My shelter-in-place impulse buy was a straight razor kit. I’m still learning how to shave comfortably, but the shaves are quite smooth. Now that the initial anxiety about cutting myself has faded, the process is a lot of fun.

The Art of Manliness guide is a good intro, to which I’d add the following notes:

  • As long as I’m reasonably careful, cuts aren’t nearly as painful as I expected them to be.
  • Make sure to understand the correct angle; 30 degrees is probably closer than is strictly comfortable at first. If you experience a lot of discomfort but don’t cut yourself, the angle is probably wrong; the razor is likely tugging at your hair instead of slicing it.
  • Use the lightest touch possible; for me, it helps to think of the razor as just barely kissing the skin.
  • I’ve read elsewhere that shaving against the grain isn’t advisable if you have curly facial hair.
  • Developing left-hand dexterity for hard-to-reach spots is well worth it.
  • You haven’t really lived until you’ve shaved your bikini zone with a straight edge.