Fun article here at Spoonfed detailing a trip around some of London’s barbershops for a traditional cutthroat razor shave.

http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/tomarmstrong-20241/men-s-style-london-s-finest-traditional-barbers-6445/

Wet shaving has gotten some new notice in the mainstream media. The L.A. Times recently did an article on our passion and Sandra M. Jones turned in an entertaining, informative and respectful piece. I notice the MAN MANTIC is quoted, and since I don’t see a mention of it on Sharpologist I’ll assume he’s too humble to toot his own horn so I’ll do it for him.

I’ll link below but would like to share some excerpts:

“For a lot of college-age men, there is an element of being a badass for shaving with a straight razor,” Herro said. “The metrosexual thing has run its course.”

“Another reason traditional shaving is on the rise is that it saves money and is eco-friendly, experts said. Although a safety razor can cost $25 to $200, the replacement blades cost as little as 20 cents each. Even the premium stainless-steel blades, at more than $1 each, are less expensive and last longer than disposable razor cartridges.”

Nice read and clearly well-researched. Kudos, Sandra.

Old-fashioned wet shaving is back in style

Another video hearkening back to Gillette’s former dominance in sports advertising. This one features the late Phillies great Richie Ashburn and the Super Speed flare tip.

This Gillette ad from the 50′s showcases their stainless steel blades being used in a Fat Boy during a camping trip. If nothing else told you this was the 50′s, these guys SHARE THE RAZOR like human blood wasn’t one of the most dangerous substances in the known universe!

Recently Dairy Queen has been airing a commercial featuring “old-fashioned shaving bunnies”.

Traffic here at Wet Shavers Blog indicates there are a lot of people searching the Interwebs to find out exactly what these critters are.

I’m sorry to have to report that Old Fashioned Shaving Bunnies are just a construct from the fertile imagination of some Mad Men at the agency DQ hired to handle their advertising.

Bunnies can’t shave anyone. They don’t have opposable thumbs; so they can’t hold a razor. Sorry to break that to you.

But these bunnies are on to something. OLD FASHIONED SHAVING is definitely something you should look into, whether you’re male or female.

It’s fun to do, makes your skin feel and look terrific.

Check out some of the most popular entries here (on the right side of the page). You might just have discovered a life-changing secret.

With warmer weather approaching, discussion among wet shavers often turns to the debate over whether hot or cold water is better for shaving.

If you’ve ever seen the Robin Williams movie Good Morning Vietnam, you might remember the scene where disc jockey Dan ‘The Man’ Levitan is reading a public service announcement over the air. He is urging the troops to shave with cold water while in the field, so they don’t get irritation in the jungle environment.

Cold water shaving devotees claim they get closer shaves with fewer passes using cold water. The whiskers stay stiffer and the skin doesn’t swell from heat; thus reducing irritation.

Common wisdom has us prepping for shaving with hot water to soften the beard, making it easier to shear.

I suppose there’s no correct answer. For me, wet shaving is a comfort ritual. I’m more comfortable using hot water.

Give cold water shaving a try; see what you think. Summer’s just around the corner.

Saw this blog post linked on facebook by a friend whose literary taste I trust, so I gave it a read. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll writhe. I think it’s three minutes worth spending.

No Matter How Long You Are Unemployed, Never Wax Your Hoo Ha

Quote: … Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub….

And you thought shaving around that mole was a chore.

Watch this video from wilderness survival guru Mike Cook. This is all you need to know. Make a blade from a chunk of local obsidian, like your ancestors did. Don’t pussy out and bring a razor with you. You should bring a tub of The Bluebeards Revenge shave cream, though.

After my previous post about Old Spice Guy being Will King’s Bitch (glad you liked it Will, I’m honoured [see, I spelled that Anglo for ya]), I ended up learning that the young lady in the video the post links to is not just a run-of-the-mill hottie. She’s actually King of Shaves master barber Diane Wood.

Diane Wood, the Queen of Shaves

Now you might have seen Diane on the tube shaving the beard David Letterman grew during the Hollywood writers’ strike a couple years back. I did, but didn’t put two and two together as I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast.

She also serves as the shaving expert for Men’s Health magazine.

I believe this point is important enough to warrant its own post. Call her the Queen of Shaves, if you will.

There’s another item to put on your “Things to do when in NYC” list. Broadway show, Empire State Building, Shaved by Diane.

Will King, Britain’s renowned King of Shaves, is a helluva marketer.

He took note of the viral explosion recently caused by Procter and Gamble’s Old Spice Guy.

Unfortunately for us guys, most of the explosion went on in our significant other’s panties.

I mean, I respect the ability to create a catchy ad, and I tip my hat to P&G that I bang on in these posts for their often-misguided Gillette campaigns. But did Old Spice Guy really do anything for you? I’d wager no.

So. The King strikes back with Barbarella X, whom I already think of as Shave Sexy Chick.

I won’t waste any more of your time. Get over to YouTube and check this out. Uh, NSFW, that’s Not Safe For Work. Unless you enjoy hanging out at HR being lectured about sensitivity to your female coworkers.

Shave Sexy by King of Shaves

Contributor signups will be entered into a raffle with quite a bit of swag on the barrel head, so your chances of getting something good are pretty high.

Among the prizes being offered are a couple of cased Gillette Aristocrat vintage razors.

They are shipping prizes worldwide.

Check out the link below, and be sure to read the entry carefully so you know where to post to get yourself in the running.

…and while you’re there do some reading. B&B is a great resource for wet shaving newbs and vets alike.

Badger and Blade Summer Sizzler 2010

Good luck!

Unfortunately, as much stuff as I have, it doesn’t begin to be at the level of store stock.

It came as a pleasant surprise to read an article about a wet shaving store opening in New England.

Reading the article, marveling at the sheer amount of stock in the place, I figured this had to be a member of Badger and Blade.

Yeah, that thread didn’t take long to find. The proprietor of the new shop is none other than Ray ‘ThirdEye’ Fournier.

Well done, Ray!

You can stop reading now if you like. The rest of this post is devoted to sending what link love I can to Ray’s new site *ahem*: Wet shaving supplies and custom laser engraving at Gentlemen’s Best

And one more thing, Ray. I know the site is under construction, but you gotta start SEO’ing that bad boy now. ‘Home’ is no kind of title for a page. Call it your heading bro, “The Finest in Men’s Traditional Grooming/Wet Shaving!” Let Google know what’s going on there.

Good Luck!

Most Valuable Pimpin’.

The cynic in me says this is the hand of new AoS owners Procter and Gamble showing.

The cheapskate in me says to shut up and enter.

Way to go, Austin politicians! You really have all Texas’ ducks in a row!

Link: Turf War over Shaving

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