Ask your father..

[sarimento1]

Great thread!

Just today, received this email from a friend who is probably old enough to be a father for most members!
He wrote me about his memories of going to the barber shop, post-WWII.
Many of us can certainly relate.
With his kind permission, sharing...
_______________________

"...When I was growing up I went to a barber shop in Moscow, Idaho. My folks took me initially. I suppose by the time I was ten years old I was there by myself while they did other shopping. As I recall there were 6 barber chairs.

I never got a barber to shave me there, and when I got old enough to shave I used an electric razor like my dad had. The kind that had flap doors on either side. When you finished shaving you opened the doors and slid a little round brush through to clean out the clipped hairs inside.

I remember each barber had a long strap of leather hanging from a shelf behind them, and that they used straight razors, 4” blade that folded back into a handle. I remember the barbers running hot water into their sink and soaking a white towel about 2’ square, then putting it over the face of the man they were going to shave. As I recall they leaned the chair back so the towel stayed on. As I recall they left it on for a couple of minutes or more. While waiting to moisturize the customers face they got out their cup with solid shaving cream in it, put some hot water in it then put their brush which they twirled around inside the cup to generate a lather. Next they took the towel off and slapped the straight razor up and down the leather belt fine tuning the sharpening.

I always found it a little scary to see the wide blade being moved around on a customers face with all their contours and wondered how they did not cut the customer.

When the barber was done he got the towel hot again with water and wiped the customers face clean of shaving cream.

I recall how my dad and I talked about one barber we called “Shaky" and thinking we’d never let him give us a shave. He was old when I first went to the barber shop in around 1948 and was still there when I left in 1961..."

_______________________

 

[FarmerTan]

Great thread!

Just today, received this email from a friend who is probably old enough to be a father for most members!
He wrote me about his memories of going to the barber shop, post-WWII.
Many of us can certainly relate.
With his kind permission, sharing...
_______________________

"...When I was growing up I went to a barber shop in Moscow, Idaho. My folks took me initially. I suppose by the time I was ten years old I was there by myself while they did other shopping. As I recall there were 6 barber chairs.

I never got a barber to shave me there, and when I got old enough to shave I used an electric razor like my dad had. The kind that had flap doors on either side. When you finished shaving you opened the doors and slid a little round brush through to clean out the clipped hairs inside.

I remember each barber had a long strap of leather hanging from a shelf behind them, and that they used straight razors, 4” blade that folded back into a handle. I remember the barbers running hot water into their sink and soaking a white towel about 2’ square, then putting it over the face of the man they were going to shave. As I recall they leaned the chair back so the towel stayed on. As I recall they left it on for a couple of minutes or more. While waiting to moisturize the customers face they got out their cup with solid shaving cream in it, put some hot water in it then put their brush which they twirled around inside the cup to generate a lather. Next they took the towel off and slapped the straight razor up and down the leather belt fine tuning the sharpening.

I always found it a little scary to see the wide blade being moved around on a customers face with all their contours and wondered how they did not cut the customer.

When the barber was done he got the towel hot again with water and wiped the customers face clean of shaving cream.

I recall how my dad and I talked about one barber we called “Shaky" and thinking we’d never let him give us a shave. He was old when I first went to the barber shop in around 1948 and was still there when I left in 1961..."

_______________________

Love this!

 

[GR5233]

Great thread!

Just today, received this email from a friend who is probably old enough to be a father for most members!
He wrote me about his memories of going to the barber shop, post-WWII.
Many of us can certainly relate.
With his kind permission, sharing...
_______________________

"...When I was growing up I went to a barber shop in Moscow, Idaho. My folks took me initially. I suppose by the time I was ten years old I was there by myself while they did other shopping. As I recall there were 6 barber chairs.

I never got a barber to shave me there, and when I got old enough to shave I used an electric razor like my dad had. The kind that had flap doors on either side. When you finished shaving you opened the doors and slid a little round brush through to clean out the clipped hairs inside.

I remember each barber had a long strap of leather hanging from a shelf behind them, and that they used straight razors, 4” blade that folded back into a handle. I remember the barbers running hot water into their sink and soaking a white towel about 2’ square, then putting it over the face of the man they were going to shave. As I recall they leaned the chair back so the towel stayed on. As I recall they left it on for a couple of minutes or more. While waiting to moisturize the customers face they got out their cup with solid shaving cream in it, put some hot water in it then put their brush which they twirled around inside the cup to generate a lather. Next they took the towel off and slapped the straight razor up and down the leather belt fine tuning the sharpening.

I always found it a little scary to see the wide blade being moved around on a customers face with all their contours and wondered how they did not cut the customer.

When the barber was done he got the towel hot again with water and wiped the customers face clean of shaving cream.

I recall how my dad and I talked about one barber we called “Shaky" and thinking we’d never let him give us a shave. He was old when I first went to the barber shop in around 1948 and was still there when I left in 1961..."

_______________________

Awesome stuff

 

[Kyle89]

My dad was born in 1952. He said he learned to shave with a Gillette DE, and there were only Gillette blades available to his knowledge. He "still shutters when thinking of using a safety razor when he was a kid". He had a cartridge razor the second he could get his hand on one, and he still uses them. He must have been 19-20 years old. He still uses his Gillette Sensor handle from when that model was new. Barbasol original has been his cream his whole life. 1 pass and done. That's what I used a well for years, Barbasol and the Sensor, and of course 1 pass.

I remember when I was young and new to shaving, I used a cartridge for at least a few weeks, and chucked it. He saw it in the trash, took it out, and proceeded to continue to use it. I'm sure he gets at least a month out of each cartridge. He constantly complains about how expensive they are. I took that as a lesson and would stretch the life out of my cartridges, and still do with a DE blade sometimes.

He likes that I use DE because of how cost effective the blades are, but won't regress away from his sensor. He gets a kick out of finding old razors at antique shops now though, and I'm to blame. And thank goodness, because I get to keep them.

 

[Old-Fashioned Coughy Pot]

I remember watching my ol' man shaving with his DEs back in 1968-69. He'd soap my face up and l'd 'shave' with an empty razor while he shaved with a armed one. I remember he told me l would shave for real with this razors one day. I found his gear in his man cave after he passed away and that is what tripped me into this pleasant rabbit hole. I kept his E3 'Fatboy' & his lightweight paperclip' aluminium British made Rocket l think (?). I gave the 1940 something-ish ball end tech l probably 'shaved' with to #1 son as a heirloom.

 

[FarmerTan]

Thanks a lot you guys! @Kyle89 and @Old-Fashioned Coughy Pot you two got my eyes to leakin'!

 

[Rusty Blade]

Some wonderful responses to my original post. Thanks everyone.

 

[Vulcan Bubbles]

I honestly have no idea how my dad shaved, and a friend taught me how to shave with a cart and canned goo when I was about 13-14 years old. I picked up wet shaving with a DE sometime in my 30’s (in my 40’s now) and learned mostly from youtubers and some trial and error. I’m surprised at how many responses there are here that mention just a single pass shave. I typically do 3 with a quick clean up, mainly because I just thought that was the way it was done. This single pass idea is kind of a revelation. I enjoy my 3+ pass shaves, but it can be a bit time consuming, often resulting in me only shaving once a week (I know, I know! Cut me some slack people ). I’m going to start experimenting with some single or double pass shaves to see how it works out for me. Thanks for the new perspective! Shave Long and Prosper Friends!!

 

[GV27]

I can't remember details like passes and blade life, but up until 1990 he seemed to rotate between a DE and Gillette Trac II cartridges. I guess he used an SE for awhile because I remember him teaching me how to snap a DE blade in half when I was far too young to be handling razor blades. Mom put a quick stop to that! My mom helped me buy (who am I kidding - she bought it!) an electric razor for him for his birthday or Christmas once in the late '70s but he didn't use it a lot - I think he took it to his office to use if he was working long hours.

I did the "shaving" with an unloaded razor thing that a couple people have mentioned here. He'd lather me up with his brush and I'd "shave" it off while he was actually shaving, then play with the lather and brush when he was done.

I learned to shave with a Trac II, but also used one of his old DEs sometimes as well. That changed when I went off to college in 1989 and on day one they had cute girls all over campus giving away the brand-new Gillette Sensor razor. I don't even remember what I took with me to college - must have been a Trac II or Atra? - but that original two-blade Sensor was pretty dang good and I used those for many years. I grabbed several of those free razors and gave one to my dad when I came home for Christmas, and that's what he used for the rest of his life.

My dad did do the whole "wet shaving" thing like this forum is dedicated to though. Always Trumper's Sandlewood soap and English badger brushes - my dad was a pretty big anglophile. He passed that down to me and except with a brief flirtation with Edge gel in college I've always done it that way.

 

[GV27]

I discussed this with my father-in-law recently who was born in 1952 and he remembered using DEs but he went to cartridges as soon as they came out which was just a few years after he started shaving. I'd mentioned to him that I'd picked up a couple of vintage razors and had forgotten how well they shave - last time I used a safety razor before this year was 2003. He started talking about a full shaving set that was his father's (who was a travelling salesman that passed away much too young) that he had stashed away in storage. He finally dug it out a few weeks ago. It was nothing special but contained a Super Speed that I was able to date as a 1952 birth-year razor for my father-in-law. I was enthusiastic about it and told him I could clean it up for him and that I'd give him some good blades to try in it. He wasn't interested - I thought it just brought up bad memories for him or he didn't want to disturb the ghosts or whatever.

Just a couple of days ago my wife was talking to her mom and she was complaining about how expensive his disposables are. My wife told her he should be using a DE and that I could get him a good one if he didn't want to use his dad's razor. "He says those kind of razors irritate your face really bad" was the answer. Oh well, my father-in-law is an obstinate old guy.

 

[KeenDogg]

Hi,

My Dad is gone, too, but I can answer for him. He did a one-pass shave every third day and changed the blade once a month. He used a post-war Tech, Old Spice soap and a Rubberset brush from 1948. I still have his stuff and use it a couple times a year.

View attachment 1113555

Stan

He was more man than me. I have that brush and it hurts!!!

 

[sm29]

My father is almost 93. He did a single pass shave and changed the blade “when it needed to be changed”.

Shaving was and is a chore for him. He shifted from an electric to a fusion a few years ago, but is now shifting back to an electric for what he considers the ease of use to give a good enough shave.

He also finds the idea of a shaving ritual being enjoyable to be preposterous. I think he speaks for much of his generation, and mine for that matter, too.

It is now 15 months since I posted this. My father went back to the Fusion because the good enough electric was not good enough. Unfortunately he succumbed to cancer last February.

As I think back, the single pass shave with noxema from a tube and some kind of badger brush was constant and while he didn’t have what we would call a collection, he was always open for new razors. I remember a Superspeed, Schick injector(s), Techmatic, Trac 2, and Atra. Although he never really derived any joy from shaving, he did try new products looking for something better.

 

[FarmerTan]

It is now 15 months since I posted this. My father went back to the Fusion because the good enough electric was not good enough. Unfortunately he succumbed to cancer last February.

As I think back, the single pass shave with noxema from a tube and some kind of badger brush was constant and while he didn’t have what we would call a collection, he was always open for new razors. I remember a Superspeed, Schick injector(s), Techmatic, Trac 2, and Atra. Although he never really derived any joy from shaving, he did try new products looking for something better.

My condolences friend. I miss my Dad daily.

 

[Kyle89]

It is now 15 months since I posted this. My father went back to the Fusion because the good enough electric was not good enough. Unfortunately he succumbed to cancer last February.

As I think back, the single pass shave with noxema from a tube and some kind of badger brush was constant and while he didn’t have what we would call a collection, he was always open for new razors. I remember a Superspeed, Schick injector(s), Techmatic, Trac 2, and Atra. Although he never really derived any joy from shaving, he did try new products looking for something better.

My condolences.

Haven't been able to get my dad to change his shaving hardware but he's a huge fan of Stirling soaps and uses a brush again. Was fun to read my old post from this thread.

Life is quick. Almost lost my father once and I've had a brush with death as well. Keep em' close, things change fast.

 

[PintoPlain]

It is now 15 months since I posted this. My father went back to the Fusion because the good enough electric was not good enough. Unfortunately he succumbed to cancer last February.

As I think back, the single pass shave with noxema from a tube and some kind of badger brush was constant and while he didn’t have what we would call a collection, he was always open for new razors. I remember a Superspeed, Schick injector(s), Techmatic, Trac 2, and Atra. Although he never really derived any joy from shaving, he did try new products looking for something better.

My condolences.

My dad passed in June from cancer. In his last few years he used Gillette canned goo and a cart of some description.

 

[sm29]

My condolences.

My dad passed in June from cancer. In his last few years he used Gillette canned goo and a cart of some description.

My condolences to you. May his memory always be a blessing to you.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Once in a while I still do a shave in memory of my father: I have his Gillette Executive and his Old Spice Mug. When I am really missing him (he died 12 years ago at 80) I load up a blade in his Executive, lather up some soap with a boar brush, do a one pass shave and then follow up with some Old Spice AS...his signature scent. Hard to beat those old memories.

 

[steveclarkus]

I was born in 1949 and began shaving in 1964 I believe. My dad bought a Gillette slim adjustable and shaving cream. He used an electric shaver. I don’t recall any instruction - it was pretty simple to figure out anyway. I was shaving daily when I started college in 1967. I bought a Shick adjustable injector my freshman year. I never really liked DE’s and still don’t and used that razor for a few years. When the Bic disposable came out, I gave it a try and it was horrible but the Gillette Trac 1 came out and I had found Nirvana. It was far superior to the DE and SE so I followed that through the Trac II and Trac III. In 1982 I bought a straight razor and learned to use it but it dulled past useable and I had no idea how to hone it (no Internet) and went back to the Trac III. Also, during this time, I had begun using brush and soaps on occasion - actually my first soap set was an Old Spice kit I bought in the late 60’s. Ten or 11 years ago I joined Badger&Blade and started using DE’s again. They were cheaper to use and then there was the nostalgia factor. I began using two passes for the first time but I still didn’t like DE’s all that much because of their tendency to nick. About four years ago I began using straight razors again and actually learned to hone them. I finally found Nirvana - a razor that didn’t require replacement blades, that was non irritating and nick free with which I could do a two pass shave to BBS in the same or less time than any other method. That is my story as best I can recall.

 

[PintoPlain]

My condolences to you. May his memory always be a blessing to you.

Thanks. As it is still quite recent it bubbles to the surface on occasion. Not as raw as it was though. I'm sure it gets easier over time.

 

[sm29]

Since we are reminiscing in this thread, Doesanyone remember the Saturday Night Live skit from either1977 or 1978 where they had a fake commercial that added additional blades to the Trac II which made the shave even closer.

I recall that skit every time I see three blades or more in a razor.