It's been about a month and a half since I started this little adventure of wet shaving with the classic double edged razors. A month and a half of learning, and re-learning what I thought I knew about shaving. It seemed like as good a time as any to share my thoughts about what I have learned. Some of this I have probably said before, but only recently have I been able to collect my thoughts on the subject.

When I first began, I felt that it was about money. I was getting tired of paying 3-5 dollars per cartridge for a shave that seemed less than stellar. So, as I often do, I hit Google and began to search for a better way. Heck, if you just type "cheap shaving" into Google, it'll lead to to literally hundreds of results, many of them pointing to the double edged safety razor. It was enough to whet my appetite and keep me looking for more.

I read forums, blogs, websites, reviews on amazon, every piece of information I could find on the web. It seemed vast and virtually limitless. So, I decided to take the plunge. I got my first razor and shaving supplies off Amazon.com. It only made sense since I have a free trial year of Amazon Prime and get free shipping. I was shocked at how expensive the new stuff was, and I was a little leery about going on eBay and buying something old that I knew very little about. I almost wouldn't have bought anything if the Lord L6 didn't pop up. I'm surprised I even saw it, it was nowhere on the top of the screen and just happened to be in the "customers who looked at this item ended up buying" area. After reading many, many reviews as I wanted to make sure I wasn't just getting a cheap piece of junk, I decided that was the razor I was going to buy. While I was shopping there I ordered the Van Der Hagen premium shave set, and a Colonel Conk's Bay Rum soap since I figured I might as well have the whole experience.

While everything was fixing on it way, I continued to read and get more absorbed into a world I had not even known existed two weeks before. I began lurking on the various forums, trying to learn everything I could in anticipation of my first "classic" shave. I did not shave from the time I ordered the kit, until the time it arrived. I was like a kid waiting on Santa Claus and I probably annoyed the hell out of my wife, but what can I say? After reading all the information on the websites and forums, I was excited.

My Package finally arrived, and not two minutes after I ripped it open I was in the bathroom getting ready to shave. The Shave itself, it went slow, but well. I was extra careful, and it was one of the best shaves of my life. It was enough to keep me going, at least. I'm still going, still learning, and still eager to try all these different products in world I did not even know existed before.

Fast forwarding to today, I can say I've learned a lot in month and a half I've been doing this. I make mistakes, sometimes I feel like I'm trying to tear my face off. It's all part of the continuous process of learning. I'm still excited every time I get a chance to shave, and every time I get to have a new experience be it with a different product or method. The shave, as everyone has told me have only gotten better, and don't foresee my eagerness diminishing any time soon.

As I said before, when I started this little adventure it was about saving money. Now it has become something more. It's a ritual, a time of experimentation, and a time to reflect. It's funny to me how a little thing like shaving can make such a big difference in my confidence and in the way that I feel about myself. Through the forums here, it has also given me a sense of community and fellowship. I've found that what started as just a way to save money has led to my own personal growth, and that is priceless.

Well said.
Glad you've decided to stick it out and stick around!

No need to apologize Nick, it wasn't long winded at all it was quite a pleasant read.

Your story is like many others, we start this to save money, and yet in the end it becomes more. This is your thread, I can only hope you continue to enjoy wet shaving as much as you do now.

Great post. Totally understand how wet shaving has evolved into more then just shaving

Glad to have you here with us Nick. I appreciate your story and relate in so many ways. Our paths are a bit different but our enthusiasm is similar. It's funny how the mundane act of removing face hair has gotten a hold of all of us here and has incorporated itself into our lives in a much richer way than just shaving.

Nice read. Yup, your experience(s) mirror other folks experiences.

You have come a long way and mastered much, however there is much more to master and enjoy!

Thanks for all the encouragement and help you have given me! Even if I may be developing a slight addiction to shaving soaps. I should focus on Aftershaves next!

There are much worse things to be addicted to than shaving soap! I'm following along still working on my first month, experiencing much of what you have described. The real beauty of this thing to me is that an activity, I formerly loathed shaving (and that is an accurate description of how I felt); now I am excited about. Here's to many more great shaves, may your lather be slick, your razor sharp, and your face happy!