Men's Razors

Men’s razors come in all shapes and sizes – a bit like men really.

But what’s the “best” one? Well, that really depends on you and how you like to shave.

Take the electric razor. As men’s razors go, it’s not one we’d recommend.  Yes, we know they make shaving easier and quicker – you don’t need any of the usual shaving gear like shaving cream, gels or even water and you can use them anywhere (even on the London tube – believe us, we’ve seen it!) But they won’t give you a great shave. With this particular type of men’s razor, you won’t get a very close or smooth shave even if it means your daily shave is less hassle for you in the morning.

Moving onto cartridge men’s razors. These are the Gillette Mach 3 type of blades. Cartridge men’s razors were developed to encourage men to make repeat purchases – Mr Gillette recognised that a blade that stayed sharp for a very long time wouldn’t make him much money, so he developed a more disposable one. And anyone who uses these types of men’s razors will know how much money that probably do make the manufacturers – these things are not cheap! But they’re easily available with every corner shop seeming to stock them and they’re very portable, even if they do cost a fortune!  And regardless of what the marketing hype tells you, the more blades there are does not mean the closer the shave. What it does mean though is probably more chance of skin irritation and surface cuts.

So, moving onto the men’s razors that we do recommend. It’s the safety razor… and we’re not just saying it because we sell them.  We use them, day in, day out.  Why?  Because they really do give the best, closest, smoothest shave.

The initial investment with this type of men’s razor can seem high, but over time that investment and the new blades required for it, pale into insignificance when compared to the cost of cartridge blades and disposable men’s razors. So, a better shave and less cost.  What’s not to love?

If you’ve not used this type of men’s razor before, it might take a bit of getting used to so you’ll need to find one that is comfortable to hold and easy to use – they do differ slightly.  Why not book in for a shaving lesson with one of our professional barbers (reputed to be the best in London). They’ll help you choose the right men’s razor for you, give you a proper wet shave with loads of advice and tips on getting the best shave and will demonstrate how to use shaving products to get the best out of them (like adding a bit of shaving oil to your shaving cream.)

You can book an appointment for a shaving lesson online for any of our central London barber shops or call in the next time you’re passing for some helpful advice.

Safety Razor

What Exactly is a Safety Razor?

It sounds a bit like safety scissors. You know those ones with the rounded edges that can’t actually cut anything and you give them to children?  Well, thankfully, a safety razor is nothing like those!

A safety razor is as sharp as any other razor, but it also has  the addition of a guard that glides along the skin between your face and the blade, which reduces the risk of cutting your face whilst shaving.  So they are ideal if you have sensitive skin, or perhaps scars and marks on your face. An elegant tool in any man’s grooming kit, a safety razor gives a really close, smooth shave and with replaceable single blades, they are also a very cost effective shaving tool in your daily routine as new blades are a much cheaper option than most of the multi blade alternatives.

At Pall Mall Barbers, we have a few safety razors – the St Paul, the Westminster and the St James, which are really popular with customers. It just depends on the look you like and the way you hold the razor, to determine which safety razor would be best for you.

The Independepent recently included our Westminster one in their list of 10 best safety razors – high praise indeed. They particularly liked the simple way of being able to change the razor blade with the handle releasing the razor head.

If you’d like to try one of these safety razors yourself but need some advice first, pop into one of our central London barber shops and any of the guys there will be happy to help you. Otherwise, if you know what you want, go straight to our safety razor page and you can buy online too.

Shaving tips and tricks

Looking for some shaving tips and tricks to improve the quality and comfort of your daily shave? Then look no further.

At Pall Mall Barbers we are known as the shaving experts.  Our barbers are some of the best in the business, which is why their opinion and expertise is always sought by media companies looking for an expert’s view.

Latest to be featured is Erin Wentworth, Manager of our Trafalgar Square barber shop in central London.  She’s an industry leader in the art of wet shaving and beard shaping, so you can’t really get any better when needing some shaving tips and tricks.

As the guest blogger of Professional Hairdresser’s “The Grooming Diaries”  she shares some of her knowledge and skill as she guides you through each step of a luxury wet shave.

You can read the full article on The Grooming Diairies and if you fancy having a personal shaving lesson with the lady herself, you can book one at our flagship store via the online booking system. You’ll learn a whole range of shaving tips and tricks from someone recognised as at the very top of her game.  We’ve also got gift vouchers for luxury wet shave and shaving lessons too, so they make great gifts for someone too.

On our YouTube Channel, there are quite a few shaving videos where you can see Erin in action, demonstrating some of her renown skills. Whether that’s how to use shaving products like the Pall Mall Barbers unique 3 Step Shaving System, shaping a beard with beard oil or  how to apply moustache wax.

Luxury Wet Shave

A luxury wet shave by a professional barber is the height of pampering for most men. Especially those who appreciate the skill required as an open blade glides across your skin. Plus, it’s the ultimate shaving experience – giving you the best shave you’ll ever have.

At Pall Mall Barbers, we have been shaving the men of London at our barbers shops for over 100 years.  Our barbers are some of the most respected and experienced in the capital – you’ll often see them on TV or quoted in the press when a shaving expert’s view is needed.

So if you book in for a luxury wet shave you know you’ll be in good hands.

The first step would be to remove any dead skin cells and rough patches of skin by using an exfoliator. Specially designed for men, this prepare your skin and ensures you’ll get a smoother finish.  Next, to relax you and open up the pores we’ll place some hot wet towels over your face for a few minutes.  As you sit back, eyes closed and start to enjoy the experience we begin preparing for the next step which is working up a thick creamy lather of shaving cream with one of our badgers hair shaving brushes.

Once the hot towels have been removed, we’ll rub some shaving oil onto your face and then start to apply the shaving cream using the shaving brush in small circular motions.  This encourages the bristles on your face to stand up which is helped by your pores having been opened by the hot towels.

Then the real skill of the luxury wet shave can begin.  It can be quite scary the first time you have a sharp blade held against your skin, so it’s reassuring to know that the barbers at Pall Mall Barbers are the best in the business. Using short, firm strokes on your skin, the blade won’t tug at hairs or pull against your face, so it’s unlikely to cause any irritation, no matter how sensitive your skin is.

When your traditional wet shave experience is finished, your skin will be cleaned and a moisturising balm applied to hydrate and smooth the skin.

The first thing most men do when they’ve had a luxury wet shave, is to put their hand up to their face and feel their skin. It’s great to see their reactions – they often can’t quite believe how amazingly soft and smooth it feels.

Why not treat yourself to one, you can book a Pall Mall Barbers traditional wet shave online or if you want to get a really nice gift for someone else, get them a luxury wet shave gift voucher so they can come into one of our Central London barber shops at their convenience?

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.

Shaving Cream

All men use something during their daily shaving ritual to help their razor glide across the skin - it may be a shaving cream, a gel, an oil or foam.

Here at Pall Mall Barbers, we use a shaving cream.  In our opinion, it really is the best product to use.  And we should know what we're talking about.  Pall Mall Barbers has been in London since 1896 cutting mens hair and delivering the closest, smoothest shaves in the capital,  All from our traditionally styled barbers shops.

In fact, we provide ourselves on delivering a traditional service in a modern manner for over 100 years.

Our barbers are some of the most experienced and respected in the UK today and you'll often see them in magazines, on the TV or radio talking about their skills and sharing their advice.  In fact, when a media company wants an expert's view or advice on shaving, it's Pall Mall Barbers they turn to. So, when we say a shaving cream is the best product to use, you should listen.

Our Pall Mall Barbers Sandalwood and Clove Shaving Cream has been developed using the finest ingredients and contains prickly pear seed oil and jojoba oil combine in this hydrating shaving cream to deliver a luxury lather and a comfortable shave.

It will create a thick moisturising foam when lathered up with a shaving brush and the circular movements with encourage the bristles on your face to stand up.This means your razor can get closer to the base of the hair, so you get a smoother shave.  The oils in the shaving cream will soften and hydrate your skin so that it feels super smooth afterwards.  Use regularly and not only will your shaving experience and end result will be better, but people will probably start commenting on the quality of your skin too.

If you'd like to try some of Pall Mall Barbers shaving cream, you can buy it in any of our Central London barbers shops or on our website, on the shaving cream page.

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!

Male Grooming Event.

We love a good male grooming event at Pall Mall Barbers and we had  a great time at one just event just before the Christmas break, with Tiger of Sweden, Club Wembley and the Jaunty Flaneur.

It was a very sophisticated male grooming event,  in the stylish surrounds of Tiger of Sweden’s Piccadilly Circus store, just around the corner from our own barber shop in Central London. This particular male grooming event was organised by The Golden Ticket, an exclusive networking community for city professionals and those who came were treated to some expert wet shaves, beard trims and general hairstyling from our barbers.

Also on offer, were plenty of free samples from the new Pall Mall Barbers signature range of luxury shaving and male grooming products, like our Sandalwood and Clove Beard Oil that was going down a treat with our hairy faced friends. It seems the popularity of beards continues unabated, so our barbers were on hand to give lots of advice and tips on how to shape your beard, general beard maintenance and care along with some free beard trimming and moustache shaping.

The event showcased the smart new range from Tiger of Sweden and also demonstrating their skills at this male grooming event, were those dapper chaps from Jaunty Flaneur who were shoe shining to perfection.  The whole evening was a masterclass male grooming event, with (nearly…) everyone leaving at the end of the night looking far more groomed and styled than when they arrived and that's always a good thing!

Mens Shaving Brush

A mens shaving brush is so much more than just a simple old shaving brush..... it's a crucial tool in your shaving ritual to get the smoothest, closest shave possible.

The best mens shaving brush is made out of badger's hair, which is world renown for its durability and ability to absorb water, unlike horse hair or any other synthetic material. The bristles in our mens shaving brush will soften and lift the hair follicles on your face for a closer, longer lasting shave.

So why not bring a bit of Pall Mall Barbers old school indulgence into your bathroom and treat yourself to a high grade mens shaving brush?

The best way to use a mens shaving brush is to generate a thick, creamy lather.  We've got a great video here with Erin demonstrating how to use the Fitzrovia mens shaving brush which is available in three great finishes - an imitation ivory, black resin and an oak.

This particular mens shaving brush is great if you have quite tough stubble as the hair is taken from the back of the badger and is therefore rougher and will encourage your bristles to stand up more.  Watch the video, and Erin will show you exactly how to use it and some great shaving tips and advice.

If you then fancy trying it out yourself, then you can buy the Fitzrovia mens shaving brush here, along with a range of our other mens shaving products.

Shaving Cream for Men

Shaving cream is a must for a good shave.

The second step in our exclusive 3 step shaving system is the shaving cream.

We developed the Pall Mall Barbers shaving cream over several years. Applying our experience as barbers, listening to our customers and noticing what products worked well.

The result is this Sandalwood and Clove Shaving Cream with its luxurious scent and thick lather.  It contains prickly pear seed and jojoba oil which combine to create a smooth, creamy lather that encourages the bristles on your face to stand up, so that you get a smoother and more comfortable shave.

To use this shaving cream, all you need to do it wet your face with warm water, dispense one pump of the cream from the canister directly onto the face and lather it up with a shaving brush. Using circular movements with your shaving brush with generate a generous lather.  We’ve got a great video of Erin demonstrating the technique for you.

Once you’ve finished your wet shave, rinse any remaining shaving cream off your face with cool water and pat your face dry – don’t rub it with the towel.

The natural products in this shaving cream make it suitable for all skin types, even sensitive ones and it comes in a 100ml dispenser which will last quite a while as a single pump dose is all you need for your daily shave.

This product can be bought on its own or as part of our 3 step shaving system – a professionally developed range of shaving products specifically designed for men, to give the closest and smoothest shave possible.

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!

3 Step Shaving System from Shaving Experts at Pall Mall Barbers

If you’re looking for the best shaving experience – one that gives you a close, smooth shave and will nourish and protect your skin, then we have just the thing.

Introducing Pall Mall Barbers 3 Step Shaving System.  Developed by our team of experienced barbers and their  knowledge built up over the years in our Central London barbers shop, the system comprises of  product for a pre-shave face scrub, a hydrating shave cream and a post shave balm.  All featuring the luxury scent of sandalwood and clove.

Start using these products and you will really notice the improvement in your skin and the quality of your shave.

Pall Mall Barbers Sandalwood and Clove Pre-Shave Cream includes prickly pear seed oil to moisturise the skin whilst Amazonian guarana seeds add texture to the invigorating face scrub. This prepares your skins by getting rid of any dry or deadskin cells on the surface, so that when you shave, your razor gets closer to the skin.

Next, the Sandalwood & Clove Shaving Cream also includes prickly pear seed oil with the added moisturisation of jojoba oil, which combine in this hydrating shaving cream to deliver a luxury lather, encouraging the hairs on your face to stand up for a closer shave and the smoothing properties will give you a more comfortable shave too.

Finish your routine with Sandalwood & Clove Post Shave Balm, A cooling shaving balm again featuring the superb prickly pear seed oil which will calm and soothe the skin after shaving.It has the added ingredient of glycerine which will also soften the skin and prevent dry rough patches.

These products are available individually or as a set, and make a great gift for someone special or to treat yourself.

We’ve also got a really useful video with one of our highly talented barbers going through each step and demonstrating how to use it.

Pre-Shave Scrub for Men

Preparing your skin with a pre-shave scrub. 

You’ll often hear a professional barber say that one of the first steps in getting a smooth, close shave is to prepare the skin. And so, after years of experience shaving the men of London, we’ve developed our very own Pre-Shave Scrub.

Pall  Mall Barbers Pre Shave Scrub contains prickly pear seed oil that moisturises the skin, whilst the Amazonian guarana seeds add texture to this invigorating scrub. So not only will it remove any surface dead skin cells but it will do so gently without pulling on the skin and aggravating it. It’s therefore ideal for sensitive skin. Our  pre-shave scrub also contains, cocoa butter and shea butter, some of the best ingredients to lubricate and soothe the skin.

This is the first step in our unique 3 Step Shaving System – a system designed by professional barbers in our London barber shops, that not only protects and nourishes your skin, but also ensures that you get a smooth, close shave. Using the Pre-Shave Scrub as part of your shaving routine will help to open the pores and remove dead skin cells, helping the hair bristles to stand up and for your razor to get closer to your skin.

To use this Pre Shave Scrub, all you need to do is to wet the face with some warm water and apply a one pump dose. Massage gently into your skin for a couple of minutes and then and rinse your face with warm water a few times. Pat dry with a towel. You’ll notice a difference in the feel of your skin straightaway.

If you’d like to try the Pre-Shave Scrub and better prepare your skin for its daily shave, you can buy it on our website or in any of our Central London barber shops. It would also make a great present for any guy who’s looking to improve the condition of his skin and the quality of his shave.

We've got a great video with Erin demonstrating each step of our shaving system so you can see exactly how to use the pre-shave scrub.  Watch the video.

It’s available individually or as part of the Pall Mall Barbers 3 Step Shaving System.