Ready to Bare : Queer Culture, News, Art, Community & Discussion
For the average mustache sporter looking to keep his crumb catcher in line like they did in the olden days there’s the Cowboy Comb. Packed in a little matchbox style home, it’s the perfect travel companion for the non-clean shaven man. The 27 tooth comb along with a little ‘stache wax will keep you looking sharp through wind storms and bumpy subway rides. FIND HERE
Via Cowboy Comb
Male bonding at it’s best. Full-monty of straight razor shaving by Shorty Maniace who is named one of America’s top barbers
by Esquire magazine. Shorty is a transplant to San Francisco from NYC and comes with 20 years of experience stuffed in his back pocket. His work is often praised in featured magazines such as GQ, Esquire, Details and the New York Times. Some fun trivia; Shorty was the man behind many of the Riki Lake TV show make overs back in the day when she was still plump. Needless to say I was thrilled to be asked to join in with a scruffy group of men for a preview class of Shorty’s first straight razor class here in our city by the bay.
Maniace has teamed up with Nick Burns (author of The Bearded Gentlemen:Style Guide to Shaving Face) to offer The Gentleman’s Shave: Mastering the Art of the Straight Razor– a monthly hands-on, shaving class at Mystic Hair in San Francisco’s Lower Haight district. “Shaving shouldn’t be a drag,” Maniace. “With the right equipment and technique, it can be an enjoyable experience. It’s the one activity where men can take care of his appearance and still feel like a ‘man’. ” Maniace was asked the most obvious question, ” Isn’t there an easier, faster ways to shave?” Maniace calmly and confidently replied that, ” Yes, that may be true, but what I am emphasizing, is that, in our chaotic daily routines, that shaving can be a morning meditation, a sun salutation let’s say. Straight razor shaving will slow you down and help you be in the moment. He spoke in what could be describes a spiritual tone. When you hop out of bed, but, before you turn on your brain, your TV, check emails, check text messages, take time to honor yourself, your face. The same face that will face this mad world.” Maniace with an impressive resume, is a walking encyclopedia of straight razor knowledge and the passion to match.
The 2-hour class kicks off on Father’s Day, June 19th, will cover the basics (that your papa never taught you), preparing your skin, proper grips, and razor handling, techniques for minimizing skin irritations, proper hygiene and post-shave care.
(In photos Left to Right: Grant Marek- Thrillist SF, Joe Eskenazi- SF Weekly, Stuart Schuffman- a.k.a. Broke-Ass Stuart, Shorty Maniace, Eskenazi, Mike Enders- Accidental Bear, Maniace)
Father’s Day is approaching and you are imagining awkward hugs and “I love you.” Skip that, and pick an active, hands on activity where hugs aren’t necessary. Maniace is offering an exclusive package for Dad. The $170 package includes the class, a starter razor, Derby razor blades, a shaving set from Baxter of California (full-sized bottles of Super Close Shave Formula, After Shave Balm, Best Badger Shaving Brush and a Double Edged Safety Razor), and a signed copy of The Bearded Gentleman: The Style Guide to Shaving Face ( a $215 value). There is also a smaller package available, but who doesn’t love a big package?
(In photos Left to Right: Dax- Stylist & Barber Assistant, J. David Hadley-Barber & Owner of Mystic Hair, Maniace, Dax, Marek, Eskenazi, Schuffman, Nick Burns, Enders, Maniace, $170 package , Maniace, Eskenazi, Steve Rubenstein-SF Chronicle, Burns, Maniace, Maniace)
Classes open to the public:
Sunday, June 19th 10am to 12pm (Father’s Day)
Sunday, July 17th 10am to 12pm
Call 646.752.6891 or email class@beardedgentleman.com to reserve a space.
I suggest calling early. Space is limited
For More information CLICK
I have never had such an informative, enjoyable and dare I say smart conversation about facial hair. My usual conversations goes something like this, ” Uhh, you got something in your beard.”… ” Thanks!” Nick Burns co-author of The Bearded Gentlemen: The Style Guide to Shaving is loaded with helpful information to care for and tame that overgrown bush on your face or perhaps just your upper lip. His extensive back round as a journalist, has covered skin care, fashion, and health for leading magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, Details, Elle Accessories, Out, and Zink, and he pens the popular men’s style blog, HommeGrooming.com., makes him over qualified for me to ask him about how to best trim my unruly nose hairs (But I ask anyhow). Nick’s writing is witty and sharp as well as his answers to my questions I brainstormed for him.
Interview by Mike Enders
Accidental Bear: How is it that you and Allan Peterkin came together to produce this much needed book together?
Nick Burns: Allan wrote a book called 1000 Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair and I interviewed him for a piece I wrote for the New York Times about the return of the mustache–a bunch of hipsters in Williamsburg started sprouting whiskers above their lips in 2008. We worked together on a few other articles after that and when his publisher asked him to write the follow up to 1000 Beards, he asked me to help out.
A B: I would love to call you King of whiskers. What has been the fire under you that make you want to write about the topic?
Nick: I think “King of Whiskers” is too lofty of a title for little old me. Maybe Prince of Whiskers? Well, when your name contains “Nick” and “Burns”, writing about shaving is kind of like your birthright… sort of like being born into the royal family.
Ha Ha, really? Gruff, Scruff, Grind….why not. I have held off on getting an iphone and still using my old-skool basic phone. I think this keeps me safe from hours of nonsense spent on things like Angry Birds ( isn’t that what the kids are playing ?) and Beard Tracker apps. But because of peer pressure, I will have to cave soon! FYI, the term CULT OF MAC scares me.
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via www.cultofmac.com
Men! Pay attention!
BeardTracker! Yes, BeardTracker! Rrrrrrrrr.
Track your beard! Monitor and assess its growth in chronological photographic form! BeardTracker will automatically display an alert to remind you to take a photo of your beard every day. And will show a timelapse animation of your beard’s growth from “clean-shaven” to “Gimli the dwarf.”
It has buttons called “New beard” and “Edit beard.” Beard tracking has never been so cool.
Can also be used by moustache wearers. Not to be confused with BreadTracker or BearTracker.
BeardTracker is free. Grow a beard now, so you can play with it.
(Seriously, though, this looks like a lot of fun, and you could use it for monitoring changes in anything over time. Doesn’t have to be beards.)
Noooo, ( shrieking)! Long hair , short hair, lopsided Flock of Seagull do’s, feathered and permed mens hair go through these massive trends like our female counter parts. I welcome the current fad that has explosion beards all over the face of prepsters, jocks ( my fav), musicians, geeks , on and on. One day this will all pass and Bears will get “their” beard back. I know men shave their legs when on swim teams to glide faster in the water, ok I get that although do not like it, for hairy legs is what make the world go around( well, at least my world). Ok, FOCUS FOCUS, What I am moaning about now is
Stop it right now. It creeps me out, makes my skin crawl. Today while noticing ( wink wink) a fine young man doing lat pull downs , his face had a nice 10 day covering of prickly stubble and he had a set of peachy fuzz covered legs. As my eyes performed foerplay on him from top to bottom, I noticed his under arms were shaven. Not acceptable. This PANDEMIC has spread at a dangerous rate. Fuzzy wuzzies, with shaved under arms = Tranny ( FYI, I love Trannies). Men please stop this. There is help for you . Talk with a therapist. Leave your under arm hair alone OR go all the way and make an appointment for your sex reassignment surgery. I am going to start a support group called BIONHIN ( Believe it or not hair is natural). Thank you for hearing me out with todays gripe. Now , mover along.
Ok, thats not true. Even us beardies usually shave our cheeks and necks ( No, this doesn’t make you less rugged). Under the influence of peer pressure and my super hero ideas to save the world. I want to be the greeniest shaver that ever lived.
My friends are always arguing about the relative merits of electric and disposable razors. All the debate over closeness of shave, maintenance, and the ability to do one’s grooming while stuck in traffic is wearing me out, so I’m putting my decision in Mother Earth’s hands. Which kind of razor is better for the environment?
Ah, one of the great dude debates. Right up there with boxers vs. briefs and The Godfather vs. Billy Madison. Sure, grooming enthusiasts have a plethora of shaving options, from single-blade to safety razors, but for most men the choice comes down to disposables versus electric. After a column on menstruation and another declaring women the greener sex, it’s about time the Lantern tackled a male-centric conundrum.
Accidental Bear 