BEAUTY
The Holy Grail of the Precision Shave1 | BY KEVIN PILLEY
T
he English taught the world to shave. Shaving is in the British DNA. But, for the best shave in 2023, you may have to go back in time over two hundred years. Founded in 1805, at the time of the Battle of Trafalgar, London’s “Truefitt & Hill” is the oldest barber shop in the world. It has offered luxury skin food, bespoke grooming aids, and male toiletries for two hundred years. John Wayne was a big fan, as were Frank Sinatra and Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
India. “Freshman Cologne” is one of the oldest formulations. “Clubman” was first called “The Exhibition Bouquet” after the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in 1851. The “Grafton” range of pre-shave oils, bespoke shaving cream, post-shave balm, and Eau du Cologne is named after the HMS Grafton battleships. “Apsley” (grapefruit, lemon, and pepper) commemorates the first Duke of Wellington. “Truefitt & Hill” has been caring for gentlemen for two centuries, as has another luxury London institution, Trumper’s—purveyors of gents’ skinfood.
The company founder, William Francis Truefitt, called himself “hairdresser to the British Royal Court." His firm received its first Royal Warrant from King George 111. In 1911, Edwin Hill set up a barber shop on old Bond Street in London, near the royal neighborhoods. H.P.Truefitt moved there in 1935. The other Truefitt outlets merged in 1941. The present location at 71 St James’s Street dates back to 1994. There are now locations in Toronto, Beijing, Canberra, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
A younger company is Daimon Barber, which offers ethically-sourced, science-led, luxury, “image-elevating” grooming products that “champion individuality.” These include a beard and stubble softener, post-shave balm, and shave cream with Honeybee complex. Daimon Barber has a bespoke “retreat” in Stratford-on-Avon. Men’s chins have evolved from Bronze Age obsidian. They have come a long way from clam shells, hot towels, and cut throats. The precision shave is still the Holy Grail.
Signature goods include “1805” Trafalgar, No.10 (Sir Winston Churchill was a user), Spanish Leather, Sandalwood, West Indian Limes, Lavender, and Rose. Truefitt’s still supplies many traditional hair management products such as “Circassian,” and “Melliflore Fibre” hair creams, “Julep Paste,” and “Euchrisma” hair creams. Tonic and “C.A.R.” hair lotion was initially created for the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall. All these products come in etched bottles, and Truefitt also sells heritage shaving soaps and bath oils. The historic barbershop still offers beard oil and mustache wax using beeswax, shea butter, kukui nut, avocado, sunflower, and aloe vera. Master Barbers offer the “ultimate grooming experience,” a 60-minute (£130/$165) pampering comprising haircut and shampoo, traditional hot towel, and straight razor wet shave. A 30-minute
Home grooming is a colossal business. A lot of research goes into men’s cheeks, chin, jowls, throats, and the area under the nose. Shaving has become a billion-dollar franchise. Every day 80 consumers visit Proctor & Gamble’s Reading facility in the UK. They are observed through two-way mirrors trying different shaving concepts to gain feedback on their changing shaving habits. And why they nick themselves. beard and mustache trim comes in at around £40/$50. “Truefitt & Hill” offers bottled British history. “West Indian Limes” was the first citrus fragrance and floral fougere. Originally called the “Imperial Bouquet,” it was specially made for Queen Victoria in 1876 when she became Empress of
The word “nick” is thought to come from the name of King Camp Gillette’s assistant William Nickerson, who submitted a patent for a new variation of safety razor in 1901. Jacob Schnik also patented an early razor. Gold and copper razors have been found in Egyptian tombs since the 4th millennium BC.
31 | UPSCALE LIVING MAGAZINE | APRIL 2023
