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A hobby but...

We are soulmates my friend. My wife just doesn't waste money, ever. And she just can't understand why I "need" another Aftershave when I cannot possibly use up all that I have (AS is my biggest weakness in "kollecting" shaving gear). So I WILL be doing a PIF fairly soon; I DO love the woman!!!

But the friends that I have on hear are another thing I NEVER imagined obtaining once my few weeks of lurking ended.

My wife and I actually traveled 1,000 ish miles to have dinner and go to church with @dmshaver and his lovely bride. Just a wonderful weekend, a highlight of our trip south, and one we hold close to our hearts and hope to repeat someday!
lol this hobby got me into the world of fragrances. No aftershave is the same, same goes for shaving soaps and creams. I guess we like the idea of having a huge choice of products. I still have some unopened TOBS creams and I'm already planning to buy a couple Saponificio Varesino soaps. The SV brushes look very beautiful, the voice in my head tells me to buy it :lol:

cocobolo-gold-shaving-brush-510x340[1].jpg


Why didn't I order it yet? Because it is out of stock! :w00t::w00t::w00t:
 
Hello, people of B&B!


So today I want to talk about our hobby, which we all love. Thats what it is a hobby, because no one does it for the fuctunality of it. Yes, we all started because we heard how much better it is for sensitive skin or wanted to see how our fathers shaved, but if you have 10+ razors, way too many razor blades that you are starting to lose count, and questinable quantities of shaving cream, is not just shaving, is a hobby or addiction😅 depending on the point of view.

All the talk about how much more economical it is compared to modern shaving, or once you find your definitive razor-blade-cream combo you will be at peace. Let me tell the truth, IS ALL BULL****🤣. It doesn't matter how many shaves you got out of your last blade if you just bought a Walfram razor and a custom brush, you can throw the economic part out of the window. Definitive insert *blank* is not a real concept it is an abstract one, almost philosophical. You don't find a "definitive" *blank* is just an excuse to buy more stuff, a reflection of the capitalist world we live in. And i intend to elaborate more on the definitive concept in another thread in the future.
It dosen't apply to everyone of course, but I will say the majority of this forum for sure.

Don't get me wrong, I love traditional wet shaving. It transformed shaving for me, from a chore to a fun experience. Before was boring, now it's amazing having to think about what I will use today, how this new thing will perform, or will I make a good lather, or is going to be a disaster again🤣. It gives me something to focus on, to think about, and not just mindlessness dragging a razor across my face. There is also the "me time" part, having a moment of the day dedicated to yourself where you can relax and stop thinking about the stress and anxiety that life gives you.

So I am curious what made you start wet shaving, and most importantly what made you stay?
Circa 1984 I only had 1 option the safety razor I inherited from my dad his Fat boy. I only used barbersol and my shave prep was and still is a hot wet towel to the face. Did that for years then when I traveled for work and going to places where can cream wasn’t a real option. I learned about Taylor of old bond street, Kightsbridge and badger brushes. This is before Amazon was a thing. I would buy tins of a hundred blades at a time. Just to have. But when I was reassigned back to just working in the states it was back to Barbersol and my safety razor. It was 2016 when I found I could buy what I thought could only be bought from a trip to London. So I bought a tub of Kights Bridge then decided to grow my beard out till January of this year. I went back to being clean shaven have ordered a few soaps and. I have never thought this is a hobby I will have two razors this week one non functional and a Rockwell T-2s coming this week. Outside of that not buying any more razors. I have a drawer full of blades ready for use. And 7 different soaps plus my trusty Barbersol. Still to some it’s a hobby. To others it’s an addiction and to older folks like me it’s a daily habit.
 
For me it was quite simple, to get rid of overpriced ESG Gillette, I mean P&G products and to have something I can just switch off from everyday worries. And after couple of years I cas say mission was successful. So I got rid of cartridges and never looked back, and while on it I also discovered a lot of interesting scents (thank you Stirling, Proraso, T&H..and many more :) sometimes people ask me what is that fragrance and I say that is some secret stuff not many people know about :D

 
Because it is one of the only rituals that allows male pampering. Women have hundreds of these rituals...makeup, facials, hair dressers, moisturizers, lip balm, 40 pairs of shoes, spa treatments, hair coloring, perfumes, etc etc....as an adult male, obviously I don't participate in any of those things, as I risk considerable mockery from other elevated testosterone men. Shaving is one of the only activities I can do that rewards myself, a self-soothing activity. I don't care about the price, 95% here, and me included, have many $100s of razors, creams, balms, skin foods, razors, blades, after shaves etc. I could easily shave for $50 per year with an Amazon razor and a few carts. Hell you can shave with a sharp river stone and some bacon grease if you need to. I spend that in a month on shave gear. Its ritualistic, its pampering, its self love, its a zen moment in the day that only is for me. In a sea of smartphones, inbred drivers, angry employees, dumb bosses, loud children, barking dogs, rude neighbors, shared bathrooms for men/women/anime dolls, crowded trains, smoggy air, cynical nutters, etc....it is a 10 minute ritual where I can breathe, relax, make a coffee, take care of myself, just like my dad and grandpa did. The burden of manhood, I work hard, i provide for my wife, my son, my older parents, my community....but shaving is for me, just me, I deserve it, I have earned it, and no amount of Uzbekistanian Rose Water Jungle Tallow will ever be enough.
 
I have been traditional shaving now for 50 years starting w/ a SR. About 10 years later because of lack of time, I added DE's (mainly slants) in the growing arsenal.
I grew up in the time of various bombing alert systems, hiding under the school desk, some neighbors had underground bomb/survival shelters..
So the reason I have three dens is really for survival purposes.
Now if you buy that, I have very nice feather dull blades you can buy.
Also I believe it is just in my DNA. My dad has way more than me, with a crazy vintage collection.
So is it a hobby, DNA defect, survival instinct..don't know don't care. My wife has it in the budget, so I get what want.
Family comes first...
But I only keep what I use. Sure it is a huge my choice rotation. Some have been purged if unused for quite awhile.
It works for me. Daily shaver mostly, I feel better clean shaved also..and love the process...So hobby? I have plenty of them..
BFX
Just do what you love to do..
Share & care..
Label jars, not people...
 
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