FLASH AUSTIN, TX 17 MARCH 2009 Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
    The Environmentally Friendly Thrifty Green Shave
    St Patrick would be proud to shave this way.  With his day coming up TODAY, 17th of March, perhaps this would be a good time to try a greener shave.  18 March 2009: Oops, by the time I write this, I'm 364 days early for 2010.
        The method of shaving described below is good for the environment in a couple of ways.  It also saves money.  Get yourself a mug, any old erstwhile coffee mug, and put shaving soap in it.  You can use regular cake soap, but the round kind of shaving soap is neater.  A shaving brush is a good investment, too.  I used to put a hot, wet washrag on my beard, to “soften it up.”  Then I realized that it softens the skin more than the beard.  Since I stopped pre-wetting my beard, I hardly ever nick myself.  I used to change the blade whenever that happened, about once a month.  I have been using the same blade for 10 months, now.  OK, well, the same trio of blades.  To make a nice consistency of foam, I barely wet the brush, and then squish it up and down 50 to 100 times.  My mouth gets spastic when I count 1,2,3, etc. and get to 40, 41, 42, 43, and it works better for me to say “1,2,3,...10, 1, 2, 3,... 20, and, like that.  The mind has to remember the count, but it’s good mental exercise. Better yet, mix the soap up while you quote the Lord's Prayer, then lather the face while you quote the 23rd Psalm.  After the soap gets set in the mug, it can be turned over while lathering to drain excess moisture.  When I started this procedure, it was summer, and the cool lather felt good.  Now that it’s winter, and it gets down to 40 degrees in our bathroom, it’s not quite so pleasant, but maybe everything doesn’t have to be pleasant.  Be tough!
           By using solid soap, we save the landfill from aerosol cans.  Aerosol cans can’t be good for the environment.  By not heating water for the shave, we’re saving fuel, not only for charitable reasons, as it helps the local economy, too.  The end of a cake of Dial soap or any other, works fine, too.

    Another thing––After I had been doing this a while, I found that the triple-edge blade was clogged up with soap.  To make it easier to clean, since then, I have been soaking the blade to store it each time.
    Just to make a point, I put a little green food coloring in my mug, and my wife took a picture of me, shaving.  I’ll attach that, and send it to photobucket: http://s556.photobucket.com/albums/ss6/DixonWC/?action=view&current=000_0027.jpg  Happy Saint Patrick's Day!