Thread: 1880s-1890s shave?

I think shaving was mostly the same but with more Lilac Vegetal!

About like this:

Cheers!
~Richard

Maybe it happened at the same time, but you guys went as free spirits, we were mostly sent as prisoners. Culture changes but ever so slowly.
Interestingly, I was talking to another member recently and we noted never having read an account of someone enjoying their morning shave. I've come across plenty of references to barbers and razors, but never once has an author said 'wow, i had a great shave today and my face felt fabulous all day long!' Maybe they had terrible soap!

Ah the logic of the old English. If you were good and just citizens they would send you to freeze to death in the Canadian winters, but if you were a badass that could not be trusted, you were punished on the sunny beaches of Australia. LOL
I think if you had a shave back then, it was likely a good one, they were not subjected to plastic razors with multiple face ripping blades. I think sometimes to appreciate what you have, you need to try some new things. Ma never cooked so good until I got home from my first logging camp job!

Interesting topic

I would guess many men pre safety razor would have gone to a barber several times a week for a shave instead of doing it themselves unless they were well off and could afford all the gear. A barber probably would have had some means to heat the water so I would guess a barber shave wasn't cold water.

Neil was telling me about "green boards" that old timers were known to strop their razors on that really kept them sharp. More than likely CrOx based paint. When I went camping for 10 days this summer I brought an Arkansas stone, two razor set, balsa with CrOx, an old cheap leather strop, a bar of soap, and a brush. I used some lake water and slapped some soap on my face via my hands, face lathered, and shaved as quick as I could because I had camp stuff to do and tge shave wasn't luxurious but it was close and I was well shaved. It was a tool that did a great job but my guess is back then not much was about luxury. I didn't use aftershave at all either because it attracted local bees

@rodb
Likely it would depend on where in the world the barber was. If the climate had chilly winter and warm summer the hot water was likely a season item. It was time of not much wasted and most hot water was heated by the same appliance that heated the building. So in the summer no heat would mean no hot water. small appliances that only produce hot water are a modern item. I would expect that razors were one per household if you were lucky enough to afford one, and a lot of people only shaved once a week. I think daily shaves by yourself or someone else was certainly a luxury that not many had time for. During that era a lot of things were a lot of work and not a lot of people had much in terms of disposable income. I imagine the barber shops of that era would have been the hub, everyone meeting there, lot of politics and business being discussed. It no longer exists in my area, but I imagine in some areas it is still a center of the small town.

Here is an Barber's catalog from 1884. You can see the chairs, water heaters, mugs, brushes (badger and boar), stops, razors, and all the other stuff. Might give you an idea of what was out there.

https://archive.org/details/pricelistbarbers00koch

Originally Posted by Cincinnatus

https://archive.org/details/pricelistbarbers00koch

Of interest the 'Italian Oil Hones'. Have they been discussed before? There's some pretty fancy things going on in that catalogue. While I don't disagree with Rezdog, I don't think everyone was poor and struggling.

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

Of interest the 'Italian Oil Hones'. Have they been discussed before? There's some pretty fancy things going on in that catalogue. While I don't disagree with Rezdog, I don't think everyone was poor and struggling.

Keep in mind that $1.75 Wade & Butcher in the catalog was equivalent to $46.56 in today's dollars. Ironic because you can buy a decent W&B for about that price today...