I find it very disconcerting that there is a trend to ban straight razors at Barber shops because of some foolish people. From what I have read there have been some instances of disease such as AIDS being spread. My first issue with this is that obviously the equipment was not being properly cleaned so what else were they places doing wrong. Second why not just straight shave people that bring in their own personal razor. They maintain it, clean it..The barber just shaves. This is what was done over 60 years ago at many Barber Shops Why overreact with a ban?
This ban is the case in many states, and happening in more countries as we speak. It's easier to just ban something than to sort out any details of truth. What few shops that offer any sort of shave service are using a disposable razor or the shavette type to shave customers. What a shame this is. Had the razors been properly disinfected, none would be concerned. Young people have little interest in straight razor shaving, so there has been no effort to fight or change these bans as there was with tattoo and piercing shops.
I see two issues here, actually. The bans are based on health, and let's face it--without proper care, they can be a danger. The proper care, of course, is the issue. What the real problem is, of course, is that the old school barbers themselves are disappearing. The added work to maintaining straight razors, and thus the added time and money, are probably pretty intimidating to a lot of newer trainees, and when you compare them to the low maintenance, low initial investment of the shavettes, it's actually a pretty tough sell to a non-traditionalist. And, of course, lot of people are afraid of them, to be honest. The fact is, disposable blades are really convenient when you're shaving lots of people a day. No time needed to stop, strop and occasionally touch up a dulling edge. It's sad, but true. For people who don't care that much about the real quality and tradition of a straight shave, the benefit is hard to see. Even here in Japan, where there is no ban, there aren't that many places to get a real straight shave. The vast majority of salons/barbers use the Feather or KAI replaceable blade shavers out of convenience (and, of course, the "latest thing" disease that riddles every aspect of the society); even my super old-school barber uses one most of the time, though he does keep a couple of straights around for slow days and picky customers.
I hear you, JimR, same here in the Yokosuka area; all the barbers use either Feather or Schick system straights. But then, the Barber I’ve been using for about a year now is the daughter of the Master and she’s so darn attractive she could probably shave me with the lid off of a can of sardines and I’d smile and say thank you.
A year ago, I invested in an autoclave and several (well, OK, nine) straights with stainless steel scales (Wapis, a couple of Dovo SS blades and a couple of custom LeGrelots) with the goal of demonstrating that it was possible to sterilize straights in an autoclave and conform to the law here in Modena (20 minutes at 130 °C). I've learned two things. First, the blade really needs to be stainless or there's a great deal of oxidation in the autoclave that probably doesn't hurt the razor but is unsightly. Second, there's very little chance that barbers are going to go back to using straights. Here are the facts, as I see them: Beginning in the 1980s, the AIDS scare caused barbers to switch to disposable blades. Around this time, the barber schools started teaching the use of disposables. The old barbers that know how to use a straight are in the process of retiring or are old enough that they don't want to relearn the technique. Because the old barbers are retiring, the ones that are still working have all the business they can handle picking up the customers of the retiring barbers. The new barbers don't know how to use a straight and don't have the time to learn. One day, when I win the lottery (my retirement plan), I'm going to open my own barbershop, which will be entirely in a 19th-century style and all the barbers will give straight razor shaves.
Bravo!! I hope your lottery winnings come to you soon! A friend of mine has his very own vintage Barber's Chair. He wants to do pretty much the same thing.
And you can fashion a special chair which facilitates the preparation of meatpies in the basement. :happy102 Edit: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/weird/todd/barber_6.html
One thing none of you has addressed is the use of your OWN razor. You maintain it, you bring it. Of course this only works when you can find a barber that still does this type of shave. Another tradition being lost. So many things these days are giving away to the quick and efficient. I do remember my first straight razor shave and it was a scary experience. I was young and naive had been given a coupon for a "Beauty" School (they were teaching all aspects of hair cutting and shaving but it was not a priority. I figured not too much could go wrong teachers were around.. Ever been shaved with COLD water and a cold blade.....yea not a great time..
Here in Montreal, it's becoming hard to find a barber who will even shave you. They don't want to do it so much any more.
I bought a barber chair on eBay (for 1 Euro) and the first thing my wife told when we went to pick it up was, "I'm not baking any meat pies".:happy102
Actually, this wouldn't work because the barbers had to change their technique to use the Shavette-type razors (it's actually quite different) and many have simply lost the touch. I talked to three barbers here in Modena who used to give shaves with a straight razor and they all refused to give me a shave with my own razor for that reason.
But why should we allow others to take from us the joy of using a straight razor? That is like having a driver for your Ferrari!! More seriosly, I think there isn't really a demand for straight razor shaves anymore, apart from people like "us", and for the Goverment it has to be a priority the health issue, so I can understand they being banned..but cannot understand why the tatoos are allowed then...maybe if there were a real demand for straight shaves, then barber would be forced to comply with a billion requirements, but allowed to do it..
In fact, here in Modena, tattoo shops and barbers are covered by the same law and requirements. The barbers could have kept their straight razors just by buying an autoclave and steel-scaled razors. I think that the autoclaves were just too expensive and the barbers were looking for a razor with less maintenance and, now, it's just too late.
I think part of the issue also is at least here in NYS the barbers cannot use a strop. It is considered an unsanitary item and possible pass the nasties from one customer to another. So while they can use the straights they cannot use the strops and I am not so sure that too many people would want to be shaved with a razor that has not touched a strop. The only alternative would be to have disposable strops but I don't think that would be very cost effective. So they use a shavette and toss the blade after they are done.
Hi, That's very interesting, but may I ask a maybe silly question? Won't the razor have its temper ruined by sitting in a chamber 20 minutes at 130 degrees C?
It's not a silly question and I did a lot of informal research (asking people who make razors such as Bill Ellis and Mastro Livi). The tempering temperature of steel is about double the sterilizing temperature. If it affects the temper of the steel (i.e., softens it) it would be gradually over years and possibly never.
