I’m not sure if every person who visits Ihab’s shop receives such a thorough beard-removal, or if he was just angling for baksheesh (a tip) from the American guy. Finally, with the smell of menthol and scalded ear-hair drifting over my chair, Ihab thoroughly combed my scalp and brandished what appeared to be dental floss in an effort to give me a Middle Eastern metrosexual gel-spike hairdo. This was followed by aftershave, two ice-cold towel treatments, another dose of aftershave, and a ritual whereby my ear-hairs were literally singed out of my head with a cigarette lighter (Ihab told me this technique is Turkish in origin). The shave was followed by the application of Insane Clown Posse-grade white face-cream, which was washed off with two hot-towel treatments (one of which contained a strategic dose of menthol spray). Ihab started by sterilizing his straight razor, inserting a new blade, and massaging my beard with some kind of ointment before lathering me up with shaving cream and giving me two complete shaves.Īt this point it felt like the job was finished, but it turned out I was only a third of the way through. Though barbershop shaves were common in the United States up through the 1950’s, I always get old-timey silent-film music in my head when I sit down for the ritual. Since Ihab spoke only 20 or so phrases of English (and I speak just 15 or so words of Arabic), I wasn’t sure what I was in for when I sat down for the shave.Īs it turned out, Ihab gave me what was probably the most meticulous and detail-intensive shave of my life.
Straight shave video tv#
The place featured posters of Eminem, 50 Cent, and (strangely) a young Alec Baldwin, as well as a TV in the corner that played Arab soap operas.
Setting out from my hotel on Zamalek Island in the Nile, I found a back-alley barbershop called “Coiffure Beauty Center” that was overseen by a hip young Egyptian barber named Ihab. Since some of the oldest known shaving instruments were used by Egyptians some 5000 years ago (copper and gold razors have been found in tombs dating back to the 4th millennium BC), it seemed proper that my first shave on the No Baggage Challenge should come in Cairo. I’ve done this before in places like India and Thailand and Brazil - and it’s always been an intriguing little ritual. I did this in part because I don’t mind keeping a light beard when I travel - but also because I was looking forward to visiting barbershops from time to time to get straight-razor shaves. Then slowly shave while maintaining contact.Īdmittedly this method won’t work well with every stroke and curve of the skin, but it should help you develop that muscle memory for effectively shaving with a straight razor.Back when I was preparing for my no-baggage world journey, one of the first toiletry items I removed from the packing-list was my razor.
Straight shave video skin#
Use it by resting the clip handle on the skin when you position the straight razor. The key point is to find one that will fit about halfway down the blade of the razor while still being able to create an angle between the clip handle and the blade edge. However if it does not work well for you try a size smaller or larger. I recommend using ~3/4 inch (~2cm) clips as they seem to be the best size for most straight razors. They are widely found in office supply stores and even department stores and “mega-marts.” My straight razor “training wheels” are binder clips (sometimes called office clips). I think I have found something that can help–“training wheels” for a straight razor!
Straight shave video how to#
One particular challenge is how to hold the blade at the correct angle. You are in absolute control of the blade and if you don’t have all your (dubl) ducks in a row (humor!) you can be in for a difficult time. Learning to shave with a straight razor can be a challenge.
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