On Electric Razors

[danieldwilliam]

I have been forced yet again to grow a beard. I have bought a new electric razor which I hope will solve my problem.

A few months ago I nicked myself shaving. Quite badly and it took a while for the cut to heal. I tried shaving too soon and cut the ridge of healing skin and cut myself, again, quite badly again.

So I let my beard grow in the hope that doing so would give the nick a chance to properly heal.

I appear to have nicked it again in the same place. That is a third time now.

Not sure if I now have a small permanent scar on my chin. If so, I shall look like Harrison Ford, but only if Harrison Ford had lost a fight for control of his body with a latter day Marlon Brando. This is a thing that could happen. I've seen Apocalypse Now. Most of it at least. Probably.

Hey ho.

I don't like having a beard. I find the process of growing them a little uncomfortable. I don't much like the feel of them when they are grown in. Having a beard makes me feel very conscious of my face. I am generally too conscious of my face at the best of time. Several of the most important women in my life actively dislike me wearing a beard.

I also dislike having stubble. Perhaps more so than I dislike having a beard. A beard at least looks like a positive choice. Even a full bear-faced beard is a positive choice. Stubble just looks like you couldn't be arsed, or worse, think you are George Michael. You are unlikely to be George Michael, so thinking you are is probably problematic. If not for you then for other people. Will nobody think of the children.

So I have bought an electric razor in the hope that it is less prone to cutting me whilst the site of the nick properly, properly heals and I can go back to shaving with steel.

It should arrive today.

I have never used nor owned an electric razor before. I've tended to view them as morally inferior to real razors. Were I to reflect on 21st Century masculinity I would probably say that masculinity was intrinsically bound up in the concept of shaving but who's got time for that when there are wind turbines to build, robot brains to count and constitutions to re-write. Not me, that's for sure, not me. But I do like a good shave.

So we'll see how the grand experiment goes when the new machine arrive.

Comments

[andrewducker]

Ouch, that sounds distinctly unpleasant.

I have two electric razors. A large trimmer one, that I used for getting rid of bits that have grown long, and then I use a Gillette Fusion to get the final shave done. I've found the Fusion to be the best razor I've used, and to get a closer shave. And it's never nicked me.

What one were you using that kept catching you?

[danieldwilliam]

It is certainly verging on the unpleasant. The cuts themselves aren't sore because they are razors but, gosh, the combination of a fresh razor cut and washing your own hands in 80% alcohol is one to watch out for.

I have a Merkur from Dovo in Germany

https://shop.dovo.com/en/merkur-rasierset-futur-750-90750002.html.

I also have a straight razor but I don't use that often.

[cmcmck]

Apparently this is the reason for all those weird beard and sideburn styles in the 19th century- straight razor shaving was dicey and if a guy always nicked an area, he'd let it grow and let the other side grow for obvious reasons.

[danieldwilliam]

That makes a lot of sense.

I've been sporting a very Anthony Ainley goatee effort on and off because I keep nicking my chin.

[mellowtigger]

I intentionally decided at first lockdown to not shave at all until I became vaccinated. It's now a very long beard (for me) and very white compared to the long dark brown hair on my head. I look like a hippie Santa or maybe just an everyday Willie Nelson.

Also, this experience taught me that my ears grow hair as fast as my face. I had no idea. I remember as a kid when my mom took me to the barber that when he finished cutting my hair with scissors, then he'd pull out the electric shaver. He'd clean up the back of my neck, then he'd go over my ears. I thought that was normal. :) I'll take a picture of my ears too, before the electric razor comes out to trim everything again after vaccination. I'm already calling them my werelynx ears.

[danieldwilliam]

I was dismayed when I ended up growing the last beard at how white it had become. My dad is redheaded and I've got quite a lot of red hairs in amongst what is generally a dark head of hair. They've gone white now. So my hair looks quite distinguised but my beard, which tended to have more red in it, is much much more white.

My Turkish barber tends to run his clippers over my ears. Which *tickles* a bit! My old barber, also Turkish used to set fire to my ear hair with a special flaming ball of cottonwool doused in parafin. That was fun, if a little frightening.