The first razor that men used to shave is generally regarded as the straight razor or cut throat razor. Charming name to be sure. Just the thought of this open blade razor being held to the throat of a customer by a barber in an old western movie makes you wonder what if anything is coming next… will it be just a regular shave or there is something more sinister about to happen?
While the straight razor (or at least a version of it) dates back to Ancient Egyptian times, it wasn’t until 1680 that it was manufactured commercially to a large degree beginning in Sheffield, England. It quickly became the go-to shaving device for men around the world whether by themselves or at the aforementioned barber shop.
In 1904, King Camp Gillette received a patent for the first so-called safety razor and it replaced the straight razor over time as the shaving choice for men. Since it came with a shield over the blade, it was considered a safer option for men than the straight razor that it replaced, ergo the name.
Even today though, the straight razor is still considered by many males and haircare pros to be the true shaver for men. Indeed, the straight razor has seen a resurgence in demand over the past 15 years largely due to placement in movies that make men familiar with the product along with its sustainability: While men throw away billions of razor blades cartridges and heads each year when they dull or wear out, a well-maintained straight razor can last for years.
While a straight razor needs to be sharpened and stropped and typically requires the use of a better quality shaving cream, its popularity continues to increase globally as more and more men discover its suitability for them.
The straight razor does also require a degree of skill. It is held differently from the disposable razor blades and electric shavers men tend to use regularly. Straight razor shaving can be learned however and it has been around longer than any of the other options so it’s clearly a device that can and has been mastered by men now and in the past.
Straight Razor Benefits
A straight razor utilizes a single blade that cuts whisker hair at skin level rather than pulling hairs upwards and then cutting them so that the remaining hair falls below the skin like modern days multi-blade razor blades. These so-called lift and cut razors (and electric shavers) may provide a closer shave but often lead to ingrown hairs, something that you tend not to find with a straight razor.
A single blade straight razor also tends to irritate the skin less since you only have one blade passing over your skin. This is as opposed to the popular multi-blade razor blades widely used today.
Using a straight razor tends to offer a good degree of control too, since you decide the speed, angle and pressure that you place upon the razor as it touches your skin.
As mentioned above, you may find a well-maintained straight razor will last for many years. So if you’re tired of buying and replacing disposable razor blades over time, a straight razor may be a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option.
It does give men a feeling of really shaving, too. The truth is that most guys haven’t ever given using a straight razor serious thought since they are for many men, a product of a long bygone era. But their increasing popularity and availability seems to suggest that their comeback will not be short-lived.
Straight Razor Fable
There’s an old German fable called “Der Barbierjunge von Segringen” which literally means The Barber Boy from Segringen that tells the tale of a young barber trainee who teaches an older man a lesson, while shaving him with a straight razor.
The story goes like this:
An older man from the army with a heavy beard enters the town of Segringen and upon going to the local inn, tells the inn manager to bring him the local barber to shave off his heavy beard due to its itchiness. When the most experienced barber arrives onsite, the man loudly tells the barber “if you shave off my beard without cutting me, I’ll pay you 4 crowns. But if you cut me, I’ll stab you to death!” The man then suggests that it wouldn’t be the first time he’d killed someone for cutting him. The barber runs away in fear, unwilling to take the man up on the offer. A young barber apprentice is then brought to the inn and despite receiving the same warning about cutting the man, he is intrigued by the 4 crown payment and agrees to shave him. He ends up shaving the man successfully without cutting him even once. The man is astonished that the young trainee could do what the older experienced barbers wouldn’t even attempt. He asks the boy “why you were willing to shave me after I threatened you and after the other barber ran away in fear? I would have stabbed you if you’d have cut me!” The young boy calmly responds “If I’d have accidentally cut you, you wouldn’t have stabbed me because knowing your threat against me, I’d have immediately slit your throat with the razor before you had a chance to do anything.” It was at that moment that the man realized that he had in fact been the one in danger the entire time and had no leverage over the boy. He paid the boy his 4 crowns along with an extra 1 crown coin and never threatened a barber like that again.