Manly-Meme

Toast has initiated a shaving meme, and being several days removed from the news and blogging I figure this is a good way to get my arm loose...Here goes:

At what age did you start shaving? I have no idea...I can remember growing the retarded high school "mustache" at about 16 or 17, and that probably involved shaving the rest of my face to delude myself that there was hair left on my lip, but I didn't really "need" to shave until I was in college.

How often do you shave? Usually twice a week. Based on a combination of laziness, lack of time in the morning and the beard allowing me to push the stubble look further at work.

Last time you shaved? Thursday. (Today is Sunday)

What's the longest you can go without shaving? Five days. Beyond that and itching becomes unbearable, and I start to feel self-consciously sloppy about going to work...

What kind of razor do you use? Gilette Sensor Excel. Best. Razor. Ever. Getting difficult to find. I think they are trying to upgrade people to the ridiculous battery-powered razors. Whatever the fuck those things are.

How often do you change blades? Every few weeks or so. If I let the beard go too long I don't fuck around—that job calls for a fresh blade. Otherwise, I base it on resistance.

Ever use an electric razor? Yeah. They suck. Granted it was long time ago, and probably not a great one, but I thought it was slower, did a worse job and was more uncomfortable. I used to watch my roommate use one and he'd look like he had poison ivy on his neck it would be so irritated and I just couldn't understand him...

Ever use a straight razor? No. I'm curious about the whole old-fashioned hot towel prep, brushed-on creme, and shaved by an old barber in a chair with a razor, but I would never do it.

Do you own/use a facial hair trimmer? Not specifically. I have a clipper I use for my hair, and that is used to fix the length of the goatee. All shaping and edging is done with the razor when shaving.

Do you own/use a nose hair trimmer? No. But I would probably use one if I had one. I currently use the scissors that came with my clipper, or just rip them out...which hurts like a mother and triggers a sneezing fit.

What shaving substance do you apply? Edge® Sensitive Skin Gel. I don't think my face is particularly sensitive, I just don't want any scent at this stage.

And what balm, if any, do you use afterwards? Used to use Nivea® for Men. Recently switched to the greatest post-shave product ever—the previously Mr Furious-endorsed Every Man Jack®.

What do you shave? Face only.

With the grain or against? Never against.

Ever shave your genital hair? Not normally, but I had to "prep" myself for my vascectomy. Nerve-wracking, but mishap-free, but the re-grow was an itchy nightmare.

Place you hate shaving the most? Immediately below my mouth, and then the chin. Hence the goatee.

Ever use chemical hair removal treatments? Nope. Is there a man who has? Even Mrs. F never tried. But she is undergoing some laser-hair removal that sounds like it might be effective for "enhanced interrogation."

Best part of shaving? I'm pretty ambivilent about it. I probably prefer the look of a couple days growth.

Worst part of shaving? A nick. Doesn't happen often, but when it does, I'm NOT a fan.

Worst shave you've ever had? No particular shave jumps out, but anytime I'm stuck using a sub-par razor, it sucks.

This picture is illustrative of how I look most days...a couple days since my last shave. The beard is trimmed slightly shorter than its normal Youkilisian glory as I had job interviews on Friday.


Since most of my readers overlap with Toast, the only person left to tag with this is America's Hirsute Hero—Rickey.