Log in Subscribe
Random Thoughts

A close shave

Hudson Cooper
Posted 8/26/22

The process started many years ago when my world was young. Passed down from my grandfather to my father it was a rite of passage that every male experiences. At some point in a guy’s life …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in
Random Thoughts

A close shave

Posted

The process started many years ago when my world was young. Passed down from my grandfather to my father it was a rite of passage that every male experiences. At some point in a guy’s life puberty kicks in and it is time to learn how to shave your face.

The art of shaving was imprinted in my brain when as a 10-year-old I was mesmerized when I watched my dad shave. His method followed a set routine. As the sink filled with hot water, he shook his favorite can of shaving cream, Barbasol, before dispensing a glob to his hand. I watched how he spread it on his face. Then after placing a new blade in his safety razor, he began slowly shaving. I remember that he always shaved his face the same way, one section at a time.

It turns out that most men habitually shave the same way every time. Regardless of what shaving cream or razor they use, most of us attack our facial hair in an orchestrated manner. If you doubt this, do a quick survey by asking the men in your life if they have a specific method for shaving their face. I suspect most of them will answer in the affir- mative.

As a lefty, I begin by dragging a disposable razor down from the left side near my nose to my jaw line. Rinsing the lather off the blade, I move towards my ear making downward swipes that continue until I remove stubble from my sideburn near my left ear. Then I repeat the process on my right side of my face. Next, I shave above and then below my lips. Tilting my head up, I shave below my jaw line again starting on the left side of my Adam’s apple before switching to the right. Finally, I use one continuous swipe to shave my jawline from ear to ear. That is my rou- tine every time I shave.

The only thing that has changed over the years is the type of razor and shaving cream I use. Unlike what my dad used, I purchase disposable razors that last a few days. Companies make them with a variety of different cutting-edge blades.

Unlike today’s plastic razors, the first successful metallic ra- zors had a two-sided disposable blade. When the blade became dull, you simply twisted the casing open and popped in a new blade. The first company to successfully manufacture the “safety razor” was Gillette who introduced the double-edged blade razor in 1903. Their product really caught on during World War I when the government distributed Gillette shaving kits to all the soldiers. By 1918 the company had sold over 3 million safety razors and 32 million double-edged blades. Business got better for Gillette during the sec- ond World War when the government directed them to produce all their razors and blades exclu- sively for our armed forces.

Historians have discovered that removing facial hair goes back to the Stone Age. Of course, Barbasol and the Gillette razors did not exist in the days of cavemen. When Og returned from hunting a wooly mammoth, he wanted to clean up before greeting Mrs. Og and little Og, Jr. But instead of shaving he used clam shells to pluck out his facial hair.

Many cultures resorted to a variety of methods to shave. Ancient Romans used a pumice stone to rub away their facial hair. Shaving took a big step forward when Egyptian pharaohs decried that body hair was a sign of uncleanliness. At first body hair was removed using caustic ingredients such as quicklime or arsenic. However, with the rise of metalworking they began shaving with sharpened utensils.

In Greece, Alexander the Great commanded his troops to shave off their beards. He logically knew that without beards, their enemies had less to grab in hand-to-hand combat. Busy bar- bers in Athens thought it was a “Great” idea!

To get a closer shave, compa- nies continue to introduce dis- posable razors with an increasing number of blades. I think that any more than 2 blades is over- kill. I will leave the razors with 3, 4 or even more cutting blades to Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street.

Hudson Cooper is a resident of Sullivan County, a writer, comedian and actor.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here