Barbershop Blog

THE EVOLUTION OF SHAVING & THE BEST SHAVE IN THE WORLD

June 5, 2021

Without giving it too much thought, most of us pick up a razor and as quickly as we can, go through the chore of shaving. We take the convenience for granted and have lost touch with what was once an experience to be savoured. Shaving wasn’t always so easy, let's take a look at the history of shaving and at the best shave in the modern world.

Traditional Razor and Shaving Tools At Parramatta Barbershop
The Darkest Days

It is painful to imagine those dark days of facial grooming before razors and it doesn’t exactly  paint a picture of a close shave when you consider the tools on offer at the time. Cave paintings suggest that prehistoric people used shells and stones to carve away their unwanted facial hair. Ancient Egyptians developed solid gold and copper blades while other early cultures sharpened volcanic obsidian glass. Surely the most unpleasant method of those early days was the Roman technique of rubbing ones beard off with pumice stones!! Why bother you say? One reason men were encouraged to shave was to prevent their enemies from having a beard to grab a hold of during battle.


The Safety Razor

The first safety razors emerged during the seventeen hundreds with further improvements to designs coming during the eighteen hundreds. American inventor King Camp Gillette successfully patented a design for a safety razor with disposal blades in 1904. The safety razor greatly reduced the level of skill that was needed to perform an injury free shave and along with the affordable razor blades the reliance on professional barbers for men’s shaving wained.


The Electric Razor

In 1931 electric razors hit the department store shelves across the globe and sold in the millions. The design of the day was patented by an ex American army colonel by the name of Jacob Schick. Just like Gillette who came before him, Schick’s name remains synonymous in the men’s shaving scene to this very day. Electric razors are rubbish on long hair and they don’t provide the same close shave that a properly performed razor shave can, let’s look at the ultimate men’s shave next.


The Modern Barbershop Shave

The barbershop shave is the king of of all shaves and is comprised of techniques that have been honed for centuries by master barbers the world over. We couple the skills and techniques of true professionals with the latest advanced products for pre-shave, shave and post shave care. Our barbershop shave is drastically different to what most men have ever experienced and the master barber understands aspects of shaving that most men never knew existed.

To experience the best shave in the modern world for yourself, ask the barber for a hot towel shave on your next visit to Barber Industries. You will quickly realise that there is more to men’s shaving than can be replicated at home. 

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