Why Did Mankind Started Shaving?
Before we begin to describe wet shave let's go to the beginning of history: although there are some very old historical evidences; the earliest date we can reach is about the years 3000 BC from the ancient Egyptian tales. According to the findings archaeologists discovered from the cave walls and excavations in ancient Egypt, shave was an important subject in terms of hygiene and health. Cutting the body and facial hairs was preventing all kinds of bacteria, viruses or diseases that could live between the hairs. As a consequence, many tools for the shaving from gold, copper or stone were discovered from excavations.
When we take a little later, the Macedonian King Alexander the Great comes to mind with the most prominent story about shaving. He was always shaved perfectly and advised his army to be well shaved. That was not just for hygiene; it was a tactic. A long beard could lead to fatal errors in close combat battles. In a life and death situation the enemy soldier could easily grab the soldier’s beard and render him helpless. So, it was best to be clean shaven to not to give the enemy a chance.
To sum up, with the nearly 5,000 years of shaving history, the shaving of the beard at first for started health and hygiene, and has transformed into a must for security and social status in the course of time. Such that, even in the Roman period, only free people were allowed shave.
In a nutshell, the obvious thing is, gentlemen; although various fashion and beard currents come and go, we have been shaving for the last 5,000 years...
So How Do We Shave?
Let's say right away: we’ve been simply wet shaving until the last century. In the last century it’s partially dry (ie with electric shavers) but generally still wet. You know; with water and soap.
With our above statement, we have divided "Shaving" into two, so make it clear:
1. Wet Shave : Shaving by wetting the beard with the help of any kind of soap, cream, gel, foam and a shaving tool or system.
2. Dry Shave : Shaving the dry face with an electric shaver.
(Since this method is not the subject of our article, let's just say that it is not the most enjoyable and healthiest method, and let's not go into details)
It’s possible to separate wet shaving into two styles:
A. Modern Wet Shaving
B. Traditional Wet Shaving
“Modern Wet Shave” is the method many men of the age of 35 to 40 or younger employ. Generally speaking, it’s a system where multiple bladed cartridge razors with 2 or more blades and ready to use shaving foams or gels in pressurized tubes are used.
This method has been shown to people in television commercials since their early adolescence. It was explained that, the best and safest shaving can be done in this way without even considering the direction of the beard. Of course, they believed the commercials since they didn’t know any other means of shaving…
Models first closely shaved with traditional methods, then were acting as they were shaving with these cartridge razors with a big smile, pulling the razor from one cheek to another, and it was stated these razors were able to adapt your face contours with their pivoted heads, that your face will not be cut even if you’re careless.
Indeed, It’s unlikely you will be able to cut your face unless you are really careless with these tools, which their main cutting principle is cutting the whiskers from a distance. Their other advantages are that they don’t require any cleaning and maintenance; and their replacement cartridges can be found literally everywhere from giant hypermarkets to neighborhood grocery stores. In contrast, it’s very unlikely you will find double edge razors blades in a market near you. Although cartridge systems may seem cheap at first, after a couple of shaves you must replace the cartridge head as it gets duller and uncomfortable, so you get a few more replacements, and this goes on constantly with the increasing prices of the replacements. A system where you cannot stop buying. But the availability makes "modern wet shave" method extremely popular, although it makes you spend a lot. Ultimately, accessibility in marketing is everything.
So, in a nutshell, "Modern Wet Shaving" is a quick and easy shaving method because it’s fast and safe. But what an egregious contradiction; these properties don’t mean that this method is the most satisfying. The fact that today's modern man escapes from shaving at every opportunity clearly reveals a dissatisfaction.
The "Traditional Wet Shave" on the contrary is the exact opposite of what we’ve described above. Those who use this method often look forward for the shave time to come.
In a point of fact both in traditional and modern method same procedures are done; as wetting the face, lathering and cutting the whiskers. But the differences in the details are so great that they are totally different at the base. Since natural soaps or creams take the place of pressurized foam tubes in traditional shaving, a shaving brush is added to the show in order to create lather, and the enjoyment is greatly increased as soon as you start using the brush. (The benefits of the shaving brush are countless but we leave it for another article.)
In traditional shaving, a razor or a straight razor is used for shaving. Safety razors are widely preferred due to the ease of use. The main reason safety razors are safer than straight razors is the presence of a safety bar that allows the razor to contact the skin only at a certain angle.
When using a straight razor, you need to adjust the shaving angle to about 30 degrees by yourself; but the blades of safety razors can only come into contact with your skin at only 30 degrees, so you do not need to adjust the angle. All you have to do is to shave with the direction of your beard “with the grain” in the first pass without pressing the razor down on your face. Since most are made from metal, their own weight will do the job.
The last thing we can say about these tools is that they give much closer shaves than any cartridge system can give you. Without irritation, without a burn. Each time you’ll get smooth and close shaves. And when it comes to the budget, since the razor blades are dirt cheap compared to replacement cartridges, you don’t need to worry about the money. Cost per shaving is much lower here. If you use a straight razor then it will serve you a lifetime without any extra spending supposed you’ll care for it. It’s another world though, nothing can come any closer to the amazing feeling of shaving with a straight razor. We’ll cover much more details about straight razors in future articles.
Let's Summarize: the "traditional" way of wet shaving will bring out the essence of the man inside you and will allow you to experience the emotions you do not know until today. In this journey, where shaving will become a pleasure than a necessity, you’ll make new discoveries about yourself.
Thank you for reading, may your shaving pleasure ever last!
