Why is shaving enjoyable

[RayClem]

Shaving is a very sensual experience. I do not men erotic; I mean that shaving stimulates the various senses, producing a pleasurable experience.

1. There is the visual experience of seeing a well constructed razor, a beautiful brush, and a luxurious lather.
2. There is the aroma of the shaving soap and aftershave, hopefully to your liking.
3. There is the sound of the brush as it creates a lather on your face or in a bowl. There is the singing of the razor blade as it slices through your beard.
4. There is the feel of the shaving brush as it spreads a creamy layer of lather across your face. There is the feel of a sharp blade against your skin as it does its handiwork. Finally, there is the feel of your skin as you run your fingertips across your face and find that the stubble has been removed leaving behind smooth skin.

Thus, it you take time to smell the roses (or in this case the shaving soap), there is plenty to bring pleasure to your grooming ritual. It is only when you rush through the process and pay no attention to the stimuli that shaving becomes a chore.

 

[davent]

Shaving is a very sensual experience. I do not men erotic; I mean that shaving stimulates the various senses, producing a pleasurable experience.

1. There is the visual experience of seeing a well constructed razor, a beautiful brush, and a luxurious lather.
2. There is the aroma of the shaving soap and aftershave, hopefully to your liking.
3. There is the sound of the brush as it creates a lather on your face or in a bowl. There is the singing of the razor blade as it slices through your beard.
4. There is the feel of the shaving brush as it spreads a creamy layer of lather across your face. There is the feel of a sharp blade against your skin as it does its handiwork. Finally, there is the feel of your skin as you run your fingertips across your face and find that the stubble has been removed leaving behind smooth skin.

Thus, it you take time to smell the roses (or in this case the shaving soap), there is plenty to bring pleasure to your grooming ritual. It is only when you rush through the process and pay no attention to the stimuli that shaving becomes a chore.

I suppose if you're awake enough to take notice, in my world scents are pretty much a turn off.
dave

 

[RayClem]

I suppose if you're awake enough to take notice, in my world scents are pretty much a turn off.
dave

If you are shaving before you are awake, I suggest that you avoid straight razors.

Scents are very much a YMMV thing. I do not like overpowering scents, but I do enjoy analyzing complex fragrancess, just as I might analyze the aroma and taste of fine food and drink.

 

[davent]

If you are shaving before you are awake, I suggest that you avoid straight razors.

That's sort of funny as one of the reasons, maybe even the main reason, i decided to try a safety razor in place of my antique Trac II was that the implied danger of using the DE would somehow force me into a more alert, wakeful state of rise and shine awareness. Didn't last long.
dave

 

[Timeclo]

There are so many aspects of shaving that makes it enjoyable but variety is definitely one of them. All the artisan market and the mass produced soaps/brushes/aftershaves makes it a journey worth going. You can shave with a $5 setup or a 500$ setup. It's your choice.

 

[Roedeer]

We do a lot of stuff that ought to a have a positive result, and probably will, but the reward timescales are far too long, so there's not much fun to be had out of them at the time.

Pension contributions, mortgages, that sort of thing. No fun at all. It's only rewarding when it finally pays off.

It's pleasant to get a task with a clearly defined goal, that you can soon complete, but involves real skill and concentration.

Your payoff is immediate, and that's what we're wired up to like.

 

[santamariasteve]

Because, as the old Gillette commercials used to proclaim at World Series' time back in the 1950's, "Look sharp, feel sharp, be sharp!"

 

[Roy]

Is it "you only start to enjoy shaving when you start using a soap and brush" or is it "only men who enjoy shaving ever progress to a soap and brush?"

What I meant was, does the use of brush, massaging your face with a nice lather, release some hormones which canned foam spray never does.

 

[Whilliam]

Because, as the old Gillette commercials used to proclaim at World Series' time back in the 1950's, "Look sharp, feel sharp, be sharp!"

+1! I can hear the music and the bells now!

 

[sirtim24]

In the very brief time I've been wet shaving, I've discovered a number of benefits.

I use a straight, so putting a potentially deadly weapon against your throat imposes an awful lot of focus, makes you feel very alive. Bills and work issues take a back seat. The soaps, creams, pre-shave oils, after shaves are a big adventure too.

I also enjoy the learning curve and where it takes you. In one month I've started discovering how steel is ground, where the best soaps come from, the constituent parts of a razor, the history of shaving, etc, etc...

But the biggest benefit for me is that after decades of doing something that bored the pants off me, shaving is now fun! I look forward to doing it. And anything that makes any aspect of your life more pleasurable is worth the time, effort and money you have to invest.

Ah, and another thing. Wet shaving brought me here to this forum, and it's seems to full of a lot of very nice people. Yet another benefit, I'd say

 

[cyclingsteveb]

I suffer with depression, I have nothing to be depressed about and have a good day to day life but depression is always there and I think, always will be. I can spend half an hour a day shaving if I have time and it’s half an hour of me time, concentrating on angle, pressure, deciding on soaps and brushes etc etc and for that I’m grateful. It’s only half an hour but half an hour where there’s nothing to worry or get anxious about.

Me too. I look forward to the 30 min of me time every day. Getting out of bed in the morning is so much easier now that I have started DE shaving. All the best!

 

[Razorcan]

I have been shaving with canned foam and a DE since 1980.
I enjoy shaving very much indeed.

All FIVE minutes from start to end of my daily BBS four pass shave .

I used a brush and soap a few times just to see what the fuss was about .
Didn't do anything better or enjoyable but it definitely wasted more of my precious time.

So back to my trusty can and DE and .... enjoyment

 

[Macfrommichigan]

From various posts, seems that guys only start to enjoy shaving when they start using soap and brush.

Is there a scientific reason for this? I was thinking that ,especially if you face lather, this releases pleasure enhancing hormones and endorphins. Just a thought. If this is true, then it may help guys get over depression.

Well, gosh, don't know how well depression and sharp razors go together.

But if you have the blues, getting cleaned up may improve your mood. You know, good shave, shined shoes, clean windshield.

On a serious note, if you suffer from depression, particularly the 2 a.m. kind, call your doctor. S/he can help, make a referral, etc.

 

[naughtilus]

Grooming in groups is indeed healthy and a common thing in the animal kingdom. Using tools with a learning curve stimulates communication, sense of achievement, commradery etc. The only downside is the ever so prevailent oniomania in any human social activity, us here being far from immune.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Oniomania. Good word.

 

[magoo75]

Grooming in groups is indeed healthy and a common thing in the animal kingdom. Using tools with a learning curve stimulates communication, sense of achievement, commradery etc. The only downside is the ever so prevailent oniomania in any human social activity, us here being far from immune.

Learned a new word today , oniomania . Had to look it up, thought it had to do with onions. My vocabulary needs improvement.

 

[RayClem]

What I meant was, does the use of brush, massaging your face with a nice lather, release some hormones which canned foam spray never does.

I cannot prove it scientifically, but I believe the answer to this is YES. When we experience pleasurable sensations our body releases certain hormones that give us a feeling of well being. If you find the fell of a nice brush spreading lather on your face to be pleasurable, your hormones will react. When we experience unpleasant sensations, your bodies release hormones that prepare us to counter that stimulus (fight or flight). That might happen if you cut yourself while shaving or drop your favorite razor on a tile floor.

 

[Potrzebie]

What I meant was, does the use of brush, massaging your face with a nice lather, release some hormones which canned foam spray never does.

I think it's more like that using the brush and learning how to shave better happen at the same time. It's the learning how to shave better that brings out the happy hormones.

 

[Ricksplace]

I enjoy the skillful use of tools. Whether it be machining metal to .0005" tolerances, shooting, or wielding a paintbrush, using tools with skill is satisfying for me. I don't own just one hammer, or one pair of vice grips, or just one gun, so in keeping with that philosophy, I don't own only one razor. I've learned a new skill set that allows me to use any of the 40+ vintage razors in my collection for a close, irritation free shave. I have found that I like shaving soap that smells like soap, not food.
I think many of us practice "Kaizen" which roughly translated means "the art of continuous improvement". Each shave is an opportunity to hone (pun intended) your skills. I like that.
And SWMBO likes the results. She says "You don't need to tell me when you buy shaving stuff. Buy whatever you want". Really! (Please don't hate me...)

 

[Badgerstate36]

For me, its a combination of many things.
1.) Its the ritual of it. I enjoy the process of whipping up the lather with a brush.
2.) Its the aromatherapy aspect of it. I enjoy that various scented soaps and aftershaves that I have.
3.) The history of it. I use mostly vintage razors and I enjoy shaving with a razor that is almost 100 years old. Just imagine all the history that my razor has seen.
4.) I enjoy the comfort of it. A single blade doesnt have the tugging that multi-blade carts often do, nor do you get as much razor burn.
5.) I enjoy the, "green" aspect of it. I like the fact that when youre done with a blade, all that you throw out is the blade and even the blade will break down over time because its just metal and theres no plastic, so theres much less waste than a disposable or cart.
From time to time, I think all this is silly and I should just use a cart and some canned foam or an electric but the simple fact is, I enjoy all this and every time Ive gone back to modern gear, Ive come back to the traditional side because I missed it.