Thread: Barber Shave Breakin' The Law

I finaly got some straight answers from my barber here in California.
Straight razor shaving is NOT against the law. There are no regulations that he is aware of restricting him from giving a straight shave.

He said that in the late 70's and early 80's barber schools removed straight shaving from the cirriculum because of the AIDs scare, and never put it back in. If a barber was licensed prior to that they can do straight shaves, but if they did not get some type of training or apprenticeship in shaving then it is out of their SOP for their barber's license.

My next question was "If someone wasn't licensed as a barber would there be anything illegal about doing a straight shave?" He said no.

So these shops that use cute young girls is doing it legally by using unlicensed girls, or by having them apprentice under a licensed master barber.
The shops that use feathers are doing so either under the incorrect assumption that they can't use a real straight, or because they don't want to sanitize or sterilize equipment.

So to summarize there are 3 ways that a person can legally give a straight shave...
1) be a barber with a license prior to 1976ish
2) apprentice under a master barber to learn shaving
3) shave people in the back of a tattoo shop...? This one is questionable, but hey if they can inject, pierce, and brand you in a tatto shop, why not shave?

So We just need to find a master Barber who will go around the country training barbers how to shave, and we're set...
Any Volunteers???

+1 to you, Mike! Thanks for the straight answers!

I'm not sure what the law about being shaved with a normal straight razor is here in the UK, but here in Swansea (Mumbles to be precise) we have an old fashioned barber, his name is Don Piper. I called at his shop to ask if he sold Stypic pencils (alum on a stick!) He told me "I'm not allowed to use them anymore, because of HIV". He told me go to any of the Chemists (US = Drugstore) they all still sell them.
I would have thought that would mean he also can't use a "fixed" blade, but he was waving one about as we talked

I came across these regulations concerning hairdressing parlors in Quebec a little while back. Razors, alum blocks, strops, etc. are addressed within. I don't know how relative it is to US regulations, but I found it interesting.

Here's the link:
http://publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc...._2/Q2R22_A.HTM

I will do more research but reading the law below it doesn't even imply straight razor shaving is illegal:

Sec. 20-244. Sanitary appliances and equipment. No barber shop and no barber shop in any school, college,
private or public institution shall use or maintain any appliance or equipment that is unsanitary or unclean. No
towel, other than a fresh, separate and clean towel, and no hot towel other than one made hot by the use of hot,
fresh running water, shall be used upon any patron or customer of any barber shop, or any barber shop in any
school, college, private or public institution. No powder puff, finger bowl, sponge, styptic pencil, hair duster,
lump alum or cuspidor shall be allowed in any barber shop, or in any barber shop in any school, college or
private or public institution.

You may read the entire law document here:
http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/practi...df/hairbar.pdf

We have a local hair salon here that does straight razor shaves. At least a couple of the barbers there do straight shaves and at least one specializes in the really fine line beards. They all use the "Magic" straights that use DE blades broken in half.
Talked to one of their clients. He was very pleased.

The old timer barbers at the shop where I live in Minnesota use the 1/2 DE blade set up for straight shaves. They call them "cheaters". So they still do offer shaves although I haven't tried it myself.

In talking with one of the barbers, he did mention that a shave cost less than a haircut and basically took twice as long; I read between the lines and thought his inference was that shaving a customer was a pain to give and time consuming rather than a haircut. He's in his 70's and really an affable chap (I've never met a barber yet who isn't).

Chris L

Of course they're affable... would YOU let a mean barber around your face with scissors, let alone around your throat with a razor? They're like bartenders in terms of customer service.

Thanks, Mike, for the law information for CA. I'm due for a haircut, and since I found a guy around the corner who's been around for something like 50 years, I'm going to ask whether he does shaves.

If nothing else, I'm getting honing tips from him!

-S.

If he is hesitant, it may be a sterilization issue, ask if he'll use one of your razors to do it.
also keep in mind he may not have shaved anyone since the 80's

I posted that there was a barber in my area who said that he did straight razor shaves. I’ve had him cut my hair and saw a couple of straights sitting there, so I assumed that he did. So today I made plans to get my hair cut and treat myself to a good barber shave.

What a disappointment. He uses a straight replaceable blade instead of true straight. He ended up giving me a good nick, and it still wasn’t close as a shave as to what I do myself with my straight. I did enjoy all the pre-treatment, but for $18, I expected a straight razor bbs. Oh well; he still cuts hair well.