Most of us pick up a razor at least every couple of days, and although shaving's a little tedious, it's not too much of a hassle. It hasn't always been quite so easy, though. Let's take a look at the history of shaving.
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In the days before razors, you could either sport a hirsute look or get creative. Records drawn on cave walls show prehistoric people shaving with clamshells, flint knives, and even shark teeth. It's not clear when these crude implements gave way to what we now think of as razors. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, circular solid gold or copper razors can be found as far back as the 4th millennium BC in some Egyptian tombs. Still other cultures sharpened volcanic obsidian glass and used those.
Another story posits that the Roman king Lucius Tarquinius Priscus introduced the razor to his people in the 6th century BC, but shaving didn't really catch on with Romans for another hundred years or so.
In the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great encouraged his men to shave so enemies couldn't grab their beards during melees. Alexander's subjects were often shaved using a novacila, a block of iron with one edge sharpened, which sounds like a great way to shred your face.
Julius Caesar supposedly preferred to have his beard plucked out with tweezers, although other Roman men used razors or rubbed the beards from their faces using pumice stones. (Ouch!)
The idea was great, but there was a problem: the blades weren't easy to make. It took another six years for Gillette to find someone who could actually make the disposable blades. MIT professor William Nickerson joined up with Gillette to figure out a way to stamp the blades out of sheets of high-carbon steel, and by they had their first batch of razors ready to take on America's beards. By Gillette's design was moving 300,000 units a year. Interestingly, Gillette sold the razors at a loss, but he more than made up for it by selling the blades at a huge profit.
Although Gillette's invention came from his notion that he should invent something people bought, threw away, and then repurchased, he wasn't your typical capitalist. He became a strong proponent of utopian socialism later in his life and planned a community in Arizona in which engineers would rationally orchestrate all activity. Gillette even offered Teddy Roosevelt $1 million to serve as president of this planned utopia in , but Roosevelt declined.
People have been patenting and trying to market electric razors since , but at first they met with little success. (One failed model from ran on clockwork.) In a retired Army colonel named Jacob Schick patented an electric razor he had designed, and the world finally had a winner. Schick razors took store shelves by storm in , and they quickly sold millions of units.
Like King Camp Gillette, Jacob Schick was a bit of an odd duck. Part of the reason he went into the shaving business was that he really, really believed in the benefits of shaving. In fact, Schick supposedly thought that if a man shaved often enough, he could lengthen his life to 120 years.
After years of losing market share to their electric competition, Gillette finally hit upon a winning innovation in when it introduced stainless steel blades. These newer blades were tougher to hone, but they lasted much longer and didn't rust. Consumers loved them. Bic introduced the first totally disposable razors in the sixties as well, which made shaving even more convenient.
Gillette struck another blow in when it introduced the two-blade razor. Other companies followed suit, and now it's just a matter of time before we're all shaving with a 17-bladed behemoth.
Shaving dates back to ancient times, long before the invention of razors. Early humans used two shells to pull out facial hair, a method that was both crude and extremely painful. Epilation, or the removal of hair by the root, was a luxury only the elite could afford, distinguishing them in society. Thankfully, we have evolved from these painful methods to more efficient and less painful techniques.
Archaeological evidence suggests that shaving practices began about 100,000 years ago. By 60,000 years ago, early humans started using sharpened obsidian and shells to cut hair instead of plucking it.
Around BC, brass, copper, and gold razors were discovered and used. Alexander the Great, recognizing the tactical disadvantage of beards in battle, encouraged his soldiers to shave. This period marked the birth of the single-blade razor, or straight razor, which is still in use today.
In , Sheffield, England, became a key historical marker for the straight razor, with the first steel razors being made. Maintaining a sharp edge on the blade has always been crucial for a good shave. Over the next 200 years, the quality of steel improved dramatically, enhancing the design of the straight razor. These high-quality, carbon steel razors eventually made their way to the United States, becoming popular in barber shops.
Keeping a sharp edge on a blade has always been critical to a good shave, even today. These high quality, carbon steel straight razors would make their way to the Wild West being used predominantly by barber shops as a treat, for a special occasion or for the elite. This type of blade is what is known today as the &#;cut-throat razor&#;...although this term &#;cut-throat razor&#; truly belongs to Jean-Jacques.
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In , Frenchman Jean-Jacques Perret developed an extremely sharp straight razor. A decade later, he published a book titled "Pogonotomy," or the "Art of Shaving," which proposed the first safety razor by attaching a wooden guard to the straight razor.
William Henson invented the T-shaped safety razor, and the Kampfe brothers further improved the design. The evolution continued with the introduction of the disposable blade. King C. Gillette, a traveling salesman, standardized the double-edge safety razor. What is not as well known however is William Nickerson's innovation of mass-producing inexpensive, disposable razor blades which revolutionized the industry.
During World War I, Gillette gained a contract with the US Army, requiring each soldier to have a shaving kit. The reason for this requirement was that poison gas masks did not work with a beard or hair growth as a result soldiers were required to be clean shaven. This propelled the popularity of the disposable razor, which continued through World War II.
This is a critical time in history for men&#;s grooming, often times you see this evolution documented in vintage photography...generally in pre photographs men appear more &#;disheveled&#; in photos, often with long beards and facial hair but after this period you begin to see vintage photography showing well groomed, clean shaved men.
With King C Gillette&#;s double edge razor and Jean-Jacques Perret's Safety Razor, the possibility of shaving "at home". Fashion also drove this change, with men coming back from war, the clean shaven man became the accaptable look.
Together with the shaving brush, lather soaps, a sharp shaving blade the luxury experience that higher-end households would indulge in become a reality for the every day man (and woman).
The introduction of stainless steel, with its corrosion resistance and hardness, significantly impacted the wet shaving world. While this material was specifically being designed for military applications it has impacted the wet shaving world. In , retired US Army Colonel Jacob Schick applied for a patent for the first commercially manufactured electric razor, introduced in . The s saw the introduction of plastic disposable razors.
Invented in by the French company Bic, the first plastic disposable razor revolutionized the shaving industry by providing a convenient and inexpensive alternative to traditional safety razors and straight razors, which required sharpening or blade replacement. In , Gillette introduced the Trac II, the first plastic disposable cartridge razor, featuring a cartridge system with replaceable blades.
The Gillette Trac II razor revolutionized the shaving industry and set the stage for the development of subsequent cartridge razor systems with multiple blades and additional features.
These introductions marked a significant shift in consumer behavior towards disposable products. It was at this time the plastic disposable razors replaced the traditional safety razor.
Modern shaving offers numerous options, from plastic multi-blade razors to electric razors. However, traditional wet shaving with a safety razor provides the best experience. The ritual of the shaving routine, the aroma of the shaving soap, the downtime to reflect, and the nostalgia of shaving the way your father or grandfather shaved. Today you can opt for a synthetic shaving brush, a large selection of lather soaps, and get the hot water running all the while having the best shaving experience. Opting for a safety razor over disposable options promotes sustainability and reduces razor burn.
We are no longer having to pick out our hair with sea shells for a close shave. Plastic disposable multi-blade razor are very popular, yet sometimes these feel like we are still plucking hairs. Avoid these disposables for a more sustainable approach and a good way to avoid the razor burn. A quality safety razor is a must-have experience, and its worth exploring the ritual, the meditation, the &#;me-time&#;.
Little has improved from the single edge sharp obsidian rock, ironically obsidian's edge is still sharper then a razor blade however you still only need one sharp blade for the best shave!
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