Shaving in the 1950 and 1960,s

[emwolf]

My dad switched from a DE to electric in the late 60's and never went back. He always had a 5 o'clock shadow beginning around 9am. In the 1960's I had both a plastic DE razor with foam AND a battery operated electric razor that made a buzzing sound.

 

[Mempho]

In the Fifties my dad used a TTO Gillette, probably a Superspeed, with canned foam. He put in a new Gillette Blue Blade every day and he was in a foul mood if he had to reuse the old rusty blade. The used blades went into a slot in the medicine cabinet of course. My uncle used a Schick. I asked my dad why and my he said, "Your uncle's an odd character who enjoys being different."

 

[Schnitzel52]

Dad used one razor, one brush, one soap until his heart attack and went on blood thinners.
Gillette Ranger Tech
Simpson’s brush Captain (?)
Gillette shaving cream

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I remember my dad shaving in the 1950,s until he bought an electric razor mid 60,s. I can't remember what soap or razor, brush he used but they would have been quite cheap, and bought from a local store.
Anyone know what was around then?

I began shaving probably in 1960 so I have plenty of memories.

I used various Gillette razors both TTO and adjustable. Probably either a Slim or a Fatboy or both, but I had zero understanding of how to adjust them or use them properly.






My stepfather exclusively used a Gillette of some sort. Not, I think, an adjustable. He and everyone else I knew of, including the fathers of my friends whose soap one might see in the bathroom, used Gillette canned shaving soap. Gillette blades and the new Wilkinson's Sword Blades which were all the rage, much discussed, and from what I remember hearing, a quantum leap better.

I don't remember ever seeing a Black Beauty back then.

My father often used an electric. He sometimes used a Gillette, probably not an adjustable but I'm not sure.

Both of them taught me a little bit of stuff, particularly my stepfather, or tried to. I'd say they both knew how to shave pretty well, but neither knew how to teach me, or I was too stupid to learn because my shaves were horrible. I cut myself a lot (everyone did from what I noticed). My skin became horribly dry and chapped and painful. I noticed many fellows of my age in high school and more so in college sporting inflamed, red, chapped skin from shaving.

My grandfather exclusively used an electric.

He tried to inflict electrics on me. Bought me at least a couple of 'em. They'd do a pretty good job on my cheeks and eat my neck alive. As bad as DE razors were for me electrics were worse.

Before carts I never had a decent shave unless a barber did it with a real straight razor, and that was rare as it only happened when my father would treat the two of us.





A fraternity brother in the mid 1960s used a Schick injector probably newer than but much like my old E2. I probably tried an injector, but didn't get it either. Another fraternity brother skillfully used a real straight razor having learned from his grandfather. I bought one and tried it and should have then seen a plastic surgeon. (I'm not kidding. I have a scar under my chin. What a disaster that was!)

I don't recall any guy having bumps or irritation from shaving.

I recall grown men knowing how to shave. Their skin looked fine. For the most part though the shaves I saw them perform were fast, one pass shaves. Sometimes my father would take extra time, do some skin stretching, and go for a closer shave, but this was not the usual.

I recall my peers having bumps and irritation and chapped skin and going around with little pieces of toilet paper stuck to their faces to fix the cuts. Most of us never heard of and couldn't afford a styptic pencil even if we'd heard of it.






Somehow or other - thanks to this place and the proper instruction received in the last number of years - I've learned to shave with the razors I couldn't master so a Super Speed or Slim or ⬆︎Fatboy⬆︎ or any of the others now work for me.






Too bad nobody in my youth gave me an Old Type. Truthfully, if they had, and if I'd not been too terrified to use it (open combs are dangerous don't you know) I might still be shaving with it.

That's about all I remember about it.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Mike M]

Though I wasn't born til the 70s my father shaved with a Gillette Slim Twist which he used into the early 80s though being quite hard on razors my mum often had to pick him up a new one in the chemists. Usually he used Wilkinson Sword blades which were widely available in chemists and supermarkets at the time. As for cream he always used Palmolive classic cream and I don't know of him ever using anything else.
Finally I do know that at some point in the 60s or very early 70s he owned a Gillette Techmatic because I found it when I was helping to clear out the bathroom in about '78. I remember asking him if he wanted to keep it, his answer was "Oh God no"