1920 Vs 2020 Men's Grooming Routine
[0:00:01] Over the years, we've talked a lot about grooming.
But in today's video, gents, we're going back 100 years. The question is did our great grandfathers
have a better grooming routine than us? Let's start things off by talking about our great
grandfather’s washing routines in 1920. Most men did not have ready access to a bath
or shower. You see, it was only in 1910 that house plans started to include the modern
indoor bathroom and plumbing. Most men in the 1920s didn't live in brand new homes.
So, the reality is most men in the 1920s were taking baths the old fashioned way. Once a
week, you'd pull the tub into the warmest room in the house. You would then spend the
next 1 to 2 hours heating up enough water to fill up the tub and then you would take
your bath. Now, just because your great grandfather bathed only once a week does not mean he was
dirty. Men would often spot clean their arms, their armpits, their crotch area as needed.
And let's talk about washing their face. Men in the 1920s routinely washed their face first
thing in the morning and right before going to bed in addition to washing their face before
every meal to be presentable. And let's talk about washing your hands. Your great grandfather,
he had just gone through the Spanish flu. He understood the connection between germs
and getting sick. So, he washed his hands multiple times throughout the day to include
before each meal and in the evening and the morning. He also paid close attention to his
nails. He was a man that worked with his hands. His nails got dirty. So, he had a nail brush.
And with Emery boards being common since 1893 and the nail clipper patented in 1875, he
took care of his nails as well. Now, as you're watching today's video, you're gonna notice
a few patterns. First up, most of the products your great grandfather used in his grooming
routine used natural ingredients. Sadly, from the 1930s to the present, companies have tried
to save cost by taking those natural ingredients and replacing ‘em with chemicals. The next
pattern is that you've got a lot more options when it comes to products. Seriously, you’ve
got specialty scrubs; soaps; conditioners; moisturizers for the face, for the hair, for
the body. Your great grandfather, he used the same bar of soap to wash everything, which
in theory sounds nice until you realize how rough the stuff can be especially on more
sensitive areas like the face. Now, wouldn’t it be great if there was a men's grooming
company out there that made sure all of their products were made with natural and organic
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agents. At this point, we're fast forwarding to 2020. Almost 70% of Americans shower every
single day. The big advantage here, you don't need to spend any time sparkling. You get
it all done in the shower. Everything washed and cleaned. So, it seems like the modern
grooming routine has the advantage. Well, we did get lazy in some areas. First up, let’s
talk about washing your face. Only 46% of men on a daily basis wash their face. And
of those that do, only half of them wash their face twice a day. And when you wash, you want
to use a soap that’s going to be gentle. When you exfoliate, you want to make sure
to use an exfoliator that clears off the dead skin cells and helps your skin to rejuvenate.
And if you want to give your skin the best chance to look amazing, leverage the power
of moisturizers and serums. Now, what about washing hands? You’d think the modern man
is better at this. Right? Nope. It's not the case. In fact, only 6 out of 10 men wash their
hands after using the bathroom. Apparently, 23% of men cut their nails by biting them.
Next up, let's compare 1920 to 2020 dental care. So, there's no easy way to put this,
but most likely your great grandfather had horrible teeth. We know this because during
World War I, the U.S. military put the poor state of their servicemen's teeth as a national
crisis. We're talking less than 15% of the U.S. population was brushing their teeth in
1920. If you weren’t young, getting your teeth pulled was a very common procedure.
So, let's fast forward 100 years. Times have changed. Taking care of your teeth is a multibillion-dollar
market now. So, what happened? In the 1920s and `30s, companies like Pepsodent through
successful marketing campaigns were able to inform and educate the consumer of the use
of actually using their product to prevent tooth decay.
[0:05:09] The result? By the end of the 1930s, 65% of
Americans were regularly brushing their teeth. In 1938, we saw the first electric toothbrush
patented. And by the 1940s and `50s, dental floss was becoming much more common. Still,
we have a way’s to go. The gold standard is to brush your teeth twice a day, yet only
50% of people do this. In addition, you wanna floss every tooth you wanna to keep, yet only
1 in 5 Americans floss daily. Next up, let's talk about the 1920 versus the 2020 shaving
routine. In 1920, most men were clean shaven on a daily basis. Stubble was avoided especially
in a working environment because it was considered sloppy. Now, straight razors, which have been
around for over 3,000 years, were still very popular in the 1920s. Now, the cut-throat
razor was popular because it gave an amazing shape. And once you have the tool, all you
have to do was strop it a few times occasionally and get it sharpened, but this was a tool
that could last you a lifetime. That being said, in the 1920s, there was a new razor
that was king. Versus the straight razor that took a lot of skill, this new razor, the safety
razor, didn't require as much skill and was less likely to cut a man's neck. Now, prepping
yourself for a shave 100 years ago, all you would do is simply take a washcloth, dip it
into warm water, which you would have probably heated on the stove. And you will let that
warm water sit on your face for about 2 minutes. The goal here is to have the hair on your
face soaking up moisture so it can become a bit softer. He would take his shaving brush
and shaving soap and create a lather. Now, shaving brushes using a boar, horse, or a
badger hair were used going in a circular motion to create a lather. You would do this
with the soap that was a mix of oftentimes glycerin and an oil. Then you would apply
the latter evenly across the face. You want to use the brush because it does a much better
job of placing the lather right underneath the hairs. Starting on the side of the face
right below the sideburns, he would shave with the grain going straight down. And another
area that your great grandfather was probably pretty good is understanding the contours
of his face. He had a technique. And let's not forget the aftershave because in 1920
this was considered essential. Seriously, all those deaths attributed to cut-throat
razors because it was a deep cut that was eventually infected. And that was the purpose
of an aftershave. Any time you cut your face, you would want to use this antiseptic, this
alcohol to basically sterilize any small cuts and nicks. And now, let's fast forward to
100 years. So, in the year 2020, we see a different razor type that is king. This, gentlemen,
is the disposable cartridge razor. Now, the most distinguishing feature of these modern
blades is the use of multiple blades. 2 blades, 3 blades, 4 blades, 5+ blades. Also, they're
mostly made from plastic, creating about a million pounds of waste yearly. Now, the multiblade
system has its advantages. With 1 swipe, it can give you a very close shave. It accomplishes
this by lifting up the hair and then cutting it with the second or third blade. The bad
part about this is for a lot of men, it can lead to ingrown hairs and bumps. Another advantage
of the cartridge razor, it doesn't take really any skill to use them and they are considered
very safe. Personally, I think many men would be better served by just going back to the
safety razor. Now, the modern man has a big advantage when it comes to prep and that is
the shower. You've got that warm water right there on your face basically softening the
hair. That being said, the modern man loses a lot of his advantages when it comes to his
shaving cream because this stuff that’s coming out of the can, spring out of a can
is using propane. Why do you want to put that on your face? Your grandfather used better,
simpler natural ingredients. And when it comes to the shaving process, the modern man is
lost. Seriously, if you were to ask a guy “shave with the grain, shave against the
grain, what is your shave map”, most men have no idea. And don’t even get me started
on aftershave. The modern man, because no one taught him how to shave, nobody taught
him how to take care of his skin. And the sad part about this is you got access to more
and better aftershave balms than your great grandfather ever saw, from old school aftershave
that contained alcohol to aftershave balms that are absolutely painless. Contain no alcohol
and do a great job of soothing the skin after you've abused it. Now, how to deal with body
odor and sweating? What did your great grandfather do in the 1920s? So, in 1920s, it was very
common for men and women to use a talc powder. Talc powder works by attaching itself to the
outside of the skin, absorbing moisture, and creating a dry surface. Now, unfortunately
for your great grandfather, over the last few decades, multiple studies have shown that
talc is not maybe one of the safest ingredients we should be using on our body. And with that
being said, 100 years later, we’re using better clean products.
[0:10:01] Right? The answer is unfortunately no. Seriously,
most of us use antiperspirants, which use aluminum to block the pores in our armpits
and that stops us from sweating. Does that sound healthy to you? And don't even get me
started on deodorants using cheap artificial ingredients that can cause irritation. Gents,
do your research. Avoid antiperspirants. Use natural deodorants that use ingredients like
lavender oil, white tea leaf extract, aloe vera, and blue cypress oil. Now, it's getting
to haircare in 1920. Now, the two most popular products for men's hair in the 1920s was Brilliantine
and petroleum jelly. Brilliantine is a scented oil that gives hair a glossy look and basically
keeps it matted down. And that was the point because products in the 1920s weren’t meant
to really style your hair. They were meant to keep it down because you were gonna be
wearing a hat most of the time. So, knowing that, you may not be surprised to find out
that there were really just 3 popular hairstyles in the 1920s. The first option was the simple
slick back. Simple, elegant, classic. Guys would simply comb their hair straight back
and call it a day. Now, the second option and you’ve probably seen it in a number
of old school movies was simply parting hair straight down the middle. Again, you don’t
really have to overthink this one. It’s all about keeping the hair down flat next
to the head. Now, the last option and this is one still popular today and that is the
side part. Now, this style was very popular for older men and was a great way to kind
of do the comb over. Look like you still had some hair on the head, at the same time would
work perfectly fine when you put the hat on top. So, let's fast forward 100 years. What
are your hair options today? Well, gents, when it comes to products, you have dozens
of options. Creams, lotions, textured powders, mousses, hair serums, flex hold hairspray.
And again, it comes down to what do you want your hair to do. The undercut, the quaff,
the pompadour, the crew cut, the buzz cut, the tousled look, the fade, the hockey cut.
The reality is once men stopped wearing hats in the 1960s, the number and types of hairstyles
that became acceptable exploded. And with that being said, what are the most popular
hairstyles for men? Find out, gentlemen, in this video right here.
[0:12:16] End of Audio