Thread: Traditional Shaving Products for Our Troops

hey everyone.. let me know if i can send over some products for a group care package.. i have around 80 derby blades and a few misc soaps i can contribute to the cause..

i love being a member of this community and will do anything to give back.

I deployed over there andnever had an issue with sr8's...The only thing they had an isue with was my knife and bayonet....We could bring guns on board, but no knives...I was ridiculous...SO if the Soldies are carring the str8 on in a carry on luggage, then that is where the issue lies...As for sending str8's over..Most soldiers won't like the time it takes to shave with a straight...I was in for 22years and converted only a few in that time....Most joes like to rip through a shave...THere are a few, but not enough to send str8s over....THey would end up using them to open MRE's.

Ladies and gentlemen:

I have read these posts with much interest, and have analyzed the idea of providing straight razor and wet shaving equipment to our troops fighting wars. As a former soldier who has served in war (mine was Vietnam), my thoughts echo what some of you have noted.

My experience tells me most soldiers dislike the daily shave. They find it a burden, a pain in the tokhus, but do it because regulations are regulations. Although Straight Razor Place has made this noble gesture to our soldiers in war, I dare say we will have few takers.

A soldier has far too many things to think about, and on which to spend his time, than to embrace the world of straight razor shaving with all its rituals and idiosyncrasies. With rare exceptions, soldiers would rather get the shave over as fast as they can, any way they, and move on.

I fear, therefore, our effort will be for naught. Yes, our soldiers will be grateful for the gesture — soldiers are always grateful for a nod — but most will probably admit that straight razor shaving is not for them, at least not under the circumstances. A soldier's reality in a bloody war is different from ours in a peaceful land.

What's more, the world of wet shaving with the straight razor and the double edge relies on personal desire rather than anything else. We embrace this colorful world because we want to. Yes, occasionally some of us have tasted the fruits of it on invitation. Yet the reason we have kept up with it is directed by our desire to shave with the straight razor or the double.

I believe the best course for us, as individuals and as members of Straight Razor Place, is to provide all the teaching and information we can and let our soldiers decide for themselves, when conditions are better, whether they want to experience the daily pleasures in the shave den we civilians so enjoy.

Regards,

Obie

@Obie-I completely agree with that line of thought, and I'll add a little extra. Many of our troops are serving in remote areas where water, the ability to heat it, etc may be quite limited. In other words, it wouldn't be practical. During my OIF tour, I was never in an area where I could have done this, had I been straight shaving at the time.

it is a shame, but an understandable decision. as for heating water in the remote areas over in iraq i found that just leaving it in a bottle and sitting it outside for a bit works (in the summer time at least) .

-dan-

I have to agree, sometimes shaving was nice, when I had some downtime and the opportunity to take more than a 2 minute shower, but otherwise it was just something that needed to be done. I would encourage anyone that wants to send something to look into the many programs that exist for sending care packages. Powdered drink mixes and girl scout cookies were always popular Now if someone just really has to send a razor to a Soldier, I can take it off your hands

It is wonderful to see that so many individuals are willing to support us troops. I bought a Dovo Shavette in an attempt to learn to shave with a straight razor (I read somewhere that this razor is a good starter) but I quickly gave it up because I learned the hard way that this was not a smart idea. I am in California right now training up to deploy, yet again, and have wanted for years to learn the in's and out's of straight razor shaving but have no clue which products to buy (and certainly not enough $$$ to play the whole trial and error game since I am supporting a wife and several children). Any assistance that could be offered would be greatly appreciated because I would like to have all of the necessary gear and also to have perfected the art of straight razor shaving prior to heading into the sandbox for another year.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
(and yes, we can carry straight razors on deployment)