The old guys who won't let go of the straight razor on every client

I apprenticed under a guy who was 30 years in the game. He swore every man over 40 needed a straight razor finish. But here's the thing most of these guys walk in with sensitive skin from years of crap razors and they just want a clean lineup. I had a client last Thursday, guy in his 50s, asked me to skip the razor entirely. First time in 3 shops anyone listened to him. Why do we keep doing things just because that's how they were done in 1985?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron6841d ago

Oh, I get what you're saying, but that bit about 1985 might be off. Straight razors were way more common in the 50s and 60s, not the 80s. By 85 most barbers were already using shavettes or disposables for lineups.

abbyc331d ago

Did your friend ever tell you about that time he found his granddad's old straight razor in the attic? He cleaned it up and took it to a barber shop downtown to see if they could hone it for him. The barber straight up laughed and said he hadn't seen one of those since the early 70s. The guy said by 85 everything was either a shavette or some plastic handled thing you toss after a few uses. Your point about the timeline makes sense to me, especially if your friend's granddad was still using one in the 80s - maybe he was just a holdout.