A bit of a long story, but one I think worth sharing.
I Made a stop by T&F in London yesterday for a my first proper straight shave and a haircut. The experience itself was quite a luxury. The shop itself is smaller than I would have expected, with the front being occupied by by rows of the shaving products and cases of razor/cartridge handles and shaving brushes. I could have spent days just examining each and every brush and razor and re-smelling each scent of the products.
I was promptly taken back to one of the 3 or 4 barber's chairs in the salon area and prepped for the haircut. The barber was actually quite a bit more knowledgeable then I would have expected and suggested some particular ways to cut my hair so that it would both style easiest, and last the longest. Next a traditional hot towel prep followed by a face massage with their pre-shave oil. If you haven't use the T&F pre-shave oil, it has a really wonderful, invigorating citrus scent to it. Next I was lathered up with their Almond shaving cream and the barber went to work whittling away the stubble. It looks like he used a Wilkinson Sword blade in a Dovo Shavette, could be wrong but I think this was the set up. Up to this point I have to say I was quite pleased, but man was that shave a pain in my neck. The barber took great care to work through the various directions of growth I have going, and I'll say that certainly my cheeks were shaved the closest they have ever been. But can you spell RAZOR BURN?! I left with a few small nicks, and a good portion of my neck and chin looking like they had been scrapped raw. And while I saw him insert a fresh blade, the blade never felt that sharp. The barber was aware this was irritating me as he proceeded, and to his credit worked quite hard to go gently and work around it. He backed off doing an ATG pass on my neck and only did the cheeks. We then finished with their ultimate comfort aftershave balm. A few odd comments. He recommended a future exfoliation routine which he said over the next 4-6 weeks would remove the layers of subtle, build up of skin that was preventing me from getting a really close shave at home and creating the dragging sensation. I'm going to give a try although a bit skeptical. When he asked what I was shaving with, and I proceeded to excitedly tell him about my current DE setup, he recommended using an M3. He agreed that the 4 and 5 bladers were overkill, but thought the M3 was spot on. Maybe because T&F sell pricey M3 handles?
24 hours later and the irritation is still quite visible and my neck and chin really do look like what they are, which is shaved raw! Thus far in my 2 months of shaving with a DE, I've had some pretty close shaves, but no where near the irritation I have now. I wonder if barbers still used a properly honed straight if this would be a different situation. Overall glad I did it for the experience, but if T&F's is an institution of traditional shaving and I was left that torn-up, it makes me fear barber conducted straight shaves may not be in my future.
I Made a stop by T&F in London yesterday for a my first proper straight shave and a haircut. The experience itself was quite a luxury. The shop itself is smaller than I would have expected, with the front being occupied by by rows of the shaving products and cases of razor/cartridge handles and shaving brushes. I could have spent days just examining each and every brush and razor and re-smelling each scent of the products.
I was promptly taken back to one of the 3 or 4 barber's chairs in the salon area and prepped for the haircut. The barber was actually quite a bit more knowledgeable then I would have expected and suggested some particular ways to cut my hair so that it would both style easiest, and last the longest. Next a traditional hot towel prep followed by a face massage with their pre-shave oil. If you haven't use the T&F pre-shave oil, it has a really wonderful, invigorating citrus scent to it. Next I was lathered up with their Almond shaving cream and the barber went to work whittling away the stubble. It looks like he used a Wilkinson Sword blade in a Dovo Shavette, could be wrong but I think this was the set up. Up to this point I have to say I was quite pleased, but man was that shave a pain in my neck. The barber took great care to work through the various directions of growth I have going, and I'll say that certainly my cheeks were shaved the closest they have ever been. But can you spell RAZOR BURN?! I left with a few small nicks, and a good portion of my neck and chin looking like they had been scrapped raw. And while I saw him insert a fresh blade, the blade never felt that sharp. The barber was aware this was irritating me as he proceeded, and to his credit worked quite hard to go gently and work around it. He backed off doing an ATG pass on my neck and only did the cheeks. We then finished with their ultimate comfort aftershave balm. A few odd comments. He recommended a future exfoliation routine which he said over the next 4-6 weeks would remove the layers of subtle, build up of skin that was preventing me from getting a really close shave at home and creating the dragging sensation. I'm going to give a try although a bit skeptical. When he asked what I was shaving with, and I proceeded to excitedly tell him about my current DE setup, he recommended using an M3. He agreed that the 4 and 5 bladers were overkill, but thought the M3 was spot on. Maybe because T&F sell pricey M3 handles?
24 hours later and the irritation is still quite visible and my neck and chin really do look like what they are, which is shaved raw! Thus far in my 2 months of shaving with a DE, I've had some pretty close shaves, but no where near the irritation I have now. I wonder if barbers still used a properly honed straight if this would be a different situation. Overall glad I did it for the experience, but if T&F's is an institution of traditional shaving and I was left that torn-up, it makes me fear barber conducted straight shaves may not be in my future.
I was also dissapointed to be shaved with a shavett. Quite why he was banging on about mach 3's is beyond me. Mostly I fear it is like you say and product placement. 
