TimWoolery.net Documenting the Journey and the Learning Curve

Sand and a Broken Whiskey Bottle #3

Shaving for the Sensitive Guy

I tried to search Youtube for simple how-tos on shaving and got more than I bargained for.  Thanks, but no thanks, said I - I don't need to watch a video to know how to shave my groin.  Pardon me while I shudder.

The point is that shaving on its own should be a simple task but if you're like me and you have sensitive skin on your throat - you have to develop a very specific shaving routine to avoid the following:

• Rashes
• Razor bumps and ingrown hair
• Frequent bleeding

Shaving the wrong way can wreck your day - I can't tell you how many shirts I've had to rewash after attempting to flip my collar up to tie my tie and find it speckled with the leftovers from cuts.  Bad shaving damages your skin, makes you un-pretty and is generally miserable.  A good shave, on the other hand, makes the man and facial hair grooming is one of those practices that cultures from around the world adopted pretty much on their own...after their wives told them how gross they looked.  My personal shaving routine was horrible when I got married and my wife - bless her heart - took the time to make some suggestions and be supportive as I figured out how to take care of my own skin.  You don't need to be married to shave right, though - let's review a few steps on how to shave if you've got sensitive skin after the jump:

Sand and a Broken Whiskey Bottle #2

Stop Throwing Your Money Away: Body Care Products for 5 Bucks

Guys hate using their ladies' beauty products but doggone if we don't use them anyway.  This is, I think, the philosophy behind company's like Dove making male-focused body wash.   We all like to be clean and smell nice - why do we have to feel completely emasculated to get there?  After years of trial-and-error, I've landed on a pretty good routine that keeps my carcass smelling as it should and I've also eliminated a lot of overpriced and unnecessary purchases in the process.  Getting clean is as simple as a bar of soap, a washcloth and some hot water.  Dealing with the extra stuff - sensitive shaving, back-ne, ingrown hairs - that requires a little more research and matériel to fix.

I've compiled the following list of helpful body care products for the manly man that (bonus!) cost five bucks to get.  May this list help bring you closer to a special lady.*

A Handful of Sand and a Broken Whiskey Bottle #1

Guys don't like to talk about their grooming regimen and I am no different.  I think most guys would cheerfully do the John Wayne 'scrub with a handful of sand and shave with a broken whiskey bottle' thing but sadly, it doesn't always work that way.  By the way - if you can handle all of your hygiene chores that way - kudos to you, this post is not for you.  Tackling your grooming chores should be a pleasant experience (who doesn't enjoy a hot shower at the end of a long day?) and teaching grooming to yourself and your son(s) shouldn't be some hideous shame-based process.

So why talk about it?  A few reasons, I suppose.  I'm going to be teaching Little Man how to keep himself looking sharp and I want to do a better job than my parents did.  Human beings - guys in particular - are not clean animals by definition.  We aren't born liking to take showers or to keep our shirts tucked in.  We're problem solvers and explorers - getting dirty is just part of the job description.  We do, however, enjoy the social benefits that good hygiene and grooming provide and we do also enjoy the comfort that comes from being clean so that is what I'll be working with to impart some wisdom to him.  It occurred to me that you may also find some nuggets of gold in here so I wanted to pass a few things that I have learned along to you.

I'm going to address those type of issues the way that every male grooming and hygiene issue should be addressed: Problem?  Solution!  Here's how it'll work: