Men have had beards since the beginning of man. We needed to shave, so we made metal. We needed a way to hold the metal, so we harvested horns of beasts and made handles for the metal. We wanted to make lather so we made soap and we harvested badger hair so we could make a brush. I believe at the core of all men is what is known as the "Man-Root." These are the things that make us what we are such as, making fire, discovering the new worlds, shaking hands, going to the Moon, planning a voyage to Mars, and shaving. There are only a few ways these days to reestablish the connection with our Man-Root, and shaving the proper way is one way of reconnecting.
A little about myself, I am in my forties, active duty military, current location doesn't matter because it is going to change unexpectedly like it always does. I am not new to shaving, but I am new to Wet Shaving and I am stoked about it! I am really excited to join this forum of gentlemen and exchange information and learn new techniques regarding this reemerging art form.
I stumbled on to Wet Shaving and DE Razors by accident. My friend brought me in to an Art of Shaving store and my first thought when we entered the store was "This is stupid, shaving sucks, it always has and it will never change." Man was I wrong. A really attractive woman that was part of the stores friendly staff greeted us. My second thought was "Why is she working here? What does she know about shaving? What does she know about shaving that I don't know? Pancakes and bacon sound good right now..." Then she started talking, she had facts, talked technique, and she was making a lot of sense. As she was talking my lizard brain kicked in, "This DE/WET shaving technology has been around for more than 100 years, it is simple in design and function, and somebody smarter than me is building an empire out of whisker growth and I am standing in their castle!" Okay, she captivated my attention and I walked out of the store after she sold me a Merkur 34C HD, some extra blades and she gave me an Art of Shaving sampler box for the road.
After returning home I had buyers remorse I had just paid a premium price for something I could have found on Amazon for cheaper. Then I looked inside the bag and found the sampler box. You know the one with pre-shave oil, shave cream, after shave balm, and thought "WHAT! Who puts pre-shave oil on their face before a shave! This is stupid." Man was I wrong (again). At this point I realized that I had very limited knowledge on this subject and I needed to understand how this process worked for optimal performance. Prior to my first shave with my new DE razor I did what a modern gentlemen does, consult with their digital mentor YouTube for a demonstration. I found some great instructors that were willing to share their interest in this reemerging Man-Skill. After watching several YouTuber's and searching this and other forums I was able to accelerated my understanding and technique.
I was very surprised and pleased that everywhere that I searched for the Wet Shaving topic everyone was so polite, nice and willing to share. Searching this forum in particular made me think that the spirit of the gentleman still lives and I wanted to be associated with all of your company so I joined B&B.
I actually look forward to shaving now and I shave both my head and my face using DE Razors. It is a superior way of accomplishing this task successfully while enjoying possibly the best micro hobby that you can do on a daily basis without getting bored! I am all in and I am not going back to cassette razors, EVER!
In some ways I feel as though I have been mislead or lied to about shaving until now. I may have overpaid for my first DE Razor but this change in my life was well worth it. I now start my day off connected to HISTORY, Man-Ritual and my Man-Root! I look forward to the FUTUR (pun intended)... LOL...
Countertop Arsenal:
-Merkur: 34 C HD
-Mercur: 180 Long Handle
-Gillette Slim Adjustable (1967 M-1)
-Edwin Jagger: DE89LBL
Pre-Shave Oil:
-Shave Secret
Shaving Cream:
-Proraso: Green
-Proraso: Red
-Geo F. Trumper: Coconut Shaving Cream Tubes
After Shaves:
-Clubman: After Shave Lotion
-Clubman: Bay Rum
-Proraso: After Shave Lotion (Green)
Brushes:
-Escali 100% Pure Badger Shaving Brush
-Edwin Jagger: Traditional English Super Badger Hair
On Order:
-Merkur: HD Slant 37C
-Cadet: Model 44 Short (open comb)
-Astra SP (100 Count)
-Jatai Blade Disposal Case
-TOB: Sandalwood Shaving Cream
-NaWait Stainless Steel Insulated Shaving Bowl (113x62mm)
A little about myself, I am in my forties, active duty military, current location doesn't matter because it is going to change unexpectedly like it always does. I am not new to shaving, but I am new to Wet Shaving and I am stoked about it! I am really excited to join this forum of gentlemen and exchange information and learn new techniques regarding this reemerging art form.
I stumbled on to Wet Shaving and DE Razors by accident. My friend brought me in to an Art of Shaving store and my first thought when we entered the store was "This is stupid, shaving sucks, it always has and it will never change." Man was I wrong. A really attractive woman that was part of the stores friendly staff greeted us. My second thought was "Why is she working here? What does she know about shaving? What does she know about shaving that I don't know? Pancakes and bacon sound good right now..." Then she started talking, she had facts, talked technique, and she was making a lot of sense. As she was talking my lizard brain kicked in, "This DE/WET shaving technology has been around for more than 100 years, it is simple in design and function, and somebody smarter than me is building an empire out of whisker growth and I am standing in their castle!" Okay, she captivated my attention and I walked out of the store after she sold me a Merkur 34C HD, some extra blades and she gave me an Art of Shaving sampler box for the road.
After returning home I had buyers remorse I had just paid a premium price for something I could have found on Amazon for cheaper. Then I looked inside the bag and found the sampler box. You know the one with pre-shave oil, shave cream, after shave balm, and thought "WHAT! Who puts pre-shave oil on their face before a shave! This is stupid." Man was I wrong (again). At this point I realized that I had very limited knowledge on this subject and I needed to understand how this process worked for optimal performance. Prior to my first shave with my new DE razor I did what a modern gentlemen does, consult with their digital mentor YouTube for a demonstration. I found some great instructors that were willing to share their interest in this reemerging Man-Skill. After watching several YouTuber's and searching this and other forums I was able to accelerated my understanding and technique.
I was very surprised and pleased that everywhere that I searched for the Wet Shaving topic everyone was so polite, nice and willing to share. Searching this forum in particular made me think that the spirit of the gentleman still lives and I wanted to be associated with all of your company so I joined B&B.
I actually look forward to shaving now and I shave both my head and my face using DE Razors. It is a superior way of accomplishing this task successfully while enjoying possibly the best micro hobby that you can do on a daily basis without getting bored! I am all in and I am not going back to cassette razors, EVER!
In some ways I feel as though I have been mislead or lied to about shaving until now. I may have overpaid for my first DE Razor but this change in my life was well worth it. I now start my day off connected to HISTORY, Man-Ritual and my Man-Root! I look forward to the FUTUR (pun intended)... LOL...
Countertop Arsenal:
-Merkur: 34 C HD
-Mercur: 180 Long Handle
-Gillette Slim Adjustable (1967 M-1)
-Edwin Jagger: DE89LBL
Pre-Shave Oil:
-Shave Secret
Shaving Cream:
-Proraso: Green
-Proraso: Red
-Geo F. Trumper: Coconut Shaving Cream Tubes
After Shaves:
-Clubman: After Shave Lotion
-Clubman: Bay Rum
-Proraso: After Shave Lotion (Green)
Brushes:
-Escali 100% Pure Badger Shaving Brush
-Edwin Jagger: Traditional English Super Badger Hair
On Order:
-Merkur: HD Slant 37C
-Cadet: Model 44 Short (open comb)
-Astra SP (100 Count)
-Jatai Blade Disposal Case
-TOB: Sandalwood Shaving Cream
-NaWait Stainless Steel Insulated Shaving Bowl (113x62mm)
In fact, they encourage it... You need to try some soaps by the way. Mitchell's Wool Fat, Tabac and Cella are worth a punt.
