My Shaving experience

 My Evolving Shaving Journey

I was 15 years old and ready to tackle my fresh beard for the first time. My father shaved every day with no problem. I knew there was a slim possibility that my face wouldn’t take well to shaving being a man of color, so I decided to test shave on the jawline on both sides of my face. I had no idea what a mistake that would be. I took the Bic razor out of the plastic package. This was 1985. The double-blade bic razor looked like something designed with Lego sensibilities. I lathered up a pharmacy-brand puck of shave soap and applied the soap to a small part of my jawline on both sides of my face. I lifted the razor and made small strokes on my jawline. The two areas I shaved were the length of my jawline and probably no more than half an inch wide. I rinsed off and applied old spice. It felt like fire on my baby soft skin. Then came the waiting game to see if my skin could handle shaving. I didn’t have to wait long. There was a strange itching sensation. Then there was redness. OK, I thought This would probably subside the next day. The next morning was much worse. The new growth was coming in and coming in under the skin. The itching was at level 20. Small white bumps were forming and I realized I probably should have shaved an area the size of my fingertip. What I thought would be a week’s worth of irritation turned out to be much much worse. The irritation went away after a month but the razor bumps were a problem for years. The bumps would go away and come back for the next 6 years. They weren’t very noticeable but the itching was very irritating. I had determined that razor shaving wasn’t for me. After that first attempt, I didn’t put a razor to my face for another 23 years. I used shape-up clippers to keep an extremely low stubble on my face. But it was a stubble nonetheless. At age 38 I decided to try again.

In 2008, I read an article that explained how men of color often had problems shaving with multi-blade razors because of how the first blade lifted the hair above the skin while the second blade cut the hair causing it to drop below the surface. The article explained how double-edge and safety razors were a much better option being much less aggressive. I went out and purchased a Van Der Hagen butterfly open double-edge razor. I certainly wasn’t going to experiment with a straight razor, after all. That was for men with a death wish. I also bought a boar hair shaving brush and some Williams shave soap. I stood over the sink with my new grooming kit and lathered up. I shaved a fingertip-sized area on my cheek, rinsed my face, and splashed on some cheap aftershave. I felt a good burn. Then I waited. No irritation all day. No irritation in the morning. Three days later I lathered up and shaved my whole face. This time, there was a little irritation on the neck area coupled with some shave bumps. But these bumps were manageable. I followed the suggestions of the article I read and exfoliated. The exfoliating made sure the whiskers were able to get to the surface more easily. But this time, the more I shaved, the less irritated my face became and the less I needed to exfoliate. I had finally been able to shave. Also, the more I shaved the more I liked it. Shaving was a relaxing ritual that made me feel happy. I looked forward to shaving and made sure I had time to shave undisturbed. I also made it clear to my children that Dad was not to be disturbed while shaving. My daughter is allowed to watch me shave. She likes to play with the lather and give herself foam mustaches and eyebrows using the shaving brush. I was doing pretty good with the double edge until I read another article that changed things and put me on course for some riskier shaving. 

A company called Bevel had formed. Bevel made a double-edged razor for men of color. A lot of research was put into creating the bevel shave system. Bevel provides everything from their specially angled double-edge razor to skin balms and shaving creams. It is a very well-thought-out and affordable system with the option of participating in the subscription-based program. And the razor itself is a nice double-edged razor that has gained a following from men of all ethnicities. But I didn’t buy into their system. I read an interview with the owner, Tristan Walker. He stated how many men of color shave with trimmers or chemicals that melt away their whiskers because of irritation caused by multi-blade razors. Tristan said he realized when he looked at turn-of-the-century photos of black men, they were all shaven and their skin was smooth. He realized their skin was smooth because they were shaving with straight razors. Though the rest of the article talked about the efforts he put into making the bevel, I couldn’t stop thinking of what he said about the straight razor. I did a little internet research and found there were men who swore by straight razor shaving. And they all claimed the straight razor was the best least irritating shave a man could have. I watched videos of a man named Lynn Abrams who made detailed videos of honing and shaving. He also answered questions thoughtfully. Lynn made straight razor shaving look so easy, that I wasn’t even apprehensive about it anymore. I looked on Etsy and purchased my first vintage straight for $15 dollars. It was an unrestored Genco. It was just what I wanted because I had seen some of the restorations on eBay and they looked horrid from the pictures. The package arrived and I examined the Genco. It was perfect. It was lightly used and had a spec of rust. It was tarnished but that was easily dealt with. I purchased a honing stone and a strop and got to the business of retouching the edge after I polished and sanitized the razor. Now it was shaving time. 

Surprisingly, I wasn’t the least bit nervous about shaving with the straight razor. I’d honed it pretty sharp on an 8000. That is all I had at the time. I dry-shaved the hair on my arm with no problem. I got everything together and lathered up. I lifted the razor and held it just as Lynn had taught in his video. I was ready for the first pass. I put the razor about an inch from my face and my arm started shaking like a jackhammer was attached to it. What is happening, I thought? I pulled the razor away and tried again. Same result. I was nervous after all. I had to abort. Instead of a peaceful shaving experience, I could hear the death march playing in my head along with imagined images of my slashed face flashing to the music. I wasn’t ready for blood. I needed a day to calm myself. The next day, I prepared to shave once more. I had mentally prepared myself. I lathered up and lifted the steel to my face and made the first short pass with no blood. Not only was there no blood, but it felt like there was no danger. It took about 45 minutes, but I got through it and my face felt and looked great. I had a few weepers here and there. I hadn’t quite gotten the angle right. Over time, everything just came together. From stropping my razor to honing and keeping my razor dry, I enjoyed every part of straight razor shaving. Being a martial artist, I take well to repetition, technique, and improvement. Straight razor shaving was very similar to martial arts in that it is a discipline. For me, straight razor shaving is a meditation where my mind is only on the shave. Straight razor shaving creates a feeling of peace in me. I was happy with my own honing until I shaved with a rasals restored razor. I had to up my honing game. Now, after inheriting a coticule and a couple of straight razors from my uncle who was a barber, I patiently have put an edge on my razors that is closer to rasals sharpness. I am sure there are some secrets I have to learn. And that is the other good thing about straight razor shaving, you never stop learning. There is always something you can do to find something different in the shaving experience. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet straight razor shaving practitioners here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA. It would be nice to know someone nearby who practiced straight razor shaving but I am not sad. Having to go online to internet groups has introduced me to practitioners from all over the world. So my shaving journey has been culturally informative also. 

I’d say if you haven’t tried straight razor shaving, you should. It isn’t as dangerous as you think as long as you respect the steel. Buy a vintage straight razor. Try a vintage straight razor and shave with something that has a history behind it. And if you are like me, you just want one to have a straight because it is pretty cool. And if you already shave with a straight razor, I bid you happy shaving from West Philadelphia, USA. Happy shaving!