Before the invention of the modern 5- bladed razor, the battery operated beard trimmer and the electric hair clippers, a razor was in use that would hardly be recognized by the modern male.

     During the Civil War, Men used a hair- removal tool known as the “straight razor”. The straight razor was a four inch length of sharpened steel that was affixed to a carved ivory handle. Much like today, a typical shaving kit would include a razor, a towel and shaving cream. A man would drape the towel about his neck, lather his face with thick, white shaving soap, and begin the hair removal process. This is where the shaving ritual drastically differs from that of today’s man. Instead of using the razor to glide over the skin, cutting the hair at it’s base; the straight razor was used to remove the top several layers of flesh.

   This may sound unbelievable to most, but I assure you, as gruesome as it sounds, it is completely true. It was thought that six to eight weeks of baby- smooth facial hairlessness could be achieved by attempting to remove the layer of epidermis that contained the hair follicle. This, as I’m sure you can imagine, was a long, painful and very messy process.

   For those of you who find this history a difficult tale to swallow, simply take a look at the photographic evidence. It would appear in the pictures that men in the Civil War era wore long, bushy beards. Due to the level of photographic technology available at the time, these pictures are slightly blurry. What you are actually seeing are large, dark, blood- soaked rags worn on and around the chin and tied in a knot at the top of the head. A hat was usually worn over the bandage to disguise the knot and produce a more secure fit. People often wonder why such a stern countenance was worn in these photographs. We are not entirely sure why the women looked so grim, but it is a fact that the masculine features were downcast and surly due to their healing facial wounds. These expressions were in marked contrast to the look usually born by men, which was a terrifying display of facial muscles pulled into a rictus of horrible pain.  

   These facial wounds, inflicted in the spirit of male vanity in persuit of good looks, were very deep and usually bled for days. They were also prone to a multitude of infections. If a man didn’t die of one of the deadly diseases of the time, and if he wasn’t struck down in battle, it was likely that he died as the result of his facial wound, festering unseen behind the large blood- soaked bandages.

   After twenty years of this type of depilation, a law was created that made shaving with a straight razor illeagle on both sides of the Mason- Dixon line. The only acceptable use for the straight razor was trimming the fabric of one’s pants (this is where the cut- off jort was born) or the stealthy slitting of an enemy’s throat.

   The Civil War was a trying and dangerous time for mankind. Battle, bloodshed and disease were common causes of death. But history doesn’t describe the wounds that men would inflict upon themselves in their quest for masculine beauty. These were the truely pitiful deaths that we hope never to see again.