Flaxseed Oil and Better Shaving

Roberto Medri, a 27-year-old who works in Italy for Bain & Company, a consulting firm, writes:

I have had bad shaving problems since I started working three years ago. I tried pretty much everything: multiple blades, old-time safety razors, expensive British shaving soaps, silvertip brushes, pre-shaving oil and creams, abstruse shaving methods and blade techniques: all to almost no avail. Instead, my face would bleed more and more every day, making it frustrating and time-expensive to shave, only to get results which ranged from laughable to frightening.

I noticed two patterns:

• Once in a couple of months, I used to have a perfect shave: fast, enjoyable, baby-butt smooth with no irritation. I was not, however, capable of isolating the deciding variable, as those epiphanies seemed to be completely random.
• When I took up a new remedy (another pre-shave cream, steamed towels, etc.) things got better for 2-3 shaves, then back to normal horror.

A fortnight ago, I began having perfect shaves. Consistently. I am simplifying my routine because all toners and moisturizers now seem useless. My towels are not stained, I am on time, I actually look forward to shaving every morning (with but only a slight fear of it all ending).

The only explanation I can think of is that, following your advice, I started taking four softgels/day of flax oil about a month ago.

It’s very difficult to get flaxseed oil in Europe (bottled oil simply is not available). I have recommended flax to my colleagues also plagued by red necks to no avail: they are elite in two ways, white collar elite (working for Bain) and dietary elite (as Italians, which supposedly have the best and healthiest food ever), so it fits with your reasoning that they are very change-averse. In fact, a manager told me that my taking softgels during the day is “inappropriate” and “disturbing” colleagues.