Yep, another blog entry about nothing of import.
Shaving at home is completely different than shaving at a truckstop. At a truckstop I shave in the shower room after my shower, knowing that someone is probably waiting for their turn to get a shower. Or I shave in the restroom in which case there is almost always someone wanting to wash their hands or get their chance for a shave. Even when there are 5 or 6 sinks mornings can be busy and lots of guys are waiting their turn. And of course, the way I shave using old fashioned shave cream whipped up and applied with a brush and then shave a couple of passes with a double edge razor takes longer than the guys who use the canned goop and a cheesy cartridge or disposable razor. Either way I always feel like I have to rush.
At home I can take my time. Socrates has a litter box and so isn't needing to use my bathroom. I can spend the time whipping up an especially luxurious warm lather, do all of the prep that makes for a much better shave, and then shave nice and slow so as to get the closest possible shave.
That's what I did today. I hadn't shaved since I did a quick one before going over to Mom's for Thanksgiving dinner so I had a couple of days worth of growth. I started with a nice hot shower while my shave bowl and brush were soaking in hot water. When I was ready to start my shave (after the mirror unfogged), I did my prep. I soaked my beard with hot water for a minute or so, and then applied the Italian product Proraso preshave cream. The stuff smells like Ben Gay and is very cool on the face. It does a great job of opening the pores and softening the beard in preparation for shaving.
While the Proraso preshave was doing it's thing I emptied the hot water from my ceramic shave bowl and shook the excess out of the brush. I then squeezed an almond sized dollop of the Proraso shave cream out of the tube and into the bowl. It began to melt as soon as it hit the hot bowl. I added about a half teaspoon or so of hot water to the bowl and began whipping the stuff up into a lather with my brush.
After about a minute or so I had a nice thick lather ready. The shave cream smells just like the preshave. The eucalyptis smell is pretty strong but quite refreshing. I splashed a bit more hot water on my face and began applying the lather onto my beard. I took my time and swirled on the lather nice and thick while letting the badger bristles exfoliate my face in the process.
Once the lather was applied I allowed it to set for a minute or so while I put a fresh blade into my razor and heated the razor in the hot water in the sink. I then began my shave. I made slow, deliberate strokes making sure to maintain about a 30 degree angle with the blade while going with the grain of my beard growth. Once this was finished I rewet my face, reapplied the lather, and repeated the process against the grain.
The result was a nice baby butt smooth shave. I then rinsed my face with warm water and followed that with a cold water rinse to help close the pores. I followed all of this with a refreshing splash of Bay Rum aftershave.
For some guys it's just knock out the shave as quickly as possible, but there is something to be said for taking your time and doing it right.