. In that case, if you are happy continuing DE shaving, buy a synthetic brush. Since it doesn't need to be soaked, your prep time will decrease even further and you can call it a day. It is less expensive that way
Else I agree with what was mentioned. You need to pick what interests you and add something in the mix. Razors I guess.
SE and straights are out, so buy one or two DE razors and have fun mastering them. I would suggest something more efficient than what you have, so that you can challenge yourself and/or an adjustable. The latter offers many options that can hopefully keep you busy and happy for some time.
Didn't you used to have a GC .84? Why not try that for a few days?
I will look into synthetics; thanks for the suggestion. SE and SR are out for now, still interested, just right now not feeling like mastering different skillsets. I did try the GC .84 a few times, found it rough on my face.
Thanks for the advice. I do about half of what you suggest; the other half I'll take up in the coming days.
I think you got the right picture. The challenge of DE shaving is largely gone for me. While there are a couple of razors and such I'd like to try, I've come to the realization that a razor is a razor, and a new raved-about razor is unlikely to improve my shaves significantly. (Didn't mean to sound so nihilistic!) I think what led me to this realization is when I finally got the Game Changer 68, which is a lot of people's favorite, and realizing it only shaves OK (slightly worse than the first razor I shaved with).
Great suggestion RE music. I'll incorporate it.
