I remember being in high school when my mustache finally made an appearance. I was fully into the soccer rocker, rode BMX, wore a hip pack, etc. The 'stache was icing on the suburban dirt bag cake. In high school, there was no reason to shave.
In college, I started looking like a mountain man. I didn't cut off the mullet, but I did let the rest of the hair catch up until it was all about shoulder length. I hadn't shaved, and while I did have a beard, it was closer to peach fuzz than a wire brush. It wouldn't take long before I was retiring razors at an astonishing pace.
There are many distinct zones on my face:
1. Cheeks: these are easy to shave. I can pull down (with the grain) or up (against it) without causing trouble.
2. Upper lip: always shave down here, but you can feel the stubble if you run your finger low to high right after I shave. I nearly always forget the corners of my mouth, too, and a single hair there can drive me nuts.
3. Lower lip: for the entirety of my 30s (and a little beyond), I had what people who like to label everything call a "soul patch". I never referred to it as that, myself. It was there for a little something extra, style-wise, but mostly because I hate shaving that spot.
4. Under the chin: on my right side, I have to pull the razor from back to front, not up/down or down/up, or else I might as well not shave. Long whiskers are preferable to the stubble in that spot if I miss it.
5. Neck: right at the adam's apple, I have to shave up to down here, or I get bumps like crazy.
My facial hair is pretty sturdy. I go through razors pretty quickly. My current setup has been serving me well for nearly a year, and I believe it bridges the gap between longevity and frugality (for my tastes, anyhow).
These are the shaving tools I use:
1. Harry's orange handle, refill cartridges every six months or more. They're much cheaper than the Mach3 refills I used in the past. I have friends who vouch for Dollar Shave Club (and I love their ads), but I took a shot at Harry's and have been very happy with the experience.
2. Kiss My Face shave gel. It's not foamy, but it works better than any other shaving cream/gel I've tried. I gave Harry's shave stuff a shot, and it was not bad, but it's too expensive. Likewise for Alba and Burt's Bees. They're natural and different, but prohibitively expensive. Kiss My Face offers more stuff per container, it works better, and it costs a bit less, too.
3. Suction mirror on the tub wall. It's a little excessive, but I like to shave in the shower. I have a fog-free mirror at my face level.
That's basically it. Harry's site (liked above) has lots of thoughts on shaving if this little primer didn't get through to you, or if the images of the Kentucky Waterfall stopped you from getting into the subtle nuances of my chin hair.
What do you use?
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