Hey earth muffins! When I started my journey towards low waste in 2018, one of the first sustainable swaps I made was to buy a safety razor. These are an awesome purchase, as you can avoid those cheap disposable razors. In 2018, I wrote a whole post on “shaving with a safety razor 101”. It has been quite some time since then, so I thought it would be fun to write an updated version. I have even more great tips now that I have been using one for a few years. π Let’s get right into how you can shave with a safety razor!
What To Do Before Shaving
The first step is to obviously acquire a safety razor if you haven’t already. The razor I bought in 2018 is a Weishi razor; it can be purchased on Amazon for only $17 (affiliate link). The reason I picked this particular razor was that is has a lot of reviews. It also came with 5 blades, which have lasted me quite a long time! If you want to stock up on more razor blades, I suggest the Astra pack of 100 (affiliate link).
Once you have the safety razor, it is time to prep it before shaving. When you open the package, I would give the razor a quick rinse just to ensure there is no dust or dirt stuck on. The blades will all come individually wrapped, so you will need to unwrap one and secure it on your razor. Be careful – the long sides are extremely sharp! I suggest grabbing the blade on its short ends to ensure you don’t cut yourself. For my razor, all you need to do is plop the blade on the head and twist the handle to close the sides. This might differ from razor to razor, so take time to read the instructions. Once the blade is secure, it is time to start shaving! π
How to Shave With a Safety Razor
If you don’t already, I suggest NOT shaving in the shower. When you shave with the water running you are 1) wasting water and 2) making it harder to shave as the soap runs off your body! I personally like to shave at a random time in the afternoon, but you could do it right before you take a shower if you like.
To prep for shaving, I suggest getting a bowl full of water to place in your tub. I use this to dip my razor as I shave, which gets rid of the hair on the blade. It is a great way to conserve water as well! (Once I am done shaving, I just dump the bowl down the drain.) The rest of the shaving experience is extremely easy:
1. Wet your leg (or whatever part you are shaving). Lather up with your favorite bar soap.
2. Tilt the safety razor at a 45 degree angle. This is the perfect alignment to get the most hairs off; but, you can use any angle from 30-45 degrees and it should work just fine!
3. Shave! Make sure you do NOT apply too much pressure, as this will cut your skin. Especially with a new blade, you will barely need any pressure to get the hair off. π As the blade gets older, you will need to apply more pressure until you change the blade again. Now, you might be asking what direction you should shave in… And the answer is any direction you want! The safety razor is awesome because you can shave up, down, and side to side without causing razor burn or bumps. This is awesome for shaving even the most delicate of places!
4. Dip your razor into the bowl of water to unclog hair when necessary. Once you are finished shaving, rinse and towel off. Ta-da! You are now silky smooth.
What To Do Post Shave
When you are finished shaving, there are a few steps I recommend to ensure your safety razor lasts a long time. First, take out the blade (holding by the short sides again!) and clean it off. You might notice that some hairs get stuck to the blade so this fixes that problem. Next, rinse off the razor when the blade is still out, as this also gets rid of any stragglers. Dry both the blade and razor with a towel; store it in a nice dry place so that it doesn’t rust. I personally don’t store mine in the shower as it can be too moist in there. I am hopeful that my safety razor will last me many years, so taking good care of it is important! π β€οΈ
There you have it – an essential guide to shaving with a safety razor! This has honestly been one of my absolute favorite swaps, so I would highly recommend buying one for yourself (affiliate link). While it might seem scary at first to shave with one, I am here to tell you that it is extremely easy. I have only cut myself once in over two years! I believe in you – you can totally handle it! Have you made the switch yet?
Love,
Jenna β₯