yesterday my first safety razor arrived in the mail. i stumbled across a blog post that described the joys of wet shaving and it caught my attention. so i got online, ordered a Merkur Classic 178, three different brands of razors blades, the found some blades here on the local market and bought a few different brands, as well as a brush - boar i think, and six different types of shaving cream.
It took two weeks for my Merkur to arrive. In the mean time, i read, researched, and practiced making foam from a squeeze tube. My wife thought i was nuts.
But finally it arrived! It was smaller than I expected (that's what she said). But shiny and heavy. So, this morning, i tried it.
The set up:
Merkur Classic 178
Gillette Blue Razor blade
Gillette Classic Shaving Cream
Generic Boar Hair brush
Bamboo Camping Bowl - for frothing.
I ran hot water into the bowl and let the brush and bowl soak while i hopped into the shower. I have always shaved while in the shower, so, i grabbed the bowl after a few minutes, added about 2 inches of Gillette classic shaving cream and mixed until foamy. Applied. Grabbed my Merkur and began slow careful downward strokes. I kept having to remind myself not to push down. After nearly 25 years of shaving with a cartrage, that's a hard habbit to break. But i kept reminding myself. I did my three passes and each pass got a little better. It is quite difficult not to run upstairs and shave again right now.
Well, i got a few nicks and scrapes. nothing too bad. I busted out the ol' styptic pencil and all was well.
Result, my five o'clock shadow didn't start being noticeable until after 7... which is about 3 hours later than usual. I still have a couple of smooth spots.
I'll try again tomorrow. and keep on trying till i get it down pat.
It took two weeks for my Merkur to arrive. In the mean time, i read, researched, and practiced making foam from a squeeze tube. My wife thought i was nuts.
But finally it arrived! It was smaller than I expected (that's what she said). But shiny and heavy. So, this morning, i tried it.
The set up:
Merkur Classic 178
Gillette Blue Razor blade
Gillette Classic Shaving Cream
Generic Boar Hair brush
Bamboo Camping Bowl - for frothing.
I ran hot water into the bowl and let the brush and bowl soak while i hopped into the shower. I have always shaved while in the shower, so, i grabbed the bowl after a few minutes, added about 2 inches of Gillette classic shaving cream and mixed until foamy. Applied. Grabbed my Merkur and began slow careful downward strokes. I kept having to remind myself not to push down. After nearly 25 years of shaving with a cartrage, that's a hard habbit to break. But i kept reminding myself. I did my three passes and each pass got a little better. It is quite difficult not to run upstairs and shave again right now.
Well, i got a few nicks and scrapes. nothing too bad. I busted out the ol' styptic pencil and all was well.
Result, my five o'clock shadow didn't start being noticeable until after 7... which is about 3 hours later than usual. I still have a couple of smooth spots.
I'll try again tomorrow. and keep on trying till i get it down pat.
