History of Shaving

The earliest shaving implements were made from natural materials: shards of flint, scallop shells or splinters of obsidian (volcanic glass) with razor sharp edges. The Ancient Egyptians appreciated a clean-shaven face and developed the use of sharpened knives of copper or bronze with which the wealthiest members of society would be shaved, head-to-toe by servants.

In England, the King historically determined the fashion concerning beards, but shaving was generally the preserve of courtiers and the rich; shaving utensils were expensive and hard to come by. In more recent times, beards have come in and out of favour with increasing rapidity.

It was only with the advances in manufacturing techniques of the Industrial Revolution that the general public were able to own razors. Perhaps the most significant advance was the Safety Razor: developed in the late 1880s, it was perfected in 1895 with the King Camp Gillette® disposable safety razor. Further technological developments turned the razor from a single open blade, to a mass produced and inexpensive item accessible to one and all.

Edwin Jagger is the first UK manufacturing company to incorporate most of the popular blade systems into its razors and is committed to on-going development of superior shaving products.

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