SHAVING

MADE EASY
What
the

Man Who
to

Shaves

Ought

Know

ILLUSTRATED

PUBLISHED BY
20th CENTURY CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL NEW YORK

THE
THIS BOOK
IS

DEDICATED TO THOSE
DIFFICULTIES IN

MEN WHO HAVE

SHAVING, IN HOPE THAT ITS CONTENTS

WII.L BE OF ASSISTANCE IN

REMEDY-

ING THEIR TROUBLES.

PREFACE.

THE
who do

object of this

little

book

is

to

furnish clear and full information about

the art of shaving.

There are few men

not experience

more or

less dif-

ficulty in

shaving themselves, and

many

who, after a few unsuccessful attempts, give it up in dispair and go to the barber
shop. We believe most of these would

much

prefer to shave themselves

if

only

they could do as well as a barber.

The advantages,
wholly with the
self.

indeed,

seem

to

be

man who
if
shaves himis

In the
in the

first

place the shaving

his

done

privacy

own room. He

has his
towels,

own razor, cup, soap, brush and which can be kept scrupulously clean and sanitarv.
thus avoidinsf the
PREFACE.
constant danger of infection.

There
is

is

no long wait for the

the
first

call of "next.''

After
noth-

cost of the outfit there

ing- to

pay, either for services or "tips."

Thus
the

in point of time,

money and
is

health,,

man who

shaves himself

a decided

gainer.

There are few things in life that are perform when one thoroughly knows how to do
them. Shaving
really difficult to
is

no exception.

The
if

art of

shaving can

be easily acquired
will,

one only has the

and the necessary practical inforThis book, which, as far as we are aware, is the
only one treating the subject at all completely, endeavors to
mation.

supply such information

as well for the

improvement
of beginners.

of

men

accustomed

to

shave themselves, as for the instruction

We

believe that any

man
some

who
little

will

carefully read and follow the

instructions here given, will, with

practice, soon be able to shave him-

self easily
1

and even better than the barit

er cnn

do

fin*

him.
CONTENTS.
I.

II.

The Shaving The Razor

Outfit

n
19 21

IIL
IV.

Care of the Razor

V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.

The Safety Razor The Hone How to Use the Hone The Strop

23

29
37
41

How
The The The The

to Strop the Razor

IX.

Brush

X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.

Cup
Soap
Lather

45 48 5o
53

Instructions to Beginners

56
61

XIV.
The Right
Shaving

Way

to

Shave

XV.
XVI.

Care of the Face After

Irritation of the Skin

74
Its

Cause and Prevention

78
Shaving
What
the

Made

Easy

Man Who Shaves Ought to Know

I.

THE SHAVING OUTFIT.

First-class tools are necessary at the

very outset.

No

matter

how

skillfully

one

may handle

inferior tools, they will in-

variably produce poor results..

sulted

Probably as many failures have refrom the use of poor razors, strops, or soap as
from the lack of knowl-

edge how to use them. In order that the best possible results may be attained,
10

SPIAVING

MADE
in

EASY.

good tools and skill go hand in hand.

using

flicni sliould

The shaving
one
or

outfit

should consist of
a
first-class

two good

razors,

strop, a mirror, a cup, a brush, a cake

of shaving soap, and a bottle of either

bay

nnn.

witch
lotion.

hazel,

good face

some other These constitute what

or

may
and

be considered the necessary articles,

to these

mav

others, such as a

be added a number of good hone, magnesia or

astringent
lotions,

talcum
pencils,

powder,
antiseptic

or
etc.

styptic
wdiich.

while not absolutely requisite, will nevertheless

add much to the convenience,, comfort and luxury of the shave.

11.

THE RAZOR.
The most important
ing outfit
is

article of the shav-

of

course the razor, and

AN IDEAL
Upon
in
its

RAZOR.

selection your success or failure

will

self-shaving

largely

depend.
it

Never purchase
pens to be cheap

a razor because
;

hap-

poor razor

is

dear at
12

SII.WINC
price.

MADK EASY.
not the cheapest,

any
l)ut

You want

the best.

for years,

good razor if rightly used, will last and will be a source of contin-

ual pleasure

when

used, whereas a poor

razor will do inferior work, irritate the

skin and

make

the face sore,

and be
razor,

continual source of trouble and annoyance.

If

you have such a

it

the

sooner you throw

tute a

aside
better.

and

substi-

good one, the

razor
is

The
steel.

principal point to be considered in

selecting a

the quality of the

is

By

"quality^'

meant
its

its

temper

or degree of solidity, and

of years,
is

conseq^ient

capability of receiving, even after a series

a firm

and

fine

edge.

This

undoubtedly the first point to which the purchaser should give attention. By

what means though, can he judge of the temper of a razor without using it ? The
unassisted

eye

is

not

sufficient.

Its

power extends no further than

and injurious.
to

the

discovery of defects the most striking

The

irregularities

in

a
SHAVING MADE EASY.

I3

razor's edge, which arise from improper tempering and lack of skill in working,

are

usually

so

minute,

that
until

they
the

may
razor

remain undistinguished
is

used.

They

will nevertheless

very sen-

add to the friction the razor produces on the skin and particularly if it happens
to be thin and tender. There are two ways of judging of the temper
sibly

of a razor; one of these

fallible

is

practically in-

— —the
viz
:

examination

of

the

blade and
croscope.
It will
its

edge by means of a mi-

be readily admitted that the real

is

excellence of a razor
tion to the firmness
larity of its edge.
brittle,

in direct propor-

and unbroken regu-

When

a razor

is

too

consequence of having been either to much heated in the process of hardening, or

not sufficiently cooled in
in

that of tempering,

it

cannot possibly take

good cutting edge, no matter how much skill may be employed in honing and stropping
it. Such defects are
a
quickly detected by the use of a micro-
14

SHAVING MADE EASY.

scope in the hands of an experienced and attentive observer. The other method of
testing the

temper, while not infalUble, will nevertheless be of assistance even to the

most

inexperienced.

It

consists

of

catching

the point of the blade under the

nail,

thumb
off

and then

letting

the

nail

slip

quickly.
ring,

If the blade gives a

good
it

clear

you may conclude that

if it
it

is

well

tempered, but
clear
is
does not ring

full

and
is

an indication that the blade

tempered unevenly.

The Concave
The
est.

Blade.

thinnest edge

is

always the sharp-

A
it

blade ought therefore to be as

thin as the strength of the metal

comrazors

posing
are

will permit.

Nearly

all

now made

"hollow-ground'^ or **con-

cave"

a great

improvement over the

old stvle of thick blade.

The
is

edo-e of
the hollow-ground razor

thinner and

therefore cuts better, and

to

is

much

easier

keep sharp.

Almost anv desired make of razor mav

SHAVING MADE EASY.

1^

be had in either half, three-quarters, or The full concave blade is full concave.
of course the thinnest.

In view of the

fact that the thinner the edge the sharper the instrument, mO'St purchasers of a
razor ciuite naturally conclude that the
full

concave blade
is

is

the best.
is is

Our

im-

pression

that this

mistake; that

the full concave blade

not so good for

shaving most beards as the three-quarIn a very deeply hollow ters concave.

ground

razor,

the blade

is

ground ex-

tremely thin, back to a line some disWhen such an tance from the edge.

edge
in

— almost
is

as
thin
stiff

as

paper

—comes

contact with a

beard, unless the

the blade
it

held very

is

quite likely to

flat upon the face, bend and spring, and

a cut will

be the
of

result.

Width
The width
a rule

of the Blade.
the

blade

is

another

point that should receive attention.

As

we

believe the beginner selects too

wide a blade.
one, in the size

comparatively narrow
as the 4-8
is

known

the
l6

SHAVING MADE EASY.

Yd

V5

SHOWING DIFFERENT WIDTHS OF

BLADES.
S H A \' 1

NG

\ 1) !•:

\i

ASN

17

bes*^

for

most purposes,
it

as

it

does not

spring on the face so readily as the wide

blade, yet
face

follows the contours of the

more closely, and in general is managed more easily. Point of the Blade. The point
of the razor ought to l^e sliehtlv rounded as shown in the illus-

A.

THE ROUND POINTED

BLADE.

B
B.

THE SHARP POINTED

BLADE.

tration.

While

this

is
seemingly a small

matter, yet a

sharp point has probably

occasioned more cuts than almost any

Ih

SHAVlXr.

MADI-:

KASV.

Other cause.

If

you have

a razor with a
it

sharp point, you can round

off,

on the

edge of the hone.

pose, for
to
if

You

should not use

the top surface of the hone for this pur-

you do you are quite Hkely

it.

scratch the hone and spoil

Use

water freely otherwise the blade

will be-

come heated and

spoil its temper.

that

would

quickly
III.

CARE OF THE RAZOR.

Take good care
lessness
user.

of your razor.

Many

a fine razor has been spoiled by care-

The

and neglect on the part of the life of a razor will depend

on the care given it. Never put it has first been wiped thoroughly dry, using a
piece of chamois
entirely
it

away

until

skin for this purpose.

Even

this will not

remove

all

the

moisture,

so the blade

should be drawn across the strop a few

times, or else left exposed to the air for

a few

moments

until the little particles

of moisture not

have evaporated.

removed by the cloth Then you may replace

20

Sll.WlNG

MADE

EASY.

the razor in

its

case with the expectation

of finding

it

in

good condition when you

next use

it.

Rusting must be prevented, especially upon the edge, which seems to rust more
quickly than any other part of the blade.

tiny rust spot

on

this delicate line,

by

causing the metal to soften and crumble

at that point, will

soon end the usefulunless the

ness

of

the

razor,

edge

is

ground back past the

a case there
is
rust spot.

In such

always the
lather

liability

of not

getting a good edge.

In

wiping the
use
a
is

ofif

the

blade
paper.

never
this

glazed

or

coarse

^lany overlook drawing the blade straight across a glazed or hard finished paper,
turn the edge, and then wonder
Tissue paper
point
the best.

and

by

wdiy

the

razor

has

lost

its
keenness.

Draw
tion as

the blade over the paper obliquely,

direc-

away from the edge, in the same when stropping it.

IV.

THE SAFETY RAZOR.

Of
safety
recent

years

great

number

of

and placed on the market, the manufacturers

invented
of each claiming that theirs are superior

razors

have been

and that they have produced a razor that is destined

to all others

at

last

to rev-

olutionize shaving.

One
razors

thing
in
is

may

be

said
if

of

safety

general

— that

^
a

man

uses

one he
this
is

less likely to cut himself, but

all

that

can reasonably be said

in their favor.

Of

course,

if it

were

im-,
^

possible

to

shave

with

the
self,

ordinary
then the

razor without cutting one's

22

SHAVING MADE EASY.

would become a necessity. however, that anyone who
and
will learn

safety razor

The

truth

is,

has a good keen smooth-cutting razor,

lathers the face thoroughly,

if

he does not already

the

know
a

— how
will

to

handle
almost

razor

properly,

run
will

no danger.

Such

man

seldom cut himself.

On

the other hand, most of the safety

razors are difficult to keep clean and dry,

and therefore free from rust; and owing

to the difficulty of stropping them,
it

is

almost,

if

not quite impossible to keep

It is also difficult to

them sharp.
a

make

the correct stroke with them.

Probably

hundred thousand safety razors have in the United States within the past few years
and it is extremely doubtful if ten per cent, of them are now in
been sold
use.
V.

THE HONE.
The edge
of
a
razor,

whtn viewed

under a powerful microscope, presents

an appearance very different from that
seen by the unaided eye.

Unmagnified,
is

the edge appears to be a continuous un-

broken Hue.
case, for the
that,

Such actually

not the

microscope reveals the fact

unin reality

instead of being straight and

is

broken, the edge

composed

of a great number much resembling the

of

minute points
follow

teeth of a saw. teeth

These
blade,

points

or

each

other throughout the entire length of the

and bv
their

extreme minuteness
;4

SHAVING MADE EASY.

1:1 )(;]•:

()1~

THE RAZCJR AS IT APPEARS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

and unbroken regularity give the edge its exceeding keenness. Now if the
razor becomes dull, these teeth will be
less

even and regular and their edges

be

will

rounded and worn away.

it

To
nec-

sharpen the razor, therefore,

essary
possible

is

—by —

making

the edge as thin as

little

to

restore these

teeth to

their original condition.

This cannot be
is

done by stropping, but

only by [he prnct'ss

accomplished
as honing.

known
SHAVING MADE EASY.
It

2^
that

has

been asserted

by

some,

when once
and
it

the razor has

been ground

set,

the strop alone without further

is sufficient to keep This opinion has eminated

honing- or grinding
in

order.
certain
to

from

makers

of

razor-strops,

who wish
strops
as

induce the pubhc to pur-

chase their goods.

Thev
with

represent their

having been
treated

"metahzed," or
otherwise

some kind of
advise the

preparation that makes honing unnecessary.

As

rule,

we would

reader to beware of these "wonder-work-

Such preparations may, and sometimes do, improve the strop, just as
ing-strops."
lather

when
it,

applied to a strop will. im-

prove

but that they will do more than

deny.

this, w^e

When

the special offices

and of the strop are fully understood, it will at once become apparent that no
strop can possibly take
the place of a hone.

of the hone

The object of honing a razor is to make its edge as tliiii and flat as a proper
attention to the degree of firmness re-
26
quired
cutting

SHAVING MADE EASY.

will

permit.

This

is

accomsteel.

plished by the hard fine grit of the hone

and

wearing

away

the

The
ing

strop cannot do this.

On

the con-

trary, stropping a razor, instead of givit

a thin

and

fiat

edge, always has a

tendency to produce a rounded one. This

from the very nature of the strop, which always ''gives*' or sags more or less
during the process of stropping, and
results

the

more

the strop

is

permitted to
sag,,

the sooner will such an edge be produced,

and

this

in proportion as the edge assumes rounded form, it losses its keenness. The
flattest and thinnest edge is always the sharpest, and the only way to impart such
an edge to a razor is by means of

the hone.

Before explaining the process of honing,

it

may

be well to say a word about

kinds
of

the

different

hones,

so

that

should the reader wish to purchase one,

he

may do it intelligently. There are two distinct classes of hones

general use,

in

— one

known

as the rock
SHAVING MADE EASY.
hone, on account of
the natural
rock,
its

2J

being cut from

and the other manuA great number of hones are factured. produced in different parts
of the United States, but few that are really suitable for sharpening razors. A
razor hone must

THE HONE.
be of the very
ral
finest quality.

The

natu-

stones are usually

composed

princi-

pally of silica,
est

which

is

one of the sharp-

It easily known. cuts the hardest steel and the fine grit imparts a very smooth
edge to a razor. The "Arkansas," found near the famous

cutting minerals

Hot

Springs,

is

one of

this variety, but

owing
stone,

to the difficulty of obtaining this

and the great waste in cutting it, the supply is limited and the price high. Most
of the razor hones used in the
2%

SHAVING MADE EASY.

United States are imported.

The most

noted are the German water hones, the oil hones from Belgium, and the Swaty

hones from Austria.

very reasonable
orite

The

last

named

are

in price

and quite a favare a

among

barbers.

They

manuto the

factured hone, and in some respects the

manufactured hones are superior

natural stones, in that they are free from

scams and uneven spots and perfectly uniform in texture.

^lost
is

men have

the idea that honing

and should be undertaken only by expert cutlers or bara dit^cult operation

bers.

Very few seem

to think that they

can hone there

to
own

razors.
it

How
is

this

impression became current,

say.
\\'e

difficult

venture

to

assert,
is

how-

ever, that

honing
the
is

a razor
it.

at least as

easy as stropping

In this case as in
arises

many

others,

difficulty
a

from

su'^posinq- there

difficulty.
How

to

Use

the

H one
HOW

TO USE THE HONE.

the

The hone being

only

means of

sharpening a dull razor, its use becomes at once of the utmost importance to those

who wish
order.

to keep their razors in perfect

Hones
or
oil
:

are seldom used dry, but are

usually covered with either water, lather

first

to prevent heating the blade

which would quickly spoil its temper; second to keep the particles of steel that
are ground off the blade from enter-

ing the pores of the stone, which would

soon

fill

up and

result in

what

is

as a glazed surface; and third

to

known make
1

SIIAVINC;

MADE

EASY.

tlie

surface of the hone as smooth as pos-

sible.

Before

commencing

tlie

operation,

wipe the hone clean, then put on a few drops of oil or else cover it with water or
lather. This will float the little
particles of steel

thus

ground off the razor, them from remaining directly on the hone to impede its full
and equal effect. With most hones you
preventing
use either water, lather or
oil
;

may

but

do not change from one to the other; whichever you begin with, use that
exclusively.
It

requies a longer time

oil
is

to

produce a keen edge when but the edge is somewhat

used

smoother.

Most barbers use

lather

advise the beginner to

and we should do so.

Directions for Honing.

The hone, with

its

fine

surface

up,

should be placed perfectly

or other solid foundation.

flat

on a table

(The rough
the

surface

is

intended merely as a support

x\fter covering

and not for use.)

32

SHAVING MADE EASY.

HOW

TO

HONE THE

R.\ZOR.
SHAVING MADE EASY.

33

hone with lather, place the razor flat upon it as shown in Fig. A. With the thumb
and fore finger, grasp the razor back of the, heel, so as to have firm hold of both
the blade and the handle. Draw the blade from heel to point, forward against the
edge, and with a moderate
degree of pressure, until
the
position
it

comes
B.

into

shown

in

Fig.

Now,

without lifting the blade from the stone,

turn the edge up, so that the razor rests

on the back of the blade. Slide it forward on its back from point to heel and let
it fall into the position indicated Push the blade from heel to in Fig. C.
point

against

the
Fig.

edge,

finishing

the

stroke as in

D.

Turn

the blade

on
in

its

back, slide from point to heel and

into the first position, as
let it fall

shown

Fig. A.
is

Continue honino^ until the

sufiiciently keen and free from and inequalities. This may be known by drawing the
edge, very lightly,

blade
nicks

across the moistened

thumb
it

nail.
is

If

it

sticks to the nail sliehtlv,

an indica-
34
tion
little

SHAVING MADE EASY.

that the

teeth

honing has developed the which constitute the perfect

is

razor edge, and that the razor

now
a

ready for stropping.

If

the

honing be carried too

far,

"wire edge" will be produced, and this

must be removed. To do this, draw the edge with a steady hand across the
moistened thumb
dicated above.
nail in the manner inThe blade should then

be

drawn once or twice across

all

the hone
parts of

as before, in order to unite

the edge and cause a perfect equality of

keenness from one end of the blade to

the other.
is

With

this

done, the operation

in

general performed, and the won-

drous dit^culty of honing the razor vanishes.

Special Directions.

The following
specially observed.

directions

should

be

First

— The
back

blade should be held per-

fectly Hat

on the hone, so that the back,

is

as well as the edge, touches the stone.

If the

raised

from the stone so

SHAVING MADE EASY.

35

that only the edge touches, the bevel will

be short and the edge blunt.

Second In drawing the blade across the hone diagonally against the edge, the heel
should be about one and a half inches in advance of the point, and care should be
taken to maintain the same angle when the stroke is reversed and This throughout
the entire operation.
sets the teeth at the
is,

proper angle, that

toward the heel. We have likened the edge of a razor to that

slightly inclined

of a saw, but there

is

this

difference:

saw teeth incline away from the handle and toward the point, while the razor teeth
incline away from the point and This is correct in toward the heel. principle, for
the saw in use is pushed away from the handle toward the point, while the razor is
usually drawn away from the point toward the heel.
Third
verv

— Press

with equal force on

all

parts of the edge.

little

With
to

good hone,

pressure will be required. required

The time

hone a razor
36

SII.WIXG MADF. EASY.

depends nirch on the condition of the razor and the hardness of the steel
composingit.

When

the edge

is

in the usual

nicks

free from and has merely hecome thick in consequence of the injudicious use of

condition

— that

is

when

it

is

the razor strop

it

will

need very
strokes
in

little

honing

eight

or

ten

each

direction will be quite sufficient.

When,

however, the edge has nicks

though so
atit

small as to be scarcely perceptible, the

operation will require more time and

tention.
will

Should the nicks be

large,

be better to

send the razor to a

cutler to be ground.
If the razor
is

well cared for and proit

perly stropped,

will not

require very

frequent

honing,
in
is
it.

probably
six to

not

oftener

than once

from

eight weeks.
will

When
will not
it

required

you

become

aware of

from the
it.

fact that stropping-

sharpen
VII.

THE STROP.
The
object of honing the razor, as has

been explained, is to abraid and wear away the edge of the blade so that it

becomes
this
is

as thin as possible.

But when
for
is

done, the process of sharpening

is

the

razor

still

incomplete,

the
left

edge,

when taken from

unfit to put
is

the hone,
face.

rorgh and
stropping.

on the

Anis is

other process

necessary, and that

of stropping

not to

The object make the blade

thinner, but to
surface of the

smooth the edge, taking ofif the rough little teeth which have been and setting
them all in perfect developed,
38

SHAVING MADE EASY.

This gives the razor
its

alignment.

ex-

ceeding keenness.

Yen
It
little

should

have a
is

first-class

strop.

matters
if

how good yonr

razor

may
it

be

your strop
if

a poor one, for

is

absolutely impossible to keep a razor

in

good condition
or
ro-.-gh

quality
a

razor
lie

fault
the strop is of poor and haggled. Many has been blamed when the entirely with the
strop and
of using
it.

the

manner
surface

So
as

called sharp-

ening preparations, sometimes applied to

the

of

strops,

substiti'te
]\Iost

for the hone, should be avoided.

of
is

likelv to

them contain acid or emery, which gradually spoil th.e temper of

are

the razor.

There

many

kinds

of

strops

manufact^-red and placed on the market,

common

some good and some bad. The most swing strop, made of is the
one side and

leather or hor.^e hide on

canvas or hose on the other.

Some

of

the cheaper grades have a very coarse

amz'as, and unless vou wish to ruin vonr

SHAVING MADE EASY.
razor,
strop.

39

you should never put it on such a In our opinion a good leather or horse hide strop
is the best, and meets
if

every requirement; but

strop
is

a combination
side

used,

the

hnen or hose
quahty.

shorld be of the

finest

The
Its

strop

should should

be

not

less

than

twenty inches long and two inches wide.

surface

be

very

soft

and

tell smooth not glazed and you whether it is so, by rubbing the hand over

—
can

it.

Do

not fold the strop

when

putting

away, for if you do you are likely to crack or roughen the surface, and this
it

will
it

injure the edge of the blade

when

is

drawn across

it.

Care of the Strop.

After the
strop

has
it

been

put

to

great deal of use,

will

sometimes be

found that
razor
slip

it

will not "take hold"

it
on the

— that
it

is

will allow the blade to

little

over

with

or no resistance

and thus
cutting

fail to

impart a keen, smooth-

edge.

The reason

is

that

the
40
Strop has

SHAVING MADE EASY.

become dry and porous. Do not
;

attempt to remedy the matter by applying oil or razor paste these will only

make matters worse.

on a hook, and with the
as
tightly

Hang
left

the

strop

as

thick lather to

hand stretch possible. Apply a good the surface and rub it in

of
the

with the palm

hand.

Barbers

sometimes
rrb
tlie

nail the strop to a

board and
bottle;

lather in with a

smooth

but the hand will do quite as well, and

indeed,

we

think
is
;

it
preferable.

What

the

strop requires

with the lather

have the pores filled so put on and work in

to

coat after coat, until the leather will take

up no more. Thai leave the strop

This
simple

to dry.

treatment

will

completely

change the action of the strop, and the next time you use it, you will be surprised
and delighted to note its improved effect on the razor. It will have that "cling"
and ^'resistance'' which barbers so much desire in a strop, and which, indeed,
is

quite essential to

its

efficiency.
VIII.

HOW

TO STROP THE RAZOR.

window
from the
five

Place a hook in a door or a

casing about four or

floor.

feet

the hook,

the ing

left

Put the ring of the strop over and hold the handle firmly in hand as shown in the
accompany-

illustration.

The

strop
to

should be
loosely

pulled tight

— otherwise
honing.

—not allowed

hang

the edge of the razor will

become rounded and require frequent

Open
in line

the razor, so that the handle

is

with the blade.

Grasp
it

firmly

first two fingers and thumb holding the razor just back of the heel, so that
perfect control is had

with the right hand, the

42
of

SH.WIXC.
both
the

MADl-:

KASV.

blade

and handle.

With
it

the razor held in this

manner

is

an

easy matter to turn the razor back and

forth

from one

side to the other.

TTDW

TO

STROP

TTTF.

RAZOR.
SHAVING MADE EASV

43

Lay

the blade

flat

on the furth?r end

in Fig. E,

of the strop, as

shown

with the

edge away from you. Draw the blade toward yon, always keeping the heel of
the razor in advance of the point.

When

at the end of the strop, rotate the razor

on
as
in

its

back

till

the nnstroped side of the

blade comes in contact with the strop.

shown

in Fig. F.

Then, with the heel

advance, push the razor away from

it

yon, until
the
strop.

reaches the further end of

Again

rotate,
and continue
is

the stropping until the razor

sharp.

Always hold the blade

angle,

at

the

same
strop.

and perfectly

flat

on the
is

You

will observe that the stroke

exactly

opposite to that used in honing.

ing, the

In hon-

edge

is

in

advance

in stropping,
tJic

the back.

During the operation

hack

of the razor should never he taken

the strop.

from
By

observing
its

this,

and always

turning the blade on

back, instead of

on the edge, you

strop.

will avoid cutting the

Beginners should not attempt to

make
44

SHAVING MADE EASY.

Let the stroke be slow speed gradually

a quick stroke.

and
until

even,

developing

a complete mastery of the

is

move-

ment

acquired.
is

If the razor

in

good condition and

suffi-

not in need of honing, fifteen or twenty

strokes
citnt.

in
If,

each direction will be

however, the razor should

re-

quire

honing, no amount of stropping

will put a

keen edge on
shave,

it.

It will us-

ually be necessary to strop the razor each

time you

and with

stiff

beards

more than once may be

requires!
IX.

THE BRUSH.
Purchase a good brush.

The cheap
in

ones are usually the most expensive

the end, and nearly always prove unsatls-

SECTIONAL VIEW OF THE BRUSH SHOWING INTERNAL CONSTRUCTION.

factory.
It

shold be remembered that

is

the vital part of a brush

in the

sdfing,

and particular attention should therefore

4fi

SHAVING MADE EASY.

it.

be paid to that part of

are

Cheap brushes

commonly
;

set

with gUie, rosin or

cement, which soon cracks and becomes

unadhesive
out.

We

whereupon tlie bristles fall recommend a brush made of

badger hair and set in hard rubber. A brush so con-

bristles or

vulcanized

THE BRUSH.

structed,

with

wood,

bone

or

ivory

handle, and hard rubber ferule, will not

shed the

bristles or

crack open, and with

proper care will

last for years.

Do
brush,
not leave the lather to dry in the but
after

shaving rinse

it

out

thoroughly and

dry the brush with a

SHAVING MADE EASY.
towel, before putting away.
briTsh

4/

The cup and

should be kept clean and away

from dust. Once a week they should be washed with hot water.
X.

THE

CUP.

The shaving cup should be of earthen ware or china, and large enough to accommodate
the ordinary round cake of
shaving soap.

Some cups

are

made with

two compartments, one for soap and the other for water, but this arrangement is
unnecessary, and in fact, not so convenient as the ordinary cup, for
it

leaves

too

little

room

for

making

the lather.

If

possible,
fill

the cake of soap should

entirely

the bottom of the crp so that

left

no space
the
sides
;

is

between the soap and

otherwise water will get in

and keep the bottom of the cake con-

SHAVING MADE EASY.
tinually soaked.
If
it

49

is

found that the

it

cake does not quite soap out and

fill

the space, take the

until
it

warm

it

becomes
in the

somewhat

soft,

then put

back

cup, and with the hand press

down

the

sides all around, thus flattening out the

cake until
space.

it

quite

fills

the

intervening

any time the soap should cleave away from the sides of the cup, it should be
pressed back as at first. This will be found the most convenient
If at
way

of using the soap.

Great care should be taken to keep the cup scrupulously clean, rinsing it out
thoroughly each time after shaving, in order to remove any lather that may

have been

left

unused.

Keep

the cup

away from

dust.

Some
this
is is
it

use the sticks of shaving soap

face.

and make the lather on the

permissable,
to

While

we

think the better

way
put

make

the lather in the cup and

on with the brush.

XI.

THE
Next
In
its

SOAP.
most important

to the razor, the

article of the

shaving

outfit is tlie soap.

proper use Hes the real secret of

easy shaving.

The

razor

may

be ever so
properly

good, but unless the beard

be anything but a pleasure.

is

lathered with a good soap, shaving will

Use only a regular recognized standard make of

stances, a toilet soap.

shaving soap, not, under any circum-

The
is

latter

is

not

intended for shaving, and

likely to pro-

duce

irritations
of the
sore.

skin

and leave

the face

rough and

wrong

idea prevails regarding the

1

SHAVING MADE EASY.

use of the soap.
is

The popular impression

is

that the soap

used for the purpose

in

of softening the beard,

tion
it

which condi-

is

This

is

supposed to be moist easily cut. The soap is used, a mistake.

effect

not to soften the beard, but to produce

exactly the opposite

— namely,

tc

make

the hair stiff

and
firm

brittle,

so that

they will

present a

and resisting
hair, as is well

surface to the razor.

A
composed of a hard fibrous substance, growing from a bulb or root, which secretes
an oily matter. This oil works its way up through the hair, and by permeating all
parts, renders the hair soft and pliable. Now in
known,
is

a tube

this natural oily condition,

ficult to

it

is

very difit

cut the hair with a razor, and

difficult if the

becomes even more

be

beard

made

still

softer by the application of

hot water.

Many
is

do

this,

and

it

is

no
soft

wonder

they

find

shaving

difficult.
When

this

done, the hairs

become
cut

and limp, and the razor over them entirely, or

will either slip

else

partly
52

SHAVING MADE EASY.

into them,

bend them back and sHce them all the while pulling and straining them at the roots,
and making the process of shaving most painful.
lengthwise,

Now
when

soap has the opposite

effect.

It

con-

tains either alkali, potash or soda,

applied to the beard in

unites with the
it

which the form of

hair,,

lather,

oil

of the

and removing it, and renders the hairs hard stiff and brittle in which condition
they may be easily and readily cut. For the sake of cleanliness, the face should,
of course, be washed previous to shaving in order to remove any dirt or grit from
the beard, which might dull the razor but before applying
neutralizing

the lather, the face should be well dried

with a towel.
XII.

THE LATHER.
To make
is

the lather, see that the soap

placed in the cup according to previous

Fill the

directions.

cup with water,

Usually

al-

lowing

it

to

stand for a few seconds,

suffi-

then pour the water out.

cient water to

make

the lather will adhere

to the cup, soap

and brush.

Now
a

with

the brush,

mix thoroughly, using

com-

bined
until a

stirring

and churning motion, good thick lather appears. The

is

more
the brush

rubbed over the soap

the thicker the lather becomes.

deal depends
right.

great
just
will

If

it

upon having the lather is thin and watery, you

54

SHAVING MADE EASY.

in shaving.

have poor success

The more
the

creamy
of
the

it

is,

the better will be the effect

in

alkali

stiffening

beard.

Some

of

the

poorer qualities of soap

will be

produce lather very quickly, sometimes

half filling the cup, but
it

found

thin and without lasting qualities, so that

by the time one side of the face has been

shaved, the lather
other.
is

all

good soap

will

gone from the produce a thick

creamy

lather that will last throughout

the entire process of shaving.

Applying the Lather.

Put
the
lather

on

with

the

brush,

covering every part of the face that you

intend to shave.

Then with

the fingers

rub

it

thoroughly into the beard until the

lather has

had

sufficient time to stiffen

the hairs.

Next

to

having the razor

is
it

in

perfect condition, this

the most imis

portant thing to do; for

to

impossible
is
shave easily unless the face

well

lathered and the lather thoroughly work-

ed into the beard.

Go

over the face once

more

with the brush, in order to spread

SHAVING MADE EASY.

55

the lather evenly, and then begin shaving

at

once,

before the lather has time to

dry.

Should it dry while you are shaving, wet the brush slightly and apply If you
prepare your face fresh lather.

in accordance with these instructions, a keen razor will slip over the face so
easily that shaving will become a real

pleasure.
XIII.

INSTRUCTIONS TO BEGINNERS.
If

ning to shave,

you are a young man, just beginit is important that you

right.
It is quite as

commence
learn

easy to

the

right

way

as

the

wrong
that

way.
it

Do

not

entertain

the

idea

is

a difficult matter for one to shave

himself

— for

there

is

nothing

difficult

about
it

when you know how.

You may

have previously tried and failed, but if you will now follow the instructions
contained in this book, there
is

no reason

why shaving may

out further

not be performed with-

difficulties.
SHAVING MADE EASY.

57

THE RIGHT WAY TO HOLD THE

RAZOR.

The accompanying-

illustrji'

..n

shows

the position in which the razor should be held. It will be observed that the

handle

is

The

first

thrown well back past the heel. three fingers rest on the back
little

of the blade, with the

finger over

the crook at the end, ar.d the

thumb on

the side of the blade, near the middle.

In

this position,

with the handle acting as

58

SHAVING MADE EASY.

a balance, the razor will be under perfect control,

and there

will be little dan-

ger of cutting oneself.

This position can

be maintained throughout most of the

process of shaving, although
it

may be
while
instance

mcessary

to

dhange

it

slightly

shaving certain parts,

as

for

the neck, under the jaw.

But whatever

the position, endeavor to have the razor

at all times

under perfect control.

is

position

here indicated,

the

one

The we
to-
should certainly advise the beginner
adopt, but
if

man, from long continued use has formed the habit of holding the razor in a
different way, any change will prove difficult and may not be advisa

able.

The
Owing no doubt

Stroke.
largely to individual
is

temperament, there
ation in the

considerable vari-

manner

of using the razor,

with

different

person^s.
best,

Some

find

long slow stroke

it

while others

make

short

and quick.

Each man must

suit the stroke to his

own

convenience.
SHAVING MADE EASY.

59

everybody.

But certain principles are applicable to In the first place you should
it

begin with a slow even stroke, gradually increasing

trol

as

of the razor.

you gain better conSpeed will develop

naturally with practice.

Hold

the razor quite flat

pull

upon the
directly
it

face.

Do

not

the

razor

down

against the beard, but hold

to the direction of

obliquely

movement.

In gen-

eral shave in the direction of the

growth

of the beard, like this

^^^y^^^y
Shaving against the growth pulls the and thus irritates the skin, and if the beard
is heavy and wiry the edge of
hairs

the blade
hairs

is

quite liable to catch in the

and be deflected inward and cut

the face.

Position of the Mirror. The mirror should hang between two windows if possible, so
that when you
look into
it

the light will

fall

directly up-
6o

SHAVING MADE EASY.

on both sides of your face. You will then be able to get a good reflection of
either
side.

Remove
in

the collar.

To

prevent

soiling- the shirt,

place a towel around the

neck

an easy, comfortable manner,

it

pinning

at the side.
XIV.

The R^ght

Way

to

Shave
TO SHAVE THE RIGHT SIDE OF

THE FACE.
TO SHAVE THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FACE.
Reach over the head with the left hand and with the fingers draw the skin upward,
thus making a smooth shaving surface. The ilhistration shows the proper position.
Shave downward until
about half of the right cheek
then slide the
until
left
is

shaved,

hand
rest

still

further over

the fingers

in

the middle of

the cheek and again pull the skin up-

ward.

Now
until

continue

to

shave down-

ward
face

the entire right side of the

is

shaved clean, as far as the mid-

dle of the chin

and well under the jaw.

TO SHAVE THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FACE UNDER THE JAW.
SHAVING MADE EASY.

65

TO SHAVE THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FACE UNDER THE JAW.

Hold
side

the head
the

over toward the

slightly

left

with

chin

elevated.

With
the

the fingers of the left hand,

skin tight
if

under the jaw.

draw Shave
that

downward
direction
;

the beard

grows

in

if

not reverse the stroke.

You

should never shave against the growth

when going over

if
it

the face the first time,

can be avoided.

Keep

the skin as
for a better

tightly

drawn

as possible,
is

shaving surface
razor,

thus presented to theless liability of cut-

and there

is

ting yourself.
TO SHAVE THE LEB^T SIDE OF

THE FACE.
SHAVING MADE EASY.

67

TO SHAVE THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FACE.

Place the fingers of the
left

hand

in

front of and just above the ear and press

upward
the

so as to

draw

the skin smooth on

the upper left cheek.

right

With

the razor in

hand, toe

pointing

upward,

reach across the face as

shown above,

and shave downward. In shaving the lower part of the cheek and chin, follow

downward with

the left hand, keeping

the skin tightly drawn.

TO SHAVE THE LEFT SIDE OF

THE FACE UNDER THE JAW.

SHAVING MADE EASY.

69

TO SHAVE THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FACE UNDER THE JAW.

For many,
this
is

the

most

difficult
is

part of the face to shave as the skin

very tender, and unless treated gently will soon become irritated and sore. To
shave
easily, raise the chin, incline the

ward
tight

the right,
as

head toand draw the skin as

with
the
as
left

possible

hand.

Shave downward
"happens, the beard
direction,
in

unless,

sometimes

grows in the opposite which case you will, of

lip

course, reverse the stroke.

To shave the upper lip, draw the down as much as possible, to tighten skin. Owing
to the strong muscle in
lip,

the the
left
you

will hardly

need to use the

"hand for this purpose.

TO SHAVE UNDER THE CHIN.
1

SHAVING MADE EASY.

TO SHAVE UNDER THE CHIN.

Throw
the chin. the head

backward and

elevate

Hold

the razor in the right

hand, and with the fingers of the left You hand draw the skin downward.

should always endeavor to keep the skin

drawn

as

smooth

as possible, for

by so

doing vou will greatly lessen the

shave

liability

of cutting yourself and will be able to

much more

easilv.
TO SHAVE UPWARD AGAINST THE GROWTH OF THE BEARD.
SHAVING MADE EASY.

73

SHAVING OVER THE SECOND

TIME.
If you desire a really clean shave, you must go over the face the second time.
Strop the razor a few times before beginning. Lather the face as before, though
it is

unnecessary to rub the lather

in

with

the fingers.

Simply put

it

on with the

brush.

In shaving over the face the second

some reverse the stroke. That is, they shave upward against the growth of the
beard, instead of downward, as durtime,

ing the

first

time over.

This gives an
if

exceedingly close shave and

is

the beard

and heavy and the skin thin and it may make the face sore, and cause the hairs to
grow inward, under the Perhaps the best way will be to skin.
stiff

tender,

shave lightly over the face the second

time, in the

same direction as at first. Each man should decide this point ac-

cording to his

own
experience.
x\

CARE OF THE FACE AFTER

SHAVING.
]\Iost

men who

shave themselves seem

to think that

when they have removed

They unproper

the beard, they have nothing further to

do.

This

is

a great mistake.

dervalue

the

importance

of a

treatment of the face.

quick and easy

way
is

of caring for the face after shaving,

to

remove the

lather by a thorough

washing, then to apply either witch hazel,

bay rum or some other good face lotion, and to follow this with a small quantity
of talcum powder, evenly applied.
is

This

probably about
all

that the average

man

will usuallv find

time to do.
SHAVING MADE EASY.

75

In order, however, to keep the skin in

a healthful condition, a rate treatment should

given.

little

more

elabo-

occasionally
the

be

We

recommend

following:
it

Wash

the face thoroughly to free

from
heat

the lather, and then apply a steaming hot

towel, as hot as can be borne.

The

and moisture draw the blood to the face, open the pores, and set up a healthful
action of the
skin.

Next apply witch

hazel, and finally give the face a thorough massage. There is no other treatment so
beneficial to the skin.

With many

per-

sons the flow of blood to the face and

scalp

very sluggish, because of enfeebled or slow heart action and in conis

;

sequence, the
many

small arteries and ca-

pillaries become clogged.

Massage stimuto the

lates the circulation,

and brings the blood

surface,
just
capillaries

from the inner centers

filling

the

many minute

underneath the skin, thus producing a tonic eflfect, which gives the skin renewed
vigor and health.
y6

SHAVING MADE EASY.

\\^HAT TO DO FOR A CUT.
If a

man

cuts himself while shaving,

it

is

usually due to certain causes that

easily

are

avoidable.

The
to

principal

causes are six in number:

dull razor.

shave with a —Attemptingsharp pointed razor. Second — losing Third — Shaving- with
a razor that
First
a

is

too

ground so that the edge springs and bends on the face. Fourth Holding the razor
improphollow
,

erly.

Fifth Shaving upward growth of the beard.

against

the

Sixth
If

— Shaving
in too

great a hurry.

you

will avoid these

mistakes and ex-

ercise proper care,

yourself.

you will seldom cut But when you do, it will be well to know how to treat the
wound. If it be slight, the bleeding- may sometimes be checked by using pressure.
Covering
the fingers with a towel, simply press the

cut together.

If this does not stop the

SHAVING MADE EASY.
flow, use an astringent.
cils,

77

The

styptis pen-

made

especially for this purpose, are

the best, and

may

be obtained at any store

^^mx

y-<^^

W .PENC^
'

-v ^ wigMBijSg.ia^'

s^x.

where barbers' supplies are kept. In case you should not have the pencils, alum may
be used. In any event do not be discouraged, for such accidents sometimes

happen

to the best barbers.

XVI.

IRRITATION OF THE SKIN— ITS CAUSE AND PREVENTION.

Sonic
shaving.

men almost always

experience

burning and

irritation of the skin after

To

such,

we wish

to

offer
will

some suggestions, which we hope

greatly benefit,
trouble.
if

not entirely prevent the

The most common cause

is

of irritation
If the razor

undoubtedly a dull razor.

keen and sharp, the hairs will yield readily to the blade and no irritation will be
produced. But if the blade is dull,
is

instead

of cutting the hairs

easily,

it

passes
wise,

over some,

slices
other

length-

and

pulls

and strains

at the roots
SHAVING MADE EASY.
of
all.

79

This necessitates scraping the face

in

over and over again,

order to get a
is

clean shave, and the result

tion that perhaps continues until

an irritayou are

ready to shave again.

continual irritation.

Thus

the tender

parts of the skin are kept in a state of

The remedy
is

is

of

course, to see that the razor

always

keen and sharp.

Another cause that may be mentioned, chafing of the neck by the collar. If the edge
of the collar is worn and rough, and comes in contact with the tender
is

skin,

it is

sure to

make
is

it

sore.
Too

close shaving

a frequent cause,

and those who are troubled in this way will do well to shave over the face but
once.

Some

of the cheap toilet waters are

and contain ingredients which undoubtedly produce a bad effect on the skin. In
using bay rum or other
adulterated,
face lotions, use only the best.
If

much

trouble

is

experienced,

we

should advise

the

use

of pure

distilled

witch hazel,
8o

SHAVING MADE EASY.

at

which may be obtained

This
is

any drug

store.

soothing to the face and allays

the burning.

Sometimes the trouble

is

due

to

an

excess of alkali or potash in the soap.

The

best

shaving soaps are especially

prepared and have antiseptic and demulcent properties, which render

tically

them pracshaving,

non-irritating.
all

After

take care to remove

the soap from the

face; for during the process, the lather

has been worked into the pores of the

skin, and only by means of a thorough washing can it all be removed. resulting from
Irritations constitu-

tional disease, or impurity of the blood,

should, of course, be treated by a physician.

Some men

are

tion of the skin than others.

more subject to irritaThose who

have a thin and tender skin and a heavy and stiff beard, are especially liable, but
with care, even these may prevent most
of the trouble.