Thread: Strop in between each client?

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

...fact that with the rise of HIV and Hepatitis I wouldn't want a barber using a traditional straight on me I don't care how good your hygiene is.

Fact here is i can't wait to find a good straight-shaving barber shop to get a full shave. A much smaller risk than many i'm exposed to regularly.

sincerely,
runs with scissors


And it wasn't about hygiene, it was about selling a new and repeating product (profit) and time (barbers' profitability).

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

Personally even though in the past my old barbers used traditional straight razors for giving their clients a neck shave and picking off a few stray hairs around your ears after the cut, but given the fact that with the rise of HIV and Hepatitis I wouldn't want a barber using a traditional straight on me I don't care how good your hygiene is.

Yes this is partly why there is so much attention in the dentist office, beauty salons and barber shops today.

Some jurisdictions have gone all paranoid and some are stuck in the 1700s.

There are many interesting reasons old school barbering was "right".
Today some community risks are or have been so egregious that the paranoid should have their say.

IMO the first seven day set anyone should invest in is a set of towels.
Each shave should have a fresh clean towel.

I have been shaving with a straight razor for over 40 years now and my first razor was given to me by my barber when I was 17. I got it from him for free because it needed honing and he said it wasn't worth his time, he had a drawer full of the things. It seems that he would by them through the barber supply man that would come through, give them a light hone and strop them and abandon them when they didn't work for him any more which would explain the time problem and why they went to disposable blades. I did hone an old Sheffield razor for my present barber and she preferred using it to the straight bladed disposable and the customers liked it too but being made of high carbon steel, not stainless, and having horn scales it was a disaster. The barbasol caused the horn to delaminate and the steel went dull very quickly, to the point of having to start from square one if one was to hone it. That is nasty stuff! It is a requirement to have your razor in the stuff in Washington state and it is bad for old razors from what I saw.

UV sterilization is a better option than wet sanitizer for bare steel considering liquids and high carbon steel hate each other