www.zirh.com
ShavingStuff.com visitors receive 15% off all orders of $30 or more.
To receive your discount, please enter code 'ShavingStuffZ' at checkout.
July 3, 2009
Like a Man
"Sure you can mow down down the stubble with the latest, greatest fifteen blade-vibrating-digital-mp3-playing razor, but occasionally some things are better left to their analog counterpart. Specifically when it involves dragging a blade across your face. Granddad sure seemed to get by just all right without a battery-operated super razor, and with any luck, you can too."
J.M. Fraser's Polar Ice shaving cream is another example of why it's not good to judge a book by its cover. The packaging is a basic, plain jane white tub with minimal blue text - not a flashy, hyped up label to be seen. But that's ok, because it's what's inside that counts, right?
Polar Ice is very thick and creamy, building up a great lather in no time, and it's got a refreshing feel on the face. The cream can be re-lathered on your whiskers with a little water if it dries, making for an easy and quick shave. The scent is light and kind of minty, with a cool feeling to it, not an overpowering smell.
One big plus for this is the price and the size of the tub. For nine bucks, you get a half a pound of cream, which ought to last you quite some time. That's a steal. I also liked the fact that it came in a tub and not a tube, so you don't have to squeeze it out, possibly wasting the extra if you squeeze to hard.
J.M. Fraser's Polar Ice is a great deal for a super shave. Nothing fancy, nothing extra, and it works great. Check it out - I think you'll like it a lot.
Wow, June sure did fly by quickly. Summer's now here, the Fourth of July is fast approaching, and we want to make sure you didn't miss any of the posts from the last month as you head out for vacation.
Here's an overview of Shaving Stuff posts for June:
Spend $75 at ZIRH , and be one of the first 100 people to respond, and you'll get a free Zirh beach towel! Offer ends at midnight on July 3rd.
Zirh has free ground shipping in the US for orders over $100, free samples with every order, and a free Details magazine subscription for orders over $60.
Facial hair just grows. You don't have to think about it, feed it, or nurture it, you simply have to deal with it as it grows. You can shave it all, or you can just shave part of it, leaving a goatee, a moustache, a soul patch, or even some Neil Young style lambchops.
But you have to make that decision every single morning.
"To be a man is to decide about facial hair. Even to just shave and not think about it is a form of decision. To the ancient Greeks, a beard was inseparable from manhood. The Romans shaved, probably to say they weren't like those uncouth Greeks. Through the centuries facial hair came and went like hemlines and tides. Most of the presidents between Lincoln and Taft had beards." - Mail Tribune
If you choose to shave it all everyday, you've got to decide on the method: electric razor, disposable razor, safety razor, or straight razor. And which cream or gel are you going to use? What about after the shave - are you using an aftershave or lotion, or just a rinse?
If you're only going to shave part of it, how much are you going to leave? If you have a trimmed beard, how far up the neck do you shave? How long will you let your beard, moustache, or goatee grow? And how will you keep it even? I'm sure every man has had one of those "Ooops" moments, where you slip and take off more on one side than the other...
Starting from a clean shave and growing out some facial hair takes some thought as well. What's my wife going to think? How will the guys at work respond? How long do I let it grow before giving up and just shaving the whole face again?
The cool thing about it is that you're in control. You can change your looks within a week, and if you don't like it, you can change back again, no problem. And as you get older, you may lose your hair, but you'll probably not lose your whiskers, which means you get to keep your style for a long time...
What's the toughest decision about facial hair for you?
No, it's not a Hannibal Lecter accessory, it's a manscaping tool.
The Easy Raze is a German back shaver, made with fiberglass-reinforced plastic and stainless steel, which lets you reach those difficult places with both brush and razor.
The first model was a wooden coat hanger with a wet razor attached with adhesive tape, and after extensive testing with materials and designs, the Easy Raze was born.
According to Der Gepflegte Mann, the Easy Raze "permits the correct leadership of the razor blade on the skin, even without control of a mirror. Various options allow for individual adjustment to any body shape and also allow for shaving hard to reach places (eg under the scapula) and the thorough removal of hair, also against the growth direction." (via Google Translate).
The Easy Raze is not currently distributed in the U.S., although the company is looking for a back-shaving entrepreneur who wishes to grow the market here. Contact them for more details.
"In the storytelling tradition of Spalding Gray, Ken Campbell and Claire Dowie, David Bramwell's Haunted Moustache which plays at the Rondo Theatre Bath on Saturday July 4 recounts the fantastic but true tale of his surreal inheritance - a 100-year-old moustache in a box."
"If you're a man, your father probably taught you how to shave your face. It's highly improbable, though, that he included a lesson on shaving the rest of your body. And as "manscaping" starts going mainstream, many might wonder why a man would let his razor wander southward."
"Eric hadn't cut his hair or beard in more than eight years, and his hair, worn in a ponytail, was down to the middle of his back. His beard was down to his chest. His standard outfit was a T-shirt and jeans. That changed Thursday morning when celebrity men's grooming expert Diana Schmidtke and GQ style editor Adam Rappaport got their hands on him."
"Here are the Kanayama Bothers--on the left is my older strop, the "Fine Stars". It's been a fine strop, and I've had no complaints. It's a little smooth for me, I think I'd like some more draw..."
Amazon.com has a great deal on the Panasonic Men's Vortex Nano Electric Shaver bundled with extra blades and accessories! The Vortex features a pivoting head, 13,000 rpm motor, and automatic charge, clean, and dry functions.
Over the last week, I've been trying out the Tom Robinn Paris Shaving Gel, and to be quite honest, the first two times I shaved with it, I wasn't really jazzed about it. But after a solid week of shaves, I've learned a thing or two about it, and I feel like I can endorse it.
The gel is non-foaming, and rather thick in texture, which is not something I'm used to. My usual is either Cremo or Speick, both of which are lighter and creamier. So what I did to get the best shave for myself was to mix in a little water with the Tom Robinn Shaving Gel. Once I did that, I was happy with the results. The gel is also clear, which made it a bit different for me - at first I couldn't see where I had shaved - but I got the hang of it pretty quickly.
"The benefit of our ingredients to you are: - Aloe Vera Extract: is used to calm irritations and inflammations. It stimulates skin cell growth and possesses moistening properties. It is a smoothing agent. - Sweet Almond Oil: lipids regulate water flow through epidermis and help skin's balance. It moisturises and protects epidermis. - Glycerin: makes skin suppler, smoother allowing a comfortable shave."
After my shave, I used the Tom Robinn After-Shave Gel, which I really enjoyed. It's alcohol-free and non-greasy, and soothed my skin with its aloe, almond oil, and ginseng formula.
Both of these Tom Robinn products also have a great scent - not too strong, but with a complex 'flavor'. If you haven't tried any of the Tom Robinn line, I think they're well worth it.
If you're always on the go and need to the ability to trim some stray hairs from your moustache, beard, ears, or nose, the Andis Easy Trim just might be the tool for you.
The company's new battery powered personal trimmer is built to be very portable, so you can spot-check for errant hairs and trim them on the fly. There's no need to be embarrassed on a date, at a business meeting, or when meeting a potential client - a quick check in the mirror and a pass with the Easy Trim will keep those hairs in check.
Easy Trim is just 4.5" long, so it slips into a travel bag, pocket, or purse, and runs on a single AA battery. It has recessed stainless steel blades, comes with two interchangeable heads, and is covered by a five year warranty.
"Easy Trim™ is about the size of a lipstick. It has a protective cap that covers the blades and is a lot safer than carrying a pair scissors, even small ones, especially when traveling." - Fred Koeller, VP of Marketing at Andis
"Procter & Gamble Co., which recently made the phrase "win with men" an incessant company mantra, is now fully armed to target the premium male shopper with its Monday purchase of the prestige grooming firm The Art of Shaving."
"It's an iconic look historically grown here by the blue-collar set. The 'stache is part of the uniform for ranchers, laborers, roughnecks and cowboys of all manner of industry -- men with skin as tough as their boots and whiskers as stiff as a grill brush.
The mustache has seen a recent renaissance, however, this time from the follicles of young men whose working toils are decidedly less rugged."
"Fox, a clean shaven mortal who suffers from Bare Upper Lip Disorder (BULD), is a friend to people of mustached American descent, and writes Time's very fine Curious Capitalist blog. He also has a new book out which made the St. Louis Post-Dispatch list of 15 nonfiction books to read this summer. It's called "The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward & Delusion on Wall Street" and we urge you to purchase here despite the fact that Fox promised to hook us up with Tom Friedman of the New York Times and it never came to fruition (he did buy us a few beers once, however)."
"The moustache is back. After years of tragic disuse and abuse, this commanding symbol of manly authority (and its current backdrop, Bob Ainsworth) has made a celebrated return to Cabinet in the reshuffle.
Bob's moustache is the first proper version to enter the cabinet on the face of a Labour minister in around 40 years, so it seems somehow serendipitous that Russian bloggers have just compiled a list of the top moustachioed celebrities of all time - and shaved them of their facial hair. Here's the five best, dedicated to you, Bob."
Here's a product I just heard about: the Orbix Rev360. It certainly sounds like an interesting twist on cartridge razors!
"Conventional blades cut at an angle. The Orbix™ razor severs hairs with thousands of tiny rapid movements-cutting the hair shaft almost flush with the follicle. Gone is the drag of the blade against your skin. And since you don't have to apply any pressure on the blades while shaving, you eliminate the most common cause of nicks, cuts, irritation and razor burn."
I did have to laugh at the color selection, though, because you can get the Orbix in camouflage! I'm not sure if men are shaving in the hunting blind or what...
"Money is a factor in dictating tastes. David Beckham, for example, was sponsored by Gillette for several years - he couldn't be seen with a moustache. The trend for clean-shaven stars continues: Tiger Woods, Thierry Henry and Roger Federer - three of the most successful and influential sportsmen on the planet - have all received a healthy financial boost from Gillette. It's the best a man can get; having a moustache, therefore, is the opposite of the best a man can get. It's man at his worst. The moustache is sinister."
Amazon is offering an instant $10 savings on select Wahl clippers and trimmers until June 30th. It might be a good time to pick up a Father's Day gift!
"Wahl GOATEE Rechargeable Trimmer / Detailer is the right tool to maintain your goatee and define your style. This trimmer features heavy-duty detachable blades for trimming for one pass trimming with professional grade blades like your barber uses. The Detailer detachable blade is a finaly ground blade that offers precision trimming for the most intricate design. Comes with a no pull, no snag guarantee."
"The Wahl Deluxe Chrome Pro 27-Piece Complete Haircut Kit has all the tools you need to make haircutting at home easier than ever. Perfect for total body grooming, this haircut kit is used by a wide variety of people for their haircutting needs, including professional cyclists, swimmers, and other athletes to trim body hair."
"The Wahl Lithium Ion is the world's first grooming device with Lithium Ion technology, the most advanced rechargeable battery technology. It's lighter in weight, has almost no charge-loss in storage, is environmentally smart, and has no memory issues. Best of all, it provides 3x the run time, 2x the torque, a 1-minute quick charge and 1 hour full charge which typical rechargeable trimmers can not do."
To get the instant savings, purchase $49 or more of eligible Wahl products, and enter the coupon code "WAHLJUN9" at checkout.
Speick is one of my favorite shaving creams, and you just can't beat free...
"An aromatic and refreshing shaving cream for wet shaving that leaves the skin smooth and refreshingly fragrant. Gentle on the skin, it contains protective beeswax and glycerin. This cream can be used sparingly and creates a rich creamy lather for a soothing and comfortable shave."
To get your free Speick shaving cream, use coupon code "FreeSpeick" at checkout. Offer good until 6/20/09.
Like a Man
Mailing List
Subscribe - RSS
