Author: ironbeard

This week last year I wrote one of my first-ever blog posts – The Best Shaving Cream for Travel – from a hotel during a business trip.  I described how Cremo Cream is excellent because it is easy to use, forgiving, and endlessly available.  A year later, from a different hotel, I am using Cremo’s Lathering Shave Cream – in Sandalwood.  Here is my review of this lathering version of my go-to shaving cream:

Read More “Review of Cremo Lathering Shave Cream”

I recently bought an original 1918 Gillette Khaki Set – the single snap version.  It is a great piece of shaving history, but moreover, it is brilliant in its design.  It is simple, compact, and keeps a 3-piece razor and blades safe and sound.  I wanted one for my travel bag so I made some patterns and tried my hand at sewing.  I’m not very good, but I was able to make a functional reproduction. Here are the patterns and instructions in case this is a project you want to tackle at home.

Most people’s shaving regimen includes a pretty standard set of products: pre-shave oil, shaving soaps, aftershave, and maybe even alum.  But salicylic acid and night cream may be two products worth adding – especially for those who get occasional pimples or other complexion problems.

PRESS RELEASE

BOSTON (SAVEYOURSHAVE NEWSWIRE) – Today, Gillette® announced the launch of the world’s first three-headed safety razor.  The new line builds on a century-old safety razor design by using patented Blade Stacking Technology (BS TECH) to triple the number of shaving heads.

Nearly everyone is familiar with the Gillette brand of shaving products, but few are familiar with the biography of its inventor – King Camp Gillette.  Fewer still know about King Gillette’s curious passions, such as his dream of a utopian socialist society located near Niagara Falls.  Even if you know the name King Gillette, or you recognize his face from vintage razor blade packages, here are five details of Gillette’s life that you may not know:

Over the past 10 years we have watched No Shave November gain widespread acceptance.  People initially used it as a good excuse to grow a beard before beards became so commonplace.  By now everyone is accustomed to beards and the November tradition, so giving up a razor needs no explanation.

But this year’s No Shave November is different than past years.  The difference hasn’t materialized yet – it won’t until Spring.  But when it does, it will have ramifications (and opportunities) for wet shaving retailers.

I live tweeted my first attempt at making hot process shaving soap and created a twitter moment to capture the event.  It was a fun experience that took about half a day (for a rookie like me).  My wife and I had a lot of fun doing this and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try something new.  Here is my chronicle of the day’s events.

Note: For some reason twitter is showing the last post first, but everything else is in the correct order.

This morning I stumbled across an article about shaving with common household items, including peanut butter.  I assumed the peanut butter idea was filler for a clickbait article, but I thought “what the hell” and shaved with Peter Pan Creamy.  Who knows, maybe it would be a pleasant surprise.  This post won’t be a masterpiece…it’s fast, unedited streaming thought.  It’s raw – kind of like my face.

A recent episode of the Wet Shaving Talk Podcast mentioned something exciting – a $1 razor with five blades from Dollar Tree.  Is it possible to make a decent safety razor and sell it for less than a pack of gum?  Or is this a case of buyer-beware?  I’m a sucker for novelties so I headed to my local Dollar Tree to pick one up.

My first-ever shave with a safety razor was far from great.  My technique was lacking, I carved a chunk of skin out of my nostril, and the skin around my mouth and neck was tender for days.  But I saw a huge potential for a better, more enjoyable shave and I was hooked.  Over a year later my technique is far better and I look forward to a great shave every morning.  I achieve a great shave almost every day, and until recently I thought my my shaves were as good as they could get.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong.