Men’s Grooming for Movember and Everyday

Whether the grooming ritual is an afterthought or an obsession, men’s shaving often doesn’t get much attention.  Then Movember comes around.

Understanding classical, natural shaving will not only help you achieve a cleaner shave, it will benefit your skin, the environment and save you a few bucks too!  Below you’ll find out what you need to get a more traditional shave and why it’s the better way.

Going Old School

Modern shaving is a matter of convenience whereas traditional shaving is more of a process.  There are a few essential things you’ll need to start:

• Double Edge Safety Razor
• Double Edge Blades
• Shaving Brush
• Shaving Soap or Cream
• Shaving Bowl (optional)
• After Shave

Disposable shaving may seem great but there are some drawbacks.  First and foremost is the cut.  A double edge safety razor delivers a much closer, cleaner shave.

You’ll also appreciate the savings.  A bag full of disposable blades might seem like a sweet deal but they don’t last long.  The blade packets purchased for a safety razor are not only high quality but they have longevity.

All those worn down disposables tossed into the garbage don’t just disappear either.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, every year over 2 billion razors find their way into landfills!

It’s Natural

There’s another important reason why you should consider adopting a classic shaving routine:  your health.

Looking deeper into conventional products gives us a few things to think about:

• Skin:  Disposable blades are low quality and irritate your face.
• Parfum/Fragrance:  Part of most shaving creams or aftershaves is this industry catch-all term for a secret proprietary blend of chemicals that makes up the scent.
• Propylene Glycol:  Often included to stabilize the formula, this known allergen increases your skin’s ability to absorb substances – whether they are good or bad.
• Petroleum Products:  These give creams and lotions their texture but can clog pores.

Natural shaving soaps and creams on the other hand use oils, extracts and butters to deliver the right kind of protection while you shave.

It’s not just about the shaving, these products will soften and nourish your skin so you don’t feel burnt and are free of dangerous chemicals!

Traditions of the Trade

While there are a few more steps with traditional shaving luckily the process is pretty straightforward:

1. Open up your pores with a warm towel or steam.
2. Soak your shave brush.
3. Take your brush and dab the end of it into a soap or cream of your choice.
4. Move the brush and create a lather.  You can either do this on your face or in a bowl.
5. Use your razor at a 30 degree angle, allow the weight to pull it along the contours of your face.  At first use short strokes to avoid cutting.

Like any new habit, traditional shaving will take some time and patience Keep in mind that stubble is much harder to shave cleanly than longer hair so you may want to allow some growth between shaves.

Recommended Brands

The Big Carrot carries natural and ethical versions of everything you need to up your shaving game:

Safety Razors – Merkur

Blades – Merkur, Wilkinson Sword

Brush – Omega, Vie-Long

Shaving Bowl –  Savon Du Bois, Anointment Skin Care

Soap / Cream – Elvado, Herban Cowboy, Logona

After Shave – Thayer’s Witch Hazel, John Masters Organics After Shave and Moisturizer

---

Matthew Restrepo is our Body Care Assistant Manager