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Life before online ordering?

What were your shaving habits before switching back to the old-school ways? I tended to use Williams soap with any cartridge on sale. The lather wasn't bad if you soaked it in hot water.

I think cartridges became dominant because people bought whatever was on the shelves. I remember, the only soaps I could easily find locally were either Williams or VDH.
 
I think cartridges became dominant because people bought whatever was on the shelves.

Agreed and Gillette as well as Schick/Wilkinson Sword even paid to be dominantly on those shelves. I started with DE shaving in '90 so before the internet; I found a TTO (Gillette G1000 clone) in a Czechoslovakian (was still 1 country back then) drugstore with some Astra blades. Back in the Netherlands there were only about 3 different brands of blades available and hardly any soap at all.

I started DE shaving because I hated those cartridges (I was using Wilkinson I believe) so much for what they did to my skin I was willing to try anything. Even something obscure ( in my eyes) as a DE.
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I used my trusty Schick Super 2/Ultrex twin blade pivoting razor with canned shaving foam or canned shaving gel always applied with a shaving brush. Two passes WTG and ATG and done. Just about all shaving equipment in my earlier years was purchased from Supermarkets or the occasional cheap/discount shop when canned foam/gel was found very cheap. That is the great thing about buying on-line now, you can do it all from home.
 
Ha. Began old school. Started with a Tech, blue blades, Ivory soap in 1966. Just like Dad. Stepped up to a boar and Colgate shave soap in 71. Then Williams. Those were the only soaps at the drugstore.

Today...all the great soap choices!!
 
In the 90's. before the Interwebs, Body Shop sold soap and brushes. I didn't know how to use them, so that didn't last long. Trac II also.
 
In the eighties and nineties I used my 60s fatboy,Barbasol and whatever blades I could find in the supermarkets, usually Wilkinson or Gillette.
 
I go back a little farther. I my early years the only non-aerosol shaving soaps I would see in the pedestrian drugstores were Williams and Colgate. And Maybe Yardley and Old Spice if I were lucky.
 
I always used canned stuff and carts as by the time I was old enough to shave that's all I saw anyone use. Started off with a Mach 3 and Gillette gel

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Gillette Fusion five blade, I hated it and only shaved once a month or so. I was also about 18 years old, cream was Gillette gel, always.
 
I started shaving with a twin blade diposable and edge gel menthol, taught by my grandfather, who used Palmolive tube and schick injector. When I mastered my first setup, my grandfather gifted me a short Gillette super adjustable, Palmolive and an “ivory” handled drug store brush. The razor I still use today. Palmolive still in use, brush fell apart after many years service and was replaced with another drugstore brush. That lasted many more years. I shopped at a local drugstore, for Palmolive tubes and blades, also Kmart had a decent selection. Then in late 80’s shave goods became scarce, Gillette blades rarely available. Palmolive was still around, then local drugstores were replaced with Walgreens and cvs. We still had a couple until the late 90’s with lunch counters. Still had some DE blades, and van der Hagen soap and brushes hit the scene in my world. Store branded blades became the norm. 34 years later I can use my original set up, same super 84 handle my grandfather gave me. Spoiler blades and Palmolive tube bought online. As well as a few other handles, soaps, creams and blades. I never want to go through a shave depression like that which occurred in the90’s. After shave was gifts of brut, old spice, English Leather, always available at the drugstore. As well as Avon, which also went away, but able to restock from online sources, vintage of course. Everyone in the 70’s and 80’s was gifted lots of Avon goodies!
 
Hi,

I started Old School. There never was a New School for me. Stuff was bought in the grocery store or the drug store. When they quit carrying stuff, blades came from the surgical supply store, 1000 at a time. Soap was made just like it was before it could be bought in the grocery and drug stores.

I am on my last box of Med Preps which was bought in a surgical supply store long ago. I use two blades per month, so I have a couple more years before I have to buy more. ;)

Stan
 
For many years I used a Gillette Trac II razor, Old Spice soap in their mug and a cheap badger brush. I was quite content until I found this forum. Then everything changed.
 
I've also had access to stuff like Godrej cream tubes and the Indian Old Spice in the ethnic grocery stores which opened decades back

And the 90s cartridges weren't bad at all. You had the Sensor, the flexible Schick Tracer. Even the Mach3 was well received at launvl
 
I started with the Sensor Excel before online shopping. I would not have been able to acquire a double edge razor if it wasn't for online shopping.
 
Before I went old school, I simply trimmed my beard down to stubble with a clipper about once a month (or whenever it started to itch).
Before that and before I kept a beard, I used various carts: Sensor Excel, Mach 3. I never really got into the Fusion. The replacement carts were always too expensive and I never really found that 5 blades shaved me any better than 2 or 3 did.
Honestly, as much as I love my DE, theres times I think about just going back to carts, simply because you cant fly with DE blades.
 
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rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
Sensor carts, Wilkinson sword black bowl, Wilkinson sword brush, Old Spice or Aqua Velva
Basically, what the local drugstore carried.
 
The Williams soap from the 90s and before probably had a better formulation

I think the ingredients changed when Combe acquired the brand.
 
I ordered a bottle of English Leather A/S from the Vermont Country Store catalog a few years ago.

Now that I am into the minimalist frame of mind i stick with one razor, two blade brands, Old Spice cream and A/S, and my two Omega brushes.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Great topic on many levels. Remember order forms. Mailing in checks. 6-8 weeks delivery or shipping and handling +what was the charge for handling!
Shaving. I bought what was on the shelf. Canned goo and disposable probably at first or something similar.
Im still waiting for my order of sea monkeys!
 
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