# The History Of Shaving

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-shaving/235116
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 19, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-shaving/235116 "2004-03-19T00:16:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![OfBlinkingThings](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ebca7d/32.png) [@OfBlinkingThings](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OfBlinkingThings)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-shaving/235116/1 "2004-03-19T00:16:49Z")

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Easy question.

How did people shave 2000 years ago? Why did they do it and when did razors come into play. I am interested in what tools, lotions, creams they used. Thanks.

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### Author: ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-shaving/235116/2 "2004-03-19T00:26:34Z")

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Mostly, they didn’t. Shave, that is. Bronze and iron blades just don’t get sharp enough for a good shave. The Egyptians _plucked_ their hair out with tweezers, and the MesoAmerican tribes used obsidian blades. Greeks who did shave used olive oil to soften the skin before and after.

As to why…Alexander the Great made his men shave so enemy soldiers couldn’t grab them by the beard in battle.