The Close Shave

Every man should own one real razor. This is how you use it.

The Close Shave is the old way, done properly: a single blade, a brush, a lather you build yourself. It is slower than a cartridge for exactly one week. After that it is faster, closer, and far cheaper per shave.

1. Proraso Pre-Shave, rubbed into a wet beard. Green tea and oatmeal; it softens the hair and puts a layer between skin and steel.
2. The Classic Shave Brush and Proraso Shaving Cream: an almond of cream, a wet brush, small circles until it stands in peaks.
3. The Merkur 985CL with a fresh Shark Super Stainless blade. It is an open comb, made for thicker beards, so no pressure at all: thirty degrees, with the grain first, and let the weight of the razor do it. It breaks down into its own case for travel.
4. Osma Alum Block, run under cold water and over the face. It stings where you were careless; that is the lesson.
5. Noble Otter Lonestar Aftershave to finish. Cool, clean, and it smells like you meant it.

The best first gift from a son to a father, or a father to a son: a razor that lasts a lifetime and blades that cost about a dollar.