Create Your Perfect Shave

Last week I had to make an important decision. I had to decide between one of two options. First, I could walk down to the local Walgreens and purchase four cartridges for roughly $21. Or, I could join Dollar Shave Club and subscribe monthly for $6 and receive four cartridges each month. The better option to choose may appear conspicuous and facile, but my ability to make a decision was much more involved.

 See, if I apply the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, I am majority of the time associated between an Early Adopter and a Early Majority. I am never the Innovator. For example, I would never be able to convince myself to stand in line for six hours for a smart phone.  So when I noticed the Dollar Shave Club ads on my Facebook news feed, I was hesitant to try it out. Sure I liked the company's name, which is quick, concise, tells a story on its own, but I had to do some more research.

So I visited the company's site where I enjoyed the opening video. Very unique and funny.  I was also drawn to the simplicity of it's website. The navigation to find answers and learn about the business is easy, which correlates well with the overall brand because this is not a complicated business so describing how it works should not be either. 

Finally, it came down to reviews. I do not know anyone else that participates with Dollar Shave Club so this was the more important factor for me. I had questions like, "Do the blades suck?" or "How long does it take to receive the blades?" Both of these answers were easy to find.

Well, today I received my first Dollar Shave Club package and the shave I had today was great. Very smooth with no irritation. Shaving has an idiosyncratic art to it. It is much more than using Barbasol and a Bic Razor.  The way a man takes care of his face correlates with discipline and class. This is one reason why the military requires cadets to shave daily. So do yourself a favor and take shaving a little more seriously. Find your own unique method and while doing so save yourself money by joining Dollar Shave Club. I've included my own arrangement below if you need some recommendations. Happy Shaving!

Shaving on a Budget

I love Art of Shaving, but unfortunately it's prices are a little high for me at the moment. So for those on a budget like myself, these options are relatively inexpensive.

Pre-Shave: I like to use Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub. The microbeads exfoliate the skin to help remove dead skin and it also helps raise your facial hair. For those that live in dry environments, I would definitely recommend also purchasing face lotion since the micro scrub tends to dry out your face. 

Blade: As stated prior, at Dollar Shave Club I purchase the $6 option. The blade works great and is also adjustable so it works well with shaving around the neck and jaw-line.

Shaving Cream: Throw out your Barbasol or at least keep it so you can shave the back of your neck inbetween haircuts.  Regardless, do not use it on your face because you are missing out on some better products. Dollar Shave Club offers shaving butter, which I plan to try next month, but currently I am using Cremo Cream and this stuff works great. Highly recommend it!

Post Shave: I apply two applications after I shave. First, I apply Neutrogena Men Razor Defense Post Shave Lotion. Incredibly long name for such a simple product. Basically it fights razor burn and ingrown hairs. Smells nice too. Next, I apply Neutrogena Men Sensitive Skin Moisturizer. Unfortunately my father was diagnosed with skin cancer, but one blessing in disguise from his diagnosis is I've learned the importance of taking care of your skin. This moisturizer has SPF 30.