Sometimes, in a lot of different areas of life, it seems like the old timers had a few tricks up their sleeves that we don’t have today. What have you learned from the old timers about shaving?
Using various sources (including vintage barber manuals, commercials, print instruction, etc.), I’ve learned a few of their habits that we don’t use or hear much about today.
1.) These are the shaving strokes used by barbers using a straight razor which evolved in later print instructions for safety razors:
2.) In the same barber’s manual from the early twentieth century, the author seems dismissive of contemporary aftershave lotions. He recommends witch hazel followed by talc, applied in a downward motion. Talc (or any alternative powder) seems unheard of in modern routines.
3.) Gillette eventually introduces their own stroke order in contrast to the barber recommendations for stroke order (sideburns/cheeks, then chin, then mustache, then neck). It also seems that a one pass shave was more common than the modern three pass. Gillette recommended one pass WTG and touching up ATG. They recommend using diagonal strokes as well.
4.) It was not uncommon for men to shave twice a day during that era, once before work and again before evening plans (if any). It seems like just about everyone shaved at least once day. This may perhaps factor into how the men of that era were able to get away with one pass. Their stubble was always short and they knew they’d have a five o’clock shadow no matter what and just decided to deal with it again before their evening plans. Gillette’s razors by mid-century seemed to be on the mild side as well.
And that’s what this post is ultimately about. How did our ancestors achieve that perfectly shaved look and what other habits may help us out today?
Using various sources (including vintage barber manuals, commercials, print instruction, etc.), I’ve learned a few of their habits that we don’t use or hear much about today.
1.) These are the shaving strokes used by barbers using a straight razor which evolved in later print instructions for safety razors:
2.) In the same barber’s manual from the early twentieth century, the author seems dismissive of contemporary aftershave lotions. He recommends witch hazel followed by talc, applied in a downward motion. Talc (or any alternative powder) seems unheard of in modern routines.
3.) Gillette eventually introduces their own stroke order in contrast to the barber recommendations for stroke order (sideburns/cheeks, then chin, then mustache, then neck). It also seems that a one pass shave was more common than the modern three pass. Gillette recommended one pass WTG and touching up ATG. They recommend using diagonal strokes as well.
4.) It was not uncommon for men to shave twice a day during that era, once before work and again before evening plans (if any). It seems like just about everyone shaved at least once day. This may perhaps factor into how the men of that era were able to get away with one pass. Their stubble was always short and they knew they’d have a five o’clock shadow no matter what and just decided to deal with it again before their evening plans. Gillette’s razors by mid-century seemed to be on the mild side as well.
And that’s what this post is ultimately about. How did our ancestors achieve that perfectly shaved look and what other habits may help us out today?
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