Thread: Barber Shave Breakin' The Law

Originally Posted by Nickelking

I decided to start using him when he said that customers complained about him smoking cigars in his shop and his response was to stop cutting right then and say "feel free to go."

LOL, awesome barber! I would go to him, if nothing else but to smell the cigars while getting a cut/shave.

Originally Posted by cwrighta70

LOL, awesome barber! I would go to him, if nothing else but to smell the cigars while getting a cut/shave.

He really rocks, I only get a haircut every 6 months or so and when I walk if he'll ask if I want the usual or if I'm in a play. If I'm in a play I give a brief character description and he figures out the appropriate cut.

Sadly the last time I went in there I found out he's semi retired after getting hit by a car and breaking a hip. but he's still there tuesday mornings as well as whenever he feels like coming in! I will say his daughter, Faith, is a great barber as well, you can tell he's the one that taught her how to use a straight.

I don't know of a barber within 100 miles of me that will shave with a straight. In Utah in order to have a "barber shop" you have to be licensed to be a "salon" and the only couple of ex-barbers around I know won't go through the bother of getting license because they don't want to deal with fingernails and toenails or anything besides cutting hair and shaving.

Lame. Let the chicks go to their "salons", but let me get a dang real barber to cut my hair and give me a shave.

i`m around the new orleans,louisiana area and there is a little shop where the 4 guys are around 18 years old. when i get my hair cut they use a straight around the ears, neck, temple, etc.. and i also saw them lining a guys beard with the straight too.and they do a great job. that`s what got me wanting to shave with a straight. how smooth my neck was.

I live in South Carolina and have researched barbering laws here, I cant find anything stating that barbers can't use straight razors. Single use blades are required for tattoo and piercing studios. The few that I've found that will shave use disposable blade straights.

I do think the laws everywhere should allow for customers to provide their own straight razor for barbers to shave them with. That way there shouldn't be an issue.

Chris

Is there a dermatologist or other expert in skin diseases on the board? I agree that there is a lot of misinformation out there. I would love to hear some expert thoughts on the use of straights in a public setting.

As of right now I am not sure it is such a great idea. Hepatitis - http://www.hcvets.com/data/transmiss...hods/razor.htm

BUT as we all know, when straits were popular disease research and sanitation chemicals are not what they are today. I would love to see what modern science can do!

In an era of litigation where absurd rulings seem to be handed down daily, I couldnt blame any barber for not offering a shave service.
Now if there was a barber like the cigar smoking guy referenced in an earlier post in my neighborhood, well I'd be making a visit.

Dave

The simple truth about an exposed blade is it is non-porous. Any viral or bacterial matter could be easily removed with simple soap and hot water. a quick dip in a sterilizing solution followed by another quick wash would provide a clean safe nearly sterile blade. If there were "nooks and crannies" for stuff to hide it would be different. if a blade has pitting, it has more places for stuff to hide.
The reason Barbers think it's illegal is because they have been told it is unsafe, that it can't be done, and that blades can't be cleaned. If this were true, dentists would be illegal too...
I understand that some states have inacted single use laws into the Barber's licensure, but I haven't been able to find it.

It all stems from ignorance and fear in a society ruled by lawsuits.

Gentlemen,
I was fortunate to have a straight shave care of an old time barber who used a straight, Cadman. I was seated in a century old barbers chair, (pretty uncomfortable) and away he went, hot towels, plenty of lather, gave me a good idea what a properly sharpened straigh should feel like. He had not given a straight shave in years and seemed a little bemused that young blokes should be interested in such a method. I had a look at his stone and remembered I has seen the same type in an antique store in Fremantle. I subsequently purchased said stone and it works well. He finished my shave with a bay rum after shave. His name is Bill Gleeson and he featured in Collectors which is an Australian antique show. Just put in Collectors ABC into google and follow the promps. Bill is located in South Perth Western Australia. I guess it is still legal for a barber to use straights down under.

Cheers all

Gordon

I just left a barber that I tried for the first time today, Town & Country Barber Shop in North Las Vegas. He used a feather straight razor, the Japan one. He stated he had went to the feather so he did not have to strop it. It was a good shave.