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- Mar 6, 2019
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Just curious what you folks shave with and wondering if there's anything I'm missing out on? Shaving is a big deal for me. Thanks to my genetics I inherited the very fair, very sensitive Yayoi skin of the civilized, pretentious Yamato rapists and then the jet-black, bristle-thick facial hair (and alcoholic tendencies) of the southern Jomon savages. I have to be very careful about what I shave with and more often than not I'm still a little intoxicated when I shave.
For most of my younger years I used the ubiquitous Gillette Mach, and it gave me awful razor rash but I just chalked it up to being part of life. Then I moved to Japan, where the refills were something like $20usd for a 4-pack (and I was a broke eikaiwa teacher) so I started looking elsewhere.
I ended up experimenting with DE safety razors. Much improved quality of shave. Got myself a Merkur 34C, expensive badger brush and English shave soap. Those ultra-sharp Japan-made Feather blades were $10/100 on Amazon. Those were happy memories, standing bareass naked in my kitchen, shaving over the kitchen sink in my shithole apartment after a scalding hot shower before hopping on my bicycle and heading out for my 8am 2-nen class.
Then I moved back stateside and was soon in D.C. politics. I didn't have 15-20 leisurely minutes every morning to lather up like some gangster in a mafia movie. I ended up scoring a Panasonic "Arc" electric shaver (I think they call it Lamdash in Japan) on Amazon for way cheaper than the usual $400-ish price and loved the quick convenience. Way better than Braun or Norelco. Electric razors dry out my skin like something awful, but the fact that I could complete a full shave in two minutes without causing a bloody massacre on my face kept me going with Panasonic for the past decade.
And then one drunken night a few months ago an ad popped up on Facebook for "Supply Razor," touting its success on The Sharktank. Not cheap at $75 but it looked really cool and I was fucking plastered. And it apparently used those old-fashioned single-edge "injector" type blades I'd always seen at the drug store. Great marketing pitch, I must admit, as twenty minutes later I had a brand new starter kit on the way.
It took me about two weeks to get back to the point where I wasn't a bloody mess in the morning. I re-discovered my expensive English badger brush and sandalwood shave cream and with the pandemic and job title allowing me to do pretty much whatever I want, I'm back to spending 15-20 minutes every morning doing a proper shave. This SE razor has its pros and cons, and I've come to prefer it to the DE blade, but there are certain areas of my neck where the DE was a little more effective and/or a little more forgiving. And I've started treating myself with some expensive hyaluronic acid facial hydration creams and gels, which feel absolutely wonderful. I leave in the morning with my face glowing and the wonderful scent of sandalwood for hours, although it does conflict with my Ralph Lauren Blue/Black if I'm headed somewhere interesting. And no, I promise, I'm actually not gay.
I can't be the only one who's into this stuff. Anyone have any miraculous shaving tools, tips or techniques that I should explore while this current situation affords me plenty of free time?
For most of my younger years I used the ubiquitous Gillette Mach, and it gave me awful razor rash but I just chalked it up to being part of life. Then I moved to Japan, where the refills were something like $20usd for a 4-pack (and I was a broke eikaiwa teacher) so I started looking elsewhere.
I ended up experimenting with DE safety razors. Much improved quality of shave. Got myself a Merkur 34C, expensive badger brush and English shave soap. Those ultra-sharp Japan-made Feather blades were $10/100 on Amazon. Those were happy memories, standing bareass naked in my kitchen, shaving over the kitchen sink in my shithole apartment after a scalding hot shower before hopping on my bicycle and heading out for my 8am 2-nen class.
Then I moved back stateside and was soon in D.C. politics. I didn't have 15-20 leisurely minutes every morning to lather up like some gangster in a mafia movie. I ended up scoring a Panasonic "Arc" electric shaver (I think they call it Lamdash in Japan) on Amazon for way cheaper than the usual $400-ish price and loved the quick convenience. Way better than Braun or Norelco. Electric razors dry out my skin like something awful, but the fact that I could complete a full shave in two minutes without causing a bloody massacre on my face kept me going with Panasonic for the past decade.
And then one drunken night a few months ago an ad popped up on Facebook for "Supply Razor," touting its success on The Sharktank. Not cheap at $75 but it looked really cool and I was fucking plastered. And it apparently used those old-fashioned single-edge "injector" type blades I'd always seen at the drug store. Great marketing pitch, I must admit, as twenty minutes later I had a brand new starter kit on the way.
It took me about two weeks to get back to the point where I wasn't a bloody mess in the morning. I re-discovered my expensive English badger brush and sandalwood shave cream and with the pandemic and job title allowing me to do pretty much whatever I want, I'm back to spending 15-20 minutes every morning doing a proper shave. This SE razor has its pros and cons, and I've come to prefer it to the DE blade, but there are certain areas of my neck where the DE was a little more effective and/or a little more forgiving. And I've started treating myself with some expensive hyaluronic acid facial hydration creams and gels, which feel absolutely wonderful. I leave in the morning with my face glowing and the wonderful scent of sandalwood for hours, although it does conflict with my Ralph Lauren Blue/Black if I'm headed somewhere interesting. And no, I promise, I'm actually not gay.
I can't be the only one who's into this stuff. Anyone have any miraculous shaving tools, tips or techniques that I should explore while this current situation affords me plenty of free time?