Becoming a Middle Aged Dandy

Because this is an epic blog post here's the Tl;dr: My shave routine, my "handsome" regimen, and product reviews. 

- Shaving Routine -

I don't remember the inchoate itch that got me to take the plunge into wet razing, but the event that crystallized it for me was a Massdrop for a Feather AS-DE2, All Steel-Double Edged Safety Razor.  And then the Massdrop for the Feather Artist Club SS Shavette with Artist Professional Blades cemented it.  After watching Mantic59 and Geofatboy on YouTube, I took an educated plunge into the wet razing world.

I've rounded out the collection with Dovo 5/8"  9/16" Round Tip Straight Razor as a new purchase - it's too bad that it was falsely advertized as "like new" when it in fact had a chip in the blade as that issue shorted me a 1/16".  I have only a single shave under my belt, and have yet to acquire a strop, and I'm leaning towards using this blade another time or two, then either getting the full straight razor set-up or just sticking with the shavette.

I feel that the Feather Shavette is still the better shaver, but will probably save up for a razor that doesn't need to have its blade ground to be a functional shaver, as I feel that there may be some beveling on the Dovo Blade that wasn't preserved in that process.

As I was taking the plunge, I realized I needed a Parker Silvertip Badger Brush; now you may look at that brush as expensive, but to be honest, it is the least expensive "top of the line", i.e. Sivertip Badger hair brush, I found as vendors want $150 to $250 or more for a similar shaving brush.  There are issues with a new brush, namely wet animal smell, that can be addressed by soaking the brush in a teaspoon of borax dissolved into a cup and a half of water and then working up a lather or two with the brush to get the soap scent into the hair.

Now and some shaving cream or soap at the very least, and while at Whole Foods, I also discovered that there are shave oils and I've come to like a combination of Herban Cowboys "Dusk" shaving soap fort its sandalwood & leather smell, and Leap Organic's Shave Oils and After Shave Balm.  I find that the shave oil is great for holding post-shower moister on my face while I prepare my shaving lather, and that the balm on a face that has been just splashed with cold water post alum block is one of the most pleasant feelings in my daily routine.

The difference between the shave oil and the balm is one of viscosity, the shave oil is a much lighter weight than the balm.  The soap is there to smell good, provide a bit of extra lubrication & hydration, and help my razors stay clean as that an oil only shave can really gum up my DE razor.

I also decided that certain styptic, or blood clotting products would be useful, with My Nick is Sealed being my go-to "Oopsie" product.  The one thing I personally love as a part of my post shave routine is using an Edward Jagger Alum Block on my face as it both disinfects, seals any minor abrasions, and tightens the skin in a way that makes it seem to lap-up the aftershave balm. In addtion to all of this, it tells you how well you shaved - via a salt on wound stinging sensation.

So my shave routine with my safety razor is:

1. Shower and spend the last 1-2 minutes massaging my beard with hot water prior to exiting the shower.  Doing this helps you know which directions your facial hair grows in different areas in the beginning.  My hair is straight down on my face and jawline, then the gullet and neck part in the middle of my chin and slowly start to sweep to where the hair is pointing towards my back.  The very sparse hair that's on the bottom third of my neck grows straight up to the top of my head, just to switch it up some more.
2. After drying off, but leaving my face alone, I apply the shave oil.
3. Mix-up and apply the lather to my face.  This process takes a few minutes for both getting the brush "loaded" with lather, and then using the brush to gently lift my whiskers and lightly exfoliate at the same time.
4. Do a pass that is straight down my neck, which is a "with the grain" (WTG) pass on my cheeks and an "across the grain"(XTG) pass on my neck.  I like using the Shavette to make this pass these days.
5. Decide whether I want a baby's butt smooth shave or just a passable shave - if just passable, skip to step 8.
6. Reapply oil and lather, go XTG on my cheeks, against the grain (ATG) on my "soul patch" and WTG on my neck.
7. Reapply oil and lather, go ATG on my jaw line & cheeks.
8. Clean my shave brush while the tap is still hot.
9. Apply cold water to all shaved areas.
10. Wet the alum block in cold water and apply to all shaved areas.
11. After 30 seconds, rinse alum bock area with cold water, using the wait time to dry the alum block off for storage.
12. Apply shaving balm to wet skin.
13. Clean razors for storage.
14. Profit.

Now what happened after wet shaving for a few weeks was that I had cheeks and neck that were as smooth as a baby's bottom and looking lovely outside of the few minor scars that comes with the learning curve for a sharp piece of metal that slides over one's face.  I began to realize I was lavishing the lower half of my face with attention and ignoring the upper half of my face completely...  That seemed like a recipe for looking like a horizontal version of Two-Face.

- "Handsome" Regimen -

As an aside, from massaging your beard with oils, etc...  Your hands will be gloriously smooth as well, so bonus.

So what I did is hit my sister up for a belated Christmas gift of a trip to the spa for a facial so I could get a recommendation on how to properly go about this from an esthetician.  My facial challenges are relatively minor.  I have combination skin, and that leaves me with large pores on and next to my nose.  I don't have any skin conditions on my face outside of the occasional pimple.

The basic formula that I received for a routine:

1. Cleanse
2. Tone
3. Vitamin C Serum
4. Eye Cream 
5. Moisturize with SPF (a.m.) / Epidermal Repair Cream (p.m.)
6. Exfoliate twice a week.

Products I've been using for my routines:

1. Cleanse - Bulldog Facial Wash
2. Tone - Eminence Organic Skincare Stone Crop Hydrating Mist
3. Pore Reducer - Kyoku for Men Pore Reducing Serum 
4. Vitamin C Serum -  Skinceuticals CF Antioxidant Treatment* / DIY Vitiman C Serum
5. Eye Cream - Kyoku for Men Eye Fuel / Skinceuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex*
6. Moisturize - Bulldog Anti-Aging Moisturizer / Skinceuticals Epidermal Repair Cream
7. Exfoliate - Eminence Strawberry-Rhubarb Exfloliating Powder

The one thing I want to say about beauty products is that for me, less is more.  I found the best way to avoid feeling too greasy is to use tiny amounts of product that are nearly dry by the time I'm done applying them to my skin, an will list the amounts and techniques for application that have worked for me.

Now integrating these two routines is a bit of a pickle.

I honestly feel that my shaving routine accomplishing everything that I need for the areas I shave, as shaving is very exfoliating by its nature, and the alum block seems to have the same effect as the toner, and the balm is moisturizing as all get out...  I had a cold winter wind blowing on my face and could feel the balm protecting me while still not being too greasy.

What I do to integrate the two is:

1. Apply cleanser to my entire face in the shower. Large dime-sized bead lathered between the whole hands.
2. Exfoliate upper cheeks & forehead if necessary in the shower.  Quarter sized portion of powder "lathered" between the wet, whole hands.  I used this much because I want to aggressively hit my nose and that much powder starts off as a fine grit sand paper that gets gentler as it's applied to the skin.
3. Shave routine outlined previously.
4. Apply toner to cheeks, nose and forehead. Three-four sprays that are then rubbed into the skin.
5. Apply eye cream.  Sesame sided beads that are mixed on the tip of my index fingers and then applied to the eyes and eye lids.
6. Apply pore cream. A pop-corn sized bead applied with one index finger, using the other finger like a painter's palate
7. Apply moisturizer. One Pea sized bead for the cheeks, nose and forehead, moving it up to dime sized if moisturizing my whole face.

I have also tried using the alum block, then applying the toner mist to my entire face, and it just didn't feel as effective as having a bit of cold water on my face and hands and applying the after shave balm.

- Product Reviews -

 I have expensive tastes because I prefer value to low price.  That being said, I don't want to purchase a pure status symbols.   My preference is for products that feel "natural" so you'll see the word "Organic" more often than not. 

 Products for Shaving:

• Feather Razor and Shavette - these are both great shavers that have the value to justify your price; and honestly, do you really want to run cheap, sharp steel over your face daily?  If you're really looking to get into Wet Razing inexpesively this Feather Safety Razor is one way to start.
• Parker Silvertip Badger Shaving Brush - least expensive option for lathering up like a champion - I believe that this comes in both a chrome and plastic handle; go with the plastic as the hot water one uses for shaving can heat that thing up a bit too much.
• LEAP Organics Shave Oil - this does a great job of keeping my beard soft and pliable for shaving while feeling purely natural cooking oil.
• LEAP Organics After-Shave Balm - this balm feels great and leaves a healthy feeling sheen on the skin that actually can protect from wind chapping in the winter and feels lovely to the touch on my cheek according to post nuzzling feedback from the wife.
• Herban Cowboy Dusk Shaving Soap - this stuff smells manly and lathers reasonably well. 
• Edwin Jagger Alum Block - great stuff, though some may feel a rock is a rock. 

 Products for "Handsomeness": 

• Bulldog Facial Cleanser - a very light, clean smelling facial soap that leaves the skin ready for the rest of the regimen; also, it's less than $20.00, which is a bargain for facial products.
• Eminence Stone Crop Mist - this greenish watery fluid seems to help by initially providing some moisture.   
• Kyoku Eye Cream & Gel - this combo seems to tighten my eyes up just a bit and help them keep a lighter color when I'm sleep deprived, which is fairly frequently.
• Kyoku Pore Reduction Serum - took a day or two for this to work, but seems to keep my pores at about half the size that they would be without treatment.
• Bulldog Moisturizer - This stuff does a great job of quickly absorbing into the skin while making the skin feel dry and moisturized
• Eminence Exfoilating Powder - this stuff is awesome, as you can mix it to be as abrasive as you'd like, and it dissolves into nothing after use because it's rice based. The Bulldog brand exfoilant that I've tried had the annoying traits of not being gritty enough combined with the grit sneaking into my eyes and irritating them.