Shaving for the ol'man

Gasman

Gasman

Show me that again!
When i went to CA last month i asked my dad if he had used any of the shaving gear i sent him. He says once a week he lines out his beard with the straight razor but still uses the electric to do the biggest parts.

So i thought id invite him to watch me shave. I have to admit i was a little intimidated having my dad watch me shave. Odd! But thought maybe he would see how easy it can be with practice and maybe he might start shaving more and leave the electric alone after some time.

I did a full 3 pass shave explaining all the steps and angles. Showing how to make lather, strop, the prep and after the shave routine.

The part that made me the happiest was i didnt nick myself. Ha. I dont normally have that issue any longer but figured if i was doing it while he was watching id surely cut myself.

All ended well and i hope he learned a little from it. But i dont live close enough to help him and he hates "the computer thing" as he calls it so he will not be joining the group soon.

All in all, i thought i was a cool thing showing the ol, man how to shave. You just never know.
 
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tcrideshd

tcrideshd

Head Bouncer
My dad told me when I got into it that he shaved with one long enough before when it was his only option, ( couldn't afford the fancy double edge things) plus he spent a few decades having his barber shave him a couple times a week. So he says his time with the electric was just fine with him. Told me when I had 50 years or so with a straight I might go back to an electric myself. So no dice with him. Tc
 
petercp4e

petercp4e

Focus to Win
I remember fondly, when I was a young boy, my dad shaving with a straight razor. He had two. He also took me down the basement and showed me how he honed.
I also remember when he got his first electric razor, a Sunbeam. That, to him, was the latest and greatest high tech gadget to come down the pike in a long time.
Needless to say he never went back to a straight razor.

Pete <:-}
 
Gasman

Gasman

Show me that again!
Unfortunatly for me, my father never taught me to shave. Not that it would have helped any. Mom brought home a bag of the bkue plastic razors and a can of goo and said its time to start shaving.

So i headed to the bathroom remembering what i had seen in movies and went for it. Then uncle sam said i had to carry one in my pocket and shave at noon too. Splash some water anf drag the razor.

So that was my experiance in shaving. It was a bit odd having my dad watch me shave. I dont think he will get rid of the electric but i tried.
 
niftyshaving

niftyshaving

New Member
The transition from electric to wet shaving is not without troubles.
Some of the modern electrics give a very serviceable shave but the
skin responds very differently. If you dad is near my age and has something that
works the adage "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" may apply.
My dad taught me to shave and I am old enough to have had a barber lather
and shave me after hair cuts to trim the edges. once I got old enough to stop wiggling.
The big lesson my dad made was that it is a "blood" sport and sanitation was and is important.
His experience with blade shaving in the Pacific Islands of WW2 and rusty
old school "blue blades" had him looking for better options and choices.
 
Charlie Lewis

Charlie Lewis

Member
Speaking of shaving with your father brings back memories. I shaved my Dad's face and head for a few years. He had used an electric razor on his face and head for as long as I can remember. I never saw him with a head of hair. When he was unable to to shave himself I would still use the electric for everyday normal shaves. He would like the hot towels lather treatment for a fancy shave, I could do his face with a straight, but I never mastered shaving his pock marked head with a straight I would usually use a safety razor. I can not smell Skin Bracer, or Aqua Velva without thinking of him.
 
Gasman

Gasman

Show me that again!
My Dad had told me in the past that he used an injecter razor when he was young and had great shaves with it. He had tried a DE and it ate up his face (in his words). So im getting with a member on SRP who is going to send me a injector razor. Nothing special, just an old Shick. Going to get it cleaned up and sanitized and ship it to him with a box of blades. Im also on the look out of a decent looking, Old style Gillette. Id like to send him that too. He has a nice brush and 6 different soaps that ive sent him. Maybe he might pick-up wet shaving again. But i dont think it will be with a straight.

Hes retired, age 75, and has time on his hands, so why not try and enjoy the shave. But teaching an old dog to do something he left behind 40+ years ago? It might not happen, but at least he will have the stuff if he feels up to it.

Still got to find the Old gillette. I got blades that i use and like, just got to get a few more things together for him.

And i think your right Charlie. Hes been using the electric for a long time. He might not change at this point in his life. But maybe...
 
paul76

paul76

Member
My dad still shaves every day even being retired. I remember him always using an old Gillette with the butterfly top, and tossing the blades in the slot at the back of the medicine cabinet. He switched over to an electric for most of his daily shaves also.
 
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