A Vintage Shave

Christopher’s Vintage Shave

2288 Texas Drive

Sugar Land, TX 77478

Phone: 281-313-1455 

Christopher created his company out of the sheer desire to bring a real value to men. Vintage Shave is not just a men’s grooming salon offering professional shaves and grooming services, rather it is a philosophy and a way of life. After experiencing his first professional shave in 2004, he began to take better care of my body through regular exercise and diet. Christopher changed the types of foods he consumed and even began to study and grow spiritually. He wanted to come up in every area of his life and for him, it all started with the shave.

Christopher’s Steps to a Clean Shave

1. Hot Water

The first essentials to a perfect shave are water and warmth. When hair absorbs hot water it becomes softer and easier to cut and with warmth the skin and facial muscles become relaxed, making shaving so much easier. Thus the best time to shave is after a bath or shower. Soaking a folded flannel or small towel in hot water and wrapping it around the face for thirty seconds can also achieve this effect.

2. Preparing the face

Those who desire a particularly smooth shave (or who have sensitive skin) might wish to apply a glycerin-based Skin Food; this protects the skin and helps the razor to glide smoothly across the face. (This is also good preparation for those who electric shave.) Massaging the Skin Food against the growth of the beard also helps to lift the beard in readiness for the lather and shaving.

3. The lather

Applying shaving cream or ‘lathering up’ can be done with either the fingers or a shaving brush. Using your fingers is a very successful way of preparing the skin and beard for wet shaving as well as revitalizing the facial muscles. The shaving brush, filled with a good quality badger hair, will lift and moisten the beard, preparing it for the shave. We recommend traditional glycerin based shaving creams and soaps which help to keep the skin and beard warm and wet during the shave. Alcohol based shaving foams and gels have the opposite effect, dispersing moisture and cooling the skin, which can cause irritation whilst shaving.

If you use a brush we recommend Vintage Shave shaving brushes. Each brush is hand made and densely filled with a minimum of 13 grams of Best or Super badger hair (Super badger is softer). Vintage Shaving brushes are designed for comfort and guarantee many years of quality shaving.

4. The razor

Always use a quality razor with the sharpest blades available, avoid disposable razors with low-grade steel blades that bend when shaving.

Select a blade that suits your technique; cut-throat and safety razors for the competent and well tutored wet shaver, Gillette® Sensor® for those who require precision shaving around the moustache, beard and sideburns and Gillette® Mach 3® for wet shavers wanting an extra smooth shave. The revolutionary Mach 3® triple blade has an advanced lubricating strip, which indicates when the blade no longer provides a close shave.

We recommend Vintage Shave shaving razors, manufactured to the highest standards, and assembled by hand and incorporating the latest Gillette shaving systems. Vintage Shave has an international reputation for designing and manufacturing perfectly balanced shaving razors, each providing a secure and comfortable grip during wet shaving.

5. The shave

Make sure you use a sharp blade that has been warmed in the sink or under hot running water.

Shave with the grain of your beard, or move the blade sideways across the growth in awkward areas such as the chin and under the nose.

Never shave against the grain as this pulls the skin in the wrong direction causing small cuts and ‘grazing’ to the skin and is the most common cause of ‘razor burn’, ingrown hairs and shaving rash. Rinse the face thoroughly with cool water to close the pores and pat the face dry with a soft towel.

Use an anti-septic Alum Block to treat any small nicks or cuts, which occurred during shaving.

6. Caring for the skin

A good wet shave exfoliates and cleanses the face, leaving smooth new skin and a healthy clean appearance. Newly exfoliated skin needs to be protected from the elements, so for healthy skin it is important that men use an after-shaving moisturizer or Skin Food.

Products containing alcohol should not be applied to the skin immediately after shaving as this may inflame the skin and cause dryness. For best results cologne and other fragrances should be applied to the ‘hot spots’ behind the earlobes and on the sides of the neck. (Skin Foods and moisturizers are perfect for the electric shaver.)

LONDON BLOKE

She may be a born-and-raised West London girl, but we’d venture that 28-year-old Estelle Swaray is right at home in the energy of New York, her newly adopted city. She’s got the self-determination with a bit of swagger. The get-up-and-go hustle. And this is one singer/songwriter/producer/rapper who is not afraid to take risks.

The brief period since moving to NYC from London in May 2007 has been an absolute whirlwind, as Estelle gears up for her re-entry into the musical landscape with Shine, her second album. She’s the first artist to release under John Legend’s new Homeschool label, in partnership with Atlantic Records. It’s her debut on a major label, and an American one at that, but with Homeschool’s philosophy of artist control and good soul music, her affiliation with the label is at the essence of what she’s all about. Whereas her 2004 debut album, The 18th Day from V2 Records, was totally self-created, Shine marks the first time Estelle has brought other producers and artists into the creative process with her, and she’s excited by the scope of the music that has come out of these collaborations. Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Wyclef Jean, Will.i.am, Mark Ronson and Cee-lo & Jack Splash all lend talents to the album, executive produced by John Legend.