The Morning Regimen

I believe in taking care of myself, with a balanced diet and a rigiorus excercise routine. In the morning if my face is a little puffy, I’ll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack, I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water activated gel-cleanser. Then a honey-almond body scrub, and on the face, an exfoliating gel-scrub.

Just kidding, I’m not Patrick Bateman. I subscribe to the less-is-more school of grooming. I get my hair cut by a nearly 75 year-old barber at Astor Place for $14. It is perfect for me because I like my haircut to be 1950s style, and well, he was actually cutting hair in the 50s, so it works out. The focus of my grooming efforts is mostly centered on the painful practice of shaving. I hate it. One product that has significantly helped ease the brutality of the daily shave is GEO F Trumper’s shaving cream. This little dose of goodness was graciously given to me as a gift from the worldly Hollister H. Hovey. “It’s the good stuff. What they use at Freeman’s.” said Ms. Hovey as she presented me the Trumper’s. Thereby changing my life for the better.

GEO F Trumper’s available direct or at Freeman’s Sporting Club locations in New York City.

Comments on “The Morning Regimen

    J. Scott on November 5, 2008 6:59 PM:

    If you hate shaving you should consider growing a beard.

    “There are two kinds of people in this world that go around beardless — boys and women — and I am neither one.” –
    Greek saying

    Jake Davis on November 5, 2008 7:32 PM:

    “Just because your ad looks good is no insurance that it will get looked at. How many people do you know who are impeccably groomed… but dull?” – William Bernbach (American advertising executive, 1911-1982)

    With that said this is a staple in my medicine cabinet…

    Kiehl’s Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream – White Eagle…

    http://www.kiehls.com/_us/_en/men/ultimate-brushless-shave-cream—white-eagle.htm

    Chris Brown on November 5, 2008 8:20 PM:

    Great subject.

    There are, for me, two keys to mitigating the rude experience of a morning shave: 1) proper lubrication (I prefer to lather up with a cake of shaving soap and a boar bristle brush), and 2) a hot towel to soften the hair (placed over the face for one to two minutes). Every man should let themselves indulge in this much.

    The fact that many of us hate to shave yet do it every morning belies the unspoken taboo of facial hair in upper-middle class America.

    Someting extra:

    J. F. B. on November 5, 2008 10:05 PM:

    One of my favorite moves. Excellent.

    giuseppe on November 6, 2008 1:08 AM:

    Ivory soap, Prell shampoo, brush and lather, a double edged safety razor and a plastic comb. What else does a man need?

    Decline & Fall on November 6, 2008 3:24 AM:

    In response to Giuseppe, arguably a subscription to the Daily Racing Form, a source for Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve, and a pile of Adam back-issues.

    Van Patten on November 6, 2008 8:31 AM:

    i thought we stopped that american psycho fetish.

    BobT on November 6, 2008 10:11 AM:

    For a great shave stop using Shaving products on your face.

    1) Get in the shower and use Oil of Olay soap and shave with a Merkur safety razor

    2) Prell Shampoo. This is gentle and cleans well.

    3) For the face us a “little” bit of baby oil. It works great no flaking and your face will not be greasy.

    4) Kent Hair Brush for the hair.

    Chris Brown on November 6, 2008 10:46 AM:

    Hello Bob,

    I’m a fan of the Merkur safety razor as well, but I am considering a move the straight razor. Does anyone recommend a certain producer?

    Thom on November 6, 2008 12:40 PM:

    Jesus…I was actually buying that for a second. Thankfully I am of the only slightly haired, Eurasian persuasion.

    TINTIN on November 6, 2008 1:58 PM:

    “The definition of a Greek is a Turk trying to be an Italian.” Winston Churchill

    Gotta love that Winnie. Go to Blue Moon and ask Phoebe Cates where the Santa Maria shaving cream is. She’s always moving the stuff around. Buy a can. It’s $25 but easily lasts a year.

    On your way home stop off at any drug store and and pick up a Gillette Power Fusion. It’s the battery operated, 5 blade, orange and blue razor. It ain’t cheap and the blades don’t last long but it provides and amazingly close shave.

    You could prep the face with some Musco Real preshave oil but you don’t really need it unless you want to clog up your medicine cabinet with cool bottles of foreign stuff that you know women will oggle at when they’re supposed to be tinkling but are going though all your bathroom stuff…

    BobT on November 6, 2008 2:21 PM:

    Hello Chris,

    Dovo – is a good brand. I used to shave with one, but they take too much time to shave with.

    The reason I switched to a safety razor was to save money. Blades for the more modern razors are more expensive and they get all “cunked” up when you try to shave with creams from Kiehls or casswell massey.

    Through trial and error I developed a simple grooming routine.

    Dovo also makes some great trimmers for unwanted hair.

    Gary on November 6, 2008 3:20 PM:

    Michelle B. starts her morning off with a plateful of spam?

    Michael Williams on November 6, 2008 3:22 PM:

    lol, I thought that got deleted! The comment spam bots are getting smarter…

    Paul Pincus on November 7, 2008 11:10 AM:

    trumper’s the ultimate ; )

    Rory on November 8, 2008 8:58 AM:

    What is that peel-off mask in the video? I would really like something like that. Anyone know who makes a product that works that way?

    Kevin on November 8, 2008 12:37 PM:

    The motherlode of information for all things grooming:
    http://badgerandblade.com/

Comments are closed.