Pall Mall Barbers London
Pall Mall Barbers London – as one of the leading independent barbers in London – are proud to offer a traditional shaving service, men’s shaving, straight razor shaving. Considering the average man will shave upwards of ten thousand times during the course of his life, the art of men’s wet shaving forms a fundamental, ritualistic part of the male grooming process.
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, a man might visit his barber once a week, even daily, as part of a routine to look his neat and tidy best. In days of old, when shaving was considered a symbolic rite of passage, fathers would teach sons the art of using the cutthroat razor, straight razor or blade and the way to achieve best results using a shaving brush and soap. Where the traditional razor would have one blade and more time and care would be taken to complete the process, modern razors can have four or five blades and a man can achieve results in five minutes.
We may be a little more relaxed in our approach to grooming these days. It’s certainly considered more of a luxury treatment to go to a barber for a straight razor shave – either as a relaxing way to forget about the stresses of life or as preparation for a special event (perhaps a marriage day). But wet shaving still represents an important part of the men’s grooming tradition and makes a clear statement about the client’s sense of self.
By way of (re) introduction to the process and tradition of straight razor shave, here is a guide to the most unique and special of treatment for their Traditional Barber shave in Store.
• Shaving oil, containing various essential ingredients, is applied with the tips of the fingers in a circular, vigorous motion to ‘raise’ the beard.
• A hot towel is then applied to open skin pores, soften the beard and draw the essential ingredients into the skin. The hot towel is removed before getting too cold because the beard won’t stay soft and the pores can close.
• A lather of rich shaving cream is then applied using a hot badger hair shaving brush in circular, vigorous movements to once again raise the beard and any ingrown hairs. Another hot towel is then applied to warm the shaving cream onto the face and help keep it moist.
• The Towel is removed while still warm and the shaving cream is applied again ready for the shave.
• The first shave is completed using a disposable blade in a cutthroat style razor, going with the grain of the beard. If necessary, another hot towel is used.
• Another layer of foam is lightly applied with the hot brush so as not to irritate the freshly shaved skin.
• A fresh blade is inserted into the razor and the beard is then shaved against the grain.