Dark Ages of Shaving

[Wgg2017]

What era would you say is the Dark Age of shaving?

I nominate the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Maybe that’s just because I began shaving then. But all I remember is endless Mach 3 and electric razor commercials. Despite all the ad money spent, absolutely nothing worked well.

Shortly after that, 5 blade Fusion razors appeared in the ads. Those were even worse than what had been offered before.

Luckily Google was a thing and I discovered DE razors and wet shaving in about 2004. I haven’t used a 3 blade razor or more since.

Thanks B&B.

 

[nav]

I don't know about general timelines but MY dark age of shaving was 2002-2006. This is where I had to shave frequently for work and the bright red, super itchy rashes on my neck were hell!

I then discovered shaving oil and everything changed! I was still using the mach3 but with the shaving oil instead of canned goo, my shaves were awesome and my skin didn't suffer at all.

I discovered traditional shaving in 2008 and I've been using DE with shaving soap ever since. The shave is much closer than with mach3 but the shaving oil really saved me from a lot of suffering back then!

 

[Wgg2017]

I don't know about general timelines but MY dark age of shaving was 2002-2006. This is where I had to shave frequently for work and the bright red, super itchy rashes on my neck were hell!

I then discovered shaving oil and everything changed! I was still using the mach3 but with the shaving oil instead of canned goo, my shaves were awesome and my skin didn't suffer at all.

I discovered traditional shaving in 2008 and I've been using DE with shaving soap ever since. The shave is much closer than with mach3 but the shaving oil really saved me from a lot of suffering back then!

Oh please don’t remind me about the red spots on my neck! I could only shave at most every 3rd day with a Mach 3. Terrible times.

 

[Trollky]

The cartridge razor hell that was the 90's & 00's were my Dark Ages!

Fortunately I figured out that the older generation might in fact know what they are doing so I bought a DE razor and the rest is history

 

[Salty_Shaver]

What era would you say is the Dark Age of shaving?

I nominate the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Maybe that’s just because I began shaving then. But all I remember is endless Mach 3 and electric razor commercials. Despite all the ad money spent, absolutely nothing worked well.

Shortly after that, 5 blade Fusion razors appeared in the ads. Those were even worse than what had been offered before.

Luckily Google was a thing and I discovered DE razors and wet shaving in about 2004. I haven’t used a 3 blade razor or more since.

Thanks B&B.

I would say when all you could have was a straight edge and a strop. Would be the dark ages of shaving. I started shaving in 1984 circa. I started using a safety razor then and all that was available was canned cream and Gillette DE razors in a metal tuck. Fast forward 40 years I have more access to blades and other consumables for shaving than ever before. My opening sentence was satire. I do have to agree with the OP about the dates. I tried a mach 3 and just about every electric razor that came out. Nothing matched a shave from a safety razor except for the barber and a straight edge and his hot shaving cream that came out of that dispenser.

 

[Eric_75]

What era would you say is the Dark Age of shaving?

I nominate the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Maybe that’s just because I began shaving then.

I was using my Gillette Sensor and my Sensor Excel back then. I tried the Mach 3 but didn't like it at all. I also tried a couple electric razors and I never got along with any of them.

 

[Phoenixkh]

My darkest shaving years were as a teen. My dad used an electric, so that's why I started with... I hated it. I borrowed my mom's Schick injector... and cut myself and didn't have a styptic pencil... little squares of toilet paper all over my face. I tried her TTO Gillette, probably a Super Speed back then but that one is long gone. I did inherit her two Schick injectors and one of these days, I'll try them again....

I used the Gillette cartridge razors when I got back home from overseas... I would have been 19 at the time, almost 20. That's all I used, from the Trac II to the Fusion power until I started wet shaving in 2022. I managed to get good shaves with all the Gillette cartridge variations. I wouldn't have changed had our youngest son not gifted me a Lupo Aluminum and some Astra SP Green blades. I always did a two pass shave with the cartridge razors: WTG and ATG. The addition of the single trim blade was a huge step forward to me with Fusion cartridges.

What I couldn't believe is how much closer my first razor shaved: the ESC Claymore Evolution. I had no idea a shave that close was possible. It took me a few shaves for my face to adjust... and a few more to learn a technique that left my face bloodless. But it was off to the races... 5 months later, I started the DE part of my journey. I now have a small collection of AC and DE razors. I couldn't be more content. I do have a couple Vintage razors on the way... but nothing that expensive.

 

[DesertIguana]

Think the Dark Ages were before Safety Razor was invented.

Recall my grandfather talking about how hard it was to master straight razor.

Think the Safety Razor took a lot of money from Barber shops, because people could get good shave faster, at home.

 

[Alum Ladd]

I had an excellent SSF shave with the superb Mach 3 some 36 hours ago.

Utilising more traditional techniques it is possible to get an excellent shave from any platform that has been made since about 1904.

Foam is not to be sneered at, and even standard soap will work.

The major component which was missing for decades was simply the brush.

The game changer to enable great shaves. It was in every chemist shop, it was just no longer used. Luckily it was re-discovered.

I would suggest that any 'Dark Age' was what you made of it.

YMMV.

 

[BigJ]

I started with a ‘hand-me-down’ Slim in the late 1960s. WISH I had kept that razor!!

Moved on to carts in the 1970s. Tried a few electrics then back to carts until the early 1990s. Those were the Dark Ages of my shaving career.

After that I tried straights for awhile, then back to where I started with DEs!! That was my Renaissance!

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

For the majority of men the shaving dark ages must have been before safety razors became widely available. The straight razor era would have been fine if you had the time to learn how to use a stright and money to buy a decent razor, or better yet could afford to pay somebody who knew what they were doing to shave you. The less well off must have suffered a lot of bad shaves and itchy stubble.

 

[abies]

I'm reluctant to specify a dark ages but if I was forced, I think I would nominate the period between the last Gillette DE razor in the 1980s (1986?) until the appearance of the first wetshaving forum (circa 2005?).

 

[Chef455]

Clam shells and obsidian were the tools in the dark ages. I prefer my Lambda Athena. Almost as dark are the carts designed to line corporate pockets and whip the common folk into drinking their Kool-Aid. Glad I didn't need an obsidian knife and that I found a different way than the cartridge pushers pushed me. Sad it took so long.

 

[Sideburns]

I then discovered shaving oil and everything changed!

When I first came here a few months ago, nicks and weapers were a regular part of my shaving experience with a double-bladed disposable. I'd bought what I thought was a straight razor (It turned out to be a RSO.) and found some online tutorials, but still got weapers. Then I discovered pre-shave oil and a formula to make it at home. I don't think I've shed any blood while shaving since. I don't know how much of that is better technique and how much is the oil, but I'm not stopping the oil to find out.

 

[gpjoe]

I had an excellent SSF shave with the superb Mach 3 some 36 hours ago.
View attachment 1830068

Utilising more traditional techniques it is possible to get an excellent shave from any platform that has been made since about 1904.

Foam is not to be sneered at, and even standard soap will work.

The major component which was missing for decades was simply the brush.

The game changer to enable great shaves. It was in every chemist shop, it was just no longer used. Luckily it was re-discovered.

I would suggest that any 'Dark Age' was what you made of it.

YMMV.

Using a brush and soap IS a game changer...at least for me.

After I switched to DE for my face, I continued using my Harry's razor, for a time, to shave my head, BUT I used shaving soap and a brush, which (I believe) noticeably improved the shave.

 

[psfred]

The dark ages of shaving for me were the late 80's when injector blades vanished and I had to use cartridges because I'd forgotten about Gillette DEs. Mind you, I remember one of my dorm mates recommending them, but I was using my Grandpa's injector by then, and did until I couldn't find blades anymore.

 

[Mojo88]

From the 80s until I found traditional wet shaving which was around 2005. I shaved with a cartridge or disposable and electric razor, that caused constant ingrown hairs. There wasn’t much information and we went off advertising. When I look back it was all about speed in shaving. Shaving was viewed as a necessary evil that was something to get done and not enjoy. I really don’t recall much in the way of anything but canned cream. Shaving and men’s skin care has come a long way.

 

[Jay21]

My dark ages were from when I was in my teens. No one ever taught me how to shave and I really had no idea what I was doing. This is why I didn’t enjoy shaving until I switched to DE last year.

 

[nav]

When I first came here a few months ago, nicks and weapers were a regular part of my shaving experience with a double-bladed disposable. I'd bought what I thought was a straight razor (It turned out to be a RSO.) and found some online tutorials, but still got weapers. Then I discovered pre-shave oil and a formula to make it at home. I don't think I've shed any blood while shaving since. I don't know how much of that is better technique and how much is the oil, but I'm not stopping the oil to find out.

Nice one!
This is also a good example of how underrated skin condition is when it comes to shaving.

I don't use pre-shave oil now but I do look after my skin (skin serum) because moisturized and supple skin will always allow for the closest of shaves. This is essentially what pre-shave oil helps to achieve.

If my skin is unhappy, my shaves are horrible (same gear, same technique).

I also find a face scrub twice a week (at night time, not before shaving) is mandatory for me.

 

[Mitzie]

In darkest history the first recorded records of men shaving are; i) when Joseph cleaned himself up to look smart to meet Pharaoh (Gen 41:14) and ii) when Job shaved himself out of sorrow and prayed to God for loss of property and family (Job 1:20)