Shaving is the removal of hair, by using a razor or any other kind of bladed implement, to slice it down—to the level of the skin or otherwise. Shaving is most commonly practiced by men to remove their facial hair and by women to remove their leg and underarm hair. A man is called clean-shaven if he has had his beard entirely removed.
Both men and women sometimes shave their chest hair, abdominal hair, leg hair, underarm hair, pubic hair, or any other body hair. Head shaving is much more common among men. It is often associated with religious practice, the armed forces, and some competitive sports such as swimming, bodybuilding, and extreme sports. Historically, head shaving has also been used to humiliate, punish, for purification or to show submission to an authority. (from internet archive) In more recent history, head shaving has been used in fund-raising efforts, particularly for cancer research organizations and charitable organizations which serve cancer patients. The shaving of head hair is also sometimes done by cancer patients when their treatment may result in hair loss, and by people experiencing male pattern baldness.
have been manufactured in Sheffield, England since the 18th century. In the United States, getting a straight razor shave in a and self-shaving with a straight razor were still common in the early 1900s. The popularisation of self-shaving changed this. According to an estimate by New York City barber Charles de Zemler, barbers' shaving revenue dropped from about 50 percent around the time of the Spanish–American War to 10 percent in 1939 due to the invention of the safety razor and electric razor.McKibben, pp. 17–18
Safety razors have existed since at least 1876 when the single-edge Star safety razor was patented by brothers Frederick and Otto Kampfe. The razor was essentially a small piece of a straight razor attached to a handle using a clamp mechanism. Before each shave the blade had to be attached to a special holder, Razor strop with a leather belt, and placed back into the razor. After a time, the blade needed to be honed by a cutler.McKibben, pp. 5–6
In 1895, King Camp Gillette invented the double-edged safety razor, with cheap disposable blades sharpened from two sides. It took him until 1901 to build a working, patentable model, and commercial production began in 1903.McKibben, pp. 5–14 The razor gained popularity during World War I when the U.S. military started issuing Gillette shaving kits to its servicemen: in 1918, the Gillette sold 3.5 million razors and 32 million blades. After the First World War, the company changed the pricing of its razor from a premium $5 to a more affordable $1 (equivalent to $ and $ in , respectively), leading to another big surge in popularity.McKibben, pp. 18–21 The Second World War led to a similar increase in users when Gillette was ordered to dedicate its entire razor production and most blade production to the U.S. military. During the war, 12.5 million razors and 1.5 billion blades were provided to servicemen.McKibben, p. 40
In 1970, Wilkinson Sword introduced the 'bonded blade' razor, which consisted of a single blade housed in a plastic cartridge.McKibben, p. 68 Gillette followed in 1971 with its Trac II cartridge razor that utilised two blades.McKibben, pp. 67–69 Gillette built on this twin blade design for a time, introducing new razors with added features such as a pivoting head,McKibben, p. 96 lubricating strip,McKibben, p. 118 and spring-mounted bladesMcKibben, p. 240 until their 1998 launch of the triple-bladed Mach3 razor. Schick launched a four-blade Quattro razor later the same year, and in 2006 Gillette launched the five-blade Fusion. Since then, razors with six and seven blades have been introduced.
Wholly disposable razors gained popularity in the 1970s after Bic brought the first disposable razor to market in 1974. Other manufacturers, Gillette included, soon introduced their own disposable razors, and by 1980 disposables made up more than 27 percent of worldwide unit sales for razors.McKibben, pp. 97–99
The removal of a full beard often requires the use of scissors or an Hair trimmer to reduce the mass of hair, simplifying the process.
Before wet shaving, the area to be shaved is usually doused in warm to hot water by showering or bathing or covered for several minutes with a hot wet towel to soften the skin and hair. Dry hair is difficult to cut, and the required cutting force is reduced significantly once the hair is hydrated. Fully hydrated hair requires about 65% less force to cut, and hair is almost fully hydrated after two minutes of contact with room temperature water. The time required for hydration is reduced when using higher temperature water.
A lathering or lubricating agent such as shaving cream, shaving soap, gel, foam or oil is normally applied after this. Lubricating and moisturizing the skin to be shaved helps prevent irritation and damage known as razor burn. Many razor cartridges include a lubricating strip, made of polyethylene glycol, to function instead of or in supplement to extrinsic agents. It also lifts and softens the hairs, causing them to swell. This enhances the cutting action and sometimes permits cutting the hairs slightly below the surface of the skin. Additionally, during shaving, the lather indicates areas that have not been addressed. When soap is used, it is generally applied with a shaving brush, which has long, soft bristles. It is worked up into a usable lather by the brush, either against the face, in a shaving mug, bowl, scuttle, or palm of the hand.
Since cuts are more likely when using safety razors and straight razors, wet shaving is generally done in more than one pass with the blade. The goal is to reduce the amount of hair with each pass, instead of trying to eliminate all of it in a single pass. This also reduces the risks of cuts, soreness, and . Alum blocks and are used to close cuts resulting from the shave.
The main disadvantages of electric shaving are that it may not cut the whiskers as closely as razor shaving does and it requires a source of electricity, usually a rechargeable battery. The advantages include fewer cuts to the skin, quicker shaving, and no need for water and lather sources (a wet shave). The initial cost of electric shaving is higher, due to the cost of the shaver itself, but the long-term cost can be significantly lower, since the cutting parts do not need replacement for several months and a lathering product is not required. Some people also find they do not experience ingrown hairs (pseudofolliculitis barbae, also called razor bumps), when using an electric shaver.
In contrast to wet shaving, electric shave lotions are intended to stiffen the whiskers. Stiffening is achieved by dehydrating the follicles using solutions of alcohols and a degreaser such as isopropyl myristate."Hair Preparations," Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim (2006). Lotions are also sold to reduce skin irritation, but electric shaving does not usually require the application of any lubrication. This is called Dry Shaving.
Mechanical shavers powered by a spring motor have been manufactured, although in the late 20th century they became rare. Such shavers can operate for up to two minutes each time the spring is wound and do not require an electrical outlet or batteries. Such type of shaver, the "Monaco" brand, was used on American space flights in the 1960s and 1970s, during the Apollo missions.
Ways to prevent razor burn include keeping the skin moist, using a shaving brush and lather, using a moisturizing shaving gel, shaving in the direction of the hair growth, resisting the urge to shave too closely, applying minimal pressure, avoiding scratching or irritation after shaving, avoiding irritating products on the shaved area (colognes, , etc.) and using an aftershave cream with aloe vera or other . Putting a warm, wet cloth on one's skin helps as well, by softening hairs. This can also be done by using pre-shave oil before the application of shaving cream. Essential oils such as coconut oil, tea-tree oil, peppermint oil, and lavender oil help to soothe skin after shaving. They have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antibacterial properties.
In some cases multi-bladed razors can cause skin irritation by shaving too close to the skin. Switching to a single- or double-bladed razor and not stretching the skin while shaving can mitigate this.
One other technique involves exfoliating the skin before and after shaving, using various exfoliating products, included but not limited to, brushes, mitts, and loofah. This process removes dead skin cells, reducing the potential for ingrown hairs and allowing the razor to glide across the skin smoothly decreasing the risk of the razor snagging or grabbing causing razor burn.
is a medical term for persistent inflammation caused by shaving. It is also known by the initials PFB or colloquial terms such as razor bumps.(2025). 9781416029991, Mosby. ISBN 9781416029991
In Hinduism, in certain communities, a child's birth hair is shaved off as part of a set of religious rites (samskaras).
Muslim jurists have unanimously agreed that shaving the entire head, and, to a lesser degree, cutting it during Hajj is preferable. It is proven that Muhammad shaved his entire head, and he prayed for those who shaved their heads or cut their hair.
Islām also teaches followers to shave/pluck body hair such as pubic and armpit hair on a regular basis (40 days). Shī'a and Sunnī Hadith state that: "God's Prophet (May God bless him) said: 'Anyone who believes in God and the Hereafter should not postpone shaving the pubic hair for more than forty days.'"
Tools like scissors and electric razors, which cut the hair between two blades instead of between blade and skin, are permitted.
|
|