My old barber used to put hot shaving cream on the back of my neck and shave it off with a straight razor. Holy crap but that was a sensational feeling. The best word to describe it would be ‘Hairgasm’.
I used to shave with a straight razor. The straight razor itself is not a real factor in getting a close, smooth shave. If you prep properly and use the razor properly, you can get a top notch shave even with a disposable razor. The mystique of the straight razor comes entirely from the fact that it is more dangerous to use than the safety razor and its descendants. I eventually set my straight razor aside and moved to using a safety razor and twin edge blades.
I had a barber who did that. Back of the neck and around the ears.
The barber was in his 70s if not 80s and his hand would shake while he held the razor until he got about a millimeter from the skin and then it would be completely steady. Luckily I couldn’t see the razor when he worked on me but watching him give someone else a shave was an adventure.
I shave my head now, but have a beard. For the head, with proper preparation I get the same end results as a straight razor. I use a crushed walnut shell exfoliant, followed by a salicylic acid exfoliant, then a hot towel, then a Fusion Blade shave. Then an ice water rinse and an alcohol gel aftershave.
Smooooth.
Mine too. I wouldn’t trust myself to use one, though.
Had a good friend who was an old-school barber and a real master with the razor. Quite often, after getting one of his shaves a customer would remark “that felt so good I think I’ll get one of those razors” followed by “Is it hard to learn to use…am I likely to cut myself”?
His stock answer to the latter question was “Not until the first six times you try to shave with it”. Apparantly using a strait razor takes a good bit of finesse…I’ve never tried it.
On the matter of barbershops next door to bars…this same friend told me the percentage of drunks in the barber trade was higher than any other. He blamed this partly on the discomforts of the trade…on your feet all day, trying to be nice to everyone, even the most obnoxious coustomers, etc. and especially to the fact that that back in the day nearly every barbershop was next door to, or in close proximity to a bar. He should have known…aside from time spent in his shop and maybe a few hours for sleeping he pretty much lived in the local tavern. A little guy, but had an amazing capacity for alcohol. Funny thing…I often saw him tipsy, but never did see his hand shake. A real pro, I guess.
SS
My barber gives me a straight-razor shave every week. It’s wonderful. Much closer than anything I can do myself.
It’s immportant to get someone who knows what she’s doing, though. I once foolishly let somene else in the shop use the straight edge on me when my regular barber was unavailable, and swiftly regreted it.
A few years ago I decided I was tired of paying $20 a pack for the disposable cartridges for my Mach3 (it didn’t help that I lost the actual handle on a trip), and dammit, I was going to learn to use a straight razor. So I did my research, and bought the least expensive set of equipment that could still be considered adequate. Then proceeded to cut myself and bleed all over the place the first dozen times I tried to shave with it.
Now that I have the hang of it, though, I find that I cut myself less than I ever did using the Mach3. I don’t know that I actually get a smoother shave overall, but I definitely get less redness and irritation. Also, since I’m lazy and I don’t have a job that requires me to shave, if I put it off for a week the straight razor will just plow through the stubble, whereas the old cartridges would get clogged and need to be rinsed practically every inch.
The downside is that yes, it does take a bit longer each shaving session.
While I wouldn’t quite say there is a full-blown renaissance going on, there are enough people who feel the same about modern shaving methods for there to be a proper market for straight razors. Two companies out of Germany and one out of France are still manufacturing straight razors, and there is a Japanese company that makes one you can load disposable razor blades (of the type you would use to make lines of coke on a mirror) into. I think there are several companies throughout Japan and the rest of Asia manufacturing proper straight razors as well, although of varying quality.
In the aftermath of AIDS most states prohibit shaving more than one person with the same blade. So barbers who still give straight razor shaves use straight razors that take disposable blades. These blades are very sharp though. The ones made by Feather in Japan are much sharper and more unforgiving than even the best old school and stropped straight razor.
High end shave at The Art of Shaving in New York.
Lower end shave at Hawleywood’s Barber Shop in California. (Donnie Hawley is using a Feather brand razor in this video - about $250, plus blades.)
Hawleywood’s are very cool old school barber shops complete with Pabst beer, Playboys and Rockabilly haircuts if desired for the customers. The idea is that it’s a place where guys can go to be guys. There’s even a bar and pool parlour for regular customers hidden behind a secret door. (There are rules though. Women are not allowed. Neither are men wearing ankle socks or fanny packs. Seriously.) Check out some of Hawleywood’s other Youtube vids if you want to learn more about them.
Why did you come back to this thread?
I get the occasional straight-razor shave in Bangkok. It’s very nice.
For some reason it showed up when I clicked on “New Posts”.
Ok, did you find the current thread? It’s not about shaving yourself, but your initial post here today might fit in there.
:smack: You’re right, and that’s where I meant to put it. However, I just figured out what happened. Here’s the long version:
I originally found the the other thread on my iPod touch. However I couldn’t copy The url’s from Youtube on the touch so I got on the computer. Once on the computer I typed “straight razor” and “SDMB” into the search box and this thread came up just one or two places from the top, and, merely glancing at it, I mistakenly assumed this thread was the thread I’d just been reading and posted accordingly.
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll repost in the current thread.