Monday, June 9, 2008

Beginnig Wetshaving. . .

(The beginning of what I hope is not ANOTHER obsession!)

It seems to me, in my time as a cigar smoker, that people who enjoy cigars, also enjoy (to whatever degree they can afford) several of the other finer things in life. Whether that be the good company of a herf, an exciting or relaxing lifestyle, the best sports teams, a lovely spirit to accompany a lovely smoke, or anything else that strikes their fancy. Well something I have been made aware of lately that falls into this category is something I have been searching for recently, a decent shave. I have to say for most of my relatively short life I have either sported a (bad, lazily trimmed) beard, or an equally bad, hastily shaven face, covered in bumps and razor burn, and honestly more like stubble than a clean shave. There was a brief time where I tried using a cheap brush from a christmas set I got and Bath & Body Works Shave Cream, but I gave up on that almost as quick as I started. I think they discontinued the line I used anyway. In general, I was young and lazy, and because I really didn't need to shave, I pretty much didn't.

Well recently, realizing I am not as young as I used to be (it is my Birthday today, after all!), along with having a job that requires a clean shave, I have come around to the idea that if I am going to have to shave just about every day, then I might as well finally try to learn how to do it right. Couple that with an affinity for retro lifestyle things in general, and it was inevitably going to lead to one thing, wetshaving. The old school method of shaving with a brush and mug, real shaving soap or cream and a Single Blade Safety Razor. Now, I am slowly easing my way into this pursuit, making sure I do everything right, and while I was searching for information to help me on my path I came aacross agreat set of YouTube Tutorials by a guy who goes by the screen name "mantic59", that I have found to be the absolute best resource so far. He even has a BLOG where he tries his best to answer any questions a n00b like me would have. Well through the joy of the internet, I figure I would share some of the videos that he has posted with you, my readers, to show that, like me, anybody can attempt this and maybe we can even get good enough to enjoy what, for me, has usually been an annoying daily chore.

Today I thought I would post the stuff that coincides with where I am along this journey, the VERY BEGINNING.

(note: I had nothing to do with the creation of any of these videos, and if you like the content they hold, I strongly suggest commenting on either his BLOG or YouTube profile page to that extent!)







I find this all to be terribly interesting, and hope that you do too.

TomC