At The Barbershop

I am just shy of six months of experience shaving with a straight razor and my local barber has been very encouraging and helpful during this time. He has been cutting my hair for almost twenty years. He constantly instructed me to use the lightest of pressure when using a straight razor. I thought I had progressed really well with more and more consistent shaves but today when I got my haircut, he shaved my sideburns and the back of my neck with a straight. His touch was so light that it was like a piece of silk had run across my neck. I never had the sensation of a razor touching my skin. I just felt a light tickle but the result was a smooth and close shave. It made me realize just how barbarian my shaving technique is in comparison to his.

Now I won't be happy until I can get that same light touch in my shaves. He has given me a new goal. Wow! What an eye opener.

His establishment is an old time downtown barber shop in the lower floor of an eight-story lawyer's building complete with a revolving barber's pole out front. He started working there just after he got back from serving in WWII and recently quasi-retired and sold the shop but still comes in three days a week. It has the old time cash register and the old time shoe shine stand. A lot of the university professors, lawyers, judges, and professional people frequent his shop for a haircut and/or shave. I told him, "You cannot retire until I pass away." At age 68, I am too old to adjust to a new barber. In retrospect, going to his shop every two weeks is one of the great pleasures in my routine. My first haircut was really great and I am now glad that I started a tradition of tipping him 30% at every visit. It was a wise investment.

I always try to be light with the straight when shaving because there is always some skin irritation at the end of every shave. But one click lighter to what I routinely use, and I will not cut the hair.
My impression is that full hollows and especially 5/8ths are too light and need hand pressure to do the work. While, wedge, or near wedge blades, especially 6/8ths and larger, are heavier and can cut the hair with extremely light hand pressure (not pressure, guidance).

So, my opinion is that blade type and especially blade weight matters.
For me, full hollows are less smooth razors than non-full hollows.

I wrote a long thread about this important idea a few months ago. What the barber is doing goes beyond the idea of using a light touch. Think in terms of applying a stroke without laying the weight of the bade on the skin.

I was a straight shaving hack until I received some professional instruction from a barber instructor. Those guys built up some wicked skills.

AFDavis11 can you link us to that thread mate. It would be interesting to read it.


Mick

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Originally Posted by MickR

AFDavis11 can you link us to that thread mate. It would be interesting to read it.


Mick

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I think that this may be the one, Mick:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...tml?highlight=

Glad to hear that you have a great barber. My experiences with barber shaves have been less than stellar - extreme close shaves, but massive irritation and cuts. Unfortunately, I'm not the only one who has endured a bad barber shave or two. Good to hear a success story!

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Originally Posted by Slur

My impression is that full hollows and especially 5/8ths are too light and need hand pressure to do the work. While, wedge, or near wedge blades, especially 6/8ths and larger, are heavier and can cut the hair with extremely light hand pressure (not pressure, guidance).

So, my opinion is that blade type and especially blade weight matters.
For me, full hollows are less smooth razors than non-full hollows.

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Sorry, but I disagree. This thread is about barbers, and the weapon of choice for professional barbers around the world? You guessed it, full hollowed razors. If full hollows were less smooth and far too light compared to heavy grind razors, they never would have replaced the wedge as the tool of the pros.

Keep practicing with the hollows, mate. Perhaps one day you'll come to prefer them over heavy grind razors :shrug:

Thanks, that was a great read. You are fortunate to have a good barber/shaver so close. Here is an article that was in
last weeks San Francisco Chronicle. This barber actually teaches a class for his interested customers. I hope the link works.

Straight razor shave - S.F. barber shows how

Having an experienced old time barber who still gives shaves like that gives folks an idea what a really good shave is all about. You probably don't know how lucky you are. Just think, many years ago anyone could go into a local shop and get a shave like that.

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Originally Posted by lz6

Thanks, that was a great read. You are fortunate to have a good barber/shaver so close. Here is an article that was in
last weeks San Francisco Chronicle. This barber actually teaches a class for his interested customers. I hope the link works.

Straight razor shave - S.F. barber shows how

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Reading that article, in one place it says 'genuine straight razor', but then towards the end it alludes to a Shavette with the use of the words 'includes razor, blade...' , I ill just assume that a Shavette was used throughout the entire proceedure, as that seems to be the way of things these days.
Good that someone in a position like that is taking the intiative though. Needs to be more of it.


Mick

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Originally Posted by MickR

Reading that article, in one place it says 'genuine straight razor', but then towards the end it alludes to a Shavette with the use of the words 'includes razor, blade...' , I ill just assume that a Shavette was used throughout the entire proceedure, as that seems to be the way of things these days.
Good that someone in a position like that is taking the intiative though. Needs to be more of it.
Mick

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My barber still uses a regular straight razor for me. I don't know whether he always does that for everyone else or if he does it for me because he knows I use a straight at home.

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Originally Posted by AFDavis11

...Think in terms of applying a stroke without laying the weight of the bade [blade] on the skin...

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Thanks. That is a perfect description of what I experienced and what I hope to develop in my technique. Your article is great.

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Originally Posted by MickR

Reading that article, in one place it says 'genuine straight razor', but then towards the end it alludes to a Shavette with the use of the words 'includes razor, blade...' , I ill just assume that a Shavette was used throughout the entire proceedure, as that seems to be the way of things these days.
Good that someone in a position like that is taking the intiative though. Needs to be more of it.


Mick

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I don't know what the rules are anywhere else, and I'm sure they vary state by state even here in Auz, but my barber told me that they pretty much HAVE to use shavette's to comply with the health regulations (or use and maintain autoclave equiptment for sterilising straights between customers) and that they don't bother to teach stropping in Barber School any more as a result.

Here my barber uses a Panasonic disposable blade straight and only for the back of the neck. I've only had it done once (only my third time to the shop), but it was incredibly uncomfortable. It felt like he was using a serrated blade instead of a straight blade. And his touch was not light. But he was also a young guy (30?). There are two others at that shop that shave the neck too. Maybe they'd do better?

So far as I know shavette style razors are required in most states in the U.S. for health code regulations. I have wondered if they'd shave a guy with a razor he brought in...but my experience thus far wards me off from searching that out until I try out one of the older guys.

Peace,

Years ago, when I had a bit more hair on my head and payed the exorbitant fees charged by hairdressers, I remember a few of them using shavettes to clean up the back of the neck area. I don't ever remember them being a comfortable experience either. I've been doing my own hair cutting for sometime now and I have e to have the wife give the neck area a once over. She is the only reason I hang onto my cartridge razor...For now! She will have to get used to using a DE when the last of the cartridges are used up. Never know, I might even get her around to wielding a CT after a while of that. :)


Mick

When I took my razor to my barber his first comment was that his personal razor was much heavier than my razor. He uses a 1/4 to 1/2 hollow for his personal razor. He uses shavettes for shaving customers. There is absolutely no discomfort when he shaves my neck. Smooth, light touch.

Sounds like a very nice and nostalgic establishment. I wish I could find one around here!

I'm a Master Barber, lay the blade flat and let it "glide" over the area--you dont have to force it. It will be smooth.
Gary

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Originally Posted by gtho150

I'm a Master Barber, lay the blade flat and let it "glide" over the area--you dont have to force it. It will be smooth.
Gary

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Thanks for the tip...and welcome to SRP!

Where in texas is this?