Tag Archives: community

What Did I Just Do?

Seriously – what did I just do?

I’m not opposed to shaving for good causes. Here’s when I shaved my head for the Bald Men Walking Relay for Life team five years ago.

Backstory: If you recall a recent post, you’re aware of my love of shaving. It’s not a chore anymore, it’s an event. And this is a great community of people who share the hobby.

I’ve not met anyone in the wet shave community that I didn’t know before I got into it. That will change in a few weeks when I attend the STL Wet Shavers Meet Up. That will be awesome.

But still, it’s a great community. We have good times and plenty of laughs. We have memorial shaves, we have congratulatory shaves for weddings, graduations, retirements, etc (I know I had a helluva shave when my son was born), and we have shaves just to show support. So when it was learned that one of our own was going through something major (learned his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer), one of our fearless leaders created a shave event in her honor. Predicated on her favorite scents, citrus based

Now I don’t know him and I certainly don’t know her, but “when in Rome,” right?

So the event is technically Sunday. But some of us are doing citrus shaves all week long. I began tonight.

 

Now a normal shave would be just fine. But dammit, I had an idea.

AHH! My boobs are on the Internet!

That’s right, kids. I did the unthinkable.

I SHAVED MY CHEST!

#ShaveTheTatas

The band-aid? I had a mole right in the center. And it’s not perfect, but I’ve never shaved my chest before.

And I never will. And yeah, I left the hair around the nips. You saw the razor in the feature image.

As an unforeseen bonus, now my boy can’t pull my chest hair.

Melinda, our thoughts and prayers are with you as you continue your fight

But I hope to God that no one gets testicular cancer!!!

Fresh Content Day 19: Shaving Nerdom

A little over three years ago, I sat in my office at the dealership talking on Facebook with a longtime friend of mine. We were just talking about wrestling, tv, sports, video games. Now you’ll have to forgive me, but I don’t recall exactly how we got on the topic, but Jared asked me what I used to shave. At the time, I was using the Gillette Pro Fusion razor and blade cartridges with the matching shaving gel from a can.

He talked to me a little about wet shaving, and its many forms. I went out a few days (and more conversations) later and bought a wet shaving starter kit from Maggard Razors. For $25-$30, I was able to get a feel for the activity and see if I wanted to invest in it further.

One of the first soaps I bought came in a little orange tube, and it was called Spanish Leather, by Geo F Trumper. After I inhaled deeply of its scent, I was immediately whisked back to my pre-teens when I would stay at my grandparents’ house. That was the shaving soap my grandfather used. I hadn’t smelled it in almost 20 years from the time he passed in 1995. I was hit with a wave of nostalgia and I was hooked.

Forget Dollar Shave Club. Forget Harry’s Razors. If you want a truly great shave, get a double-edged razor. If you are tired of throwing money away on blade cartridges, let me tell you that about two and a half years ago, I ordered a pack of 100-razors (Gillette…for what it’s worth) from Amazon. That pack is now priced at $17.99. I was paying at least that much for a 4-pack of cartridges at Wal-Mart of all places.

But here’s what I truly love about wet shaving. There are so many skilled people who create some amazing products, from soaps and aftershaves to brushes and razors. That’s where I spend my money. I have a brush I love. I have a few different razors, just enough to keep it interesting. But when I hear about a new soap from a well-respected artisan, well, I get a little trigger-happy and I end up making a purchase. I mean…I have a lot. And yet, compared to others, my shave den is still in its infancy.

So if you’re thinking about a different way to shave, I really encourage wet shaving. And as a bonus, you’ll join a great community of people with whom you can share ideas and on occasion, even some hardware.

Here are some pictures of some of my favorite shaves. 

This new-found hobby has brought with it a new goal in life…to someday be a barber and have my own barbershop. That’s a few years down the road just yet. But it’s definitely in the front of my mind.