Your Grandpa's Razor

The Solution
There is another path, grasshopper. Many men, me included, are discovering that our fathers and grandfathers had a far superior way of getting a close shave. It involves hot water, quality shaving cream and a good razor. That's right, the safety razor. You know, that heavy metal thing that takes those thin blades that you see coke dealers in movies using to dice their product? You may not recognize it if you see it, but they are still out there. In fact, several companies are supplying the growing ranks of men with the tools they need to revive the art of the classic wet shave. Here's a nasty secret the shaving industry won't tell you.

Gillette's Dirty Secret: The razors they sell you are crap.

The disposable razor is made out of cheap steel. It's meant to be replaced often because it's made out of inferior metal. Why else would you need to escalate your razor to 3, 4 and now 5 tiered blade heads? Before long men will be using garden shovel sized razors to shave their faces. No wonder we've gone electric, anything to escape the hydra-headed catastrophes of cheap steel we call the Mach X. No, electric may have arguably worked for Dylan, but it doesn't work for me. I've tried various brands and the result is always the same. Irritated skin, acne and ingrown hairs. You don't need a small motor and a sophisticated lift-and-cut system to get a JFK or Cary Grant style shave. Why? Because Grant and Kennedy used a safety razor!

What You Really Need
All it takes is one quality stainless steel or carbon steel blade, not a million rotating disks or the Mach 5.

We've forgotten that shaving can be a luxury, something enjoyable to be passed on from one generation of men to the next. And, it doesn't necessarily have to take a half a day. My shaving routine takes a little more time than using a disposable razor or electric shaver, but it's time well spent because I shave less often and the results are always better.

The difference is realizing that your shaving cream and brush both exfoliate and lift the hairs from your face, not your fingers. The lather produced from a quality soap cake or shave cream that is glycerin-based actually gives the blade a smooth surface to glide over. Look at your can of Gillette, Edge or Barbasol and tell me, what on earth is in that stuff? It smells nice and feels awesome, but it's worthless. I use a cream, Proraso, that's been favored by Italian barbershops for decades. It's wonderful. Others in my cult use soap cakes from Taylor of Old Bond Street, but there are plenty of American manufacturers with quality products.

The brush should be made from either boar's bristles or badger hair. The latter is the better option as it's softer.

As for the razor, you just need to find an old safety razor. They are available on E-bay or through ClassicShaving.com. This is not meant to be an endorsement, just a suggestion of places to look for both products and articles on how to wet shave with an old-timey safety razor.

These are the basics. Quality stainless steel razor, brush and shaving cream. You won't even need aftershave because the cream typically has a soothing quality that is activated by the hot water.

So, in the debate over electric razors? Choose D. None of the above. Go find yourself something old school. It may not be good for Gillette's business, but it will certainly be good for yours!