Thoughts On A Morning Ritual

A lot of men hate to shave. I don't. It's one of the morning's rituals I enjoy. I don't like the stubbly feel of a day's growth of whiskers and I enjoy a clean shave. But shaving is also expensive, thanks to some rather ingenious marketing by the companies that manufacture shaving supplies, especially Gillette. Shaving is a big business. In the US, it's valued at nearly $3 billion in annual sales. Gillette, now owned by Proctor & Gamble, is the biggest of the big names that supplies razors, blades, shaving cream, and after shave skin balms.

In 1990, Gillette truly revolutionized the shaving business when it introduced--with great fanfare--the Gillette Sensor razor. It was the first razor ever designed with floating, spring-loaded blades. And what a difference it made from the fixed blade design that had prevailed for the previous fifty years. The closeness of the shave, the comfort of the shave, and the near-complete elimination of shaving cuts likely put the makers of styptic pencils out of business.

But there was (and is) a catch: the blades are brutally expensive at a cost of about $3.50-$4.00/ blade. Gillette does, of course, have competitors. When their patent on the Sensor expired, Schick introduced their own floating blade razor, which seems to work just as well. But there's not a big price advantage for the consumer. And that means that the name of the game is extending the life of those expensive blades for as long as possible.

I've learned that the best way to do this is to shave in the shower. I rinse my face as soon as I get into the shower, and while I'm washing up, my beard softens. By the time I get my face lathered up and ready to put blade to skin, my whiskers have been soaking for at least five minutes. Most guys shave at their sinks. They splash water on their face, apply shaving cream, and start. I've tried this. And I can say definitively that my whiskers are much less pliable when I shave this way.

Now, I can't document how much longer one of those expensive Gillette blades lasts because I shave in the shower. I can say, however, that a blade lasts for about a month this way--and I shave everyday.

One more thing: Gillette's strategy--since their patent expired--has been to expand from the original Sensor dual blade design to three blades and then four blades. And they're apparently planning to introduce the first five-blade later this year. It's pure marketing, and it's overkill. They got it right twenty years ago when they introduced the Sensor. These huge multi-blade razors have gotten so big that I can't even shave in the tight corners (like under my upper lip) like I can with the Sensor. I also read in an article in the Wall Street Journal that private label blades marketed by the major drug store chains like Walgreen's now offer multi-blade floating head razors that will compete with Gillette. I may have to check that out.