The Dying Art Of The Straight Shave

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So there you are again, fresh out of shaving supplies. You’re left staring into the mirror, reduced to a pink sparkle Venus razor and your lady’s can of citrus-scented Skintimate.

How did it ever come to this?

It used to be, a shave meant something -- a time when male grooming was a rite of passage into manhood. It meant having your face blanketed with hot towels before getting lathered up in a barber chair and letting skilled craftsmen ply their trade on your jowls.

Now a proper shave -- with a straight razor -- is something of a lost art. Disposable razors and the unisex salon have practically sealed the fate of the straight shave. Save for a few holdouts, the barbershop shave and a haircut has been replaced by a quick-and-dirty trip to Supercuts and a DIY shearing. But more guys of this generation are getting fed up with hurried morning shaves and are yearning for a return to the old way of doing things -- the civilized way.

Bringing sexy back … to the 1800s

For most guys, the only shave they’ve ever known involves standing over the bathroom sink, hurriedly scraping their faces with a plastic Bic and rushing off to work with bloodied little bits of toilet paper dotting each cheek. Shaving was never meant to be this way. Few guys have ever been on the receiving end of a shave, much less kicking back in a barber chair and being treated to shave oils and a heated lather.

If Beau Brummell knew this, he would be turning over in his grave. Brummell, of course, was famed for his impeccable style and grooming. (He was London’s own nineteenth century metrosexual, if you will.)

Brummell is credited with bringing back the clean-shaven look. He actually set out to become a “gentleman of fashion” after inheriting a family fortune. Shaving became a pastime, and barbers became artisans. Story has it that barbers had to start working 90-hour weeks just to keep up with the clientele, who became bent on taking a few hours each week for their shaves.

No demon barbers

The demise of the straight shave doesn’t have anything to do with Sweeney Todd. Yes, straight razors are also known as “cut-throat” razors, but that’s not why they’ve fallen out of favor. For the most part, disposable razors made it much easier for guys to shave at home. Plus, most U.S. health departments also banned straight-edge razors over the years for sanitary reasons. In the 1980s, fears of AIDS further pushed the disposable-only movement to domination.

Straight razors need to be sterilized for about 20 minutes after each use, and some shops find this too time-consuming. Moreover, with the advent of unisex establishments, the barbershop lost its place as a domain for men only. Gossipy hairdressers and testosterone just don’t mix.

Read on for how to revive the dying art of the straight shave in your own shaving routine... Next Page >>