Metrosexual Expenses - Shaving Edition
Posted on July 31, 2006 by Him and tagged personal_care
Over the past few months I've read a few things about the process of shaving. One of the places to have such a trivial debate was in the online humor magazine, McSweeney's. They recommend:
Shaving without shaving cream when you first get out of the shower
Few men are aware of this option, which, if broadly implemented, could bring Big Shaving Cream to its knees. Right out of a hot shower, your face is warm and soft. Wrap a towel around your waist, grab a razor, and go to work. No cream means you can see exactly where the whiskers are. No shirt means you stay clean. And, most important, it ends up being a better shave anyway.
In their Letters to McSweeney's (no anchor text, so I can't provide links to individual letters, sorry), there have been many comments about this:
People (and by "people" I mean "men and steroid-using women"), do NOT shave without some sort of gel/cream/lubricant on your face unless you enjoy facial bleeding and/or toilet-papering your face...
Fellas, do yourself a favor and give it a try—if only to take down "Big Shaving Cream," which in my opinion needs to be taken down a notch. For example, I like to imagine, with every shave, that I am slowly taking down the Gillette company...
And one of my personal favorites that saves me money...
This is also the best time to pluck one's eyebrows.
Then, a few weeks later, I came across an article on MSNBC about shaving via Digg detailing the Perfect Shave. It introduced a new term for me: Wet Shaving. The article goes ahead and suggests a few products for a successful Wet Shave:
Badger Hair Shaving Brush, from $35-$200
Scary looking "Safety Razor" (safety my ass), from $25-$100
Shaving cream, the real stuff, from $7-$25
Seriously though, shaving with one of these razors would just say to the world, "Look at your wimpy Mach 3. Pfft. Look at how huge my cajones are because I shave with this beast!" Heck, you can even join this forum of Wet Shavers and laugh at all of the puny regular shavers together!
While this article has piqued my interest in the finer art of shaving and shaving accessories, this weekend I had one of the best shaves ever, all by shaving after a shower, using liberal amount of hot water, and using a new Mach 3 blade. I may actually keep trying this routine until I gash my face pretty badly. Savings on shaving cream: $6 a year! And we personal finance bloggers all know how to compound that nice piece of change into a million bucks for retirement, right?
Comments/Trackbacks
Trackback URL: http://www.makelovenotdebt.com/MT/mlnd-trackbacks.cgi/973
I use an electric razor, so the cost is upfront but you save on razors and cream.. and toilet paper. I had my last one for 8 years. They've gotten pretty good at the technology now, I can get a very close shave.
I use an electric razor as well. I've had a few 'professional' type shaves, and none have been as close as the electric has given me. My last one gave me 4 good years before my wife got me another one. And the only reason I had to get one then, is because she dropped the old one off the counter.
I think I may try the out of the shower shave soon though.
Mike O. | Jul 31, 2006
Shaving right after a shower is how I learned to shave, I thought that was the way everyone did it. I usually use shaving cream but not always.
Typically, when travelling for business, I won't pack shaving cream, but will use some of the hotel shampoo that is left after my shower.
I have a question though, how much shaving cream do people use? I find that a can of shaving cream seems to last me forever, that is, I will need to buy a new can because I am in a different city for a few months for work, and didn't bring mine from home. Now I have two.
Shaving cream is something that I have left behind a few times when moving, but can't remember throwing out more than one empty can in the last 10 or so years.
AK | Aug 1, 2006
I shave in the shower using face wash, which i would be using anyway. I use Cetaphil face wash, which doesnt really dry out your skin, so you can use an extra squirt to lather up the beard. Works well and i havent purchased a can of shaving cream in at least 2 years.
Catherine | Jul 31, 2006
To save money, you could use a cheap condtioner for all of your shaving. I don't know how you feel about putting it on your face, but I tried it on my legs and boy if it doesn't work better than if I were to buy the most expensive shavig cream. So I cheap conditioner for a buck and it lasts for weeks longer than shaving cream.
Reply to this comment