History of Barbering

Ever wondered about the history of barbering and how the barber shops of old used to operate?  Well, we recently had a visit from Dr Alun Withey at our Fitzrovia barber shop in London, who knows all about such things.

Dr Alun had come in to have his beard shaved off and in his role as an academic historian of medicine and the body and a 2014 AHRC/BBC 'New Generation Thinker', he has written a really interesting piece on his blog all about the history of barbering.

As this was his very first experience of a professional wet shave with an open blade, he was naturally a bit nervous but as he was in the process of making a short film about shaving in Georgian Britain and this was part of his research, Dr Alun wanted to experience a proper wet shave by a qualified barber, and let's be honest, if you're going to have a cut throat razor held against your skin, you'd definitely want a Pall Mall Barber doing it!

Fortunately for Dr Alun, the barber in question - Michael, knows exactly how to give the closest, smoothest shave known to man and Dr Alun seemed impressed!  And he knows a good barber when he comes across one as he's spent the last 5 or 6 years researching and writing about shaving and the history of barbering.

In his blog, the history of barbering is covered from the 18th century when the skills, hygiene levels and quality of the barbers' tools often left gents of the time, with sore faces and nicks and cuts galore.  Thankfully that's no longer the case!

Why not read the blog, then book a professional wet shave for yourself and revel in this luxurious and very masculine experience.

Men's Shaving

Who would Adam and Eve it? Our men’s shaving services have been included in Esquire’s Style Guide as something to buy this week.

And who are we to argue?  It’s always very flattering when our staff and our services are recognised and recommended, especially when it’s by one of the most stylish and respected men’s magazines around.  So, thanks guys.

And as the popularity of beards seems to be waning, maybe it’s time to treat yourself to a professional men’s shaving appointment at Pall Mall Barbers? You’ll be in very capable hands with any of our experienced barbers and with one of our luxury wet shaves, you’ll be getting the best shave in the business.  Your skin will be cleaned and steamed with hot towels and an invigorating facial scrub and then you’ll be treated to the luxury range of Pall Mall Barbers eponymous men's shaving products featuring sandalwood and clove and include a pre shave scrub, shaving cream and post shave balm.

If you’ve never had a professional wet shave before, it’s part pampering and part grooming.  You’ll experience the closest shave possible, have the smoothest skin and leave feeling relaxing and refreshed.  As far as men’s shaving goes, it doesn’t get any better than this.

We’ve got three barber shops now in Central London and you can book your men’s shaving appointment online or give us a ring.  And if you’d like to try any of our men’s shaving products, these can be bought online or in store too.

Double Edged Razor

Double edged razors are really popular with men you prefer a traditional shaving routine, rather than using an electric version.

One reason for their popularity is that the blades they use are much cheaper than those used by Mach 3 (or 4 or 5!) razors.

They're also very easy to use.  When you need to replace the blade on your double edged razor, you simply unscrew the top, remove the top and then take out the blade - they can still be sharp enough to cut your finger, so be careful.

Unwrap your new blade and slip over the screw, replace the top of the double edged razor and screw the handle firmly back in place.  That's it! It takes seconds.

At Pall Mall Barbers in London, we've been doing professional wet shaves since 1896 so we really are the shaving experts.  We've got loads of great tips and shaving advice, and if you use a double edged razor we can help share that knowledge so that you get the smoothest, closest shave possible.

We always recommend that if you use a double edged razor, you shave with it at a 45 degree angle and go down your face slowly.

Double edged razors are great for sensitive skin and are less likely to give your skin any irritation because there is only one blade touching it.  They are also really good if you want sharp lines on your designer stubble as they can get closer to the edge.

If you want to see one of our barbers demonstrating the double edged razor watch this video on the Pall Mall Barbers YouTube channel.

Pre Shave Scrub Recommended by Experts

Our Pre Shave Scrub is an amazing product - we've blogged about it before and how it prepares your skin for a smoother, closer shave.

As the first step in our unique 3 Step Shaving System, the pre shave scrub contains prickly pear seed oil to moisturise the skin and the added Amazonian guarana seeds add texture to this invigorating scrub. To finish off, we've added cocoa butter and shea butter which will lubricate and soothe your skin.

It's very easy to use our pre shave scrub.  Just wet the face with warm water and apply a one pump dose. Massage it gently into your skin and then rinse with warm water a few times.  With its natural ingredient, it's ideal for sensitive skin and won't irritate it.  We've got a great video of Erin demonstrating how to use it, so if you'd like to see it, click through to our youtube channel and our pre shave scrub video.

By using a pre shave scrub, you're getting your skin ready for your shave. It removes dead skin cells, so your razor can get that bit closer to your skin and it opens the pores, so your bristles stand up a bit more.  That way you'll be able to get a smoother and closer shave. You can get it online or in any of our London barber shops.

So not only do we, and our customers who use it, think it's a great product, it seems so do those clever chaps over at Modern Barber.  A quarterly magazine devoted to the UK’s barbering industry and written by professional journalists with a background in men's hair and barbering.  Check out the Modern Barber site.

They've featured it in this month's magazine.  Thanks guys!

Post Shave Balm

Post shave balm is the best way to finish your daily shaving ritual.

The final step in the Pall Mall Barbers unique 3 Step Shaving System is our Sandalwood and Clove Post Shave Balm.

If you’ve followed the 3 step process, it’s important to finish with a product that will soothe and smooth your skin, so that it looks refreshed and feels comfortable.

We developed this product after years of experience shaving men’s faces and noticing which products worked and listening to the specific needs of our customers.

Hence, our Sandalwood and Clove Post Shave Balm has been developed using the best ingredients available.

It contains prickly pear seed oil which will calm and soothe the skin after your shave, and then glycerine to smooth it, and prevent any dry or rough patches developing. Its masculine scent of sandalwood and clove adds a luxurious end to your daily shaving ritual, as well as containing antiseptic properties to protect your skin.

To use the post shave balm, simply dispense a one pump dose after shaving and massage into your face. It you want to see a video to see exactly how to follow each step in our professional shaving system including the post shave balm, watch it here.

Suitable for all skin types, the post shave balm can be bought on its own or as a set with the pre shave scrub and shaving cream with from the exclusive Pall Mall Barbers 3 Step Shaving System.

Barber Shop Gift Voucher Make Great Gifts For Men

Looking for some inspired gifts for men?

Gifts for men can be really tricky especially at this time of year, or so everyone tells us.  We have to disagree though. As we’re sure the one thing any man would be delighted to receive is a gift voucher from Pall Mall Barbers!

As a traditional barbers in Central London, we offer full barbering services such as wet shaves and beard trimming as well as men's hairdressing services.  We've also got a range of luxury products for all the grooming requirements of a man who likes to look good, and they all are great gifts for men. But if you’re really not sure what to get that special someone, then a voucher would be the perfect gift.

A real treat for any man, is a luxury wet shave. So imagine receiving a gift voucher from one of the oldest and most respected barber shops in London (yep, that’s us) to experience the closest, smoothest shave ever. With a men's shaving gift voucher from Pall Mall Barbers, you will be sure to impress the man in your life. Our men's shaving sets make a great gift too for any man with the highest quality shaving razors and shaving brushes. Or for the well groomed male who has everything, why not treat them to a manicure set for men? With a men's shaving gift from Pall Mall Barbers you won’t leave anyone unhappy! See our range of shaving products.

We recently launched our eponymous Pall Mall Barbers range of haircare and hair styling products for men, so whatever the hairstyle of choice for the man in your life, we’ve got the perfect product.

Also, our luxury 3 step shaving system has been developed by professional barbers using the best quality ingredients and with the masculine scent of sandalwood and clove. You can buy each of these shaving products for men individually or as a set.  They would make great gifts for men.  Or buy a gift voucher and let him decide exactly what he’d like to try.

Our quality vouchers are sent in a beautiful high quality card case that looks classic, masculine and stylish- in keeping with the Pall Mall Barbers brand that stands for style and excellence making a perfect gift for any occasion

For a range of values to suit your pocket, you can call into our Central London barbers shops or purchase them online on our gift vouchers page.


If you still can't decide, why not call into one of our Central London barbers shops and get some advice. We'd be happy to help.

Shaving Lesson from Professional Barbers

Have you ever thought about having a shaving lesson?

You’ve probably been shaving for years, but have you ever wondered if you’re doing it right? Ok, so the end result may look alright but is there any way you could be getting a closer, smoother shave?

At Pall Mall Barbers in Central London, our barbers really are the very best at what they do.  Their experience has been built up over years of barbering and their knowledge is often sought by the media – you might have seen them on various TV programmes and in high profile publications sharing their expert advice?

So what better way to get top tips on your daily shaving routine than booking in for a shaving lesson from the best in the business?  You can book online or why not treat someone you know to a gift voucher for one of these shaving lesson?

We have 3 different types of shaving lessons:

Open Blade:
This is the epitome of the masculine self-care ritual. Our barbers will teach you how to shave properly with an open blade – you’ll learn about hair growth, skin products, the right way to hold the blade and how to save money on blades in the long-term.  Once the most popular way for men to shave, the open blade razor is becoming more popular again.

Safety Razor:
You’ll learn the art of the safety razor with advice and a personal demonstration on how to get the closet shave possible, how to use the right products and make sure your skin’s condition is optimised.

Double Edged Razor:
A very popular razor, learning how to use a Double Edge Razor will help you achieve excellent results with your daily shave. As well as offering you a brilliantly close shave you will also save a substantial amount of money over time by using one, as blades for the Double Edge razor can be much cheaper than typical replacement blades. It’s a beautiful looking piece of male grooming equipment, and will last you many years.

A shaving lesson gift voucher would make a great present for the man who has everything.  It's a real treat and the benefits he'd pick up would last a very long time.  So, go on, treat him..... or yourself!