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Shaving Old School Style

Most of my friends think of me as old school. They often tell me I was born and living in the wrong generation. A lot of the things I enjoy are things that our parents or grandparents liked way back when. My music choices, favorite movies, activites, and thinking all put me in the throwback category.

I like watching low scoring, grind-it-out football games where a running back gets 30 carries. Sitting outside during a thunderstorm is better entertainment than most TV shows. I could listen to Frank Sinatra or watch Humphrey Bogart or read Ernest Hemingway while having a martini and be content. One of my favorite things from the past is shaving like my dad.

It seems like some company comes up with a new razor cartridge with more and more blades each month. You get to pair that with some synthetic ‘manly’ scented shaving cream or foam, and a hideous aftershave. All of this leads up to a routine that most men do not enjoy and rush through as fast as possible, all the while not even getting the close and comfortable shave as advertised. To make matters worse, those blade cartridges keep getting more and more expensive.

I prefer a different approach, and it pays. Not only does my method cost less per shave, I get a better shave with less irritation, and I actually look forward to it each day! With everyone looking to cram more into each day, I like the slow pace of wetshavig.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE:

- Shaving brush (badger hair is best)

- Shaving mug

- Quality shave soap or shave cream

- Double edge (DE) razor blades

- Safety razor

- Styptic pencil or alum block

- Aftershave

My shaving routine starts just before a shower. I prepare everything I will be using and soak my badger brush in hot water. Once my shower is done I whip up a nice thick lather with my brush in my shaving mug. I usually use something more natural smelling than Cool Breeze or Pacific Surge or anything else that sounds like that. If I am looking for the old school barbershop smell in the morning, I grab my tube of Proraso. Other favorites are Rosemary Mint, Rose, and Lavender. Laugh if you want, but remember people like John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, and Winston Churchill used these as well. I brush up my face and then begin shaving…with one blade. This single blade cuts a lot closer than the four or five on most new cartridge blades. I don’t have to press on my face with it either, so there is very little irritation afterwards. Once I am done, I follow up with with one of many different aftershaves. My favorites lately have been Pinaud Lilac Vegetal and Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum.

Take back your face! Dictate how your day is going to be. Get off on the right foot each day with a great shave!

Tags: John Wayne, old school, Shaving, Sinatra