Thread: My barber is not a resource

My 2 Cents; Had a haircut today and got into a conversation with the hairdresser, an older bloke in his late fifties early sixies, about straight shaving. He learnt the skill back at barbers school many many moons ago and is still very strongly in favour of straight shaving, but because of Australian law he has to use a Shavette setup which he isn't very happy about. He gave the same reasons most people do in favour for straight shaving, the skill of stropping, honing and making a good lather, the top notch shave.

Interestling enough he told me he doesn't actually straight shave himself, he enjoyed shaving other people but was hopeless when it came to shaving his own face! It's good to see that there are still hairdressers (He wasn't working as a barber) are still in the know, even if it is slowly fading.

It was my old barber that got me into straight shaving.

I started shaving with a DE in 1979. I also had a "mini-lawnmower", but I gave it up. It was too painfull. I haven't tried one since about 1990.

About 1988 I got a straight razor shave from a barber north of Seattle. It was just amazing.

A few years later I bought a straight razor just to try if it was even better than the DE. My first few shaves with my first straight wasn't all that. So I put it in a drawer and forgot about it.

Fast forward to a few years ago. I bought a Thiers-Issard that had been honed by Lynn Abrams.
That one was a lot sharper. That guy knows how to hone, I said to myself.
So I googled him, and found this great site. Got RAD, and will never turn back to any other method of shaving.

This is why I decided to go to barber school. I feel its my obligation to bring what is right in the world of mens grooming back.

On that note I would say 50% of the people I go to school with could care less about shaving and 99% could care less about using traditional straights, Its sad really.