The Quest for the Perfect Shave Goes On
May. 9th, 2005 10:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfsEvery man who must shave every day is on a quest for the perfect shave. Either that, or he has let reality defeat him, reducing this daily ritual to an act of quiet desperation, a dream of a day without razor burn, a moment of smooth-skinned zen.
One of the other things I bought yesterday at the cutlery specialty store was a Merkur shaving handle and blades. This is old-fashioned shaving at its finest: a big hunk of metal, from which a single blade extends alarmingly far if you're used to a cartridge or disposable. I had three days' worth of growth on my chin.
I took a shower and fitted the dangerously flimsy blade to the razor. I used my usual shaving gel-- a glycerin-and-aloe based stuff from an upscale department store that I really like called Zhir-- and proceeded to try shaving with this ancient tool.
There's a scene in Star Trek: The Next Generation where Geordi reveals just how much of an idiot he can be. He shaves with a broken electric razor and when Data asks him why he says something like, "Because it's a challenge, and facing challenges is very human." If Geordi wanted a challenge, he should learn to shave with a working Klingon straight-razor, like Worf does!
But this single-bladed ancient tool, in perfect working order, was enough for me. All shaving manuals always tell you never to shave against the grain, and now I know why: if you do it with one of these, you will nick yourself. I did, on my chin. Most cartridge razors, especially the new triple and quadruple-bladed kind, are safe enough a palsiated orc couldn't cut himself, but the cost of that safety is a shave that's only second-best. This thing gave me a smooth, clean face without shadow or burn the first time. It's an enlightening experience. It takes a little longer to shave because you have to go slower, and it takes more care. But it's something I'm going to cultivate just because the end result is so much better.
One of the other things I bought yesterday at the cutlery specialty store was a Merkur shaving handle and blades. This is old-fashioned shaving at its finest: a big hunk of metal, from which a single blade extends alarmingly far if you're used to a cartridge or disposable. I had three days' worth of growth on my chin.
I took a shower and fitted the dangerously flimsy blade to the razor. I used my usual shaving gel-- a glycerin-and-aloe based stuff from an upscale department store that I really like called Zhir-- and proceeded to try shaving with this ancient tool.
There's a scene in Star Trek: The Next Generation where Geordi reveals just how much of an idiot he can be. He shaves with a broken electric razor and when Data asks him why he says something like, "Because it's a challenge, and facing challenges is very human." If Geordi wanted a challenge, he should learn to shave with a working Klingon straight-razor, like Worf does!
But this single-bladed ancient tool, in perfect working order, was enough for me. All shaving manuals always tell you never to shave against the grain, and now I know why: if you do it with one of these, you will nick yourself. I did, on my chin. Most cartridge razors, especially the new triple and quadruple-bladed kind, are safe enough a palsiated orc couldn't cut himself, but the cost of that safety is a shave that's only second-best. This thing gave me a smooth, clean face without shadow or burn the first time. It's an enlightening experience. It takes a little longer to shave because you have to go slower, and it takes more care. But it's something I'm going to cultivate just because the end result is so much better.
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Date: 2005-05-09 08:15 pm (UTC)I once wrote a story related to both topics, and was patiently reading down looking for the place where your post would take a similar tack... colour me a titch disappointed. ;)