Straight Razors and Shaving Badgers

JeanetteG

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Mar 26, 2008
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I have a dileofftopic.

I enjoy shaving in the old fashioned method... using a straightrazor and a badger hair brush with a shaving cup and soap. It offers a far superior shave to any other techniqe and in the long term saves you money. It's shaving on a whole different level. None of that amatuer plastic razor rigamarole or the the neo-electric gadgetry... just a proper good old fashioned shave.

Granted, it's not without it's risks and should only be attempted several hours after you're first latte or cappuccino. Which is an added extra bonus meaning that half the week you can rise at noon and have the hip unshaven-because-I'm-so-fabulously-wealthy-that-I-don't-give-a-rats-ass look!

However... the dilema is this:

Some years ago my antique badger hair shaving brush went missing.
To use in the meantime I picked up a synthetic hair brush... unfortunately it's just the completely wrong aesthetic for the rest of my shaving kit and lifestyle.

I am just about to purchase a new brush at this wonderful site:

http://www.classicshaving.com

err... so the dileofftopic is... Do they have to kill badgers to get enough hair's to make these badger hair shaving brushes?!?

That would be a bummer. I don't think the badgers would be too pleased with that state of affairs. And damn... badgers are kinda swell. I'd hate to think I was responsible for the death or at the very least nudity of a badger.

Could a badger be shaved? Thereby still being alive and me still getting my badger hair shaving brush?!

How does one go about shaving a badger?

Has anyone ever seen a badger farm?
 
Badgers?! We don' need no stinking badgers!

(Don't know about shaving badgers, but me and the beav are keeping our distance from the likes of you badger shavers.)
 
No, no, no... I don't really want to have to shave a badger.

What I mean is that I want to shave myself using a badger hair brush. I mean really I'd be shaving with a straight razor... but the badger hair brush upholds the aesthetic and it's feels good on those harder to shave areas. You want to be relaxed when shaving those kinds of areas because if you're all bothered or hot and bothered it can present difficulties.

At any rate... I'd rather shave a badger than kill a badger. To get his hair for my brush I mean. Badgers probably wouldn't take kindly to it and so I am looking for a third party essentially that can act as a go between... a liaison if you will between moi and the badger. But I would be sad if the badger got harmed just so my nether regions could feel relaxed and comfortable while I'm shaving.

I hope that clears it up.
 
grow a beard, dye a white stripe from your chin to the back of your neck...

then just BE the badger

problem solved
 
Let's assume for a minute that there is some guy over at classicshaving.com who has a badger farm, and, every six months, he picks through the badgers and shaves them all to make gen-you-wine shaving badgers.

That's one tough cookie.

I'd hate to meet that badger-shaving-bastard in a back alley.
 
Yeah... I figured they made them out of badger hair because there weren't enough toughguys willing to take on wolverines.
 
there are several jokes in here involving shaving beavers. I am going to leave it at that.
 
Dude, you rock! You are my hero of the week! And to think that you also care about the wellbeing of furry animals -- dude! I salute you! x 10

But now I have a genuine, serious question: How'd you learn to shave like that? I want to learn. For real, no joking. I want to learn. How'd you learn it?
 
Aiki

I use a straight razor on my head and face. I learned from an old barber who had my shave a balloon. When you can shave a balloon without popping it you're ready for your face!
 
LOL!
I saw the MOD show up and I thought aww man... I'm being banned/having my thread locked all because Hux mentioned shaving beavers!!

Whew... *sighs of relief* ...

Ok seriously now...
When I was a kid... I dunno 12 or 13 my old man had a straight razor and he never used it (he had switched to a very cool razor called a 'Rolls Razor' with a built-in strop box... you might still be able to find them on-line)... so I swiped the straight razor thinking it'd be fun to try and shave my sisters mustache off while she slept!

(Hux don't even go down the beaver path there... it'd be just too wrong)

oh wait a sec... I said seriously didn't I?

Ok... all of the above... sans my sister having a mustache and me wanting to shave it. Seriously again... I started out shaving with a straight razor really really slowly. I started out on my sideburns and just gently worked from there... after a few months I still had my sideburns and my ears.

So I figured it was time to move ahead... don't get me wrong there have been mishaps... but even at that it wasn't like I came out with a Prussian sword duel scar over my cheek and eye and had to wear a monocle.
Mostly just nicks... but it's nuts because with a straight razor you can cut really deep, really quick and barely feel it... next thing you know you're covered in blood, the carpet is shot and you're starting to feel dizzy..

Funny to think that there was a time when most men were expected to know how to shave like this. Not that everyone did... barbers did a good trade in shaves. The good ones stayed in business... the bad ones... jeez wonder what ever happened to those guys?!?

Here is an article on straight razor shaving... I haven't read it through completely but there was a humorous bit on shaving hamsters or something.
Looks worth a full read (despite the metrosexual name of the site):



source: http://www.menessentials.com/oxid.php/sid/x/shp/oxbaseshop/cl/info/tpl/straight_razors.tpl
 
I am pretty sure they just collect the hair rather then killing the animals. Kind of like when you get goat hair paint brushes and the like. So, probably, no badgers were harmed in the making of your brush.

Badger farms... the very idea is giggle worthy.
 
Hmm... that's very wise. I quite like my face the way it is.

Thanks for the article, Slip.

So, where might I buy a straight razor and brush and bowl for the cream?
And what kind of cream does one use with a sraight razor?
 
To check out all the gear go here:

http://www.classicshaving.com

the following are useful links as well:

http://www.en.nassrasur.com/razorcentral/index.html

I believe there is an article somewhere on there on shaving as well.
Many of the straight razor's they carry are pretty impressive. Kind of harkens back to an era of craftsmanship that is hard to find. Maybe why I have such a dislike for platic disposable razors.

Besides if you accidently remove a nostril no one will ever know on-line!

oh.. and here is the thread that got me to thinkin' about that 'ol badger hair brush anyhow:

http://martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40873
 
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