A Good Shave Puts Me in a Good Mood

[DSB]

A really good shave puts me in a good mood all day long.

I have noticed that ever since I started wet shaving, I have become much more of a morning person. The first thing I think about when I get out of bed is "what wonderful shaving soap do I feel like using today?" My second thought is usually "what aftershave would go well with my chosen shaving soap?"

Great hobby, isn't it?

 

[SpyvSpy]

Great hobby, isn't it?

Absolutely.

 

[Slamarche]

I don't know if a good shave puts me in a good mood but a bad shave sure as hell doesn't help my outlook.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

I'll agree with the shave/mood concept. When I get a no kidding BBS great shave, I leave the house with a different spring in my step!

 

[mdunn]

I hear that, a nice shave is the ultimate on those cold rainy mornings when you dont want to get out of bed

 

[ShaveAddict]

When i have a good shave whitout nicks and burns my day starts very good but on the opposite if the shave is so-so the day follow the mood.

 

[tgarza]

It sets up my attitude, as in a good one.

 

[Marbelizer]

I shaved this afternoon, and i guess my lather wasnt up to par to use a feather blade. Stubble everywhere and nicks all over the place. I took a break pissed off, and watched a movie. Then loaded up with a fresh derby, and my new speick cream and went at it. Closest shave ever and I have been in an awesome mood all night. I cant stop touching my face.

 

[Greybeard]

Totally agree. A good shave starts me off feeling great. Follow it up with a nice aftershave and a crisp clean shirt and I'm ready to tackle whatever comes up.

Love this hobby .

 

[FTG]

Yep - weird thing for me is that it isn't necessarily the physical part.

For me a big part is how mindful I am during the shave (including the prep and finishing up - stropping, lathering and tidying up).

When I'm properly attentive and immersed in the process it really starts my day off nicely- if the physical shave turned out well, then that's a bonus!

On the flip side - I might give myself a 'damn fine shave', but if I wasn't really attentive / mindful / immersed - it just doesn't feel as good. Sometimes I can even feel irritable - even with a 'good' shave! Maybe I'm feeling like I've got from A to B, but forgot to enjoy the journey.

I guess I like the meditative / zen-like aspect to it - this is what works for me.

Thanks for the thread.

All the best,
Michael.

 

[bandit82ta]

A nice AM shave makes the day start a whole lot better. Especially if its a M-F lol.

 

[JMan424]

Yep - weird thing for me is that it isn't necessarily the physical part.

For me a big part is how mindful I am during the shave (including the prep and finishing up - stropping, lathering and tidying up).

When I'm properly attentive and immersed in the process it really starts my day off nicely- if the physical shave turned out well, then that's a bonus!

On the flip side - I might give myself a 'damn fine shave', but if I wasn't really attentive / mindful / immersed - it just doesn't feel as good. Sometimes I can even feel irritable - even with a 'good' shave! Maybe I'm feeling like I've got from A to B, but forgot to enjoy the journey.

I guess I like the meditative / zen-like aspect to it - this is what works for me.

Thanks for the thread.

All the best,
Michael.

This touches on one of the most surprising and pleasurable aspects of wetshaving to me (as a newbie). It's so darn relaxing! The zen masters talk about how a clear mind is a ready mind, focusing on one thing at a time, and when I shut myself in the bathroom for a bit with my lather bowl and my razor I am really clear and focused and when I walk out I'm relaxed and my mind is cleared and I have that sense of readiness for the day.

And that is what puts me in a great mood.

Though the smooth skin and lingering aroma of soaps and aftershave doesn't hurt my mood either. Or my standing with the missus.

 

[Scissors]

On the flip side - I might give myself a 'damn fine shave', but if I wasn't really attentive / mindful / immersed - it just doesn't feel as good. Sometimes I can even feel irritable - even with a 'good' shave! Maybe I'm feeling like I've got from A to B, but forgot to enjoy the journey.

Fine way of putting it. For me, a "mindful" shave is a wonderful experience that makes me feel good for hours afterwards—even if I botch it up and nick and cut myself, etc. (If it's mindful, how do I mess it up? Good question. Sometimes the old hands don't quite obey the brain...advancing age? Or a consequence of youthful, um, indulgences?) OOTH, if I'm not mindful and the shave is well executed but my mind wanders, it doesn't make much of a difference in my mood.

But a DFS where I'm mindful of it...that's a great thing.

 

[grouse79]

I usually have at the most an hour to get out of the house on workdays. Half of that time is spent showering (less than 5 minutes) and shaving. My emergency shave can be done in 5 minutes. But I'm very conscious of the fact if I have had to rush the shave or miss it altogether. I need my 25 minutes or so with the badger, blade and lather to start the day feeling at my best.

In my Mach3 and gel days, I think I took almost as long because I needed to take about 15 passes. But that was very much a chore and I never once rolled out of bed late immediately thinking, damn I don't have time to shave.

 

[richmondesi]

I couldn't agree more with the OP. A good shave really does set the tone for the day. It's inexplicable to those who don't get it, but you know what it means.

 

[Tat2d Bald Dude]

I'll agree with the shave/mood concept. When I get a no kidding BBS great shave, I leave the house with a different spring in my step!

I agree. It's not so much a "good mood-creator" as it is a "self-esteem/confidence booster". If I get a near BBS shave and I'm wearing a nice outfit that day and I rolling down the street, flash a smile at a car full of chicks and I get a bunch of smiles back, that...that right there is the culmination of that great shave from that morning.

 

[andrewinman]

Yes sir I am in a better mood when I get a great shave, of course the opposite applies if I have a rough one...

 

[Tom Ford]

A really good shave puts me in a good mood all day long.

I have noticed that ever since I started wet shaving, I have become much more of a morning person. The first thing I think about when I get out of bed is "what wonderful shaving soap do I feel like using today?" My second thought is usually "what aftershave would go well with my chosen shaving soap?"

Great hobby, isn't it?

+1

 

[Hughies_online]

I even look forward to shaving the night before. And I wake up early in the morning specifically so I don't have to rush my morning ritual.

 

[40_Caliber]

I'll agree with the shave/mood concept. When I get a no kidding BBS great shave, I leave the house with a different spring in my step!

I hear that, a nice shave is the ultimate on those cold rainy mornings when you dont want to get out of bed

I couldn't agree more with the OP. A good shave really does set the tone for the day. It's inexplicable to those who don't get it, but you know what it means.

I even look forward to shaving the night before. And I wake up early in the morning specifically so I don't have to rush my morning ritual.

+1 to all of these. A good shave puts things in perspective. It's the fifteen minutes of the day that I don't have to worry about wife, teenagers, work, house, autos, etc.

.40