EPTOk not really, but I thought I'd share a few of my xmas gifts this year because they're pretty awesome and hopefully you'll prolly be jealous and i can get my hehe face on. I don't really burden myself with grooming. I bite my nails and wait months between haircuts, but this is one thing I really enjoy:
![[image loading]](http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r35/austindea/IMG_0573-1.jpg)
I asked for most of this shiet specifically because I got interested in old school shaving after reading a few articles online. In the image you'll see some shaving soaps and a small dish, 2 shaving brushes, Merkur Hefty Classic safety razor, and some Proraso shaving cream made in Italy. This is likely how your gpas or ggpas shaved back in the day, or very similar to the type of shave you could maybe get at an old school barbershop.
The brushes are pure badger hair which may sound weird, but for whatever reason badger hair is the best at holding in the large amounts of water necessary to working up a great lather from the cream. You soak your brush and make sure it's full of water, and use about the same amount of cream from the tube as you would toothpaste for brushing your teeth. After a little magic you have a full bowl of hydrated lather ready for several shaves (more later). The brush is key here; the water from inside the bristles works into the cream and determines the consistency of the lather, which can determine the closeness of the shave. The brush is also used for really working the lather into the pores of your faces so you can achieve perfect lubrication, and it has a massage element that feels really nice when coupled with great smelling/feeling cream.
I've only tried the soaps twice, because they come nowhere near to feeling as good after shaving with Proraso cream. This shit is made with eucalyptus oil and menthol and there's no alcohol or other chemicals like most canned gels these days. It has an immediate cooling and soothing effect on the skin and smells amazing, definitely the best part of the whole kit. There is no burning or itching or dryness, only awesome. Took some practice, but the cream is the best part of all.
The razor uses disposable single blades with a cutting edge on both sides which run about 50 cents a blade (amazon has 30 Merkur blades for 13.95). These blades are made extremely sharp, and need the cream to be effective. Multiblade razor are actually designed to use the first blade as a yanker to pull the hair out of the follicle and then have the other blades cut it, which increases the tendency for irritation and ingrown hairs. The idea when shaving with the type of razor is that you do not press down at all, you let the razor do the work and you get a much closer shave for doing so. You also shave in passes, not one hack and slash attempt. Think of beard reduction on each pass. I usually do about 3 actual shaves: one down, one oblique, and one up. May sound a bit tedious, but when the cream and shave feel this good you'll enjoy every minute of it. You also tend to take a little more care when shaving with this because when you first start you're more likely to nick yourself on these incredibly sharp blades, not to mention soon realizing that you cant go back and forth over the same areas where you've already shaved.
I usually shave right after a hot ass shower, so my face is already wet/moisturized from the steam and the pores are opened and shiet. This style of shaving is actually called wetshaving and keeping the face wet and warm is part of the technique. Each time before you lather up you should soak your face again. The water helps keep your beard hairs soft so they're easier to cut, and also helps with the lubrication that is so essential for a good shave.
-there is no burn or irritation, no razor bumps
-no drying elements like alcohol which are terrible for your skin, and leave your face looking dried out
-almost zen-like, turns shaving from a cumbersome chore to a relaxing treat
-the smoothest shave you can get, for sure. I feel like a god damn porcelain doll after every shave, it's magnificent.
I'll never go back to shaving with disposables, multiblade junk, or aerosol gels. This is the only way to shave
I asked for most of this shiet specifically because I got interested in old school shaving after reading a few articles online. In the image you'll see some shaving soaps and a small dish, 2 shaving brushes, Merkur Hefty Classic safety razor, and some Proraso shaving cream made in Italy. This is likely how your gpas or ggpas shaved back in the day, or very similar to the type of shave you could maybe get at an old school barbershop.
The brushes are pure badger hair which may sound weird, but for whatever reason badger hair is the best at holding in the large amounts of water necessary to working up a great lather from the cream. You soak your brush and make sure it's full of water, and use about the same amount of cream from the tube as you would toothpaste for brushing your teeth. After a little magic you have a full bowl of hydrated lather ready for several shaves (more later). The brush is key here; the water from inside the bristles works into the cream and determines the consistency of the lather, which can determine the closeness of the shave. The brush is also used for really working the lather into the pores of your faces so you can achieve perfect lubrication, and it has a massage element that feels really nice when coupled with great smelling/feeling cream.
I've only tried the soaps twice, because they come nowhere near to feeling as good after shaving with Proraso cream. This shit is made with eucalyptus oil and menthol and there's no alcohol or other chemicals like most canned gels these days. It has an immediate cooling and soothing effect on the skin and smells amazing, definitely the best part of the whole kit. There is no burning or itching or dryness, only awesome. Took some practice, but the cream is the best part of all.
The razor uses disposable single blades with a cutting edge on both sides which run about 50 cents a blade (amazon has 30 Merkur blades for 13.95). These blades are made extremely sharp, and need the cream to be effective. Multiblade razor are actually designed to use the first blade as a yanker to pull the hair out of the follicle and then have the other blades cut it, which increases the tendency for irritation and ingrown hairs. The idea when shaving with the type of razor is that you do not press down at all, you let the razor do the work and you get a much closer shave for doing so. You also shave in passes, not one hack and slash attempt. Think of beard reduction on each pass. I usually do about 3 actual shaves: one down, one oblique, and one up. May sound a bit tedious, but when the cream and shave feel this good you'll enjoy every minute of it. You also tend to take a little more care when shaving with this because when you first start you're more likely to nick yourself on these incredibly sharp blades, not to mention soon realizing that you cant go back and forth over the same areas where you've already shaved.
I usually shave right after a hot ass shower, so my face is already wet/moisturized from the steam and the pores are opened and shiet. This style of shaving is actually called wetshaving and keeping the face wet and warm is part of the technique. Each time before you lather up you should soak your face again. The water helps keep your beard hairs soft so they're easier to cut, and also helps with the lubrication that is so essential for a good shave.
-there is no burn or irritation, no razor bumps
-no drying elements like alcohol which are terrible for your skin, and leave your face looking dried out
-almost zen-like, turns shaving from a cumbersome chore to a relaxing treat
-the smoothest shave you can get, for sure. I feel like a god damn porcelain doll after every shave, it's magnificent.
I'll never go back to shaving with disposables, multiblade junk, or aerosol gels. This is the only way to shave
![[image loading]](http://danielfelton.com/images/random/Dog_cupcake_tease.gif)
