Late last year, I made a pivotal decision in my morning routine. For the previous seven years or so, I’d been a faithful user of a regular blade razor*. Truthfully, it was a lot quicker shaving with a blade than using electric – I found that I was able to shave completely in only a few minutes instead of going over the same patches time and time again in a futile attempt to get rid of the rough spots. But I experimented with a variety of shaving cream/gels and eventually go the hang of it.
The one thing I was never quite able to figure out though, was how to shave without cutting myself. In retrospect, I think I have very delicate skin around my neck area because I constantly suffered from various cuts, nicks, and razor burns. I just accepted this as just a part of shaving and eventually my entire morning routine revolved around my shaving ritual: shower, wash face, apply shave gel, shave, use special face moisturizer for men immediately afterwards to prevent the burn. It was a simple routine, but one that worked for me.
It wasn’t until the GF witnessed it however, that I realized something may be wrong. I noticed that she never wanted to actually see me shaving, and when I asked her about it, she said that she didn’t like watching me cut myself so much. That’s when I remembered that in the days of the old electric, I never *got* nicks or cuts. And there was no razor burn either. I had expected that eventually my face would toughen up, but sheesh, it’d been 6 years – when would my face stop being such a pussy!? That was the realization that helped me return to my electric. Of course, I use a Braun now instead of the Norelco, and yes, it takes longer to shave nice and close – but I don’t get any more red splotches on my neck and I’m not bloody nearly as often.
But there’s one problem – my morning routine is now completely different and it’s been causing problems because I now shave before showering. This has thrown off my whole rhythm and I have found myself forgetting to put on deodorant on more than one occasion – including twice this week. Because of this, I now carry a spare stick in my glove box in case of emergencies. Hopefully I’ll get my new routine in gear before summer – because while the stick is fine in the cold, I dread leaving it in a hot car in the heat. Something about the thought of applying molten aluminum to my underarm is somewhat off putting.
* Entirely due to the free Mach 3 I was sent when it launched and a feeling that shaving with a blade was more “manly” than using my old electric.
The one thing I was never quite able to figure out though, was how to shave without cutting myself. In retrospect, I think I have very delicate skin around my neck area because I constantly suffered from various cuts, nicks, and razor burns. I just accepted this as just a part of shaving and eventually my entire morning routine revolved around my shaving ritual: shower, wash face, apply shave gel, shave, use special face moisturizer for men immediately afterwards to prevent the burn. It was a simple routine, but one that worked for me.
It wasn’t until the GF witnessed it however, that I realized something may be wrong. I noticed that she never wanted to actually see me shaving, and when I asked her about it, she said that she didn’t like watching me cut myself so much. That’s when I remembered that in the days of the old electric, I never *got* nicks or cuts. And there was no razor burn either. I had expected that eventually my face would toughen up, but sheesh, it’d been 6 years – when would my face stop being such a pussy!? That was the realization that helped me return to my electric. Of course, I use a Braun now instead of the Norelco, and yes, it takes longer to shave nice and close – but I don’t get any more red splotches on my neck and I’m not bloody nearly as often.
But there’s one problem – my morning routine is now completely different and it’s been causing problems because I now shave before showering. This has thrown off my whole rhythm and I have found myself forgetting to put on deodorant on more than one occasion – including twice this week. Because of this, I now carry a spare stick in my glove box in case of emergencies. Hopefully I’ll get my new routine in gear before summer – because while the stick is fine in the cold, I dread leaving it in a hot car in the heat. Something about the thought of applying molten aluminum to my underarm is somewhat off putting.
* Entirely due to the free Mach 3 I was sent when it launched and a feeling that shaving with a blade was more “manly” than using my old electric.
Comments
I just never got into the old tried and true blade. I just never liked putting all that goop on my face, then scrape all the goop off.
Of course, I never would have changed brands, but I had read sometime back that the Braun gave a closer shave then the same priced Norelco.
What do you think of the Braun, seeing as that you were a Norelco guy at one time?
I used to get terrible razor burn, until I got a fogless mirror and started shaving in the shower. Now shaving is like a gentle face massage (with three very sharp blades millimeters away from my adam's apple).
TOWWAS: It's all about the "danger to your jugular" factor. And screw straight razors - real men shave with their Bowie knives.
J.Bro: You know I tried the fogless mirror and shaving in the shower towards the end, but it didnt' work for me. Apparently I'm a more delicate flower than you, even with your hairless biker-legs.