At some point when Emily was pregnant, I became convinced that the baby would be a girl. I admit that this is an irrational thing to believe without any evidence, especially since I figured it out in a dream. However, the Chinese calendar method confirmed my belief, so I think it was fine.

Anyway, once I “knew” I was going to have a little girl, I had some changes to make. Up to that point, I’d been shaving in the shower, if I shaved at all. I didn’t really like shaving, and I hated spending ridiculous amounts of money on blade cartidges, so I’d keep using one well past any reasonable amount of sharpness. Shaving in the shower was the only way I could get through it.

How was my little girl going to watch Daddy shave, if Daddy always shaved hidden away in the shower?

And so began my quest. It’s a quest some men spend their entire lives on, and other men abandon as a waste of time. For me, it’s been fun, and saved money, and made Ellie not scream when she kisses me.

So, if you’re interested in starting the quest, your journey begins here:

• Wet-shaving Part 1
• Wet-shaving Part 2
• Wet-shaving Part 3
• Using a Safety Razor

I sat at the kitchen table and watched these, and a bunch of the guy’s other videos. In fact, I just watched them all again in the background while I wrote this post.

I decided that I was going to make the investment in a good safety razor, because it would allow me to have ridiculously cheap blades. (As an example, 30 Gillette Sensor Excel cartridges on Amazon go for $38.99, while 30 Feather Hi-Stainless blades go for $17.25. Feathers are some of the most expensive blades available, and are still 40% of the cost of cartridges.)

After some research, I settled on the Merkur ‘Hefty Classic’ available for about $40. You’ll never have to replace it. You can also find great razors on eBay, or in the old guy down the street’s bathroom. Ask him, he may have a spare.

Next, I needed a brush. I was serious about this, so I spent a little more than I needed to and got a nice badger hair brush. You can certainly get by with the brush you’ll find at Walmart, but you may want to splurge a little. I think I got my brush from Classic Shaving at the same time as I bought my razor, but I’m not positive.

I bought a latte mug at some discount store. It’s wide, so I can get a rich lather, and it’s heavy, so it retains heat. For my birthday my Mom got me a nicer mug with a pewter base, which is really nice, but sometimes I still use my $1 mug. Don’t go nuts on this part.

Let’s see, razor, brush, mug … oh, I need soap. Traditional wet-shaving enthusiasts don’t usually use shaving cream or gel from a spray can, but instead use shave soap and make the lather in the mug. I won’t go into too much detail on how I picked what I use, which is Taylor of Old Bond Street, Lemon and Lime flavor. Flavor? Scent? Whatever. I spent a remarkable amount of time picking the shave soap I wanted, but I’ve been very happy with it.

Finally we come to sharp things. There are a lot of blades out there. Some are good, some are bad, and only a handful are right for you. I personally love the Feather Hi-Stainless blades made in Japan by a company that used to make ninja swords, or so I hear. You may find them too sharp. You may love the Personnas from Israel, and they’ll scratch me up and leave me red and irritated. For that reason, I recommend you get a sampler pack. I got one of these but I don’t remember what size I got. I know it had Feathers, Dorcos, Treet Blues, so it was probably the #3. Maybe he changes them out. I don’t know, I love the Feathers. I started at the bottom, hated most of them, found a few I could live with, and then got an amazing shave with the Feathers. The Dorco from Korea works well for me, too. The point is, you have to try, you have to be patient, and you have to be willing to bleed some, and be red and irritated some. This takes work, but it is highly rewarding.