I'm not sure why or when shaving got to be so expensive. It's a mystery to me. It probably shouldn't be since I spend a good share of my life staring at myself in the mirror, smeared with shaving cream with razor in hand. I've bought dozens of razors and mounds of shaving cream. I shaved almost every morning, except for that rare Saturday when I decide to forego the routine and live with stubble.
Every boy looks forward to that day when he begins to shave. The whiskers start filling in where pimples used to be. It's a sign of maturing, growing up, becoming a man. And, holy cow, shaving was so cool. I still remember that 1967 Noxzema Medicated Instant Shave TV commercial where the beautiful actress exhorts her man to "Take it off. Take it all off!" And he does so, to the tune of David Rose's "The Stripper." And Joe Namath -- a playboy, ladies' man and New York Jets quarterback -- did it in another Noxzema commercial, at Farrah Fawcett's request. Now how can that not make an impression on an adolescent boy? Oh yes, another very important rite of passage into manhood.
I don't remember exactly when I began shaving -- pre- or post- Joe Willie Namath. I'm sure it was somewhere late in my high school years or maybe even college. I do remember how neat it was to shave with a double-edge razor! Where one whack at a whisker was good, two whacks had to be better. And for years the double-edge razor was all right.
But at some point in time two blades didn't cut it anymore (pun intended). Then there were triple-edged, four-, five- and even six-edge razors. I'm all for a close shave, but I want to save some of my skin too.
And with multi-edged blades, shaving has become expensive. Have you looked at the price of razor blades lately? And why do they keep them under lock and key now? Have razor blades become so valuable that they have to be locked up? But then again, if you look at the price, you'll understand. You'd think they're gold-plated.
Well, Gillette gets no more of my money, and neither does Schick. Not at $20+ for a pack of razor blades. Uh uh. I can still get a close shave for less than that. I had read about the Dollar Shave Club on Facebook and now I get my four-blade razors -- four of them in the mail every month -- for a mere six bucks. And they're delivered to my mail box. Pretty handy.
So although facial hair seems to be 'in,' it's not for me. I've grown the beard three or four times -- the last couple were only of the 'goatee' variety. But it's become too gray, too scratchy and too much work. For a few bucks and five minutes of work I can still get a close shave. In my book that's still a good deal.
