Over the past several years, I've learned so many tips and tricks to get the most out of shaving, especially about using a razor. But my dad didn't mentor me, per se. I watched him on occasion, but when it came time to pick up the Gillette DE back in the 1960's, I was pretty much on my own. A shame, because tips that can make a difference -- like paying attention to prep, watching your razor angle, etc. -- I never learned until recently.
I suppose some of it has to do with the razor companies promoting "foolproof" shaving with a particular product (usually canned foam and their latest razor), never mind the technique. So mentoring may have been deemed unnecessary at some point.
Were you mentored by your father/grandfather/uncle/etc. when you were first starting to shave? By mentoring, I don't necessarily mean long-term tutoring, though with a straight razor I could imagine that would take some study. I mean just having had someone go patiently over the details and fine points of shaving well... proper beard prep, handing the razor, etc.
Dave
Did anyone mentor you when you first started shaving?
I was mentored by a mean drill seargent at Fort Leonard Wood MO. in October of 1962 who told me to throw that damned Norelco in the garbage, go to the PX, buy a Gillette, and shave like a man. He told me that where I was I going they did not have extension cords that were ten miles long. I watched the guys at the wash basins on either side of me and did what they did.
John V
"What one relishes, nourishes"
Benjamin Franklin
"What one relishes, nourishes"
Benjamin Franklin
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tonyespo
- The Goldfather
- Posts: 3989
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- Contact:
I had the same experience as John. US Army Fort Bragg, NC. I was in Basic Training 1965. I had a used Remington Electric given to me by my uncle. My DI told there is no place to plug that in in Viet Nam. He told me to get my ass over the PX and get me a mans razor. If I recall it was $1.95 for a Gillette super speed. I didn't know anything about razors then. It came with 5 razor blades. I got a can of something and went to work cutting my face to pieces at 4 AM the next day. The guys used toilet paper to stop the bleeding on the nicks we had. So there we were in formation with our faces covered with patches of toilet paper and our faces burning like the fires of hell. That is how I started wetshaving.
I can't really say those were the GOOD OLD DAYS.
Tony Espo
I can't really say those were the GOOD OLD DAYS.
Tony Espo
Tony Espo ( Lover of Knize )
Go for the GOLD.
Through my will power I dare to do what I want.
Go for the GOLD.
Through my will power I dare to do what I want.
Nope. I watched my father shave when I was a boy. He used a brushless shave cream that came in a jar. It was called Davon. He said he used it since he was in the army. Later when it became hard to find he used Noxema brushless shave cream, also in a jar. So when I started to shave that's what I used. Tried all different methods over the years until the mid 90's when I came across an old Merkur Slant Bar razor. Soon I discovered Musgo Real and Proraso. All on my own, no mentors. Of course, I've learned a lot here at SMF. 
-Neal (DE user since 1998)
I shave therefore I am
I shave therefore I am
Like many here, I used to watch my Father shave, but he never really told me much about it. As I recall, he basically told me to wet my face well with warm water and apply the shave cream and shave.
I stared with a TracII razor and Bic Disposables then moved to Atra then to Mach 3, all with a can of foam.
Everything about technique and proper preparation I've learned here, thanks to everyone
I stared with a TracII razor and Bic Disposables then moved to Atra then to Mach 3, all with a can of foam.
Everything about technique and proper preparation I've learned here, thanks to everyone
Chris.
Steady Boy, Steady!
Steady Boy, Steady!
No mentoring, just a can o' foam, plastic disposables, and the general idea taken from watching my father do it a few times. Similarly, no mentoring when I found and began using my grandfather's old Gillette DE. When I took up the Dovo Shavette about a month and a half ago, I got lots of mentoring - from this forum.
ALEXEI
The academic community has in it the biggest concentration of alarmists,
cranks and extremists this side of the giggle house. - William F. Buckley, Jr.
The academic community has in it the biggest concentration of alarmists,
cranks and extremists this side of the giggle house. - William F. Buckley, Jr.
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ShavetheBadger
- Posts: 256
- Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2005 3:31 am
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My dad's got a full beard and has since before I was around. When I was about 13 I shaved for the first time and went upwards on my neck with a gillette because that's how the guy in the commercial did it. It took months for all the ingrown hairs to heal. When I was about 17 I bought my first straight and haven't looked back. Self taught all the way. Of course, I'm blind in one eye and have no nose, but self taught all the way!
Matt
Matt
Has anyone here actually tried to shave a badger? It's more difficult than you would think.
Check out Thomas Anthony Company shaving brushes.
Check out Thomas Anthony Company shaving brushes.
ShavetheBadger wrote:My dad's got a full beard and has since before I was around. When I was about 13 I shaved for the first time and went upwards on my neck with a gillette because that's how the guy in the commercial did it. It took months for all the ingrown hairs to heal. When I was about 17 I bought my first straight and haven't looked back. Self taught all the way. Of course, I'm blind in one eye and have no nose, but self taught all the way!
Matt
Very funny!
Hi;
Actually my Dad and Granddad taught me how to shave. Both used a brush and bowl for many years, before going to the canned foams. My Granddad used a str8 for a long time, then changed to a single-blade of some sort, maybe a GEM. My Dad used a GEM (I still have it) then went to Gillettes. He got away from using a str8 once he entered the military and never went back. Both Dad and Granddad spent quite a bit of time teaching us about shaving and shaving products; some of my Grandad's most prized possessions were his str8 and a shaving scuttle that was made in England. Nobody messed with those. My brother and I started shaving using a Gillette and brush and bowl, and tinkered with a str8 for a while, but never were able to hone one well enough to shave. Wasn't something to take to college either. My Granddad eventually used an electric late in life when he couldn't effectively handle a blade, but never liked them. My Dad also used an electric, and did reasonably well. I bounced around with electrics, and really hated them, and eventually went back to wetshaving with different products. Finding a decent brush was the biggest change in my shaving life, once I got a good one I never went back to using anything else. The next step up was finding good creams and soaps; I had been using canned junk for awhile, then different drug store hard soaps; some were better than others, but the top level creams and soaps are difficult to beat.
BobS
Actually my Dad and Granddad taught me how to shave. Both used a brush and bowl for many years, before going to the canned foams. My Granddad used a str8 for a long time, then changed to a single-blade of some sort, maybe a GEM. My Dad used a GEM (I still have it) then went to Gillettes. He got away from using a str8 once he entered the military and never went back. Both Dad and Granddad spent quite a bit of time teaching us about shaving and shaving products; some of my Grandad's most prized possessions were his str8 and a shaving scuttle that was made in England. Nobody messed with those. My brother and I started shaving using a Gillette and brush and bowl, and tinkered with a str8 for a while, but never were able to hone one well enough to shave. Wasn't something to take to college either. My Granddad eventually used an electric late in life when he couldn't effectively handle a blade, but never liked them. My Dad also used an electric, and did reasonably well. I bounced around with electrics, and really hated them, and eventually went back to wetshaving with different products. Finding a decent brush was the biggest change in my shaving life, once I got a good one I never went back to using anything else. The next step up was finding good creams and soaps; I had been using canned junk for awhile, then different drug store hard soaps; some were better than others, but the top level creams and soaps are difficult to beat.
BobS
Nope – my Dad was convinced he was doing me a favour by refusing to let me shave during my early teens (when those scraggy bits of face fluff *really* did need shaving)! He hated shaving and thought that more you shaved, the more you’d need to. I do remember my grandfather shaving with a DE, soap stick & brush, and have a vague memory of him ‘showing’ me how to shave when I was eight or nine. If anything, lurking and later interacting on the old msn groups was my mentor.
Robbie
Robbie
One thing I've noticed over the years about learning new stuff. You learn fastest if it hurts when you do it wrong. To learn a game like bridge, backgammon, darts, or the like, you just need to play for high enough stakes when starting so that you feel it when you lose.
Fortunately, when applying a sharp blade to your face, it automatically hurts when you get it wrong. It either hurts up front, like razor burn, or at the back end, with ingrown hairs.
You don't need a mentor when the pain is there to guide you
Scott
Fortunately, when applying a sharp blade to your face, it automatically hurts when you get it wrong. It either hurts up front, like razor burn, or at the back end, with ingrown hairs.
You don't need a mentor when the pain is there to guide you
Scott
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JackieMartling
My dad mentored me twice, and both times his mentoring left something to be desired. When I was 14, my peach fuzz had gotten so profuse that I could braid it. When I approached my dad, asking for his advice on it, he went and bought me the lowest end Remington foil shaver. I was grateful at the time, and because I didn't know any better, I never understood that shaving wasn't supposed to suck the way it did using that damn contraption. I used those horrid powder sticks to try and make things better, but it always was bad. I especially hated how it would miss hairs, and it took ten or so passes to actually get them. I had razor burn for the rest of the day. I used that thing for over three years, at the end of which time the battery could not hold a charge for more than about five minutes.
When I was 17, I decided it was time to use a blade. I asked my dad for help, and he took me to the drugstore and bought me a Gillette Sensor - brand new on the market at that time - and a can of Edge gel. His only word of advice was to make the water I used on my face as hot as I could stand it; that, and he told be about shaving with, and then against, the grain. Otherwise, I was on my own. As bad as this setup was, it was a miracle compared to the Remington. At last, when I went over a whisker, it was gone in one fell swoop. Amazing! For about a year, I butchered my face going against the grain every day, and had a horrible complexion as a result. I finally learned to shave only with the grain, and things improved dramatically. It has been a journey of self discovery ever since.
Nathan
When I was 17, I decided it was time to use a blade. I asked my dad for help, and he took me to the drugstore and bought me a Gillette Sensor - brand new on the market at that time - and a can of Edge gel. His only word of advice was to make the water I used on my face as hot as I could stand it; that, and he told be about shaving with, and then against, the grain. Otherwise, I was on my own. As bad as this setup was, it was a miracle compared to the Remington. At last, when I went over a whisker, it was gone in one fell swoop. Amazing! For about a year, I butchered my face going against the grain every day, and had a horrible complexion as a result. I finally learned to shave only with the grain, and things improved dramatically. It has been a journey of self discovery ever since.
Nathan
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JackieMartling