How did your grandfathers shave?

[Whitmore]

I remember --

I was a kid. My maternal grandparents lived in a small, self-built house they were incredibly proud of. Nestling between forested scarps they spent their final years overlooking the misty dale in the green shadows of spruces and the scent of wood and moist earth was overwhelming.

My grandfather would use a golden DE razor of some sort, shaving with the thoroughly German Kabinett soap. He'd boil some water, open the bathroom window and shave shirtless - no matter how cold it was.

Smelling the Kabinett today doesn't do anything for me, I rather remember his aftershave (which I can't recall by name). But it's that picture - the bowl, him silhouetted against the open window, a towel on his shoulder - that keeps coming back the older I get. Strange.

So. How did your grandfathers shave?

 

[Johnny Dale]

I have his gear, He used a much worn ball-end Tech, an early glass Old Spice mug and an Ever Ready 200T boar brush. I keep it up on my shelf proudly displayed. I can't think of any memories of him shaving though. He passed well over 20 years ago when I was in my late 20's.

 

[RBE17]

Unfortunately, I don't know.

 

[Koss]

He uses yellow handled bic disposables... to clean up the edges of his beard.

Edit: The funny thing is that my Grandmother uses Single Edge blades to shape her eyebrows... and my mom uses Double Edge razors to shape her eyebrows too.

 

[rm71]

All I can remember my grandfather using was a DE

 

[icon]

Sweet souvenirs...

My paternal grandfather used a noisy Braun electric razor in the morning, that awaked me "bzzzzzcrrrrrbzzzzcrrrr !" early on holidays ...

I remember the smell in the bathroom, a mix of Marseille's soap (also used for cleaning clothes), lavender Cologne and Brillantine.

Brillantine is a very special detail, my grandfather was a kind maniac with his hairs, he allways carried a comb in a leather sheet and used it many times a day...

I was really curious about the funny shaped bottle, the colour of its content and it's very special smell.

My maternal grandfather was a wetshaver, I remember the Gibbs shaving stick with its golden metal paper, his synthetic nylon brush (white bristle and ivory-like handle) and DE razor.

As far as I remember, it was a TTO, metal head, black plastic handle and had a grey plastic wheel, close to the head, to action the opening mechanism.

I don't know what brand or model it was...

 

[isshou]

I remember my grandfather shaving himself every morning with a straight razor in front of small mirror that he hanged -ad hoc- by the side of a tree in the back garden. As I was walking slowly and getting closer to him, without taken his eyes of the mirror, he would always say "buenos días hijo".

 

[MoJoe]

I wish I remember. I know that one grandfather was a part-time barber. Would love to know how he went about his business since he was a professional. Unfortunately, he passed away when I was 7 so I don't recall all that much. My other grandfather lived well into his 90's and passed away when I was in my 20's. Unfortunately, I lived out of state at the time so I was never able to claim any of his things other than a pocket watch he gave me when I graduated college. I would have loved his razors but would have also wanted some of his tools. He was an electrician as a teen before he came to the US and became a carpenter after he arrived because back then Italians were not allowed into the electrical worker's union.

 

[ctakim]

What a wonderfully descriptive post to kick off this thread. My maternal granpa was born in 1899 and died at 81. He had many years of wet shaving but sadly I don't know what with. But as I recall he used an electric razor in his last years.

 

[82R100]

My maternal grandparents were relatively young. My earliest memories would probably be from when I was around five years old, and at that point my grandfather would have been 49.

They lived in a cape (Cape Cod Colonial) that they'd bought in 1941 in Dedham, Massachusetts. While it had a bathroom between the bedrooms upstairs, my grandfather used to shave in the one downstairs because it was right next to the kitchen and he could talk to Grammy while she was making breakfast. I'd sit on the bottom step of the stairs which was opposite the bathroom and next to the stove and could be in the middle of things without danger of getting under foot.

On my trip home last month, my mother found his fat handled tech (with its original box) and gave it to me, so I'll have to try that soon.

- Chris

 

[Galius]

Gillette DE razor (which I'm currently trying to locate...), and barbasol applied with a brush.

Finished up with Old Spice products.

 

[Jwolf24601]

Both my grandfathers used to use DE, one had a Fat Handle Tech the other a Super Adjustable.

One uses electric now, the other disposables...

 

[krissy]

My maternal grandfather is no longer with us but I've only known him to use an electric razor.

My paternal grandfather passed away before my dad hit his teen years which is a topic not talked about so i couln't even ask. Since I have no idea but I'm going to guess it had to have been a DE or straight given when he passed away because I think it would have been pre-electric razors.

 

[grouse79]

Mum's father died before I was born but mum told me he alternated between what must have been a DE (this would have been the 50s/60s) and an electric. Dad's father died when I was 12, so long before I was shaving but I do remember seeing what must have been a badger brush in the bathroom so he must have wet-shaved.

 

[Austin]

I remember my Paternal gramps shaving with a straight and Ivory soap. He could do three passes in minutes. He was quite proficient. You should have seen him gut and clean fish.

 

[Robust2]

I asked my paternal grandpa yesteryda, and he alternates between 3 electric razors. Used to shave with DE though, but he switched years ago.
Don't know about my maternal grandfather, should as khim once.

 

[Psicko]

One of my grandpa used to wet shave with a DE, which now I have. The other one, I dont know, he died when I was in highschool and only saw him a few times in my life.

 

[closer]

My maternal grandpa shaved with a DE razor. I remember he used to sit in his chair with a mug full of hot water and a mirror balanced on the table in front of him. Not sure of the products he used, but I do remember him rubbing an alum block all over his face when he was done.

 

[cactusbrush]

My paternal grandad mainly used a straight razor until later in life when he used a SE and a DE. He said he always preferred a straight because it was safer because always got nicks using safety razors.

 

[luvmysuper]

My grandparents all passed away in the 30's and 40's, so I tell myself that it could be one of the very DE Gillette razors that I have purchased, somehow having worked it's way back to me through karma.