Give Your Face a Rest

I have days where I have a bit of a rough shave.

It may be that I've chosen too aggressive of a razor or razor setting. Other times I may have paired a razor-and-blade combination that just isn't quite right for my face. Sometimes I've just had a lapse in concentration and given myself the rare cut, or more commonly, I've just created a few weepers.

These are times for giving my mug a bit of a respite, a break from that close shave that I like so much.

Now in these days of the fashionable scruffy look, many men are only shaving every few days or so -- or less. These gents have a natural break in their grooming routine, and generally don't ever need an additional rest for abused facial skin.

Not this kind of rest!

However, I'm pretty old school in that I always smile and shake my head a bit when I see some young man on TV -- often a political pundit -- displaying a multi-day growth of beard and a studiously un-combed coiffure that give the impression that he rolled out of bed mid hunting trip, threw on a shirt and tie, and dashed to the TV studio sans shower, shave and other normal daily grooming. I sometimes facetiously wonder if they use deodorant.

It's the fashion, I know; it's considered well groomed to appear as though one sleeps outdoors in a cardboard box with all the accompanying amenities (none), most obviously appearing to lack a comb and razor.

In my opinion, this doesn't look good on many young men, but it doesn't look good on any older men with gray in their beards or even with faces that show the experience and wear of a few miles. On us, this look generally makes us look like a bum -- and I've yet to see an exception.

So when one's face has had one too many close shaves and may be just irritated, or worse, having a cut or scrape or two, it's time for a rest. But for us more experienced gentlemen, who show some obvious signs of that experience such as gray in the beard or a few lines on the face, taking a day off from shaving isn't a great idea.

Instead, I recommend a light shave; that is, a single-pass with-grain shave. This light shave won't get anywhere close to the smoothness that I prefer when rubbing hand on face, but it will knock down the beard so that -- especially early in the day -- there will be no obvious visible beard showing. You look well groomed but have avoided any abuse of a close shave on pre-irritated skin.

So my approach is to use a moderately aggressive razor-and-blade combination when I need a facial rest. This may mean a one-pass shave with my slant razor, the Merkur 37C, or perhaps my Gillette Slim adjustable set at middling number such as five out of nine. Or I might just use my Rimei RM2003 razor.

In any case, my facial-rest approach is not to go without my daily shave. My approach is to simply lighten up and accept a shave of mediocre closeness for a day or two until my skin is reinvigorated and ready for a more rewarding shave.

Happy shaving!