For my job, I have to shave every weekday. I used to really hate shaving. Now I find it tolerable and occasionally even enjoy it as a quiet and meditative time.

For my job, I have to shave every weekday. I used to really hate shaving. Now I find it tolerable and occasionally even enjoy it as a quiet and meditative time. My purely subjective list of the things that helped me enjoy it, ranked by my perception of usefulness: 1. Good shaving cream, in a tub or tube. Try Kennedy's or Nancy Boy or Proraso. This made a HUGE difference. 2. Badger-bristle shaving brush. You can get a decent one for around $25-30. Don't skimp, it should last a really long time. I tried a boar one, and it smelled really bad and made my face itch. 3. Decent after-shave. So far I like the Nancy Boy aloe-based one the best, but I haven't tried many. I have never had good results with the alcohol-based ones. They irritate my skin. I tried a Merkur Futur, and a straight razor. Perhaps I was not patient enough, but even after a few weeks of each I found that I did not see enough of an advantage to justify the additional time. I have heard that the Futur is a bit fussier than the HD, so I have been considering giving that one a try and perhaps using better blades. I went back to the Mach 3, and with the changes above it has been OK, but just OK. I still get a lot of chafing around my collar. Just my input having given this stuff a try. If you do one thing, get some decent shaving cream and a brush. That made 75% of the difference right there.