So I'm a shave geek...

...and I also accidentally just typed "geek" as "gook", don't think that would go over too well. Anyway, I've probably talked with some of you in the past about my semi-recent fascination with DE (Double Edged) shaving or wet-shaving. About a year ago I really got fed up with paying $24 for a pack of 10 Gillette Mach 3 blades, especially when they really never seemed to give me the type of shave I thought I could get. So I started looking online and doing some research. That's when I stumbled on Shaveblog and ShaveMyFace. I ended up reading these sites for a while, doing some more digging, and eventually finding this whole underground DE shaving society. It sounded strange to take a step back in technology (1 blade), but it was hard to argue with the literal ravings that most people had for DE shaves. So I figured why not give it a try and see what it's like. This was my first purchase

When I got it, the first thing I noticed was the heft to it. This was no cheapo, throw away Mach 3 or Fusion. This thing has the weight behind it to kill a small child if used properly. This was easily the most expensive purchase in my new shaving endeavor, running me about $50. The great thing about this switch though was the new blades. I paid another $50 for 500 blades. That's right, 500! In disposable razor land that would have run me upwards of $1000. I just figure now that I can make these blades last till I'm about 40 before I have to buy new ones.

So I had the core part of my new shaving regimen taken care of, and now it was time to delve into the sordid sordid world of creams and soaps. I used to use Edge Advanced and Aveeno Sensitive, but since I was stepping up to the world of "big boy" shaving I figured I'd try out some of the different options. I had decided to go with a brush and cream since everything I had read made it pretty obvious that a brush is really the only way to go to get a superior shave. So a silver-tipped badger hair brush I did buy! And to go along with the brush I got the cream that seemed to be the consensus for new DE shavers, Nancy Boy. Yeah, doesn't that sound like some manly stuff to put on your face? The stuff is awesome though. The first time I used both the brush and the cream, I literally got the best shave I'd ever had. And, there's a learning curve with DE shaving, so my shaving experience only got better as I learned how to correctly go about shaving my face this new way. Within two weeks I was able to shave up, against the grain of my facial hair for the first time in my life. Seriously, if you're like me and you've never been able to shave against the grain, you owe it to yourself to at least try it this way once; it's a whole new experience.

I've been shaving like this now for almost a year and loving it. The only change in my regimen I've made up to this point is that I bought some mid grade brushless King of Shaves cream from the drugstore to use when I'm just too lazy or in too much of a hurry to take the time with the brush. Of course this shave isn't as good, but it's still 100 times better than it used to be. I know all this stuff sounds metrosexual, and maybe a little bit gay, but it really is worth it., just come feel my face sometime. Not really though.