Shaving...as a hobby

Congratulations on the most vaguely disturbing post of the day.

I hate shaving, always have. But as the Mrs. insists, it is a necessary evil. The only shaving products that interest me are ones that make the process go more quickly, without sacrificing safety. Gillette Power Fusion and Gel works well for me.

Having an older sister who was keen on the Avon lady coming knocking on the door every Thursday night, I'm pretty clued up on what's good for keeping the noggin looking great.

I haven't had a proper shave for decades, preferring the what was once called the "designer stubble".  A close enough trim using a clipper shaver that still leaves some colour.   Chasing a baby smooth shave is just ridiculous, both in appearance and for the health of skin. Your not a Teenager any more.

Although I do have a bald head on top which might contribute to this disposition...

I've had a full beard for 45 years and am quite happy thank you ... 

It's not a hobby, for me anyway.......

a routine, sometimes daily, sometimes when I feel like it, sometime just a trim on the neck when the months pass with a beard. 

We all have hobbies and vices, shaving is one that I don't think I will be pursuing.......

........but have a blast with Keith & Rockwell tomorrow!

Think yourselves lucky that you're not in the other half of the population, 'cause then it's just a damn nuisance...

I don't see how anyone could consider waxing as a pleasurable process   ; also legs are a much greater surface area and armpits are very sensitive.  And I'm not going going into any further details. 

Shaving, by any gender, is an entirely voluntary activity. It is only defined by societal norms.

steve

Had the mandatory beard and shoulder length hair at University in the early ‘70s, but for the last 40+ years have shaved pretty much every day. Occasionally I can’t be arsed, but by the next day feel itchy/scratchy and ‘dirty’. Shaving somehow seems to fit naturally with showering first thing, a clean, fresh start to the day! Not sure I’d describe it as a hobby, although I have subscribed to one of the online ‘clubs’ (Cornerstone) and acquired a very nice quality stainless steel safety razor, gratifyingly weighty and pleasant to use. The 3 bladed cartridges give me the best shave ever. I’ve given up using shaving cream containing palm oil, and pay a little extra for a very pleasant Sandlewood scented shaving soap from Bond Street - very decadent, but nice!

The only down side is my wife regularly ‘borrows’ my new gear - I don’t know what it is about her leg and underarm hair, but it blunts my blades instantly!

Not a hobby, but definitely one of those things that can be better or worse depending on the gear. Fwiw I started a shaving thread on a cycle website a few years ago, following a bout of disquiet at the cost of the latest multi-blade blades that cost a fortune and didn't last long. After a brief and unsuccessful attempt at using a cut-throat I followed the advice in that thread and went DE, and haven't regretted it since. A better shave, and virtually free beyond the initial outlay. That thread refuses to die, last time I looked it had resurfaced, to my amusement.

One Murhle R39, one badger brush, a pot of Sandalwood cream every few months and a box of blades every couple of years (less now the kids nick em) and bob's yer uncle, I'd never go back to electric, or overpriced blades that cost buttons to produce.

Probably not allowed to post a link but hey-ho, it's not commercial and not a rival to Naim (unless we accept that there's little difference in spending big bucks on bikes or audio equipment): https://www.bikeradar.com/foru...40012&t=12881827

My two greatest revelations regarding shaving; 1) get a fog-proof mirror and shave in the shower, and 2) use my wife's shaving cream (the stuff made for shaving women's legs is so much richer and smoother than the junk made for shaving men's faces).

Not a hobby, more a necessary evil, which is more pleasant with blades than with lecturing. That’s why I use Gillette

I grew a short beard about 2 years ago and so use a beard trimmer once every two weeks but opposed to wet shaving every one or two days it is so much better.  I was clean shaven before that my whole adult life and found shaving a pain but really liked the feeling of being freshly shaved but even so I wouldn't go back to shaving.                                                                                                                                        

Most definitely not a hobby for me, purely a chore. I use a stick and brush and a Wilkinson Sword Hydro razor with no less than five blades - I just went to count them. Five! I never thought I'd need more than two, but it's actually very good and the blades, although not cheap, last ages.

I used to shave - every day (twice if I was going out in the evening) and hated it.  The waste of time, of course, but also the discomfort of the process itself and for a little while after.  Tried wet shaving and electric.  Horrid process.  Many years ago (can't remember how many - about 45 or 50) I decided that I would desist.  Shaved only once since then (to see what was there.  Couple of owls and a nest, but otherwise nothing of interest).  It's a silly idea.  My wife never minded the beard.  In many ways it's nicer - never prickly, always soft.  And I read recently some research that indicated that beards are more hygienic (fewer germs were found).  

Blunt blades. Try a Razor Pit. My blades are ridiculously expensive. Latest blade has lasted 10 months thanks to the aforementioned ludicrously simple device.

ChrisR_EPL posted:

Not a hobby, but definitely one of those things that can be better or worse depending on the gear. Fwiw I started a shaving thread on a cycle website a few years ago, following a bout of disquiet at the cost of the latest multi-blade blades that cost a fortune and didn't last long. After a brief and unsuccessful attempt at using a cut-throat I followed the advice in that thread and went DE, and haven't regretted it since. A better shave, and virtually free beyond the initial outlay. That thread refuses to die, last time I looked it had resurfaced, to my amusement.

One Murhle R39, one badger brush, a pot of Sandalwood cream every few months and a box of blades every couple of years (less now the kids nick em) and bob's yer uncle, I'd never go back to electric, or overpriced blades that cost buttons to produce.

Probably not allowed to post a link but hey-ho, it's not commercial and not a rival to Naim (unless we accept that there's little difference in spending big bucks on bikes or audio equipment): https://www.bikeradar.com/foru...40012&t=12881827

Don't the hardcore cyclists shave everything off ?  To help them go faster !

Plus you wouldn't want bushy bits underneath all that Lycra I can imagine.

Cyclists & shaving of legs was an occasional topic for discussion on there; the consensus generally was it makes it easier to take plasters off after a tumble, and that it looks good by highlighting skin tone and muscle definition. Not many fell for the supposed aerodynamic benefits. The commonest response from regular club cyclists was that they shave legs because that’s what cyclists do. I gave it a try once; was a bit meh tbh.

Cyclists shaving their legs has more to do with easier application of embrocation, massage, and hygiene. The application of embrocation to hairy legs of a typical male troglodyte cyclist is just too ghastly to visualise.

The injury maintenance, and streamlining is true but more of a bonus advantage.

I occasionally epilate my leg hair [ it doesn't hurt just tickles a bit ].

I find proper cyclist embrocation too expensive and it often smells funny [ ralgex? ] so i usually use a little mix of baby oil + moisturiser, more baby oil for rainy or wet roads, or factor 40 spray on sunny days. I really hate the smell of factor sun block, but do fear skin cancer.