Soldiers lived in trenches and in camps for months at a time, so they needed to carry grooming items with them if they wanted a shave. This shaving kit has a small mirror, a razor, two single-edge razor blades, and a strop made out of pigskin. A strop is a strip of leather used to sharpen razor blades.

Shaving was difficult in the trenches for a number of reasons. The filthy conditions led to dirty, dull, and rusty razor blades, and soldiers struggled to find clean water to use when shaving.