Thread: Any experienced shavers in Istanbul, Turkey?

Hello everyone,

Lucky dog that I am my girlfriend gave me a lovely birthday present this year. A Solingen S525 straight razor with one of those belgium natural hones.

I've been reading a lot on honing, stropping, shaving and everything else needed for an awesome shave but considering the learning curve, and not wanting to permanently damage my gift, I would really like to meet up with someone who knows what they're talking about (my main concern at the moment is if I have honed and stropped my razor correctly). Turks have in fact good strong beards but straight razor shaving is not popular here as far as I can tell, I've not been able to get any solid advice anywhere.

My question therefore is: Are there any pros from this forum living in Istanbul?

Hmm, I would think that in Istanbul of all places you should be able to find an old barber that knows his way around straight razors. I mean it's big city, cosmopolitan, but also has a lot of old history and traditions.
I thought there was a member few years ago, but I don't think he was from Istanbul, I'm thinking the asian part of Turkey.

But I don't really know, wouldn't be surprised if there are a dozen forum members from there either and I just haven't paid attention.

You gotta be kiddin me right. Check this out and welcome to SRP, the Turks got shaving down to an art for sure......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4__aDhhvGT0

and this one which is in Istanbul ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDSWB4UFNFI

I also know a guy here in the states who just got back from Istanbul(brought me back the worlds best tea)and we were discussing the awesome shave he got there. Seek and ye shall find. Good luck and welcome to wet shaving sir.

istanbul turkey barber shave - YouTube

I don't know about members in this forum but my You Tube link features some barber shaves in Istanbul. I'm a truck driver and we shower and shave at company terminals whenever possible because showers are free (as opposed to $10-13 at truck stops). Consequently, a lot of people see me shaving with a straight and it often results in conversations. If someone is interested I tell them where I go online to talk about the subject and buy razors. Perhaps if you go to one of these barbers he would be interested in coming here to discuss wetshaving in Turkey. It might enhance his business and he might enjoy sharing his expertise with us.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

istanbul turkey barber shave - YouTube

I don't know about members in this forum but my You Tube link features some barber shaves in Istanbul. I'm a truck driver and we shower and shave at company terminals whenever possible because showers are free (as opposed to $10-13 at truck stops). Consequently, a lot of people see me shaving with a straight and it often results in conversations. If someone is interested I tell them where I go online to talk about the subject and buy razors. Perhaps if you go to one of these barbers he would be interested in coming here to discuss wetshaving in Turkey. It might enhance his business and he might enjoy sharing his expertise with us.

+1 on that Idea CC !!

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone

I've noticed each and every barber in Istanbul has a straight razor and I'm sure I could learn a lot about technique from them, friendly as they are I'm sure they would gladly help. However they all use shavettes, I've never seen one use a fixed blade (I've been living in Turkey for close to five years now) Therefore I don't think they could help me out much with the stropping and especially honing of the blade.

I took my straight razor to a barber the other day and his eyes grew big when he saw it, he had never used one like this and even the owner (around 60 years old I guess) said it was an antique artform. He recommended I go to a blade salesman to get it sharpened. When I got there he showed me how to hone it on my stone, leading with the spine(!) I quickly said I got the idea and left

Originally Posted by Stefan271184

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone

I've noticed each and every barber in Istanbul has a straight razor and I'm sure I could learn a lot about technique from them, friendly as they are I'm sure they would gladly help. However they all use shavettes, I've never seen one use a fixed blade (I've been living in Turkey for close to five years now) Therefore I don't think they could help me out much with the stropping and especially honing of the blade.

I took my straight razor to a barber the other day and his eyes grew big when he saw it, he had never used one like this and even the owner (around 60 years old I guess) said it was an antique artform. He recommended I go to a blade salesman to get it sharpened. When I got there he showed me how to hone it on my stone, leading with the spine(!) I quickly said I got the idea and left

Hmm...well I guess I could offer this advice only then. Learn as much as you can from here(check out the SRP WIKI) and all of us and as far as getting your razor shave ready,send it to one of our honemeisters here. I know it might be a bit pricey S&H wise but,it might have to do till you can find someone there. I wish I could give better advice but,that's all I got. We're not a bad bunch to hang with though.Hope this helps you though

Oh and every thread is better with some pics isn't it?

I would love to hear your thoughts on what I've actually got here. The package says "Solingen S525" and I can vagely see "Belgium" written on the yellow side of the hone. A quick search online didn't bring many results..

ps. I like the idea of bringing a turkish barber's knowledge to the forum. If I find a good one I'll definitely give that a try!

Originally Posted by Stefan271184

Oh and every thread is better with some pics isn't it?

I would love to hear your thoughts on what I've actually got here. The package says "Solingen S525" and I can vagely see "Belgium" written on the yellow side of the hone. A quick search online didn't bring many results..

ps. I like the idea of bringing a turkish barber's knowledge to the forum. If I find a good one I'll definitely give that a try!

Not my expertise...nice looking though. I'm sure someone her will eventually give you some good feedback on your razor. Good luck.