The title might sound like a bit of hyperbole, but it’s actually true.
And now that it’s dark November it’s a good time to spend more time treating yourself to a good shave, or maybe get ideas for Christmas gifts (also for gifts to yourself).
But first a bit of backstory: For many years I used the Gillette Mach 3 and canned foam that I got as a gift when I first began shaving. That worked, but having thick and stiff face hairs, it hurt a little every time. So eventually I began looking for how to get a better, less painful shave. That took me to this discussion thread (in Norwegian) that had some helpful advice and pointers on where to begin. As a first step I began to “preheat” and soften up the hairs with warm water before shaving, and I replaced the canned foam with a real shaving soap and a brush. Just doing this made a huge difference. Then later I also replaced the Gillette Mach 3 Turbo razor with a traditional Mühle R89 DE (double edge) razor and have never looked back. These days I only bring a cartridge razor when I’m travelling.
Saving money
The initial cost of a shaving brush, soap and a double edge razor may seem a little steep, but these are items that are built of durable materials and last for years with a little care. When using a brush very little soap is needed for each shave. I have literally used 5 years to use up a big block of shaving soap. The second big save is on blades. A 5-pack of Astra blades cost 2,5 €, while a pack of Gillette Mach3 or Fusion blades cost around 20€. Over the long term using traditional shaving equipment will probably save you a lot of money.
Saving the environment
Shaving soaps are typically long lasting, and can be bought as refills in a cardboard box, which produces much less waste than pressurized cans. Shaving soaps or creams can also be made with natural ingredients and without any of the chemicals that canned foam contains, and which I believe are also better for the skin. The truth is that almost any soap can be used to shave, but a soap that foams well with a brush will last longer.
The same goes for the blades. They are typically sold wrapped in paper in a small cardboard box, and the blades itself are just a piece of steel that can be recycled. Unlike cartridge blades that have the blades encased in plastic and can’t easily be recycled. The razor itself can be bought in a big range of designs, is built to last for decades and is usually made of recyclable materials like steel and wood.
Getting started
There are many resources for how to get started with traditional shaving. The before mentioned discussion thread got me started, and shaving shops also have some good resources. After a traditional razor won and gave a better shave than the latest Gillette product in a consumer advice show on TV barbershop.no made a guide to help people switch to traditional shaving. They have also made other guides and videos about shaving. And as always Youtube is a good resource. I found the videos on this channel to be helpful.
It doesn’t take much to get started out. A good soap, a brush and a razor is all it takes. For me that’s enough. But then there is also a world of soaps, aftershaves and razor designs if you want to treat yourself or someone else to some finer things in the bathroom. The equipment can easily be found online, like at barbershop.no for a huge variety, but I recommend buying locally if possible. There are more and more barbershops (at least here in Trondheim) that usually also sell shaving equipment, and the Body Shop also have some good stuff. Both my synthetic brush and shaving cream comes from them. Here’s the extent of my shaving equipment:
I hope this post inspired you to try out traditional shaving, or wetshaving as it is also called. You too can go from paying a lot without getting “the best a man can get” to a truly good and comfortable shave. And if you’re a woman, fear not! Wetshaving can also be done on legs with this kind of soaps and equipment instead of using plastic razors. Here’s an article on exactly that, and Mühle have also designed a razor now that is made to be truly unisex.