I'm coming up on a year since I first bought my first brush, Merkur DE and creams and took up wetshaving, and as is my wont I've been reflecting on the journey; on the off chance it'd help, I thought I'd share it with all the new members appearing here of late.
I came to wetshaving from the world of electric shavers, a complete babe in the shaving woods. I had no inkling as to what muscle memory, familiarity with my beard grain, etc. meant to the quality of my shave. Back on SMF, and to a lesser extent on this board, I chronicled my trying-this-cream, trying-that-aftershave, learning-the-other-blade-angle-lesson ups and downs in some pretty lurid detail. What I've come to learn and love about this little passion of ours is that while better equipment and products can enhance and ease the process of our daily shave, truly mastering the techniques by which tools and products are used is the key to shaving nirvana.
Each phase of the shave has its points to master. ...
Prep: how hot? How long? Hot towels? Conditioner? Pre-shave oil or no oil?
Lather: what does a good lather look like, feel like, sound and smell like? How do soaps and creams differ? Hard or soft water? Which of the gallimaufry of products out there work best? For you? Is it winter, summer, spring or fall, and how does that affect your water/product balance? Small or large brush? Stiff or floppy brush? Lather on the face or in a bowl? Hot pot or no hot pot?
Bladework: what does a good stroke feel like, look like, sound like? What does a good blade angle feel like in the wrist? Do you shave one- or two-handed? What directions does your beard grain mandate for your passes? What "envelope pushing" can your skin take? How well is today's lather working with the razor? How old is the blade? Any irritation from yesterday?
Aftershave: moisturizing, alcoholic, sealing? Tiny amounts, a good coating or none at all? Apply wet or dry? Simple or layers of product? Fragrance after or au natural?
All these dozens of factors apply to the quality of shave a man gives himself in the morning. Given all these variables, it's looking unsurprising that it took months of unlearning, learning, and unlearning again (but then I'm a stubborn, mercurial cuss) to get to the point where I can for the most part use any decent single-blade razor and any decent lubricating medium to produce, consistently, a shave that's nearly impossible with either an electric shaver or a cartridge razor.
My face is healthier than ever, but I think the largest part of my personal enjoyment has to do with knowing that I managed to climb the mountain, and that I'm up on the plateau with the Rons, Riks and Joels of the world, and that any given shave can be glass-smooth and irritation-free.
'Course, knowing that I don't have to rely on any particular blade brand, cream tub or brush vendor makes it easier to relax and enjoy the complete luxury of, for example, Shavemac silvertip, Merkur HD Classic, T&H Trafalgar and B&B cologne.
For those of you struggling to get started, whether posting or lurking, this post isn't about me congratulating myself, it's a note to you: keep at it, especially if you're coming from the electric world, it takes time to build the muscle memory, to learn all the little signs your face and equipment send you, to learn which things work a little better for your overall shave than other things, to build your optimal arsenal of techniques and products.
It's worth it, guys. Keep soldiering on.
-Rich
I came to wetshaving from the world of electric shavers, a complete babe in the shaving woods. I had no inkling as to what muscle memory, familiarity with my beard grain, etc. meant to the quality of my shave. Back on SMF, and to a lesser extent on this board, I chronicled my trying-this-cream, trying-that-aftershave, learning-the-other-blade-angle-lesson ups and downs in some pretty lurid detail. What I've come to learn and love about this little passion of ours is that while better equipment and products can enhance and ease the process of our daily shave, truly mastering the techniques by which tools and products are used is the key to shaving nirvana.
Each phase of the shave has its points to master. ...
Prep: how hot? How long? Hot towels? Conditioner? Pre-shave oil or no oil?
Lather: what does a good lather look like, feel like, sound and smell like? How do soaps and creams differ? Hard or soft water? Which of the gallimaufry of products out there work best? For you? Is it winter, summer, spring or fall, and how does that affect your water/product balance? Small or large brush? Stiff or floppy brush? Lather on the face or in a bowl? Hot pot or no hot pot?
Bladework: what does a good stroke feel like, look like, sound like? What does a good blade angle feel like in the wrist? Do you shave one- or two-handed? What directions does your beard grain mandate for your passes? What "envelope pushing" can your skin take? How well is today's lather working with the razor? How old is the blade? Any irritation from yesterday?
Aftershave: moisturizing, alcoholic, sealing? Tiny amounts, a good coating or none at all? Apply wet or dry? Simple or layers of product? Fragrance after or au natural?
All these dozens of factors apply to the quality of shave a man gives himself in the morning. Given all these variables, it's looking unsurprising that it took months of unlearning, learning, and unlearning again (but then I'm a stubborn, mercurial cuss) to get to the point where I can for the most part use any decent single-blade razor and any decent lubricating medium to produce, consistently, a shave that's nearly impossible with either an electric shaver or a cartridge razor.
My face is healthier than ever, but I think the largest part of my personal enjoyment has to do with knowing that I managed to climb the mountain, and that I'm up on the plateau with the Rons, Riks and Joels of the world, and that any given shave can be glass-smooth and irritation-free.
'Course, knowing that I don't have to rely on any particular blade brand, cream tub or brush vendor makes it easier to relax and enjoy the complete luxury of, for example, Shavemac silvertip, Merkur HD Classic, T&H Trafalgar and B&B cologne.
For those of you struggling to get started, whether posting or lurking, this post isn't about me congratulating myself, it's a note to you: keep at it, especially if you're coming from the electric world, it takes time to build the muscle memory, to learn all the little signs your face and equipment send you, to learn which things work a little better for your overall shave than other things, to build your optimal arsenal of techniques and products.
It's worth it, guys. Keep soldiering on.
-Rich
