I just came back from being on holiday in Turkey for two weeks. I kept a lookout for shaving related things but didn't see any razors or even Derby blades. I was mostly in marinas on the coast and only went inland on a couple of occasions so the only razors I saw were modern ones that were probably kept in stock for tourists. I saw brushes for sale which looked like they might have been made of horse hair but I didn't buy one. I did buy a stick of Arko shaving soap from a pharmacy, which I'll mention on the soap forum, but suffice it to say that I liked it so much that I bought five more to take back with me.
There were plenty of barbers around but I wasn't quite courageous enough to have a straight shave. Of course, I wish I had now
I took with me an old English Minora razor (I had never heard of them before I bought it) that is based heavily on the Gillette New type but with a double-ring style handle. I hadn't been getting very good results with it so I took it with me in order that I could learn its nuances. I found that keeping the head angled such that the teeth are against the skin or almost touching got the closest shave, although it goes against the common wisdom of not letting an open comb razor leave track marks in your lather.
When I got back to England, the Gillette Old razor that I had bought before I left had arrived and since it was early in the morning, I scrubbed it, put a blade in it and had an excellent shave with Arko soap.
There were plenty of barbers around but I wasn't quite courageous enough to have a straight shave. Of course, I wish I had now
I took with me an old English Minora razor (I had never heard of them before I bought it) that is based heavily on the Gillette New type but with a double-ring style handle. I hadn't been getting very good results with it so I took it with me in order that I could learn its nuances. I found that keeping the head angled such that the teeth are against the skin or almost touching got the closest shave, although it goes against the common wisdom of not letting an open comb razor leave track marks in your lather.
When I got back to England, the Gillette Old razor that I had bought before I left had arrived and since it was early in the morning, I scrubbed it, put a blade in it and had an excellent shave with Arko soap.
