Don’t confuse a close shave with a comfortable shave.
I know you’re not asking for much: a relatively pain-free, close and comfortable shave.
STOP. Here’s your problem already: like most people, you are probably confusing a “close” shave with a “comfortable” shave.
The secret to a close shave is in the hardware and the hardware only: use a decent razor.
It doesn’t need to be expensive and it doesn’t need to have six blades. In fact, many dermatologists will tell you that three, four, five+ blades aren’t necessary and potentially provide diminishing returns. Those millions and millions of dollars spent advertising shaving products: they are all selling a close shave. But the truth is, it’s pretty easy to get a close shave. If you have a steady hand and aren’t rushed for time, you can even do it with a rock.
The secret to a comfortable shave however is in the software: It’s what you put on your skin.
The products you put on your skin (your body’s largest organ, don’t forget) before, during and after the deed are the very things that get you through the 24 hours in between shaves with skin that stays healthy, looks and feels great, and protects against harsh environmental elements.
You don’t need a long regimen for a close shave. No lather-warmer or hot towels necessary. Regardless of the products you choose to use, here are a few common sense steps to get you on your way to a comfortable shave:
- Clean your skin before you shave. Exceptionally clean skin prepares your face for an exceptionally smooth shave.
Choosing a skin cleanser with a gentle exfoliant will help remove dead skin cells and lift whiskers. (An ounce of prevention here is worth a pound of cure here when it comes to ingrowns.) - Use a shaving cream or oil that is moisturizing and free of harsh chemicals.
Stay away from alcohol, menthol or other drying ingredients. They might feel tingly, but they are sucking moisture out of your skin. (When your foot falls asleep it feels tingly too, but don’t you feel better when the circulation is there?) - Use a post-shave moisturizer to keep skin soft and supple.
I know you want to be done after you rinse of the last bit of shaving cream or oil, but take the extra step to moisturize afterward. This doesn’t require reeking of Irish Mist, Morning Dew or a men’s locker room the rest of the day. Something light, free of harsh chemicals and moisturizing is all you need.
Voila! A comfortable shave.
PS: You already look five years younger. Seriously, I’m not just saying that. You do.
-Stan
This Just In: Men Care About Their Appearance
May 14, 2012
It’s official. Men want to look pretty too.
From Elizabeth Holmes, recent Wall Street Journal article (“Dude, pass the exfoliator”) to will Arnett and Jason Bateman’s sure-to-be-hilarious upcoming movie Mansome, even the mainstream media is aware of this booming segment within personal care.
Sara Moosman, a category management advisor for Cardinal Health recently published some data on men’s grooming trends based on recent survey data supplied by Hamacher Resource Group that really reinforce the notion that men are increasingly searching out and using products that will make them feel younger. And if they are reluctant to admit it, their wallets certainly will.
Consider the statistics:
- Worldwide, men now spend $7.3 billion on grooming.
This is growing at twice the rate of women’s grooming sales. - 32% of men have a separate set of grooming products for traveling to the gym, work trips, etc.
- 50% of all male consumers are new to the category each year; This is HUGE growth.
Men are also taking a more proactive approach in purchasing. Gone are the days of “Honey, will you please pick up some shaving cream for me?” For example, 80% of all men’s hair color purchases are made by men. (Women – you can decide for yourselves if this is a good thing or not…)
In the past year:
- 97% of men reportedly use deodorant
- 79% of men have used a body wash in the last month
- 60% of men have used a facial cleanser in the last month
- 44% of men have used a body bar in the last month
- 59% of men have had an incidence of razor burns, nicks, ingrown hairs, and cuts related to shaving in the past year.
[To those we respectfully offer our Nick Stick and Pre-Shave Exfoliating Wash…]
K.I.S.S.
Each time we embark on a new product development cycle here at Pacific Shaving Company, my wife reminds me, in as kind a manner as possible, not to over-complicate it when it comes to men. “Keep it simple,” is her mantra. (I try not to take offense.)
And, as usual, she’s right. Data shows that ‘easy to use’ is among the attributes men are increasingly seeking in products they purchase.
Our company’s unofficial position has become “If you need to put ‘direction for use’ on your shaving creams or after-shaves, you’ve over-complicated things.”
-Stan
Shaving – The universal ice breaker?
April 24, 2012
I’m heading to an event to help educate northeast Whole Foods retailers on all things Pacific Shaving Company. As a result, I needed to check a couple bags on my Virgin America flight this morning from SFO to BOS.
One look at my luggage tag with PSC on it got the agent asking about the company and in an instant we launched into a conversation (for several minutes, at 6am) about shaving cream brands, retail shopping experiences, razors and even grooming preferences. It was a totally enjoyable conversation and I kicked myself for not having had a sample in my briefcase to share with the agent before I proceeded to the gate.
Yesterday, I found myself talking shaving as well. I was contacted by someone doing research on all things shaving and before I knew it, we had spoken for 45 minutes on grooming practices.
Last week it happened as well – twice! Conversations naturally made their way to “what do you do” and before I knew it people who were complete strangers moments earlier are telling me about products they love and intimate ingrown hair troubles. I can only imagine what it would be like if I was a proctologist instead.
But the truth is, it’s actually fun to talk about and it is impressive how easy it appears for anyone (men or women) to talk about it. Next cocktail party give it a try. (See earlier Monkey Tail post if you need help getting started.)
-Stan
Small steps count! As part of our ‘Every Purchase Plants a Tree’ program, Pacific Shaving Company is celebrating the planting of its 100,000th tree across 15 countries — from Brazil to Uganda. That’s enough to cover New York’s Central Park four times.
Just like turning off the faucet while shaving, shutting off the lights when leaving a room, and recycling – planting a tree for every purchase is a small green step that adds up over time. Trees clean our air, filter our water and provide a habitat for half of the world’s wildlife.
For a family-run business that started out catering to a small number of grooming enthusiasts online, this milestone and its positive environmental impact is a great way to demonstrate that small steps can have a big impact over time and just one of the ways Pacific Shaving aims to give back and bring sustainable business practices to the resource-heavy world of personal care products.
Eco-expert Josh Dorfman, author of The Lazy Environmentalist and The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget (when not hosting Sirius radio shows and Discovery Channel TV shows among other things), has been a fan, advocate and friend (not necessarily in that order) of Pacific Shaving Company for many years now. I love his take on eco/green products’ place in the world. He believes that “consumers really don’t want green products. rather, they want awesome products that are also green.” Exactly! (btw this is exactly why I have gone back to the heavy duty stuff for my dish washing detergent. The ‘green’ stuff just doesn’t clean well.)
When I told Josh about this 100,000 trees-planted milestone, his response was great, “Pacific Shaving is the rare eco-friendly company that actually outperforms the competition. Getting a smooth, close shave while taking a small step to preserve the planet is my kind of environmental action and a natural choice for lazy environmentalists on Earth Day.”
So, in the spirit of Earth Month, and our 100,000th tree planted, we’re encouraging individuals and businesses alike to find their own unique way to make a difference. It starts with a small step.
-Stan
“And the Best Groomed Oscar Goes to…”
February 27, 2012
You would think talking about shaving all the time can get difficult. Not on Oscar night!
We present to you: The Top 8 Best-Groomed Faces of the 2012 Academy Awards
#8: Tom Hanks
Age appropriate. Not trying to hide any gray. Plus, it makes him look a little like Bruce Springsteen.
Tom Hanks
#7: Tom Cruise
He doesn’t seem to age and I bet his angular face actually looks like it could pose some shaving difficulties. Either way, absurdly clean, close shave.
Tom Cruise
#6: Robert Downey Jr.
Looks scraggly at first glance, but actually some fine facial sculpting.
Robert Downey Jr.
#5: Brad Pitt
A nice one-two punch of tightly cropped goatee and short chops. A bit weird that his goatee looks like one of those heart-shaped rocks my daughters pick up along the beach, but it works.
Brad Pitt
#4: Christopher Plummer
82-years-old. Old-school, classic mustache, perfectly groomed. Von Tropp-tastic.
Christopher Plummer
#3: James Earl Jones
Who doesn’t love James Earl Jones? Sporting a perfectly-groomed mouth eyebrow.
James Earl Jones
#2: Jonah Hill
A) Jonah Hill rocks.
B) He was a great sport during Billy Crystal’s dumb weight joke.
C) He clearly had the cleanest, closest shave by far. His face may have even be waxed.
Jonah Hill
#1: Bradley Cooper
The mustache seems to be making a comeback judging by tonight’s Oscars and Bradley Cooper’s pornstar-chic, lip-tickler legitimately worked. You can’t play it safe and expect to win our best-groomed face award – gotta take some risks. And for that, this year’s Best-Groomed award goes to Bradley Cooper. Congratulations Bradley! Please contact us so we can send you your lifetime supply of Pacific Shaving Products!
Bradley Cooper
- Stan
Retailers that are doing it right – and thriving as a result.
February 14, 2012
I recently read this Natural Foods Merchandiser article on how four different retailers are managing to not only survive, but thrive, in a challenging economy.
To me, it boiled down to three distinct strategies:
• Variety in price points
• Variety in selection
• Manage greed
Tough economy aside, all of these business tactics bode well for consumers as well as independent businesses like Pacific Shaving that are attempting to bring new ideas and improved products to market. My thoughts on these three approaches and why they work:
Variety in price points:
From my experience, when retailers see diminishing sales in a category, the knee-jerk reaction is that it’s got to be the price. Lower it. Fast.
I don’t think it’s that simple. Retailers like City Market/Onion City Co-op realize that their shoppers cross all lines of spending across the value sale-to-quality product spectrum. Even Whole Foods understands that people are more likely to splurge on some items if they feel they are able to get others at a discount.
This is not to put the full burden of selling on the retailer. Their role in the supply chain is distribution. It is the brand/marketer’s job to do the heavy lifting and demonstrate to the right consumer why the right product is worth paying more for. This isn’t just using price as proof of efficacy – it’s the opposite.]
Variety in selection:
This one is really easy: If a retailer doesn’t offer variety, it’s a matter of time until its customers will find another, more exciting store to shop in. Native Roots Market co-owner Matt Runkle nailed it when he said, “I kicked out Kettle Chips completely, except for the party-size salted chips, because if you can find them everywhere, they’re not going to bring someone here. And worse, customers will go to Target, see it for a $1.50 less, and be like, ‘Wow, Native Roots is expensive!’”
Personally, nothing frustrates me more than seeing a store that feels like it needs to carry three full shelves of Edge or Fusion shaving cream and allocates only six inches of space (or less) for brands like Pacific Shaving Company. Argh.
Yawn...
Taking that idea to a whole different level is Grocery Outlet Bargain Market stores, a retailer that sells close-outs at a discounted price. As a result, their selection is always changing. Hard work for the buyer, but an awesome treasure hunt for the shopper at every visit. Plus, there’s the pressure of ‘better stock up if you find a product you love – who knows if they will carry it again!’
Manage greed
Sunflower Markets was one of the retailers that really seemed to get the idea that to make retail work, the whole supply chain needs to act as a unified front – not with competing interests and all looking to squeeze as much margin as possible out of every register ring. Kudos to Sunflower for realizing sometimes it is in all of our best interest to sharpen our own pencils. If no one budges, it ultimately comes at the expense of the independent manufacturers, or the consumers. And both will ultimately move on.
Overall, it’s nice to see these trend-forward retailers demonstrating that customer-centric business sense and transparency can be drivers of growth within their stores. They deserve it.
-Stan
Like this:
Bruuuce.
February 3, 2012
The bumper sticker on my car.
Let’s take a break from shaving to talk about something way more important:
Bruce Springsteen tickets went on sale today for San Jose, CA!
For me, the moment I became a fan was when I was 13. (Long before I had shaving on my mind.) A counselor at a summer camp popped in a cassette of Greetings from Asbury Park and I heard the first few bars of “Blinded by the Light.” That was all it took.
After 28 years, dozens of Springsteen shows, (and unfortunately the passing of two original E Streeters), this show is going to be different for me. It is now officially time to show my kids what it’s all about. That’s right. My wife and I are taking the whole tribe to the show, including our three kids, ages 5-10.
Yes, there is definitely the “fan” in me who wants to be able to brag (and hopes his kids will do the same someday) that their first concert was Bruce Springsteen. But there is another part of me that wants my kids to experience true passionate rock musicianship. Not a manufactured, teen-pop star-of-the-month show, or a last-hurrah tour by a once great band trying to squeeze every last dollar from a 90-minute set of its greatest hits. No. A real performer; someone who didn’t do it for the paycheck when he started – and doesn’t need to do it for the paycheck now. As far as I can tell, Bruce’s fortune and success (and hopefully happiness) all appear to be a bi-products of simply following his passion for music and lots and lots of hard work. There’s got to be a teaching moment in there somewhere for the kids. After the show. From a very hoarse-sounding dad.
PS: I read once that Bruce used to perform 5+ hour shows because he would just keep playing until he was just physically too tired to go on. I believe it. It’s in his blood. Watch this early video and you can begin to get a sense of the pull he hadhas. (Among the stream of girls who continually crash the stage throughout the song to get a piece of the Boss, I love the 2:35 mark when one simply just wants to touch his hand and then quietly gets shuffled back into the crowd.) Classic.
-Stan
PPS: One small rant: TicketMaster is a bunch of criminals. Can some Sean Parker Napster-wannabee please come and put them out of business?
Like this:
Solar-powered shaving
January 27, 2012
Who doesn't want start their day feeling like a smiley-face sun?
Close your eyes and picture it: 10 rows each of Barbasol, Gillette Foamy, ‘Store Brand’ on the bottom, then a couple full shelves all Edge and Fusion. It’s like all other sections of the store evolved over time, leaving shaving stuck in the 70’s and 80’s.
Since that doesn’t stop people from needing to shave, long-established brands continue to focus their marketing on the razors and blades; Innovation in the form of ‘high performance’ (and increasingly expensive) shaving systems – despite an evolving market.
Since 2003, Pacific Shaving has been quietly making noise with natural and eco-friendly shaving essentials that are aligned with the cultural shift, consumer motivation and macro trends that the leading brands are not delivering on:
- Affordable, high quality, natural and safe ingredients
- Sustainability
- Eco-friendly business practices
So you can imagine how excited we are to add this to our growing list of accomplishments:
Solar-powered shaving products.
That’s right. Our longtime manufacturing facility has just completed a huge investment in solar and green technology with the installation of 100,000 watts of solar energy. The result? Maximized energy efficiency, minimal waste, reduced climate-damaging emissions and an overall positive effect on the environment. All packed into that small but mighty Pacific Shaving product.
Solar powered shaving products? That’s right. Coming soon to stores everywhere.
Move over Barbasol.
PS: Don’t tell the ‘establishment’, but the truth is that it’s not that hard. Domestic sourcing & manufacturing. Minimal packaging. Sustainable packaging practices. It takes just as much effort to choose these options as to elect not to, so why not choose the former? To run a business and take it personally (as I do), why wouldn’t you do these things?
-Stan
Save Money on Bullets
January 27, 2012
For most razor companies it’s all about “giving away the gun to make money on the bullets.”
As anyone who has ever purchased shaving gear knows, blades are a pricey acquisition. Razor manufacturers are making big money on the bullets.
At Pacific Shaving Company, we want you to shave smoothly, comfortably and whenever possible, frugally. That your shave may also be eco-friendly is an added perk.
Applying Blade Oil after your daily shave can extend the life of your razor blade by up to 95 percent. Just think of the razor blades you won’t have to buy! Think of all the things you can do with those extra dollars! And think of the blades that are not adding to our landfills (the eco-perk).
The formula is simple: when your razor sits unused between shaves it oxidizes, which can lead to corrosion, which leads to a dull blade, which leads to a jagged edge and ultimately nicks and cuts.
Blade Oil stops oxidation. Blade Oil saves you money.
- Marisa
Shaving Tip #97: “Never in a moving car.”
January 23, 2012
Don't do this.
So a few years ago, we set out to compile a world-class list (for shavers, by shavers) of how, when, where or with what to shave. We reached out online and the response was overwhelming. We received hundreds of responses from men and women and after months of reviewing and editing, we’ve narrowed it down (sort of) to this pdf guide: 125 Tips for a Better Shave.
As you’ll see, standard tenets of shaving came through (“try to shave in or after the shower”), while others contradicted (“Shave against the grain for a closer shave”; “Never shave against the grain”). Still others, while odd, seemed to just make good, common sense (“never in a moving car.”)
For some it’s a chore. For others, it’s an enjoyable morning routine. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, you’re sure to find at least one practical gem in this report. After all, here at Pacific Shaving Company, we’re all about practical. We don’t believe that anyone really needs high-tech shaving systems. We promote practical products, simple packaging and quality ingredients that get the job done—and even make the process enjoyable.
-Stan
