Simple pleasures

It is something very satisfying to whip up your own lather before shaving... to see a tiny bit of shaving cream and a few drops of water turn into a nice, thick, rich and nice smelling lather. The slightly cool feel as the eucalyptus and menthol lather first touches, and then covers, most of the face - and then taking it off with long, controlled strokes with my old fashioned safety razor. A quick splash of water, and then the sting of the alum as it finds the small nicks and scratches that I couldn't see in the mirror.

It don't matter if the lather cup I use is a bright pink snack bow from Ikea. It don't matter if my brush is a reasonably cheap one from Body Shop. It don't even matter that my bathroom is a 'three toilets, three showers' shared ablution container that - frankly - is a bit run down. What matters is that it's five minutes of ManTime, and a link to my more or less daily routine at home. Try that with a spray can full of foam and plastic razors with five blades...

For those that are curious:

• Parker 22R safety razor - considered to be a somewhat aggressive razor, but it suits my face just fine. Nice long handle, easy to change / clean blades.
• Feather Light blade - claimed to be the sharpest blade there is. Might well be, todays blade have seen 10-12 shaves already and is still sharper than my gillete ever was.
• Proraso shaving cream w/ eucalyptus oil and menthol. Large tube, long lasting, smells and feels good.
• Piece of Alum on a string. Stings, but helps seal the nicks and cuts really good.