OK, I'm about to hit "submit" and I'm noticing this is kind of a long post. I just wanted to say, it's totally going to be worth it! (In my opinion, of course, your mileage may vary.) So if you need to use the restroom, go now, because once we're on the road, we aren't stopping! In the immortal words of Blaise Pascal, "Je n’ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n’ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte!" ["I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter!"] And now, onto the post.
I started wet shaving about 6 months ago, and it's one of the most joyous hobbies I've ever taken up. I'm kind of known for getting an interest in something, going a little crazy for a few weeks, then losing interest. But this seems to have stuck. I used to utterly and completely hate shaving, because it was uncomfortable, and never produced good results. Now, I look forward to getting out of bed each morning so that I can lather it up and mow it down.
My wife, on the other hand, thinks I'm crazy. She can't understand why I get so much enjoyment out of it. As far as hobbies go, this is a relatively inexpensive one, but I did go a little nuts with RAD, and she isn't exactly happy about the money going into it.
So the other day, I happened to notice her plastic Venus razor handle in the trash. That thing had to be ten years old at least. It was covered with mildew and really nasty. My wife is a very fastidious woman when it comes to cleanliness, (much more so than I am) so I was shocked that it lasted as long as it did. However, I immediately noticed that this might just be the opportunity of a lifetime.
Mrs. chamm is a truly wonderful lady, a fantastic wife and in unbelievable mother to my kids. I love her with all my heart and soul. That being said, she's as stubborn as a mule. Getting her to try anything new requires a very delicate touch, which I have yet to master in 15 years of marriage. Push her too hard, and she'll buck, because she's a strong, independent woman. Don't push her enough, and she'll go on doing whatever she pleases, because she's a strong, independent woman. This quest is complicated by the fact that she is already a little put off by obses... er... interest in DE shaving. However, I really think she would benefit from it. My wife is in charge of the household budget, so I think she would really appreciate the cost savings of DE shaving. I'm sure she wouldn't have the desire to buy 20 different razors to try each one of them out. Even if she did, I've built up a decent collection, and I don't keep it locked up.
She also has very dry skin, and we go through tubs of expensive Eucerin. If she misses even one morning, she scratches at her skin all day, sometimes enough to make it bleed. Before I started wet shaving, I had real problems with dry skin. When I switched, that problem went away completely. I suspect that she might have similar results. All this being said, I still didn't hold out much hope of getting her to switch. Just too much working against me.
Much to my surprise, this morning, as she was preparing for her shower, she casually asked if I thought any of my razors would work for her underarms. She'd thrown away her old razor, and hasn't had a chance to go to the store yet. I was not in any way expecting this, but I needed to play it cool. If I acted too excited, she'd just say "forget it" and pick up another Venus handle on her next trip. So I casually strolled over to my razor box and, as quickly as I could, tried to quickly figure out what to give her. I know nothing about shaving anything but my face. My wife is Latina, which, incidentally, accounts somewhat for her stubbornness.
It also means that she has very dense, thick, dark hair. If I gave her something too mild, she would think that DE shaving is inferior. However, one tiny nick, or razorburn, especially on the first try, and the experiment would probably be over. Fortunately, I had gone through my RAD phase, so I had a selection of razors from which to choose. I decided to play it safe and give her something pretty mild. At least if she wasn't bleeding, I might be able to convince her to give it another try before picking up another Venus handle. (At which point, my quest is at an end.) So I grabbed my long-handle Super Adjustable and cranked it all the way down to 1. I figured my feather blades would be too dangerous, so I had a couple extra Astra Platinums sitting around and quickly unwrapped one of those. My hands were shaking; I was trying to get the blade unwrapped as quickly as I could. I was expecting at any minute for her to say "This is taking too long, I'll just pick one up at the store." I handed her the razor and cautioned her about not applying force, going with the grain for the first pass. Basically everything I knew about shaving that I could spit out in 15 seconds. She asked if she was supposed to use any special soap or anything. I was dumbfounded; I have no idea whatsoever. Do the ladies lather up like the fellows do? Even the quickest Google search would take too long, so I improvised. As much as I love her, the thought of her sticking my nice, new silvertip brush into her armpit kinda grossed me out. On the other hand, I didn't want to give her my $6 Van Der Hagen boar brush, either, because I use that to clean out the sink when I'm done shaving. As luck (and a case of SBAD) would have it, I had a nice medium-grade Omega Boar brush with soft tips, nice backbone, and most importantly, was a brush that I never planned to use again. 
I got out my least-manly smelling soap and loaded up the brush. I showed her how to whip up a nice lather right on her skin and slowly backed away from the shower as she got in.
I waited quietly around the corner, fearing the blood-curdling scream that was sure to follow if she hacked off a chunk of her arm. Again, I'm doing my best to appear disinterested, but this could be life-changing! I mean, it's not like we have nothing in common in our relationship, but I've never really had a hobby that she could tolerate. Previous hobbies include video games, stunt kites, yo-yos and mountain biking, so I guess it's understandable. I'm also a semi-professional trombone player, which is a terribly irritating hobby if you happen to be a non trombone player who also can hear.
A few minutes went by. No scream. She turned off the shower and emerged. There was no visible blood, which was a good sign. "Wow, chamm, I'm a little surprised. That actually did a really good job. Would you mind if I borrowed this razor to shave my legs?" (Success!!) "Sure, I guess that would be OK," I said with my best poker face. As I walked out of the room, I was trying to contain the joy pouring from my heart. I turned and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. The door had been left open...
Wow, that was a long story just to get to a couple simple questions! If you're still with me, I admire your dedication. You've already put in so much time, a couple minutes to provide insight to my questions wouldn't hurt, right?
There's very little chance of her ever researching this topic on the Internet, so I need to figure out what works and hand it to her. To me, a good part of the fun was experimenting with different combinations and techniques. But for her, she just wants to get it done. I considered trying to pick up a decent Lady Gillette, but I think any appreciation she might have for such an instrument would be outweighed by the money I spent on it. Our budget is increasingly tight these days, and just last week, we had "the talk" about my razor addiction. (I'll admit, I probably went just a teensy-weensy little bit overboard.) I think it would be unwise to spend anything just now, and I used up my B/S/T post the day before this whole thing developed, so it'll be two weeks before I can try to set up a trade. Also I've done a little checking eBay for LGs, but the ones I've seen are either old and rusty, or outside the range that I could possibly spend without her getting upset. (Which, in reality, is actually pretty close to $0.)
If I want to move, I need to move fast. As soon as she picks up a new razor at the grocery store, it's over for at least the next ten years. I've converted more than a few of my guy friends, but my wife would be the ultimate challenge. The Mt. Everest of DE shaving conversion, if you will. Any advice would be most welcome, and is much appreciated. Thank you!
I started wet shaving about 6 months ago, and it's one of the most joyous hobbies I've ever taken up. I'm kind of known for getting an interest in something, going a little crazy for a few weeks, then losing interest. But this seems to have stuck. I used to utterly and completely hate shaving, because it was uncomfortable, and never produced good results. Now, I look forward to getting out of bed each morning so that I can lather it up and mow it down.
My wife, on the other hand, thinks I'm crazy. She can't understand why I get so much enjoyment out of it. As far as hobbies go, this is a relatively inexpensive one, but I did go a little nuts with RAD, and she isn't exactly happy about the money going into it.
So the other day, I happened to notice her plastic Venus razor handle in the trash. That thing had to be ten years old at least. It was covered with mildew and really nasty. My wife is a very fastidious woman when it comes to cleanliness, (much more so than I am) so I was shocked that it lasted as long as it did. However, I immediately noticed that this might just be the opportunity of a lifetime.
Mrs. chamm is a truly wonderful lady, a fantastic wife and in unbelievable mother to my kids. I love her with all my heart and soul. That being said, she's as stubborn as a mule. Getting her to try anything new requires a very delicate touch, which I have yet to master in 15 years of marriage. Push her too hard, and she'll buck, because she's a strong, independent woman. Don't push her enough, and she'll go on doing whatever she pleases, because she's a strong, independent woman. This quest is complicated by the fact that she is already a little put off by obses... er... interest in DE shaving. However, I really think she would benefit from it. My wife is in charge of the household budget, so I think she would really appreciate the cost savings of DE shaving. I'm sure she wouldn't have the desire to buy 20 different razors to try each one of them out. Even if she did, I've built up a decent collection, and I don't keep it locked up.
She also has very dry skin, and we go through tubs of expensive Eucerin. If she misses even one morning, she scratches at her skin all day, sometimes enough to make it bleed. Before I started wet shaving, I had real problems with dry skin. When I switched, that problem went away completely. I suspect that she might have similar results. All this being said, I still didn't hold out much hope of getting her to switch. Just too much working against me.Much to my surprise, this morning, as she was preparing for her shower, she casually asked if I thought any of my razors would work for her underarms. She'd thrown away her old razor, and hasn't had a chance to go to the store yet. I was not in any way expecting this, but I needed to play it cool. If I acted too excited, she'd just say "forget it" and pick up another Venus handle on her next trip. So I casually strolled over to my razor box and, as quickly as I could, tried to quickly figure out what to give her. I know nothing about shaving anything but my face. My wife is Latina, which, incidentally, accounts somewhat for her stubbornness.
It also means that she has very dense, thick, dark hair. If I gave her something too mild, she would think that DE shaving is inferior. However, one tiny nick, or razorburn, especially on the first try, and the experiment would probably be over. Fortunately, I had gone through my RAD phase, so I had a selection of razors from which to choose. I decided to play it safe and give her something pretty mild. At least if she wasn't bleeding, I might be able to convince her to give it another try before picking up another Venus handle. (At which point, my quest is at an end.) So I grabbed my long-handle Super Adjustable and cranked it all the way down to 1. I figured my feather blades would be too dangerous, so I had a couple extra Astra Platinums sitting around and quickly unwrapped one of those. My hands were shaking; I was trying to get the blade unwrapped as quickly as I could. I was expecting at any minute for her to say "This is taking too long, I'll just pick one up at the store." I handed her the razor and cautioned her about not applying force, going with the grain for the first pass. Basically everything I knew about shaving that I could spit out in 15 seconds. She asked if she was supposed to use any special soap or anything. I was dumbfounded; I have no idea whatsoever. Do the ladies lather up like the fellows do? Even the quickest Google search would take too long, so I improvised. As much as I love her, the thought of her sticking my nice, new silvertip brush into her armpit kinda grossed me out. On the other hand, I didn't want to give her my $6 Van Der Hagen boar brush, either, because I use that to clean out the sink when I'm done shaving. As luck (and a case of SBAD) would have it, I had a nice medium-grade Omega Boar brush with soft tips, nice backbone, and most importantly, was a brush that I never planned to use again. I got out my least-manly smelling soap and loaded up the brush. I showed her how to whip up a nice lather right on her skin and slowly backed away from the shower as she got in.I waited quietly around the corner, fearing the blood-curdling scream that was sure to follow if she hacked off a chunk of her arm. Again, I'm doing my best to appear disinterested, but this could be life-changing! I mean, it's not like we have nothing in common in our relationship, but I've never really had a hobby that she could tolerate. Previous hobbies include video games, stunt kites, yo-yos and mountain biking, so I guess it's understandable. I'm also a semi-professional trombone player, which is a terribly irritating hobby if you happen to be a non trombone player who also can hear.
A few minutes went by. No scream. She turned off the shower and emerged. There was no visible blood, which was a good sign. "Wow, chamm, I'm a little surprised. That actually did a really good job. Would you mind if I borrowed this razor to shave my legs?" (Success!!) "Sure, I guess that would be OK," I said with my best poker face. As I walked out of the room, I was trying to contain the joy pouring from my heart. I turned and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. The door had been left open...
Wow, that was a long story just to get to a couple simple questions! If you're still with me, I admire your dedication. You've already put in so much time, a couple minutes to provide insight to my questions wouldn't hurt, right?
- Should I try to carve out a little bit of untraceable money so that I can find a nice Lady Gillette on B/S/T? Are they even any good for leg/underarm shaving? Just because they are pretty pastel colors doesn't necessarily mean they shave well, and my wife isn't the type to get hung up on whether or not a razor has flowers on it. I also wouldn't want to get her a fixer-upper, because as nasty as her old handle was, the heads were all clean, not to mention expensive. If I gave her a cruddy, rusty razor, I'm certain she wouldn't use it.
- If I can't manage to sneak in a LG, what is the razor aggressiveness scale like for the ladies? Is there another standard vintage Gillette that might do well for her? (I have a few of them)
- I need a fully exposed samurai blade to cut through my beard, but even the hairiest of lady legs aren't a fraction as thick as my beard. Does that mean that I should be thinking mild, milder and mildest?
- Is there any sort of consensus on which blades work best for legs and underarms?
- Do ladies use shaving soap and a brush like the gentlemen do, or is there an alternate technique that I should be recommending?
There's very little chance of her ever researching this topic on the Internet, so I need to figure out what works and hand it to her. To me, a good part of the fun was experimenting with different combinations and techniques. But for her, she just wants to get it done. I considered trying to pick up a decent Lady Gillette, but I think any appreciation she might have for such an instrument would be outweighed by the money I spent on it. Our budget is increasingly tight these days, and just last week, we had "the talk" about my razor addiction. (I'll admit, I probably went just a teensy-weensy little bit overboard.) I think it would be unwise to spend anything just now, and I used up my B/S/T post the day before this whole thing developed, so it'll be two weeks before I can try to set up a trade. Also I've done a little checking eBay for LGs, but the ones I've seen are either old and rusty, or outside the range that I could possibly spend without her getting upset. (Which, in reality, is actually pretty close to $0.)
If I want to move, I need to move fast. As soon as she picks up a new razor at the grocery store, it's over for at least the next ten years. I've converted more than a few of my guy friends, but my wife would be the ultimate challenge. The Mt. Everest of DE shaving conversion, if you will. Any advice would be most welcome, and is much appreciated. Thank you!
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. As far as for the cream,She still can use the normal cream or can of goo that she normally used with your adjustable. Goodluck Mate!
