Il Paradiso di Rasoio Diritto

After being introduced to them by a friend I have been a loyal and regular client at Truefitt & Hill since 2002. As someone who enjoys the finer things in life as well as embracing tradition, going to a real barber and barbershop is not only a luxury but a necessity. I go about 2 times a month for a shave and about the same, maybe less for a manicure/pedicure. Some people might consider this behavior to be "metrosexual" but if this was manly enough for Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill than I think it is about as far from metrosexual as possible.

The two points to the above is the following--

1. I appreciate tradition in every form. I like rolling back the clock and finding less convenient ways to do the simple or under-appreciated things in life.
2. I love to shave and being shaved by a straight razor is the traditional and paramount experience when taking on this simple task.

I enjoy my few straight razor shaves a month at Truefitt & Hill but ultimately this is not enough as I am then forced to come home and use the Gillette Quattro (Or Ocho, I cannot remember how many blades their are). In response to this on Friday I purchased a straight razor so I could enjoy this process at home 2-3 times per week instead of continuing to settle for a less than adequate shave.

The straight razor I purchased is from Solingen,WG (This blade was made prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall according to its packaging claiming that it is "The finest razor produced in West Germany"). Solingen is a city in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany and is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area. Solingen is called the "town of blades" since it is known for the manufacturing of knives and scissors and it was coined as such in medieval times by the town's swordsmiths and this image is still preserved today. For reference around 90% of the knives produced in Germany are from Solingen to date (Info about Solingen courtesy of Wikipedia).

In addition, to the razor I purchased a strop, strop dressing and sharpening stone as I already had the proper shaving cream (West Indian Limes Shaving Cream) as well as an exquisite shaving brush (Regency Super Badger Hair Brush). On Friday and Saturday I worked to upgrade my education on shaving and blade maintenance as I was hoping to take my first swipe at my face on Sunday. However, I do come from 2 generations of barbers/scissor grinders so I am not coming into this totally blind (hence, upgrade) as I do have some historical knowledge guiding me as well.

As of 10am Sunday morning I have just completed shaving with the straight razor (Not the entire face as I am pursuing this safely and methodically) and have to say that this was one of the most gratifying experiences in my lifetime. It felt more like fly-fishing than shaving to me as the required level of control and patience is on that scale. It was also a little terrifying at times and I am happy to report that my adams apple is still attached and I have not spilled one drop of blood. My goal is that by the end of April I will have gained enough experience so that I may start shaving with a straight full time.

My next hope is that maybe I can convert one or two of my friends over to the dark side so we can then discuss shaving products, shaving techniques and WWII at length while smoking cigars. Although that part might be a little over the metrosexual line I still feel I might enjoy it the same.