Old School Shaving Advice from the Old Country
April 19, 2010, By Craig J. Heimbuch 4 comments
Fausto Ferrari learned to shave back in the old country, Italy, when he was 10 years old. Spending half days at school and the other half apprenticing for the local barber, he learned to do things the right way. “Back then we had no barber college,” he says, his accent thick, almost indecipherable. “You learn from the barber. That’s how you become a barber.”
He has been a barber for more than 50 years, operating his shop in downtown Cincinnati with his brother, Emilio. It’s a small place, a closet crammed between retail and office buildings. It’s like a speakeasy, you have to know where it is in order to find it. He’s shaved bishops and ballplayers, mayors and captains of industry.
Fausto starts every day honing his trusty blade on a stone and a 75-year-old leather strap. It’s a brush and shave soap always. He’s never touched a safety razor and laughs at the notion of a disposable. Warm water, a warm towel to soften the skin and beard; then smooth, straight strokes.
He can shave the color off of a balloon and says he hasn’t had a need for a styptic pencil in decades. Sharp blade, warm water, frothy lather and a nice clean towel at the finish –those are the secrets of shaving and Fausto should know – he’s old-school, from the old country.
Here’s a few tips from a master to make shaving your favorite part of the day:
Prep
- Use a hot towel or hot water to soften the beard. Dampen your face or use a hot towel for at least three minutes.
- Wet the bristles of a badger fur brush with warm water. Use the brush to whip-up a lather with the soap in the base of a shaving mug.
- Using circular strokes, apply lather to your face. (note: the motion of the brush on your face will soften facial hair, making it easier to cut and reducing skin irritation.
Shaving
- Clean, straight, even strokes with the grain of the beard (usually down). hold the razor gently, allowing the blades to do the work (sort of like swinging evenly and smoothly and allowing the shape and design of a golf club to do the work.) Try to avoid going over spots more than once, as this repetitive motion will cause skin irritation. Rinse blade clean between strokes to ensure maximum blade/ hair contact with each stroke.
Clean-up
- Rinse your face with warm water and blot dry with a clean, dry towel.
- If necessary, use an after-shave lotion, but avoid any containing alcohol – it not only burns, it dries out your skin.
- Apply moisturizer with SPF 15 (or greater) sun protection.
Craig Heimbuch is the Editor-in-Chief of ManoftheHouse.com and the author of "Chasing Oliver Hazard Perry." He is a Barefoot Proximity employee.
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