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Zen Shaving
Turning a daily chore into a daily pleasure.
As a recent convert to shaving with a real brush (Special Badger)
and a safety razor (Merkur) and a top quality shaving cream (Trumpers
Extract of Lime), I can echo the sentiment of the author of “Gourmet
Shaving”, Michael Ham, who elevates shaving to a Zen experience.
All the elements of the traditional tea ceremony are present in
a traditional shave.
| Special Room |
Check |
| Special mode of dress (or undress) |
Check |
| Contemplative unrushed mindset |
Check |
| Cleanliness and order |
Check |
| Practise of technique requires focused attention (aka flow)
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Check |
| Use of special tools (often old) |
Check |
| Tools functional and aesthetically pleasing |
Check |
| Suspension of mind chatter |
Check |
| Senses – sight, hearing, touch, smell – fully engaged |
Check |
| Physical enjoyment of sense of warmth |
Check |
| Awareness of enjoyment of aromas arising from warm water
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Check |
| Definite sequence of steps |
Check |
| Feeling of satisfaction, pleasure and fulfilment at end |
Check |
The necessary concentration required to do a nice shave with traditional
equipment focuses the mind on the task at hand. The intricacy involved
prevents the mind from wandering and allows it to simply enjoy the
moment.
Traditional shaving has gadget appeal that men enjoy. There are
things to collect and experiment with in pursuit of the perfect
shave. Combinations of brushes, razor configurations and soap types
all offer room for men to find their personal best solution and
know they are better at this than their friends.
It’s a domain that is uniquely male and appeals to the macho-sexual.
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