I transitioned back to safety razors in the most natural way, with a new Racer blade in the Merkur open comb. That gave my skin an extra day to work out its issues. Then, straight to the Super Speed, in recognition of the high traction of that not-so-sharp blade. I reviewed "The Perfect Shave" to remind myself what steep angles of pitch were all about, and totally went for it. Smooooth, baby!
There was a cost in exfoliation, but I think I can accept it. My first thought was, "Oh, yeah, this is definitely better," referring to the low-angle, no exfoliation approach that has been my focus recently. But can I have one, without the other? Have I progressed to that point of technical proficiency where I can have BBS everyday? That's the eternal question, isn't it? I remember Bosse from Badger and Blade, how similar his story to my experience, and have long anticipated achieving that standard. There always just seem to be too many possibilities to explore!
Pushing skin toward the blade seemed to put the finishing touch on my new-school technique, freeing me from having to hold back on certain places where the hair insists on lying down. I can reach the root pretty much everywhere, without causing overt damage. I see Parker has this year introduced a reasonable facsimile of the mid-century Gillette Aristocrat, and I'm thinking about a new razor for Father's Day.
But I can already feel myself flip-flopping on the exfoliation issue. The coin could land either way, still.
BBS? Is this Baby butt soft? (No joke, I don't know!)
ReplyDelete"Baby-butt smooth." It's not a well-liked term, by any means. Most men realize that it's not good for their skin, and view the advocates with suspicion. I'm always uncomfortable using it, and usually aim to poke fun... with an image of the Starchild from 2001: A Space Odyssey, for example.
DeleteI think it primarily breaks along line between men who expect some burning when they apply aftershave or alum, and those who do not.