How Did the Three Pass Shave Originate? One or Two Passes Were Standard Historically.

[Ankerwycke]

Regarding shaving WTG vs ATG some of the old, pre-DE, shaving manuals advise to always shave WTG to mitigate the risk of the blade cutting ones face after turning downward by catching on the hairs. Wonder if many of the instructions recommending an initial WTG pass are carryovers from what was then a recommended practice for SE shaving? Suspect that with the level of safety provided by DE vs. SE razors that this risk is largely mitigated enabling safer first pass ATG shaves for those who prefer shaving this way.

Like you, ATG on a first pass works very well for me where I use it. Of course YMMV based on preferences and beard characteristics always applies.

You’ve got me thinking now whether a one pass ATG was at one time a fairly common method of shaving.
Nobody ever talked about shaving back then, but I know it was a chore for most people, and something to be done as quickly as possible.
I remember as a boy watching my dad shave and longing for the day when I could do it. He used to say, wait until you have to shave every day, you won’t want to then.
He was right, and I used to be covered in nicks and cuts at the beginning. I learnt very quickly just to use short strokes when I was shaving, but I’ve never been able to shave ATG with ordinary bar soap.
Come to think of it neither did he, he always used Ingrams shaving cream, and there was nobody more frugal than him.
He’d served in the army in WW2 and had seen some really hard times. Make do and mend, and just get on with it was his philosophy.

 

[jbhunt04]

Before I started wetshaving with a DE razor, I heard people here and there mention shaving against the grain. So shaving against the grain was was something that at least some did to get a smooth shave. I tried to at once with my cartridge razors, and it burned my face up. I switched over to DE wetshaving because it gave a cleaner cut that any cartridge razor I had ever used. Also the price for me to use a DE is cheaper in the long run. I got tired of having to buy new Fusion cartridges every month or so. A refill pack was around $20 or so during the mid to late 2000s(If I remember correctly.). I actually enjoy shaving now, but I don’t really shave as a hobby.

 

[VBH37118]

alot of things in the modern wetshaving world are due to marketing and creating sales..

If a person only follows what the "videos" show, id have more soaps, creams, and ointments then a dozen 15 year old girls.

Everything started with the "method shaving" kick and suddenly you NEEDED expensive pre shave oil, expensive soap, and expensive post shave balms.

Remember, Listerine was original touted in ads as a two piece product. A mouth wash AND an after shave.

So true it’s all about the money

 

[deafficianado]

To answer the OP’s question, it was right here on B&B popularized the 3 pass shave. No one will get credit for it’s invention. When I use a mild razor like a tech, I will need to use 3 passes for an acceptable close shave. 2 passes with more efficient razors lead to the same result. That’s why I shave with efficient razors so I could get nice shaves with less irritation by using less passes.

 

[ButterfaceX]

I raise the question: is really one man's pass the same as another. I would guess..No
I have seen so many during their alleged pass ( & es), go over certain spots, buff, touch up without out lube/soap.

BFX

 

[Submariner]

Pretty sure that generations before the age of B&B and other shaving forums were doing whatever they needed to do to obtain a good shave and that included multiple passes WTG, ATG, XTG. Just not everyone sat around discussing it.

 

[ButterfaceX]

I have invented an amazing DE razor w/ AI that will evaluate your skill level and detect your face ( and or head) size, stubble thickness, density and mapping. It will calculate the numbers of passes required. If you go over the number of allotted passes and alarm will go off, emails and notifications sent out and in will shut down and auto destroy your razor blade.
Note: you will need to set up a password and requires 2FA ( two-factor authentication).
BFX
I be watching you...
The DE razor will not be cheap and is call Lycanthropus.
All made at night in the USA by Keebler Elfs ( union elfs).

 

[mcee_sharp]

I have invented an amazing DE razor w/ AI that will evaluate your skill level and detect your face ( and or head) size, stubble thickness, density and mapping. It will calculate the numbers of passes required. If you go over the number of allotted passes and alarm will go off, emails and notifications sent out and in will shut down and auto destroy your razor blade.
Note: you will need to set up a password and requires 2FA ( two-factor authentication).
BFX
I be watching you...
The DE razor will not be cheap and is call Lycanthropus.
All made at night in the USA by Keebler Elfs ( union elfs).

Artisanal and vegan AI? Ethically sourced?

 

[Butch Waxx]

I suppose back in the day it was considered a daily chore that had to be done before you were off to the office, factory, or to plow the field.
One pass was deemed acceptable, and besides, …………There was a good chance of having to apply at least one little piece of tissue to a nick or cut, why push your luck with another pass or two and risk looking like the mummy?!?!?

 

[VBH37118]

the method shave i believe was the start of the 3 to 6 pass shave,

In the early days gillette had three methods to shave with a razor.

1. with the grain
2. the odd angled gillette slide, not my thing as its EASY to slide teh blade slideways...
3. unloosening the cap slightly to increase the aggressiveness... not my thing

just like how you cant find a 3-8 blade cartridge razor that doesnt have an inbuilt menthol strip on it.

Welcome to the club

 

[GR5233]

but im also watching an add in the lower corner about a product that lets you hone and sharpen CARTRIDGE RAZORS..

I think I remember seeing a few of those ads myself on tv a few years ago. They were in a similar style to the ads for that rebranded Weishi DE Rick Harrison pitched or the flex seal ads

 

[Lane101]

I suppose back in the day it was considered a daily chore that had to be done before you were off to the office, factory, or to plow the field.
One pass was deemed acceptable, and besides, …………There was a good chance of having to apply at least one little piece of tissue to a nick or cut, why push your luck with another pass or two and risk looking like the mummy?!?!?

Yes and if you go even further back to before the invention of the DE razor for many the ritual was a weekly trip to a barber shop for a shave. With average weekly worker earnings of around $10-$20 in 1900 a 10 cent (25 cents with hair cut) weekly shave would represent a significant expense.

Conditions were very basic for many working class folks living in tenements that often did not have good sanitary facilities and might not be able to afford their own SE razor. Pre-1900 the lack of tenement sanitary facilities made it common to go to a public bath house for a periodic bath. With the advent of DE going from a weekly barber shave to a daily one-pass DFS would have been considered a major improvement and likely more economical.

Economics may have also played a part in limiting shavers then to a one pass shave. The early Gillette DEs, at $5 each, represented a major investment given average earnings then. Blades were 12 for around $1 and marketed as good for 10-20 shaves. Assuming the use of leftover bath soap, that was common then, it took around two years to breakeven with the weekly barber shave (assuming daily DE shaves). Anything more than one pass would be costly, relative to income, as it would double or triple blade wear/consumption.

 

[Psychtec]

Curious as to the origination of today's recommended three pass DE shave with, across and against the grain? Is anyone familiar with the basis for this? My attempt to research the topic hasn't found any historical basis for this beyond the more recent posts and videos from DE shavers who recommend the approach. Details of my experience and research on the topic are as follows:

I started DE shaving during my college days (After 5 years I went electric returning after decades to DE three years ago) and don't recall any instructions regarding this approach for shaving back then. Basically applied canned foam, shaved and did some touch up for a DFS. Today I achieve a BBS shave with two passes and some touch up. No need for a full third pass.

Research of historical commercial shaving directions hasn't surfaced anything on the three pass shave though there was some discussion of a two passes if an extra close shave was desired. Way back in 1905 a pamphlet on straight razor shaving (link below) stated " If you desire a really clean shave, you must go over the face the second time......In shaving over the face the second time, some reverse the stroke. That is, they shave upward against the growth of the beard, instead of downward, as during the first time over." basically suggesting an optional two pass shave with the first pass with the grain and the second against.

More recent DE shaving instructions from the mid-20th century either recommend one pass with the grain with some against the grain touch up (1961 Gillette Directions link below) or, similar to 1905 a single with the grain pass with an optional " if necessary" second against the grain pass (1963 Gillette British Directions link below). The 1958 directions (link below) only mention a single pass with long diagonal strokes that appear to be a trademark of many Gillette shaving instructions from those days. More recent Gillette instructions from the 1970s & 80s only focus on operation of the razor.

Found an old 2014 thread on B&B (2nd to last link below) where the posts also affirm that a one or two pass shave was pretty standard at the time these instructions were distributed.

I did find one possible source for the three pass shave in an open source professional barbering textbook (last link below) that talks about a three pass shave though interestingly it notes that the third pass is almost never done. The specific text instructions are"

"There are three main types of shaves traditionally practiced in barbershops:

• The first time over: The standard shave service performed in barbershops today. It is performed using a lather on the beard and by shaving in the direction of the grain. This shave removes all visible hair growth and leaves the skin smooth and without irritation.
• The second time over: This shave is performed immediately after the first time over to create a closer shave by removing any remaining hair. The second time over shave is generally performed on dampened skin with no lather, while working with or across the grain.
• The close shave: A shave that is typically not practiced, unless the client has a particularly challenging beard or growth pattern, in which the first time over and second time over shaves were not enough to adequately remove all of the hair. This shave is performed against the grain, therefore it is not commonly performed as it is more likely to cause irritation, ingrown hairs, and the possibility of infection.

Source: Barbering Techniques for Hairstylists by Arden Magtiza and Gary Franceschini

In the detailed instruction section the text notes that "The Second Time Over" shave is only done where needed. It is not a full second pass. So really the recommended professional barber shave is a single pass with touch up.

Back to the original question. Is anyone familiar with how the three pass shave became the recommended approach for DE shavers today? Wondering if there is any real basis for it or if in reality, as noted in the text above, we just need to determine what works best for us given our unique beard characteristics and YMMV.


Post with links to 1905 shaving pamphlet

1905 Shaving Guide: Shaving made easy; what the man who shaves ought to know ... (From Library of Congress)

Stumbled onto this publication from 1905 titled "Shaving made easy; what the man who shaves ought to know ..." that is in the Library of Congress. (Links below) Interesting piece of history that covers all aspects of shaving as known then. Some takeaways: This is pre-DE so it only covers...

www.badgerandblade.com

1958 Gillette U.S. Razor Directions:
https://mr-razor.com/Anleitungen/1958 TV Super-Speed.jpg

1961 Gillette U.S. Razor Directions

https://mr-razor.com/Anleitungen/1961%20Slim%20Var.3.jpg

1963 Gillette British Shaving Directions

https://mr-razor.com/Anleitungen/1963%20Slim%20British%20Mark%20II.jpg

The History of Multiple Pass Shaving - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/the-history-of-multiple-pass-shaving.436596/

Barbering Textbook Link

4.1 Introduction to the Straight Razor Shave – Barbering Techniques for Hairstylists

opentextbc.ca

Lane101

Brushes

This may be considered off topic.

For the common working man, were brushes commonly used back in the day with canned foam? Or was hand lathering the norm? I am thinking brushes were not cheap but not pricey?

Or

Were they popularized by the hobbyists who just wanted to spoil themselves during their “fancy” picky’s up in the air? Dry humor.

Enjoying your thread.

 

[VBH37118]

Lane101

Brushes

This may be considered off topic.

For the common working man, were brushes commonly used back in the day with canned foam? Or was hand lathering the norm? I am thinking brushes were not cheap but not pricey?

Or

Were they popularized by the hobbyists who just wanted to spoil themselves during their “fancy” picky’s up in the air? Dry humor.

Enjoying your thread.

It was started by the internet of course, my grandfather used a straight razor with bar soap and one pass, my father used a red tip with canned foam also one pass and I was taught the same way and it works. The hobby part of it I get for three passes but to tell others it’s the only way to shave doesn’t really make sense. As a side note the venders love it, more passes more product more money and remember it doesn’t take long to read a short story

 

[Lane101]

Lane101

Brushes

This may be considered off topic.

For the common working man, were brushes commonly used back in the day with canned foam? Or was hand lathering the norm? I am thinking brushes were not cheap but not pricey?

Or

Were they popularized by the hobbyists who just wanted to spoil themselves during their “fancy” picky’s up in the air? Dry humor.

Enjoying your thread.

Typically canned foam instructions had (and still have) the shaver apply the foam by hand. This goes back before canned foam as many shaving creams in tubes or jars like Barbesol or Burma Shave in the early to mid 20th century were also brushless and meant to be applied by hand. Look at some vintage Barbesol ads.

Shaving soap typically required a brush. Recall my grandfather using a brush on the shaving soap puck (likely Colgate) he kept in a mug.

 

[blade08]

The three pass shave is internet BS. The generations before the internet looked perfectly fine with a single pass, mostly performed with canned foam and whatever razor they used, first DE's, later cartridges. The world kept on spinning and everyone looked just fine with their single pass shave! No public whining about it in those days

 

[Lane101]

It was started by the internet of course, my grandfather used a straight razor with bar soap and one pass, my father used a red tip with canned foam also one pass and I was taught the same way and it works. The hobby part of it I get for three passes but to tell others it’s the only way to shave doesn’t really make sense. As a side note the venders love it, more passes more product more money and remember it doesn’t take long to read a short story

In reflecting more on this thread I suspect that one reason for the all the discussion of the "3 pass shave" was also part of an effort for marketers to better convince shavers that a single DE blade could shave as well as the cartridges that many were using. This was in addition, of course, to the desire to sell more product.

Bottom line is we should each do what works best for us whether it's a socially acceptable standard one-pass shave, my preferred 2+ passes or 3 passes.

 

[Lane101]

The three pass shave is internet BS. The generations before the internet looked perfectly fine with a single pass, mostly performed with canned foam and whatever razor they used, first DE's, later cartridges. The world kept on spinning and everyone looked just fine with their single pass shave! No public whining about it in those days

For most of my life I uses a Norelco rotary electric razor that delivered a socially acceptable shave in a couple minutes. My one-pass DFS shaves are closer than what the electric delivered and I could easily live with those if desired. I like BBS shaves and usually can now take the extra time for the second pass required. Everyone should shave in the way that works best for them.

 

[blade08]

Remember that up until the 2000's or so, being clean shaven was pretty much the norm. Apart from some rock stars on MTV, I don't recall ever seeing bearded men, or men sporting '3-day-stubble' growing up as a teenager in the 90's. I do remember there were a lot more ads on TV for shaving systems, especially from Gillette.

 

[blade08]

I suppose back in the day it was considered a daily chore that had to be done before you were off to the office, factory, or to plow the field.
One pass was deemed acceptable, and besides, …………There was a good chance of having to apply at least one little piece of tissue to a nick or cut, why push your luck with another pass or two and risk looking like the mummy?!?!?

The concept of really sharp stainless razor blades is something we take for granted. Many men up until the 1970's or so, had to deal with not so great carbon steel blades.