As I child growing up I watched my father using a shaving brush that he had from the pre-WWII era with the regular bar soap that was in the bathroom then lather up with shave cream from a can then shave with his double edge razor. I was under the impression that the weak lather and water that he applied to his face helped the canned shaving cream work better but never considered that some people would actually be using soap alone to shave!
When I was in my 20's I was asked by a relative what I would like for Christmas and I replied "a shaving mug and a brush" and that is how I started "wet shaving" as I viewed it back then! I used the same technique that my father had with a shaving soap instead but never really tried to work that soap into a lather! I really didn't have a clue! I would then use the brush to lather with canned shave cream as he did! Then I discovered the British shaving creams like Taylor of Old Bond Street on a trip to London about 20 years ago... However, it wasn't until a few weeks ago while doing some investigation online and in books that I realized that guys actually shaved with the shaving soap alone! OMG!
Anyway, I was curious if anyone else might have had that experience!
PS - by the way, the last time I was at my fathers house (which was several years ago) he still had that same badger brush which probably dated back to the late 1930's, had only the black bases of the badger hair were visible and not many of those were left! ... that would make that brush around 70 years old!
When I was in my 20's I was asked by a relative what I would like for Christmas and I replied "a shaving mug and a brush" and that is how I started "wet shaving" as I viewed it back then! I used the same technique that my father had with a shaving soap instead but never really tried to work that soap into a lather! I really didn't have a clue! I would then use the brush to lather with canned shave cream as he did! Then I discovered the British shaving creams like Taylor of Old Bond Street on a trip to London about 20 years ago... However, it wasn't until a few weeks ago while doing some investigation online and in books that I realized that guys actually shaved with the shaving soap alone! OMG!
Anyway, I was curious if anyone else might have had that experience!
PS - by the way, the last time I was at my fathers house (which was several years ago) he still had that same badger brush which probably dated back to the late 1930's, had only the black bases of the badger hair were visible and not many of those were left! ... that would make that brush around 70 years old!
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