A Good Lather is Half the Shave
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In the 19th century men would have removed their facial hair using a straight razor, more commonly known as a cut throat razor. It was sharpened using a leather strop when it became blunt, so it could go on being used for many years. These 6 razors acquired by local collector Duncan Young, originally came from Chas Clements who had a specialist shop in Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly in London. They would have been used with a shaving mug, brush and shaving soap similar to those shown below. The wooden box dating from the 1890s, contains a ceramic dish to hold the soap. Shaving mugs similar to the one shown were patented in 1867. A hard block of shaving soap would have been placed in the top, with the drain holes underneath and hot water poured into the jug. The brush was dipped into the water through the spout and then brushed against the soap to create a lather for shaving.
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In 1904 Gillette patented the double-edged safety razor, using replaceable metal razor blades. This made shaving safer and easier. The Gillette safety razor below dates from the 1930s. The handle is screwed into the head into which a blade is placed. It has its own case and a metal container to keep the razor blades in. This was a popular method of shaving until the 1970s when plastic cartridge attachments replaced the razor blades. In 1974 Bic invented the first disposable razor. By the 1980s disposable razors made up nearly a third of the worldwide market. An alternative to wet shaving was the electric razor, first patented by Jacob Schick in 1930.
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In 2019 5.5 million people in the UK were using disposable razors. With disposable razors having a suggested use of 3 to 10 shaves, the result is a lot of plastic going to landfill. While some recycling schemes are available, the composite nature of razors makes them difficult to recycle. By contrast a traditional safety razor is made entirely of metal and uses metal razor blades. Once the blades are blunt they can be put into a tin and once full go to metal recycling at a local recycling centre. The safety razor itself could last a lifetime and beyond. Using it with a shaving soap provides a less wasteful alternative to foam in a hard-to-recycle aerosol can. Electric shavers remove the need for lather or hot water and if cared for can be used for many years. Using renewable energy to power them rather than batteries makes them a sustainable option, but this is undermined by the fact that electric shavers are generally destined for landfill at the end of their life.
Shaving as people would have in the early 20th century is regaining popularity, with a big rise in the sale of traditional razors and products. In the early 1900s shaving was an issue of hygiene, because removing hair helped prevent lice and other parasites, bacteria and odours. Advertising of shaving products promoted a clean-shaven man as being hygienic and modern. At the same time, in order to expand the market of the safety razor, body hair in women was promoted as masculine and unhygienic. With new fashions exposing women’s arms and legs, they were encouraged to shave armpits and legs. In recent years Gillette has seen a decline in sales due to the fashion for beards and more people in general choosing not to shave. So while adopting traditional shaving methods can help reduce waste, many are taking the most sustainable approach to personal grooming, which is not to shave at all.
