We recently opted out of traditional shaving. Ok, don’t judge. That is just to get you really into this conversation. What we really mean by traditional is, by the standards of buying a razor from the store without considering what goes into making that razor, or how much plastic is being used, or how much waste is in the process. Neither of us are going to go razor-free, or going to spend a ton of money on laser hair removal, and waxing is also wasteful, so we wanted to consider our options, and in the zero or low-waste world, that is the safety razor.
Well, there are a ton of warnings on the safety razor. Like most things, lots of scary warnings when you google, horror stories about safety razors gone wrong, but not a lot of light on the subject, so we wanted to shoot it straight, like we do.
So, what is so scary about the safety razor? Nothing, it’s just different.
You certainly can’t go into the process thinking you are going to rush a shave (ladies nor gentleman) and be on your way. That’s about it. Our guess is that people make the switch, get into a hurry, and leave the shower or sink with a bloody mess on their hands. Yikes!
So, let us give you all of the deets on how this worked for us!
First, we will tell you that we have been through just about every razor you can imagine, trying to steer ourselves into the low-waste, cruelty-free, better for the environment arena, as much as we could, but we found ourselves always wasting. There is just no way around the fact that we just kept contributing to the purchasing of plastic, and we didn’t feel good about it. So, we started researching the safety razor, looking for the safest safety razor that exists. We soon realized that it is only called the safety razor because it houses a straight blade razor to shave, rather than just holding a straight razor with your bare hand. We’re not sure who would have ever attempted that, but nevertheless, we’ll go with it.
Here is what you need to know:
- Don’t go with the cheapest safety razor. Do your research. We didn’t go with the most expensive, because these things can get CRAZY expensive, but we went with a reliable one with decent reviews and have been happy so far.
- Keep it dry. Don’t store the razor in the shower. Bring it with you when you use it, and take it with you when you are done. The blade can get rusty, and you don’t want to shave with a rusty razor. Plus, it’s just a good practice to keep razors out of the shower anyway to prevent bacteria from forming.
- You install the blades yourself. It’s super easy, by the way. Our razor came with instructions. Your razor comes with some starter blades, but we read reviews that our razor had some that weren’t the best ever, so we went with a better blade as a side purchase.
- Recycle the blades. The metal blades can be thrown into a can, or something safe, and when full, recycle them. Yay!
- It seems the blades don’t last as long as “traditional blades” in non-safety razors, but the shave is so much better, and the blades are so cheap, and with it being better for the environment, hence no plastic involved, it seems like it’s still a better option.
- Yeah, as mentioned above, it is a MUCH better shave.
- The quality of the handle and feel of this razor is just amazing. It will last forever.
Let’s talk about the shave, and the shaving process.
No matter your gender, if you have hair, and you are shaving, take it easy. This is not a rushing game. At first, it seems like we were taking 3x as long to shave, to avoid any cuts and knicks. It is a different angle you’re maneuvering with this razor, and since there aren’t any buffers or protectors on it, you just have to learn a new way of doing things. It just takes some getting used to, so for the first few times, it is a learning process. Once you get the hang of it though, you will definitely find that there is nothing as smooth as the shave from a safety razor- no matter what and where you are shaving! Promise!
If you are looking for more ways to be more eco-friendly, low-waste, and plastic-free, then add the safety razor to your self-care routine. We have been thrilled with the results. Of course, we are still playing with recipes for shaving cream, so if you have DIY, at-home, options for that, please share. We’ll share once we have perfected it. 😉
In case you are interested in the products we use:
- For the actual safety razor, we went with the WEISHI long handle razor. It feels really good in your hand, and is an amazing quality. We’ve been really pleased with it.
- For the extra blades/replacement blades, we went with the Astra blades. The WEISHI comes with a few blades, but they just aren’t as good as the Astra blades. Once we went through the WEISHI blades, and moved on to the Astra, we could definitely tell a difference.
Disclosure: We only recommend products we would use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that are no additional cost to you. We may earn a small commission from them. All efforts are made to ensure that affiliate links are disclosed in accordance with the FTC.