Shavin' and Savin'
Back in February after the TV spot about my blog aired, a new reader named Steve emailed to ask if I had any frugal shaving tips, specifically regarding shaving with a straight razor. Neither my husband or I are very hairy people, which means we don't go through a lot in the way of shaving supplies. Because of this, we've never ventured down the alternative razor road before. Steve mentioned he was going to give this shaving method a try, so I asked him to email me the results of his experiment. He recently let me know that he's sold on the old-fashioned method now, and he agreed to share the upsides and downsides of it.
Shaving can be expensive"”for women and men alike! Want to make it more affordable, greener, and maybe even more enjoyable? Read on, frugal friends.
Allow me to introduce the double edge safety razor.
This is the kind of razor your parents or grandparents might have had in their medicine cabinet. The head of the razor is opened or disassembled and a thin, two-sided blade is placed inside.
It is often used with a glycerin-based shaving soap that is applied to the face using a small brush. The soap rests at the bottom of a mug (just like the one you drink your morning coffee out of) or a small bowl.
Whisking the dampened brush across the soap produces a thick lather that is then applied to the skin. In addition to transferring the lather, the bristles of the brush gently exfoliate the skin and raise the hairs for an even better shave.
So, the only supplies this method requires are as follows:
- double edge safety razor
- blades
- shaving brush (optional)
- glycerin-based shaving soap (optional)
Why would you ever want to climb into the Wayback Machine and start shaving this way? Here are the highlights:
The blades are less expensive.
Significantly less expensive! If you're paying between $2 and $4 for each multi-blade cartridge, you could easily bring that down to 1/10 the cost.
The packaging is greener.
There is substantially less plastic waste associated with double edge blades. In some cases, there is none at all. If you also switch from canned shaving cream to a brush and soap, you won't be throwing away spent aerosol cans either.
You will probably prefer it.
People who switch to a double edge razor frequently report less skin irritation, fewer ingrown hairs, and an overall better shave.
It's just cool!
You'll feel like Angie Dickinson and/or Dean Martin with one of these in your hand. (Your results will probably depend largely on where you are using your new razor.)
So what are the downsides? Here are the lowlights:
You'll have to retrain yourself to shave.
This razor requires a lighter touch. Think samurai instead of lumberjack. You'll also want to take care to position the blade at the proper angle against your skin. Around 30 degrees is generally considered optimal.
Shaving will take a little longer at first.
Just until you get the hang of it. (We both know you're worth the extra time!)
There is an initial startup cost.
A quality razor and brush can set you back $50 or more. Shop around. There are some great deals to be had. Even if you splurge, you can often recoup the cost in less than a year.
You might have to mail order your blades.
While many drug stores carry double edge blades, they can be of varying quality and will likely cost more than if you ordered them in quantity by mail.
If you want to learn more about this shaving method, check out the wealth of information about both equipment and technique on the Internet). There are even YouTube Videos that show you exactly how it's done.
I recently made the switch and couldn't be happier about it. If you think this might be for you, give it a try. I wish you many, many happy shaves!
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Readers, I'm interested to hear if any of you have given this a try. Any tips to add to Steve's?
If I tried to shave my legs with that, I would slice open my femoral artery and DIE. But then, I cut myself with safety razors too!:P
lol! My sister is like that...she would probably be dangerous with one of these.
I'm guessing that these sort of razors are more suited for men's shaving than for women's. Maybe some of my female readers use this type of razor, though! I'm just thinking it wouldn't be great for things like armpits.
This is how my husband shaved for years until someone gifted himwith an electric razor. It does produce a nice clean shave! It is less expensive. It is greener. And the soap smells great. It is also making a reappearance in the marketplace! One of our malls in the Dallas area has a store just for shaving supplies. It is in a more ritzy area and the prices are higher, but to walk in and remember the sites and smells of my father and grandfather was a delight, not to mention thinking of what barbers actually did in the day! My mother has my grandfathers razor still and uses often to cut her hair, as she did to us kids when we were younger. We all had basically short hair with "feathering" styles. Cuts at home cost less when you have 5 kids! by the way, my last razor cut was 20 years ago when I was 20! I kinda miss it!
oops! Never tried it on my legs!
This is something my husband has been wanting to do. Thanks for the info.
I've been shaving with a vintage safety razor for years now. I got a lot of flack when I started but seriously, who wants to pay $2-3 a razor when I can get 10 blades for $1.97 at Walmart? The only problem is that it's another thing to maintain. I've heard you can save your razor by storing it immersed in vodka. As we have a no alcohol rule in the house, I have never tried it.
I am a very hairy man for what it's worth so shaving has always been tough for me. ^_^;;
My husband started shaving like this at Christmas and he gets his supplies from http://www.shaving.ie (We live in Ireland.) It really is a way smoother shave, and now that he's used to it, takes about the same amount of time as before with the hideously expensive cartridges. I'd definitely recommend it.
Got my hubby one of these for Christmas and he loves it! I'm trying to figure out if there's a women's version or if there are women out there using the men's version. I occasionally steal hubby's for a quick underarm clean-up and it works great.
You can pick up the double edged razors at beauty supply stores (like Sally), they come in little blue & white boxes...cannot recall the brand name off hand.
My husband has been shaving like this since he was gifted with a lovely shaving set upon college graduation! His skin feels noticeably smoother and he says he feels 'distinguished' shaving in this way. My biggest tip: invest in some quality after-shave balm. He uses L'Occitane Balm, http://usa.loccitane.com/FO/Catalog/Product.aspx?prod=20AR075H7 - it's pretty expensive but a tube lasts him about a year!
My husband uses this system. He splurged on a nice set with money he had saved. It did take him longer at first to perfect techniques, but now it isn't a problem. He has been trying out different blades to see which he likes the best. While the start up cost can be higher (and some of this can be controlled by the type of brush, razor and soap you buy), the blades being so much cheaper really makes it more economical in the long run. There is also a lot less waste, although he might use more water. The blades are getting easier to find as are the soaps (he uses a special soap).
I have a friend who's been looking into getting a safety razor and had a hard time finding them. Nice to know you can still get them. I'll have to let her know about that site. I guess my hair is slow growing because I don't have enough hair to shave often. My boyfriend on the other hand could use something like this. Might be something to get him for Father's day....
I buy a cheap disposable razor - BUT I have been using the brush for years and love it. And I don't use a special soap or mug. I did in the beginning, but it was just another expense and something else taking up space in our small bathroom. Now I just use the bar soap from the tub/shower - wet my brush, run it over the soap to work up a lather and I'm good to go. I bought my shaving brush at the local drug store. A good way to gradually ease in to something new; especially if you are unsure.
There just aren't enought Band-aids for me to try this...
I don't lke the idea of the waste of disposable razors either though. And just why ARE the replaceable cartridges for the razors where you reuse the handle so expensive???
I use electric and hubby does too.
That's a cool looking razor! I just tossed my electric one, I actually cut myself with it and caused an infection under my arm. Now my doctor has me on the disposable ones. This one, with its disposable blades, would actually be a good investment. It's more fashionable too! lol
I still use a disposable razor, but I switched to the brush and glycerin soap method (from http://www.va-soaps.com/vss2_012.htm) around Christmas. I love it. I've always struggled with razor burn and very painful shaving with any variety of shaving creams and had finally switched to Arbonne's men's shaving cream--which, while it helped immensely, is rather pricey. I don't know how long this $2.50 bar of shaving soap will last me, but definitely longer than the $20 bottle of shaving cream. AND it smells better.
My husband uses the soap and brush and loves it. I have never seen the straight rasors and with small kids we would worry about them getting hurt on them so he uses the disposable. i am going to show him this because i think he will like it.
This is the way my daddy shaved. I loved the smell of his shaving soap. Brings back lots of good memories. Thank you.
I would agree with most of the female posters here I would cut myself so badly with that razor I'd have bandaids all over the place.
My grandfather(dad's side) had a true straight razor when I was a kid.He only used it on Sunday's for a nice clean shave for church. Had the whole set up and everything in the bathroom. The rest of the time he used an electric razor.
I'm not sure what my grandmother did never saw any of her supplies about.
I am the manufacturer of The Goodfella Ssfety Razor which has been praised for it's mild yet close shaving experience. It's very safe so you won't cut yourself. Don't take my word for it, here is a link to a young women's blog praising the Goodfella http://nzvanette.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html and we've also been featured in a number of green magazines for reducing the impact on the environment. You might like to look at thus couple who went rubbish free for a year and they both use the Goodfella Safety Razor http://www.rubbishfreeyear.co.nz/
Hi
I changed to this way of shaving a couple of years ago and haven't looked back. Yes it takes a little longer in the morning but its a much better shave (if the big shaving companys product was that good whay do they pay sports stars squillions to promote it), it saves money (I buy blades by the 200 here in the UK) and my razor is a vintage one made in the 1950's that I bought off ebay. Love it.
I'd probably bleed to death if I used that, so I stick with the disposable kind. However, despite the high cost of the refills, I feel better about using them than the fully disposable razors due to the reduction in waste.
I have a good friend who uses a straight razor (and has done so for years), and he swears by it.
When we were cleaning out my grandmother's home this summer we found a vintage razor. This post has definitely reminded me I need to get double edged blades for it so the husband can use it!
If you are looking for nice safety razors I strongly suggest this Irish Company, I have bought mine a few months ago and I am extremely satisfied: https://www.evolutionisland.com
I also got a straight razor for my brother from them and he loves it!