Thread: An Ecological Shave . . . and So Cheap!

Here's a charming article I just stumbled across in the online archives of Mother Earth News (iconic homesteading and back-to-nature magazine - a staple of the eco-hippie scene).

How to Use a Straight Razor

The author recommends straight razor shaving as an ecological alternative to electric razors (they "needlessly support the power companies") and disposable blades (wasteful). It covers a lot of the basic points we see in many intro-to-straight-razor type articles, including hunting up old razors in antique shops, and the importance of getting a good hone and strop.

I was a little surprised he never mentioned eBay, but I was especially taken aback when he firmly advised never to pay more than $2.50 for a used razor, and "if that's too steep, scrounge around". He does warn that a good razor hone could be costly: "expect to lay out from $2.50 to $10.00", but advises that you can save money by buying an old antique-store strop for one dollar and moisturizing it with bar soap. I had to stop and go back and check the date on the article: I have to say I was surprised to see how much of the common wisdom was in circulation, and how timely today's ecological considerations already were . . . 38 years ago, in March of 1972! (I guess that explains why he wasn't on eBay, but I wish I could still find that antique store he was shopping at!)

He adds some advice I haven't seen here: (1) you might be able to get a barber to hone your razor for you as a favor, but first you'll have to convince him you aren't planning to use it for a murder, and (2) don't strop your razor on your hiking boots, because it really doesn't work as well!

A fun read. Plus ce change . . .

Nice little blast from the not so distant past, thanks.

I think he gave bad advice for most men when he said to always shave against the grain...I have tried it and it wasn't pretty. Figuratively speaking of course.

Interesting find! One reason I've decided to leap into SR shaving is that it seems less wasteful.

Fred

Oh yeah, don't forget the alcohol as an aftershave...not!

Originally Posted by ktkeith

Here's a charming article I just stumbled across in the online archives of Mother Earth News (iconic homesteading and back-to-nature magazine - a staple of the eco-hippie scene).
.........
I was a little surprised he never mentioned eBay, but I was especially taken aback when he firmly advised never to pay more than $2.50 for a used razor, and "if that's too steep, scrounge around". He does warn that a good razor hone could be costly: "expect to lay out from $2.50 to $10.00",
.......
already were . . . 38 years ago, in March of 1972! (I guess that explains why he wasn't on eBay, but I wish I could still find that antique store he was shopping at!). . .[/I]

1972 -- that explains the prices...
Gas was about $0.40/ gal .... If I use gasoline as a measure of
inflation my $35.00 used Robuso was right in line and hones
may have come down a bit.

Yikes! 1972 really was 38 years ago. I was a year away from graduating from college. I was pumping gas part time (for 26.9 per gal). What I shaved with, was the farthest thing from my mind. (Yes, I had a hippie beard in those days). Boy, do I feel old! However, if I'd seen the article, I may have started sooner. That was in my burgeoing environmentalist youth. Now I'lm in my over-the-hill environmentalist old age.

Some bad info in that old article:

(2) Check the blade's cutting edge for nicks. Don't accept even the slightest imperfection and don't let the man tell you that such nicks will come out. It's your face, baby, and a jagged cutting edge will make it look like a battle map, and no, those nicks won't come out.

Lots of us have honed out microchipping in blades...they DO come out and it's hard to believe that they didn't have knowledge to do the same fourty years ago.

(3)Plain or fancy, its primary job is to give you something to hold the razor by

holding your blade by the handle is asking for trouble...

(1) Always shave against the grain. That is, if your whiskers grow down, shave up. Shave cowlicks twice, once up and once down. When you make razor strokes only with the grain of your beard, you're not shaving, you're just scraping your face and it'll feel like it.

You've got to be a true he-man to only do a single ATG pass...think I'll pass on that bit of advice.