I doubt he used a razor blade in his demonstrations.
Charles Roberts Method Shaving: Pioneer or Over-thinker?
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I enjoyed his enthusiasm.
In my opinion he was at least a half bubble off plumb.
And some things don't really change much, ya know? Back then you had to have the cloth, now it's the cube. Who knows what it will be next?
And some things don't really change much, ya know? Back then you had to have the cloth, now it's the cube. Who knows what it will be next?
I think I saw Chuck years ago. He shaved extremely fast as I recall. It was almost comical.
Instead, I prefer to extend the time of pleasurable activities, especially certain pleasurable activities.
Instead, I prefer to extend the time of pleasurable activities, especially certain pleasurable activities.
He was quite frequently ridiculed, with posts mocking his method rather than being venerated. My only criticism was creating his own terminology, spreading the mix etc.
It was comical baby.
He took plenty of time in developing his "mix" between primer mix , cutting balm, buffering cream, cubes and oils you could finish Godfather Part III while he was working on gathering materials and his pre-shave.
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I hear ya @kingfisher. I see a lot of modern parallels. And thanks @Sabre for some perspective. I know you’ve been here awhile so if you said people were skeptical back them, i believe it. I guess i can’t help but give a tip of my hat to someone who went by his own terms; especially given that many who knew him said he wasn’t pushy about his “method.” To me, the interesting thing about him is that he may have influenced the modern day thinking about slick lathers, prepping the beard and hugely lofted brushes. Whether that’s true or not i’ve yet to ascertain but sometimes it takes someone that eccentric to shift thinking on a subject. And that’s not to say i believe any of it but it does make one wonder.
You've stated this a number of times and I wonder what makes you think this might be the case?? MDC, Cella, Tabac, Mitchell's etc etc have been around forever and I'm unaware of any sea change in thinking of what constitutes a good shaving soap/cream in 120 years or so . The importance of saturated hair follicles is not something recently discovered. It's a romantic notion that crazy Mr. Roberts had this impact on our lives but help me out with how you imagine this manifests itself. ??
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I found Method Shaving to be a bit extreme, but Charles was initially very helpful and friendly. I purchased a few of his products and ended up returning one item. He could have simply told me “no” on the return but he went completely ballistic on me and accusing me of several nefarious intentions.
I was taken completely off guard and shocked by his reaction. I told him to throw away the item I returned and that he could keep the money. I never spoke with or ever dealt with him again after that incident.
I was taken completely off guard and shocked by his reaction. I told him to throw away the item I returned and that he could keep the money. I never spoke with or ever dealt with him again after that incident.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
Wow. After spot watching some of the videos. I conclude, he's genuine, has learned what works for him, sells product to help you replicate the same.
For me though, it's over the top overthinking. I can't imagine what a mess some of those shave sessions must make for those truly "method shaving" and the time it must take. Anything over about 10 minutes is too long for me.
Would be interesting were he still around to see what brushes and razors he'd recommend today. Wonder what he'd think of the Italian spackle lather guy.
For me though, it's over the top overthinking. I can't imagine what a mess some of those shave sessions must make for those truly "method shaving" and the time it must take. Anything over about 10 minutes is too long for me.
Would be interesting were he still around to see what brushes and razors he'd recommend today. Wonder what he'd think of the Italian spackle lather guy.
He knew his stuff, even if he couched it in arcane language.
Personally, I think some of the newer boutique shave companies, like Cremo, have a simpler setup that is easier and cheaper for most men. I do admire Charles Roberts not merely selling snake oil (or Creighton cream bases with pretty scents) however- his products worked, they were just very complicated, a somewhat pricey way to shave as a result.
Personally, I think some of the newer boutique shave companies, like Cremo, have a simpler setup that is easier and cheaper for most men. I do admire Charles Roberts not merely selling snake oil (or Creighton cream bases with pretty scents) however- his products worked, they were just very complicated, a somewhat pricey way to shave as a result.
You are definitely onto something. I also suspect he influenced Mantic59, who was very influential upon alot of us, especially the concept of multi-pass shaving.
He favored bigger, even specialized brushes to make rather excessive amounts of lather. I collected a few vintage shave brushes and most, even high end ones, are never more than 21-22 mm. Men back in the day simply didn't need that much lather to shave.
On the importance of water and the state of shaving knowledge in the popular press c.1964 and 1978.
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Multipass grain shaves were a thing long before Roberts and as has been noted a number of times he didn't do passes the way 99% of wet shavers do them.
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Multipass grain shaves were a thing long before Roberts and as has been noted a number of times he didn't do passes the way 99% of wet shavers do them.
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Interesting thread and videos! Certainly a historical character! 
You've stated this a number of times and I wonder what makes you think this might be the case?? MDC, Cella, Tabac, Mitchell's etc etc have been around forever and I'm unaware of any sea change in thinking of what constitutes a good shaving soap/cream in 120 years or so . The importance of saturated hair follicles is not something recently discovered. It's a romantic notion that crazy Mr. Roberts had this impact on our lives but help me out with how you imagine this manifests itself. ??
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I wonder what that "extract" is. My guess is that it's fractionated lanolin oil, similar to what you can buy in some healthfood stores.
I think the main thing something that Mr. Roberts brought is the systematization. Most of us did not learn to shave in a systematic manner. We learned haphazardly from watching our dads, who often didn't really have very rigorous notions about what they were doing, either, nor were they necessarily good at explaining the way a teacher must. Even if the science of dermatology already had a sufficient level of shaving many decades ago.
So how many learned to shave from Mr Roberts . Seriously. Systematic shaving preparation and execution preexisted his appearance on the scene. I'm not making this up. Ask an old barber. Or anyone who ever read Reader's Digest or Boy's Life. What Roberts brought was absurd overcomplication of a fairly well understood process. It didn't stick for obvious reasons.
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"Traditional" shaving can be just as convoluted as method shaving:
Pre shave with glycerine
Pre shave cream or oil
Shaving cream or soap
Witch Hazel
Alum
Aftershave
Balm or post shave cream.
I even add a splash of Rose Water.
Pre shave with glycerine
Pre shave cream or oil
Shaving cream or soap
Witch Hazel
Alum
Aftershave
Balm or post shave cream.
I even add a splash of Rose Water.
It can be if you really try, but certainly isn't necessary.
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