When 2021 started, I was determined to change some stuff in my daily routine. I didn't know what exactly but things had to be different from 2020, for sanity's sake. Working from home for almost a whole year, I got waaaay too lazy with my shaving, so I figured, what a great place to start.
I used to just let things go out of control for a few weeks/months, and then use electric clippers to get rid of whatever hair I still have on top and my ugly hobo beard. Sometimes I'd go the extra mile and break out the old Gillette Fusion 5 and finish my beard after a shower, no cream, no soap, it was bad guys... so bad.
So anyway, January first 2021, things needed to change. I'm a big fan of taking daily chores and turning them into fun rituals, I do that a lot with cooking and cooking gear. So I thought hey, let's start shaving daily! A classic safety razor sounded like a fun, financially sound way to go about it (my Gillette Fusion handle had started oozing gross silicone oil anyway, it had to go). So I went to amazon and ordered a Wilkinson Sword razor, an extra pack of 5 blades, a boar brush and a soap puck, all Wilkinson, because I used those blades for scoring my sourdough loaves, so it was the only brand I was familiar with in the DE world.
This is where it gets funny, most of you guys know exactly how this goes.
My stuff arrived a couple days later, but then I realized I had no idea how to use any of it, so I went to youtube and searched for "safety razor tutorial". First video I clicked went a little something like this: "Greetings, I'm Geofatboy, I make shaving videos and sell shaving supplies...". I was blown away. You mean if I have a great shave, it makes me eligible to having a great day?! Count me in!
But yeah, my first shave was a trainwreck, and to this day, I can't seem to get along with the Wilkinson Sword blades. That soap was also awful, and I'm still not sure about the brush. But I dig the razor. And yeah, that first video pulled me hard into the rabbit hole. Fast forward a month and a half later, I've got my little collection of good soaps, my Rockwell 6S, a few great brushes, a bunch of outstanding blades (scoring sourdough loaves with a Feather is where it's at), the online community is surprisingly nice (linux forums are not like that, let me tell you) and I'm looking forward to getting out of bed every single day.
I say, mission accomplished, glad I found this hobby. Just exploring new fragrances is an adventure in itself, I can see myself having fun with that for years to come. And that 30 minutes all to myself every morning, where I listen to a podcast or relaxing music and just enjoy the moment, is priceless.
A perfect remedy to an awful 2020 full of bleak hangover mornings.
My favorite new ritual.
