I learned more about shaving from pro barber Woody Donahue in two hours than I had in 20-plus years of begrudgingly dragging a razor across my face. Donahue, the official Schick Hydro barber, set up shop at The Carlton Hotel in New York City and gave us the full treatment via hot towel shaves at a showcase event for the new Hydro5 and Edge Shave Gel.
Schick has made a concerted effort to be the most sensitive of razor companies. So sensitive, that in the past I have mused that the Hydro5 has all the sensitivity of a toddler petting a kitten on a pillow with a rainbow in the background, while listening to Richard Marx’s hit power ballad, “Hold Onto the Nights.”
If you’re like me prior to the event, you probably have no idea how great, and how necessary a full shave from a professional is. On top of being surprisingly relaxing (considering a dude has a razor at your jugular), a hot towel treatment at the start gently opens your pores and relaxes your skin.
Rather than smacking shaving cream on haphazardly and scraping a cold metal blade across your face, the billboard of “You Incorporated,” if you will, there are several aspects necessary for a proper shave, like also making sure the blade has been at least warmed slightly by running it under hot water.
After the hot towel cooled on my face after several minutes, Donahue got to work. The number of dudes I would trust to run a razor across my face and neck can be counted on one hand. But Donahue became one of the few, and easily the best.
