Actually I suggested oil in the transition but the truth is that you need nothing but a warmed face out of the shower. It’s pretty simple. Shower, dry, walk over to mirror and throw than razor on there. Off comes the stubble. The end. Some “art”!!
I just started the whole no shaving cream thing. So far so good. As for shampoo, what about folks who get dandruff?
My four months in prison… err, the army.. we weren’t allowed to wear deoderant. The situation was similar. It smells at first, then your body adapts. I have never used shaving cream, and I usually use both a double bladed razor and an electric shaver. Regarding shampoo… I didn’t use it in the army, but I didn’t have any hair there… but I don’t live in a cave, so I can’t go six weeks with smelly, dirty, oily hair (and I get dandruff, otherwise).
I get it even with barely any hair
Johnathan, the one part of the body that adapted to the lack of deoderant was your brain/nose that got used to the smell and couldn’t perceive it anymore.
Regarding all this shaving thing, I had good results with hot water, but i rarely shave anyway, Im fine with a good trimmer.
Deodorant is another tried and tested waste of money. I seldom wear deodorant, the only times I do are when I go to work, and it’s Tom’s organic deodorant when I do. Other than that I can go days without wearing it and I won’t smell, actually, my lady friend said she prefers it compared to deodorant. Once your body gets adjusted with not having foreign chemicals shoved into it’s pores daily it will get back to it’s natural balance.
When I started making the transition I’d noticed I could go a while without deodorant, and then I’d wear something like Old Spice, go skate, and then smell horrible. That these chemicals don’t mix with my natural body process. I started wearing stuff like Tom’s and I noticed it was nowhere near as bad, but even with deodorant if I was doing some physical activity that would have generated a lot of sweat I couldn’t tell the difference in not and in wearing deodorant, except that deodorant was just a damp inconvenience (and odor wise I’d still prefer my own natural smell compared to that of some foreign chemical which smelled worse to me).
From this I have that shampoo (just think of the name sham and poo) and conditioner have done no good to my hair, and to add to my evidence I know 5 people that are hair stylist, and they are surprised at how nice my hair is. I also have that deodorant (especially the corporate stuff) smells wretched compared to my own natural smell.
Also, when I shower, I refuse to put soap anywhere near my armpits and face, everywhere else is fine.
Your all just a bunch of hippies! 
That can’t be overstated. I told my dad, my chiropractor, that I suspect shoes of ruining the top class sprint speed that I had as a kid. He said that shoes are the scourge of humanity. If was up to me soccer would be played in slippers. I wore neoprene slippers for years. Much to my frustration, they are not sold here any more. Now I wear my Powercats as walking shoes. Those poor kids in Brazil that can’t afford cleats… they are not the unlucky ones, believe me.
I use nothing on my face for shaving.
I do not use deodorant.
I use unscented shampoo. The chlorine in the water main is my issue. I’ve had some nasty reactions to swimming pools where the concentration is a little higher. What can you do with state monopolized piping?
Would more basic the shoe be better? I generally skate in Vans which have nearly no padding and the soles are thinner (and flater) than other skate shoes, which gives them way more board feel. Due to the cold weather I’ve been wearing thicker shoes so my feet aren’t freezing at the park, or when I’m not skating I’m wearing my engineer boots. I remember the worst pair of shoes I had to skate in had to be the most padded shoes I’ve owned.
Man when I was driving through the States last summer, the chlorine is some cities was so bad. Canadian tap water doesn’t have nearly as much chemicals in them. Atlanta and Minneapolis were particularly gross.
Johnathan, the one part of the body that adapted to the lack of deoderant was your brain/nose that got used to the smell and couldn’t perceive it anymore.
No, you actually start to perspire a lot less.
I thought running was technically bad for $_some_joint in your legs?
Flexibility is the most important thing. Ideally what you want is something like this. I need to find something like this near me. For cold weather simply use extra socks. I run in the snow for 2 hours with my Powercats, which use waterproof material, and 2 pairs or socks. Barely damp and not a cold toe.
It depends on how your joints are built. I have sacroilac problems and knee/foot problerms on the right side. When I was 9 I clocked a 14.07s 100m with a small step stride in phys. ed. class. I probably normally do a shitty 12s now. Last summer I started doing sprint training in socks. Everything miraculously improved in nearly an instant. I’ll give you a million dollars if you can solve my joint problems.
I tried not using shaving cream after reading the article, to poor results. I wasn’t getting as close a shave as I was before, and I did it for the recommended amount of time. I tried baby oil too, and still wasn’t getting acceptable results. I find that I get the closest shave with a high quality cream such as Taylor of Old Bond Street applied with a badger hair brush.
I have been wanting to try some of the shoes that form to the natural shape of your feet, but I am reluctant to for fear of pain during the transition period.
What kind of a razor are you using?
Most, but shampoo is remarkably interesting for how insidious its mechanism is.
Actually I suggested oil in the transition but the truth is that you need nothing but a warmed face out of the shower. It’s pretty simple. Shower, dry, walk over to mirror and throw than razor on there. Off comes the stubble. The end. Some “art”!!
Well as my skepticism cuts both ways–how is this different from shaving a) in the shower b) with soap? Isn’t that primarily what shaving cream is made of anyhow?
I do have shaving oil that works except for the fact that if you use a safety razor it get’s gunked up beyond salvage in short order. Maybe it’s time to attempt to use a straight razor without recreating a scene from sweney todd.
The shoe thing is interesting, a lot of minimalists are absolutely zealous in their hatred of typical footwear. I’m a bit in the middle. It depends on your weight, age, bone density, foot strike, and a myriad of factors.
I have sensitive skin, I’d love to try shaving without cream, but I imagine my skin would be torn to shreds.
Caley, I have the Vibram FiveFingers, the KSO model. I love it, not only for running, but it’s also great for riding a bicycle too.
If you want something less “weird” but still quite comfy and minimal, I also recommend Soft Star shoes. It’s my day by day shoe.
Here a great blog with news and reviews of minimal shoes
Jonathan, wrong running is bad for your joints, running with proper technique is not. Do you when you lift weight and has to stress the muscles instead of the joints? It’s the same thing for running. The problem with current running shoes is how numb and stiff they make you feet, what makes wrong technique feels more tolerable til the situation becomes more critical. It’s like the manipulation of interest rates.