Birthday Blog

That’s right, today is the first anniversary of my 21st birthday. You’d think I’d have something better to do than write a blog, and you’d be right, but not until later. Right now Vicki is packing for Cyprus and I’m sitting in the front room in one of my new teeshirts feeling like a real man and like I want to share it with the world (or the one person who reads this anyway).

Why do I feel so good? Because today I have had a proper shave.

Last year at around Christmas time, I decided to try and grow a beard for the first time in my life. Here’s the result:



Can you see it? That little smudge on my chin that looks like I haven’t washed properly? That’s my “beard of defiance”, and it’s pretty poor, partly because of two patches either side of my chin that REFUSE to grow hair, but mostly because I’m simply not manly enough in the facial hair department.

Disheartened I gave up on the idea of growing a beard but stuck with the idea of being a real man choosing to adopt the opposite method: to shave properly.

I had recently read an article on Ben Weasel’s blog titled “Old-School Shaving” and decided that was going to have to be the kind of manly man I was: the type that dances with death every time he shaves.

So just before Christmas I got myself a safety razor and some disposable blades and shaved that smudge right off of my chin and boy did it feel good! Not only that but in the months afterwards I realised how much my skin had improved. Now I’m not one of those guys that thinks men should moisturise or any crazy stuff like that, but I do suggest that anyone who suffers from shaving rash bins their four-bladed plastic razor and spends the money on a decent double-edged safety razor, because you’ll notice the difference instantly.

Anyway this morning I woke up and opened Vicki’s presents to me. To my absolute pleasure I found that she had completed my shaving kit for me by getting me a real badger-hair shaving brush (before I was using a cheap thing from Body Shop) and proper “Art Of Shaving” cream, pre-shave gel and aftershave. Having forgotten to shave the entire week before today, my face was prime for breaking these new tools in, which I have just done. Again, it’s amazing how different it feels to use the proper stuff when shaving. I believe today I had the closest and most comfortable shave I’ve ever had, and certainly the most satisfying. It’s like there’s a party in my pores and everyone’s invited!

So the point I’m trying to make is that real shaving needs to be brought back into bathrooms everywhere. If you are a red-blooded male and have a birthday coming up, start yourself on the road to smooth-faced Utopia by putting the following things on your wish list: a double-edged safety razor, a badger-hair shaving brush, a decent shaving foam (in a pot, not a can), and any pre or post shave gels and tonics. You can thank me later.