When you are on the hunt for more eco-friendly choices in your life, it is likely that your attention will be drawn to your shaving routine.
Most of us have become used to buying plastic disposable razors from the supermarket that we put in the bin when they go blunt.
But people are waking up to this wasteful practice and turning their attention to more sustainable options. Enter the safety razor.
Safety razors are a traditional style razor. They have a detachable head that allows you to remove and replace the blade.
They come in a range of styles to suit your personal needs. Although traditionally used by men, these razors have grown in popularity across the genders thanks to their eco-friendly credentials and fantastic shaving abilities.
Safety razors are plastic-free. Most styles are made from metal and may have a wooden handle.
If you care for your razor properly, there is no reason why it won’t last you the rest of your life.
The blades are the only part of the razor that needs replacing. The rest can be used again and again.
The safety razor achieves all the above whilst still providing a fantastic shaving experience.
The main difference between safety razors and disposable razors is that you do not need to apply any additional pressure.
The razors themselves are usually quite heavy and it is this weight that applies the pressure to achieve the shave. Applying additional pressure can lead to cuts and nicks.
The general rules are:
Make sure that your skin is wash, exfoliated and a good shaving foam or soap is applied.
A blunt blade can lead to skin irritation and damage.
Short careful strokes will give you more accuracy than trying to get the whole job done in one stroke.
This will remove the majority of the hair.
This will give you a good close shave.
Yes, you can. Safety razors are not just for the face. They can be used on legs, armpits and anywhere else that needs a tidy up.
Use the same instructions as above and take your time when you first use it to learn how to use the razor with different parts of your body.
This will depend on your razor, but most have a removable section at the top. This might involve a screw, a clip, or an opening mechanism.
You will then be able to extract the old blade (be careful it will still be sharp) and insert a new one.
There are several factors that will determine how frequently you will need to replace your blades. These are:
Thick course hair will dull the blade more quickly than fine hair. This can vary over your body so depending on where you are using it, you may need to replace the blade more regularly.
A daily shave will mean that you get through blades much faster than someone who just shaves once a week.
Although all blades should be made from stainless steel, it doesn’t mean that they are all the same. A higher quality blade will last you longer.
Using a three-pass shaving technique (with grain, against grain and at 90 degrees) will give you a closer shave, but it will dull your blade more quickly.
Shaving your legs is a much larger surface area than the armpits. Therefore, shaving larger areas will naturally dull your blade at an increased rate.
Along with your new eco-friendly safety razor, you may want to upgrade your shaving accessories too.
You can buy bamboo shaving brushes to help you lather up and natural shaving soap. If you fancy it, you can swap the soap for whipped coconut oil which works particularly well.
This is one of the easiest eco-friendly switches you can make. You will reduce plastic pollution and still achieve wonderfully close shave. It might even save you some money too.