The most important “item” for me is the mindset of the shave. I got a fair selection of razors; new and vintage, SE and DE, open comb and safety bar. I got a decent selection of brushes; horse, boar, synth and entry-level badger. I got plenty of soap; factory and artisan, hard and soft, american and european. I got a small but decent selection of aftershaves; big names and artisan. And I can mix and match and get Damn Fine Shaves every time, provided I take the time to get into the mindset. The tool matters less than learning to use the tools.
Shaving time is – at least to me – a quiet, reflective moment. It’s me-time; the time when I can close the door and just enjoy myself without a worry in the world. It’s the time each morning I can ‘let go’ of everyday worries and simply enjoy the ‘now’ – a perfect moment caught between lather and blade as it were. It’s a moment that flushes the system, in a manner of speaking, and lets me put things in perspective. I think that traditional wetshaving have helped making me a better man, as well as a better looking man. In short shaving for me is less about the gear and more about that perfect moment caught between lather and blade – those precious minutes every time you shave that lets your worries and concerns simply drain away. The little breathing space where it’s you, your razor and perfection.
And as with everything regarding shavings; Your Mileage May Vary.
How are you fixed for blades? I linked to one commercial asking that question a little over ten years ago, but today i found that Gillette updated the ad after the rock and/or roll craze hit.
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A magnificent Monday shave, with lather, brush, and razor all coming from the Iberian Peninsula.
A fresh shave while fresh snow is coming down outside
The origin of the term ‘safety razor’ is a little unclear. As documented over at razors.click, the term did not originate with the Kampfe brothers as so often claimed. But no matter who came up with it, or when, it was in common enough use by 1887 that Gustavus Rein explicitly used it both as the title and in the body of his patent. Which is interesting enough, but what really caught my attention is that the razor that Gustavus Rein patented was a twofer. Not only was it a hoe-style wedge razor, but it could also be used as what we today would call a shavette.
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Another week, another vintage razor. The Slim may be way older than me, but it has certainly kept it’s edge – pun intended.
Razor: Gillette 1958 TV Special
Blade: Lord Classic
Brush: Semogue TSN LE 2012
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: Asylum Shave Works Flying Mango
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care:
Alum Block
Yet another fine Friday shave. A quiet moment of Zen before the workday is just the thing.
Metallic razor strops must been popular in the middle of the 19th century. Not that long after the self-corroding bimetal hone and the polished metal strop, Jacob Wolf got a patent for an improvement in razor strops. An improvement that included, you guessed it, metal.
Zinc, to be specific. As most of you know, zinc is a fairly soft metal,1 so using it for stropping or honing a razor at least shouldn’t damage the harder steel of the razor.
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A herby midweek shave, making me hungry for a lamb roast… rosemary and tthyme does that.