How to Master the Cut Throat Shave, According to a Barber

Anecdote alert: on my way to the office this morning, I spotted a guy sat in a red-and-white chair getting straight-razor-shaved by a tattoo-sleeved barber in a bowler hat who was so good at wielding his tool (cheeky!) that he must have started practising on dinosaurs. And, you know what, it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen on my morning commute. But I’ll also admit I was a little bit intimidated by these method of hair removal, especially the idea of using one on myself, and here’s why:

Reason №1: What if you’d a couple of snifters the night before, leading to eight hours of broken sleep? Surely a straight-razor can’t be safe in that scenario.

And reason №2: There must be a reason why the male grooming world has been monopolised by safety razors, and it’s probably got something to do with this old-fashioned utensil not having a place in the time-starved modern man’s vanity cabinet.

But then I realised a couple of things: a) some things are worth exercising patience for and b) if you’re going to learn any new skill, what could be cooler than cutthroat shaving? The answer: nothing — and the cool thing is just one of the winning tickets in this good news tombola.

• Rocking a single blade is kinder to the skin than PETA is to animals.