Tag Archives: Thoughts while shaving

The Zen of Shaving

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Backdated post – Real Life interrupting my hobbies again.

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 also a very manly time; if by manly you mean “waving a very sharp blade around millimeters from your jugular veins… heck, spin that right and it sounds like you’re cheating death every time you shave…

On a more serious tone, it is 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.

I’m far from the first to notice this off course; a quick search on google will reveal a few hundred thousand hits on the subject. But even so it’s something worth keeping in mind, especially when the cartridge-and-canned-goo brigade wonders why we prefers the old fashioned, traditional art of wetshaving.

Forget the ‘better shave’ spiel; they have heard it a million times before – every time one of the huge multinationals adds another blade they promise the consumers a better shave than ever before.

Forget the whole ‘saving money’ thing too; most of us succumbs to one or more ADs shortly after we pick up a decent brush and a safety razor.

You might want to quickly bypass the ‘better for the enviroment’ issue as well; yes, traditional shaving is greener and wastes less plastic, but most people honestly don’t care as much about the environment as they claim to do.

But do tell them 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.

What is a good shave?

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Sometimes on the shave forums I visit – and even the one I post on – someone will ask what a good shave is.

In my opinion there is only one answer to that question, and only one person who can answer it.

A good shave is a shave you feel happy with – and only you can tell when you had one.

The P&G walled garden – as exemplified by the Gillette Guard

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The main purpose of almost every business is to enrich it’s shareholders – which is why you should be very, very sceptical to any claims they make about anything else. With that in mind, have a look at this commercial from Gillette; part of the huge multinational P&G and the company who pretty much invented the DE as we know and love:

The message the ad pushes across? Pretty close to “your get more girls / be more successful / be more popular if you use our razor”… despite the fact that by switching you’ll spend more of your hard earned rupies on shaving supplies and those rupies will go into the very deep and already filled pocket of a large multinational.

*sigh*

The sad story that some seems to forget (or ignore) is that Gillette came up with the Guard – which some reviews state gives a better shave than the multi-blade horrors Gillette and others currently sells in the west – as a way to entrap shavers in the third world. People who can’t afford the Fusions and Mach3s and whatchamacallits will – if Gillette have their way – be lured away from reasonable affordable shaving with a wide range of suppliers and into the walled garden of the huge multinationals… and once they are there you can put good money on the fact that they will be milked for what they are worth.

Anybody wants to bet against Gillette coming out with a GuardPlus or GuardElite in a few years? It’ll be just a few rupies more but the Bollywood stars uses it, so you should to!!! The tactic worked on consumers in the west, so there is no reason it shouldn’t work in the rest of the world.

I have been accused for being too cynical, too dismissive of the Gillette Guard… claims have been made that it is a very good razor as far as cartridges go (if so, why do P&G still peddle the more expensive multi-blade horrors to us Westerners – their profit margins in the west should be higher with something like the Guard?)

Well, I know that the plural of anecdote isn’t data, but lets look at what I do know:

First off, Gillette has gone out publicly (link  goes to PDF press release) and said that the goal of the Guard is to get people in the third world who are using DE razors to switch to a Gillette product – refer to their all mighty bottom line; they make nothing if an Indian or Bangladeshi shaver buys another brand or a no-brand DE blade to use in his old, possible interred safety razor.

Secondly, I had the pleasure of going on a 12 month mission to South Sudan as a UN Military Observer a while back – came home just under a year ago – and had the good luck to be sent to a Team Site where a Company of the Bangladesh Army provided the Force Protection. Wonderful people to hang around, great (and spicy) food, lots of things to learn about other cultures. One of the things I noticed while on my first Long Duration Patrol – that is, being out of the Team Site for several days and camping on the road – was that the rank and file were using DE razors and soap, while the officers were using cartridges and canned goo*. I got the chance of asking one of the officers about it some time later, and the reply I got was pretty much “but we have to use western razors, it’s expected of people in our position – using an old razor is loss of face.”.

So yeah, while the Guard might be a good razor as far as cartridges go, Gillette is most likely trying to get people to buy it due to the perceived “status” of using a modern razor, coupled to the desire to fill their own coffers by locking said shavers into Gillette’s walled garden… but when you come down to it that’s the job of a company; provide profit for their stockholders. The fact that it’ll create more waste, cost the consumers more money and give a shave that is no better (or just as likely – worse) than what a billion men (if we’re to trust P&G’s press release) uses today is of no importance to Gillette and their mother company.

Maybe it is just me being Western, cynical and well off.. but wouldn’t it be nice if Gillette (and by extension P&G) regained their dominant position in the marked by making and providing the best, most affordable DE razors and blades like they used to have a reputation for? I hate walled gardens…

*) With the exception of the Company Commander: he had his batman shave him with a straight razor every morning while the commander was reading – a somewhat surreal sight while in the middle of the African bush.

Really vintage razors

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Since roughly the time we came down from the trees, humans have been worried about how other people see them – in short, how well groomed we are. And while the standards we been holding each other to in regards to hair care and general hygiene have fluctuated over the ages, it seems that the desire men have to scrape the beard off is timeless.

Perhaps it has to do with perceived status – by taking the time to trim your beard you showed everyone who saw you that you had an excess off time; which presumably translated into having an excess of resources in general. And since fashions spread quickly, soon everyone was wanting to take their beard off – creating a market for clam shells, finely made obsidian blades and some time later metal blades made expressly for dragging across downy cheeks.

A early bronze razor from the Hallstatt culture which seems to me to be modeled on a flint blade with a handle – a wonderful piece of craftsmanship

Presumably the first metal razors were status objects by themselves; it seems several of them had holes so they could hang on a string or necklace. The proles still probably used flint blades or went unshaven… possible either complaining loudly or claiming just as loudly that the ones who could afford to shave were a bunch of pansies. Human nature change very little…
Later, as razors got more common they also got more utilitarian. If everyone own s one there is no need to flaunt the fact, so it seems to me that razors got reduced to the bare essentials; a half moon shaped blade:

A more utilitarian bronze razor (and nail trimmer) from the Hallstatt culture.
Slightly more fancy half moon razors – Italy, 8-7 century BC
Or more fancy axe shaped ones – like this ancient Egyptian razor from the Harageh tomb 661, dating to the First Intermediate Period – approx 2181 to 2055 BC
The shave of a Pharaoh – an evolved axe shaped bronze razor from the time of Amenophis II or III – approx   1426 to 1353 BC
How about a Scandivian bronze razor from the 2 century BC – the depicted ship on it a clear predecessor to the Viking longships?
As metallurgy progressed we got the steel razors, then the cut throat razor and finally the modern safety razor… but I still can’t help to wonder what it would be to pick up an bronze instrument like one of these to get the stubble of my face.
I wonder if anyone sells working replicas… ?
This post contains pictures from Wikipedia and other online sources.

A suggested 10$ starter kit for new wetshavers

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Despite my somewhat funny tagline in the header of my blog, traditional wetshaving can be had on the cheap without sacrificing much in the way of quality. To prove it, here is one suggestion for a starter kit costing less than 10$ from my favorite Turkish web-shop, consisting of items I have tried and enjoyed myself:

Total cost as listed is a whooping 9.54$! In addition an newbie wetshaver might want to borrow a bowl from the kitchen for lathering in – unless s/he wants to make lather directly on the skin – and perhaps an after shave or balm.

I could have suggested the Dalan d’Men shaving cream instead which retails for 24 cents less than the Arko cream, or even the 1.75$ Arko stick. But I have no experience with the former, and the later is one of those you either love or hate and as such may not be a good choice for a beginner.

In addition I would suggest that someone who is just taking up traditional wetshaving spend some time online, checking out the multitude of wetshaving blogs and forums that have sprung up the last few years. In particular I can recommend The Shave Nook – a friendly and including online community. I can also recommend picking up a copy of Leisureguy’s Guide to Gourmet Shaving, even if that book costs as much as my suggested shaving kit.

With a kit like this, and a steady hand, a fresh wetshaver can get about ten weeks worth of traditional wetshaving under their belt before needing to stock up on more supplies – and when they need more they’ll need just more blades and perhaps more shaving cream. The razor and brush will last forever, if taken care of – at the very least the razor and brush will last until the time comes to replace them with more expensive, higher quality gear.

How to introduce traditional shaves to the cartridge generation?

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I really, really enjoy shaving in the old fashioned way; soap, brush and double edged blade. I enjoy it so much I rather go for the cave man look than having to use a cartridge or electric razor – in fact, I enjoy it so much I want to share the enjoyment with the world!

There are several reasons for wanting to share. At the very core, I find it to quite simply to give a much superior shave and a much, much more enjoyable experience in the bathroom. Then you have the enjoyment of trawling the various online shops in the various corners of the world – from Turkey to Brooklyn NY, from Spain to the UK. And not to forget, the fun of talking to like minded shavers from even further abroad online.

Which off course leaves the question of how to properly introduce others to this all too absorbing hobby of mine… without coming across as a weirdo or worse. Not an easy one to answer, that is for sure.

One thing I have considered is assembling a Pay It Forward Starter Kit – PIFSK – and hand out as gifts. A quick look around shows me that I can assemble a decent one for less than 10 USD, meaning no one will be heartbroken if the recipient finds that old fashioned shaving isn’t for him (or her, for that matter).

Such a kit would most likely consist of a Turkish No6 brush, a stick/tube of Arko soap/cream, some good blades and a cheap but good razor – right now the choices are between the Yuma and Racer razors; neither of which can be said to be expensive razors. Add to that a card with some quick instructions*, some links to places online to learn more and perhaps some pointers on brush and razor care… printed out on nice, thick paper.

I have gotten both a Yuma and a Racer from turkey, and both actually shave remarkable well. I just need to find out what bades do and don’t work with them, which off course would mean trying them with several blades I consider good to find the best match… or maybe two best matches.

Then it’s “just” a matter of creating a presentable box and find out who the recipient will be… and that might be the hardest part of it all.

*) Wash face. Rub shave stick over stubble. Use wetted brush to build lather directly on face. Shave with short, controlled strokes while maintaining proper angle. Rinse face. Apply more lather. Shave again. Rinse well. Apply aftershave or balm of your choice.

I’m a geek – a shaving geek

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Note: This is a repost from my other blog – suitable updated, expanded and brought up to code.

Having spent a fair bit of time the bathroom most mornings, shaving my stubble off, I one morning received a revelation: I am a geek*.

Not that it’s a great shock to me; I’ve been pretty sure of my status a a geek since I was in school.

What caused the revelation is that I suddenly grasped what part of being a nerd is: A nerd will pursue an interest in depth, with great enjoyment and with scant regard for what the “normal” people think.** For example; If a “normal” person needs a computer, s/he will buy a desktop or a laptop and use it until it needs replacing. If a geek needs a computer, s/he will end up with, well:

  • Two desktops in use (mine and my better half each have one) with dual screens
  • Two desktops on standby, with three screens between them
  • One laptop in use
  • One laptop on standby
  • Three Netbooks (two for me, one for my better half)
  • Two tablets (a Samsung Tab2 and a HP Touchpad)
  • and one ultra small form factor computing device…

Anyhow, back to my mornings: As mentioned, I was getting the stubble of my face while I was letting my mind drift and enjoying myself immensely. Actually enjoying shaving myself is still somewhat of a novel experience for me, since for the majority of my adult life shaving have simply been a chore at best and resulting in a bad case of razor burn at worst. Electric razors have always felt like they were ripping my beard out, and the various latests, greatest razors put out by Gillette have been like dragging a dull knife over my face – didn’t matter if it was two or five blades, nor what can of foam I used. Shaving was a chore and something I just got over with as soon as I could.

Not so no more.

Shortly before I deployed to Africa for a twelve month Tour of Duty my better half directed my interest towards the recent resurgence of classic shaving; that is shaving with a brush, some soap or cream, and a simple one-blade, two edged safety razor of the kind your grandfather used. I figured I would give it a try and ordered a starter-kit from an online retailer in Norway – at the very least I would not have to worry about charging my electric razor or getting cartridges for my system razor while in Sudan…

Remember my comment on what will happen if a geek needs a computer?

Well, these days a typical day starts with me picking out the days combo of razors, brush and lather, before doing a bit of prep: a throughout wash of my face with pure castille soap while the brush soaks in warm water. After the prep I load the brush up, make lather and starts shaving – smiling all the time.

So yes, if a “normal” person needs to shave, he’ll pick up an electric razor or whatever wunderbar new system one of the big names sells at inflated prices. If a geek needs a shave, he might end up with a new hobby and an array of kit:

  • A Parker 22R butterfly razor – a good first razor, and a wonderful one for the second pass.
  • A Merkur 39C slant bar – a more aggressive razor, and not one for those just starting out.
  • A Merkur 985CL open comb travel razor – sits somewhere between the 22R and 39C, and usually in my GoBag. I sometimes takes it out and uses it at home though…
  • A Feather Popular razor – remarkable mild, but requires a fairly light touch
  • A Racer razor from Egypt – untried so far, but gotten good reviews online
  • A Yuma razor from Turkey – cheap, untried but also gotten good reviews
  • Two Body Shop synthetic brushes – a decent enough brush and a good one for travelling; it dries quickly. So I got one in my GoBag and one at home.
  • An Omega Shaving Brush #10048 Boar Bristle (box branded as Prosaro) – came with my starter kit and is pretty okay; handle is a bit on the big side for me.
  • A Turkish No6 horse hair brush – wonderfully stiff and can make good to great lather out of anything.
  • A Turkish No7 horse hair brush – same knot as the No6 as far as I can tell, but with a different handle.
  • A Vie-Long #14033 mixed horse-badger brush – still in the process of breaking it in.
  • A tub of Maca Root shave cream from Body Shop – procured before I started with classic shaving, and a pretty decent shaving cream. Contains a fair bit of nasty chemicals though… will probably not get a new one once the current tub is empty.
  • A tube of Proraso eucalyptus and menthol cream – part of my starter kit and my sole cream while in Sudan; I like both the scent and the soft glide it has. Used to live in my Gobag, but have been ousted by a newer cream.
  • A tub of Proraso eucalyptus and menthol soap – pretty much the same as the cream, but as a soap. A little harder to build the lather, but that’s partly down to skill.
  • A tub of Crabtree and Evelyn Sandalwood soap – smells great and works great.
  • A stick of Arko shaving soap – some people online swears to it, and some swears at it. Like everything about classic shaving, your mileage may vary considerable. I rather like it myself, once the strong scent had worn off a bit (hint; leave it unwrapped).
  • A tub of Col. Conk Bay Rum shaving soap – my first bay rum. The scent is subtle and good, but it reminds me of something I can’t quite put my finger on – not anything bad, mind you.
  • Several samples of tallow, lanolin and kokum butter shaving soaps from Mike’s Natural Soaps: Lavandin & Eucalyptus, Barber Shop, Rose & Cedarwood, Orange, Cedarwood & Black Pepper, Lime, Peppermint & Rosemary, Pine & Cedarwood, and Unscented
  • A tube of Nivea Shave Cream – a solid performer, generously PIFed from a fellow shaver. Sits in my GoBag most of the time, I’m always careful to put it back after using it at home.
  • A tube of Rise Shave Gel – generously PIFed from a fellow shaver.
  • A tub of RazoRock XXX Shave Cream – generously PIFed from a fellow shaver.
  • A tub of Orange Essential Oil Shave Soap – smells great, generously PIFed from a fellow shaver.
  • A refill pucks of Mitchel’s Wool Fat Shaving Soap – generously PIFed from a fellow shaver.
  • Samples of Martin de Candre and TFS Bergamotto Neroli Soap – both solid performers, both generously PIFed from a fellow shaver.
  • A tube of Aubrey Organics North Wood shave “cream” – for use without a brush. Not too impressed with the glide, okayish for travelling. Backup for the tube in my GoBag.
  • An alum block – an antiseptic and astringent, it’s used to clean and seal any minor nicks. Stings a fair bit if you got a larger nick, and tastes really weird if you get it on your lips.
  • Proraso Liquid Cream Aftershave – a pleasant smell in my opinion, YMMV though.
  • Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum Aftershave – generously PIFed from a fellow shaver, and a very nice aftershave indeed. I miss it badly when I’m shaving from the GoBag.
  • Three bowls for making lather in – a copper bowl from Turkey, an “at home bowl” (intended by IKEA as a cereal bowl), and a Turkish acacia wood travel bowl.
  • A selection of blades; Feather Hi-Stainless, Trent, Zorrik Super, Merkur Super, Willikins Sword, Gillette 7 o’clock, Astra Superior, Lord Platinum, Shark Super Chrome, Personna Platinum, Derby Extra, Persona Super…

Off course you don’t need so much to make shaving enjoyable again; on my recent ToD to Sudan I had only my Parker 22R, my synthetic brush and the tube of Proraso cream – but I find that having to make a couple or more choices in the morning adds to the enjoyment. And compared to some people out there my combined kit is definitely on the small side…

The actual shave itself has become somewhat of a ritual, a very comfortable and manly ritual. First I’ll wash my beard stubble with some Dr Bronner’s all natural castille soap, which helps soften up the stubble and prevents the oil on my skin from breaking down the lather. Having done that, I’ll rinse off and start laying out the tools of the trade; my razors and the combo of brush and soap / cream I’ve decided upon. After soaking the brush in warm (not hot) water, I proceed to adding wetness to the stubble with the brush. This both softens the brush some and gets the water down between all my stubble. Then it’s time to build the lather, and how I do that depends a bit on what soap / cream and brush I’ve picked. Some combos work best if built in a bowl (I started out with a cheap plastic bowl, upgraded to a cereal bowl and have just bought a cheap copper shaving bowl), some combos turn out better if built directly on my face.

Having built the lather, it is time to apply it. No reason to put on an inch of lather – the idea is to create a lubricated surface for the razor to glide over, as well as softening the stubble even more. At the end the brush is still heavily loaded with lather, which is good. Putting the brush aside, I rinse the “heavy cutter” of the day under hot water – not to clean it but to prewarm it – and starts the actual shave. Slow, short and controlled strokes does the trick – letting the weight of the razor do it’s work as I guide it. First pass is with the grain, and leaves me with a shave just as good as anything I could manage in the past. I’ll rinse and put away the first razor, rinse my face and apply lather again.

Yes, a second layer of lather for a second pass. I’ve found that my brushes will easily hold enough lather for three passes, even if I mostly stick to two. The second pass is usually with a milder razor, and going across the grain of my beard. Short, controlled strokes, letting the razor work for me again. When done correctly, and with a decent blade, you can actually hear the sharp edge cutting the stubble down to nothingness. A second rinse, check for any obvious misses and then stroke my block of alum across my neck and face to clean any minor nicks and cuts. Then it’s a simple matter of rinsing and putting away the razor, the brush and the bowl, plus cleaning all the little beard bits from the sink. Some people goes for a third pass too, usually against the grain, but I’ve found that two is enough for me.

It may sound complicated, but overall it takes about the same time as using a cartridge razor and cleaning up the resultant mess in my face. My skin is happier, I got a new hobby and gets to enjoy my mornings. And it is cheap to get started too; the initial outlay may be a bit more than using the “latest and greatest” thing from Gillette or the other Big Names in shaving, but when you look at the math it turns out that it can be significantly cheaper in the long run:

A Parker 22R – my first razor – costs 295 kroner (it is far from the cheapest DE razor around), and a pack of ten (10!) Feather Hi Stainless blades costs 40 kroner. Since each blade lasts about a week, that’s about 0.60 kroner a day for shaving.
A Gillette Fusion Power Stealth costs 185 kroner, and a pack of four (4!) cartridges costs 139 kroner. If one cartridge lasts two weeks – which is what I got out of the old Sensor cartridges that is about 2.50 kroner a day for shaving.

In other words, you pay about as much for a razor and a pack of blades independent of your choice of cartridge or DE razor – but you can shave for two more weeks with the DE razor before needing replacement blades. Start factoring in the cost of new blades, and the gap keeps increasing. Your costs may vary depending on where you live off course, but the basic premise holds true: Classic shaving can be significantly cheaper than using cartridges – if anything the cost difference should be greater in most countries. It is also better for the environment; no plastic waste, less packaging and the blades can easily be recycled. On top of that it provides a better, closer and more comfortable shave – so why not give it a try?

A basic starter kit can be pretty cheap; if you live in the US (for example), you can get a basic DE razor for less than 10 USD, a ten pack of good blades for less than 2 USD, a shaving brush for less than 5 USD and a shaving stick for under one USD.

If you’re even cheaper and buys from cheaper places, you can actually get the whole kit for ten USD – plus shipping, off course.

All told a modest outlay that will save you money in the long run, as well as providing you with some personal spa time each morning. You do deserve a bit of pampering, don’t you?

*) Or nerd, or tech-head, or whatever other description you prefer.
**) Other definitions of geek / nerd includes:
– A person who is interested in technology, especially computing and new media.
– Geeks are adept with computers, and use the term hacker in a positive way, though not all are hackers themselves.
– A person who relates academic subjects to the real world outside of academic studies; for example, using multivariate calculus to determine how they should correctly optimize the dimensions of a pan to bake a cake.
– A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who passionately pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance.
– A person with a devotion to something in a way that places him or her outside the mainstream. This could be due to the intensity, depth, or subject of their interest.

Breaking brushes to fix them

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Breaking in a new brush is a process that can take time… pretty much any shaving brush needs to be used to blossom into it’s full potential.

Take for instance my latest piece of loot; my Vie-Long 14033 mixed horse-badger brush. I’ve only used it twice so far – one shave and one hand-lather – but allready it’s starting to open up and bloom more. In a few more days I’ll get an even better idea of just how well this brush will perform – it allready feels softer and holds more water than it did out of the box.

Sometimes, it seems, you have to break things to fix them.

On being away

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I have been travelling this week, and as such away from my supplies. The stuff in my GoBag does cover the basics – even if my experimental replacement of the Proraso cream with the Rise Shave Gel will have to be reversed – it fails to provide me with one thing I have come to enjoy:

Choice.

Shaving is not just about getting the fuzz of my face no more. It is at least partly about staring into my shave nook, picking out what razor(s) I would like to use on any given day, then what soap I would prefer given my mood. The choice of soap gives me input on what brush to employ… and when all is over I get to pick what post shave treatment I want to pamper myself with.

On the road those choices are reduced to what I packed before leaving – and while I still get the fuzz of my face, I don’t get the full shave experience.

Such is life, I guess, at least while weight restrictions apply on flights.

How hordes grown – or how I learned to love Acquision Disorder

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When our grandfathers shaved, they used the razor, blades, soap, and brush they could get in their local area. Perhaps they had a choice, perhaps there was just one to pick from. They would use it until they ran out of blades or scraped the last of the soap out of the bowl, and then go back to the same store and buy the same thing again. Efficient, but hardly exciting – even if the products probably were undeniable better than the canned foam and multi blade cartridge razors most stores stock today.

These days many of us live in a place where traditional shaving supplies are near impossible to get in local stores – the products have been squeezed out by the Big Name Multinationals multi blade cartridge system and pressurised dry foam in cans. The downside of that is not only that many of our friends and fellow men don’t know the joy of a good shave, but also that we must turn to the Internet to buy what we need for our daily ritual. And the upside of that is that we’re no longer restricted to the brands – or even brand, singular – that our local stores carry… the shaving products of the whole wide world is now ours to buy. The selection is staggering, and finding the right one is a daunting task for a newly converted wetshaver – from what I have seen in online discussion forums, it can be a daunting task even for those old hands who never succumbed to the lure of the multi-blade razors in the first place.

We’re lucky enough to live in a time when the whole world is easily – almost too easily – accessible from the comfort of our homes: anyone with an internet connection can within minutes find other people across the world who are passionate about the same things – in our case that thing is traditional wetshaving. We can to our hearts content discuss the finer points of making lather, or nitty-gritty details on how one brush compares to another. And – and this is where the danger of hoarding starts raising it’s head – you can easily be moved by glowing reviews of shaving products you never heard of before… be it brands from a different continent or something someone has lovingly crafted by hand on their kitchen counter.

Something else happened at (very) roughly the same time as the multi blade razors were pushed onto the marked: there was the growing realization (or perhaps the re-realization) that men – us big, burly, manly men – should be allowed, or even encouraged to be a little vain. Care about our looks a little further than checking for holes in our pants and scraping the stubble off with a bayonet… it is not without reason that the ads for the early multi blade razors emphasised the smoothness of the shave and how much the girls would like it. Suddenly boys growing into men were told that it was okay to use that nice smelling soap, rub some lotion into the cheeks and, y’know – smarten up a bit. Gets you a bit more positive attention from the girls too – or the boys, if you’re tastes run that way. Your Mileage May vary, as it does with so many things in shaving and life.

As mentioned, we live in an age of global commerce. Checking out that barbershop in Turkey is just as easy as checking that one in downtown Houston – even if you happen to live in Norway. And the almost scary part is that it’s all easy to place and order and have it shipped straight to your door. No more slugging barefoot through snowdrifts higher than your own head to buy a sorry piece of soap at the drugstore (uphill both ways off course, not that the youth of today would believe it), no more having to make do with the same old blade. Instead we can order new soap and new blades from anywhere we like, and while we’re at it we might well put that cream the guys at the forum were raving about in the basket… oh, and lets pick up a yet another sampler pack of blades as well…and that brush that I didn’t pick up last time…

The result? The box the poor postman has to drag through the snowdrifts (barefoot, uphill, etc) seems pretty huge when you finally receives it, and the contents can barely be fitted into your shave nook. And where did that new razor come from? The mysteries of online shopping is never more impenetrable than when you’re unpacking.

Exposed to fellow shavers and tempting shops online, it’s easy for a hoard to grow out of all reasonable proportions. Our forefathers are a testament to the fact that we don’t really need four razors, five brushes and seven different soaps and creams in order to shave – but it is nice to to be able to mix and match, try something new, select just the right fragrance before we go out and face the world. We can embrace our manliness by picking something that smells of the great outdoors, or get ready to woo the girl (or boy) in our life with a light rose scent… the only limits is the sky and the size of your cupboard. And that is why I have gotten to rather enjoy my Acquision Disorders; while it does cost me a bit of money (but not much more than buying into the latest fad from the Big Name Multinationals would cost) it gives me much pleasure – not just in the morning spa-experience that a good shave is, but also throughout the day – every day.

Embrace your hoard. Reconquer the bathroom and fill it with products that both you and your partner in life will enjoy. Celebrate your ability to be a manly man with clear skin and a pleasant fragrance. Revel in your Acquision Disorders – but don’t spend more than you can afford. And Pay It Forward or sell to a fellow wetshaver when you happens to find something in your stash that you can’t understand why you got in the first place – after all, that makes room for more new supplies!