Fueling the Fires of Civilization: The Perfect Shave

I officially started to develop a bald spot around the time that I was twenty-three years old. Most of the men on either side of my family are bald, so it wasn't much of a surprise. By the time I reached my late twenties, I would occasionally go for a full shave, but usually had my barber manicure a tighter and tighter patch of hair. When I arrived in the Middle East in late 2010, I finally committed to the "bald is beautiful" look.

Some of my fondest memories of Kuwait were the hours spent, usually every other week, in the barber's chair. My Pakistani barber, Mohammed, would send his cousin to get me a cup of tea, and then shave my head, style my beard, and give me a back massage. That treatment was suspended when I repatriated in early 2012, and then resumed six months later when I arrived in Aberdeen for graduate school. There, I found a Turkish barber shop, staffed by Orhan from Turkey, and Yari and Alex from Iran. Same thing: cuppa, head shave, beard trim, back massage. The Aberdeen contingent added something I don't remember from the Kuwaiti sessions: ear hair singeing utilizing fire.

Turkish barbers are tougher to come by in the States, so I eventually had to develop my own shaving methods. For a long time, that involved a mustache and beard trimmer, followed by hot water and a double-bladed, fixed headed Gilette disposable razor. I still prefer that particular razor for some circumstances, but when I got married, my buddy Caleb sent me a fantastic shaving set that I've gotten a lot of use out of.

This started with the handle: a Merkur Mk34c Double Edge Razor with Heavy Duty Short Handle. Accompanying this was a pack of Feather Double Edge Safety Razor Blades, platinum-coated, and manufactured in Japan. When I found myself running low after a couple of years, I invested in a pack of (I think) one hundred; at present, the fifty pack seems to be the best available option.

Caleb recently reported that he's "upgraded" his own setup to include the fancy new design from Henson Shaving. If you're just starting out, or have to have the newest thing, give it a try; for me, I'll probably be using that Merkur equipment for the rest of my life. What can I say? Henson is Canadian, and Merkur is German. I have a German dog, a German car, and I'm predominantly German in my personal heritage, so it just makes sense, right?

That takes care of the razor itself. How about the lather? Caleb got me a combo pack of Pacific Shaving Company's Caffeinated Shaving Cream & Aftershave. I find myself going through a lot more of the shaving cream than the aftershave, so I've replaced it a few times. As for building and applying the lather, Caleb sent a Fento Badger Hair Shaving Brush and Chrome Razor Stand. This doesn't appear to be available anymore, but Amazon's current best-selling option seems to be the Perfecto 100% Original Pure Badger Shaving Brush.

It's worth noting that in recent years, as one might expect in the current social climate, badger hair brushes have generated some controversy due to questions about animal cruelty, particularly when sourced from Chinese manufacturers. I'm no proponent of animal cruelty, but the entire point of "Fueling the fires of civilization" is to embrace traditions. So, I'll probably remain a proponent of actual badger hair, but it's worth mentioning the issue so that people can make informed decisions about what they use, and where they source their supplies.

A few years ago, I saw a video about lathering up, and that video recommended a run-of-the-mill stainless steel dog food bowl. I bought an 10-Pint Our Pets Durapet Bowl from our local pet supply chain, and it works great. Disliking the appearance of a dog food bowl on our bathroom counter, my wife bought me some classy looking concrete bowl. I tried it, but it didn't work as well. So, I still use the dog food bowl, but once it dries out, I try to stash it underneath my sink. No small part of being civilized involves the work of maintaining a happy home.

A few lines up, I linked to a video from a Scottish company called Executive Shaving. I've never used any of their shaving supplies, but their shaving tutorial is the best one that I've found on the Internet. Once you have your supplies - or even if you're just going to stick with a disposable razor and hot water - the video below is worth your time to watch.


I almost forgot: a few years ago, a friend randomly sent me a can of Lumber Prince Beard Balm. I use it on occasion, particularly when trimming up my beard. It does a great job of softening my whiskers. I'd definitely recommend it.

The only thing I'd add at this point is that if I haven't shaved my head for awhile, I'll buzz my hair short with a mustache and beard trimmer, then shave it closer with an electric razor, then finally implement the process described in the Executive Shaving video. I'll just add that however you're shaving, and irrespective of what you're shaving, be careful - cuts aren't fun!