I thought for my 1000th post I'd give a summary of where I am at in my quest for shaving nirvana. I thought it was only fitting. Let me first say that being here has been very enjoyable and enlightening. You're all good people. Some of you have gone well beyond the call of duty with your generosity and advice. I hope to return the favors sometime. I have been shaving for 35 years. Most of those years has been with the cartridge razor of the month. Sometimes, I will still bring out the Sensor if I am in a hurry. My wife got me started by gifting me with a Merkur Futur DE Razor after I expressed interest in wet shaving. I have AD (Acquisition Disorder). I am a confirmed DEAD person. (Double Edged Acquisition Disorder). I started out like many others. Proraso everything from Target and quickly moved into other products. Now, I have a plethora of razors, blades, brushes, soaps, creams, pre, post, aftershaves, balms and colognes. I have tried numerous techniques for shave preparation, lathering and beard reduction. With trial and error and everyone's wonderful help and advice, I have come very close to achieving my goals. I know that I am far from done though. There is so much more to learn and new products to try. I have recently started playing with straight razor (str8) shaving. I have a couple of razors and a strop. Again, with everyones help, I'm sure I will get the hang of and enjoy using a str8. For me, it's not so much as reaching the goal but the journey and it's been a wonderful journey so far. Yes, there have been a few cuts, scrapes and just out and out bad shaves but, you sometimes have to do something wrong to help you learn what to do right. Angle of the blade, no pressure, slow beard reduction and knowing beard growth patterns are everything. The equipment and products become secondary. Use whatever you want for whatever reason. If it works for you, then great. We're all trying to reach BBS with no irritation or close to it. I'm at the point where I can slow things down a bit. My future acquisitions will be upgrades to some equipment, pursuing str8 mastering and trying the occasional new shave product. I have so many great things now that I don't have to branch out much more. I do not collect. I use. So, if I buy something it gets used, evaluated, and either ends up being used a lot or put aside to maybe give someone else a chance to try. Shaving is not just about getting rid of whiskers. It's a sensory experience. The lather building process and smoothing it over your face with a luxurious brush, the slickness and scent of the cream or soap, the feel of the blade gliding across your skin and finally, your freshly shaved smooth face finished off with the right aftershave and cologne. It's not a chore anymore. It's something to look forward to. It's a slice of time put aside just for me where the rest of the world can just wait until I'm done. Here's to a wonderful shave and a better one tomorrow. ::
An interesting read, Rich, reminds me very much of my own story! :happy096 Here's to the next 1000 posts :eatdrink047 :eatdrink004 ::
Not so sure. :ashamed001 I've been quite busy lately. In case y'all hadn't noticed, I haven't been around as much as usual. I'll be back in full force soon hopefully.
