Wet Shaving is Complicated - Is it Worth it?

For some of you, you may not know what Wet Shaving is at all... I know I didn't. Not that long ago, every man (and maybe a few women) shaved in this way, but electric shavers and quick disposable razors have all but eliminated this nostalgic art. (I snickered as I saw the latest Bond movie and saw what society may picture as the iconic male - wet shaving in his hotel room). I was very curious about wet shaving, and felt it would be a good 'manly' thing to try. After all, if my grandfather did it, I feel it would be a good thing to know how to do... My wife got me a shaving kit for Christmas, complete with a shaving brush, shaving soap and aftershave (see below). The problem was I had no idea what I was doing.

I went online and spent hours of research (literally) looking at razors and watching countless YouTube videos trying to figure out how to do it. I bought myself what some reviewers consider the Cadillac of double edge razors, the Edwin Jagger DE89. I love it! It is heavy, brilliantly shiny, and good quality.

After several months and even more hours on YouTube and other sites, I am still struggling to figure out what kinds of products to use. There are a lot of methods and seemingly millions of creams/soaps/discs to use in a variety of bowls/scuttles and other methods of lathering. Everyone has their own opinion of what works best, and it is certainly overwhelming.

So after all the hassle, why do I keep trying? Well first, I bought a $40 razor (which of course I will likely be able to pass down to my son). Another reason as I noted above, is there is something nostalgic in shaving in this manner... sure it takes longer than using a Gillette Mach Whatever in the shower or sink, but I don't think that's always a bad thing. Am I 'wet shaving' every day? goodness no... maybe some day I will. Overall, the products smell great, it's a few intentional minutes I have to myself (I've even put on my Cool Jazz station on my iPhone's Pandora app a couple times), and the shave is INCREDIBLY close - leaving my skin feeling awesome! I am certainly still learning, and question whether the products I am using are the right kind. I am going to try what I see as the consensus of articles and reviews deems the best overall brand - Proraso Shaving Cream (there's a whole line of products shown here). I'll let you know how it goes.

For those of interested in wet shaving, I have included a few blog posts that originally peaked my interest and gave me a good deal of beginner info. Also, anyone willing to offer some tips, please don't hesitate!

Art of Manliness - Learn How To Shave Like Your Grandpa

Badger and Blade - The Art of Wet Shaving

Shave Blog - How to Shave

Wear the Pants!

I have spent a great deal of time lately looking at other 'manly' blogs, trying to find sites that call men into manhood, that train men how to take up spiritual arms, that encourage men to get off the side lines and into the game. There are a few that I have found that are truly encouraging, but not as many as I would have expected. In my searching, I came across a post someone did based on a Docker's print ad which was truly shocking. Docker's gets the truth that men are absent from our society, and they make pretty bold claims in this ad. Now, certainly they use humor alongside the truth or it would be a public service announcement and not a promotion to sell khakis. But don't miss the forest for the trees... there are some crazy statements in this thing. Here is the ad, and I have typed out the text below in case you can't read the image.

"Once upon a time, Men wore the pants, and wore them well. Women rarely had to open doors and little old ladies never crossed the street alone. Men took charge because that's what they did. But somewhere along the way, the world decided it no longer needed men. Disco by disco, latte by foamy non-fat latte, men were stripped of their khakis and left stranded on the road between boyhood and androgyny. But today, there are questions our genderless society has no answers for. The world sits idly by as cities crumble, children misbehave, and those little old ladies remain on one side of the street. For the first time since bad guys, we need heroes. We need grown-ups. We need men to put down the plastic fork, step away from the salad bar and untie the world from the tracks of complacency. It's time to get your hands dirty. It's time to answer the call of manhood. It's time to Wear The Pants."

The statements that really stood out to me were:
 - But somewhere along the way, the world decided it no longer needed men.
 - Today, there are questions our genderless society has no answers for.
 - For the first time since bad guys, we need heroes. We need grown-ups.
 - We need men to ... untie the world from the tracks of complacency. (the joke here about the salad bar really takes away the impact of the truth in this statement, so I took it out for this purpose)

Even now, after reading it over and over, I am stunned at the truths in this paragraph. Where are the men? Even Dockers recognizes the trouble in our society. They are right on... It's Time to Answer the Call of Manhood. We need to take initiative, to speak truth, to walk humbly and wisely, to be active and not passive. We need to wear the pants... even if they aren't khakis.