So, this weekend I had occassion to watch the 1962 version of "Lolita" based on Nabakov's book by the same name. One of the main characters (a professor) had a line that went something like, "Of course I shave twice a day, all the best people do." Oddly enough though there were no shave scenes in the movie. This started me to wondering about two a day shaves. Now I'm not talking about the occassional after work touch up before escorting SWMBO to some posh eatery where a coat and tie is mandatory. I'm talking about regular, as a matter of policy, shaving twice a day, most days if not every day. I scoured my mental roladex and could not for the life of me ever remember a day when I shaved twice (goes to show how much time me and SWMBO spend in posh eateries ). Of course this does not include face in the morning, spud at night shaves which I 've been known to do occassionally. I then tried to recall anyone I might have known who shaved twice a day. The only hit was a guy I knew in basic training. He was the "Old Fart" of the flight at 24 and even amongst French Canadian's and Middle Easternerns I don't think I've ever seen anyone with a beard this thick since. His beard started somewhere south of his collar bone and ended just south of his bottom eyelashes. Even with an o'dark early shave, this guy looked like Barney Rubble/Sonny Crockett by lunch time and was mandated a second daily shave about the second day of basic training. No doubt in my mind this guy went back to once a day right after basic. You see, on top of the irritation of two a day shaves, he had the sweat grime and additional irritation caused by the heat of San Antonio summers. I don't think I ever saw his face without redness and areas of rash and bumps all the way through basic training. Nope, as much as I love to shave these days, I doubt I would undertake two a day shaves as a matter of policy. Although my face is not terribly sensitive, I can't imagine being irritation and bump free even after a couple days of two a day shaves. Do any of you shave twice a day routinely?
my great grandfather shaved with a straight razor twice a day (before work and during lunch). His profession required his presence in court; I think he was a lawyer
Wow! Two a days with a str8, now that's hard core. I'll bet he was quite the dapper gentlemen though.
when i used electrics i did twice a day. i'd either use the elec twice or id use a cartridge in the morning and the elec at night. when i first started using a safety razor shaved twice a day for the first day or so because i was scared id cut my face off the shave was so bad you'd have thought i didnt even have a blade in at all. after the first few days i added a little pressure and have only hit it a second time later in the day for some stubble i missed and my face didnt like it at all.
Not me! I've gone to a 36 hr rotation. 1) To reduce redness and 2) have 2-3 evening shave per week to reduce morning rush stress. Sometime that ends up being 48 hrs. I've really gotten to like going from scruffy to smooth. Makes the smooth feel smoother.
Nope. I couldn't handle two-a-days. Although, back in basic training, in anticipation of our final dress-blues inspection, I did shave three times! H-U-G-E MISTAKE. First shave was my normal morning shave. Shave number two was a couple hours later, just before the inspection was to take place. They rescheduled the inspection to about 3:00 that afternoon so shave number three was just before that. All I could think about was failing the inspection because I had missed a spot and I would get "recycled". That's being sent back to repeat some or all of basic training. I can say I've done it once. Never since, and never again. Just thinking about it hurts!
I've been shaving 2x a day for a few days now... mostly because I enjoy it! If I'm very meticulous about it, it makes one certain spot pretty sensitive but my face feels great everywhere else I might cut back and see if I can still get a lasting shave that doesnt bother that one spot (under my chin).
I was actually thinking about trying it; but I don't think my skin could take it. Maybe as I get better at it, I will give it a shot. I also think it depends on how fast your facial hair grow... I have a couple of guys at work that shave every other day or once every three days and you can barely notice it. I am NOT one of them though
Echoing what a couple of others have written, I did this occasionally during the brief period when I was trying electric razors. Electrics never worked that well for me, though, and didn't last that long. In the Navy, I would sometimes shave early in the morning (with my Atra), and then have to shave again before standing a late watch. Nowadays, no. I shave once almost every day, skipping a day only if there's a real emergency. I do wonder, though. I think it used to be more common to eat dinner quite late in the evening, and people were more formal in their preparation for it. Maybe some people did shave a second time later in the day.
On the other side of the equation, what's the longest you are going to wait to shave. Except maybe when your trying to go full beard or something.
These days, I'll rarely go a day without shaving, and only if there's something really messed up with my schedule. I don't like missing a day. In the past I might have gone as long as three days, but once I gave up on the idea of an actual beard, I really didn't like to do that.
1OldGI , why would there be a French Canadian on a US air force basic ?? Just curious ... I shaved twice in the same day a handful of times in my life, all for specific after-dinner occasions. like going out in a club, an official reception, etc ...
It was a beard thickness reference. French Canadians are generally known as remarkably hairy folks and while not many of them can be found on USAF bases, I did have a French Canadian kid from Maine work for me in Alaska. Well, I guess his folks were French Canadian, he wasn't. He taught me to cross country ski and once told me that prior to joining the Air Force, he had never seen a black person in person, just on TV. For some reason I still remember that even though it was probably more years ago than I care to admit.
That brings back memories of the couple years I live in Maine as a kid. My dad was stationed at the now closed Loring USAF.
When were you there? My dad was stationed there and I was born in 1962 in Van Buren, north of the base. I think it was in '64 we got shipped to Eilson AFB, Alaska. He got orders to Loring again from '76 - '78. We lived on base then. (Confessions of a thread hi-jacker. Sorry 'bout that. Now back to our original topic.)
Never been to Loring but did spend 6 years at Eielson (86-92). This and my two and a half years in Iceland probably explain why I currently reside in the sun belt
