The Dapper Dad

Although this is discussed far and wide as well as already having made an appearance on my New York Dad’s Blog, The Dapper Dad cannot ignore discussing shaving since it is part of every man’s often daily routine (even those of us with beards and mustaches must trim and shave to keep things in some semblance of order). I do believe it should not, however, be seen as a chore. You should look forward to it as one of the few moments still left to yourself before the blizzard of kids, significant other, work, appointments, to do lists and the rest of the daily grind hits you.

I know it certainly does not replace the real thing, but consider this ritual the closest you’ll get to a day spa, but without having to use mud and cucumbers or spend a fortune (and, unfortunately, minus the massages). The bathroom or shower is already full of steam and you are hopefully feeling a bit revived from dousing yourself with water. Now that your whiskers are at their most vulnerable whip up a nice lather with a brush, smell the eye opening pepper, tabacco or musk that your shaving soap slaps on your face and commence the shave. Rinse. Towel off. Put some cream on your face so it does not become a raisin. And off you go singing Zip-a-dee-doo-dah (until of course you open the bathroom door and your daily grind is their waiting for you! And it’s usually whining about something!).

To talk about shaving in more detail, you really have to talk about blade preference and selection (I am much more opinionated on the use of a shaving brush and soap versus cream). There are three basic kinds of blades: straight blade, safety razor or even-safer multi-blade razor and my humble opinion on the three (going by aforementioned order) is: crazy, closest shave and best for travel.

A straight blade is something only my grandfather (and still a few old school barbers) could use after doing it everyday for 70 odd years, you need that steady hand and unthinking sweep of the hand with the blade at just the right angle. And yes it does induce “razor envy” when I find anyone who does it regularly in this day and age. One of the most common blades is by Dovo in satin stainless (Solingen, Germany is renowned for its stainless steel and razor blades in particular – the call it the City of Blades).

A safety razor (a.k.a DE or Double Edge) is really a great compromise. Your face has to get used to the burn as you learn, but it shaves closer than any disposable you are using. If you want a solid first DE, again look to the Germans and Dovo’s subsidiary Merkur Solingen (yes… the one that produces everyone’s favorite starter – the Merkur HD – seen in the picture above). Otherwise you can do some research and find some great deals on vintage DE’s at online auctions. Make sure to get a box of blades (I will not bother getting into that debate!) and switch them out when you feel them getting dull (if it hurts and you are nicking yourself switch out the blade. If it still happens your technique and angle is wrong).

The Mach-conFusion end of the spectrum with its dizzying array of blades (how many will the eventually be able to fit into that tiny strip?) and even more daunting price tag, has the benefit of carry-on travel ease of use. Believe me when you have to hit the road for just a couple of days and do not want to add to the nightmare of air travel by checking your overnight bag this is the way to pack. Then again if you can take the train none of the above applies! If you want to go all out and spend a ridiculous sum of money on a really sleek looking multi-blade set I would for the Art of Shaving Gillette Chrome Series Manuel Shaving Set with stand and fine badger brush (not sure if a vibrating razor with a…spotlight?! is worth the extra $50).

Now here is where my opinion is unwavering. Brush and soap only. I am not debating this point. It is the only way to prep for a shave – period. I would spring for a badger brush right-off-the-bat unless you want to add brush burn to razor burn. My personal favorite is one I purchased from Fortnum & Mason in London, but everyone has their own personal favorite (e.g. Kent, Edwin Jagger, Vulfix etc.) and it is fun to try out a few and get different shaving experiences from each.

The soap/cream is really a matter of taste. Scented or Unscented. More or less glide. Richer lather Etc. etc. So try a couple out to find your fit. I was quite surprised to find what a nice shave Nomad from Crabtree & Evelyn gave me (they also happen to have some very nice badger brushes). Then again I also like Proraso and Taylor of Old Bond Street. So many choices and luckily so much shaving to do!

The wet shave itself is pretty straightforward and here is how I do it (to each his own on finding variations that work):

1. Use hot water (CAUTION: Content is very hot so don’t blame me if you dunk your hands or face under the faucet!)
2. Use your slightly wet brush (water should not be dripping from the brush!) to whip up a thick lather (think of Santa’s beard) in a wide mouthed mug or directly in the soap dish if that is what you are using.
3. Apply lather with brush to your face and neck using a circular motion to help the whiskers stand up and salute the razor (unless you like ingrown facial hair?)
4. Pull the razor with the grain or across it – never against it (unless you like ingrown facial hair?)
5. Wash your face to get the residual soap off and rinse your razor and brush (hang the brush upside down for optimal storage… do yourself a favor and buy a bush stand)
6. Apply cream/balm (unless you have gashes from shaving do not use alcohol-based after shave… if you do have gashes you should be worrying about technique or replacing/sharpening your blade not about which after shave to apply!)
7. Now admire your masterwork in the mirror and whistle appreciatively!

For more tips and incredibly detailed discussions (CAUTION: incredibly detailed!) about shaving you can go to Badger & Blade. I’m guessing if you cannot find an answer there you are out of luck!

Welcome to The Dapper Dad! A brief introduction is necessary as I gather my thoughts and gets things started. Many of you already know me as New York Dad over at my daddy blog New York Dad’s Blog. I know that over there I can talk about anything and everything dad related which probably could include much of what I want to talk about over here.

I felt, though, that a separate blog was appropriate since I will be concentrating much more on the dad as a man as opposed to the dad as a parent. All the ideas and thoughts I have concerning being a “Dapper Dad”, in fact, whether it is clothing, accessories, grooming, mixology, hobbies, sports, attitude or mannerisms in general will be left to these pages. Think of it as the den – a place for you to momentarily shut the door and remind yourself that you are a man – and most importantly a gentleman – as well as a father. A place, also, to unwind for a split second amidst all the burp up stains, the crushed Cheerios, the crazy hair, the unkept beard and all other forms of voluntary and involuntary submission to the parenting world that we have come to know since our first born was, well, born.

There are certainly many dads who just don’t care and I understand completely why they would think what I am doing here is useless. For those of you who do, though, feel that every once and a while you would like to feel like “a million bucks” I welcome you with a pat on the back and a stiff drink in hand. I certainly have my own strong opinions about what I feel constitutes a Dapper Dad and I certainly fail in many instances to live up to my own set of criteria due to my own negligence (and the ever present excuse of “I have a kid, you know!”).

I would like to see your comments and guest posts that will hopefully bring together different opinions, preferences and points of view for all of us to discuss, debate and question. I don’t really have a specific format in mind for these pages nor do I want to limit access to dads and men only. I do think, though, that there are certainly general parameters that define a Dapper Dad and despite the need for such a man to be as diplomatic as possible – I can make no guarantee that it will always be the case with me (I am, after all, a New Yorker).

Let me set as an ambitious objective that of providing a source of information for dads, in particular, that offers (from all different points of views and sources) suggestions, opinions and room for debate on issues that gravitate around what I have mentioned above and see where this takes us! Bear with me as I build up the page and also as I experiment using tumblr as an on-the-go and “improv” post source. My hope is that the posts will entertain and inform.

Thanks for taking the time to drop by and I look forward to engaging everyone in the conversation!

Sincerely,

The Dapper Dad