Did men use talc for shaving?

Benzadmiral · Dec 12, 2017

I ask because in an early Ellery Queen short story from the Thirties, "The African Traveler," the issue comes up as a clue. A corpse is examined by Ellery and his students in an applied criminology course, and they note that the man is freshly shaved, with smooth, non-streaking talcum powder applied to his face. One of the students, a woman, deduces that a woman must have applied the powder using a pad or puff, since the application was done smoothly, and no powder puff was in the victim's shaving kit.

She says, "How do you men put your powder on?" Ellery and his two male students admit they do it with their fingers.

So: Was that actually a thing in the Golden Era? Instead of shaving balm or skin lotion, it was an option for men to apply talcum powder post-shave?

LizzieMaine · Dec 12, 2017

Yes. There were even coin-operated powder vending machines in public men's rooms, which led to the Chicago Tribune's outraged "pink powder puff" editorial in its issue of July 10,1926, blaming Rudolph Valentino for popularizing such things. Valentino challenged the editorial writer to a duel, which challenge was declined.

Fading Fast · Dec 12, 2017

How did that not look terrible and not just get on everything? Oh, and how did that not further dry out a freshly shaved face?

Benzadmiral · Dec 12, 2017

I've read elsewhere that some talc was tinted, so it didn't appear quite so white against the skin. (This morning I tried it myself with some plain white baby powder. Not bad, but I had to rinse it off before I left the house.) Perhaps this was before the widespread adoption of alcohol-based aftershaves?

3fingers · Dec 12, 2017

I keep a bottle of Pinaud Clubman talc here.
I don't use it all of the time, and never on my face, but occasionally dust a bit on the back of my neck with a retired shaving brush. It has a barbershop scent that I like and remember.

Seb Lucas · Dec 25, 2017

I remember we were still using it after shaving 1970's. Certainly all barbers I knew used talc on men after shaving, especially the neck. I remember it being applied and then lightly brushed off.

Nobert · Dec 26, 2017

Benzadmiral said:
I've read elsewhere that some talc was tinted, so it didn't appear quite so white against the skin. (This morning I tried it myself with some plain white baby powder. Not bad, but I had to rinse it off before I left the house.) Perhaps this was before the widespread adoption of alcohol-based aftershaves?

I bought an old talcum powder dipenser some months back that still had the powder in it. It's a pinkish color. I had assumed this was just discoloration from its advanced years.

MikeKardec · Dec 31, 2017

These days it's probably best avoided because of a possible, yet to be thoroughly researched or proven, collaboration with cancer.

LizzieMaine · Dec 31, 2017

Nobert said:
I bought an old talcum powder dipenser some months back that still had the powder in it. It's a pinkish color. I had assumed this was just discoloration from its advanced years.

The Tribune editorial cited earlier specifically refers to the product dispensed by the mens-room vending machines of the day as a "fluffy pink solid," and further works itself into a high dudgeon of offended hypermasculine insecurity by noting that the machine bore an instruction placard advising the user to collect the powder and apply it using his "personal puff." Apparently the equipment of the 1920s dandy was not complete without that bit of delicate cosmetic apparatus -- although the frothing McCormick stooge who wrote the editorial, and who did, it must be noted, seem to be unusually well-informed about what went on in Chicago's public men's rooms, stated that he observed some of the machine's users collecting and applying the powder with a "kerchief" instead of a puff.

Gillette or somebody ought to get on the ball with that and come out with the "Advanced Performance X-3000 Talc Application System."

ChiTownScion · Dec 31, 2017

This raises the topic of another source of male pleasure that was common in the Era but has all but disappeared: the barber shop shave with a straight razor.

It was a wonderful, glorious ritual- and afterward one's face tingled with cleansing pleasure. The hot towel, the warm shaving cream, the meticulous and effortless removal of the tiniest remnant of stubble, the application of witch hazel, and a neck dustoff with talc: no home shave can ever come close to the sublime experience. I can't think of anything that gives as much pure pleasure that does not involve either (a) removing one's clothes, or (b) chowing down on a good med. rare steak or slab of standing prime rib.

If you want to find a barber today who'll do it: good luck. I remember when I wanted to ditch my beard at the end of one Civil War reenacting season, and wanting to do so with style. I was told that straight razor shaves had, due to the HIV scare, gone the way of the buggy whip. A few places will shave you with a disposable razor and charge a king's ransom for doing so: sort of like dating a department store mannequin, in my book.

3fingers · Dec 31, 2017

ChiTownScion said:
This raises the topic of another source of male pleasure that was common in the Era but has all but disappeared: the barber shop shave with a straight razor.

It was a wonderful, glorious ritual- and afterward one's face tingled with cleansing pleasure. The hot towel, the warm shaving cream, the meticulous and effortless removal of the tiniest remnant of stubble, the application of witch hazel, and a neck dustoff with talc: no home shave can ever come close to the sublime experience. I can't think of anything that gives as much pure pleasure that does not involve either (a) removing one's clothes, or (b) chowing down on a good med. rare steak or slab of standing prime rib.

If you want to find a barber today who'll do it: good luck. I remember when I wanted to ditch my beard at the end of one Civil War reenacting season, and wanting to do so with style. I was told that straight razor shaves had, due to the HIV scare, gone the way of the buggy whip. A few places will shave you with a disposable razor and charge a king's ransom for doing so: sort of like dating a department store mannequin, in my book.

My barber still does complete shaves. He will use your straight or he uses a shavette. It's still a wonderful thing either way. He's around 80 though and I live in terror of the day he's no longer able to work.

Fading Fast · Dec 31, 2017

3fingers said:
...I live in terror of the day he's no longer able to work.

Just pray that the reveal for that doesn't come while he's giving you a shave.

Gray Ghost · Jan 1, 2018

ChiTownScion said:
This raises the topic of another source of male pleasure that was common in the Era but has all but disappeared: the barber shop shave with a straight razor.

It was a wonderful, glorious ritual- and afterward one's face tingled with cleansing pleasure. The hot towel, the warm shaving cream, the meticulous and effortless removal of the tiniest remnant of stubble, the application of witch hazel, and a neck dustoff with talc: no home shave can ever come close to the sublime experience. I can't think of anything that gives as much pure pleasure that does not involve either (a) removing one's clothes, or (b) chowing down on a good med. rare steak or slab of standing prime rib.

If you want to find a barber today who'll do it: good luck. I remember when I wanted to ditch my beard at the end of one Civil War reenacting season, and wanting to do so with style. I was told that straight razor shaves had, due to the HIV scare, gone the way of the buggy whip. A few places will shave you with a disposable razor and charge a king's ransom for doing so: sort of like dating a department store mannequin, in my book.

Have not checked lately, but I believe you can still get a straight razor shave after your haircut at Floyd's City Barber Shop in Mount Airy, NC. Mayberry NC was based lightly on Mount Airy since Andy Griffith was from there. They really live up the Mayberry reputation. The original Floyd has passed away over the past few years so I am not sure if the shop is still even open. I got one of my best shaves with a straight razor here. Need to go back and see if they are still there.

Seb Lucas · Jan 1, 2018

ChiTownScion said:
This raises the topic of another source of male pleasure that was common in the Era but has all but disappeared: the barber shop shave with a straight razor.

It was a wonderful, glorious ritual- and afterward one's face tingled with cleansing pleasure. The hot towel, the warm shaving cream, the meticulous and effortless removal of the tiniest remnant of stubble, the application of witch hazel, and a neck dustoff with talc: no home shave can ever come close to the sublime experience. I can't think of anything that gives as much pure pleasure that does not involve either (a) removing one's clothes, or (b) chowing down on a good med. rare steak or slab of standing prime rib.

If you want to find a barber today who'll do it: good luck. I remember when I wanted to ditch my beard at the end of one Civil War reenacting season, and wanting to do so with style. I was told that straight razor shaves had, due to the HIV scare, gone the way of the buggy whip. A few places will shave you with a disposable razor and charge a king's ransom for doing so: sort of like dating a department store mannequin, in my book.

There are 'hipster' barbers emerging around our town that provide this kind of shave. I would have thought that the world-wide artisan skills revival has brought straight razor shaving back to many big Western cities.

tonyb · Jan 1, 2018

MikeKardec said:
These days it's probably best avoided because of a possible, yet to be thoroughly researched or proven, collaboration with cancer.

We keep baby powder in our house. It helps ward off the summertime clamminess, which is a real consideration for those of us fur-bearing sorts of predominantly Northern European ancestry.

The product is cornstarch, mostly, and contains not so much a speck of talcum.

Did men use talc for shaving?

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