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Whether building a new home or remodeling, you’ll find there are many plumbing fixtures and accessories available. The choices can seem overwhelming, and you’ll want to make sure the items you choose are both durable and decorative. Using the guide below, choose bathroom plumbing fixtures that will fit well with your decor plans while providing adequate use for the long term.

Fixtures for the bathroom should be practical and durable. They should be tough enough to withstand years of usage without wearing easily, rusting, or molding. Consider your entire décor including the colors of your floors and walls and the style used on other items in the room.

Choosing a Bathtub

When choosing a bathtub, there are four basic bathtub styles. The old-type enamel cast-iron bathtub with the China-glazing finish is popular with new constructions. It is extremely heavy and offers quietness while being filled with water. This tub usually comes as a basic five-foot tub with few styles to choose from. The average price is about $250.

Next, there’s the molded plastic bathtub, which resembles the cast-iron tubs but is usually thicker. This tub is more lightweight and great for remodeling – especially when tile is already on the floor. This type of bathtub can come in several styles and colors, including a full shower/tub combination with built-in walls. It ranges in price from $250 upward.

The enameled steel tub comes in white or a variety of colors and is finished with a ceramic-glazed material. This tub is priced at around $250. Next is the fiberglass tub, which can be installed on a platform or in the floor. It comes in different shapes and sizes. Some have spa features as well. This type of tub is high-priced, some even costing in the thousands of dollars.

Shower stalls come in several styles such as a pre-built shower base, fabricated shower stall, and the fiberglass enclosed shower stall. Pricing varies according to size, style, and brand name.

Choosing a Toilet

The toilet should be comfortable and practical. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but sometimes paying more means getting better quality. There are now toilets with higher gallons/flush capabilities – up to the government’s standard of 1.6 gallons per flush. If you want to save on your water bill, opt for an efficiency toilet that flushes 1.3 gallons per flush. There are also dual-flush toilets that offer two flush buttons – one for liquid waste removal and one for solid waste removal. The liquid waste button, of course, uses less water per flush.

Bathroom Sink Options

The bathroom sink is important and has many uses – from brushing your teeth to shaving to facial cleansings each night! A popular bathroom sink is the V-shaped vessel sink bowl, which is made of glass, copper or stainless steel. There are also bathroom vanities with the sink already built-in for easy installation. Types of sinks include pedestal sinks, which provide no storage underneath, under-counter sinks, and above-counter sinks.

Faucets and Other Bathroom Items

Choose durable faucets made of materials that are rust-free and provide an even flow of water. With small children, you’ll want to be sure the faucets have temperature settings built in to prevent scalding. For decor purposes, choose matching faucets for the bathtub and sink. Also, be sure the faucet will last for many years without dripping. Faucets come in many shapes and styles – some are plain and some are fancy. They are priced from $40. Some popular finishes for faucets include brass, brushed nickel, oiled bronze, and the popular chrome plate.

Accessorize your bathroom with other fixtures and accessories to complete your decor. You can go online to find great products in almost any style you need. Also, you can find other home accessories online such as ironing centers, door hardware, cabinet hardware, towel warmers, and more.

Choose your bathroom plumbing fixtures wisely for a pleasant and long-lasting bathroom.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Tips to Choose Plumbing Fixtures or Majon’s Home and Garden directory.

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Most men, have problems with shaving. Until you have been shaving everyday for twenty years, it quite normal to experience problems using a razor on your face. Most men have a problem with razor burn and ingrown hairs, especially on and around the neck. Another common problem that men complain of is pain when shaving their upper lip. All these problems and more can be stopped with just a small solution, and a small add on to your shaving routine. Pre-shaving oil can be a savior for men who experience unwanted side effects from shaving.

Most men are unaware that there is even an option to apply oil to their face prior to shaving, to minimize the effects of using a razor on their face. Many people have just accepted that this is the way it is, and didn’t know that there is another better way! By using a pre-shave lotion, you can soften those stubborn hairs on your face and neck, so that shaving will be easier than ever before. Not only will using a pre-shave oil help with the stiff hairs it can also help aid your skin and protect it from rashes and razor burn.

Pre-shave oil not only will protect your face and neck from unsightly razor bumps, but it will also help prolong the life of your razor. Whether you shave with an electric razor, or a straight razor, you will notice that you are getting more shaves out of a single blade. As if this isn’t enough on its own, the other added benefit to using pre-oil is that is stop shaving from being painful by softening the hairs. Many men complain of sensitivity when shaving their upper lip, one of the purposes of using pre-shave oil is to stop this uncomfortable side effect. Most men have accepted that shaving has to be a painful procedure, but this is not the way it has to be any longer!

The whole purpose behind pre-shave oil is to create a layer of protection over your skin, with a special blend of oil. Normally you will see a big difference in shaving when you start using pre-shaving oils, these oils will have many benefits. One of the most noticeable being the fact that it protects your skin by creating a layer over the skin to protect from the repeated contact of the razor. Another great thing about pre-shave oil, is that it contains emolients so it really softens the hair and makes your skin slippery as to avoid a lot of friction. It allows the razor to glide across the skin very easily. An example of this type of product is No. 8 Shave Oil by L’Avenir, also what is inside of the pre-shave oil are ingredients that will also help to penetrate deeply into your skin and help relieve some of the irritation. It will also calm the skin and regenerate the skin cells in the epidermis. There are also some relaxants in the oil as well. There are many different ways to use it, and what is also really interesting is that it can also be used as a shaving oil, and it is an all natural oil designed to provide a clean and efficient shave.

Steven Johnson is interested in maintaining a vital, active, and healthy lifestyle. For more information on shaving products, as well as other life-enhancing nutrients, please visit his website http://www.alternative-health-supplements.com/no-8-shave-oil.htm

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Have you ever noticed that everything is a battle with your child? If it is, then one of three things is happening. Your child, you or both are in a competitive need cycle. What is a competitive need cycle?

As humans, we are all born with five basic needs that we are genetically programmed to attempt to meet. They are survival, love & belonging, power, freedom and fun. Without getting into the detail of the developmental model described in Nancy Buck’s book, Peaceful Parenting, power and freedom combine to make the competitive need cycle.

When people are in a competitive, need cycle they are most strongly driven by the need to gain more power and freedom in their lives. With a parent and child, this is typically represented by the parent refusing to consider to allow their child to do something. The parent is attempting to meet the power need by keeping his or her child safe and the freedom need by extricating him or herself from the worry of wondering about his or her child while the child would be engaged in the forbidden activity.

The child, on the other hand, is attempting to meet the power need by having new experiences and exploring the world and to meet the freedom need by gaining time away from restrictive parental supervision. When a parent and child are both in their competitive need cycle, naturally a power struggle ensues.

I have four examples of situations and possible solutions if you, the parent, are willing to consider focusing on your cooperative needs of love & belonging and fun instead. Why do you, the parent, have to be the one to it differently? Because it is you who are dissatisfied with the situation. Whose behavior can you control? Hopefully, you understand that you cannot control your child’s behavior as much as I know you’d like to at times. The only person’s behavior you can control is your own.

Since it is you and not your child who is reading this article, I’m talking to you about what you can do to improve the situation.

Staying focused on changing your child will only lead to your frustration and a break down of your relationship. You won’t be successful at long-term change in your child. He or she may acquiesce while in your presence but there won’t be the required internal motivation to change required for any long-term transformation. So, let’s look at what you do have control of—the way you respond to your child’s push to meet his or her power and freedom needs.

Rebecca:

The first situation I want to talk about involves ten year-old Rebecca. Rebecca’s parents came to me frustrated over the fact they were unsuccessful enforcing Rebecca’s bedtime and she would frequently be grumpy because of lack of adequate sleep. They also were hoping for some down time to spend some quality time with each other without children around.

After, evaluating what was really important, the parents spoke to Rebecca about no longer enforcing her bedtime. They explained that she could go to bed whenever she pleased as long as she was able to get up in the morning, get to school and be relatively pleasant with family members. However, there would be a household quiet time that would begin at 9 PM. At that time, everyone needed to be in his or her own bedrooms engaged in quiet activity.

These parents couldn’t wait to tell me how great it worked! Since Rebecca had no parents fighting with her to go to bed, she could no longer meet her power need fighting with them. Consequently, she began to go to bed when she got tired and stopped fighting sleep. Steve and Mary were able to get the quiet couple time they needed so everybody won.

Veronica:

The second situation involves my friend, Denise, and her daughter, Veronica. Veronica is 11 years-old and wanted to have her hair highlighted like all her friends do but Denise was opposed to the idea. While discussing the situation with me, Denise realized that she was concerned about the maintenance costs of highlights and the damage that will be done to her daughter’s beautiful hair if she starts applying chemicals to it at her early age. Of course, Denise had explained none of this to Veronica.

What she did say was, “No, you are too young to have your hair highlighted. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean you should.” Does that sound familiar? What I suggested instead is that she tells Veronica her concerns.

Denise started by saying that she wanted to revisit their conversation about highlights. Denise agreed to Veronica’s initial request to be given the highlights as a birthday gift. But then, she asked Veronica what her plan was for upkeep. Denise explained that she would have to have the highlighting process done every two months or so and that it would cost approximately $60 each time. Denise offered to give Veronica money for helping out doing extra chores around the house.

Since Veronica had agreed to this before and failed in the follow through, Denise asked another question. She said, “Veronica, I know you have agreed to do extra chores in the past and you didn’t consistently follow through. If history repeats itself and you don’t have the money you need for the highlights, are you prepared for what your hair will look like once the roots grow out?”

She also discussed with Veronica the concern for the health of her hair. She said that starting to put chemicals into one’s hair at eleven did not bode well for maintaining healthy looking hair into adulthood.

Denise marveled at what happened next. She said that what had been a heated battle between them for months turned into a non-issue. Veronica decided she no longer wanted highlights in her hair. She realized that she probably won’t do the chores to earn the extra money needed and that she doesn’t want to look “weird” while her hair is growing out. It’s amazing what happens when we align ourselves with our opponent’s resistance. It’s a concept that has been taught in martial arts within the physical realm for centuries but it can easily be applied to the mental realm in parenting just as easily

Carrie:

The third scenario involved a mother’s horror when she learned what her eight year-old daughter had done. This mother, Linda, sent her daughter, Carrie, to swim camp. Carrie had been a swimmer for quite some time but this was the first time she was actually exposed to older swimmers at camp.

She learned from them that a good way to shave time off her record is to shave the hair off her entire body. Now what hair could an eight year-old have? It didn’t matter—Carrie was determined to shave everywhere except the hair on her head. Linda, in horror, forbids her to do it.

What was Linda concerned about? It was a multitude of things. First of all, her daughter was too young to start shaving. Secondly, she was concerned that if she began shaving, then her hair would grow back very dark and course. (Of course, this is an old wife’s tale that many of my generation was exposed to.)

Linda was shocked to learn that despite her refusal to allow Carrie to shave, Carrie later went into the bathroom, took a dry razor to her skin, and shaved anyway. Unbelievably, at her next swim meet, she had the best time of her short life to that point. Did shaving help her or was it the power of her belief that the shaving helped? I can’t answer that question. However, the point is that what actually happened was worse than the original fears Linda had about Carrie shaving.

Had Linda listened to the desires of her daughter and she was willing to consider the request, she may have spoken to a pediatrician and learned that her second fear was unfounded. Then she might have been able to assist Carrie to shave safely instead of with a dry razor and no supervision at all.

What parents often fail to realize is that just because they tell their child no does not mean that their child will dutifully obey. Often a “no” means that their child will proceed stealthily without parental permission anyway. When this occurs, the child is doing something the parent doesn’t approve of and the parent has no idea and therefore, no opportunity to discuss the possible dangers and concerns.

My Children & Their Friends:

I used to see this a lot when my boys were older. They would have friends whose parents were quite strict and would not give permission for them to attend parties where it was known there would be alcohol and no parental supervision. On the surface, this makes perfect sense. What responsible parent wants their child at a party drinking without any adults to intervene if there is a problem?

However, in refusing their child permission to go, what I often saw was that same child telling their parent that he or she was going to stay overnight at a friend’s house. Then that friend would tell his or her parents that he or she was going to stay at the first friend’s house. In essence, what resulted was two children out all night, doing God knows what, without any adult having any information about what was happening.

My approach with my children when they would want to go to a party was to discuss the things I was afraid of. If they had an explanation for what they would do to handle the problems about which I was concerned, then I would generally allow them to go. If they couldn’t address certain situations, then they would not be permitted to go until there was a reasonable plan in place to address my concerns.

The main things I was concerned about were not drinking and driving. What would they do if offered drugs? What would they do if someone showed dangerous signs of having too much? What would they do if violence broke out or things got out of hand? What would they do and what did they expect me to do if the party were raided by police? Over time, we discussed all of these situations so that I was satisfied that my children could handle them if they ever came up.

This resulted in me having peace of mind and generally, enough information about where my children were going to be and what they were going to be doing to satisfy me. It is not an easy way to parent and it sure doesn’t guarantee that your children will always make the best decision.

What it does do, however, is it stops making you the person your children have to fight in their attempts to get their needs met. It keeps your relationship with your children strong and influential. It allows you, as the parent, to discuss situations and possibilities you normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to discuss. In addition, it helps your children to become better decision makers, problem solvers and to anticipate circumstances before they arise.

If you would like to study this kind of parenting, you can join us for any number of possibilities. Visit out website http://www.TheRelationshipCenter.biz and check out our “Parenting” page for more information.

Kim Olver is a licensed professional counselor and a life/relationship coach. She helps people unleash their personal power by living from the inside out, focusing their time and energy on only those things they can control. She also helps people improve the quality of their relationships with the important people in their lives. She offers free chats, assessments, a blog and an eZine, as well as workshops, teleclasses, e-courses, counseling and coaching. Visit her website at http://www.TheRelationshipCenter.biz or contact her at (708) 957-6047.

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Without a doubt, golf swing tempo IS a fundamental of the golf swing. However, it would appear to be the most overlooked and underwritten about. What doesn’t help, is that half of what I read on the subject is just nonsense anyway. If I were a high handicapper, some of these articles would leave me more mystified about Swing Tempo than when I started them.

Here is an excerpt from such an article….”Get into a rhythm with your swing by counting one on the way back, two at the top (give it a little pause) and three on the way down.” Now I ask you, do you understand this. I know I don’t. If you and I both counted to three, and it were timed, there’s a good chance that we would not both do it, in the same time frame. Our nature would affect the count. Would your little pause be longer or shorter than my little pause? It will be our brains that are doing the counting, and it’s our brains that get us into so much trouble, out on the course, in the first place. Will we count to three in the same calm way, when we are facing a 150 yard carry over a lake to a bunker guarded green?..I think not! I don’t know that I ever saw Tiger, Phil or VJ taking this little pause.

The article goes on further to suggest that, when practicing at the range, this pause should be for TWO SECONDS! Now I ask you, does this sound like Golf Swing Tempo training? If you are going to hold at the top of the back swing for 2 seconds, then why not just cut out the middleman. Yes, that’s right, forget the whole address the ball, waggle, smooth take away and the rest. Just start your swing at the top. Like facing a pitcher with a baseball bat in your hands. Trust me though, you can kiss swing speed Goodbye!

If you are a golfer, then I’m sure that it’s safe to say, that if I were to ask you to write a list of the fundamentals of golf, you would probably hand me a list that included:

• Grip
• Posture
• Ball Position
• Alignment
• Pre-swing Routine

…and you wouldn’t be wrong. I’d be mightily impressed. I could take those fundamentals to the range with a bunch of books and magazines and work on them. But sooner or later I’m going to ask you, (Because I’m an inquisitive kind of guy), “This is all great stuff, but how fast should I swing?” Because after all, we are always hearing about club head speed, and how it affects distance.

So let us add Swing Tempo to our list of golf fundamentals. In fact, lets put it in 3rd Place, right behind grip and alignment. The reason being is that, if you have a basic understanding of swing technique, then Swing Tempo is the glue that holds it all together. Pausing at the top of your back swing, for anywhere between a pause and 2 seconds is the stuff that will bring it crashing down. In fact this will more than likely cause you to ‘Cast,’ or come over the top in the swing. With good tempo, the left knee should be starting it’s Downswing move to the left, just as the hands and club are reaching the top of the back swing.

I don’t disagree totally with the counting system. What you need though is a device to dictate the count, a device that is external. A device that is not your brain. Be it one of the many golf swing tempo devices, a simple and inexpensive metronome, or a piece of music with a beat that you can swing to. If you are an Iphone user, there is even an application that you can download exactly for the purpose.

Now it is often said that most high handicappers swing too fast. This is not, in fact, the case. Most swing too slow, but their swings look fast because they lack a decent tempo. Either a really quick take away that then slows on the way to impact, or the reverse. Ernie Els’ ‘Big Easy’ swing, is in fact, exactly the same tempo as Phil Mickelson’s and VJ Singh’s. Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player’s were slightly faster. Where the tour pros do not vary, is in the ratio of their swings. THIS IS KEY! The tour pros ALL swing at a 3 To 1 Ratio. However long they take getting to the top of their back swing is 3 Times that of getting the club head back to impact!

So there you go. Probably the simplest fundamental you ever read. Get to the range with some type of timing device, and swing to a 3 TO 1 Ratio. The magic thing about it is, that you will find yourself so engrossed with listening to the Beats, that all other swing thoughts (particularly negative ones), will leave your head. Try different tempos (NOT RATIOS) and find the one that suits your personality. When you have, you can take your new tempo onto the course, where my guess is, you’ll swing with a new found confidence.

Steve Snead lives in Youngstown, Ohio. He teaches golf in the area, to children of all ages. Steve has amassed an extensive collection of Golf Swing Aids, Books, Videos, etc, over the years…and writes reviews and articles on them, in his ‘Golf Swing Aid Blog’

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Straight razors need to be stropped before each shave, yet razor strops seem to take a back seat in popularity compared to hones. Let’s see if we can find out why.

The straight razor strop falls broadly into two types: the wall-mounted or ‘hanging’ strop and the hand-held or ‘paddle’ strop – which you use is a matter of personal preference. Both are basically strips of leather (though ‘vegetarian’ strops are now available in certain places) that are used to give the edge of the straight razor its final polish before use. Yet the art of stropping seems to be – to some degree at least – overlooked, especially by newcomers to straight razor shaving.

This may seem odd but is a very common problem that can result in poor results from the razor. I’ve seen many emails that run along the lines of ‘I recently got a shave-ready straight razor and it was great until I used it a few times – now it seems dull. Does it need honing?’ It’s those last few words that tell the tale!

There seems to be a bias towards honing razors in much of the information available on the internet, yet most razors will only need honing perhaps twice or three times a year – IF stropping is done properly! Perhaps it’s the technical aspects of honing that appeal so much – it is certainly a technical subject and needs high skill levels to perform properly – but stropping needs its own skillset and here is where the problem lies.

It seems that stropping gets ‘glossed over’ on a lot of occasions in favour of discussing either the merits of the razor itself or the aforementioned hones. Yet a good stropping technique is essential if the edge of a straight razor is to be maintained in order that it gives not only a close but also a smooth, comfortable shave. I’m not going to go into the mechanics of stropping in this article – that’s well documented elsewhere – but rather on how to choose the right strop for your razor and what to use with it.

Hang on! Strops just do one thing, don’t they?

Well, in days gone by this was certainly true – most strops were simple smooth leather strips and the razor was used directly onto the bare leather. These days things are a little different, and strops can be used not only to ‘finish’ a straight razor edge but also to bridge the gap between the strop and hone. Why should this be necessary, though?

The answer lies largely in the steel used for blades. Vintage – and let’s define that broadly as pre-1950 – blades were almost all of high-carbon steel that, although hardened and tempered to take that razor-edge, were somewhat softer than the stainless steel that began to appear post-1950 and that is produced today.

Also, the high-carbon steels now used in straight razor blades is commonly far harder than vintage blades would have enjoyed and this brings its own problems – along with the lesser-used stainless steel. The fact is that the ‘bare’ strop now struggles to put that polished, ‘finished’ edge on the razor – and this leads to the ‘dull edge’ complaints!

Special abrasive pastes have been available for many years and these are applied to the strop to turn it -effectively – into a ‘draw-hone’. These work well with vintage blades but not so well with the modern, hard steel. Why? Well in some cases the abrasive material in the paste is in fact softer than the razor steel – so it has little or no effect on the edge and indeed may make it duller than before it was stropped. The answer here lies in diamond-based pastes that are now widely available.

Diamond is far, far harder than any steel used in razor production so will ‘cut’ the steel properly as intended. The diamond particles themselves are very small, varying from usually the 6 micron diameter for coarse paste through 3 micron, 1 micron and right up to 0.25 micron. When you consider that a micron is one-millionth of a metre it becomes apparent why a straight razor has such an incredibly fine edge.

These diamond pastes are applied to different strops – one grade of paste to one strop – and, with correct stropping technique, can prolong the shave-ready edge of a razor almost indefinitely, making a visit to the hone a much less frequent event. So now, when the ‘bare’ strop cannot restore the edge anymore, a visit to the 0.25 or 1 micron pasted strop usually brings it back to full shave-readiness quickly and effectively.

So – don’t forget the strop when it comes to maintaining your straight razor’s edge! Whatever model razor you have – vintage, new, stainless or high carbon steel blade – it will repay your learning to strop properly by giving you that thing the straight razor is justifiably famous for – a wonderfully close and comfortable shave.

Think about what it is you need to achieve – a great edge – and what equipment you will need to produce those results. Don’t forget that stropping. like straight razor shaving, takes practice to get right and that the more you do it, the easier it becomes and the improvement in your shave shows this. In conclusion, think of your strop as your razor’s partner, each needing the other to achieve best results, and you will not go very far wrong!

For more information on straight razors, take a look at The Invisible Edge for information about Vintage models or visit Dovo Razors UK

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There’s been quite a resurgence in the use of straight razors by men over the last few years – is it for reasons of economy or do they just want to seem macho? This article takes a look at straight razors and a few myths concerning them . . .

Straight razors – sometimes called cut-throat, flat or open razors – were the only choice for men wanting to tame their stubble for hundreds of years before King Gillette invented the modern ‘safety’ razor. Straight razors then fell into decline, and quite a few urban myths were born about them – some true, some false. Here are a few to mull over:

1. ‘A straight razor blade will cut at a touch.’ True! But only if sliced across the skin – and any sharp knife will do that. A straight razor is basically a ‘push-cutter’ – that is, the edge is pushed against the stubble and cuts through it. In this it is the same as the modern safety razor, although the blades of a safety razor are pre-set at an ‘optimum’ cutting angle and closely guarded.

2. ‘The blade of a straight razor must be aligned with the Earth’s magnetic field when not in use.’ False. The theory behind this was that, as the blade of a straight razor is so fine – just a few molecules thick – aligning it North-South when not in use would allow the magnetic field of the Earth to restore the edge. In truth, a straight razor is whetted on a leather belt called a strop prior to, and sometimes during, use. This does in fact restore the microscopically thin edge to near-perfection giving, in effect, a brand-new edge for every shave.

3. ‘You have to wrap your face in steaming hot towels before you shave with a straight razor.’ False. Although this is often done by professional barbers it’s not essential. The hot towel treatment merely softens the stubble, making the barber’s job easier – and blunting the razor less! It’s also quite a pleasant experience that adds to the overall satisfaction of having a shave in a barber shop. Remember also that mens’ facial skin was probably a good bit tougher in days gone by due to the fact that many more worked outdoors – and skincare was virtually unheard of for men in those days!

4. ‘Straight razors are just downright dangerous.’ True. Then again, so is a machine gun, or a dump truck, or a frying pan. It depends on what’s being done with them! Straight razors got their fearsome reputation from legends like Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, or books like ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ (which didn’t do much for the reputation of the Orang-Utang either!). Certainly you can cause terrible damage with a straight razor, but then you can do even worse with a machete, a sword or an axe. In fact, as a weapon the straight razor is a one-hitter – the blade isn’t designed for strength and the edge would probably break on the first stroke. Really, though, the straight razor is only like any other piece of sharp steel – treat it with respect and you’re fine. Mess around with it and the consequences can be sudden, painful and messy. A straight razor is designed to do one job only – shave your face – so keep it for that!

5. ‘Using a straight razor takes years of practice.’ False. Like any manual tool, a straight razor does take patience and practice if you are going to get a really close shave, but it’s surprising just how quickly you get the knack of it. There’s also something satisfying in using a straight razor for your morning shave – it’s not a task you can rush, even if you’re an expert, so it has the effect of slowing you down a bit and stopping that rush-rush-gotta-get-ready-for-work frenzy that seems to affect more and more men these days. It concentrates and focuses the mind, too – tasks that require this level of skill and dexterity often do – and I’ve always found it leaves me calmer and more ready for my day.

So – maybe it is for reasons of economy, being fed-up of the ‘throwaway’ mindset of today, that men are throwing their safety razor in the bin and returning to an almost-forgotten skill. Or maybe it’s just that they want the machismo of saying they scrape their stubble off with a fearsome legend – in any event, the popularity of the straight razor is most definitely on the upswing. Why not give it a go?

Steve Dempster regularly attacks his stubble with a straight razor and has lived to tell the tale. For more information and advice about straight razors, have a look at his website The Invisible Edge

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