My friend Dave sent me this link: How to Shave with Straight Razors How to Begin a Straight Razor …
He then told me that wild humans shave with a straight razor. Although he was being sarcastic, he’s absolutely right. This brings me to my first “buy/don’t buy” post.
Why do we need a perfect shave? Why do we need to spend $10-20 on a razor with three to five blades to get a shave we don’t need? Ok, let me back up, if having a perfect shave is essential to your business (politics, finance, law), then go right ahead and get one. Pay whatever it takes, it’s a business expense and you need to look good. But if you’re anything like me and shave only once a week or less, why use a Mach 3? That brings me to the buy for today.
BUY a straight razor; it’s reusable, easy to keep clean, inexpensive, and has no trouble dealing with longer whiskers than a daily shaver experiences. In addition, it can be a lesson on knife sharpening. So many twenty-somethings out there have stubble and don’t really care about getting a perfect shave, let’s revolt. You might think it’s dangerous and risky to use a straight razor. How do you know that? Did Schick and Gillette tell you that? Can you really trust them? 50 years ago EVERYONE used a straight razor and they seemed to get by. I’m sure we can too.
DON’T BUY gimmicky, multi-bladed or disposable razors. They are very expensive, create unnecessary waste, give you a shave you don’t really need, and aren’t even as useful or clean as their single-bladed cousin. Have you ever tried to shave a four-day beard with a disposable razor? It’s miserable. Definitely don’t buy an electric razor for all the same reasons, in addition to the unnecessary electric use and expense.
Hi, I just discovered your blog through an email you sent me after my request to join BMHS. I have to admit that I was hesitant to spend $50 to join a group without knowing what I was getting into but after reading this blog post, it sounds like we share a lot of the same values. I look forward to getting to know you.
Keep well,
Alex
Hello, just wanted to point out that not only are straight razors a no-brainer in terms of reducing waste and saving money over the long term, but also, once one has learned to use them properly, provide an infinitely closer shave than can be obtained from any of the new disposable blade razors.
Enjoying this blog very much!
For what it’s worth (a little bit), Colin Beavan, the “No Impact Man” agrees with you. Do you have any straight razor recommendations? I imagine I’d go find a real barber and tip him well to get some advice.
[...] but I had to let you know that I think I can finally call myself a straight-razor guy. I wrote that post about buying a straight razor a while back, when I had first started. Then I read this how-to. [...]