Long before the era of razors, our ancestors relied on primitive tools made from flint and bronze to groom their facial hair. These early implements were sharp but lacked the finesse and precision of today's razors. Men used these rudimentary tools to scrape away facial hair, emphasizing functionality over comfort.
Ancient romans used an object called a novacila, which was a piece of iron, sharpened to a (fairly) sharp edge, but with finger holes. They then finished off by rubbing their faces with pumice stone to remove the remaining stubble.
In ancient Egypt, men shaved their faces and bodies for both religious and hygienic reasons. They used a variety of tools to shave, including sharpened stones, copper blades, and even obsidian razors. In the Middle Ages, razors were made from bronze and iron, and they were often decorated with precious metals.
Safety razors lost popularity in the late 20th century when cartridge razors became widely available. Marketing was a key factor in the popularity of cartridge razor systems over safety razors.
Was there some other method of leg hair removal before disposable blades? All sorts of things have been used to strip hair. 'Cut throat' razors, oyster shells and pumice stone were all popular in the Graeco/Roman world.
Japan: Women in Japan have preferred to shave only their legs and underarms, leaving the bikini and pubic area untouched. It is also quite common to remove facial hair and peach fuzz for a smooth, glass-like appearance.
Archaeologists have found evidence of tools dating as far back as 30,000 BC that were likely to have been used for shaving. Not your modern safety razors of course, but clam shells and sharpened flint stones were found and thought to have been used in shaving.
In the world of wet shaving, the safety razor has been making a striking comeback. Once the standard razor before the rise of plastic disposables, this traditional shaving weapon is regaining favour among agents of smoothness.
Unlike disposable plastic razors, safety razors provide a closer shave, with less pressure on your part and usually only takes on pass across the skin. As we've just mentioned, less friction means less accidents and that amounts to a better experience overall.
The butterfly safety razor utilizes a twist-to-open mechanism head to make changing the blade easy and convenient.
“The Romans didn't remove body hair to look beautiful, they did it for cultural and religious reasons – men removed it as a sign of purity,” said Viren Swami, a professor of social psychology and an expert in body image at Anglia Ruskin University.
Because hair traps perspiration, it can also become a breeding ground for bacteria and odors. For these reasons, by the early 1900s being “clean-shaven” had become associated with basic hygiene.
In instances where the hair on the scalp needed to be shaved off, Native Americans used obsidian flakes. An obsidian is a type of hard, glasslike volcanic rock that is used by Native Americans as knives. These are very sharp and cut with great efficiency.
Shaving Brush – Men used shaving brushes to apply soap lather to their faces and lubricate it for shaving with the straight razor. The bristles are made from animal hair and the wood handle on this brush indicates that it is a very old item. Lye Soap - Soap in the West was not the sweet smelling soap of today.
Tonsure can also refer to the secular practice of shaving all or part of the scalp to show support or sympathy, or to designate mourning. Current usage more generally refers to cutting or shaving for monks, devotees, or mystics of any religion as a symbol of their renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem.
Beheading required that victims' hair be cut short, allowing easy access to the neck.
Short handled safety razors allow the user to apply pressure and tension more easily than razors with longer handles. That being said, the difference between a long and short handled razor can sometimes be around 0.5-1cm… not a big deal.
The skin around your genitals is especially sensitive and chemicals can cause shaving rashes and bumps. - Always using a fresh double edged safety razor blade. Sharp blades create less friction which helps to lessen, reduce and avoid shaving burn and rashes.
The use of a singular blade means your skin is subject to less pressure and friction, reducing soreness and damage. The design of a cut-throat razor also allows you to angle the blade into hard-to-reach places without difficulty, giving you cleaner, more uniform results overall.
And with some basic care and maintenance, a good safety razor can literally last a lifetime.
Every time you shave, you increase the risk of a skin infection caused by your cartridge razor. In addition, cartridge blades are often used for several weeks for cost reasons – this exposes you and your skin to an even higher risk of skin irritation. All these problems can easily be avoided with a safety razor.
The 1940s and World War II brought a shortage of nylon, so women were more likely to shave their legs because stockings were harder to come by. Bikinis became mainstream in the late 1940s, and coupled with the popularity of Hugh Hefner's Playboy magazine, encouraged the hairless pubic area.
Thanks to modern advances in double edge razor blades, a safety razor can shave much closer with a single blade than a plastic multi-blade cartridge can with 3, 4 or even 5 blades and because only a single blade passes over the skin it causes less irritation.
Ancient greeks were bearded until Alexander became the trend-setter for shaved faces. After him the classical roman look was shaved up until Hadrian. Second and Third-Century Romans are often depicted with beards again up until Constantine who again was clean-shaven.