The evolution and story of the razor

From stone to blade

It can be seen from the unnecessary figures on many rock paintings that humans have understood shaving as early as prehistoric times. What shave? Some archaeologists say that stone tools are used, while other archaeologists believe that shells are used not only as razors but also as pliers. Although this is time consuming and painful, it eventually removes the beard.

We should look at the Egyptian civilization, the introduction of copper and bronze, where the razor was produced, and the oldest unearthed artifact in the Nile region, which was preserved in the Louvre Museum in Paris 5,000 years ago, is a slightly curved blade. Knife.

As far back as 1000 BC, the ancient Etruscans of Italy invented the crescent-shaped razor, which is a perforated razor that is inserted into the middle of the small handle with two blades, which can be scraped better. The beard around the chin world. In 333 BC, Alexander the Great (according to some Latin historians, he loved vanity, often shaving very carefully to make his appearance stand out) and ordered his soldiers to shave every day to avoid being easily captured in battle. . The need to equip the entire army led to the creation of a practical razor, much like the folding razor with a handle that the hairdresser now uses.

Disposable blade

The real revolution in shaving tools was the razor invented by Kim Gillette in 1895. Gillette, with his friend and bottle cap inventor William Payett, set the goal of designing disposable blades that could force customers to buy multiple times. The new razor uses a replaceable single-sided blade, except that its blade extends over the tool holder so that shaving is absolutely safe. However, Gillette did not sell his original product until 1903: only 51 razors and 163 blades were sold in a year, which was done with the help of his partner, elevator button inventor William Nixon.

In 1914, Gillette became a prosperous company, and the company's two technicians, Harry Bray and Shefyard, also produced stainless steel blades.

In the 1920s, with the popularity of short skirts and tight-sleeved clothes, women also needed to shave their hair. This led to the first female safety razors. The first electric razors appeared in the same period, which is the razor used by most men today.

By-product of razor

In 1928, the US retired Army Colonel Jacob Hick received a patent for an electric razor. The mechanical part of the machine was used to rotate the blade with a porous, porous cover.

At present, most types of razors are equipped with electronic sensors, which can automatically select the level of shaving to use the razor to adapt to the feeling of the skin, and also equipped with a micro diffuser for lubricating paste.

Since 1800, a variety of aromatic shaving soaps, liquids, creams and powders have been introduced.

For all types of razors, a variety of products are available on the market before and after shaving. When shaving with a blade, the soap, cream and foam applied to the skin make the razor easier to slide and soften the hair; when shaving with a power knife, the lotion hardens the hair and removes sebum. Uses a variety of razors for shaving, cream, milk and powder to protect against astringency and emollients, reduce congestion (menthol and camphor), and soften (lanolin), nourish and antibacterial (promoting small wounds) The role of healing and disinfection).

Whether the ancients have shaving cream is not certain, but some formulas used for fitness at that time must be found in today's shaving cream.