A Dollar Shave Club review from a household of women!
Freshly updated with current information and links as of today, September 25, 2022. 😉
Some years ago, I blogged about how we really liked the company 99 Cent Razor.
They sold great razors at very affordable prices, and I was a fan.
However, that company has gotten sold at least once, and it was feeling sketchier and sketchier to me.
Customer service was hard to reach, I got signed up for a subscription I didn't want to be signed up for, and canceling the subscription was difficult.
So, we decided to give Dollar Shave Club a try instead, since they're pretty reputable.
We've been members for quite a while now, so I thought a post about our experience would be appropriate.
Is DSC just for men?
DSC is definitely marketed for men, but the girls and I all love their razors.
And since razor blades do not need to be pink in order to be used by women, we are happy to use the neutral-colored razors from DSC.
Their marketing emails are quite male-centric, but I just hit delete and keep movin' right along. 😉
How's the razor quality?
The Executive Blades, which are $10 for 4 ($2.50 apiece) are really, really nice. They've got five blades and are top of the line.
The 4X cartridges are cheaper at 4 for $8.50.
And the cheapest option they offer is the twin blade at 4 for $4 ($1 apiece).
If you have sparse body hair like me, you can probably get away with the cheapest option. But for thicker hair, you probably will want to pay for more than two blades.
I personally opt for the more expensive blades, but I use them for ages. I'm not an especially hairy person, so they just don't get dull very quickly.
How's the packaging from DSC?
I'm pretty impressed with it. The outside package is just cardboard (which I reuse for shipping eBay sales), and the inside is also plain brown cardboard (which I tear up and add to my compost).
The blades do come in an open plastic storage case, and of course, the blades themselves are disposable (the handle is not).
There's definitely less plastic packaging than you'd get from grocery store razors, though.
Is it easy to customize shipments?
Yep! You can change/cancel at any time, and you can choose exactly how often you get shipments.
Is there a shipping charge?
The shipping fees are slightly complicated, so here's a screenshot of the current policy as of the date I updated this post!
Why don't you just shave with a safety razor?
I know that would be even cheaper and even more environmentally friendly.
Maybe I'll try that one day, but for now, DSC feels like a good enough option to me.
It's better than completely disposable razors, the packaging is fairly minimal, and it's affordable.
And since my hair is pretty lightweight, it takes me eons to wear out even one razor head.
I'm not gonna overthink it beyond that. 😉
How do you sample DSC?
A starter kit is exactly what you need. For only $5, you get:
- Razor Handle
- 6 Blade Razor refills (x 2)
- Prep Scrub (1 oz sample)
- Shave Butter (1 oz sample)
- Post Shave Dew (1 oz sample)
This is a really good deal, since the blades themselves are worth twice as much as you pay for the starter kit!
Also, shipping is free, so you are really truly only going to spend $5.
Just make sure to edit your restock box so that you are getting only what you need at the time you need it.
And if you try the blades and you decide they're not for you, you can cancel and get no more shipments after your trial box.
Have you tried Dollar Shave Club? I'd love to hear what you think of it.
P.S. Dry your blades, people!
No matter where you get your razors, it's really important to keep them dry. If you let them sit in a puddle in your shower, they're going to rust and dull in a hurry.
Some people dip theirs in alcohol to make sure they dry quickly, but I just put mine up on top of the shower door rail, and it dries just fine.
We have been using Dollar Shave Club at our home for years. Both my husband and I love the razors. As you mentioned, we are impressed with the packaging. Both my grown daughters are fans too.
I use a razor that was gifted to me (it made a good, practical gift!) along with a few packs of replacement heads, and it works fine, but I've heard of the Dollar Shave Club and have thought about checking it out. What I did to prolong the life of my razors, and it seems to work, is get a razor sharpener. I have used a single razor head for close to a year, using the sharpener. I sharpen when I clean the bathroom, so I won't forget. Of course, I try to keep the razor clean and let it dry out between uses.
I always have bought men's razors. No way was I going to pay the pink tax. In high school I had one designed to look like a stick shift and it had some hot-rod sounding name. I finally had to give it up when I couldn't find the replacement heads anymore.
I’ve been wanting to try safety razors for the low environmental impact, but I’m overwhelmed with all the options! Someday I just need to order one and I’m sure it will be good enough. My husband does Dollar Shave club and they just switched to a “twice as many/half as often”. He gets the 4 razors every other month so now he will get 8 razors every 4 months. Cuts down on shipping costs! Now hopefully my husband doesn’t change them more often just because they are there, lol.
It took me a while to switch to a safety razor, brush, and soap. I love the minimal amount of waste and while there is some initial cost for the handle and brush, the blades are like 50cents a piece. We have a nice razor shop in town and they were really good about explaining things and I really love that I can shop local.
When I got my safety razor, I went to an actual razor shop. The handles are not cheap so being able to hold it and test the grip and weight is important - you're not going to be switching handles anytime soon 🙂 Anyway, when I got my handle, the sales lady offered me one blade from each of several different brands to try, explaining each brand's positive and negative points. If you have a razor shop near you, try going in and touching and asking a lot of questions - they may offer you blades to try!
Absolutely love Dollar Shave Club! We have used them for five years and we haven't had a single problem. Love the quality, the packaging, variety of products and the ease of making changes to our shipments (changing products and frequency).
I loved the prices and the razors but I cancelled a few years ago because I hated their marketing. It’s clearly aimed at men, which is fine! I only use men’s razors anyway because it’s cheaper. Their packaging was always clearly aimed towards men, but then they sent an insert with an order that was gross and crude “locker room” style humor and it completely put me off their service. Considering the other half of the population generally removes more hair than men it seems like just selling razors, rather than “razors for men who like getting gross jokes in the mail” would be a better move.
Lol. And maybe frown. But now I’m curious!
Agree! UGH, a trial box just arrived for my teen daughter. She was excited for it but then opened it....totally geared strictly toward men, and when I pulled up an online ad of SC to show her that women use them too, the ad was "locker room" humor. SC would benefit greatly if the packaging and ads were gender neutral.
About a year ago I picked up a package of disposable razors from the dollar store.I did not have high expectations. There are usually 10 in a pack. They work as well as the higher priced Gillette!! I love them.Ten cents apiece! I know disposable ANYTHING is not good, but I am not going to be messing with rusty razor blades.. It sounds t- like the dollar club is convenient but I’ve been stocking up on packs at the dollar store and so happy with this product!
I found the same thing at the Dollar store. Weirdly enough, they work fine on my legs, but not so much for the armpits.
I had gotten the sample kits for the kids one Christmas as a gift. I wasn't sure they would like it but they did. DS1 loves their shave butter as he has sensitive skin and it doesn't bother him. DS2 likes their blades and is on a shipment program. He gets the middle of the road blades (not the cheapest or most expensive ones).
I love the dollar shave club and I really like the shave gel and toothpaste as well. I find it very easy to change or skip a shipment or change the way I pay for my shipments. This is a winner for me. I wish more things were this easy. I ordered an extra handle to keep in my travel bag with a set of blades so I'm all set when on the go as well. This is a good one and I recommend them.
Can’t comment re:$SC, but for years I have used a double edged safety razor paired with Wilkinson Sword blades (avg cost us about $9.00/30 or $0.30/blade or less bought in bulk.) the shave is fantastic. I have even converted my wife.
Thanks for commenting Gary, my husband has been looking into switching to safety blades. That is reassuring to hear that it provides a great shave.
Gary, I second this! I use the exact same set up with phenomenal results.
Shave in summer and spring....wear tights in fall and the winter
Ha, I get pretty lax about shaving in the wintertime too and that IS one way to make your blade supply last longer!
I have been using DSC for a couple of years now. I only shave my legs and it's very sparse. I also dry my blade and clean it by running it backwards (with the blades angle so it doesn't cut) on a dry towel. They last so long that I cancelled my subscription and will reorder when I run out. I too like the minimum of plastic in the packaging. I'm definitely a fan!
I was a 4 blade user from DSC when someone pointed out that they are repackaged Dorco cartridges, which you can get cheaper from Amazon--so I now go that route. Not sure if that's also true of the 5 blades but it might be!
I've always used men's razors. I prefer the more streamlined look!
I'm curious about this side-comment: you said you compost the cardboard inside. Do you think your recycling facility won't take it or is there some other reason here?
Well, the state of the recycling industry is kind of sad right now; a lot of what we send off to be recycled actually gets thrown away.
So when possible, I like to compost small pieces of paper/cardboard. That way I know it's getting turned into dirt, which is endlessly useful!
I suggest the EpiLady. Removes hair at the root. Lasts a long time. I haven’t needed to replace mine. 10 years now.
Probably a dumb question - is the handle interchangeable for each of the razor types or do you need a different handle for each one? Thanks!
You do need a different handle for the twin blade, but the four and five blade handles seem interchangeable to me.
But whenever you order a different style blade, they will include a complimentary handle the first time. I ordered the quad and twin blades to try them out, and they sent me a free handle for each with those orders.
When I click through the $5 offer and then go to buy it, it turns into “The Shave Starter Set
Razor Cartridges (2 pk)
Shave Butter Trial Size (1 oz)
Orange Stripe Metal Handle (1 ct)” is this still a good deal/razor? It appears to be a different razor and lesss cartridges.
That's so weird! When I click on the link, I see a four pack of cartridges, a handle, and a shave butter, and they're the blue variety, not the orange razors.
If you click here, is that what you see? http://shaved.by/nR0vF
This is the first time using the dollar shave for women. So which tube do I put on my legs first to shave my legs
Hmm, what tube are you referring to?
Perfect timing. My son was annoyed with the old fashioned single blade safety razor he bought. I suggested, "So go back to the straight razor" (he likes to rock everything old school) but he demurred. I'll sign him up for a free trial.
Me, I use an electric razor because it seems easiest. My body hair is blonde so getting the absolute closest shave isn't really an issue. My daughter shaves nothing but her head (IMMENSE SIGH, heh).
Isn't it ridiculous how much more expensive the pink ones are?
I am not sure what a safety razor is, but it may well be what we call a butterfly razor. My razor is stainless steel and opens vij a screw thread in the handle. In you pop an ordinary old fashioned flat razorblade like your dad used, and you by turning the screw it closes again.
've had mine for nearly 10 years now and am not yet into my second package of razor blades. I do not use shaving soap, but just any kind of soap I have on hand. Just leave to soak for a bit.
I have a leather "clip" you can put on when the blade is dry so you don't accidentally cut yourself.
This razor comes from a men's shop BTW.
@J NL, Yup, that's a safety razor. Invented in the teens, I want to say, to replace the old cutthroat straight razor.
Ah, one definite benefit of aging: I have so much less body hair than I used to that I've given up shaving altogether. (This is also a quiet middle finger to my middle sister, who used to call me "Fred Flintstone" when we were both teenagers.)
I recently bought a woman’s electric razor to try to simplify my life. So far, so good. They’ve gone a long way from the 80s versions that left a lot of stubble.
Right now I'm rocking the $0 Shave Club - the dozens of blades my father no longer uses, that I acquired when I cleaned out my parents' apt. I'm set for years.
I also learned that he's anti-stuff. Never knew that! With all the fights my parents had, there was never one about how, or how much, to decorate but it turns out he always wanted about half as much decor as my mother wanted. Huh.
And that is the very best price!