It's a perfect gift for Father's Day, Valentine's Day, birthdays, graduations, and bar mitzvahs---and a particularly apt gift for men who shave daily but when asked whether they actually enjoy shaving answer, "No. I hate it!" Give them this book so that they can look forward eagerly to their next shave---and that is not an exaggeration. Men who have just started DE shaving frequently write that they wish they could shave more than once a day and look forward eagerly to the next shave.
This is the seventh edition of the complete beginner's guide to traditional wetshaving---brush, shaving cream or soap, and using a safety razor with double-edged blade. It's a major update of the previous edition: longer, with new sections and new information. It covers not only the basics of how to shave with a double-edge safety razor, but also DIY projects and guidelines on collecting. Reviews of new razors and other shaving products are included, and the appendix now includes over 150 on-line vendors as well as forums and reference sites.
The book provides excellent guidance for beginners putting together their first shaving kit and discusses tradeoffs in the options for the initial purchases.
Traditional shaving is enjoyable and thrifty: double-edged blades are as low as 7¢ each---a year's worth of shaves for $3.50---compared to the same amount spent for one single disposable multiblade cartridge. The recommended beginner razor, the Parker 24C, can last a lifetime and uses a head that is both very comfortable and also very efficient, when used according to the techniques described in the book.
The multiblade cartridge's tug-and-cut action often results in skin irritation, razor bumps, in-grown hairs, and razor burn---thus all the "protective" shaving preparations and "soothing and healing" aftershaves now offered. Most men with these skin problems decide that they have "sensitive skin," never realizing that the problem is their daily use of a multiblade cartridge with its tug-and-cut action, made even worse by the shaver pressing hard to try to extend the life of the (expensive) cartridge.
The book also includes a chapter on shaving and skin problems, including information on how DE shaving can help those who have acne as well as how to cure and prevent razor bumps and in-grown whiskers.
The book is a complete instruction manual and guide for those just beginning DE shaving, and it also includes links to a host of resources on the Web that complement the book.