When was shaving invented

Beards among Romans was revived by Emperor Hadrian around A. Egypt is hot. Very hot. And living in that kind of heat with long hair can be particularly uncomfortable as anyone with long hair in high summer already knows. According to Herodotus, all Egyptians, men and women, lower and upper classes, would shave their entire bodies from top to toe. Going completely bare-headed was considered to be a social faux pas, and of course, is not very comfortable with the desert sun beating down on your uncovered head.

Having hair was still fashionable, just not very practical. So the Egyptians would craft fake wigs, and even beards, to wear. Ancient Egyptians achieved their clean look with depilatory creams, and would then repeatedly rub their faces, heads, arms, and legs with a pumice stone to remove all hair and you thought shaving with a dulled blade was rough!

Archaeologists have found gold and copper shaving razors in Egyptian tombs, so the elite used those as well, at least. Greeks were extremely proud of their beards and put a lot of importance on them. They would only cut their beards during mourning periods, and if you lost your beard, it was considered shameful.

In fact, Schick supposedly thought that if a man shaved often enough, he could lengthen his life to years. After years of losing market share to their electric competition, Gillette finally hit upon a winning innovation in when it introduced stainless steel blades.

These newer blades were tougher to hone, but they lasted much longer and didn't rust. Consumers loved them. Bic introduced the first totally disposable razors in the sixties as well, which made shaving even more convenient.

Gillette struck another blow in when it introduced the two-blade razor. Other companies followed suit, and now it's just a matter of time before we're all shaving with a bladed behemoth. It Didn't Get Safe Until Designs for safety razors date back to at least , but they didn't really catch on until , when they debuted in Sheffield, England. Things Got Electric in the Twenties People have been patenting and trying to market electric razors since , but at first they met with little success.

The real winners in this transition from wet shaving with soap and a brush to electric razors were badgers. Boellis Panama Bolin Webb. Brighton Beard Company. Captain Fawcett's. Castle Forbes. Clubman Pinaud. D R Harris. Dapper Dan. Dovo Merkur. Edwin Jagger. Fine Accoutrements.

Geo F Trumper. The Goodfellas Smile. Hans Kniebes. Hey Joe! Heyland and Whittle. Klar Seifen. La Savonniere du Moulin. Le Pere Lucien. Martin de Candre. Mitchell s. Morgan s. Mr Bear Family. Musgo Real. Natural Sea Sponge Company. Nordic Shaving Company. Ockham Razor Co. Oil Can Grooming. Parker Razors. Percy Nobleman. Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements. Portus Cale. Rex Supply Co. Rockwell Razors. Saponificio Bignoli.

Saponificio Varesino. Scottish Fine Soaps. Stirling Soap Company. Tcheon Fung Sing. Druggists also sold commercial depilatories, which chemically break down hairs so that they can be wiped away.

Electric razors made hair removal more convenient and less dangerous. However, the Hair Removal section relied on the following references:. Adams, Russell B. King C. Boston: Little, Brown, Jones, Geoffrey. Peiss, Kathy Lee. New York: Metropolitan Books, Sherrow, Victoria. Encyclopedia of Hair: a Cultural History. Westport, Conn. To skip the text and go directly to the objects, CLICK HERE Personal care products which remove unwanted hair from the face and body were developed to address interwoven concerns about hygiene and personal appearance.

She does not approve of the massage-finish of the tonsorial artist. Steel straight razor Folding safety razor Safety razor with replaceable blades Schermack Round Razor for armpits Because personal safety razors use disposable blades, men who shaved every day also had to purchase a constant supply of blades.

Gillette Catalog Advertisement for Razor sets.