The Interesting History of the Razor

Have you ever thought what did the people in the stone age used as their shaving tool? What about the more recent past? How did the razor transform into the safe, highly effective shaving tool that it’s today?

Well, all your questions will be answered as we walk you through the history of the razor.

Shaving Stone

Yes, you read that right. Back in the stone age, a flaked obsidian was used as the shaving tool. If you’re wondering whether it was sharp enough to be used as one, let us tell you that it was as potent as a hand ax.

Egyptian Rotary Razor

The Egypt of that time was nothing like what it is today, but rather a desert region and a very hot climate. This made the then residents of Egypt prefer a clean shaven look.

And if the research by archaeologists is anything to go by, they used to use a rotary razor to get rid of their beard to find some relief from the scorching heat.

Roman Razor

While shaving was actually something that was frowned upon back during Alexander’s time, things changed when Alexander’s troops decided to shave off their head and beard in an effort to prevent their enemies from holding them during the battles.

This eventually led to shaving becoming socially acceptable as well, although the circular design of the razor was replaced with a straight one.

The Straight Razor

It’s an advanced version of the roman razor, and has been one of the most popular shaving tools ever used by men, until the 20th century when many better options started hitting the market.

It comes with a stainless steel blade that’s sharpened on one side, which is also the side that’s put into the handle that’s connected to the blade using a pivot pin. The handle works as a safe storage option for the blade.

However, it’s not very use to use and requires quite a bit of practice, though it can be very effective when used in a skilled way.

The Shavette

It’s not much different than the straight razor except that it has a disposal blade and isn’t as hard to get used to, with the downside being that the blade is not as durable.

The Single Edge Safety Razor

This is actually a much safer alternative to the straight razor, but still requires some practice to use the right way. It comes with a head that holds the blade, with the head being attached to a handle. One of the edges of the head has a protective bar, leaving only the part of the head to be used for shaving.

The Double Edge Safety Razor

First sold in 1903, it’s basically the single edge safety razor in a transformed form. Unlike its single edge counterpart, it has both the sides of its head having a protective bar, but surprisingly, allows the user to shave using either of the sides.

It’s known for a more aggressive shave and mainly comes in two types – adjustable and butterfly.

The Modern-Day Razors

Then of course you also have the latest razors that are more effective and safer than all the traditional options we walked you through above, such as the foil electric and rotary electric razors.