Beware Sleepy Shaving

So a couple of days ago, I eschewed my normal couple of cups of coffee before sunrise. I had planned to allocate my caffeine ration a bit later in the morning so I would focus better while hard at work on a tedious task.

So I substituted a couple of cups of decaf and then went about my morning shave.

The plan for the shave was a close but conservative shave that was easy on the face. To accomplish this, my plan was to use a new Gillette Wilkinson Sword blade in my Parker Variant set on one for the first strokes (largely against the grain). Then I was to dial up the razor and clean up any significant lingering whiskers.

So I assembled the razor and blade -- turning the adjustment knob to one. Then I lathered up as usual and began my shave with the usual stroking processes.

However, I soon noticed a harsh sensation following my razor strokes. Then spots of blood appeared, sometimes actually running down my jaw. Finally I wondered whether this was due to more than just a new blade and some remarkably poor shaving technique.

When I cautiously double-checked my razor setting (which I never dial down with too much force lest I damage the threads of the razor), I realized that I had actiually set the razor to six (meaning that I had dialed down one rotation short of what was necessary to achieve the desired razor setting of one)!

Six! I never shave with a setting of greater than four! No wonder my shave was harsh and bloody!

Lesson learned. When not sufficiently caffeinated prior to sun up, I'll be extra careful to make sure that I've set my razor correctly.

Happy shaving!