Baloosh
10-24-2007, 10:00 PM
Welp, I can honestly say this is the first time I've hit 1000 posts on ANY forum I've been a member of. I think that says a LOT about this place, and the people on here. Without a doubt, the greatest combination of talent, humor, and knowledge that spans just about every subject you can imagine. This place really does feel like a Home. Thanks to you all for making our little corner of the Internet a place to be proud of.
Anyway, here's just a few things I've picked up, and maybe a new perspective on this wonderful thing we call a hobby. :cool:
Pre-shave Prep, Pre-shave Prep, Pre-shave Prep! To me, nothing is more important, and nothing gives you the best defense against slightly off technique or tiny variations in blade angle. A saturated beard hair is one that cuts the easiest, cuts the smoothest, and cuts with little or even no tugging. If G.I. Joe said "Knowing is half the battle" then "pre-shave prep is half the shave." For me, it's the most decadent and luxurious part of the entire process. The smells, the tactile sensations, the process itself -- all culminate in that "perfect" shave one day.
Take your time to try out different things -- different pre-shave preps and processes, different razors, different blades, different creams or soaps (or combinations thereof), different post-shave steps (alcohol splash, balm, or maybe balm then splash, or just splash no balm, etc.). It's all about finding the right combinations of gear, process and follow-up that uniquely works the absolute best for YOU.
Don't be afraid to try something that nobody's posted about, asked about, or admitted to trying. Sometimes the best discoveries are ones that somebody just dreams up and tries, and low and behold it WORKS, and works amazingly! Find your OWN way, and relish in the journey while you get there -- that's what it's all about. A lot of people preach about "fidelity" -- or sticking with a single set process to minimize variables. That works during the beginning few weeks/months... while you're just learning how not to slice your head off. :) But once you have the basics down, it's time to graduate to that next level -- the customization and exploration that make YOUR perfect shave exactly that -- YOUR shave. Nobody else has quite the same skin you have. Nobody else has quite the same type of beard, layout of hair, etc. And only YOU can find what works the absolute best for YOU. You can't read it on a forum... you can't watch it on a Youtube video. Sure you can use those things as tools to expand your current processes, or trigger new ideas to try, but ultimately the shave you get is 100% up to YOU.
Most of this is probably pretty elementary, and maybe even obvious. I just tend to see new guys concentrate a bit too much on being "taught" instead of "learning" -- if that makes sense at all. So don't be afraid to do something out of the ordinary, or even something that might go completely against the "common knowledge" of the masses -- often times that's what drives the most important discoveries, and often times that's what becomes the biggest catalyst for expansion and improvement.
Anyway, here's just a few things I've picked up, and maybe a new perspective on this wonderful thing we call a hobby. :cool:
Pre-shave Prep, Pre-shave Prep, Pre-shave Prep! To me, nothing is more important, and nothing gives you the best defense against slightly off technique or tiny variations in blade angle. A saturated beard hair is one that cuts the easiest, cuts the smoothest, and cuts with little or even no tugging. If G.I. Joe said "Knowing is half the battle" then "pre-shave prep is half the shave." For me, it's the most decadent and luxurious part of the entire process. The smells, the tactile sensations, the process itself -- all culminate in that "perfect" shave one day.
Take your time to try out different things -- different pre-shave preps and processes, different razors, different blades, different creams or soaps (or combinations thereof), different post-shave steps (alcohol splash, balm, or maybe balm then splash, or just splash no balm, etc.). It's all about finding the right combinations of gear, process and follow-up that uniquely works the absolute best for YOU.
Don't be afraid to try something that nobody's posted about, asked about, or admitted to trying. Sometimes the best discoveries are ones that somebody just dreams up and tries, and low and behold it WORKS, and works amazingly! Find your OWN way, and relish in the journey while you get there -- that's what it's all about. A lot of people preach about "fidelity" -- or sticking with a single set process to minimize variables. That works during the beginning few weeks/months... while you're just learning how not to slice your head off. :) But once you have the basics down, it's time to graduate to that next level -- the customization and exploration that make YOUR perfect shave exactly that -- YOUR shave. Nobody else has quite the same skin you have. Nobody else has quite the same type of beard, layout of hair, etc. And only YOU can find what works the absolute best for YOU. You can't read it on a forum... you can't watch it on a Youtube video. Sure you can use those things as tools to expand your current processes, or trigger new ideas to try, but ultimately the shave you get is 100% up to YOU.
Most of this is probably pretty elementary, and maybe even obvious. I just tend to see new guys concentrate a bit too much on being "taught" instead of "learning" -- if that makes sense at all. So don't be afraid to do something out of the ordinary, or even something that might go completely against the "common knowledge" of the masses -- often times that's what drives the most important discoveries, and often times that's what becomes the biggest catalyst for expansion and improvement.